Review of Bright Future: Sourcebook 1

Bright Future is a Sourcebook for the Hero System, published through the Hero Plus electronic publishing division of Hero Games. The setting is based on Edwin Millheim's Bright Future comic strip in Anime Squared magazine, and the supplement benefits by having the strip's creator as a co-author. The Hero System has always been strong on game mechanics but weak on setting, so using an established setting gives this supplement a feel and depth of detail which has been missing from many other Hero publications. Action in this Bright Future takes place from the depths of the oceans to the outer reaches of the solar system, and the sourcebook provides enough descriptive detail to make these exotic locales vivid and plausible. The society and technology are equally well descibed, giving GM's all the basic materials necessary to run a fairly hard SF game.

The positive presentation of women in this Sourcebook is refreshing in the male-dominated world of gaming. The sample characters (presumably adapted from the comic strip), are split fairly evenly between the sexes, while both the art and the source material depict women taking an active role in this world. This gender equality is taken to the unusual degree of including "Dr. Jones", an NPC in one of the adventure scenarios whose sex is left to the GM discretion. It's an interesting idea to leave a character to be shaped by the GM's style, though it leads to some confusing "he/she" grammar.

The art throughout the book suits the tone of the world and avoids the overuse of the same artwork which has plagued other Hero publications. Some items are sorely lacking illustrations, however; neither of the two significant alien species is pictured at all. While readers of the comic strip might not need such illustrations, it should have been simple enough to provide some for those first encountering the setting in this supplement.

The sourcebook's use of the Hero rules is generally competent, though one chart uses 1d20 to generate a random result - anathema to Hero gamers! Unfortunately, the spelling, grammar and editing in this work are as poor as in many other Hero publications, making the presentation somewhat unprofessional and occasionally confusing.

Nevertheless, this suplement provides an interesting science fiction setting for the Hero System that should provide the basis for an interesting campaign. Even GM's not intending to use Millheim's world might want to use it as a point of comparison, especially since the more generic Star Hero has never been revised for the fourth edition rules. It would be good to see Hero Plus publish more material with the depth and detail found in this sourcebook.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)