The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Role-playing in the world of Indiana Jones presented two serious obstacles. The first was the game mechanic. The Masterbook system has a very well done spell design system and a system that feels at home in science fiction. In pulp adventure setting, though, such as Bloodshadows and Indiana Jones, the system was awkward and inappropriate. The second problem is one familiar to GMs in the Star Wars universe. How do you keep the pace of the three movies? What adventures can a GM come up with that are so full of adrenaline, intrigue, and updated knights valiant?

"Indiana Jones Adventures" takes a swing at both those problems and, on a 3 and 2 count, gets a crowd pleasing triple. With a section on converting Indy to D6 (the Star Wars mechanic), a solo scenario, and three very solid adventures, "Adventures" is a winner. The adventures are fun, unabashed pulp.

The first scenario is a solo number. The idea behind it is to give the GM the new rules (the first chapter) and then a little adventure to see how they work in practice. While not the greatest fan of solos, I had to applaud the principle behind it, as well as the campy pulp plot. Learning CAN be fun.

Three solid adventures take up the rest of the book. The first group adventure is set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The plot was fast-paced, a little tense, and fun. To offset the vague "Fugitive" feeling, a scene of potentially memorable comic value was included. Australian wilderness sets the second group adventure. The third, and most Indy-worthy has the characters escorting artifacts through inland China. There are truck chases, plane crashes, inscrutable natives, and hordes of henchmen filling the adventures. They are truly Indyesque adventures.. One gaming session should be necessary for each of the group adventures. GM preparation is important in these. There are details to flesh out and NPC voices to practice. In order to maintain the fast pace, GMs will have to know exactly what's coming next without flipping through pages.

Art and layout of this book was better than all the others I've seen for this line. The first and third group adventures have important NPCs set apart in a darkened box. In the Aussie adventure and previous Indy books, the NPCs were mixed in with the rest of the text. Not only was it less attractive, but darn inconvenient to muddle through columns of black and white to find stats for a specific tribesman or femme fatale. The maps are pretty plentiful. One map was both topographical and in profile, an idea that should be carried to other products.

When it comes to faults, inconsistency is the watchword. The damage tables for the D6 rules don't match the damage values given in the adventures. The second adventure has it's NPCs presented differently, which isn't a major loss by any standard, but it's curious and noticeable.

Without a doubt, this is my favorite Indiana Jones book. The adventures are just right. Action is at the forefront without becoming overly violent. They are worthwhile and definitely worth 15 bucks. The D6 system isn't complete in this book, but there's enough there to make it work for anyone familiar with the Star Wars RPG. It's the right system for Indy for the same reasons that it has worked so well for the Star Wars.

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

Indiana Jones Adventures
Author: John Robey, Peter Schweighofer, Eric S. Trautmann, George Strayton, Paul Sudlow Category: game Company/Publisher: West End Games Cost: $15.00 Page count: 96 ISBN: 0-87431-436-4 Capsule Review by C.H. Gallant on 03/30/98. Genre tags: none	Role-playing in the world of Indiana Jones presented two serious obstacles. The first was the game mechanic. The Masterbook system has a very well done spell design system and a system that feels at home in science fiction. In pulp adventure setting, though, such as Bloodshadows and Indiana Jones, the system was awkward and inappropriate. The second problem is one familiar to GMs in the Star Wars universe. How do you keep the pace of the three movies? What adventures can a GM come up with that are so full of adrenaline, intrigue, and updated knights valiant? "Indiana Jones Adventures" takes a swing at both those problems and, on a 3 and 2 count, gets a crowd pleasing triple. With a section on converting Indy to D6 (the Star Wars mechanic), a solo scenario, and three very solid adventures, "Adventures" is a winner. The adventures are fun, unabashed pulp. The first scenario is a solo number. The idea behind it is to give the GM the new rules (the first chapter) and then a little adventure to see how they work in practice. While not the greatest fan of solos, I had to applaud the principle behind it, as well as the campy pulp plot. Learning CAN be fun. Three solid adventures take up the rest of the book. The first group adventure is set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The plot was fast-paced, a little tense, and fun. To offset the vague "Fugitive" feeling, a scene of potentially memorable comic value was included. Australian wilderness sets the second group adventure. The third, and most Indy-worthy has the characters escorting artifacts through inland China. There are truck chases, plane crashes, inscrutable natives, and hordes of henchmen filling the adventures. They are truly Indyesque adventures.. One gaming session should be necessary for each of the group adventures. GM preparation is important in these. There are details to flesh out and NPC voices to practice. In order to maintain the fast pace, GMs will have to know exactly what's coming next without flipping through pages. Art and layout of this book was better than all the others I've seen for this line. The first and third group adventures have important NPCs set apart in a darkened box. In the Aussie adventure and previous Indy books, the NPCs were mixed in with the rest of the text. Not only was it less attractive, but darn inconvenient to muddle through columns of black and white to find stats for a specific tribesman or femme fatale. The maps are pretty plentiful. One map was both topographical and in profile, an idea that should be carried to other products. When it comes to faults, inconsistency is the watchword. The damage tables for the D6 rules don't match the damage values given in the adventures. The second adventure has it's NPCs presented differently, which isn't a major loss by any standard, but it's curious and noticeable. Without a doubt, this is my favorite Indiana Jones book. The adventures are just right. Action is at the forefront without becoming overly violent. They are worthwhile and definitely worth 15 bucks. The D6 system isn't complete in this book, but there's enough there to make it work for anyone familiar with the Star Wars RPG. It's the right system for Indy for the same reasons that it has worked so well for the Star Wars. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)