Review of God's Children

Military roleplaying campaigns are difficult to run well. Sure, scenarios are easy to come up with, but they usually end up following the same pattern: Go there and shoot that. Most GMs and players have little first-hand knowledge of warfare or even the peacetime military establishment. That is where good military fiction comes in, and Harold Coyle is a master of the genre, being the U.S. Army’s answer to Tom Clancy.

Drawing on his 17 years of military experience, Coyle creates a realistic and tightly focused portrait of two young Army officers who come into conflict during a disastrous peacekeeping patrol in Central Europe. 1Lt Nathan Dixon is an experienced staff officer on the fast track to greater things. 2Lt Gerald Reider is fresh out of West Point, taking his first platoon command. Of course, when the patrol runs into trouble, the question of just who is in charge becomes a life and death issue.

Roleplayers will find three major items of interest in this novel. First is Coyle’s grasp of day-to-day military life. For instance, his description of the platoon opening their MREs (Meals Ready to Eat, or Meals Rarely Edible, depending on one’s individual constitution) is dead on. He, more than any other author, can accurately describe how it feels to be wearing a uniform in the field.

Secondly, Coyle goes into great detail concerning the decision-making process as it is used by these young officers. Military officers are taught a very different set of values that is alien to most American civilians. That value system is key to playing any military character. Although a bit pedantic at times, this is a MUST-READ for any roleplayer who wants to play a military officer.

Finally, God’s Children is the single best resource I have ever seen for playing internal party conflicts. Dixon and Reider are at each other’s throat most of the time, but share the same goal. How they work through the conflict and achieve that goal should inspire some great roleplaying.

The novel is not without its faults. The same tight focus that makes it a compelling read also proves frustrating towards the end of the book. Coyle seems to lose track of several characters, and leaves too many key story elements hanging. I would have liked to see about five extra pages of epilogue. Also, he does get a little didactic in some of his interior monologues, sounding a bit like a military academy leadership textbook. All in all, it is still worth grabbing from your local library.