Let me start with gushing; I
love the world that Rob Hatch and company have set up for
Aberrant, the prequel game to
Trinity. As a comic fan from way back who has grown disenchanted with superheroes in general, this is a very realistic world if super heroes were to start showing up over the next ten years. The information in the color section (the first 96 pages) sets the world up quite nicely, even better than
Trinity did. My personal favorite is the "Post-Gonzo" journalism section, with art taken right from Hunter S Thompson stuff.
However, great world does not necessarily translate into great execution. This game feels quite math-heavy to me, which while I've gotten used to while making a Call of Cthulu character, it just doesn't feel right in a White Wolf game. An example of this reads: "Thus, a character with Quantum 3 buys the Quantum Bolt power at 2 and designates it as a bashing attack. A bahing Quantum Bolt inflicts [Quantum x 3] levels + (power rating x 4) dice of damage. The character's blast inflicts [3 x 3, or 9] automatic levels of bashing damage; plus the character may roll (2 x 4, or 8) dice to inflict extra damage." Admittedly, I'm used to playing fast with health levels; I like to keep my PC's alive so they can sweat it out over whatever I throw at them next.
Another problem is some layout in the various comic sections. At first, I was quite excited to see some of the backstory told in comic form; respect for the tradition and whatnot. But though the art was good and the text was interesting, it was quite difficult for me to follow the flow. Way too many word balloons and placed in a strange way.
But the last big problem with Aberrant is its potential for abuse. A good storyteller will be able to reign in his PC's, hopefully. But if you've ever really wanted to make a character using White Wolf's system that is unbelievably powerful, Aberrant is the game for you. Someday, I'm going to pull out some stats for a vampire Methuslah and put him head to head w/ a starting nova (the polite term for the superheroes, by the by) and see who walks away. It'll be close, I imagine.
Overall, an interesting game. I'm looking forward to tossing it at my players for a few sessions. But if you have trouble keeping your players under control or moving past suggested rules, this might not be the game for you.
Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
