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Review of Suppressed Transmission 2: The Second Broadcast


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Kenneth Hite writes a recurring column entitled "Suppressed Transmission" in the electronic pages of Pyramid magazine. Given that his interests run towards conspiracy, alterate history, and occult horror, the columns take the form of either a run-down on a "noted" theme like Crystal Skulls, El Dorado, or the Voynich Manuscript; or a brainstorm session of four or more alternate world seeds for players to consider (such as new Ice Ages or historical horrors). Reading between the lines, you can also get a feel for the type of campaigns he'd like to see: cinematic in portrayal, epic in scope, and mystical in theme. Indiana Jones would feel right at home in this book, excavating at Glozel or the Oak Island Money Pit for Templar Treasure, or trying to escape from Holmes' Murder Palace. If ideas like these whet your appetite for RPGs, you will delight in every page of this and the first volume (reviewed elsewhere).

Given the premier roleplaying vehicle of Steve Jackson's catalog, there are a lot of references to GURPS sourcebooks in these columns. In fact, I would wager that in the column's lifespan every GURPS genre has been mentioned. Still, there are no crunchy bits or specific game stats, and other games get mentioned as well (and to be fair, GURPS could encompass all of the ideas presented in the column). Hite has gone back and supplemented each article with footnotes linking to others (inlcuding some within the first Suppressed Transmission), and to some GURPS books as well. For full use of the Second Broadcast, having other GURPS titles is a good thing but by no means necessary - though I would recommend that a reader have access to the First Broadcast. Many of the footnootes have additional references to fiction and reference works where they are merited. A glossary appears in the back in lieu of a bibliography (which appeared in the previous book), and an index after that.

It is always enjoyable to read Hite's breezy yet irresistible style. He can throw out compelling campaign ideas with deceptive ease, especially in the alternate history articles. My one warning to those who have no patience for wordplay is that he likes puns, perhaps moreso than mankind was meant to.

If you are looking for inspiration for a time-travel, historical or horror game, you could do a lot worse. Even for aspiring students of conspiracy and the occult, this is a great guide to get you started. As I mentioned at the top, both volumes of Suppressed Transmission cover about two years of a column that has run for five; I for one would buy every additional volume published - and I have a subscription to Pyramid to boot.

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Suppressed Transmission 3RPGnet ReviewsAugust 25, 2003 [ 01:53 pm ]

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