 Goto [ Index ] |
Basically, anything you can think of in an Indiana Jones movie, or a Doc Savage book, the Shadow, the Phantom, all of that and a lot more, are available to be played through in Spirit of the Century.
First Impressions: This review is based on the PDF version made available to those who pre-order the game book, so keep that in mind as you read on. The book is laid out very professionally, with solid art, and a workmanlike arrangment of game rules and setting materials. The cover is especially cool-looking.
The System: As mentioned, Spirit of the Century uses the Fate 3.0 system. If you've only played d20 system based games, then Fate will be a different experience for you. The Fate system is a lot less numbers based then many role-playing games, and offers a tremendous amount of freedom both for player and GM.
Absolutely central to Fate is the idea of Aspects, which are simply phrases, like "Strong Like a Bull," or "Veteran of the Somme," that describe some facet of a character, or even of a scene. Aspects are used to influence all parts of gameplay, from combat to social interaction to building wonder gadgets.
Speaking of scenes, Fate is very much a cinematic game. Gameplay tends to move from scene to scene, like a movie, rather then focussing on mapped dungeons, or heavily detailed statistics for characters, monsters and the like.
That said, there is still a very solid element of gameplay, and there are elements of play that require skill and strategy. Fate isn't all fluff, the rules are solid, and they act to move the action along in a very satisfying way, while retaining the feel of playing a part in an epic story.
Like many gamers, I've seen, played, and listened to endless discussion of many game systems. No one system is the hands-down best for all situations, but I've never seen a game better suited to handling the two-fisted, cinematic action of the pulps then Fate.
The Setting: Spirit of the Century is set in the early part of the 1920's, just after World War I. That war is still known as the Great War, at the time, and overall it is a very hopeful, optimistic era.
The characters, as mentioned before, are unabashedly exceptional people, well suited to dealing with adventure, against a historical backdrop.
There is a good overview of the time included, along with some discussion of how to handle sensitive issues, like the fairly blatant racism and sexism of the era.
Also included is enough information about information about the technology of the time to keep a very solid 1920's feel to the play, without getting bogged down in exact comparisons of statistics of say a Colt 1911 .45 and a Smith and Wesson Mod 10 .38.
The Century Club makes for an excellent way of getting diverse characters together, and serves as a solid center point for a adventures spanning a wide world of adventure.
Overall, the setting materials are very solid, and more importantly, should give any GM ample inspiration to craft his or her own adventures.
Included also is a two part adventure that is well put together, and serves as a great guide to putting together your own material.
Final Word: I'd heartily recommend the game to anyone with an interest in Pulp adventure, or in cinematic role-play in general. The system is Superb, the Setting Great, and the game overall verges on Fantastic.
Please help support RPGnet by purchasing the following (probably) related items through DriveThruRPG.
