House of Vega

House of Vega (HoV) is a 64-page supplement for the Shadows of Earth role-playing game published by Hinterwelt Enterprises. HoV is available in both soft cover and as a PDF. This review was prepared using the PDF version, which can be purchased from RPGnow for $4.00.

Where to begin? I could comment on the cover art, which seemed reminiscent me of the art used in the classic Lords of Creation RPG, the clip art, or even comment on the illustrations, the latter of which are too few and far between. Sadly artwork is really superfluous. Every artist out there works their fingers to the bone to get those sketches done, and deserves mention, but artwork is really ancillary to the text. That said I feel there should have been at least a 3:1 ratio of original artwork over clipart. Shame it wasn't. The artists really did a good job with the subject matter.

That said, was it just me or does that illustration on page 44 look a lot like Bill Clinton?

Anyhow HoV, if a bit short, is a well laid out, well thought through, and fairly decent supplement. The supplement opens with a bit of actual honest to goodness real world background history that lays out the time period and relevant events. That time period being the era circa the nineteen thirties. The events concerning those surrounding the Spanish Civil War. Historical events which the author proceeds to twist like a balloon animal, set it on it's ear, turn it inside out, pour it into a square mold, then chop it up into strips and serves it as sweet and sour stir-fry with a side order of tofu fries.

This supplement could make for pretty dry and boring reading if you aren't into the speculative fiction sub-genre. As a work of alternative history the extrapolations made are rather interesting, especially where the "Spectre Wars" is concerned. Then again that just proves HoV isn't merely straight humdrum alternate history. There's a heavy dose of fantasy to be found in this supplement. Alas if you don't like to see your visions of alternate Earth's sullied with zombies, magic, or other fantastical elements then HoV will give you a fit. But if you don't mind a bit of imaginative extrapolation then HoV should be great fun not only to read but also to play in.

This is an alternate history supplement expanding upon the events of the Spanish Civil War, something that I knew very little about before I read the supplement. But then that's the beauty of it; you don't need to know anything because the supplement contains all the necessary background information.

If you enjoy a bit of alternate reality fun that shakes history up and the idea of a campaign set during the Spanish Civil War appeals to you then House of Vega then ask to for HoV the time you stop by your FLGS and thumb through a copy. Because that's precisely what this supplement for the Shades of Earth alternate history RPG is all about, shaking history up and exploring the possibilities. Just be aware this is a supplement. So if you like what you see then you may want to invest in the core rules system for which this module was published as well. But that's for you to decide.

My final analysis report card:

Overall Rating: 9 out of 10 golden apples

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