James King does excellent historical settings. They are always fully fleshed with well researched detail. This set of adventures was fun to play, with plenty of background and play options. It is an excellent addition to the Set Europe Ablaze Rulebook.

Fifty-two pages of goodness right here. If you purchased the rule set for Set Europe Ablaze you probably want this, too. James King has written a trio of adventures that definately covers the type of operations that were carried out by the Special Operations Executive or SOE and that they were known for. There are stats (provided for the One 10 System) for absolutely necessary NPCs so you don't need to do much work unless you want to add more. The maps are appropriate for the areas that the operations take place in and the included photos help set the scene. The author has obviously done extensive research in order to create this set of missions. There is definately value for money here. You can't go wrong purchasing this module. I have yet to find a set of rules that specifically covers the SOE during WW2. So if you are interested in this type of game and if you don't have that rule book (Set Europe Ablaze) you probably want to buy that, too, if you haven't already.

I've always been interested in the three musketeers since I read The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas a very long time ago. I am not going to go into detail about the mechanics of this game because the previous review has already done an excellent job of it. But I must say that the author has done a beautiful job of creating the France and Paris at the time of the musketeers. he obviously knows his stuff and done his research. He probably has the same love of the period that I do and it shows. I have played in a campaign using this set of rules as a musketeer and had a great time. The information provided would keep you satisfied even if you had not read any of the books, or seen the movies and the television program. The character generation is straight forward and the game mechanics work well with no surprises. I have owned and played a previous game called Flashing Blades in the distant past. I like this game better than that game from twenty-five or more years ago.

I purchased this rule set a while back and have been through several scenarios/adventures with it. I won't go into details on my character but he actually survived all of it and we all had a great time playing. The mechanics of this rule set work very smoothly and it is easy to understand how it all flows together. I especially like how damage is doled out. The damage system goes like this: roll for your attack, add the weapon damage and the positive difference between your roll and the number you needed to hit. That's the damage you deal to your opponent. It works well. The art is more than adequate and well done. The background information that sets the scene for playing is well done and covers pretty much what you need to be prepared. It is obvious to me that the author spent a great deal of time in research. Character generation is not impossibly complicated, either. It is just enough to give you an interesting character. You need to know that this game is not set up for you to play combat soldiers on the front line. Here, you are behind the lines as a clandestine agent dealing with supplies to the Underground and sabateurs working against the Third Reich. If you are interested in role playing in the World War Two period, this rule set would be an excellent choice even if all you wanted to do was read the background information. I would encourage you to buy this. It is a high quality piece of work that you won't regret purchasing. And you won't go broke buying dice for this game system because, of course, you only need one D10.

Role-playing any aspect of war is always a bit tricky, but good opportunities are provided by spies and saboteurs, who operate independently in small groups - just like the average party of characters - and generally get into enough danger and excitement to keep any player happy! Some may find World War 2 just a little bit recent, you may have parents or grandparents who were caught up in it, but if that's not an issue for you and your group the exploits of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) behind enemy lines in Europe ought to keep you busy.

The Introduction provides some background about the formation of the British SOE and the American OSS, and leads into the first chapter, The War Against Fascist Tyranny, which summarises the events leading up to the war between Nazi Germany and the Allies and then major events of the war in Europe and Africa with the aim of providing a backdrop against which your campaign can be played out. This account runs right through to the final German surrender in 1945, so you can pick your date knowing what happened before it... and what ought to happen next, provided the party's actions don't change anything major, that is. Always the problem when you mess with real history!

Next is The Nations of Europe, which explains the position of each nation - belligerent, conquered, or neutral - as they were in mid-1941, which is when the SOE began clandestine operations. (America did not join the war until the end of 1941, but was already laying groundwork and forming the OSS in anticipation of becoming involved.) There are notes on both offical government positions and those who sympathised with either the Allies or the Nazis, many of whom formed 'resistance' movements. Espionage was, of course, rife with 'neutral' countries such as Portugal being prime targets for both sides.

Then on to the meat of the matter with the chapter SOE and OSS: The Clandestine War. Interestingly both men and women were recruited and participated in missions behind enemy lines, thus leaving it open to players to choose male or female characters without restrictions. This chapter covers training and the dangers that they faced in the field - and how to avoid them. Details of the various organisations arrayed against them are also given - this part in particular lurches a rather ungainly path between what the average SOE/OSS operator would know and bits which are GM-only information.

Background established, we then move on to the all-important Creating a Special Ops Hero. The game uses a custom game mechanic, the One-10 System, in which a single d10 is required for play. Each character has Attributes (Intelligence, Perception, Charisma, Strength, Agility and Stamina) on a 1-5 scale, derived by an elegant mixture of point-buy and die-roll. There are various derived Attributes as well, which you can work out once you have the main ones sorted. Characters are assumed to start at age 21, by which time they will already have got some training and/or experience under their belts. If they want to be older, they will have more skill points to play with. There are no 'character classes' in this system, a character is defined by his skills, from which there is an extensive list to choose using a point-buy system. There's also an option to have a 'tradecraft' package of skills reflecting what is learned in SOE/OSS training. Character background becomes important too, letting you understand which countries the characters is familiar with and which languages he speaks. Modifications can be gained from a system of Qualities and Quirks that is well-designed. Throughout, there are little comments from the author about why he chose to set up the mechanics in particular ways, quite illuminating and evidence of the clear and coherent thought that went into the system. In deciding what your character is like, remember that a fit young male really ought to be in the military, wandering around behind enemy lines posing as a civilian may raise questions from the outset. As an aside, I knew an SOE agent who looked and acted as if he was really stupid - he actually was a very smart man - a wonderful cover for clandestine operations!

Now that you have a character, how is he played? The next chapter, Using Skills and Attributes, explains just that. To resolve any action, you roll 1d10 and add to it applicable Skill Ratings (the skill you are using plus the controlling Attribute and any other modifiers) against a Task Difficulty Level appropriate to what you are attempting - if you exceed it, you have succeeded. Sometimes it is appropriate to use the Attribute alone, if no skill is relevant (or you don't happen to have the right skill but are giving it a go anyway). There are plenty of examples and explanations to make it all clear; along with explanations of the various skills available. A separate chapter covers Combat, Injury and Healing, which often loom large in a game. Combat is played out in rounds, with each participant going in initiative order - initiative is an inherent quality of each character, rather than something you roll when a brawl breaks out. Damage depends on the weapon used, each has a base damage value, but you add however many points your attack total exceeded the Task Difficulty Level (a standard 7) to that, so a spectacularly skillful roll does more damage. Neat. Vehicle chases are also covered here.

This is followed by a chapter on Equipping Your Hero, which most concentrates on weapons and other items useful for conducting clandestine operations... including, of course, that used by Axis forces that might be acquired during the course of a mission. Next is a collection of NPCs in the Common Foes and Allies chapter, all ready for use, and six fully-detailed pre-generated characters for those who want to jump straight in to the last part of the book, an adventure entitled The Spanish General.

This work combines an elegant game mechanic with a coherent and well-presented setting for which you should be able to find inspiration from both history and popular fiction in books and on the screen.

It's surprising how little the Three Musketeers appear in role-playing games - there's really only Flashing Blades from Fantasy Games Unlimited that is actually focussed on them before this one - despite the innumerable films and the odd TV show based on their exploits. So it's good to have the opportunity to swash one's buckle in early 17th century France again.

The Introduction begins with some notes on Alexandre Dumas and the novel The Three Musketeers that began it all, including the interesting point that it actually had some basis in reality! At least, as far as anyone knows, the people on whom Athos, Porthos, Aramis et al. were based are largely undocumented.

Unlike many games, the first part of the book is devoted to setting the scene in considerable detail - the nuts and bolts of the game mechanics (an original system invented by the author) come later. History is all about people so we start with a copious list of Notable Characters, some real and some fictional, but most if not all of them appearing within the pages of the novel itself. Despite the mechanics section coming later, each one is provided with a stat block so if the characters encounter them you have everything you need to bring them to life in the game. The detail is quite extensive, in a game of intrigue the GM might wish to restrict players from reading this section completely.

The next chapter, France in 1625, continues the scene-setting with some historical, political and social information. It also explains the nobility (including how to become one or enter into noble service) and even discusses the French orders of knighthood that were around at the time. Economics and the lower classes are not ignored and a magnificiently-detailed timeline runs in sidebars providing a good overview of recent events. There's also information on religion and justice, and on the provinces of France, complete with some useful maps. Then the vital stuff: duelling and a certain organisation called the King's Musketeers... and their rivals, the Cardinal's Guards, as well as the rest of the French army.

Then comes a look at Paris, likely to be a nodal point in your game irrespective of where individual adventures might take the party. There's an overview, which gives a good general feel to the place, followed by greater details of notable locations, supported by a map - a reproduction of an actual map of 1615, by the way.

For those who want to go further afield, the next chapter Beyond the Borders provides ample details about the lands neighbouring France and their rulers, who were often embroiled in intrigues that might have some impact on our budding Musketeers. There's another useful map that shows the multiplicity of states of the times.

Next we reach the actual rules, beginning with Gallant Heroes, which covers character creation. With a view to at least a measure of historical accuracy, players are enjoined to select skills appropriate to their character's social station and those who wish to play female characters are reminded of the constraints of the time under which ladies operated - and suggests ways in which a female character can operate successfully within them (or circumvent them) so as to have an enjoyable experience and make a worthy contribution to the game without destroying historical accuracy.

So, to the system itself, which as already mentioned is a custom one in which a player need have but one d10 to play. Each character has Attributes (Intelligence, Perception, Charisma, Strength, Agility and Stamina) on a 1-5 scale, derived by an elegant mixture of point-buy and die-roll. There are various derived Attributes as well, which you can work out once you have the main ones sorted. Characters are assumed to start at age 19, by which time they will already have got some training and/or experience under their belts. If they want to be older, they will have more skill points to play with. Things like prosperity rating, social class and even handedness (quite important to a fencer) also have to be determined - either by die roll or by negotiation with the GM. There are no 'character classes' in this system, a character is defined by his skills, from which there is an extensive list to choose using a point-buy system. Modifications can be gained from a system of Qualities and Quirks that is well-designed. Throughout, there are little comments from the author about why he chose to set up the mechanics in particular ways, quite illuminating and evidence of the clear and coherent thought that went into the system.

Now that you have a character, how is he played? The next chapter, Using Skills and Attributes, explains just that. To resolve any action, you roll 1d10 and add to it applicable Skill Ratings (the skill you are using plus the controlling Attribute and any other modifiers) against a Task Difficulty Level appropriate to what you are attempting - if you exceed it, you have succeeded. Sometimes it is appropriate to use the Attribute alone, if no skill is relevant (or you don't happen to have the right skill but are giving it a go anyway). There are plenty of examples and explanations to make it all clear; along with explanations of the various skills available. A separate chapter covers Combat, Injury and Healing, which often loom large in a game. Combat is played out in rounds, with each participant going in initiative order - initiative is an inherent quality of each character, rather than something you roll when a brawl breaks out. Damage depends on the weapon used, each has a base damage value, but you add however many points your attack total exceeded the Task Difficulty Level (a standard 7) to that, so a spectacularly skillful roll does more damage. Neat.

Character built, it's time to go shopping with the next chapter Equipping the Adventuring Hero. Money has been abstracted via the concept of a Prosperity Level, so there's little bookkeeping to do - each item has a Cost Rating and only if that exceeds your Prosperity Level do you need to worry, you can then roll to see if you can actually afford it (or try out your Bargaining skill to bring the price down). Weapons, armour, clothing, horses and the cost of living are all covered, and there's enough information about actual cash money for those who want to get into more detail. This is followed by Common Foes and Allies, a collection of 'generic' NPCs to be used as and when required.

The final chapters turn to adventure, with Thrilling Exploits and Escapades, an entire adventure to get your game off to a flying start. If you are eager to jump right in, some pre-generated characters are included. There's plenty of detail and advice on both role-playing NPCs and applying game mechanics to help you get to grips with the system. This is followed by Further Deeds of Daring and Peril, which provides three follow-up adventures to get the campaign rolling. The book rounds up with a note on further adventures, sources of inspiration, useful charts and tables and a character sheet.

This is a well-considered and elegant game that has caught the whole feel of the Three Musketeers well. If you like this particular genre, add this to your collection.