Review of Armageddon: The End Times

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Introduction: The End of Days

Armageddon began life as Witchcraft, a game about modern day mystical conspiracies fighting to protect the world from all manner of dark beasties. Then C.J. Carella, the author, chose to develop a possible future to the setting which he named Armageddon. Once Eden Studios picked up the Unisystem and developed both All Flesh Must Be Eaten and the second edition of Witchcraft, it was always on the books to eventually release a revised and updated version of the sequel game.

Armageddon is a Unisystem game that focuses on a world undergoing dramatic change. With the coming of a dark prophet, a powerful religious group known as the Church of Revelations is aggressively working to convert the world to worship their dark master, Leviathan, so that this hideous cthulhuesque beast can then twist reality to suit its personal vision of the world.

Players take on the roles of humans, angels, demons, ancient gods, immortals and all manner of other beings battling to protect our reality. The idea being that all disparate factions are forced to unite against a greater foe.

Now before I continue with this review, I do feel it is important to explain some of my own biases. See, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Unisystem. I once reviewed Witchcraft, and found it to be a very lacklustre product. Unisystem is a very functional mechanic, and upon playtesting it showed to lack any character - which is something I had been looking for in a game at the time.

Fast forward about four years to now. I bought Armageddon after reading some very glowing reports of it, and finding the idea of a group of players involving psychics, angels, demons and gods working together had a lot of appeal to me for a game. I had recently been drawn back to looking over Unisystem after One of the Living, plus having played and run some fantastic games of Angel and Buffy I was keen to give it another lookover.

Layout and Design

First of all, the layout of Armageddon is very attractive. The size of the book is great, and actually quite functional. Rather than being the standard A4 size, it comes in at a 7.25" x 9.25" Hardcover size. This makes for ease of carrying and general use.

The frontcover art is also quite attractive showing a photo collage of an angel looking over a battle field with helicopters in the background and explosions. The image is very evocative.

Within the book is an excellent use of titles and boxes, most information is easy to find and reference too. There is a comprehensive index and glossary in the back of the book. The art is also very attractive, although I felt it wasn't always consistent in presenting the setting. Most of the art involves angels, demons and cthuloid entities. But there isn't a heck of a lot that gives a clear view of what the world is actually like now. I would have preferred to have seen a little more wider view images rather than the character heavy art.

On the other hand, it is great inspiration for those wanting to think about character ideas.

Having mentioned the layout of information, there are some odd decisions. Mostly relating to supernatural characters - the game provides information for these in the rather inappropriately named "inhuman" chapter. The problem with this chapter is its distance from character generation. I'll go into this more a little later, but it did make character creation a little fiddly having to flip back and forth through various chapters. It's not a big issue, and I didn't deduct any points for this, after all it is still a damn sight better than In Nomine's mess of a book.

I'll just briefly mention the fiction at this point too. While I didn't find it particularly original for the most part, it does a much better job of capturing a feel for the setting than the art does. It's passable work that certainly doesn't detract from the rest of the book.

So what is Armageddon actually about?

Setting

One of the key elements of the Witchcraft mythos is that of the Mad Gods. Essentially these beings are dark cthulhu like beings from beyond our reality who have been seeking a way into our world. Witchcraft dealt with the work of various occult covenants who battled the machinations of these beings among other supernatural threats.

Armageddon posits how one such Mad God, Leviathan, manages to get a foot hold into our world by getting enough people to believe in it. Then as the world declines into chaos, Leviathan empowers a dark prophet who has been specially trained to become the physical manifestation of Leviathan on earth.

Heading this Church of Revelations, the Dark Prophet starts to take over the world- forcing the previously hidden Seraphim to reveal themselves in an attempt to stop him before he kills the Pope. They fail, but the cat is out of the bag supernatural-wise and the world becomes over-run with supernaturals who either join with humanity to stop the Dark Prophet's Army of Revelations, or to join up with the big bad, Leviathan himself.

Players take on the roles of various beings, dependent on the power level chosen by the Chronicler (GM). There is a range of some ten different character types, of which there are often more subgroups and choices.

There is a genuine effort to unify all these factions into a single cosmology, and for the most part Carella succeeds. I did find the "christianity was the most correct" element a bit annoying if only because it ended feeling like a bit of a cop out to me. Basically God is a being called The Creator, who created the Seraphim to protect the universe. The old gods are beings called Titans, who were equals to the Seraphim but who chose to guide or control mankind.

I find that this does kind of contradict historical representations of such gods in favour of not offending modern sensabilities. Again, not a big issue, but one that bugged me a little.

System

Armageddon utilises what has come to be known as Classic Unisystem. It presents probably the most up-to-date iteration of the mechanic. At it's core is a very simple mechanic of adding a trait with a skill plus the result of a 1d10 roll. If you score over 9, you succeed. Now, the GM can apply difficulty through the use of modifiers to your total, or when contesting you need to both score over a 9 and over the result rolled by your opponent.

This is complicated by an odd mechanic called the role of luck. This dictates that whenever a 10 is rolled, the die is rolled again, you negate five from the second roll and if it is a positive number add that to your result. If a 1 is rolled, the same is done but rather than add the result, you negate it.

For the sake of trying to seem gritty and "real" in mechanics, this seems like a bit of an unnecessary fiddling when a simple halve the result would have worked. Sure, that means you add more often, but it also means that rolling a 10 is worth re-rolling it.

Another odd mechanic arises in combat.

Combat

Combat in Armageddon is similar to most roleplaying games. You decide who gets to act in what order, declare an action and perform it. I liked the fact that Eden have decided to suggest that you shouldn't need to roll initiative, as the actions of the characters ought to suggest a logical order of action. I have seen a number of occasions in previous game systems where a character who should have had the upper hand lost their advantage due to some arbitrary dice roll.

Armageddon states that the GM essentially makes the call. But also provides a standard initiative roll mechanic as well in case the group is not comfortable with relying on GM fiat.

The oddity arises in what happens after an attack roll is successful. The attacker then rolls damage - which uses d8s, d6s and d4s. Now this just seems a bit unnecessary again with a game that is aiming to be simple and functional. Still, D&D has done this kind of thing for years, so it's not a big issue. Furthermore, Eden provides the option of having damage be fixed and provides the fixed damage value in parentheses next to the die notation. (For those who are interested, this fixed value tends to be just under the average result from rolling.)

What truly strikes me as a weird mechanic decision is to have armour random too. When damage is resolved, the attacker rolls their damage and the defender rolls their armour rating. I find this a bit odd because that's what has just happened in the attack and defence roll. Why does the system then require this again, but with damage and armour? Again this is apparently to better capture the gritty nature. To me it seems an unnecessarily arbitrary complication that does little to help the game. Eden do provide options for if you don't want to use this mechanic, but I find myself asking why it was ever introduced at all.

Continuing this line of odd design decisions, there are no mass combat rules. Now normally this isn't a big deal. Most roleplaying games focus on just the individuals, so such mechanics aren't necessary in a core rulebook. But Armageddon is all about warfare. It's core theme includes war, so it would be reasonable to assume that some games may take place in large battlefields, in fact a number of the fiction pieces do this very thing.

So why the heck were no mass combat rules included in the game? This seems to me to be one of the two major oversights in the book. There are vehicle combat rules, but nothing that deals with being in an actual war. The second oversight also relates in part to this war theme, and I will be addressing it in a moment. But on to some more positive elements.

More Options

As I mentioned before, Unisystem is a very functional ruleset and in keeping with that functionality there is a real attempt at providing as many options as possible. Included in the core system chapter are rules for using cards instead of dice, and even diceless gaming. When I reviewed both Witchcraft and All Flesh Must Be Eaten these rules were poorly presented and barely detailed, to the point of being useless wastes of valuable bookspace. In Armageddon however, they have been presented in a much clearer language with a better distinction of where they are and how to use these rules.

Metaphysics and Supernaturals

Next up are the rules for powers. Now I initially did not like Witchcraft's invocation system because it seemed to me like a confused mix of spheres from mage while also trying to be spell-lists from D&D. Since that time, I have mellowed somewhat, and I do like how Armageddon presents the metaphysics chapter.

There are a number of powers available based upon the character you choose to build. These abilities are powered by essence, the energy that infuses the universe. Invocations and rituals are how witches and magi channel and use essence to alter reality; The Sight (a rather inaccurate term) covers the various psychic powers - including pyrokinesis and telekinesis (which I still have a bit of trouble understanding why it is classified under "Seer powers"); Necromancy is apparently a mix of magic and psychic ability; and Divine Inspiration covers miracles and blessings.

Each of these powers still utilises the core mechanics of the system, but they do a good job of capturing mechanical differences in how essence is used to power them.

Next up are Inhumans or as I prefer to call them, Supernaturals. Firstly, Inhumans is a poorly chosen word because while many of the beings in the chapter are not human in nature, they do show human characteristics and are capable of compassion. To be inhuman requires a lack of human nature, character and compassion. Again, another little issue, but when so many little issues start to pile up it does suggest a problem with the overall approach to the production of the game.

Mechanically the various supernaturals are kept nice and unique. We have Seraphim - the Angels and Demons; Kerubim - humans who have been elevated to become like angels; Qliphonim - the infernal equivalent of Kerubim; Exiles - seraphim who have abandoned both Heaven and Hell; Nephilim - children of seraphim and humans; Avatars - spiritual offspring of gods, humans made to represent a god; Incarnates - the manifested forms of lesser gods; Inheritors - children of gods; Servitors of the angels, gods and demons; and finally True Immortals - the survivors of Atlantis who tend to have psychic/magic powers and never age.

Each of these beings has their own set of mechanics that fit within the ruleset, and much like the metaphysical powers each has its own sort of "flavour."

As mentioned before, these characters tend to be very human in character, and many are capable of compassion. One thing I noted was that for beings that aren't supposed to have free will, Seraphim seem to be capable of a lot of self-thought and action. This is most prevalent in the description of how they choose their own individual appearance. Angels are described in very human terms and motivations. Not really a complaint, because that inspired me for a very cool Armageddon game where it is revealed that the Creator doesn't hold humans any higher than anyone else and that really, all the forces in the universe are made equal.

It is important to note that the default assumption of the game is that of all beings in the universe, humans are the most powerful - or will be. They are destined to become as great as the Creator itself.

The bad guy - uh... guys...

The book details a little bit of information about the various antagonists who make up the Army of Revelations. Ironically, once again the choice of term is a bit odd - "Adversary" as in the singular. This kind of gives away a big issue I have, not the second oversight I mentioned, but related to it. That of black and white.

You see, the fiction kind of suggests that the world is a whole mix of greys - after all heaven and hell are still enemies, and it is only Leviathan's invasion that has forced them to co-operate. The problem is that no effort has gone into covering that tension. We are presented with only one set of enemies - the Church of Revelations and its army.

Furthermore, while we are given some rules and statistics, the entire chapter feels kind of rushed. After the large chapters on character creation options, rules options and the various associations that are being forced to work together, this chapter kind of feels like a grab-bag of bad guys.

There is some good insight into the structure of the Army and Church, but it still feels remarkably mixed in quality.

Which leads me to the second major oversight in this game...

"Hey, just run the game already!"

I'm going to go off on a brief tangent here. One of my biggest beefs against both All Flesh Must be Eaten and Witchcraft was the complete lack of sufficient GM resources in the core rulebooks. AFMBE fixed that with the various excellent supplements, especially the book One of the Living which really should have been the second part of the core rulebook instead of the Deadworlds.

Armageddon continues this trend of failing to support the GM in the main rules. There is a weak paragraph that basically says that the GM runs the game, then fails to give the reader any idea of how this is achieved, further exacerbated by a general tone that really does feel like "run the game already!"

Now I'm not expecting molly-coddling anyone, but I can see how any fresh GM who just got Armageddon would find themselves asking "but what exactly do I do with this game?" While there are three plothooks at the back, the discussion on themes and cast don't really enlighten the reader about how a typical game of Armageddon would unfold.

Most importantly, there is little genuine thought or discussion on running a game set in a wartime situation. Particularly one with angels and demons flying around. In fact, none of the book does any real work at discussing how all this is treated. We don't really get a clear idea of how the alliance against the church works. The associations chapter discusses various groups, but misses out on identifying the way it all comes together.

The GM is literally dumped with a whole heap of information without any tools with which to work through it. Considering the excellent and detailed advice provided in Buffy and Angel, this really is an inexcusable oversight that costs the game dearly.

Various Thoughts

By now it ought to be clear that I felt let down by Armageddon. Much in the same way that the previous Classic Unisystem products I reviewed, I found that a game I was very keen to like just didn't make the grade. This has been the same story for me with All Flesh Must Be Eaten, Witchcraft, Terra Primate and now Armageddon. Having said that, it isn't all bad.

Firstly there is a great range of character options and a reasonable attempt to fit them all into the same universe. I really like the ideas behind all the various beings. Of course the monotheistic solution just doesn't work for me, I am certain that there could have been another way of reaching that without coming across as so much pussyfooting. But that was a minor detail, it works well and presents some interesting ideas.

The core concept of the game is great, that enemies are forced to become allies due to an invasion by Cthulhu like entities, and the PCs have the power to actually take them on. Also that humans are not automatically useless, but something to be protected and treasured for what they will one day become.

Unfortunately the writing just doesn't do enough to bring over the coolness of the idea. A majority of it is remarkably lack lustre, which amazes me considering this is the same guy who wrote the Angel and Buffy core books. I put a lot of this down to the overall functional approach of the game.

Which brings me to the functional system. It has a few oddities, but it does what it aims to. Personally, I'd convert it to cinematic unisystem or use one of the optional systems. The rolling for damage and armour seems to me like putting in too much random chance for no real system benefit. As does the role of luck mechanic.

Serious lack of support for the style of the game. No mass combat rules is just an unbelieveable oversight for a game that is all about war. Complete lack of GM support advice or any kind of structure for planning a game. Reiterating the themes that have been mentioned throughout the book does not make for GM support. There should have been a much more detailed look at what kinds of stories can be told about war within the setting, the implications of various actions - guidelines for how to go about making NPCs. This is something I find Eden does regularly, and it is disappointing to see it happening here again.

Conclusion

A solid game, but again shows up all the flaws that seem to dog the classic unisystem core books. Lack of real direction, functional writing leading to a lacklustre feel to the setting. It really did feel like they didn't go far enough either. If this is the end of the world, it needs a bit more depth. If you follow the rulebook, it's a little too black and white. Not enough effort is made to establish shades of grey. Again - lack of GM support to create that tone. Overall, Armageddon is a good setting that is marred by some foolish oversights. Ultimately, it becomes a remarkably average game that is let down by its own professionalism. Basically, it doesn't make me go "I must play this game as soon as possible!" I kind of look at it and think that one day, when I have nothing else planned, I might play it. I have a cool germ of an idea for a chronicle, but there's not enough in the game that makes me leap up and want to play it straight away. In this day and age of highly competitive products out there, that's a bad thing.

Should I buy this game?: Missing that In Nomine fix? Nobilis a little too social focused or bizarre - then Armageddon is for you. Solid, functional, mostly reliable.