This is the setting for Systems Failure, the post-meltdown RPG from Palladium Books. Simply described, it's Starship Troopers meets V as mankind fights not only to survive the post-apocalyptic world, but also to throw off the yoke of the enevore bugs. In America, the bugs control many of the cities, turning the inhabitants into compliant zombies by implanting little silkworm bugs in their brains and destroying their personalities. These zombies now work the power stations and maintain the electrical infrastructure. The bugs can shoot bolts of energy and transmute into bio-energy to travel down electrical cables and hardlines, as well as to take over computers, and other electrical hardware, including military jet fighters and helicopters. The survivors and resistance (such as NORAD -- the remnants of the US military and freedom fighters such as the Wyoming Free Irregulars) live out in the wilds where the hardlines never reached, gamely fighting off marauding gangs and bug incursions.
Systems Failure is adequately laid out, and quite nicely illustrated, although two things really irritate. Firstly, there is no index. Why not? Why doesn't Palladium put an index in their books? Hey, Palladium, get with the twentieth century and put an index in your rulebooks! Secondly, the way in which the contents are organised in the book. It would be better have all of the character information with the rules for their creation, rather than after information about combat or the bugs. Palladium does this sort of thing with its other rulebooks and is highly illogical, not to say irksome -- especially when there is no index.
In the game the players take the role of resistance fighters against the bugs. They roll for background age at the time of the meltdown (adding nine years to determine age at the start of the game in 2009), their original occupation and what their beginning skill options are. Then an OCC (Occupational Character Class) is chosen from the list of basic nine: Egghead (scientist or computer geek), Exterminator (professional bug hunter), Freebooter (roving trader), Grease Monkey (mechanic), Peacekeeper (lawman or cop), Sawbones (doctor), Splatterpunk (anarchistic gang members), Survivalists, and Wacko (pointless loonies with little advantage in game to actually play them). Some of these basic OCCs, such as the Peacekeeper are further split into sub-types as the Town Marshal and Drifter. Each OCC gives a unique set of special abilities, plus set skills and then a selection from which secondary skills can be chosen to customise the character. The system builds reasonable and playable characters, without being too inflexible. Two other OCCs are described, which are more special, as they are the creations of NORAD programs. One is the Psychic, which can be minor, major or rarely super, though all characters have the chance to be psychic; the other is the Splicer, a human who has had bug DNA spliced into their own DNA in order to give them the bug orientated super powers.
One problem with character generation and this applies to most Palladium RPGs, is that there is a great deal of information to take note of -- including a lot of combat bonuses, but nowhere to note it down. Systems Failure does not include any character sheets. Another irritation, leaving the GM to create their own or to wait for them in another supplement.
Although called bugs, the alien invaders are not actually insects. Systems Failure describes several types of bug. The most basic and is the least intelligent is the Army Ant, usually led by a more experienced older Army Ant or a Tier Two bug, of which there are four types. The Assassin Bug has chameleon abilities and usually acts as an independent scout or leads small units of Army Ants; Bombardier Beetles provide bio-energy artillery; Killer Bees are natural combat leaders, capable of flight and are the most wanton killers; and Stink Bugs, which are poor fighters, but produce a range of chemical gases and sprays that can anaesthetise or temporarily incapacitate humans. Stink Bugs also breed the silkworm bugs that they implant in humans to turn them into their willing slaves. A single type of Tier Three bug, the Lightning Bug is known, but rarely encountered. It is capable of leading the bug horde from dimension to dimension in the search of fresh energy sources and is responsible for directing the bug plans. All bugs can fire bolts of bio-energy, use limited psionics, and turn into bio-energy to travel down hardlines. To most humans, they are a horrific sight, which is reflected in their Horror Factor, against which the characters must save or suffer the consequences -- from freezing momentarily to actual insanity.
Systems Failure details the state of the Union in 2009, breaking it down, area by area. It provides enough information for the GM to start the game and still leave some interesting secrets left uncovered for the GM to create since no supplements appeared for the game. Hopefully, such a beast would have concentrated upon developing Systems Failure’s background, rather than giving tedious lists of cool things to kill, cooler things to kill them with, and cool things to be. Further, such a supplement could have expanded the setting outside of North America, as the core book concentrates purely on the USA.
Several campaign ideas are suggested, including being members of a vicious gang willing to sell humanity out to the Bugs. Guidelines suggest how the Bugs could be used in most of Palladium's other RPGs. These are all well-thought out and pleasingly do not look to import the other games into Systems Failure, but rather export the Bugs to those games.
Being invaded by insects is nothing new in RPGs. FASA's Shadowrun RPG had Chicago taken over by insectoid spirits in their Bugtown supplement. Systems Failure details an interesting setting, one which should be quite fun to play in. The general tone of this game is perhaps too much like a Saturday morning cartoon for this reviewer's tastes. A grittier feel would have been preferred. Otherwise, this is one game that represents excellent value for money -- it won't strain the wallet and it will provide a diverting, easy to grasp setting.
Highs: Almost everything you need to play this post 2YK meltdown RPG of resistance against invading alien bugs and all of its clichés, can be found in the one book, making it excellent value for money.
Lows: Let down by Palladium's Neolithic adherence that gamers, “…don’t need no stinking index!” or to have a book intelligently organised, or to have a character sheet. But aside from the fact that these are bone-headed, they’re minor gripes.
Overall: Over all, this is fun and relatively undemanding.
