If you're anything like me, you felt that Eden Studio's
Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG was one of the most skillful treatments of a licensed property ever written, up there with the original
Marvel Super Heroes and West End Games'
Star Wars. You may also have felt that while the game was flexible enough that you didn't just have to play teenage vampire slayers in high school, the edgy urban feel of Buffy's exceptional spin-off series, Angel, wasn't quite there.
Enter the Angel RPG Corebook, Eden Studio's much-awaited game featuring the moody vampire with a soul, his allies, his adversaries, and his City of Angels. Demon breeds, streetwise vampire-hunting gangs, other dimensions, and the Powers That Be are all covered in this 256-page hard-bound volume, with a glossy cover, gorgeous graphic design, and a $40.00 price tag.
The folks at Eden Studios were good enough to send me a black and white copy of the book sans binding to review, and so I subjected it to some extensive reading and a playtest session using only the materials in the book. Because it was just a printer's corrected proof and not the real thing, I missed out on seeing it in full-color, but Eden Studio's website at www.angelrpg.com impressed me from the beginning.
Here's a rundown of the contents, chapter by chapter. Since I was able to get some friends together for a session of the game and squeezed some feedback out of them (some of whom had never seen an episode of the show before), I'll also note how some of the contents shaped up in actual play, too.
Chapter One: Angel's Path
The introductory chapter serves to bring readers up to speed on the show, what it's about, and what has happened so far. The coverage, and indeed the book, only goes up to the end of Season Three, but there's undoubtedly more on the horizon. A section entitled
Previously, On Angel... makes good use of quotes, plot summaries and roleplaying guides to track the development of the series from its initial small group of Angel, Cordelia and Doyle, to its larger and more dynamic cast in Season Three and that season's cliffhanger finale.
This chapter does an excellent job of explaining the mood and the feel of the Angelverse, and how this differs from its sister show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There's even a page intended for folks who are already familiar with the BtVS RPG, which lets them know why an Angel RPG was necessary and what they can do with it now that they have it. The chapter ends with a couple of paragraphs suggesting plot developments after Season Three based solely on what has gone before, which is a nice touch.
Chapter Two: Chosen Champions
Here we start to get into the meat of the game, with character generation presented as a casting call for new Champions and Investigators. Those already familiar with the BtVS RPG can guess at these two character types; they approximate the Heroes and White Hats of that game, but they're a little bit beefier. Like BtVS's White Hats, Investigators have fewer starting points to buy Attributes, Qualities, and Skills, but they get more Drama Points because their role is to support the more powerful Champions (who are supposed to have all the bad stuff happen to them). This division allows for players to take on the role of less-powerful characters like Fred and Cordelia without having the Angels and Gunns of the game getting all the limelight. It's an interesting way to handle the discrepancy, if not a true balancing mechanic.
The six Attributes of the game (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Perception, and Willpower) and the eighteen Skills (Acrobatics, Art, Computers, Crime, Doctor, Driving, Getting Medieval, Gun Fu, Influence, Knowledge, Kung Fu, Lamguages, Mr. Fix-It, Notice, Occultism, Science, Sports, and Wild Card) are the same as in the Buffy RPG, and make this version of the Unisystem rules look sleek and easy to handle. Each Attribute or Skill is rated from 1 to 5, with many characters having even higher scores thanks to demonic heritage, supernatural blessings, or because they're the ones who get their names in the opening credits.
Qualities and Drawbacks help to flesh out a character, and include such mundane traits as Attractiveness, Contacts, or Nerves of Steel along with showy or supernatural abilities like Telekinesis and Psychic Visions. The latter are separated into a section that describes how to put together various supernatural abilities into Demon Packages, allowing your character to claim any number of demonic ancestors or extradimensional bloodlines. This system, tempered with Drawbacks to give you more points to spend on Qualities and Skills, really does make it easy to lump some traits together, give it a name and a point cost, and belong to your own supernatural minority. Sample Demon and Half-Demon Packages are provided, all original.
Attributes, Qualities and Skills are all bought with separate pools of points, the totals of which are determined by character type. Along with Champions and Investigators, a third type (Veteran) is also included, but mainly so that you can play a character who won't be overshadowed by anybody playing one of the Original Cast. The number of points you get really does allow you to have pretty much any character you like, and I saw nothing which would truly get in the way of capturing the archetypical roles present in the show.
Speaking of which, the chapter ends with twelve pre-generated Archetypes, with flavorful backgrounds, ready to go. There's a mixed assortment of Investigators (Former Cultist, Psychic Supermodel, Daemonic Investigator, Barrio Defender) and Champions (Apt Pupil, Barbarian Queen (she's from Pylea!), Crusading Biker, Demon Gangsta, Pyro Girl, Reformed Assassin, Rogue Demon Hunter, Undead Champion). It's a bizarre group, in all honesty - many of them are half-demons or demons, using the Demon Packages detailed earlier, and the rest are prone to Emotional or Mental Problems. You won't see these characters on the show, but they would probably fit into the Angelverse without a hitch. And as if on cue, immediately after the Archetypes the Eden Studios gang have helpfully included character sheets from the Original Cast (and yes, this includes Doyle, Kate, Spike, and the Groosalugg - just in case) with Seasonal Adjustments so that you can play them in any season they appear in.
Playtesting Note:My group of four players each picked from the 12 archetypes, which I had put into slipcovers and laid out on the table. As it happens, two picked Champions (the Pyro Girl and Undead Champion), and the other two picked Investigators (Daemonic Investigator and Barrio Defender). They remarked on how screwed-up most of the characters were, in terms of having paranoia, being hunted by demons, obsessed with something or another, or having levels in Cruelty. Only my wife, who played the Pyro Girl character, had seen the show, but it didn't take much to get the group to pick up on the overall feel from the pre-generated character backgrounds.
Chapter Three: Helping the Helpless
This is the rules chapter, for all intents and purposes. Here, the game mechanic is explained (it's Unisystem's Attribute + Skill + 1d10, try to get 9 or higher) and its various uses and permutations explored. Ability Scores (Muscle, Combat and Brains) are summarized here; they're essentially fixed totals derived from a character's Attributes and Skills and used for Quick NPCs, eliminating the need for the Director to roll any dice. It's an elegant and player-centric method of turning the focus over to the player's die rolls and freeing up the Director to run the game, very reminiscent of TSR's now-defunct
SAGA system.
You get rules for Fear Tests, Movement (when you absolutely have to know how far you can move), and of course Combat. Combat takes up a considerable chunk of the chapter, but it's focused on dramatic action rather than iterative swings at one's opponent. Combat Maneuvers are outlined so that you can write your character's preferred moves down on your sheet, and the basics of Multiple Actions (using a single die roll for all actions in a round but with successively greater penalties for each action) and Damage are also provided. A thoroughly workable vehicle combat system, complete with a blow-by-blow account of Lindsey running Angel over with his pick-up truck, makes it obvious that the Unisystem can be applied to any dramatic sequence without a great deal of additional hassle.
The chapter ends with an entertaining section on Drama Points and their use, together with the rules on Experience Points and character improvement. Drama Points are one of the most stylish elements of the Angel Unisystem, serving to provide some player control over the events of the game in a flavorful manner that's faithful to the show. A character can spend a point for a Heroic Feat (+10 to a single die roll), I Think I'm Okay (get back half the wound damage you've suffered), Plot Twist (a timely intervention of the script writers), Righteous Fury (+5 on all attack actions for only 2 Drama Points and an appropriately vengeful reason), and Back From the Dead (which lets your character come back next Season, the next Episode, or even the same Episode for increasingly greater Drama Point costs). Using points to affect die rolls or alter the game environment isn't a new thing, but the Angel RPG does it so well it stands out.
Playtesting Note: The die mechanic was a piece of cake for the group to understand. Since they weren't using standard character sheets, which have the Success Levels chart printed on the front, I quickly scrawled the chart onto a piece of paper and set it out on the table for them to refer to. The hardest part of the system for them to wrap their heads around were the sheer amount of damage the combat-oriented characters could inflict on the bad guys, and what exactly their supernatural powers let them do (they're almost purposefully vague, such that Pyrokinesis simply says that you can set fires and how much damage those fires do, etc). I also know that there was some initial reluctance to use Drama Points, not because they didn't like them but because they were concerned they should hoard them until later. I assured them that they were there to be spent, and the Investigators especially seemed to benefit a great deal from them.
Chapter Four: Arcane Approaches
Any fan of the show knows that magic plays a substantial part in Angel's universe, much as it does in Buffy's. The emphasis on ritual magic out of arcane tomes and forgotten grimoires is greater here, however, as no rules for Willow-style Wicca Fu are included. That's left to supernatural Qualities and Packages; in the Angel RPG, magic is limited to research, preparation, and a Willpower + Occultism roll. The sample spells are taken from the show and the episode in which they appear is cited for your convenience. It's a good selection, and one which could easily be heavily supplemented by Eden Studio's
Magic Box supplement for the BtVS RPG.
Playtesting Note: I didn't get a chance to really flex these rules in the sample session I ran. The Daemonic Investigator has "Magic" as one of her combat maneuvers, but nothing on which spells she may have, so I just pulled something out of my ass and let the player cast a couple of shadow-based spells as needed. The system's not geared towards combat magic - anything like that's probably best left to Supernatural Qualities.
Chapter Five: Cabals, Covens and Agencies
In this chapter, the Angel RPG takes another turn away from it's sister game by including rules for handling organizations, their resources, influence, and membership. When I saw that these rules were included, I was immediately reminded of Nobilis' chancels and Birthright's domains, each of which also opened up the game to a macroscopic level of resource management and broader activity.
Rather than leaving it to a Quality, the Angel RPG lets a player group or the Director build an organization from a point pool, assigning points to Clout (Criminal, Financial, Governmental, and Supernatural), Quarters (Size and Location, Physical Security, and Supernatural Security), and Gear (Facilities, Computers, Occult Archives, etc). Sample organizations are included, such as Angel Investigations and Wolfram & Hart, with their levels in organization attributes provided. There's even an original organization, the Morningstar Foundation, which I found to be an excellent alternative to the show's groups and in fact nabbed for my playtest session.
Some care and time needs to be spent by the Director on putting together organizations if they're to play a significant role in any Angel campaign, but the rules make it worth it. They're relatively painless, and allow the campaign to be scaled from players-as-agents to players-as-movers-and-shakers with ease. I liked it, and although I didn't get to use the rules in the session I ran I could see making frequent use of them in a long-term game.
Chapter Six: City of Angel
Because no game based on a licensed property is complete without a short tour guide of the property's locations and set-pieces, this chapter gives capsule summaries of some of Los Angeles' hot spots as seen on the show. It's useful for those who don't know a whole lot about L.A.'s layout, but also because each location has story hook potential added in as a bonus. Suggestions for using Caritas, the Hyperion Hotel, and even the East Hills Teen Shelter (run by Anne from episode 2.12 Blood Money) make it more than just a list of landmarks. Quick Sheets for average L.A. citizens, thugs and residents round out the chapter.
Chapter Seven: Something Wicked
This is where the bad guys (and some of the supporting characters) get the Unisystem treatment, Quick Sheets and all. Vampires, demons, and personalities such as Darla, Drusilla and computer geek David Nabbit are here. There's an extensive treatment of vampire and demon creation, from concept to character sheet, with a nice summary of demon breeds from the show and how to use them as Cast Members (as opposed to the original packages in Chapter Two.) I was amused to see a sidebar on what exactly Angel's son Connor is (his "package" costs 20 points) and even more delighted to see Holtz, Lilah, and Lindsey lurking in glorious Quick Sheet detail at the end of the chapter.
There aren't really any surprises in this chapter for those who are familiar with the way the Buffy RPG handled its Big Bads, or for those who know the show well enough. But it's commendable that so many characters and demon breeds were included, as it makes running the game that much easier when you've got some helpful NPCs and creatures ready-made to drop in at a moment's notice.
Chapter Eight: Episodes, Seasons and Drama
If the Buffy RPG left you with any doubt whatsoever that Eden Studios can nail a licensed property's thematic elements, this chapter should serve to dispel it. Chapter Eight is a well-written treatise on using the rules to tell stories set in the Angelverse, whether it's in L.A. or another big city, with the Original Cast or your group's own champions, and every combination thereof. Suggestions on a campaign set in different times, campaigns with an all-Champion or all-Investigator cast, campaigns with the Cast as employees of Wolfram & Hart... it's all here, a plethora of suggestions for running the game and sharpening your Director talents.
The chapter includes a breakdown of a Series into Episodes, and Episodes into Acts. You'll find hints for running a Season Premiere, a Season Finale, and putting together the villains, henchmen, and supporting cast. It doesn't come across as preachy or even particularly high-brow - the game's casual voice is consistent throughout.
Chapter Nine: Blood Brothers - Part One
In what appears to be the Angel RPG's answer to the Buffy RPG's Sweeps Week, Blood Brothers is a sample Episode which forms part of a two-part story that can bring the Cast together or simply kick off a Series with the Cast already established. Part Two's apparently in the
Angel RPG Director's Screen, which I didn't have available to look at.
The Episode is presented in three Acts, following the guidelines suggested in Chapter Eight. Without giving away any spoilers, it's essentially a series of conflicts with some investigation thrown in and a convenient origin story for a potential season Big Bad (or at least the Big Bad of the first half of the season until the "real" one shows up). Oh, and it ends with a Cliffhanger.
Playtest Notes: We had a lot of fun with the Episode, which I more or less ran straight out of the book. I was a little disappointed in the opposition, however - none of the encounters seemed particularly challenging. In fact, unless the Cast act like criminals, they're unlikely to face off with anything in their power range until the very end, and even then it's something of a toss-up. On re-reading the Episode I realized that the ending should have played out a little differently, but there was still a general feeling that the Cast were very competent. This isn't always a bad thing, of course - after all, they're the stars of the show! But my players kept giving me looks as if to ask me why their opponents were dropping like flies. It's something of a cheat to make this part one of a two part Episode, but to their credit the writers include a few helpful suggestions for where the Cliffhanger could lead if you're not in the mood to drop a few dollars on a Director's Screen.
Appendix
The Angel RPG Corebook ends with four very useful Appendix sections: a guide to the Angel show's lingo (in other words, how to make everyone sound as if they had Joss Whedon's stable of writers writing the dialogue); a very nice conversion guide for those Directors who want to bring in elements from
Witchcraft,
All Flesh Must Be Eaten or other Eden Studios games which use the "classic" Unisystem; a Glossary, which is a helpful reference; and an Index, which I think is a universal sign of a well-organized RPG manual.
Summary and Conclusion
I really enjoyed reading through this game. I enjoyed running it even more, since it gave me a better understanding of the rules, but also because I've owned the Buffy RPG for a year and never had a chance to put it to the test.
The book is well-written, considerably better edited than other RPGs, and absolutely gorgeous. I'm looking forward to "upgrading" my B&W loose-leaf copy for the real thing. The list price is within the range of most corebooks on the market, if a little on the high end - most seem to range from $30-$40, and this book is full color and essentially self-contained.
If I had to make note of any gripes, it would be that on occasion I had to go looking for something in another section even though it seemed to belong in the one I was in - NPCs, for example, are in both Chapter Six and Chapter Seven. In addition, it would have been nice to have a list of the Qualities and Drawbacks somewhere, all in one place so that you don't have to flip through the many pages of explanations to find the point costs - I had the same problem with the Buffy RPG. Similarly, the Skills aren't listed out in any one place apart from the character sheet, but that's not as much of a problem since a character sheet's an easy reference. But for a game that places as much emphasis on Qualities and Drawbacks (both mundane and supernatural) as this, making it easier to pick them out would have been a bonus. I imagine this may be included in the Angel Director's Screen.
These issues aside, my rating of the book in terms of both Style and Substance is a 5. The Angel RPG Corebook promises to be the first of a long line of well-researched, information-packed and beautifully-laid out products, if Eden's treatment of Buffy is anything to go by. And even if you're not a fan of the show (which they discuss in a sidebar, helpfully enough) there's enough meaty rules content in here to run anything from Delta Green to Jim Butcher's Dresden Chronicles - in other words, practically any urban action fantasy-horror campaign. Top marks, Eden Studios!
Review Summary