The Inside Scoop on Gaming

THE FINAL TRUMPET is the last of the REVELATIONS Cycle for the IN NOMINE game and it certainly ends the Cycle with a bang. As I read the module, though, I was struck with the thought that while the module made for some interesting reading, I had serious doubts that anyone would ever want to run or play it.

Like the earlier books in the Cycle, this one starts out with a short fiction piece that is done well and whets the appetite for juicier parts.

A summary of what has gone before in the Revelations Cycle is next, and it is useful for those of us who have not bought the whole Cycle. And yes, it does tell you whether the Malakim from FALL OF THE MALAKIM fell or not right away, so you aren't kept in the dark.

Write-ups of various old Superiors follows, including Michael (Archangel of War), Baal (Demon Prince of The War), Kobal (Demon Prince of Dark Humor), and Malphas (Demon Prince of Factions). There are also write-ups on two new Superiors, Khalid (Archangel of The Faith) and Magog (Demon Prince of Cruelty). The write-ups on Michael and Ball are far the best, and they highlight the interesting rivarly that these two old friends (yes, they still speak to each other) have. Kobal's write-up is also well done and explains a bit of his motivations (especially why he hates Kronos, Demon Prince of Fate). The write-ups on the rest of the Superiors seem to be a bit flat. Malphas is the ultimate loner and everything about him is connected to being separated; an interesting idea in theory, but awful boring to read about. Khalid is the patron of Islam and while he fufills an important role (he gives Faith to those who need), his attitude almost seems like fanaticism (which is why he bec! omes the Demon Prince of Fanaticism if certain events do not go his way), which turned me off right away. And Magog is just boring ("Grrr, snarl, rip, I am an evil boogy-man!!!). Please.

Okay, now for the good stuff.

THE FINAL TRUMPET is a multi-part adventure that could almost be a campaign in itself. It is divided up into 8 parts (an intro adventure, an adventure each for trumpets 2-7, and a side adventure concerning the fate of Maximillian, the "Fallen Malakite.") I will tell you this right now: I loved and hated THE FINAL TRUMPET. I loved it because it made for an entertaining read about one way the world could come to an end. But I hated it because it is almost impossible to run without the GM and the players being endlessly frustrated, mostly because of three reasons.

First off, the descriptions of the events, while specific enough to enjoy reading, are far too vague to be used adequetely in a role-playing session. It's as though the writers said "Hey, we'll just do the bare bones and let the GMs do all the hard work to get this puppy to work!"

Second, although it is stated at the beginning of the adventure that the players will have a chance to stop the Apocalypse, I see no realistic way this can be done. The players are Outcasts/Renegades, which means no support from their Superiors, and even if their Superiors were supporting them, the Superiors have such opposed views regarding the War (i.e., start or stop it) that the PCs would spend most of their time fighting each other instead of trying the stop the Apocalypse. Also, it is specifically stated in the Second Trumpet, that no matter what the PCs do, the Trumpet will blow. In the Third Trumpet, they have to shut down a massive genocidal operation that is already too far gone (yeah, right). In the Fourth Trumpet, they have to prevent Magog from escaping his prison, but even if they win the fight (and stop the followers of Magog from releasing him), Magog will dig his way out of his confinement and start wreaking havoc anyway (at which point, Gabriel and other S! uperiors show up and the adventure is taken completely out of the PCs hands). The PCs have no way to stop the Fifth Trumpet.

Third and last, the one chance the PCs are to stave off the Apocalypse is almost impossible: they have to find Maximillian (the "Fallen Malakite") and prove that he did not fall. A tall order, since Kobal has him in the Lower Hells (a place that angels have massive problems with and that even demons find too dangerous). I'd like to see a group of Outcast Angels/Renegade Demons descend to the Lower Hells, survive the problems there, trick a Demon Prince out of his prize, and get out alive. Even if the players succeed, you still feel like that a deux ex machina has occurred ("Ooops, guess what, it was all a misunderstanding, the War's off, everyone go home"). I mean, come on; wars have a momentum that are almost impossible to stop, and by the time between the Fifth and Sixth Trumpets comes around, things have just gone too far to stop, in my honest opinion.

I think that my biggest problem with the THE FINAL TRUMPET is that it reminds me of the over-hyped summer blockbuster. Wow, this is going to be really cool, you think; the PCs get to help or hinder the Apocalypse!!!! In truth, though, NOTHING the PCs do affects the Big Picture as far as the Apocalypse is concerned. Oh sure, they get to do spiffy things like prevent an Archangel from Falling and helping clear the Malakim of their stain (a Pyrric victory; they Malakim will never be unquestioned in their purity again), but as far as the Big Show goes, the PCs don't even need to be there. I suppose the writers could say that the point of the adventure is not the Apocalypse but making sure all the background stuff goes off well, but I didn't buy the supplement so that the PCs can be the stage hands instead of the performers.

Sigh. While I have been lambasting this supplement, the one good thing I will say about it is that it is certainly an entertaining read (the ending scene between Marc and Lilith is certainly worth a read). But since this is supposed to be a GAMING SUPPLEMENT, it should have been more focused on being a good MODULE and less on being an entertaining FICTION.

I hope that future adventures will get away from what was done in THE FINAL TRUMPET and get back to more PC-intensive plots; give the PCs a chance to feel as though they are a part of something important, and you'll have happier players (and GMs) all around.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Revelations V: The Final Trumpet
Author: Mark Allen, Genevieve R. Cogman, Alain H. Dawson, David Edelstein, Micha T.J. Jackson, and Derek Pearcy Category: game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Cost: $19.95 Page count: 128 ISBN: 1-55634-346-9 Capsule Review by Wade Wallace on 09/23/98. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern_day	THE FINAL TRUMPET is the last of the REVELATIONS Cycle for the IN NOMINE game and it certainly ends the Cycle with a bang. As I read the module, though, I was struck with the thought that while the module made for some interesting reading, I had serious doubts that anyone would ever want to run or play it. Like the earlier books in the Cycle, this one starts out with a short fiction piece that is done well and whets the appetite for juicier parts. A summary of what has gone before in the Revelations Cycle is next, and it is useful for those of us who have not bought the whole Cycle. And yes, it does tell you whether the Malakim from FALL OF THE MALAKIM fell or not right away, so you aren't kept in the dark. Write-ups of various old Superiors follows, including Michael (Archangel of War), Baal (Demon Prince of The War), Kobal (Demon Prince of Dark Humor), and Malphas (Demon Prince of Factions). There are also write-ups on two new Superiors, Khalid (Archangel of The Faith) and Magog (Demon Prince of Cruelty). The write-ups on Michael and Ball are far the best, and they highlight the interesting rivarly that these two old friends (yes, they still speak to each other) have. Kobal's write-up is also well done and explains a bit of his motivations (especially why he hates Kronos, Demon Prince of Fate). The write-ups on the rest of the Superiors seem to be a bit flat. Malphas is the ultimate loner and everything about him is connected to being separated; an interesting idea in theory, but awful boring to read about. Khalid is the patron of Islam and while he fufills an important role (he gives Faith to those who need), his attitude almost seems like fanaticism (which is why he bec! omes the Demon Prince of Fanaticism if certain events do not go his way), which turned me off right away. And Magog is just boring ("Grrr, snarl, rip, I am an evil boogy-man!!!). Please. Okay, now for the good stuff. THE FINAL TRUMPET is a multi-part adventure that could almost be a campaign in itself. It is divided up into 8 parts (an intro adventure, an adventure each for trumpets 2-7, and a side adventure concerning the fate of Maximillian, the "Fallen Malakite.") I will tell you this right now: I loved and hated THE FINAL TRUMPET. I loved it because it made for an entertaining read about one way the world could come to an end. But I hated it because it is almost impossible to run without the GM and the players being endlessly frustrated, mostly because of three reasons. First off, the descriptions of the events, while specific enough to enjoy reading, are far too vague to be used adequetely in a role-playing session. It's as though the writers said "Hey, we'll just do the bare bones and let the GMs do all the hard work to get this puppy to work!" Second, although it is stated at the beginning of the adventure that the players will have a chance to stop the Apocalypse, I see no realistic way this can be done. The players are Outcasts/Renegades, which means no support from their Superiors, and even if their Superiors were supporting them, the Superiors have such opposed views regarding the War (i.e., start or stop it) that the PCs would spend most of their time fighting each other instead of trying the stop the Apocalypse. Also, it is specifically stated in the Second Trumpet, that no matter what the PCs do, the Trumpet will blow. In the Third Trumpet, they have to shut down a massive genocidal operation that is already too far gone (yeah, right). In the Fourth Trumpet, they have to prevent Magog from escaping his prison, but even if they win the fight (and stop the followers of Magog from releasing him), Magog will dig his way out of his confinement and start wreaking havoc anyway (at which point, Gabriel and other S! uperiors show up and the adventure is taken completely out of the PCs hands). The PCs have no way to stop the Fifth Trumpet. Third and last, the one chance the PCs are to stave off the Apocalypse is almost impossible: they have to find Maximillian (the "Fallen Malakite") and prove that he did not fall. A tall order, since Kobal has him in the Lower Hells (a place that angels have massive problems with and that even demons find too dangerous). I'd like to see a group of Outcast Angels/Renegade Demons descend to the Lower Hells, survive the problems there, trick a Demon Prince out of his prize, and get out alive. Even if the players succeed, you still feel like that a deux ex machina has occurred ("Ooops, guess what, it was all a misunderstanding, the War's off, everyone go home"). I mean, come on; wars have a momentum that are almost impossible to stop, and by the time between the Fifth and Sixth Trumpets comes around, things have just gone too far to stop, in my honest opinion. I think that my biggest problem with the THE FINAL TRUMPET is that it reminds me of the over-hyped summer blockbuster. Wow, this is going to be really cool, you think; the PCs get to help or hinder the Apocalypse!!!! In truth, though, NOTHING the PCs do affects the Big Picture as far as the Apocalypse is concerned. Oh sure, they get to do spiffy things like prevent an Archangel from Falling and helping clear the Malakim of their stain (a Pyrric victory; they Malakim will never be unquestioned in their purity again), but as far as the Big Show goes, the PCs don't even need to be there. I suppose the writers could say that the point of the adventure is not the Apocalypse but making sure all the background stuff goes off well, but I didn't buy the supplement so that the PCs can be the stage hands instead of the performers. Sigh. While I have been lambasting this supplement, the one good thing I will say about it is that it is certainly an entertaining read (the ending scene between Marc and Lilith is certainly worth a read). But since this is supposed to be a GAMING SUPPLEMENT, it should have been more focused on being a good MODULE and less on being an entertaining FICTION. I hope that future adventures will get away from what was done in THE FINAL TRUMPET and get back to more PC-intensive plots; give the PCs a chance to feel as though they are a part of something important, and you'll have happier players (and GMs) all around. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)

Revelations V: The Final Trumpet