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In Short

The Good: The very serious, fact intensive discussion of slavery in America is informative and sets a grim mood. This product is an excellent example of how using open source content (pictures from the Library of Congress in this instance) can really work for some games.

The Bad: The game is confusing to read and could benefit from clearer examples, along with an easier to follow presentation of the mechanics. The word 'Ace' for dice that roll a 1 is confusing since cards are also used. The cost to content ratio is particularly low here. Some readers may not know what to do with the game, and examples of campaign ideas would be a welcome addition. The game premise may be a hard sell for some groups.

The Physical Thing

On the plus side, while the artwork is sparse it fits perfectly with the text. Black and white photographs from the era are frequently used and do an excellent job of setting the mood for the game.

The Ideas

Under the Cover

Example: My character is faking illness to take a few days of rest. My stakes are that he pulls it off and manages to recover a bit from his fatiguing work. The GM’s stakes are that the taskmaster figures it out and whips the hell out of my character. We generally decide that this is a Simple roll, so we both roll five dice. I roll: 5, 3, 2, 4, and 1. Total: 13 (and two Lucky 7s – the 5+2 and 3+4) The GM rolls: 6, 6, 3, 2, 1. Total: 16 (and no Lucky 7s, as the 1s can’t be used) (since the NPC won it is the NPC, and not the PC, that gets to keep the Lucky 7s as a bonus to a later roll)

This gives characters an incentive to engage in minor conflicts to build up Lucky 7 bonus dice for their later major conflicts. It’s an interesting pacing mechanic, but since both sides roll the same number of dice and the GM/NPCs can win the Lucky 7s it seems like players are only gambling. Odds are that either side can slowly build an advantage.

Major rolls involve rolling a character’s Worth in d6s + any Lucky 7 dice. This can range from around 6 to 25 dice in a throw, and while that’s a large die pool I anticipate that Major rolls don’t occur often enough for the large dice pool to notably slow play. After the dice are thrown the player counts the number of Lucky 7s and 1s. Any non-scoring dice (not 1s and not part of a pair adding up to 7) are rerolled and the process occurs again. After that a total equal to Lucky Sevens – 1s is determined for each side, and the side with the most points wins.

What’s character Worth? Let’s build a character so I can show you!

Example: I’m playing Coal, a slave born in the south who hasn’t seen his real parents since he was a baby. He has grown up being moved from one plantation to another and has developed a dissociative disorder such that it’s hard for him to really feel like he belongs. He causes trouble for the sheer hell of it a lot of the time, and this hasn’t won him any friends among his fellow slaves or owners. On the plus side, he’s very strong and a little intimidating.

Character creation begins with a concept, such as the above, and then moves on to defining 3 to 5 Attributes. An Attribute is a one sentence description of some aspect of the character (usually physical) and is used by the GM to later determine a character’s Worth. Next, the player determines who the characters friends, relations, and enemies are. All of these values may later be brought into play for bonuses in conflicts. Finally, the player determines 3 major Goals for his character and includes Motives and Related Tasks. These help to give the game some focus. Whenever a character succeeds at a Task they gain a permanent 1 point bonus to their Worth.

Example: Coal’s four Attributes are: 1. I don’t much belong anywhere 2. I like makin’ trouble and playin’ tricks 3. I know how to use my size and eyes to scare folk 4. I’m young and strong His Relations are: Master/Slave: Michael Smith, plantation owner. Elizabeth Smith, his wife. Robert, the overseer. Friends: Blackie, an older man who often functions as Coal’s advisor and mentor. Eli, a white farmhand Coal helped out in a fight. Enemies: Robert, the overseer. Books, a literate slave who bosses Coal around. Goal: Get some authority/power Motive 1: I’m tired of the other slaves bossin’ me around. Related Task: Tell another slave what to do and be right about it. Motive 2: I’m better at doin’ the work so I should be in charge of them. Related Task: Show off doing a good job at an uncommon task.

After the Attributes and general character background is decided the GM then does some work. First, the GM assigns all characters their slave name. The player gets to pick a real name, but the GM assigning the common name reflects slavery as it was. Second, the GM decides the Worth of the character. The Worth begins by checking age and sex and then moves along a variety of factors, such as skill in a particular profession, until a total is reached.

Example: Coal begins at Worth 12 for being a young man. He didn’t survive the grueling trip from Africa, he isn’t free, and he isn’t particularly skilled at anything so there’s little to adjust his point value upward. I did note that he doesn’t get along well with others, and he’s almost certainly a problem slave. This is probably worth subtracting 2 points for. This gives me a final Worth of 10 – for a Major roll I roll 10d6 at a minimum.

Character Goals are shared with other players, but not with the GM. I think this is meant to encourage gameplay where the slaves are up to their own ends and their oppressors, represented by the GM, don’t know what those are and tend to be reacting.

Steal Away Jordan has a few other mechanics going on worth mentioning at this stage. First, a quick roll called a Luck Roll is often made with 2d6. This just determines general events, with 1s resulting in misfortune and Lucky 7s resulting in a bonus die for later rolls. Second, each player has a single d6 called the Skull Die. This die is used in two circumstances: where the player lost a conflict that would result in punishment and whenever the player wants to push his character’s luck. In the former instance the Skull die is rolled to determine the after effects of punishment. In the later it’s rolled to determine whether a very fortunate or unfortunate event befalls the character. In both cases a 1 results in instant death while a high roll results in a bonus. Note that pushing your luck can be extremely powerful, completely turning the tide of some rolls at the risk of death.

Finally, be aware that there is an element of the supernatural in this game. Characters can return from death as ghosts and lend some of their strength to others, though they are largely unable to affect the game in a direct way. More significantly, one player in the game takes on the role of the Root Doctor. The Root Doctor receives a deck of cards which is used to cast spells. What spells actually are is vague and left up to the group, but in game play they have the potential to result in a bonus to Worth.

There are, of course, a few other mechanics I’m leaving out here but I hope you get a feel for the game.

My Take

That said, this game may work well for some people. While it has low production qualities and lacks the clarity of a more polished product, it does do an excellent job of conveying its purpose and subject matter. If you enjoy exploring history and social issues as part of your roleplaying then Steal Away Jordan is worth checking out.

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