Mortals build altars and temples in your name, lie prostrate before you, and obey your every word.
Think its all nectar and ambrosia up here?
Think again.
MetalMan's Review of "Deus Ex" by J.C. Connors
The Premise:
Players are gods... the Big Guys (and Gals)... the Big Kahuna... you get the idea. The objective of the game is to gather enough power from gaining worshippers and/or destroying the faithful of your opponents that you obtain supreme power over the Mystic Domains. Nobody ever said the gods play fair.
What Ya Get:
The Deus Ex rulebook is a 23 page full-color PDF file. Presentation of it is top notch. All of the rules and resolution mechanics needed for Deus Ex is contained within. However, you will need to download the Deus Ex Pantheon and the Deus Ex Domains Map from the website if you intend on using the Mystic Domains fantasy setting that is the default setting for the game. You will need the Adobe Acrobat reader software to be able to view any of the Deus Ex products. In addition, if you intend on playing the game, you will need a deck of Tarot cards.
Cost:
Nada. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Gratis. Free.
Appearance:
Deus Ex is fully illustrated in color using a mixture of 3D rendered buildings and landscapes as well as images from various stained glass windows to set the tone of the game. Text is arranged full page without any use of columns. All-in-all, Deus Ex is very well laid out and the Fate-Decider (the GM) should not have any problems quickly finding any information that they will need.
The Game:
PERSONAL NOTE: Deus Ex is best handled as a LARP (or semi-LARP). As I am not a LARP player, I do not pretend to be familiar with the conventions inherent to LARPing. Please excuse any mistakes or misconceptions that you may draw from this review - odds are that it is a result of my own ignorance.
The game rulebook starts out with a single page history of the Mystic Domains. This is primarily a backdrop for the game and explains an explanation of the conflict as well as the rationale behind the actions of the players. Essentially everything boils down to personal powerplays to gain influence. I imagine anyone that plays one of the more politically-oriented Vampire LARPs would be comfortable with this setting.
Players start with sections of a room divided up to represent their home plane. A large world map is in the center of the room to represent the Council Chambers. This is also where the Fate-Decider/GM resides. Players are encouraged to visit each other/negotiate/make deals/etc. all while staying true to the nature of the deity they are portraying. Each player should also have their own clearly-marked d6 for use in resolving tasks. Sometimes during the game, "Chance" will be invoked. This is simply a 50-50 chance that the player will accomplish their stated task. This can be done by a variety of methods although the Deus Ex book tends to use Tarot cards for this purpose.
Character creation can be handled in two ways: Reason and Fate. Using Reason, players get 14 points to divide among the four attributes of Pentacles, Chalices, Wands and Swords. Using Fate, players roll 4d6 to determine the number of points they get. Now, just like a Tarot deck, each of the four attributes also has a reverse. You must choose when you are creating your character which (if any) of the four attributes are reversed. For example, Pentacles represent your power in the world of mortals while Pentacles Reversed represents your power in nature.
Each player will recieve two Major Arcana from the Tarot deck. These represent their godly powers and are typically used on other deities. These Arcana cards can only be used against a deity who have equal to or more Wands as the attacker. However, if the opponent has Wands Reversed, the attackers Wands rating is halfed. So this means that in a Wands v. Wands situation, the person with the highest Wands rating will always be able to bully around the lesser right? Wrong. A player can spend a Chalice to negate the effect being imposed against them.
The next eleven pages describe each of the Arcanas and lists their gameplay effects for it as well as its reversed state. For those of you unfamiliar with the Tarot, the Arcanas are: The Chariot, Death, The Devil, The Emperor, The Empress, The Fool, The Hanged Man, The Hermit, The Hierophant, The High Priestess, Justice, The Last Judgement, The Lovers, The Magician, The Moon, The Star, Strength, The Sun, Temperance, The Tower, Wheel of Fortune, and The World. I imagine that players will want to become familiar with the meanings of the Tarot beforehand or have a GM who is willing to tell the players what each of their cards are capable of. Index cards could be very useful here for just handing to players instead.
Ravage and Apocalypse are covered next. Ravage is simply when a player unleashes their might against the mortal world. Each Sword spent will affect/kill 1d6x100 mortals. Apocalypse is when two or more gods war with each other. Expending a Sword will cause the loss of a Chalice. However, if the defender has Swords Reversed, damage is subtracted from it before Chalices begin to be removed. If a player has no Chalices left, they are considered killed/in Limbo/etc. Players can also choose to Yield to the attacker or to the defender in exchange for any point in an attribute of the winner's choice. The winner can add this point to their attributes or destroy it. My one problem with this section is that regaining points are not discussed. Do you regain your Swords/Chalices at the end of combat? Or do you gain them back after so many minutes/hours of gameplay? It isn't specified and may be left up to the GM to decide how these mechanics operate in their game.
Players gain bonus attribute points each year depending on how well their home plane has faired. More can be awarded by the GM for especially intervention-minded gods who grace their subjects with frequent shows of their power. Various types of planes are discussed and how players can express their power in them are listed. Each hour of game play (equal to one year in game time), the player may approach the GM and explain how they have expressed their divinity on their home plane and, if the GM agrees, recieve their bonus attribute point(s).
Archons, Heroes, and the use of Pentacles wrap up Deus Ex. Archons are the servants of the gods. Each player has one archon that has half of their attributes and access to the same Arcana but these can only be used on mortals or other archons. Heroes can either be priests or warriors. Again, each player can have one hero. Each hour of play, the hero can perform one feat equivalent to the expenditure of a Sword (warriors) or a Pentacle (priests). The GM decides what heroes do unless the player gets their archon to relay instructions to the hero. Heroes actions can be stymied by ravaging the area they are currently in. However, the Death Arcana can kill a hero. Heroes can be replaced after one hour by spending a Pentacle to get a new one. The use of miniatures on the world map could be useful here I imagine so that everyone can keep track of all the heroes. Pentacles can spend to affect the world. The affect can be anything and only has two stipulations: it can only affect the equivalent of a town or a small city per Pentacle and its use does not involve massive loss of mortal lives (thats what Ravage is for).
Overall Impression:
As I said before, I'm not a LARPer so ignorance ahead. Deus Ex seems to be a fun game that can be very involving for players interested in the high-powered affairs of gods. Some things just seem far too subjective for my tastes, but I'm sure thats probably just me. Far more concerning though, is the lack of rules for regaining Swords or Chalices... although this should be absolutely no problem for a resourceful GM. The prime point of the game seems to be the conflicts with the other gods and the affairs of the mortal world in relation seems to take a second seat. Again, this could just be an issue of focus that a good GM could reorient with some work or rules twinking. I'm giving Deus Ex a good review because it seems like a very well thought out game and setting even if it isn't my cup of tea. I'd be interested in hearing the take of any true LARP players who read the rules or have actually played the game.
MetalMan signing off.
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