Land of the Free
Cyberpunk
Campaign Adventure
R. Talsorian Games
Inc.
[sterling]11.50 - Box Set
R. Talsorian Games again prove that you don't have to spend an arm and a
leg to get the latest addition to a well supported game system. While most
boxed sets are being produced for around the [sterling]20.00 mark, Land of
the Free comes crashing in at a more reasonable [sterling]11.50. The only
difference between this and any other boxed set is the mono cover of the book
inside and the fact that there is only one book! Well there are actually two
books for this campaign set, but good ol' R.T.G. released the companion
volume to this set, Home of the Brave, many months ago, thus splitting
the [sterling]20.00 investment over several months, a very commendable move
indeed. Home of the Brave isn't really necessary to run the campaign
adventure contained in Land of the Free but it will add a little more
atmosphere and detail as you drag your Cyberpunks across the land mass
of 2020 America.
Kicking off on the east coast, New York to be precise, the PC cyberbods become
embroiled in a simple extraction. From this point on its a non-stop roller
coaster ride of fun back to Night City on the West Coast. That's about
all I can really say about the campaign without giving away too much of the
plot. The plot, however, is given ample chance to become part of the background
detail, there's many a chance to slot in optional campaign themes, hooklines
that were provided in Home of the Brave and a multitude of other
happenings to keep your players entertained, but, rest assured, the plot will
keep coming back to haunt the players - they've been given a job to do and the
major players are not gonna let them forget it.
So, if I can't tell you any more about the plot, what else has the set got to
offer. Well, there's plenty of new NPCs that could be used as player contacts
elsewhere, there are delightful new posergangs that inherit the culture
of the city in which they dwell and plenty of corporate intrigue with the likes
of Arasaka becoming involved in the main plot to say nothing of the
media attention the job is going to attract. All of this provides ample
opportunity for role playing and your characters are going to have to think on
their toes and not with their smartlinks if they want to survive .
The production side of things is the standard you'd expect from R.T.G. A large
(approx. A2) map is included with the major 2020 U.S. towns - backed with a
splendid area map of the final confrontation for use with miniatures, and a
handful of business cards containing various contacts the players will meet
during their travels - this in particular is a stoating good idea; when the
card is handed to the players, if they loose it, they've lost the contact -
know what I mean? The illustrations throughout the book of main play areas, the
net, and various other schematics are in abundance and will make life a lot
easier for players and GMs alike, although I think some kind of scale would
have been welcomed.
Overall: Have I whetted your appetite for a product that I can't really
say much about? If you have bought the Home of the Brave American
sourcebook and liked what you read, but would like to save most of the
information contained within it for something special, Land of the Free
is that something special and I have no hesitation in recommending this
product. If you haven't got Home of the Brave I would still recommend
it, but I don't think you could achieve the maximum potential that this
campaign set offers without it, and this will mean a [sterling]20.00 investment
for both. Yeah, what the hell - go for it, you only live once oops, did I give
away a clue there?
Review by: Stig
Product supplied by: Hobbygames
