The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I have always liked the JLA, DC's version of the Avengers, Earths mightiest heroes banded together to defend humanity from threats individual heroes cannot possibly handle. What I find so incredible about the JLA is the near mythical stature they have attained--- the founding team in particular. I instinctively knew of the roster without ever having read a JLA comic. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, HawkMan, Green Lantern......These are LEGENDS! I hoped the JLA would live up to my expectations.

It did. And then some. It starts with a history of the team, founded 12 years ago when the heroes banded together to defend the Earth against the Appellaxians, an alien menace. The information is current as of 1999. The chapter also includes the bylaws of the JLA and a JLA membership card, formatted to make a great handouts. The authors have done a great job of summarizing the extensive history of the team in only 10 pages.

We then are treated to the game profiles of the members of the original roster, the current team, Young Justice, and notable allies. This amounts to some 40 heroes! I was pleased to see Doom Patrol included, a generally overlooked team but a personal favorite. Other somewhat obscure heroes include Adam Strange, Aztek, and Orion.

For some reason, the highlight of any superhero sourcebook is, for me at any rate, the villains. I guess it's in anticipation of having them face off against my pompous players, who by now have probably flattened all the enemies from earlier DCU releases. In this case, I drooled at the possibility of designing scenarios around the Brotherhood of Evil, the Injustice Gang, or Amazo. And wow, the JLA sourcebook boasts a great rogues gallery. In addition to the aforementioned villains, we find the Appellexians, Dr T.O Morrow, the Acolyte, and some 20 more! Certainly enough to keep my players on their toes for months.

A real hallmark of the DCU line of sourcebooks has been it's excellent renderings of the hidden sanctums of the heroes (the Batcave, Superman's Fortress of Solitude). This trend is continued within the JLA sourcebook, with excellent 3-D maps of the Secret Sanctuary, the Watchtower, and the Justice Cave.

What would a rpg book be without rules. The JLA sourcebook includes several interesting rule options, including rules for android and robot creation, new disadvantages (age, childish appearance, forgetful), and several new manipulation powers designed for high- powered campaigns (physical, elemental, force, and universe). Speaking of high-powered campaigns, the authors have wisely included a chapter providing guidelines for refereeing these kind of adventures. Let's face it, the power wielded by this collection of heroes is awesome indeed, and could pose serious headaches to novice gm's.

An example of how to design adventures suited for characters in this league (pardon the pun) comes in the full-length scenario, "Time After Time". The Chronomverate, an alliance of the time manipulators Extant, The Lord of Time, and Timazo, plot to destroy the JLA and conquer the Earth. The task of preventing them falls to the heroes, who return from a mission to find their planet conquered by Thanagarians. The heroes rescue Hourman from his temporal prison, who then guides them on an adventure spanning 50 years of history during which they meet the various JLA incarnations and battle their greatest villains (Amazo, the Ultramarines, Hyperclan, etc). It climaxes in a desperate battle in the 21st century, as the heroes and their JL:E allies fight to prevenf Solaris, the Living Sun from arriving via a temporal nexus. Exciting set-piece battles, excellent villains, and a insidious plot in which the stakes are of the highest caliber......An excellent and fun adventure!

The interior artwork is incredible, and the cover art depicting Batman, Plastic-Man, and Martian Manhunter in combat with Amazo is eyecatching. The writing is consistent, clear, and light. Production values live up the usual WEG high standards, a near flawless package.

The folks at WEG have done a great job of handling the world's foremost superhero team. The authors have played it two ways. One moment, it's a rpg sourcebook allowing us to play or emulate the near mythical heroes of the JLA; the next it's a utilitarian and somewhat nostagic fan resourcebook. It made me want to pull out my old beta JLA cartoons and relive some memories. Or, perhaps open by dice bag, call up a few friends, and make some new ones.

JLA Sourcebook
JLA Sourcebook Playtest Review by Andrew Hind on 27/03/01 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty) The World's Greatest Superhero Team, with apologies to the Avengers, now available for your DCU campaign. A consistent and solid sourcebook. Product: JLA Sourcebook Author: Various Category: RPG Company/Publisher: West End Games Line: DCU RPG Cost: $21.00 Page count: 160 Year published: 2000 ISBN: 1-930753-02-0 SKU: 52006 Playtest Review by Andrew Hind on 27/03/01 Genre tags: Modern day Superhero	I have always liked the JLA, DC's version of the Avengers, Earths mightiest heroes banded together to defend humanity from threats individual heroes cannot possibly handle. What I find so incredible about the JLA is the near mythical stature they have attained--- the founding team in particular. I instinctively knew of the roster without ever having read a JLA comic. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, HawkMan, Green Lantern......These are LEGENDS! I hoped the JLA would live up to my expectations. It did. And then some. It starts with a history of the team, founded 12 years ago when the heroes banded together to defend the Earth against the Appellaxians, an alien menace. The information is current as of 1999. The chapter also includes the bylaws of the JLA and a JLA membership card, formatted to make a great handouts. The authors have done a great job of summarizing the extensive history of the team in only 10 pages. We then are treated to the game profiles of the members of the original roster, the current team, Young Justice, and notable allies. This amounts to some 40 heroes! I was pleased to see Doom Patrol included, a generally overlooked team but a personal favorite. Other somewhat obscure heroes include Adam Strange, Aztek, and Orion. For some reason, the highlight of any superhero sourcebook is, for me at any rate, the villains. I guess it's in anticipation of having them face off against my pompous players, who by now have probably flattened all the enemies from earlier DCU releases. In this case, I drooled at the possibility of designing scenarios around the Brotherhood of Evil, the Injustice Gang, or Amazo. And wow, the JLA sourcebook boasts a great rogues gallery. In addition to the aforementioned villains, we find the Appellexians, Dr T.O Morrow, the Acolyte, and some 20 more! Certainly enough to keep my players on their toes for months. A real hallmark of the DCU line of sourcebooks has been it's excellent renderings of the hidden sanctums of the heroes (the Batcave, Superman's Fortress of Solitude). This trend is continued within the JLA sourcebook, with excellent 3-D maps of the Secret Sanctuary, the Watchtower, and the Justice Cave. What would a rpg book be without rules. The JLA sourcebook includes several interesting rule options, including rules for android and robot creation, new disadvantages (age, childish appearance, forgetful), and several new manipulation powers designed for high- powered campaigns (physical, elemental, force, and universe). Speaking of high-powered campaigns, the authors have wisely included a chapter providing guidelines for refereeing these kind of adventures. Let's face it, the power wielded by this collection of heroes is awesome indeed, and could pose serious headaches to novice gm's. An example of how to design adventures suited for characters in this league (pardon the pun) comes in the full-length scenario, "Time After Time". The Chronomverate, an alliance of the time manipulators Extant, The Lord of Time, and Timazo, plot to destroy the JLA and conquer the Earth. The task of preventing them falls to the heroes, who return from a mission to find their planet conquered by Thanagarians. The heroes rescue Hourman from his temporal prison, who then guides them on an adventure spanning 50 years of history during which they meet the various JLA incarnations and battle their greatest villains (Amazo, the Ultramarines, Hyperclan, etc). It climaxes in a desperate battle in the 21st century, as the heroes and their JL:E allies fight to prevenf Solaris, the Living Sun from arriving via a temporal nexus. Exciting set-piece battles, excellent villains, and a insidious plot in which the stakes are of the highest caliber......An excellent and fun adventure! The interior artwork is incredible, and the cover art depicting Batman, Plastic-Man, and Martian Manhunter in combat with Amazo is eyecatching. The writing is consistent, clear, and light. Production values live up the usual WEG high standards, a near flawless package. The folks at WEG have done a great job of handling the world's foremost superhero team. The authors have played it two ways. One moment, it's a rpg sourcebook allowing us to play or emulate the near mythical heroes of the JLA; the next it's a utilitarian and somewhat nostagic fan resourcebook. It made me want to pull out my old beta JLA cartoons and relive some memories. Or, perhaps open by dice bag, call up a few friends, and make some new ones.

JLA Sourcebook