Edit this Review | Unlink This Review from The Babylon Project Gamemaster's Resource Kit

Goto [ Index ]

The mandatory gamescreen has arrived. This is obviously one of the top three products that should be produced after the core rules. It is a near essential product, unique to that system. A GM's session can be cursed or blessed by this product. Most screens and resource kits are either good or bad, there are very few mediocre game screens/kits.

This gamescreen appears to be a winner.

First off, the screen itself consists of the standard three panels. The artwork on the outside (player's side) is stunning! If this doesn't get your B5 glands going nothing will. My only gripe is that the art seems to be too up close. Some of the details on the right side (nearest visually) seem a little busy. I am not sure what is going on in the bottom right.

The inside of the screen seems to be very organized. All the screen text is in yellow or white, with a black background. A little tough to read, but it is packed with information and that will save on the wear and tear with the rulebook. All the necessary tables, hit locations, task resoultions, skills, characteristics, weapons, armor, and typical attributes by species are all listed. There is not an inch of wasted space- unlike the Waste World game screen. The screen seems to be rather sturdy, a little heavier cardstock than most screens lately- not counting White Wolf.

The 24 page book that is included is on the standard high gloss paper and has some beautiful layout and color! They are finally taking advantage of the paper's color reproduction and high gloss. Each page has a unique layout to its subject matter. The Narn is different from the Centauri, the Minbari is different from the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. This is how the rule book should've been done, true it may have been overkill, but for these 24 pages it's a treat.

The book includes more background information about the races, the League, EA, Raiders, New Races, and Martian Troubles. This information should have been in the rulebook, and it hardly satisfies the B5 hunger (what does?), but it does flesh out some blank areas. The rules page includes an optional random modifier rule. You can roll six dice instead of two. I am not sure what to make of that!

There is a loose leaf page of the character sheet and worksheet just waiting for a copier. There are also two pages that contain colored logos, insignias, an Advisory Council sheet and a card for the CCG. I imagine the card will be promotional; and for only a limited run.

All in all, it is a good investment for a promising game. The Babylon Project Gamemaster's Resource Kit is a solid product for the money. To rate this screen against two of the best on the market (Star Wars 2nd Edition and Rifts) it holds its own.

Only time will tell if the Babylon Project can stand up to the Alternity onslaught that is about to happen. The Babylon Project has some solid products, but with a minimum of 4-6 months lag time for products and with no changes in sight, it can't possibly keep up with fan demand. That might hurt it in the end. Get ready to see a large number of people convert to Alternity just because of the steady product support. It could happen.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)