The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I loved the movie. I'm really looking forward to the cartoon series I've heard about. But I'm not able to like MiB: tRPG as much as I should.

Before I go into the game's bad points, I'll point out the good ones. Since the Masterbook system is "on hiatus", WEG has put MiB into the D6 system, which means that it will be very familiar to Star Wars RPG players. The D6 system is quick and easy to learn and play, and it can be picked up by novice players while not offending too many experienced players. Like Star Wars RPG, the game is good in its adaptation of the machines and critters from the movie into game mechanics.

But a couple of things about the game grate on my nerves. First, and I've mentioned this in other reviews, is the tone that the authors take in their writing. The comedy of the movie came from the main characters, Kay and Jay. Jay was way over his head, but struggling to do the best that he could while still being overawed by everything around him. Kay was so used to aliens and alien technology that even the eminent destruction of the world doesn't shake his cool. But the game's authors decided, apparently, that this sort of comedy was too subtle for the game's audience--the folks who thought that the movie was good, and probably thought it was funny. Instead of a satire of genre conventions, we get rehashed Monty Python routines, silly jokes, and something that should have been innovative but is only silly the way the designers use it (more on this in a second). The game also disappoints me in two other respects. First, there are no statistics for the human characters from the movie. While these aren't essential, it'd be nice to be able to have the player-characters run into agents Jay, or Kay, or... well, I don't want to spoil the end of the movie. The final complaint is that the game doesn't go beyond the movie at all. In WEG's Ghostbusters and Star Wars lines effort was made to stretch beyond the source material--and you got Quixotic Jedis in Star Wars or ideas for adventures based around dimensional travel for Ghostbusters. No such stuff here--even the introductory adventure revolves around a character who's just Jack Jeebs, from the movie, with a different name.

And now the one thing in the game that sounded neat, but falls flat. MiB introduces the idea of Cue Cards. The concept is simple enough: each player gets one or more cards that have an action or line of dialogue written on them. If the player can do or say what's on the card in the context of the adventure, they get a bonus of some sort. For instance, I might wirte up cards with things on them like "Leap through a plate-glass window" or "Say in a deadpan voice 'We definitely need bigger guns.'" If a player can have his character do those things in the context of the adventure, they might get a small bonus, perhaps an extra die to the action that involved jumping through a window, or something similar. This could be used to add cinematic flavor to the game. Instead, the sample cards--intended for use in the introductory adventure--are goofy. Having characters place their shoes over their ears and spout gibberish doesn't fit in with the kind of humor that made the movie so much fun. And woe to the person who gets the card that tells them to use the line "Gentlemen, we're about to bag us some Bug." There's not even a hint of a Bug anywhere in the adventure. If I were going to use the Cue Cards, I'd write my own. I dread thinking what might show up in adventure supplements.

Is the game a good value for $20? Well, maybe, but only barely. Hopefully future supplements will move away from the "gee, we're wacky" writing style, beyond the standard "protect humans from aliens and alien technology" scenario (especially since, while the movie revolved around saving the earth, the stated goal of the Men in Black is to keep the alien presence on earth a secret to protect the aliens, and more toward the "Star Wars" model of RPG. It's been my experience that players tend to make their own jokes during play; they don't need them forced on them by the text of the rules.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Men in Black Roleplaying Game
Author: George Strayton & Nikola Vrtis Category: game Company/Publisher: West End Games Reviewed by Kevin Mowery on 07/04/97. Genre tags: none	I loved the movie. I'm really looking forward to the cartoon series I've heard about. But I'm not able to like MiB: tRPG as much as I should. Before I go into the game's bad points, I'll point out the good ones. Since the Masterbook system is "on hiatus", WEG has put MiB into the D6 system, which means that it will be very familiar to Star Wars RPG players. The D6 system is quick and easy to learn and play, and it can be picked up by novice players while not offending too many experienced players. Like Star Wars RPG, the game is good in its adaptation of the machines and critters from the movie into game mechanics. But a couple of things about the game grate on my nerves. First, and I've mentioned this in other reviews, is the tone that the authors take in their writing. The comedy of the movie came from the main characters, Kay and Jay. Jay was way over his head, but struggling to do the best that he could while still being overawed by everything around him. Kay was so used to aliens and alien technology that even the eminent destruction of the world doesn't shake his cool. But the game's authors decided, apparently, that this sort of comedy was too subtle for the game's audience--the folks who thought that the movie was good, and probably thought it was funny. Instead of a satire of genre conventions, we get rehashed Monty Python routines, silly jokes, and something that should have been innovative but is only silly the way the designers use it (more on this in a second). The game also disappoints me in two other respects. First, there are no statistics for the human characters from the movie. While these aren't essential, it'd be nice to be able to have the player-characters run into agents Jay, or Kay, or... well, I don't want to spoil the end of the movie. The final complaint is that the game doesn't go beyond the movie at all. In WEG's Ghostbusters and Star Wars lines effort was made to stretch beyond the source material--and you got Quixotic Jedis in Star Wars or ideas for adventures based around dimensional travel for Ghostbusters. No such stuff here--even the introductory adventure revolves around a character who's just Jack Jeebs, from the movie, with a different name. And now the one thing in the game that sounded neat, but falls flat. MiB introduces the idea of Cue Cards. The concept is simple enough: each player gets one or more cards that have an action or line of dialogue written on them. If the player can do or say what's on the card in the context of the adventure, they get a bonus of some sort. For instance, I might wirte up cards with things on them like "Leap through a plate-glass window" or "Say in a deadpan voice 'We definitely need bigger guns.'" If a player can have his character do those things in the context of the adventure, they might get a small bonus, perhaps an extra die to the action that involved jumping through a window, or something similar. This could be used to add cinematic flavor to the game. Instead, the sample cards--intended for use in the introductory adventure--are goofy. Having characters place their shoes over their ears and spout gibberish doesn't fit in with the kind of humor that made the movie so much fun. And woe to the person who gets the card that tells them to use the line "Gentlemen, we're about to bag us some Bug." There's not even a hint of a Bug anywhere in the adventure. If I were going to use the Cue Cards, I'd write my own. I dread thinking what might show up in adventure supplements. Is the game a good value for $20? Well, maybe, but only barely. Hopefully future supplements will move away from the "gee, we're wacky" writing style, beyond the standard "protect humans from aliens and alien technology" scenario (especially since, while the movie revolved around saving the earth, the stated goal of the Men in Black is to keep the alien presence on earth a secret to protect the aliens, and more toward the "Star Wars" model of RPG. It's been my experience that players tend to make their own jokes during play; they don't need them forced on them by the text of the rules. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 3 (Average)

Men in Black Roleplaying Game