The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Superman, the Son of Krypton, gets his own sourcebook for the DCU rpg, as one would expect. Despite being the first comic book superhero, and one of the most instantly recognizable character in modern entertainment, his "All-American" image is seen by many in this day and age as somewhat antiquated. For me, it was like reading about and old friend. It was interesting to see how the folks at D6Legend handled our boy Supes.

In a nutshell, their philosphy seemed to be "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!". Superman has been an icon for generations, so just tell it like it is. They have faithfully translated the Superman books to the roleplaying table, and let his credentials in nearly 60 years of comics to speak for itself. Whether this is a good thing or not depends on whether you think Superman is the epitomy of heroism or a goody-goody bore, I suppose.

The book begins, as did the Gotham City Sourcebook, with a brief chapter detailing some of the important locations and organizations in the city of Metropolis. The City of Tomorrow lacks the atmospher that oozes from Gotham, and comes across as sterile---- much like a hospital wardroom. With the exception of LexCorp adding an element of intrigue and unpredictability to daily life, Metropolis is just too damn safe to make it interesting. Nevertheless, the authors do their best by covering the Daily Planet, S.T.A.R. Labs, LexCorp, and organized criminal elements in strong detail. As with the Gotham City Sourcebook, the chapter was hindered by a lack of maps.

People of the City introduces us to the law abiding citizens of Metropolis, both heroes (Alpha Centurion, Gangbuster, among others) and normal folk (the Daily Planet staff, the Kents, Project Cadmus personnel, etc.). All of the expected characters are depicted here, in significant detail.

I was disapointed somewhat with the villains section. Included were a mere 22 bad guys, ranging from the legendary (Bizarro, Brainiac, Doomsday, and Lex Luthor) to the overlooked (Conduit, Riot, La Encantadora). As a group, they are no where near as interesting or versatile as Batman's cast of characters and the authors seem to have chosen exclusively from a relatively narrow amd unimaginative list. In the process, they ignored some appealing villains that would certainly add more to my campaign than Mxyzptlk ever will--- Cauldron (Action Comics #695), the time-travelling Tiko (Adventures of Superman #508), Sidearm (Superboy #1), The Technician (Superboy #23), and the shape-shifter Matrix (Action Comics #644) to name just a few from recent years. While perhaps in the grand scheme of the Superman mythos these villains are of minor importance, in a roleplaying campaign they are infinitely more useable than the Ubervillains detailed in this book.

A slim chapter has been devoted to rule options specifically suited to high powered campaigns, including several new combat options, new powers (Bind, Temporal Manipulation), new rules for lifting, and new Dramatic Effect cards. Another useful chapter deals with designing devices, ranging from Steels battlesuit to Superboy's powerglasses. The system is detailed, flexible, and makes infinite sense. Best of all, it's fun and easy, adding a whole new level to character development or campaign play. Included are several examples, such as the Kryptonian Battlesuit and Conduit's armour.

Some useful advice is lent in the chapter on created super-heroic cities. Step-by-step, the authors guide you through the development of a fictional city, from history and government, to entertainment and the underworld. This information is non-system specific, so it could apply to any superhero (or even non-superhero) campaign. Some rules or charts could have been included to make random cities, or to provide specifics to ones' own city (how many superheroic guardians are in my city? how many criminal gangs would it have?), but the chapter is not lacking without it.

The authors have kindly provided a scenario, a trend in DCU sourcebooks that I am most grateful for. Unfortunetaly, the 10 page adventure is somewhat disapointing, which is not surprising since they chose to use Mxyzptlk as the antagonist. The plot is combat heavy, despite the opportunity afforded by Mxyzptlk (who has a fondness for riddles) for an investigation driven story. A weakness of the villain is his inherant silliness, despite the power he wields. This comes across in the story, where the heroes must battle giant toys that parody superman and his greatest villains! It comes across as a wasted opportunity to either do something interesting with Mxyptlk or, far better, treat us to an advanture featuring one of Supermans more awe-inspiring villains.

It would be remise of me if I did not make note of the continued high caliber of production value that D6Legend invests in it's books. The artwork continues to be of the highest quality, and the layout/design is excellent. Certainly the DCU line is among the more attractive in the industry. The writing, despite being handled by 6 authors, is uniform and very solid, making the Metropolis sourcebook a pleasure to read.

Ironically, the Metropolis Sourcebook comes across as a better general reference book to the Superman comics than it does as a rpg sourcebook. That is to say, it is invaluable and no doubt infinitely interesting to fans of the various Superman books, but may be limited in it's utility for rpg fans. Not many campaigns feature heroes/villians as powerful as those depicted within, and many are of only minor appeal anyways. Nevertheless, there is enough here (rules on city creation, useful rule options, and a handful of cool characters) to make it a worthwhile book to own, and it is certainly a fun read. And, if your heroes chew on Bane for lunch and pick their teeth with Killer Crocs severed limbs, it goes without saying you SERIOUSLY need this book.

Metropolis Sourcebook Andrew Hind
Item type: RPG Product Name: Metropolis Sourcebook Author: Various Company/Publisher: West End Games Line: DC Universe SKU: 52004 Cost: $15.00 Page count: 96 ISBN: 1-930753-00-4 Ratings: Style 5 (Excellent!) Substance 3 (Average) Review type: Playtest Review	Superman, the Son of Krypton, gets his own sourcebook for the DCU rpg, as one would expect. Despite being the first comic book superhero, and one of the most instantly recognizable character in modern entertainment, his "All-American" image is seen by many in this day and age as somewhat antiquated. For me, it was like reading about and old friend. It was interesting to see how the folks at D6Legend handled our boy Supes. In a nutshell, their philosphy seemed to be "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!". Superman has been an icon for generations, so just tell it like it is. They have faithfully translated the Superman books to the roleplaying table, and let his credentials in nearly 60 years of comics to speak for itself. Whether this is a good thing or not depends on whether you think Superman is the epitomy of heroism or a goody-goody bore, I suppose. The book begins, as did the Gotham City Sourcebook, with a brief chapter detailing some of the important locations and organizations in the city of Metropolis. The City of Tomorrow lacks the atmospher that oozes from Gotham, and comes across as sterile---- much like a hospital wardroom. With the exception of LexCorp adding an element of intrigue and unpredictability to daily life, Metropolis is just too damn safe to make it interesting. Nevertheless, the authors do their best by covering the Daily Planet, S.T.A.R. Labs, LexCorp, and organized criminal elements in strong detail. As with the Gotham City Sourcebook, the chapter was hindered by a lack of maps. People of the City introduces us to the law abiding citizens of Metropolis, both heroes (Alpha Centurion, Gangbuster, among others) and normal folk (the Daily Planet staff, the Kents, Project Cadmus personnel, etc.). All of the expected characters are depicted here, in significant detail. I was disapointed somewhat with the villains section. Included were a mere 22 bad guys, ranging from the legendary (Bizarro, Brainiac, Doomsday, and Lex Luthor) to the overlooked (Conduit, Riot, La Encantadora). As a group, they are no where near as interesting or versatile as Batman's cast of characters and the authors seem to have chosen exclusively from a relatively narrow amd unimaginative list. In the process, they ignored some appealing villains that would certainly add more to my campaign than Mxyzptlk ever will--- Cauldron (Action Comics #695), the time-travelling Tiko (Adventures of Superman #508), Sidearm (Superboy #1), The Technician (Superboy #23), and the shape-shifter Matrix (Action Comics #644) to name just a few from recent years. While perhaps in the grand scheme of the Superman mythos these villains are of minor importance, in a roleplaying campaign they are infinitely more useable than the Ubervillains detailed in this book. A slim chapter has been devoted to rule options specifically suited to high powered campaigns, including several new combat options, new powers (Bind, Temporal Manipulation), new rules for lifting, and new Dramatic Effect cards. Another useful chapter deals with designing devices, ranging from Steels battlesuit to Superboy's powerglasses. The system is detailed, flexible, and makes infinite sense. Best of all, it's fun and easy, adding a whole new level to character development or campaign play. Included are several examples, such as the Kryptonian Battlesuit and Conduit's armour. Some useful advice is lent in the chapter on created super-heroic cities. Step-by-step, the authors guide you through the development of a fictional city, from history and government, to entertainment and the underworld. This information is non-system specific, so it could apply to any superhero (or even non-superhero) campaign. Some rules or charts could have been included to make random cities, or to provide specifics to ones' own city (how many superheroic guardians are in my city? how many criminal gangs would it have?), but the chapter is not lacking without it. The authors have kindly provided a scenario, a trend in DCU sourcebooks that I am most grateful for. Unfortunetaly, the 10 page adventure is somewhat disapointing, which is not surprising since they chose to use Mxyzptlk as the antagonist. The plot is combat heavy, despite the opportunity afforded by Mxyzptlk (who has a fondness for riddles) for an investigation driven story. A weakness of the villain is his inherant silliness, despite the power he wields. This comes across in the story, where the heroes must battle giant toys that parody superman and his greatest villains! It comes across as a wasted opportunity to either do something interesting with Mxyptlk or, far better, treat us to an advanture featuring one of Supermans more awe-inspiring villains. It would be remise of me if I did not make note of the continued high caliber of production value that D6Legend invests in it's books. The artwork continues to be of the highest quality, and the layout/design is excellent. Certainly the DCU line is among the more attractive in the industry. The writing, despite being handled by 6 authors, is uniform and very solid, making the Metropolis sourcebook a pleasure to read. Ironically, the Metropolis Sourcebook comes across as a better general reference book to the Superman comics than it does as a rpg sourcebook. That is to say, it is invaluable and no doubt infinitely interesting to fans of the various Superman books, but may be limited in it's utility for rpg fans. Not many campaigns feature heroes/villians as powerful as those depicted within, and many are of only minor appeal anyways. Nevertheless, there is enough here (rules on city creation, useful rule options, and a handful of cool characters) to make it a worthwhile book to own, and it is certainly a fun read. And, if your heroes chew on Bane for lunch and pick their teeth with Killer Crocs severed limbs, it goes without saying you SERIOUSLY need this book.