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The Players’ Section is pretty normal fare for a Savage Worlds game. Information is provided regarding what the players know about the setting, which is mostly a normal 1930’s America. While there are ruizologists (the rural “weather wizards” who use a form of science for the effects), taximancers (voodoo necromancy used for good, usually), and railwalkers (hobos who use secret glyphs for communication and power), the average person doesn’t know much about them. Oh a ruizologist might come into town promising rain in return for a place to stay and free meals, but people have heard that before. And down in New Orleans everybody’s heard stories about the voodoo, but they wouldn’t know a taxidermist from a bokor. The SPA collects some information and research for the government regarding these things, but they’re still new and under supported. There’s a little bit on “mundane” life in America in the Noir Knights setting; the rise of vigilantes and folk heroes, the increasing numbers of disappearances around apple orchards and the boom of factory growth despite the economic collapse. But those wanting a good, comprehensive 1930’s sourcebook probably won’t be happy with Noir Knights since that’s not its goal; it’s an apple, not an orange.
Of course, no Savage Worlds players’ section seems complete without new Edges and Hindrances, and Noir Knights has a pretty decent selection. Edges to improve driving, give a PC echolocation, unload a Tommy gun in a crowd and only hit your targets, and other feats are par for the course in this setting. A few Demigod Edges are also provided for those whose games reach that point. Folk Heroes are a special Edge in that they allow a character to have a single spell or power, without needing a full Arcane Background; you can make someone able to heal or possess super strength, without having to be a ruizologist or whatever. This results in a nice set of options for PCs who could be considered uber-pulp heroes or even very low-powered “supers”. There’s only one new Hindrance, Charge, which can be either Minor or Major depending on how frequently it causes problems, and is the classic “oh no, my girlfriend/adopted ward/elderly father/spastic Chihuahua with IBS is in danger! Again!”
The classic Pulse Paths (a.k.a. Arcane Backgrounds) from Savage Suzerain are all available, but (spoiling the adventures a bit) they don’t really get much attention in Noir Knights. Instead, the setting is pretty strongly focused on the previously mentioned ruizologists, taximancers, and railwalkers. This isn’t a bad thing in my opinion, but I do kind of wish that the four classic Pulse Paths were either explored a bit more or else dropped altogether. Eighteen new spells (total) for the three new Pulse Paths are also included, as are three new Telesma powers for those interested in playing in the larger Savage Suzerain metasetting.
The GM’s Section contains a 12-chapter plot point adventure, over a dozen Savage Tales, and a very brief bestiary. I’ll start with the bestiary first: it’s short, and doesn’t really add much of anything. Having said that, the majority of the previous adventures each contain unique creatures, ranging from djinn, to mythical monsters, to undead gangsters, to voodoo vampires, to the evil Thomas Edison. There are a lot of neat and crazy critters to be had in this book for those who want them, they just aren’t in the bestiary.
As for the plot point adventure, it’s basically a series of investigations the PCs are sent on, where they find clues and report them to their supervisors, only to be assigned their next. There’s some natural flow going on, with clues leading players naturally from one chapter to the next, but there’s also instances where their trail goes cold and the players are sent to seemingly unrelated cases. Eventually, the players will hopefully connect the dots, realizing that the disappearances they investigated in one case are connected to the increased factory production in another which is in turn connected to the activities of fire spirits in another investigation. By the time the players put it all together, they’ll uncover a vast collection of nation-wide conspiracies that are all working towards a greater whole.
The Savage Tales are a mixed bag, but I mean that in a good way. While there aren’t as many as some other books offer, the ones presented here are typically longer and a bit more complex than usual (meaning they seem to be designed to take two sessions to play through instead of one). Mixed in with the plot point campaign above, they can provide all sorts of action and red herrings for players to try to muddle through. I should also point out that many of the adventures in Noir Knights, both Savage Tales and plot point campaign, try to tie in to the greater Savage Suzerain setting. NPCs, factions, and gods mentioned in the main Suzerain book all play a role here, and PCs might even engage in a bit of time or dimensional travel. GMs can also ignore all the Suzerain elements and simply focus on the Noir Knights setting with little effort.
Who Should/Shouldn’t Get This Book: This isn’t a World of Darkness or alien invasion or super-powered pulp game set in the 1930’s. It combines elements of all three, but it’s really its own thing. The secret monsters aren’t Cthulhu, or vampires, or wizards, but something more fitting. Fans of Suzerain will possibly appreciate who the secret masters are, but knowing the Suzerain isn’t essential (just really helpful). Likewise, while there are new options for Telesma and demigod rank characters, there’s not so many that people couldn’t just ignore them and run the setting on its own merits. Again, having the Suzerain rules are helpful, but not essential.
I think the big thing people should understand is that this is a setting where heroes are expected to not only face the dark horrors of the world, but that this is a setting with heroes. And these are the kind of heroes who face dark horrors and punch them in the name of greater ideals like patriotism or justice. I look at Noir Nights as a dark fantasy setting blended with Saturday morning serials. Perhaps a bit more serious and “grounded” than (for example) the Bloodshadows RPG or “Cast A Deadly Spell”, but more idealistic than the World of Darkness RPG or “X-Files”.
Style: I’m going with a high 3 here. It’s an attractive book, well laid out, with decent editing. Art is sparse, and several pieces are reused, but what’s there is good. The flavor of the writing is decent and generally well done, although there are a few bits on government bureaucracy that made my eyes glaze over (but that may be as much due to the author intentionally making the groups seem overly complex as due to my limited attention span). Honestly, there’s nothing bad about the presentation of this book, but I don’t think it’s one people will pick up to look at or re-read for amusement.
Substance: A high 4 to low 5 from me. There’s a lot of new toys for players to muck with, the adventures are generally well done and fun, and there are several creatures that would work well not only in this game but in others. I also really enjoy how Noir Knights connects itself to the larger Suzerain setting and themes without making itself dependant on them. Honestly, I found it to be fairly fresh and clever, which is a high accomplishment it seems these days. The only real complaints I have are that it feels like the kind of setting where once GMs run through the included adventures, there’s not much left to do in the setting and not much support for GMs to make their own adventures. Of course, by that point perhaps the PCs are ready to go explore one of the other Suzerain settings?
Conclusion: Noir Knights isn’t a Call of Cthulhu killer, or a Bloodshadows replacement, or even another ‘30s era horror game. It’s a pulp-action setting of Depression-era investigators facing horrible conspiracies and blowing them up as part of their patriotic duty. And it’s pretty dang good to boot.
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