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The Blue Planet v.2 Player¹s Guide takes us back to late 22d Century Poseidon, humanity¹s new frontier. Part wild west, part biopunk, Blue Planet provides a richly detailed setting where colonists and Incorporates rush to leave a damaged Earth behind and seek their fortunes on Poseidon. Meanwhile, the native survivors from the abandoned first colony mission struggle to hold on to their homes, communities, and lives. The v.2 Player¹s Guide provides an introduction to Blue Planet¹s setting, new game mechanics, a revised character generation system, and more information on cetacean characters. The Player¹s Guide includes all that you need to play Blue Planet. The new color cover provides an idea of the game inside, featuring GEO officers against a tropical sunset with the cetacean officer leaping out of the water in battle harness and jump jets roaring overhead.

Welcome to Lambda Serpentis II

During the 21st Century, humans expanded out into the Sol System, establishing settlements on Luna, Mars, and the asteroid belt. In 2078, a wormhole was discovered beyond the orbit of Pluto. In 2080, the Argos expedition travels through the wormhole to the Serpentis System and discovers Poseidon, an Earth-like world with a complex biosphere inexplicably based on DNA. In 2086, the Athena project colonists leave for Poseidon. Most of the colonists have been biomodified to adapt to the watery world. The colonists begin to settle and explore Poseidon, expecting a resupply ship from Earth to arrive in ten years. It never arrives.

In 2090, a genetically engineered virus designed to attack a parasitic fungus is released in Southeast Asia and begins to attack grains and grasses. The Blight had begun. In 2091, the Earth had a population of 10.5 billion people. The Blight lasts for 30 years. Earth¹s political institutions are overwhelmed by the Blight. Incorporate states are formed in countries where multinational corporations, such as Biogene and Hanover Industries, could demonstrate that they had the resources to restore social and political order to a region. The United Nation¹s Global Ecology Organization (GEO) is created to respond to the Blight and authorized to enforce its mandates on member states. By 2120, Earth¹s population is 4.8 billion.

On Poseidon, the colonists set out exploring and settling the planet. They did not know what was occurring on Earth and did not suspect that anything was wrong until the resupply mission failed to arrive in 2096. For nearly nine years, the colonists continued to hope for the arrival of the resupply mission.

In 2165, a recontact mission finally arrives to find Poseidon populated by 40,000 natives, descendants of the original colonists. Most on Earth thought that the colony had died out. The natives had been on their own for 79 years. In 2172, the first five hundred new colonists arrive. In 2186, a xenosilicate is discovered on the floor of Poseidon¹s oceans that allows for more accurate and more efficient manipulation of biochemistry. A gold-rush begins, as colonists and business interests rush to Poseidon. By 2199, Poseidon¹s population is two million.

Character Generation

Chapter 1 includes an introduction to the game and the setting and a survival guide narrated by a recent colonist. Chapter 2 provides the rules for character creation. Character generation in v.2 has been revised to incorporate the Synergy Game System and to streamline the process. Three power levels are provided to guide character generation and to reflect a character¹s training: Everyday, Exceptional, and Elite. Nine sample characters are provided: 2 Everyday, 5 Exceptional, and 2 Elite (GEO Marshall and GEO Shock Trooper). The power levels guide the number of points and/or choices a player has when selecting a character¹s attributes, biomodifications, Aptitudes, professional packages and custom skills.

After developing a character concept, a player selects a character¹s species from human, human aquaform, human-cat hybrid, human-gorilla hybrid, human spacer, dolphin, or killer whale. The scaled attributes used in v.1 have been dropped in favor of a zero average attribute scale where all unmodified human attributes are at zero and dolphins have a Build of 6 and Dexterity of -12. Two methods are offered for modifying attributes: points and random. Points are used to purchase attribute points on a one-to-one basis. Under the random system, a player allocates points to set target numbers for a chance at attribute modifications. Three d10 are then rolled against the target number with each die rolled under the target number modifying the attribute by one point.

A player next selects biomods. Everyday characters may select 1-3 minor biomods (i.e. those selling for less than 10,000cs). Exceptional characters may select 2-4 minor biomods and 1-2 major biomods, and Elite characters may select any number of biomods. As in v.1, the choice of biomods is guided by the character¹s background and profession. The recommended number of biomods for Everyday and Exceptional characters provides some welcome structure to the selection of biomods.

A player next selects a character¹s Aptitudes. Each character has a number of Strong (2 dice) and Superior (3 dice) Aptitudes based on the character¹s power level. Aptitudes take the place of v.1¹s skill groups (i.e. Athletics, Survival, Vehicles, etc.) and provide additional dice for skill tests. Skill tests are normally made by attempting to roll less than a target number equal to Attribute plus skill on 1d10. The Aptitudes make it much more likely that tests against lower rated skills will more consistently succeed.

Next, packages of skills are chosen to reflect a character¹s origin, background, and profession. A player selects one origin package that designates where the character grew up (i.e. Earth, Mars, Poseidon Native, Poseidon Colonial, etc.). Additional origin packages are provided for hybrid and cetacean characters. A player next chooses two background packages to define the character¹s general history prior to the start of play. Backgrounds include Colonial, Space, Street, and University. The University background takes the place of v.1¹s education and advanced training. Oddly enough, several of the more distinctive backgrounds from v.1 have not been brought forward (i.e. Cosmopolitan, Religious, Byzantine, etc.). The v.1 backgrounds allowed for the development of distinctive characters and contributed to Blue Planet¹s unique feel. Because two backgrounds are chosen for each character, it would have been particularly helpful to have a larger list to choose from. For example, only six of the nine backgrounds are used for the sample characters¹ eighteen background choices. The good news is that, if you have v.1, it only takes a few minutes to convert the missing backgrounds to v.2.

A player next chooses 3-5 professional packages based on the character¹s power level. Sixteen professions are broken-down into Novice, Specialist, and Expert skill packages. A Novice package provides approximately 15-20 points in skills appropriate to the profession. A Specialist package provides approximately 25-30 points in skills, and an Expert package provides approximately 40-55 skill points. Often, more than one expert package is offered for each profession. For example, the Crime profession includes Expert packages for Burglar, Con Artist, Gangster, and Thug. Additional professional packages are provided specifically for cetaceans. A player then completes skill selection by allocating a number of custom skill points based on the character¹s power level.

The v.2 character generation system allows a player to more carefully choose a character¹s development, particularly with attributes. However, v.2 suffers from a similar organizational impairment as v.1. A player must continually flip back and forth through the chapter when generating a character. Also, it makes no sense to me to choose biomods before selecting a character¹s origin, backgrounds, and profession. In addition, Chapter 3 includes character roles such as civilian pilot, GEO patrol, and warden, with information on standard of living, resources, biomods, and suggested training packages. Information that would have been useful to include before the chapter on character generation.

Synergy Game System

Chapter 4 details the Synergy game system. As mentioned above, skilled tasks are resolved by one or more d10 against a target number equal to skill level plus attribute. Whichever attribute best governs the skill use under the circumstances is used to determine the target number. Attribute tests are made by rolling two dice against 5+attribute.

In combat, initiative is determined by making a Reflexes test. Characters then act in the order of how well they succeed. Characters that succeed by 3 or more may act twice. Damage is determined by rolling three dice against the attack damage rating, producing a minor (-1 penalty), serious (-2 penalty), or critical wound (-3 penalty).

Future History

Chapters 5 and 6 provide information on the hardware and bioware needed to survive on Poseidon. Chapter 5 (42 p.) details 22d Century technology: electronics, medicine, submersibles, weapons, etc. In addition to the tech from v.1, there is new information on remotes and robots. Chapter 6 (16 p.) covers biotech and cybernetics.

Chapter 7 (22 p.) deals with the Athena Project¹s settlement of Poseidon, the Blight¹s effect on Earth and the other Sol settlements, Earth¹s recontact with Poseidon, and the Long John Rush. Chapter 8 (34 p.) deals with Poseidon, its native settlers, the GEO and Incorporate presence, the new colonists, and cetaceans. The cetacean section, in particular, includes new information that will aid players and GMs running cetacean characters. Chapter 9 includes a future history timeline from 2010 to 2199. The Player¹s Guide concludes with a two-page character sheet and a one-page index. Scenarios and other background information are available at Biohazard Games¹ web site, www.biohazardgames.com. I¹ll save my comments on the art and layout of the Player¹s Guide for my review of the Moderator¹s Guide.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Blue Planet v.2 Player's Guide
Author: Jeff Barber and Greg Benage Category: game Company/Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games / Biohazard Games Line: Blue Planet Cost: $28 Page count: 255 ISBN: 1-887911-04-7 SKU: BP02 Capsule Review by Jeb Boyt on 10/08/00. Genre tags: Science fiction Space Espionage Post-apocalypse	The Blue Planet v.2 Player¹s Guide takes us back to late 22d Century Poseidon, humanity¹s new frontier. Part wild west, part biopunk, Blue Planet provides a richly detailed setting where colonists and Incorporates rush to leave a damaged Earth behind and seek their fortunes on Poseidon. Meanwhile, the native survivors from the abandoned first colony mission struggle to hold on to their homes, communities, and lives. The v.2 Player¹s Guide provides an introduction to Blue Planet¹s setting, new game mechanics, a revised character generation system, and more information on cetacean characters. The Player¹s Guide includes all that you need to play Blue Planet. The new color cover provides an idea of the game inside, featuring GEO officers against a tropical sunset with the cetacean officer leaping out of the water in battle harness and jump jets roaring overhead. Welcome to Lambda Serpentis II During the 21st Century, humans expanded out into the Sol System, establishing settlements on Luna, Mars, and the asteroid belt. In 2078, a wormhole was discovered beyond the orbit of Pluto. In 2080, the Argos expedition travels through the wormhole to the Serpentis System and discovers Poseidon, an Earth-like world with a complex biosphere inexplicably based on DNA. In 2086, the Athena project colonists leave for Poseidon. Most of the colonists have been biomodified to adapt to the watery world. The colonists begin to settle and explore Poseidon, expecting a resupply ship from Earth to arrive in ten years. It never arrives. In 2090, a genetically engineered virus designed to attack a parasitic fungus is released in Southeast Asia and begins to attack grains and grasses. The Blight had begun. In 2091, the Earth had a population of 10.5 billion people. The Blight lasts for 30 years. Earth¹s political institutions are overwhelmed by the Blight. Incorporate states are formed in countries where multinational corporations, such as Biogene and Hanover Industries, could demonstrate that they had the resources to restore social and political order to a region. The United Nation¹s Global Ecology Organization (GEO) is created to respond to the Blight and authorized to enforce its mandates on member states. By 2120, Earth¹s population is 4.8 billion. On Poseidon, the colonists set out exploring and settling the planet. They did not know what was occurring on Earth and did not suspect that anything was wrong until the resupply mission failed to arrive in 2096. For nearly nine years, the colonists continued to hope for the arrival of the resupply mission. In 2165, a recontact mission finally arrives to find Poseidon populated by 40,000 natives, descendants of the original colonists. Most on Earth thought that the colony had died out. The natives had been on their own for 79 years. In 2172, the first five hundred new colonists arrive. In 2186, a xenosilicate is discovered on the floor of Poseidon¹s oceans that allows for more accurate and more efficient manipulation of biochemistry. A gold-rush begins, as colonists and business interests rush to Poseidon. By 2199, Poseidon¹s population is two million. Character Generation Chapter 1 includes an introduction to the game and the setting and a survival guide narrated by a recent colonist. Chapter 2 provides the rules for character creation. Character generation in v.2 has been revised to incorporate the Synergy Game System and to streamline the process. Three power levels are provided to guide character generation and to reflect a character¹s training: Everyday, Exceptional, and Elite. Nine sample characters are provided: 2 Everyday, 5 Exceptional, and 2 Elite (GEO Marshall and GEO Shock Trooper). The power levels guide the number of points and/or choices a player has when selecting a character¹s attributes, biomodifications, Aptitudes, professional packages and custom skills. After developing a character concept, a player selects a character¹s species from human, human aquaform, human-cat hybrid, human-gorilla hybrid, human spacer, dolphin, or killer whale. The scaled attributes used in v.1 have been dropped in favor of a zero average attribute scale where all unmodified human attributes are at zero and dolphins have a Build of 6 and Dexterity of -12. Two methods are offered for modifying attributes: points and random. Points are used to purchase attribute points on a one-to-one basis. Under the random system, a player allocates points to set target numbers for a chance at attribute modifications. Three d10 are then rolled against the target number with each die rolled under the target number modifying the attribute by one point. A player next selects biomods. Everyday characters may select 1-3 minor biomods (i.e. those selling for less than 10,000cs). Exceptional characters may select 2-4 minor biomods and 1-2 major biomods, and Elite characters may select any number of biomods. As in v.1, the choice of biomods is guided by the character¹s background and profession. The recommended number of biomods for Everyday and Exceptional characters provides some welcome structure to the selection of biomods. A player next selects a character¹s Aptitudes. Each character has a number of Strong (2 dice) and Superior (3 dice) Aptitudes based on the character¹s power level. Aptitudes take the place of v.1¹s skill groups (i.e. Athletics, Survival, Vehicles, etc.) and provide additional dice for skill tests. Skill tests are normally made by attempting to roll less than a target number equal to Attribute plus skill on 1d10. The Aptitudes make it much more likely that tests against lower rated skills will more consistently succeed. Next, packages of skills are chosen to reflect a character¹s origin, background, and profession. A player selects one origin package that designates where the character grew up (i.e. Earth, Mars, Poseidon Native, Poseidon Colonial, etc.). Additional origin packages are provided for hybrid and cetacean characters. A player next chooses two background packages to define the character¹s general history prior to the start of play. Backgrounds include Colonial, Space, Street, and University. The University background takes the place of v.1¹s education and advanced training. Oddly enough, several of the more distinctive backgrounds from v.1 have not been brought forward (i.e. Cosmopolitan, Religious, Byzantine, etc.). The v.1 backgrounds allowed for the development of distinctive characters and contributed to Blue Planet¹s unique feel. Because two backgrounds are chosen for each character, it would have been particularly helpful to have a larger list to choose from. For example, only six of the nine backgrounds are used for the sample characters¹ eighteen background choices. The good news is that, if you have v.1, it only takes a few minutes to convert the missing backgrounds to v.2. A player next chooses 3-5 professional packages based on the character¹s power level. Sixteen professions are broken-down into Novice, Specialist, and Expert skill packages. A Novice package provides approximately 15-20 points in skills appropriate to the profession. A Specialist package provides approximately 25-30 points in skills, and an Expert package provides approximately 40-55 skill points. Often, more than one expert package is offered for each profession. For example, the Crime profession includes Expert packages for Burglar, Con Artist, Gangster, and Thug. Additional professional packages are provided specifically for cetaceans. A player then completes skill selection by allocating a number of custom skill points based on the character¹s power level. The v.2 character generation system allows a player to more carefully choose a character¹s development, particularly with attributes. However, v.2 suffers from a similar organizational impairment as v.1. A player must continually flip back and forth through the chapter when generating a character. Also, it makes no sense to me to choose biomods before selecting a character¹s origin, backgrounds, and profession. In addition, Chapter 3 includes character roles such as civilian pilot, GEO patrol, and warden, with information on standard of living, resources, biomods, and suggested training packages. Information that would have been useful to include before the chapter on character generation. Synergy Game System Chapter 4 details the Synergy game system. As mentioned above, skilled tasks are resolved by one or more d10 against a target number equal to skill level plus attribute. Whichever attribute best governs the skill use under the circumstances is used to determine the target number. Attribute tests are made by rolling two dice against 5+attribute. In combat, initiative is determined by making a Reflexes test. Characters then act in the order of how well they succeed. Characters that succeed by 3 or more may act twice. Damage is determined by rolling three dice against the attack damage rating, producing a minor (-1 penalty), serious (-2 penalty), or critical wound (-3 penalty). Future History Chapters 5 and 6 provide information on the hardware and bioware needed to survive on Poseidon. Chapter 5 (42 p.) details 22d Century technology: electronics, medicine, submersibles, weapons, etc. In addition to the tech from v.1, there is new information on remotes and robots. Chapter 6 (16 p.) covers biotech and cybernetics. Chapter 7 (22 p.) deals with the Athena Project¹s settlement of Poseidon, the Blight¹s effect on Earth and the other Sol settlements, Earth¹s recontact with Poseidon, and the Long John Rush. Chapter 8 (34 p.) deals with Poseidon, its native settlers, the GEO and Incorporate presence, the new colonists, and cetaceans. The cetacean section, in particular, includes new information that will aid players and GMs running cetacean characters. Chapter 9 includes a future history timeline from 2010 to 2199. The Player¹s Guide concludes with a two-page character sheet and a one-page index. Scenarios and other background information are available at Biohazard Games¹ web site, www.biohazardgames.com. I¹ll save my comments on the art and layout of the Player¹s Guide for my review of the Moderator¹s Guide. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Blue Planet v.2 Player's Guide