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Interface Zero Hacking 2.0
by Thomas B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 03/06/2012 23:39:55

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: This mini PDF requires Savage Worlds and Interface Zero for maximum use, as it is an overhaul of the hacking rules from Interface Zero. The PDF has a short intro from Gun Metal Games' David Jarvis, explaining why this document was released (folks having issues with the hacking/virtual world/etc)...IZ 2.0 is coming later this year and will provide both Basic and Advanced Hacking rules. This document is presenting the Basic rules in advance of IZ 2.0's release. Some of the changes on the character creation end is that Hacking gets its own skill, some Edges have been removed (like Programming 101 and Advanced Programming) and new Edges are introduced (Cool Under Pressure lets you ignore penalties when a system goes on Active Alert and Interference makes you harder to hack, for example). There are also three Hacker specific Hindrances, with advice warning the GM to not allow them if a character who isn't REALLY a Hacker is trying to take a Hindrance that won't affect him. Hyper Gloves are also introduced (the first example that comes to mind to me is the FBI Agent from Heavy Rain, but you have seen them in various other media). The system for Hyper Gloves is pretty simple, a basic stat set that can be upgraded. The Gloves determine everything for the Hacker: Armor, Damage, Hacking Bonus and Range and can be set into three modes: Control (in case you need to manipulate a gun turret or an elevator), Edit (for heavy changes to things) and Destruction (when you need to inflict damage). Additionally, Hyper Gloves have additional MODS that can be used to provide extra bonuses. The hacking itself takes up the final few pages: Essentially, it's a normal skill roll in Savage Worlds, with the level of security providing a penalty to the roll and the Hyper Glove and/or Edges providing a bonus. Unlike most skill rolls, however, Hacking is NEVER without risk: Any Hacking roll failure will have consequences (determined on a die roll against the table appropriate to the type of security firewall).

WHAT WORKS: That cover art is awesome. I'm not sure what it has to do with Hacking, but that is probably the single most compelling piece of artwork I have seen on an Interface Zero product. I like the Hyper Gloves a lot. It's a clean, easy to modify system that fits the Savage Worlds vein.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Well, if you're planning on buying IZ 2.0, you might not want to pay for content that's going to be in the eventual release.

CONClUSION: Though designed for Interface Zero, there's not much here that you can't use without it, and it's both inexpensively priced and not a huge document, so if you are running any kind of game in which futuristic hacking would be helpful, it's worth a pick-up. Interface Zero got kicked around (a tad unfairly) for changing "too much" about Savage Worlds, but this is a step back to the feel of SW without sacrificing the unique flavor of IZ.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Interface Zero Hacking 2.0
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Interface Zero Hacking 2.0
by Ron T. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/05/2012 20:39:14

Quick Look: This is a streamlining of the Interface Zero Rules regarding Hacking. Interface Zero already created a different style of Hacking that Shadowrun or Cyberpunk. As the Hacker doesn't jump into the system, instead he manipulates objects in real-time, the TAP providing him insight as to what's happening visually in hyper reality (Basically a skin over the real world). Only the new hacking rules make it more sleek, bringing it back in line with the Fast, Fun, and Furious design philosophy of Savage Worlds. It's a 14 page PDF. Mostly Crunch, with fluffy examples. I especially love the art on page 6 and the layout artwork.

Main Review: I'll break the review out into quick sections, There's a nice cover illustration, followed by the ToC, then on Page 1 David Jarvis introduces the book and how it came about through feedback with players. Page 2 and 3 cover the changes to the skills, edges and hindrances, including removal of some to complement the streamlining. Pages 4 through 7 describe the Hyper Glove in detail, including the basic modes, control, edit and destruction. The hyper glove itself can be quite the expensive piece of hardware once it's all tricked out, but you're gonna need it if you're hacking a Military Access Network! Page 8 is pretty neat, as it lays out all the Mods for the Hyper Glove, from the Lethal Mod (making your VR attacks lethal damage), to the VR Overlay Mod, letting you re-skin the world with a theme of your own choosing, So if your character wants to see the world in a medieval theme, guards might have repeating crossbows? Page 9 and 10 covers the actual hacking rules, yup, just page 9 and half of 10, simple = fast, fun & furious. The other half of Page 10 to the end covers the different networks and the consequences of failing a hacking roll against them. From the simple Public Access Network, where you might just get nailed for 1d12+2 non-lethal damage at the worst, to a Military Access networks where you might get your synapses fried to a crisp by 3d10 LETHAL damage, all the while locking down the building and powering down, you're in deep in the deep at the mo' ami!

Cost: $1.99 for PDF

Value: It's a bit pricey for a core update, but it's definitely a must have! If it wasn't such a great update, I would say wait for the full book, but if you're playing...get it NOW!!!

Rating: Epic, the new rules really are much simpler and willl lead to faster games, and best of all, the other players aren't sitting around waiting for you to be DONE hacking the system...

Read more reviews on www.EpicRPGBlog.blogspot.com



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Thanks so much for your review!
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Interface Zero Game Masters Screen
by Nathan R. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/04/2012 16:40:29

Good art, crucial if you are running the game as many of the setting rules (hacking, cybertrauma, Zeeks) are there. Only flaw I saw was on the Shaken(Spirit Roll) table (the results are inverted to the success), hopefully they will fix that soon and is the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Interface Zero Game Masters Screen
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Creator Reply:
Thanks for your review, and thanks for pointing this issue out to us. The problem has been fixed and the file has been updated.
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Interface Zero Hacking 2.0
by Jefferson D. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/01/2012 10:50:46

This my first review at RPGNOW but I had to speak up.

The Hacking 2.0 rules here are a MUST for any players in Interface Zero. The additions & clarifications to the Hacking rules make them so much fun to be a hacker now, your group will have to wrestle for the right to be a Deep delver :)

The hyperglove is a welcomed new tool to this cyberpunk 'verse, streamlining without over or under complicating the system. It really helps in a story-telling sense in how hacking & Deep-interaction in 2088 works & runs in your campaigns.

I can't wait to write new missions for my omaes to hit.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Interface Zero Hacking 2.0
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San Francisco: The Ruins by the Bay
by Thomas B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 01/26/2012 01:24:27

WHAT WORKS: Once again, Gun Metal Games packs a lot of info into a small book, with some nice crunch (I like both Hybrid options, as well as the expanded City Trappings and the Salvaging rules). The art is lovely, probably my favorite art yet in the IZ line, and there's always something cool in their equipment sections. A couple of relevant sidebars are reprinted from earlier books, not taking up too much space and ensuring that this is usable with just the Savage Worlds rules and IZ setting book.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: I like the layout, other than it seemed to be too bright and clean. I also would have preferred the Hybrid packages with the other character creation stuff. Just would have been handier. For some reason, San Francisco just didn't grip me, but I think it's more of a "I'm a middle of the country guy"...I'm kind of intrigued with what we might see when IZ covers a section closer to home for me.

CONCLUSION: A worthy product for the crunch alone, and some of the best art I've seen in the IZ line yet. I doubt I'd ever intentionally set a game in San Francisco, but I'm just not a California guy (I tend to avoid the same region in Deadlands as well). Even if you're like me, however, you'll find stuff that you can use elsewhere in your IZ games without having to try too hard. Also, pay attention to the sidebar conversations: They're not just filler. Not my favorite book in the Interface Zero line, but still a great product.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2012/01/tommys-take-on-san-francisco-ruins-by.html



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
San Francisco: The Ruins by the Bay
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San Francisco: The Ruins by the Bay
by Ron T. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/20/2012 22:14:25

Disclaimer: Provided by GunMetal Games for review purposes.

First Glance: With bright red background and heavy borders, this appears to be a bit cluttered at first. The graphics are top notch for a small company. Better than the art for many major game companies really. Only Paizo and Alderac come to mind right off the bat with consistent awesome artwork. It's 67 pages of crunchy, meaty, savage goodness. (Note: As this PDF is layered properly it was easy to turn off the background and borders layers for ease of viewing...This is a bonus, not a bummer.)

Core Review: This product delivers from the word go. The fictional writing is great, especially with the interaction of the hackers in the sidebars, which runs the entire book, from the neighborhoods to the NPCs. Pages 5-15 are neighborhoods, from Chinatown to Pacific Heights this gives a good indication of what you're in for in San Fran. The next 7 pages cover the organizations operating in San Fran, there's 13 of them, so you can imagine there's plenty of space for conflict.

The next 8 pages are what I usually look for first...crunchy character info. First we start out with a neat hindrance called: Nano-infection, a nanite virus, totally cool, totally futuristic and affects the wild die associated with a specific trait. (This could easily be worked into a normal hindrance such as a chronic disease for your non-scifi games). Next is the new edges. Four of them, Bedroom Eyes (Social), Bounty Hunter (Professional), Feral Throwback (Racial) and the Sword-Whip Training (Combat) edge for the swip from the equipment section. The next thing covered is the Occupations. These are one of the unique elements of IZ, making it slightly more complex than a standard SW game, but I like it, gives clarity of a purpose in life, without nailing you down to a class. The two introduced here are the Caravan Guard and the Professional Escort...yes that kind of professional escort, a companion you might say. Next up...Mad Max style gear from Road Wear, a new Armored jacket and Armor suit...plus wasteland survival wear. Only three new weapons, but man, start with the SWHIP, the sword whip, a heavy blade that can extend out to have reach 1 (with reduced dmg.) and you should probably pick up the edge as well. Next up is a big beefy carving knife...a 3 lb twin titanium blade with a carver motor in it...YIKES! I love it. Last up is a 50Cal sniper rifle...makes big holes in things including heavy armor, it's effectively a Barrett 82. Two new vehicles, the bay runner (a sea motorcycle effectively) and the Wasteland chopper, complete with gorgeous artwork show a nice chopper mounting a mini-gun on the handle bars...Then there's the designer drug, Black Zombie, nasty stuff, which is perfect for sadistic gamemasters. The final piece of gear is "Pipe Cleaners" a catchy name for a hacking filter for the less than perfect San Fran local web. [Also provided in the book are the racial templates for Rat Hybrid (pg 6) and Bull Hybrid (pg 28) characters]

The next section is pure genius!! City Trappings. Really this is brilliant, effectively it is templates for anything from a building to an entire nation. Each trapping has unique characteristics based upon it's trapping, so a building that has brown-outs obviously has power issues, unreliable power makes hacking a little more risky. The trappings are Black Market, Brown Outs, Combat Zone, Humans Only, Hybrids Only, Interdicted Zone, Kingpin, Martial Law, Military Base, Slum Dogs and Wilderness. Really these are awesome and worth the $8.99 in and of themselves.

Next up is "Salvage Tales" 4 pages of crunch for rummaging through ruins. These are also rules that can easily be used in other SW games, or even converted for scrounging rules for other systems. A quick bounty generator for those bounty hunter characters is provided, then we're on to Plot Hooks. Seven plot hooks are provided, not bad at all. The book rounds out with almost 30 NPC stat blocks, some of which are unique NPCs, typically leaders or major contact for an organization and typical members of those organizations.

Artwork: As I said in the Quick Glance, GMG puts out top-notch artwork that surpasses a lot of Big Game companies...The cover is awesome with the Bull hybrid toting the mini gun...

Family Rating: TEEN! With drugs, violence, and sex this supplement, like its parent setting, screams parental discretion advised.

Value: Oh yeah this is easily worth the $8.99 the PDF costs!

Rating: Epic!!

For more in depth reviews, visit EpicRPGBlog.blogspot.com



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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San Francisco: The Ruins by the Bay
by David C. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/17/2012 14:51:24

This is another wonderful book from Gunmetal Games. I love the layout of the book with the Net conversations on the side showing what characters from the world think of the text. The art work really inspires me with character ideas to compliment the descriptions and stories of the city. On a last note I love anything that gives me and my players new "toys" to play with in the form of weapons and vehicles and this book doesn't disappoint. I can't wait for their Mallmart catalog to come out if it's going to have equipment that is detailed and interesting like these.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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San Francisco: The Ruins by the Bay
by Michael Z. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/17/2012 13:02:05

I've started reading the book and I can not help but be impressed. The setting pays tribute to the Cyberpunk genre quite well. The artwork is superb, and the writing is very good...though I admit I'm biased. All in all, it's a beautiful book. I'm surprised at the previous review. Buying a book of this quality and complaining about the 'layout' is like getting a gold brick and complaining about the weight.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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San Francisco: The Ruins by the Bay
by Kevin F. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/16/2012 19:18:09

Love the game, hate the layout, too cluttered, text is too close to margins and section lines, too much colour and layering. Simplify it please.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Hello there, I'm certainly sorry you didn't like the layout of the book! If you would like a refund, I'll be happy to give you one.
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Interface Zero 1.0
by Joshua M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/01/2012 11:57:58

Interface Zero is the go to book for Cyberpunk. The Savage Worlds edition holds nicely to the Fast Furious Fun aspect, and the book itself has been made to a nice standard. The art inside is inspiring, however the black and white aspect seems a little out of date by modern standards. I can however say that all the pretty pictures in the world are useless without content. If content is king then this book is the Supreme Emperor of all. It contains many examples gear, people, places, things, and ways to create all of the above if you want to tailor something specific in mind.

The Interface Zero book has a good setting that you can CHOOSE to use. However, the book has been designed to allow you to run any kind of Cyberpunk setting. Want Ghost in the Shell, Shadowrun, Repo Men, AI, Terminator, Bubblegum Crisis, etc., etc. it has the rules to cover it.

There really is only 2 minor downpoints to this book, The lack Zeeks which are Psychics, and the Hacking System seems a little flat (but functional). Neither drawback is major, and both have additional content to address it.

Final thoughts: This is the new Hyperchrome standard for Cyberpunk games.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Interface Zero 1.0
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I-Zine Volume 3: Zeeks Expanded!
by Brian S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 12/10/2011 11:08:49

Very good information, extremely useful to me and my group. I would buy more!!! (Hint Hint)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
I-Zine Volume 3: Zeeks Expanded!
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Totems of the Dead: Game Master's Guide to the Untamed lands
by Thomas B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 10/11/2011 23:04:23

WHAT WORKS: I love a good bestiary, and this is a very good one, as well as random tables, and this has both an adventure generator and a nameless horror generator. Worth the price of admission right there.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: In a perfect world, it would be nicer if the Player's and GM's guides had been folded in together, but my understanding is that would have proven prohibitive to printing costs, if for no other reason than the information in each book feels SO complimentary to the other that each book feels a bit anemic on their own.

CONCLUSION: Totems of the Dead is a nice twist on the Swords and Sorcery genre, and with the release of the GM's Guide, players and GMs have a ton of material available for tribal butt-kicking action. The monsters in the bestiary may be a tad too specific to the setting to be of use for non-Totems of the Dead games, although a little re-skinning can go a long ways, and that Nameless Horror generator can be busted out in a variety of games...(say you need something for the Whateleys to summon in a pinch in your Deadlands game, for instance). Another great product from Gun Metal Games.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/10/apologies-for-lack-of-reviews.html



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Totems of the Dead: Game Master's Guide to the Untamed lands
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Salvage Run
by Paolo P. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/04/2011 15:50:54

Compared to its prequel "Virus", this module shines as a little masterpiece. Context is depicted well and extensively, almost all possible heros' actions outcomes are taken into account both in the global timeline and in the scope of every single encounter. The plot is thrilling and intriguing and what seems to be a simple race against the clock to salvage a dead alien wreck, turns out to be a perilous situation. Even if your players won't miss breathtaking action, they won't earn their prize without investigation, cleverness and intuition. Most of all, if you as a GM feel comfortable to act dramatic scenes, you'll see you players' faces turn pale in some really touching (and sometimes disgusted) scene.

I really think it's one of the best adventures I've ever run in my life, not to mention it's the best product in RoD series! A must have.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Salvage Run
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Reign of Discordia: Virus
by Paolo P. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/04/2011 15:39:16

This first adventure for RoD True20 setting is a pretty good and quick introduction to the game. The adventure is not "short" by itself but the context is enough complex to allow player to find many shortcuts to reach their goals quickly. If your PCs are swashbuckling troublemakers, you'll enjoy a lot of laser action but not a lot more. If your players are cunning enough, be prepared to some diplomatic affair and a fast resolution.

The product is a little "naive", it depicts more a storyline that a balanced context, so if you players will go out of the path you could either bring'em back on track (cheating) or be good with improvisation. Anycase, this adventure serves well as an opener for a long term campaign and is definitively worth the price!



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Reign of Discordia: Virus
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Reign of Discordia
by Paolo P. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/04/2011 15:10:20

I bought RoD both in Traveller and True20 edition. Me and my friends are always eager to try new game mechanics from time to time so I headed to Traveller edition. Since I'm a great T20 fan however, I spent some more buck to enrich my T20 collection also! :) Due to a heavy lack of time and the fact that I didn't bought the whole Mongoose Traveller stack we went with True20 edition so that it was not necessary to convert the two adventures I also bought: "Virus" and "Salvage Run".

But here is my impression on the product itself.

PROS: The overall experience with Discordia has been very good. As a GM I've been provided with almost all I needed to run a campaign, while my players (two fantasy-junkie and a sci-fi nerd) all enjoyed the game a lot. RoD build steadily on T20 mechanics without abusing them as some other product tends to do. If you already played T20 before you'll have a comfortable feeling running the game, both as player or as GM. Beside the first chapter about history and environment setting, that I find very well written and somehow charming, noticeable boons are well detailed racial backgrounds, a long list of examples worlds and planets, very clever characters advancement paths, useful in the very first stage if players are not sci-fi addicted: they can stick to proven space-opera archetype before losing days building a consistent character. In addition, space-vehicle combat rules are yay: they basically follow standard True20 combat (so that you won't have to learn a whole new domain) but with a space-ace flavor. Illustrations are very good quality all along the book, with some wonderful ones and text quality seems pretty good to me (a non native English speaker). The setting itself is plausible and believable... so much, in fact that GM is sometimes put in a corner by unexpected (and perfectly legitimate) player questions (read further for more explanation).

CONS: Something could have been done better. First of all, printing this book without page border layer (a large frame with a stellar field, 99% black) will make you lose page numbers... Meh. Typography is also not state of the art: paragraphs and subparagraph headings are all the same font, in slightly different size. It's not easy, print in hands, to find what you're searching for (say: "Feats" section seems equal to single feat name, as "Bounceback"). This renders searching rules and information during gameplay pretty hard. On the content side I think I just have to point out two non-critical flaws: first of all, this settings provides more playable racial backgrounds but they're far from believable. Aside from Lamogos (that are perfectly human, but blue-skinned) for which some fancy explanation based on divergent evolutions from a common spacefaring ancestor could be imagined (or even become the base plot for a whole campaign), other races are pretty all humanoid, one is unable to breath air and aside lamogos and humans, none has phonetic systems that allows them to talk without the use of an electronic translator, making them not really feasible choices for long-term campaigns (at least to my tastes). The whole setting itself is presented (historically and philosophically) from a human point of view, so it's not easy for a player to grasp an alien mindset that's described in a few paragraphs. Think Star Trek and you'll got the feeling: humans are the heroes, there are rivals (the Lamogos), a common enemy (the R'Tillek) and a lot of other races which goal is to flavor a slightly different cultural mindset. That's not bad "per se" but it subtract from likelihood of the setting as a whole. Actually official adventures themselves focus on political rivalry between human and lamogos, that seems to be the spinal-topic of the (interrupted?) official campaign. The other flaw, even if it's not a real flaw, has been already touched: the setting is HUGE, both in space and time spans. Centuries passed since game "today" and a great portion of the galaxy has been pioneered. An empire rose and fell, and you'll play in the wasteland that remains. It is not possible to fit the whole situation in a single book, but the structure of the product itself (a single introductory narration chapter followed by mere lists of resources) renders hard to a GM to grasp the setting in a way that helps him to give the players the perception of a consistent world. An example will clarify this: I was running "Virus", that is sort of a stealth rescue mission. One of the PC is a geeky hacker. The player's questions concerned details such as network connection in public areas, compatibility standards, data availability and such. His first thought always was "What the heck, we're in 2011 and we could reach Wikipedia from everywhere with a simple smartphone... you won't tell me that in 2800 I cannot at least try to hack a wireless network in an enemy facility?". Again, when social interaction with alien races becomes a central topic, it is not always clear how you as a GM should set things up and the pitfall of improvisation is, as always, that you could create incoherence. If this is acceptable in a fantasy setting, in sci-fi it could lead to some frown. So, be prepared to plan ahead what "your" RoD will looks like. My personal advice is to stick to a movie/book archetype: Star Trek? Star Wars? Battlestar Galactica? Dune? Pick your one and stick to it, or if you have enough time, build your own.

All-in-all RoD is a wonderful indie product. It seems official adventures production stopped after "Salvage run" and it's a sin, since they was great resources for GMs in a hurry like me. I don't think I'll ever play Traveler Edition (that is BTW, a not-perfect rearrangement of True20 one, but with a lot of stuff stripped away since it relies on Traveler's core rulebook), but True20 panorama was missing a serious, hi-quality Space Opera setting. Well, no more! :)



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Reign of Discordia
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