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It appears that Dream Pod 9 can do no wrong. Once again, they show the industry how to get the job done and done right.

This book, as with the Heavy Gear rulebook and Life on Terra Nova, is a revision and an update. The new edition of the Technical Manual explains all of Heavy Gear's technology and the science behind it. It does so in a clear, concise manner that laymen understand with ease. It also includes how to make use of that information in your campaigns, and that means including mechanics. These mechanics are simple, easy to integrate and easy to control.

What's included? You get to read all about the science that drives human technology in the 62nd Century. That starts with a page or so about material sciences, including a bit about commonly-used alloys and polymers. You read about the advanced electronics that often feature prominantly in civilian and military machines. You read about the advances in medical sciences that led to reliable body modifications, genetic and cybernetic alike. You see how the Neural Nets that play CPU on all Heavy Gears work, and how they can work for you. You see, Dream Pod 9 included rules- simple and effective rules- for all of this stuff.

Would you like to create an NPC with a distinctive Gear? The rules for Nnet personalities are just the ticket; it should be a shock when your players see their foe, then see their foe's Gear flip them the bird- while said foe stands before said Gear. Did your heroic leader PC lose an arm? Give him a cybernetic one that (might) be equal to his original limb. Can the PC electronics wiz discern what type of chip he's dealing with? You can give him a real answer with this book.

No, that's not all. The real selling point is that this book returns the Heavy Gear Vehicle Construction System to print. It was in the first edition Heavy Gear rulebook, but Dream Pod 9 bumped it for the Peace River chapter; now it's back, and now it's better than ever. With this book, you can design any vehicle your Heavy Gear campaign needs. Scale isn't an issue; the book allows you to design everything from ten-speed bikes to gateships. The only flaws are that you can't design your own weapons and that there is no provision for biotech designs. (Give DP9 enough time and that will change.)

You do not need this book. You can get by just ducky without it. You would also deprive yourself of a damned good book with a lot of useful information. Get yourself a copy when you've got all of the essentials covered.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)