The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I consider Blue Planet to be one of the most awe-inspiring science fiction RPG settings ever created. The world of Blue Planet is to hard sf what Middle Earth is to fantasy, what Delta Green is to modern conspiracy and horror, and what Deadlands is to the supernatural western genre. The main book was more worldbook than game, dedicating over two hundred pages to describing a wild colonial frontier on the waterworld of Poseidon. Instead of focusing on high technology (although it had that, too), it concentrated on biology, geography, politics and a sense of wonder. It was a living, breathing world that people would love to game in. Blue Planet's first supplement, Archipelago, has been a long time coming - nearly a year, in fact. It turns out that it's been worth the wait. It's been a very long wait, but Archipelago is really that good.

I'll admit up front that I'm biased - I did write the introduction for the book in a fiction contest. But apart from knowing that it detailed the Pacifica Archipelago region of the planet, I had very little other information about the final contents and appearance of the book. I had my doubts about whether or not Biohazard Games could live up to the exceptional quality of the writing and editing of the main book. It turns out that I had nothing to fear: Archipelago is actually superior to the main book in some ways.

Visually, Archipelago is an improvement from Blue Planet. From its spectacular photo-realistic cover (a modified National Geographic photo, actually) to its maps, illustrations and well-edited text sections, the sourcebook is a treat for the eyes and an example of excellent professional layout. Most of the internal art is done by Brian Despain, a talented newcomer whose atmospheric style suits the setting, making up for the absence of original Blue Planet illustrator Blair Reynolds (Despain does better wilderness scenes, but Reynolds wins when it comes to human faces). Christopher Benedict continues to draw the flora and fauna found in the biological files, providing a consistent look and feel to the nonhuman inhabitants of the planet. Game creator Jeff Barber claims to have spent at least 120 hours on the maps of the various regions and settlements, all of which are splendid and professionally done. Finally, there is even less wasted space in Archipelago than there was in Blue Planet - it's a solid 126 pages of useful content. In an industry where pagecount is often padded by bad fiction, worse art, huge margins, and redundant information, that's quite an achievement. Archipelago only contains one page of bad fiction - and you can blame me for that...

In terms of text content, Archipelago lives up to the main book. The sourcebook is divided into the geographical regions of the island chain, which in turn contain descriptions of settlements, cultures, conflicts, NPCs, and alien wildlife. The towns of the new frontier include the industrial city of Al-Mamlakah, built from the hull of a decommissioned starship; Second Try, with its platforms and bridges slung between the walls of a gaping canyon; Kingston, a booming neutral port, home to the well-armed New Rastafarian Movement; Baffin Island, built over a network of flooded lava tubes which shelter its native resistance movement; and Dyfedd, a floating technological paradise.

There are also darker, more sinister locations: the research facility of Coronado Station, haunted by madness and increasing desperation; the vast canyonlands of The Wall, a hiding place for fugitives and outcasts; the island of Westcape, where a secret brush war rages; Crusoe Island Military Base, an embattled and constantly beseiged colonial fort; and the mysterious fishing village of Keepsake, where everything seems somehow, subtly...wrong. At the end of each entry is an Access Denied section with GM-only information, which makes using this book rather tricky for players, as some of the plot data is quite incendiary. There is also a section in each regional chapter detailing the activities of the aborigines (the sentient alien residents of Poseidon), and their plans for humanity. As in the main book, the writers give us enough information about the aborigines to tease, but hold back from complete explanations, leaving GMs in suspense. For those who want to know where it's a! ll going, it means having to wait for future sourcebooks. This is hugely frustrating for those who want to advance their aborigine-related plots, but at least there's a wealth of information on other plots, in the meantime.

The profiles of thirteen NPCs are included, colorful characters who range from the good, to the bad, to the Just Plain Ugly. Town leaders, soldiers, pioneers, resistance fighters, criminals and lawmen are among those described. There are also twelve new species for the GEO Biological Survey: some are edible, some are dangerously hungry, and one can even be used to jumpstart your powerboat. I was pleased to see that not all the creatures were threats to life and limb - these aren't Monster Manual entries.

It was hard to find any faults with this book (but then, I am biased after all). I've found about half a dozen typos or errors in the three weeks it took me to go over all the material, which is pretty good for an RPG book, and compares to the editing quality of the Blue Planet core book. None of the typos wreck a major plot element, although a few plot elements themselves (like "Obsession" on page 96) do seem implausible. The lack of an overarching view of where the aborigine storyline is heading is frustrating for GMs, and the temptingly-placed Access Denied sections are frustrating for players.

Archipelago - A Guide to the Islands of Blue Planet is a treat for fans of Blue Planet. Authors Jeff Barber, Greg Benage, Brian Breedlove, Sam Johnson and Jason Werner have done an excellent job of making the islands come to life, and the outstanding production values put a shine on their material. If you've visited Poseidon before and liked what you saw, this book takes you back for a comprehensive tour of its heartland. And you're likely to stay for quite a while.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Archipelago
Author: Jeff Barber, Greg Benage, Brian Breedlove, Sam Johnson, Jason Werner Category: game Company/Publisher: Biohazard Games Cost: $18.95 Page count: 126 Playtest Review by Tun Kai Poh on 07/27/98. Genre tags: none	I consider Blue Planet to be one of the most awe-inspiring science fiction RPG settings ever created. The world of Blue Planet is to hard sf what Middle Earth is to fantasy, what Delta Green is to modern conspiracy and horror, and what Deadlands is to the supernatural western genre. The main book was more worldbook than game, dedicating over two hundred pages to describing a wild colonial frontier on the waterworld of Poseidon. Instead of focusing on high technology (although it had that, too), it concentrated on biology, geography, politics and a sense of wonder. It was a living, breathing world that people would love to game in. Blue Planet's first supplement, Archipelago, has been a long time coming - nearly a year, in fact. It turns out that it's been worth the wait. It's been a very long wait, but Archipelago is really that good. I'll admit up front that I'm biased - I did write the introduction for the book in a fiction contest. But apart from knowing that it detailed the Pacifica Archipelago region of the planet, I had very little other information about the final contents and appearance of the book. I had my doubts about whether or not Biohazard Games could live up to the exceptional quality of the writing and editing of the main book. It turns out that I had nothing to fear: Archipelago is actually superior to the main book in some ways. Visually, Archipelago is an improvement from Blue Planet. From its spectacular photo-realistic cover (a modified National Geographic photo, actually) to its maps, illustrations and well-edited text sections, the sourcebook is a treat for the eyes and an example of excellent professional layout. Most of the internal art is done by Brian Despain, a talented newcomer whose atmospheric style suits the setting, making up for the absence of original Blue Planet illustrator Blair Reynolds (Despain does better wilderness scenes, but Reynolds wins when it comes to human faces). Christopher Benedict continues to draw the flora and fauna found in the biological files, providing a consistent look and feel to the nonhuman inhabitants of the planet. Game creator Jeff Barber claims to have spent at least 120 hours on the maps of the various regions and settlements, all of which are splendid and professionally done. Finally, there is even less wasted space in Archipelago than there was in Blue Planet - it's a solid 126 pages of useful content. In an industry where pagecount is often padded by bad fiction, worse art, huge margins, and redundant information, that's quite an achievement. Archipelago only contains one page of bad fiction - and you can blame me for that... In terms of text content, Archipelago lives up to the main book. The sourcebook is divided into the geographical regions of the island chain, which in turn contain descriptions of settlements, cultures, conflicts, NPCs, and alien wildlife. The towns of the new frontier include the industrial city of Al-Mamlakah, built from the hull of a decommissioned starship; Second Try, with its platforms and bridges slung between the walls of a gaping canyon; Kingston, a booming neutral port, home to the well-armed New Rastafarian Movement; Baffin Island, built over a network of flooded lava tubes which shelter its native resistance movement; and Dyfedd, a floating technological paradise. There are also darker, more sinister locations: the research facility of Coronado Station, haunted by madness and increasing desperation; the vast canyonlands of The Wall, a hiding place for fugitives and outcasts; the island of Westcape, where a secret brush war rages; Crusoe Island Military Base, an embattled and constantly beseiged colonial fort; and the mysterious fishing village of Keepsake, where everything seems somehow, subtly...wrong. At the end of each entry is an Access Denied section with GM-only information, which makes using this book rather tricky for players, as some of the plot data is quite incendiary. There is also a section in each regional chapter detailing the activities of the aborigines (the sentient alien residents of Poseidon), and their plans for humanity. As in the main book, the writers give us enough information about the aborigines to tease, but hold back from complete explanations, leaving GMs in suspense. For those who want to know where it's a! ll going, it means having to wait for future sourcebooks. This is hugely frustrating for those who want to advance their aborigine-related plots, but at least there's a wealth of information on other plots, in the meantime. The profiles of thirteen NPCs are included, colorful characters who range from the good, to the bad, to the Just Plain Ugly. Town leaders, soldiers, pioneers, resistance fighters, criminals and lawmen are among those described. There are also twelve new species for the GEO Biological Survey: some are edible, some are dangerously hungry, and one can even be used to jumpstart your powerboat. I was pleased to see that not all the creatures were threats to life and limb - these aren't Monster Manual entries. It was hard to find any faults with this book (but then, I am biased after all). I've found about half a dozen typos or errors in the three weeks it took me to go over all the material, which is pretty good for an RPG book, and compares to the editing quality of the Blue Planet core book. None of the typos wreck a major plot element, although a few plot elements themselves (like "Obsession" on page 96) do seem implausible. The lack of an overarching view of where the aborigine storyline is heading is frustrating for GMs, and the temptingly-placed Access Denied sections are frustrating for players. Archipelago - A Guide to the Islands of Blue Planet is a treat for fans of Blue Planet. Authors Jeff Barber, Greg Benage, Brian Breedlove, Sam Johnson and Jason Werner have done an excellent job of making the islands come to life, and the outstanding production values put a shine on their material. If you've visited Poseidon before and liked what you saw, this book takes you back for a comprehensive tour of its heartland. And you're likely to stay for quite a while. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)