 Goto [ Index ] |
I have read many gaming books that were overflowing with exciting and cool concepts but left me (as a GM) scratching my head and wondering what my PCs would actually be doing.
Necropolis 2350 does not have this problem. In fact, I’ve played few games where what the players should actually be doing was spelled out so clearly.
Necropolis 2350 is a desperate game of military-science fiction set on a planet called Salus (or Necropolis, sometimes) that is the last human-populated planet in the universe after some unknown event destroyed Earth (a fairly recent thing in the game’s history). The planet is dominated by the Church (by this time, a militant Catholic-style institution that has returned to many medieval traditions). Civilization is under siege by a strange and heretofore unknown enemy. You play knights in service to the church against the setting’s main antagonists: the Rephaim. Massive corporations sit on the sidelines and can be used as the GM sees fit.
Note: this game uses the Savage Worlds system and requires that game’s core rulebook to play.
The Enemy
The Rephaim (according to the internet, the irrevocably dead, interesting) take the form of common fantasy undead, though they are notably more intelligent and quite capable of cunning tactics and the use of advanced weapons (the back cover, in fact, features an undead soldier armed with some sort of submachine gun). Almost every classic undead type is represented in the Rephaim hierarchy, though I won’t go into specifics.
The Sacred Orders
PCs are members of the Sacri Ordines, the church’s military arm. Each order was created for a specific purpose (melee combat against the Rephaim, vehicle operation, study of the enemy, etc.). The book sets up rivalry between some of the orders though it is not a major part of the game.
The Corporations
Mega-corporations represent the other human presence on Salus. Each corporation has a few signature product lines and, collectively, they can act as enemies or allies to the PCs, though there are no rules included in the main book to play a corporate game.
Running the Game
GMs (or, as the game calls them, War Masters) looking to run a military-science fiction game will have plenty of options here. There is a mission generator, fourteen prepared encounter scenes, and one entire campaign with multiple branching paths. It should be noted that these elements have a lot in common with a wargame and focus in on the military aspect of these events. The campaign is particularly impressive, though it is more of a battle flow-chart than a complete campaign. However, being mainly comprised of linked combat sequences and roleplaying at the basecamp, it is quite transplantable to any city assault you might want to run.
There are also interesting rules for squads of normal church soldiers under player command. Their ammo levels and morale are tracked with a simple system that is tied into some of the game’s new edges. Players have a decent number of options and should have no trouble fitting into a niche, even among a party where everyone is a variation on the “holy soldier” archetype.
High Points
Almost all of Necropolis’ best elements are related to how well it executes its military-science fiction theme or its setting.
1. Vehicle rules. While few (any?) RPGs have well-done vehicle rules, the rules from this game work exceptionally well when the vehicles are in a support role. I was surprised.
2. Artillery Support. How many RPGs give PCs the ability to call in fire support? Only a few. None I’ve read do it so well as this game. As a GM, I grinned at the possibility of overmatching my PCs with a large number of enemies with the understanding that most of these troops would be cut out of the fight by a barrage of doom from the sky.
3. Creepy Enemy. The Rephaim are especially unnerving opponents. Take all the usual creepiness of the undead and mix it with an armed and organized foe.
4. Desperate Circumstances. Humanity is on its last legs. Some of the best drama in fiction comes when our heroes face defeat or even extinction. This game has that in abundance.
Complaints
1. There are a few spelling and formatting errors, though not nearly so many as some books. Nothing serious here.
2. The Orders and the personalities that run them will be familiar to anyone who has ever read an RPG with opposing factions. This use of such common and overdone faction leader stereotypes would be unforgivable were the game devoted to that sort of thing. Fortunately, Order vs. Order conflict is probably going to be a background element of most games.
3. The necrotech weapons of the Rephaim elite are just plain silly. Most of the game has a definite “Warhammer 40,000” feel – the power armor, melee weapons, zealotry, etc. Other parts remind me of the Necromongers from “The Chronicles of Riddick.” These elements have a certain majesty. The necrotech weapons, however, look more like something a middle school kid would draw on his notebook instead of listening to the teacher. The rifle made out of a human arm is probably the dumbest. If you want your game to have the tone of a heavy-metal album cover, then these are probably more appropriate but if you are going for anything serious then they are better redesigned. I’ll leave out the specifics to avoid spoilers (these things are largely unknown to the orders, I think).
The Bottom Line
Necropolis 2350 does some things very well:
- the drama of standing on the edge of extinction
- military sci fi in the vein of Aliens
- horrifying opposition
- cool equipment
I don’t generally go for games in a military setting, but I’ve always wanted to play a game like Aliens or Starship Troopers. The character options are pretty solid and the character types are nicely distinct (especially considering how you all play holy soldiers with flechette rifles in power armor).
A word about completeness: if you are interested in running the default campaign type (player knights vs. undead with the corporations as a wild-card) then the book has everything you will need. There are a few variant campaign ideas that aren’t supported (corporate games, playing fighter pilots), but honestly, the main draw of Necropolis 2350 is the shiny space knights and their wicked weapons.
One specific issue I have with the game is how some elements are created specifically to make the setting work. An example: melee weapons are an important part of the setting. Therefore, there must be a good reason not to just use guns all of the time. Solution: flechette weapons aren't so effective against the undead and, oops, the church already paid for, like, a million of the things. I guess you're stuck with them. See what I mean?
Some overdone plot elements and odd setting quirks bring the overall package down, however, what the game does well, it does very well. The highest praise I have for Necropolis 2350 is how laser-focused it is on its purpose. I doubt there is a GM in the world who can read this book and not have at least a mini-campaign idea ready to go.
Style: 3 (gothic cyber plate wearing space knights versus the undead army? Hell yeah. Some bum art and a handful of dumb setting bits keep it from being a four)
Substance: 4 (the GM’s section will practically set up the combat part of your campaign for you. The main book has everything you might need for the basic campaign type)
