Author: various
Category: game
Company/Publisher: White Wolf
Line: Aberrant
Cost: $19.95 or about £12
Page count: 100
ISBN: 1-56504-686-2
SKU: 8510
Capsule Review by Stephen Joseph Ellis on 10/31/00.
Genre tags: Modern day Conspiracy Superhero

ABERRANT WORLDWIDE: PHASE II

Phase I if you recall was a book all about negotiations, diplomacy, investigation and talking. Yes, there were intermittent combat scenes and playing with guns, but characters could stand for President, or collect evidence or lead hostage negotiations. It was intelligent, refreshing and innovative.
Phase II is.... different. It should be related with some of the same writers, editors and artists reappearing, and it has the standard Aberrant knowing references, artwork, background/stats format and style of writing. The content however, is vastly altered in style and theme.

As always, because this product is aimed solely at GM's, then so is this review. Players please don't read beyond.

LAYOUT, EDITING AND ARTWORK.

Before I get to the review proper, a quick comment on the non-substance elements of the book. Finally, we get some new cover art commissioned, showing Team Tomorrow Europe beating up some random novas in the notorious Amp Room. Given the events depicted occur only in the 4th adventure, this art may have been a mistake. (Though it may raise your players anticipation and adrenaline levels over the first three adventures).
The book also suffers from some poor editing, though not on the bad spelling or P.XX scale of 1st Ed. Werewolf. The notations on one (unusually small) map are impossible to read in some place, weird gaps interrupt the flow of some OpNet source material articles. The figures on some item tables have been transposed to the right. I suspect this book was produced in something of a rush (after the success of Phase I and Aberrant in general).
Finally, it follows the usual Aberrant format, contents page at the back, and each adventure is preceded by pages of scene setting 'source' material.

OVERVIEW

Aberrant Worldwide Phase II covers the years 2008-2015. The nova situation hasn't changed too much, though Utopia has been tarnished and the public are now more aware of the dangers that novas represent. Phase II continues and finally confirms this trend as the characters are repeatedly asked to battle evil novas with dreams of conquest and violence. The opening introduction reminds GMs that they can break or alter their game worlds, however future White Wolf products will use a 'Canon' history of the recommended outcomes, which one inevitably assumes will lead to the Aberrant War and 'Trinity'.

'The Pope of Babylon'

This first adventure is the most reminiscent of those presented in Phase I. Its quite lengthy and complicated, but basically revolves around a power grab for the Papacy. The ultra-militant, traditional 'Opus Dei' (seemingly a cult both recognised by and part of the Catholic Church, yet who have semi-seperate chains of command. They are known as the 'Holy Mafia') can no longer stomach the pro-Nova Pope Benedict XVI.
They therefore concoct an ambitious scheme to frame him on charges of corruption and consorting with real Mafiosi. They take over an idle New Jersey Mafia money laundering scheme and arrange a paper trail that leads to the Popes brother. Opus Dei want to hoist the Pope by his own petard, so they require that a respectable group of novas (e.g. the players) uncover this scandal, but need to keep it from going public.

Split into two acts, the first concerns the hunt for a missing journalist who's notes 'prove' the Popes graft. It ends with a fight with 5 Opus Dei novas in a churchyard and the characters convinced of the Popes guilt.

Act 2 concentrates on the Mafia Mega-Syndicate ire with Opus Dei. They send in a nova 'cleaner' (shades of Nikita and Leon here) to kill everyone concerned. After digging deeper and possibly realizing the truth, the PC's are then involved in a climatic three way frag-fest as the Opus Dei and Mafia novas simultaneously attack each other and the players. Given this nova-style chibbing occurs in the middle of New York, while the Pope visits, then Team Tomorrow intervenes if it goes on, leading to a truly horrific battle. In conclusion, despite the investigation, intrigue and religious elements this otherwise excellent adventure turns into an enormous bash and smash involving upwards of 15 novas! It lacks the subtlety of Phase I but still gets a rating of 3 for its original material

'A Green and Pleasant Land' is the second adventure and bear no relationship to the near-legendary CoC product of the same name. Instead it concerns itself with the plans of one hyper intelligent British nova, Sir Arthur Anningsley, to seize power in the UK and restore the British Empire. In order to do this he recruits influential people to his Mason-like gentlemen's club, the Temple of the King. The best he recruits to the 'Inner Temple' where they are let in on the true extent of the conspiracy.
The adventure is intentionally vague in its structure. Basically it provides information on London, some London novas and conspirators and Anningsley projected conspiracy and countermeasures for when the players interfere. The writer uses the old chestnut of 'a friend of the novas joins the Temple and then goes missing, but not before leaving a mysterious warning'. My god, they used this same hook in Chaosiums practically prehistoric 'Hermetic Order of Silver Twilight' from 1982!

So what else can we saw about this adventure? Well it suffers from numerous flaws. Firstly its aimed at Americans and their stereotypes of Britain and then suffers the usual indignities of 'UK sourcebooks'. (i.e. that they don't know what they are talking about). For example, British aristocrats are all power-hungry traditionalists that want to reinstate the feudal system. Another example is one municipal defender nova backed by 'the London Government', except that the pan-London authority is the Mayors office, whilst the government refers only to Her Majesty's Government which is national and has no direct responsibility for London. Neither has thought been put into the UK's so called 'isolationism'. As any half decent economist could tell you, much of Britain's wealth comes from exports and off-shore earnings. As memory serves, UK investors are the second largest foreign owners of US companies in the same way that the US is the largest inward investor in Britain. Combined with London's position in the financial markets, there is no way a policy of economic isolationism would be implemented by a British Government, even with the fictional economic crisis of 1999. (In part this is due to an error in the Aberrant rulebook which states that in 2000 the UK 'declines entry in the European Union.' Clearly the American who wrote that phrase was unaware that Britain had already joined the EU over two decades earlier when it was called the EEC. If they say 'left the EU', then that's fine as a work of fiction, but does not make sense given the gains already achieved with the Single Market). It appears the writer read about the UK's Euro-scepticism, put it together with the 19th century of Laissez faire and decided to ignore modern British realities.

Secondly the adventure is centered around a hyper-intelligent nova (one of the 5 smartest people in the entire world) and then makes him behave very stupidly. For some reason, he believes he is immune to the persuasiveness of a mega-Social nova, even though he recruited her just for those abilities. He also hires and sets up a group of elites who are famed for investigating their employers and who make a point of getting even with people betray them. Why? Anningsley also specifically recruits a friend of the characters precisely because they know important people. He then allows the new member to boast of his affiliation before going missing. Surely some more care would be required? Or how about Anningsleys plan to destroy all novas who might conceivably pose a threat (including all the factions, Utopia, Aberrants, Teragen, Directive and Elites.) given that even Utopia cannot even catch the puny Aberrants, how on earth does he think he has a realistic chance of success? He isn't even supposed to be meglo-maniacal!

Thirdly, the adventure is very vague on a number of details. As mentioned, it relies on a friend of the characters to go missing to start off their investigation. Yet it leaves the friend to be described by the GM and doesn't even suggest that the players can join the temple in the first place. Anningsleys master plan is slipshod and very vague. He intends to forment chaos, assassinate the Prime Minister, have his military stooges take over, before turning power over to his political pawns. Not to mention ruin the rest of the global economy and society whilst bettering Britain's. Yet how is he supposed to do this? Whilst his ends are spelled out, his methods are unknown. Oops, sorry. On re-reading it says he will forment global economic chaos by simultaneously assassinating several heads of state and multiple key functionaries. How? (Besides which, its easier and less noticeable to mind control the US Federal Reserve Board into increasing US interest rates by 5% than assassinating the President. Again the stupidity of this mega-clever nova rears its head)

Finally, the adventure is very forced in terms of shoe-horning the players into taking an interest. I assume that part of Anningsleys stupidity is in order to provide a threat to all those true-blue Americans groups out there. But what about British players and groups? Maybe their characters (and even players) could sympathise with Anningsleys goal. Yet the writer doesn't even suggest this option instead tacking on an angsty paragraph on how, when the All-American lovers of the New World Order defeat Anningsly, they realise they should pity him as a patriot who took the love of his country too far.

Overall then, 'Green and Pleasant Land' gets a rating of 1.5 as it has some good material, but suffers from too many American preconceptions and awkward plot.

The third adventure 'Dominion' is similarly grandiose and apocalyptic. yet another nova wants to take over his country. This time though it is a Ukrainian nova and manager for De Vries. Determined to carve out a piece of the globe for himself, he recruits ten ruthless, professional elites to join him in a surprise attack on the Ukraine military and government. This process takes years however to prepare, and so the players have ample opportunities to rumble evil mastermind Szlaniskovich plans. Unfortunately said plans don't really involve player cunning, but instead plot devices rush to offer up information to the PC's. Deep throat spies offer clues before disappearing, six armed Indian novas magically blind teleport the PC's to 'areas of interest'.
All in all its very disappointing pap, that resolves itself with another enormous frag fest as the PC's fight to protect democracy in Ukraine. Its got a better timeline and plans than "Green & Pleasant Land" but lacks real interest of cunning. Only rates as a 2.

The final scenario "Where Heaven Ends" takes us up to Summer 2015 and is set on the Spanish holiday island of Ibiza. The great minds of Utopia and Proteus mess up a 'sting' operation and have to send Team Tomorrow to raid the notorious Aberrant and Teragen hang out of the Amp Room. (and thus the picture on the front of the book).
Needless to say, sending in these storm troops to the island with the highest population per square mile of novas goes disastrously wrong. Massive nova battles tear apart the club, and then the hill its on, and then spread over the rest of the island. As freak weather and earthquakes begin to eat away at Ibiza, the PC's are sent in on a rescue mission by their respective factions. Discovering the whereabouts of the Teragens Raoul Orzaiz and Utopias Ragnorockette proves harder than even this apocalyptic scenario would indicate. Not only are most people dead, dying, injured or still fighting but the Directive have sent in attack helicopter gunships and psycho novas have gone off their rocker.

Eventually the players discover that the two missing luminaries have been abducted, but on their way to find them, they observe the Directive test of an orbital satellite railgun that does 50d10 of damage! Not only is this a gawd-awful Akira-esque weapon capable of killing any nova, but quick thinking players can even seize control of it! But don't worry, the writer says "Under no circumstances can the characters....backtrack the location of the satellite, even with Cyberkinesis" so at least the PC's cant go build their own! Plus its fairly easy for the GM to deny them the use of the thing.

Anyway isnt this an act of war by the Directive? Blowing up Ibiza's city centre with ortillery isnt very smart is it? And if they really have to test it on moving novas, then why not do it somewhere with a few less journalists and cameras observing the pillar of light that springs from the heavens?

Finally the PC's indulge in yet another chibbing with the arch villain (another rather pathetic but at least original psycho elite) and rescue the hostages. They then beat a retreat as the government of Spain sends in the army and formally bans novas from the shattered, smoking wreck of Ibiza. (Can you say 'foreshadowing'?). Given that this is a fairly exciting (but over the top) adventures, It gets a 3.5 rating. Its not bad, but it just lacks the intelligence and tension of Phase I's 'Gabriel.'

CONCLUSIONS

So, overall Phase II is much more violent and physical than Phase I. White Wolf defends this decision by saying that its the footpath to the apocalyptic Aberrant War. Yet I think that its going a bit fast, as the book only leads up to 2015 whilst the Aberrant war starts in 2046. At this rate, expect a global conflagration by Phase III and 2020 at the latest!

However this book mainly suffers from a sense of schizophrenia. Whilst on the face of it, they are encouraging uber-nova battles and earth shaking quantum effects, little voices nag away saying "Dont let them be too powerful, don't let them ruin the world". For example, there are none of the Quantum 6+ supernovas who we saw in Phase I. Neither can the players really get away with killing T2M or Rauol Orzaiz. Neither are they allowed to play with orbital artillery weapons, because that is for NPC's only!

What else can we say about it? The plots are simultaneously more complicated but also less subtle, always ending in enormous chibfests. And the players tend to get led around by the nose a lot as helpful NPC's explain the genius of the writers plot.

What's good about it? Well, for those groups who like to use their super powers in a gratuitous manner, then opportunities abound. White wolf have cleaned up their success charts so that the GM know exactly how much information a player gathers on a given topic for each number of successes. It also reasonably exciting and cinematic, and expands stuff from the main rulebook.

Yet in the end I felt disappointed by its rush to start having super-battles on every occasion. Its not as good as Phase I and therefore only gets a Substance rating of 3. Style is still good, as its exciting and well written so it gets a 4.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)