As there is no current review on this game, I thought I’d submit a brief overview of my impressions of the books.
The Setting: This can be summarised as Cyberpunk marries a gender studies degree with a sprinkling of pseudo Norse mythology over the top. In this game players form a group of super powered (LGBTI) girl-bosses of various ethnic backgrounds who battle their way through hordes of white male mooks. These Shield Maidens are the only playable characters available. The main antagonists are a patriarchal government that damages the environment, discriminates against women, and oppresses the poor. It’s a very two-dimensional “goodies” versus “baddies” setting.
The System: A straightforward 2D6 system (although a D8 can also be required) where you roll 2D6, add them together, and succeed if you equal or exceed a target number. The result can be modified by abilities, skills and gear. Combat is decided by opposed roles with excess results adding to damage. Weapons and enemies do fixed damage to keep things simple. Overall, it’s a basic system that does the job adequately.
The Unique Aspect: The signature element of this game is the character’s shield. These shields have powers that are employable to boost your actions and can have significant side effects. You build this shield as you build your character and there is a wide variety of options for these shields. This gives each shield its own character.
The Presentation: Uncluttered and clear page setting that’s easy to read. Limited art work throughout the two books but the quality is quite nice. Nearly all weapons, gear and antagonists are illustrated. Interestingly, the game rules and resources are split over the two main books (Player’s Guide & GM Guide), so you need both books to play the game.
The Weird: This game seems to push the culture wars fairly overtly, and gets quite preachy about it. This is unfortunate as it distracts from the setting and atmosphere. It also includes a section on creating an inclusive game environment and some “tools” to facilitate this basic level of human interaction. Most game groups manage to achieve this organically, so I’m not sure what purpose this section really serves. Perhaps it’s the latest form of editorial disclaimer.
The Outcome: I’m not sure I’ll ever get a group that wants to play this game, so the purchase may end up being an expensive donation to the publisher ($90 AUS for the PDF!). You’d have to be into the single character archetype and the somewhat two-dimensional setting to want to play this. But if the idea of playing a super powered girl-boss versus an evil patriarchy with no redeeming features appeals to you, then give it a try. However, if you are looking for something more nuanced or varied, then you may want to save your money.
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