The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Before I begin, I feel it is important to mention that I received my copy of Wasteland from the Apophis Consortium for free under the condition that I would write a review for placement here. A policy of strict honesty about the product was insisted and agreed upon. With that in mind, I have written as detailed a review as possible. It is perhaps a little long, but I hope that you will find it fair, enlightening, and perhaps surprising as well...

If there is one virtue that can be ascribed to new game companies as opposed to older, larger ones, it is this; they tend to actually listen to what we, their audience, have to say about their work. And if there's one place where this virtue shows clearly and profoundly, it is in the Wasteland supplement for Obsidian.

The original Obsidian book was met with mixed results to say the least -- people tended to like the idea and creativity behind the book, but felt that the presentation of the material was too jumbled and obtuse to use. For their first book of source material, the Apophis Consortium hired a professional editor, and it shows.

Wasteland: Beyond the Outposts is that first supplement, and while not perfect, it certainly advances the game line in a direction that helps to remedy complaints about the first book's quality.

As I see it, there are really only two functions that a supplement should fulfill. First, it should fill holes existing in the core material, and second, it should expand upon that material in a way that will lead to a higher quality of campaign even if you are not directly focusing on the material of that supplement. Wasteland succeeds in doing both of these things quite well.

Before I start on the material itself, I would like to talk about the production value of Wasteland a little bit. Like its predecessor, Wasteland is a beautiful book. Unlike its predecessor, it is soft back and perfect-bound. The front cover is by the illimitable Christopher Shy, showing a man and a woman standing together against the blood-red sky of the Wasteland. Mr. Shy has a way of drawing people when he wants to that you just can't imagine ever smile -- or if they do, it's of the bitter, mean kind with no real mirth. Given the fact that Obsidian somehow managed to dethrone the World of Darkness for the "Moodiest Game Award" in the latest edition of "The Fantasy Role-Player's Bible," I can't think of a more fitting illustration.

Likewise, the artwork inside the book is of equal quality. Although some of it is not to my personal taste, there's little of it that I can honestly call bad.

The book costs $20 U.S., and has a count of 205 pages. Considering that the new Nosferatu Clanbook runs $15 for half that number of pages, and given the average cost of other, similar books, I have to say that price-point is reasonable as well. On the down side for presentation, Wasteland uses the same double-column style print that the core Obsidian book did, which many have found to be taxing on the eyes.

Now, on to the material itself...

The book opens with a short story -- something we've all come to expect from our games. I won't give anything away, but the plot revolves around an innocent man being exiled from the Zone into the Wasteland outside its gates. The subject matter is interesting, and really sets the mood for material to come. It also marks a theme that is pervasive in Obsidian; even the good guys make mistakes,and when Hell is on earth, those mistakes may or may not be deadly. Obsidian is not at all a game for easy heroism; if you want to do right, you have to except the fact that you'll do wrong sometimes in the trying.

After the work of short fiction, the meat of the material begins. Wasteland is divided into five seperate chapters, each of which has a brief dose of flavor text at the beginning. I did catch some syntax and grammar errors here and there, although it has improved by leaps and bounds over the core book and never detracts from the gist of the text. Each chapter is detailed individually below.

CHAPTER ONE: THE NEW WORLD describes the Wasteland setting. It includes an old-style, "Here Be Dragons" sort of map, and explores the transformed world of Hell on earth.

One of the greatest pitfalls of any post-apocalyptic setting is the tendency to blur itself with other such settings. I must admit that I was a little afraid that this section would turn into a re-telling of Mad Max. Fortunately, I was pleasently surprised. While certainly there is that sort of flavor, the chapter goes into enough detail to make the setting uniquely its own.

The chapter begins with a treatise on how to create a feeling of horror and dread in what could easily have degenerated into another sci-fi rehash. We then have a brief tour of the land and climate, a new calendar which details the benifits and challenges of each month in the now 15 month year, and details how weather aids and disrupts the plans of both human society and the Daemons which now roam the earth. This is the sort of detail that might be easily overlooked, and I appreciated its inclusion.

From there we are given a sampling of the natural flora and fauna that has either survived the holocaust or come into being because of it. A few of the plants and animals are included simply to add flavor or serve as a food source for man, but most have become dangerous in their own right. Given the hostility of the crumbling world they live in, it seems logical that the life that survived would grow mean in order to adapt.

Next is a brief section on travel time and hazards, followed by an extremely detailed examination of the most prominent or successful "cities" (which are lucky to support a few hundred people) of the Wastes. Each town is detailed descriptively, and given a sort of system breakdown of Attributes showing how many people it can support, what type of government it uses, and how much food and water it can produce. We are also given insight into trade and commerce, when barter is used, and when Wastelanders must resort to using more formal monetary systems.

Rules are also given on how to build your own towns, and while I personally tend to prefer simple Narrator description, the rules are adequate and useful in allowing you to compare one place to another at a glance. Most of the cities are interesting, and range from brutal dens for criminal outcasts to places struggling to rekindle not just the human species but their own humanity as well.

Last, we are given details on the Terraformations -- the places where man's sins have become physically manifest and the Circles of Hell have taken the place of normal earth. This is quite possibly my favorite portion of the book. Not only are we given insight into the lands the Daemons have taken over, but we also see deeper into their own motivations and, consequently, where man made its greatest mistakes. This is perhaps the most useful part of the book for those who wish to play in the Zone, because the information gleaned about the Circles can be applied just as easily within its confines.

I must admit that I would have liked to see even more on the Circles and Terraformations than what was presented, although I understand that page count is always the bottom line. Although what *is* here is substantive, it left me hungry for more.

CHAPTER TWO: WASTELANDERS describes the people of the Wasteland, and gives details on creating Wasteland characters. We are given new Ethos templates (Ethos being roughly akin to a character archetype), and descriptions of how the existing Ethos are modified for life outside the Zone. New Socials (firther motivational factors beyond Ethos which help develop how a charracter applies that Ethos in his actions)are also included, and like the Ethos templates themselves are suitable for use in the Zone by and large as well as the Wasteland itself.

Next we are given details on the enigmatic Eigth Circle of Hell -- Pestilence. Thought destroyed long ago, we discover that their Daemons have been hiding as dormant diseases using man as a carrier all along. Spreading the Daemonic plague slowly over time to other men, beasts, and even Daemons of other Circles, Pestilence plans on eventually bringing the infected into the fold by way of the Virus. A collective consciousness which may, with the help of its Daemons subsume all who are infected by it, the Virus bides its time. This notion of a literal, physical possession by Daemons as well as a spiritual one appeals to me; it's a nice twist and a nice touch.

Lastly, we are given a lengthy tour of politics, religion, and recreation in the Wasteland. Everything from how Kultists of different Circles interact to how Arena Fights take place are detailed, and for the most part the material works well.

CHAPTER THREE: TOOLS OF SURVIVAL is, as you would expect, a look at the new toys and equipment of the Wasteland, as well as how readily available they are. Indeed, most useful here are the Scarcity rules, which help you to place a relative value on items depending on how difficult they are to find.

As a chapter, Tools of Survival is adequate, but I'm not one to get excited over equipment lists. From a utilitarian standpoint such a chapter is strictly necessary, but part of me wishes that the space had been used for more setting detail in the stricter sense of the phrase.

CHAPTER FOUR: OTHERS OF NOTE covers the movers and shakers in the Wasteland, from Corporations that have spread outside the Zone to millitary powers to Daemons. Again, the good news is that most of this material can be made relavent to Zone campaigns if you do not wish to run characters in the Wasteland itself. Many of the new Daemons could theoretically crop up there, although some, like the enormous Roamer Daemon, simply would not work. The information on Pestilence is particularly useful, since the text even briefly explores their secret ativities in the Zone.

CHAPTER FIVE: APPENDIX gives rules addendum and detail for the material presented in the previous chapters of the book. New Convokations and artifacts are listed, and a brief adventure is detailed as well. The story itself is interesting, but the restrictions on suitable Ethos make it of little use if your players have characters already.

MY RATINGS: Before I rate Wasteland, let me explain how I imagine each catagory. STYLE includes layout, art, clarity of presentation, and all things dealing with the appearance and readibility of the book. SUBSTANCE includes the depth and bredth of the material, the creativity behind it, and how useful it will be to potential players and Narrators.

STYLE: Although far from perfect, Wasteland represents a profound step forward for the stylistic quality of the Obsidian line. On the presentation of the material itself, the English language errors, while much less common than the core book, still hurt the over-all rating. However, the art and visual appeal are wonderful, and since the aformentioned errors never hinder the comprehension of the material, I give Wasteland a STYLE rating of 3.

SUBSTANCE: Here, the book often shines. This is a meaty text, filled with information useful to both Wasteland campaigns and often Zone ones as well. The ideas are largely well developed, and even those that I didn't care for personally I can see having a place in some campaigns. All in all, Wasteland is well done, and because of that, I give it a SUBSTANCE rating of 4.

CONCLUSION: Wasteland: Beyond the Outposts is a well-conceived supplement that takes Obsidian a huge step in the right direction for commercial success. If further supplements continue this trend for improvement, the Apophis Consortium may find itself winning back fans, and while the criticisms they faced may have been hard to take, I am pleased to see that they took the time to respond with actions instead of just words. I hope they keep it up. Like the heroes of the Wasteland, the book is flawed, but I can honestly reccomend it.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Wasteland: Beyond the Outposts
Author: Micha Skaritka, Dav Harnish, Brian Bradley, Tim Akers, Mike Slivka Category: game Company/Publisher: Apophis Consortium Line: Obsidian Cost: $20 Page count: 205 ISBN: 0-9671263-1-2 SKU: AP00101 Capsule Review by Cameron Lyle on 04/26/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Horror Far_Future Post-apocalypse Gothic	Before I begin, I feel it is important to mention that I received my copy of Wasteland from the Apophis Consortium for free under the condition that I would write a review for placement here. A policy of strict honesty about the product was insisted and agreed upon. With that in mind, I have written as detailed a review as possible. It is perhaps a little long, but I hope that you will find it fair, enlightening, and perhaps surprising as well... If there is one virtue that can be ascribed to new game companies as opposed to older, larger ones, it is this; they tend to actually listen to what we, their audience, have to say about their work. And if there's one place where this virtue shows clearly and profoundly, it is in the Wasteland supplement for Obsidian. The original Obsidian book was met with mixed results to say the least -- people tended to like the idea and creativity behind the book, but felt that the presentation of the material was too jumbled and obtuse to use. For their first book of source material, the Apophis Consortium hired a professional editor, and it shows. Wasteland: Beyond the Outposts is that first supplement, and while not perfect, it certainly advances the game line in a direction that helps to remedy complaints about the first book's quality. As I see it, there are really only two functions that a supplement should fulfill. First, it should fill holes existing in the core material, and second, it should expand upon that material in a way that will lead to a higher quality of campaign even if you are not directly focusing on the material of that supplement. Wasteland succeeds in doing both of these things quite well. Before I start on the material itself, I would like to talk about the production value of Wasteland a little bit. Like its predecessor, Wasteland is a beautiful book. Unlike its predecessor, it is soft back and perfect-bound. The front cover is by the illimitable Christopher Shy, showing a man and a woman standing together against the blood-red sky of the Wasteland. Mr. Shy has a way of drawing people when he wants to that you just can't imagine ever smile -- or if they do, it's of the bitter, mean kind with no real mirth. Given the fact that Obsidian somehow managed to dethrone the World of Darkness for the "Moodiest Game Award" in the latest edition of "The Fantasy Role-Player's Bible," I can't think of a more fitting illustration. Likewise, the artwork inside the book is of equal quality. Although some of it is not to my personal taste, there's little of it that I can honestly call bad. The book costs $20 U.S., and has a count of 205 pages. Considering that the new Nosferatu Clanbook runs $15 for half that number of pages, and given the average cost of other, similar books, I have to say that price-point is reasonable as well. On the down side for presentation, Wasteland uses the same double-column style print that the core Obsidian book did, which many have found to be taxing on the eyes. Now, on to the material itself... The book opens with a short story -- something we've all come to expect from our games. I won't give anything away, but the plot revolves around an innocent man being exiled from the Zone into the Wasteland outside its gates. The subject matter is interesting, and really sets the mood for material to come. It also marks a theme that is pervasive in Obsidian; even the good guys make mistakes,and when Hell is on earth, those mistakes may or may not be deadly. Obsidian is not at all a game for easy heroism; if you want to do right, you have to except the fact that you'll do wrong sometimes in the trying. After the work of short fiction, the meat of the material begins. Wasteland is divided into five seperate chapters, each of which has a brief dose of flavor text at the beginning. I did catch some syntax and grammar errors here and there, although it has improved by leaps and bounds over the core book and never detracts from the gist of the text. Each chapter is detailed individually below. CHAPTER ONE: THE NEW WORLD describes the Wasteland setting. It includes an old-style, "Here Be Dragons" sort of map, and explores the transformed world of Hell on earth. One of the greatest pitfalls of any post-apocalyptic setting is the tendency to blur itself with other such settings. I must admit that I was a little afraid that this section would turn into a re-telling of Mad Max. Fortunately, I was pleasently surprised. While certainly there is that sort of flavor, the chapter goes into enough detail to make the setting uniquely its own. The chapter begins with a treatise on how to create a feeling of horror and dread in what could easily have degenerated into another sci-fi rehash. We then have a brief tour of the land and climate, a new calendar which details the benifits and challenges of each month in the now 15 month year, and details how weather aids and disrupts the plans of both human society and the Daemons which now roam the earth. This is the sort of detail that might be easily overlooked, and I appreciated its inclusion. From there we are given a sampling of the natural flora and fauna that has either survived the holocaust or come into being because of it. A few of the plants and animals are included simply to add flavor or serve as a food source for man, but most have become dangerous in their own right. Given the hostility of the crumbling world they live in, it seems logical that the life that survived would grow mean in order to adapt. Next is a brief section on travel time and hazards, followed by an extremely detailed examination of the most prominent or successful "cities" (which are lucky to support a few hundred people) of the Wastes. Each town is detailed descriptively, and given a sort of system breakdown of Attributes showing how many people it can support, what type of government it uses, and how much food and water it can produce. We are also given insight into trade and commerce, when barter is used, and when Wastelanders must resort to using more formal monetary systems. Rules are also given on how to build your own towns, and while I personally tend to prefer simple Narrator description, the rules are adequate and useful in allowing you to compare one place to another at a glance. Most of the cities are interesting, and range from brutal dens for criminal outcasts to places struggling to rekindle not just the human species but their own humanity as well. Last, we are given details on the Terraformations -- the places where man's sins have become physically manifest and the Circles of Hell have taken the place of normal earth. This is quite possibly my favorite portion of the book. Not only are we given insight into the lands the Daemons have taken over, but we also see deeper into their own motivations and, consequently, where man made its greatest mistakes. This is perhaps the most useful part of the book for those who wish to play in the Zone, because the information gleaned about the Circles can be applied just as easily within its confines. I must admit that I would have liked to see even more on the Circles and Terraformations than what was presented, although I understand that page count is always the bottom line. Although what is here is substantive, it left me hungry for more. CHAPTER TWO: WASTELANDERS describes the people of the Wasteland, and gives details on creating Wasteland characters. We are given new Ethos templates (Ethos being roughly akin to a character archetype), and descriptions of how the existing Ethos are modified for life outside the Zone. New Socials (firther motivational factors beyond Ethos which help develop how a charracter applies that Ethos in his actions)are also included, and like the Ethos templates themselves are suitable for use in the Zone by and large as well as the Wasteland itself. Next we are given details on the enigmatic Eigth Circle of Hell -- Pestilence. Thought destroyed long ago, we discover that their Daemons have been hiding as dormant diseases using man as a carrier all along. Spreading the Daemonic plague slowly over time to other men, beasts, and even Daemons of other Circles, Pestilence plans on eventually bringing the infected into the fold by way of the Virus. A collective consciousness which may, with the help of its Daemons subsume all who are infected by it, the Virus bides its time. This notion of a literal, physical possession by Daemons as well as a spiritual one appeals to me; it's a nice twist and a nice touch. Lastly, we are given a lengthy tour of politics, religion, and recreation in the Wasteland. Everything from how Kultists of different Circles interact to how Arena Fights take place are detailed, and for the most part the material works well. CHAPTER THREE: TOOLS OF SURVIVAL is, as you would expect, a look at the new toys and equipment of the Wasteland, as well as how readily available they are. Indeed, most useful here are the Scarcity rules, which help you to place a relative value on items depending on how difficult they are to find. As a chapter, Tools of Survival is adequate, but I'm not one to get excited over equipment lists. From a utilitarian standpoint such a chapter is strictly necessary, but part of me wishes that the space had been used for more setting detail in the stricter sense of the phrase. CHAPTER FOUR: OTHERS OF NOTE covers the movers and shakers in the Wasteland, from Corporations that have spread outside the Zone to millitary powers to Daemons. Again, the good news is that most of this material can be made relavent to Zone campaigns if you do not wish to run characters in the Wasteland itself. Many of the new Daemons could theoretically crop up there, although some, like the enormous Roamer Daemon, simply would not work. The information on Pestilence is particularly useful, since the text even briefly explores their secret ativities in the Zone. CHAPTER FIVE: APPENDIX gives rules addendum and detail for the material presented in the previous chapters of the book. New Convokations and artifacts are listed, and a brief adventure is detailed as well. The story itself is interesting, but the restrictions on suitable Ethos make it of little use if your players have characters already. MY RATINGS: Before I rate Wasteland, let me explain how I imagine each catagory. STYLE includes layout, art, clarity of presentation, and all things dealing with the appearance and readibility of the book. SUBSTANCE includes the depth and bredth of the material, the creativity behind it, and how useful it will be to potential players and Narrators. STYLE: Although far from perfect, Wasteland represents a profound step forward for the stylistic quality of the Obsidian line. On the presentation of the material itself, the English language errors, while much less common than the core book, still hurt the over-all rating. However, the art and visual appeal are wonderful, and since the aformentioned errors never hinder the comprehension of the material, I give Wasteland a STYLE rating of 3. SUBSTANCE: Here, the book often shines. This is a meaty text, filled with information useful to both Wasteland campaigns and often Zone ones as well. The ideas are largely well developed, and even those that I didn't care for personally I can see having a place in some campaigns. All in all, Wasteland is well done, and because of that, I give it a SUBSTANCE rating of 4. CONCLUSION: Wasteland: Beyond the Outposts is a well-conceived supplement that takes Obsidian a huge step in the right direction for commercial success. If further supplements continue this trend for improvement, the Apophis Consortium may find itself winning back fans, and while the criticisms they faced may have been hard to take, I am pleased to see that they took the time to respond with actions instead of just words. I hope they keep it up. Like the heroes of the Wasteland, the book is flawed, but I can honestly reccomend it. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)