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A Modern D20 Campaign Setting
[Requires D20 Modern Roleplaying Game]
by Sam Witt, Wil Upchurch, Chad Justice, Aaron Rosenberg, Jason Olsan, and Gareth Hanrahan
Mythic Dreams Studios
http://www.mythicdreams.com
222 pages, hardbound
$34.99
Published: 2003
ISBN: 0-9726818-2-5
Grade: C+
Reviewed by Lisa Padol
I am not a huge fan of the d20 system, but the setting of Dark Inheritance intrigued me. In the year 2003, a mystic portal was ripped open, and a city in another dimension collided with Jerusalem. Many died, and an attempt was made to seal off the city. Despite this, creatures from the other dimension have entered our world, and many from our world seek to explore the other.
Looking at this basic premise, I noted that the authors had Mossad and the PLO working together for the sole purpose of finding out who was responsible for the devastation to Jerusalem. I checked with a more knowledgeable friend to see if this were plausible, and he said that, while it could go the other way, there was nothing intrinsically unbelievable about such an alliance for such a purpose. As that was the only thing that threatened my suspension of disbelief, I was now satisfied.
The existence of the other dimension is tied into a complicated history. Ages ago, the world was dominated by the Host, people of great power. They first discovered and began to colonize the other dimension, known as the Otherworld. Ultimately, they were destroyed or imprisoned by the Progenitors, beings of great power. Much of the Progentiors' power was passed down to their descendants, called, among other things, Titans. The titans could and did breed with humanity. As the generations passed, the power of the titans diminished. However, it was possible to breed this power back.
While one might think that breeding titans required sticking to pure lineages, the authors decided to go the other way: The genetic markers making up the Godgene are scattered throughout humanity. Thus, "pure" examples of any ethnicity are not likely to have the power of the titans. The more racially mixed one's background is, the more likely one is to have the power. I really, really like this. It satisfies my political bent, I admit, and it is also a nice twist on what is usually done in this genre. And, it is one of many elements of Dark Inheritance I am considering importing into my game.
There are other elements I will probably ignore, but it is clear why the authors used them as building blocks for Dark Inheritance. For example, almost everything we think we know about ancient history is a lie. The truth was lost in the struggles between the Host and the Progenitors, and the world is older than we think. Still, our myths and some odd archaeological artifacts hold the key to the truth. This allows authors and GMs to add anything they want as part of the prehistoric background.
Everything has changed for the world because of the dimensional rip. At the same time, for many, nothing has really changed. The world is as it has ever been, except for a vast, unsuspected history, a dimensional rip, odd creatures everywhere, and strange conspiracies. How can a GM get a handle on the world?
This is where the strange conspiracies come in. If you have ever wondered why such things are an element of RPGs, look at Dark Inheritance. This game uses organizations, open and shadowy, vast and small, to give GMs and players ideas about what kinds of campaigns can be run in the game world.
Other RPGs do this with greater or lesser success. Dark Inheritance is successful because the authors are not trying to be subtle about it. The authors explain outright what kind of game GMs might run with each group as a focus, and they give examples from literature and film.
Reading Dark Inheritance is like watching a step by step demonstration of how to construct an RPG with a good balance of wide appeal and focused guidelines. This does not mean it is an unqualified success.
The organizations, known as Allegiances, do not all get equal treatment. Many, like the Brotherhood of the Rose, are carefully detailed, down to the stats of the members of the inner circle. Others, like the Eight Heavenly Dragons, are short shrifted, leaving me not at all sure of the make up of the group's leaders. Proofreading and copy editing often go by the boards in RPGs, and, alas, Dark Inheritance is no exception. For instance, the Black Company series, a useful source for GMs who plan to use the Allegiance First Team, was written by Glen Cook, not Gene Wolfe. (I am trying to picture what the series would have been like had Mr. Wolfe written it. The mind boggles.)
Then, there are the Legacies. All Titan characters have special powers. Which ones they have depends on their Legacy. Is a Titan a Crimson Lord, a Hidden Sun, a Storm Crow, a Void Phoenix, or a Wild Blood? If you are playing a Titan, choose your PC's Legacy carefully, for you may only have one, and it can never change.
Naturally, new Legacies will be presented in supplements. You see the problem? Players and GMs need to choose characters' Legacies before they know the full range of possibilities.
Also, Dark Inheritance is a game with a built in time line. That is, I have been told that each month or so, the game's time line will progress, and the setting will be updated. I do not like this sort of thing. It means that people who play at a pace other than the publication schedule of Mythic Dreams are forced to warp their campaigns as new information becomes available or to play in a different timeline, even if they might prefer to stay in the main continuity. This problem with the built in time line is something I have long railed against.
Dark Inheritance does not use a system I favor. It has faults I have seen and disliked in other games, such as the time line and the expanding of options in such a way that the most loyal customers become the most penalized. Nevertheless, it captured my attention because of the setting and because of the care the authors took to make that setting encompassing and accessible, while giving enough of a nod to realism that I can maintain my suspension of disbelief.
