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Modern-day RPG settings have a tough row to hoe; it's difficult to sacrifice any accuracy to achieve greater playability. Many such games bog down in trying to capture too much detail. Also, since RPG games tend to be escapist in nature, more modern themes tend to not be as popular (in the U.S. at least) as any sort of European-based fantasy. Still, there is definitely appeal to playing a covert operative, and what could be more inspiring than one working against the tide of terrorism plaguing our modern world?

Terror Network takes the premise of highly-trained, covert counter-terrorism operations and makes it accessible for the average gamer. With a detailed background section on terrorists -- from the Roman era to the French Revolution and onward -- Terror Network doesn't play favorites or limit its scope only to the Middle East. That section is a relatively in-depth treatment for such a broad range of background information, also providing a good thumbnail sketch of the psychology of a terrorist and the different motivations that may drive a person to become part of such an organization.

Terror Network uses a d10 dice-pool system, combining basic attributes with a comprehensive list of seven skill groups to create a pool for any given skill test. Tests involve a target number; degree of success is based on the number of "hits" rolled from the given dice pool. Players select their starting skill set using a combination of personal choice and suggestions from basic career outlines to customize their character. The game falls down a little bit here; the rules -- particularly for character generation -- need to be very clear and thorough, potentially repeating common and/or important concepts or game mechanics. Ideally there would be an at-a-glance cheat sheet that reiterates the starting character creation rules. In Terror Network, players have to pay close attention to pick up on all the basics needed to generate a character. Am I being too picky about this? Possibly, but let's face it; most players are just passing through a rule set, and will rely on the GM's knowledge to get them through most rules questions. Having a one-page summary that repeats the character generation info and steps may be one of the most useful things in any RPG, and the one thing that will help players feel more comfortable when starting out. This is also a game that will rely heavily on the GM's ability to plan a scenario or storyline.

One thing that IS a pet peeve of mine; flagrant use of white space. Either through poor planning or lack of a sufficient production budget, several chapters end with less than a single paragraph at the top with the rest of the page left blank. Having chapters start on a new page is a sensible approach; leaving nearly an entire page blank gives a bad impression - either of sloppiness or lack of funding or planning. Pages 10, 73, 80 and 104 are particularly jarring examples of space that could've been put to much better use.

The illustration in Terror Network is of mixed quality. Jeff Preston's cover is solid work, as are his interior illustrations, with one or two being exceptional. Michael Syrigos' interior art shows decent quality in one particular piece; for the rest I was left wondering why they were even included in the finished product. It would've been much appreciated to have head-shot illustrations of the NPC terrorists that make up Chapter 9, but this isn't strictly necessary, and may be useful to have the PCs not know what their potential targets look like.

An intriguing game in its own right, Terror Network is also an outstanding reference for GMs running a modern or near-future RPG campaign that involves the subject of terrorism or terrorists. It would be especially useful for Crafty Games' Spycraft 2.0, for Mike Pondsmith's Cyberpunk or even Catalyst Game Labs' Shadowrun RPG, for example, but clever GMs shouldn't feel limited by this list. A free quick-start guide and character sheets can be downloaded from their site: http://bedrockgames.net/reviews.html

This is Bedrock Games' first product for the RPG market; I'm personally looking forward to a bright future for them as part of this hobby. By today's print standards, the $19.95 cover price for Terror Network is cheap for a 112-page RPG. At $9.99 for the PDF, the pricing is still very reasonable. The print version will be available in December 2009; the PDF can be obtained now. Despite a few quibbles, I find Terror Network to be an good value for the money in whatever format you prefer.

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