WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
The "Armies of Night", is an adventure book published for GDW's "Twilight 2000", post-WW3 role playing game.
The adventure is set on Manhattan Island, the PC's have been sent by the US Military Government (MilGov) to organise a Pro-MilGov power structure, locate a missing gold convoy and find out what happened to the previous eight expeditions...
The book begins with GM information which explains how to get the PC's to Manhattan and what happened to the missing gold.
The rest of the book is taken up with background information on how Manhattan ended up in its present state and the places, organisations & personalities that make up Manhattans current political landscape.
The PC's will soon discover that the only way to achieve any sort of success, is by negociation rather than combat, however it is up to them to determine how they proceed, they can either join or subvert one of the three major groups (The former city government, based in the Bronx. 'Hizzoner', the brutal dictator who controls Central Park. 'The Duke', a quasi-feudal leader who controls south Manhattan.), or they could try and form an alliance from the various minor 'governments' of Manhattan.
No matter what they decide to do, they will uncover clues to the location of the gold, clues that point to Central Park, and if they aren't trying to deal with 'Hizzoner', then they could have a hard time getting it...
This book is a sold and well written suppliment, it is well illustrated and there are plenty of useful maps.
As for the adventure, finding the gold provides the PC's with a short term objective, which can be used to provide them with the background information on Manhattans current situation. While the long term mission, that of organising a new government for Manhattan & eventually the rest of New York City (if possible) can provide the basis for a long and exciting campaign one that will require the PC's to use diplomacy as well as guns if they are going to succeed.
