Tabletop RPGs are a niche market. Small publishers generally start out carving a niche out of the niche. The two easiest ways to do so are doing a game that has a twist on an existing genre or game, or doing a game about a subject matter that isn’t currently represented by the games on the Friendly Local Game Store’s shelves. An overlooked genre in RPGs has been the Mob game. While Call of Cthulhu offered mobster characters and the World of Darkness offered tragic heroes that do terrible things for good reasons, few companies have ever tried to set up a game centered on organized crime. There’s certainly a market for it. New role-players could easily be found in the fans of The Godfather and The Sopranos just as easily as the fans of Lord of the Rings and The Matrix. A small company called Mad Moon Rackets has made a game catering to these types called Made Men.
Chapter 1: Knowing the Era
The game begins with an 8 page fiction setting the scene for a day in the life of some of the titular made men. Gamebook fiction is generally more often miss than hit. I didn’t find this fiction to be bad but I thought it was unnecessary. Most people that pick this book up are already going to be hearing the trumpets from the opening of The Godfather. They shouldn’t need help in setting the mood. There’s a short section on life in the 20’s after the fiction that could easily have been expanded. The paragraphs boil down to ‘Yep, there was racism’ and that’s that. The next section talks about the organization behind organized crime and how things work. There’s a section on specific crimes and punishments, a section on Port Rapture, the fictional city used as the setting, and a glossary of mob talk to get you in the mood.
This is where one of my major problems with the book starts to come into focus. It seems to be laid out in a random collection of facts with no major heading changes or specific method. Since most people are generally aware of the cinematic ideals of organized crime, talking about the hard facts can be very useful. I would direct folks looking for more info on life in the 20’s to Chaosium’s excellent Investigator’s Companion for an example of a lot of neat tidbits.
Chapter 2: The Rules
The rules of Made Men are essentially the Alderac Roll and Keep system with the serial numbers filed off. This seems somehow appropriate for a game about criminals. Specifically, the rules are based on the much-maligned Legend of the Five Rings 2nd Edition where you roll a number of d10s equal to your skill but keep dice equal to your attribute ranking. So, if I wanted to shoot that pesky copper, I’d roll four dice in Pistol and keep two in my Moves. The other major difference is that the target numbers (and raises) come off of multiples of three instead of five. After a basic lesson in mechanics, there is an explanation of the Loyalty score (how well you are able to keep your word to your Don) and the Respect score (how well know you are among the criminal element). Players of the L5R RPG should find those ideas familiar as well. After this, a variety of jobs are laid out that characters can undertake if they have the proper ranks in skills and attributes. Fulfilling these jobs allow the characters access to neater abilities that can use with their Loyalty and Respect scores. For example, a Chauffeur can spend a Loyalty point to overhear a conversation in a car she’s driving even if the participants are trying to keep it to themselves. Muscle gets to add their Respect score to their close combat damage. There are three layers of such jobs. Next are the families. Each family has its own advantages and disadvantages when joining up. Players can also opt to be freelance “street gangs” which get more points to distribute initially but also don’t have the protection of a family if things go poorly. The book segues into an explanation of the various skills which seems to be a port of the other Alderac d10 game, 7th Sea. There are Basic Talents that you start out with and Advanced ones you gain only in the course of play. After this segment comes the advantages and disadvantages segment, a two page section on character generation, and then of course, combat.
I have no problem with stealing mechanics from one game to another. Heck, in RPGs it’s practically a storied tradition. The author admits that he took the rules and even went so far as to ask John Wick’s permission to use them. Using the L5R mechanics is a bright idea for a game about the Mob. Loyalty, honor, and respect all sound familiar. I also like that Loyalty and Respect points have some sort of in-game function unlike their counterparts in L5R. But again, the layout of the book makes putting together a character less of an exercise of imagination than a bookkeeping chore. The author only mentions that all characters start out with a 2 in all their attributes in a small section in the character creation example. That seems to be a bit more important. And the book is never clear on how the ‘extra’ points in character creation are to be spent. It’s insinuated that the bonus points given at the beginning of character creation are to be spent like XP but never clearly stated. Main rule books should never imply rules.
Chapter 3: Crime in Port Rapture
This section details the fictional city of Port Rapture and the crime families the PCs will be interacting with and possibly running. You’ve got the Italians, the Irish, the Blacks, the Mexicans, and the Jewish families. After a brief discussion of each of the personalities in the different families, there’s a discussion about being made and the vows that each family expects each member to take. They book then stats out the local cops, mayor, and general antagonists of players in such a shadowy profession before giving a lengthy rundown of the variety of businesses in Port Rapture and how much money they can haul in for the organization.
This is the strongest part of the book. The ”sig characters” aren’t stated out, allowing GMs to whip up their own stats to fend off the PCs and not have to worry about the age-old “But in the book he has a muscle of 3! I totally should have killed him!” problem. The Vows give the families more flavor and give the GM guidelines on how to score a player’s loyalty and respect. I would have liked more flavor in the business chapter. My group doesn’t care how much pretend money its characters are raking in. Some groups may enjoy it but it’s not my tea. I would have liked to have seen this as a fertile ground for story hooks. For example, after talking about the Diner as a front, drop an example of one and how old Don Cerucci used to come in every day for a pastry and a coffee.
Chapter 4: Merchandise
This is the small chapter on the various types of gats, heaters, and other useful things the mobsters might find useful. The interesting thing about this section is that in addition to the straight cash cost of these guns, TNs are given for mobsters to make their own and acquire them illegally.
The Bottom Line
Style: 2. The book is not the prettiest gal at the ball by a long shot. The book is put together in a stream of consciousness style that can be frustrating for people not familiar with the Roll and Keep system.
Substance: 4. If you can cut through the mess, the game underneath is decent enough. It fits an underrepresented genre in RPGs and could come out swinging if it makes it to a second edition.
Who should buy it: Fans of the L5R RPG, fans of The Godfather, Luca Brazzi
For more info on this game, check out: http://www.madmoonrackets.com
