Vigilante was released by Steve Jackson Games this month, amid much curiosity and intrigue. The only information the gamers were given was a peek at the outer envelope, and a shot of one of the inside pages, all covered with warnings and cryptic references to mental instability and killing people.
vigilante is a chance for you to kill someone. it's a chance for YOU to make a difference. vigilante is a roleplaying game. BUT not just any roleplaying game. vigilante is a LIVE-ACTION roleplaying game. (Vigilante, p. 3)
The style and layout of the 16-page booklet are very interesting. With washed-out psychotic/psychedelic backgrounds and appropriate quotes sprinkled throughout, it reminded me of all the things I liked about the first Malkavian Clanbook. The tone is insane, adult, and gritty... plenty of swearing, mixed capitalization, and graphic descriptions of violence.
Unfortunately, that's all it has. There's no game here. Vigilante is art, not roleplaying.
The booklet introduces a new kind of roleplaying game - one in which you put on your trenchcoat and black gloves, get your weapons together (real weapons, not Nerf guns), and then head out into the streets to literally kill anyone who seems appropriate.
That's it. If you've seen Taxi Driver (which they list as a required reference viewing essential, of course), this is simply a 16-page booklet expounding upon how to become a Travis Bickle. Or a Columbine kid. No game here - just some pages urging you to go get your real guns and shoot some people who deserve it.
I suppose there is truth in advertising... after all, the outer envelope of Vigilante clearly states: This is not a game. It says it's a game. It LIES.
I'm not sure if Steve Jackson Games decided to set out to shock me. If so, they failed. Vigilante is a gritty little pamphlet, but nothing that Tarantino and Stone haven't desensitised me to already. I'm not sure if they set out to create something that will spark debate and insight into the minds of a murderer, as it relates to RPGs. If so, they were scooped by Power Kill (John Tynes) many years ago. I imagined that Philip Reed present Steve Jackson with an interesting and well-written booklet, and Evil Stevie was impressed enough to publish it.
For Vigilante surely is interesting and well-written, as a tribute to the spirit of insane vigilantes everywhere. I'll be keeping my copy with my collection of odd stuff, to be broken out when I think someone might appreciate it. But would I have spent $9.95 (plus shipping) if I had read it in advance? No.
Vigilante is like a roller coaster in a Vegas hotel. It looks like it'll be something you'll remember forever, it passes by some interesting scenery (but nothing that your local amusement parks can't match or beat), it's over far too quickly, and in the end, you realize it wasn't worth the cash.
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