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Review of Aberrant: Worldwide Phase I
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Despite the title, it is not a world book. It covers the major events of the first two years of the Aberrant timeline, unlike Aberrant Year One, which was a world book. I'd understand if anyone was confused. It is also something of a misnomer as the events of two of the four adventures contained herein take place in the United States of America, one involving the race for the White House.
The book contains four very freeform adventures concerning major events in the ongoing Aberrant plotline for the years 2008 to 2010, giving enough information for a smart storyteller to cover these events in whatever kind of game he or she is running. Indeed, the 'adventures' are so freeform that they more resemble files on the necessary data to run the events surrounding these plot developments. A boxout in the fourth 'file', titled Freedom, Not Rails, explains how loose the structure is.
The first and longest 'file', Strange Bedfellows, concerns the possibilities of a superhuman (known as a nova in this setting) running for President of the United States. While in traditional superhero games this would lead to massive battles in Washington and supervillains attacking party rallies, Aberrant instead adds novas' involvement to traditional campaign activities like slander and blackmail. Who ends up in the Oval office, and what happens, is left to the players and storyteller to decide. The repercussions of half a dozen possible results are discussed. Unfortunately, one of the candidates is such an over-the-top monster that he could easily become a joke. He need not be so grotesque, and he can easily be made less so, but it is still irritating. Conversely, the heroic candidate is portrayed very well, as a man sacrificing his desires for the greater good and wishing he did not have to.
The second, The Apostasy, concerns a major member of Project Utopia, the setting's 'status quo', leaving, and a variety of the game's power groups seeking to turn this to their advantage. The third story, Gabriel, is the most traditional superhero adventure here - a possibly mad nova threatening a large population with a doomsday weapon must be stopped. However, to demonstrate the series' lack of linearity, the chapter ends with two pages discussing the possibility that all efforts fail and said doomsday weapon is used.
Finally, Into The Arms Of The Angel Of Wrath is the most linear of the stories, concerning a major turning point in the game's storyline. However, even here a variety of possible outcomes are covered.
While avoiding spoilers, I'll go into a few specifics here. This adventure resolves the Slider mystery, which has been a question at the heart of the game since the rulebook was released. It is set in 2010, two years after the question is first raised. Of course, the answer will not be news to anyone who's read the rulebook closely enough, especially if they've seen the material in the Storyteller's Screen, but I do wonder why it is supposed to take so long to be disclosed in game. I imagine player characters in the eponymous Aberrant group would be looking for answers earlier than that.
In terms of its format, it is possible that Aberrant Worldwide Phase I is an extreme reaction against criticism of previous adventure series from White Wolf, such as the Transylvania Chronicles, for Vampire. They covered similar historical events of its game's canon, but did so in such a linear fashion as to thoroughly railroad players, causing complaint and resentment. If so, White Wolf's editors are to be commended for listening.
In conclusion, Aberrant Worldwide Phase I is a very useful toolkit for storytellers interested in the political dimension of the Aberrant setting, a good book for those interested in modern political games in general, and also a fine example of non-linear adventure writing.
Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
