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An RPG Resource Review:
Distributed free as both a promo for the forthcoming Septimus game and as West End Games's contribution to Free RPG Day, this product launches straight in to a summary of the rich and detailed background to this particular game setting. In the midst of a crumbling and decaying star-spanning empire, there is an enclave of high technology (considerably higher than the empire reached even in its heyday)... but entering it is not only a one-way trip, you also need to use local technology for even the simplest things and that, of course, is under control... and then came the corruption... The end result is a seething morass of warfare, revolt, tyranny, things that might work or might not work and opportunists out to grab control or wealth wherever they can - and that of course is where you are.
After this gripping summary of the situation, there's a brief explanation of what role-playing is (just in case you have picked this up cold and have no idea...), and the basic items you need to get hold of (friends, dice, food..) to play.
Next comes the 'boiled down' basics of the D6 system that provides the mechanics for this game. It's a straightforward game mechanic anyway, and this is a clear outline of how it works that should enable anyone unfamiliar with it to play confidently from the outset. Despite one or two annoying errors caused by sloppy proofreading (fate points change into force points and such like), it is worth keeping to hand as a ready reference if you play D6 System games, or want to introduce a newcomer to this ruleset.
So, on to a quick introductory adventure. Although the rules section went into enough detail on skills and likely roles for you to make up your own characters, four sample ones are provided so that you can both get a feel for appropriate characters for this setting and dive into playing the game as quickly as possible. Each is well described with plenty of detail to enable good role-playing from the outset.
Finally, the adventure itself, entitled "Flight of the Argosy." The basic idea is that the characters are aboard a ship fleeing to Septimus - or the idyllic sanctuary they think Septimus is - and the adventure covers their arrival and discovery of a bit more about the place in which they have arrived. It's a good jumping off point when both players and their characters do not know much about the setting and provides a good basis for further adventures later on. For each event, the appropriate skills and target rolls needed are described, so a GM new to the D6 System will not be at a disadvantage. It's more of a brief skirmish than a full adventure, but ends with several ideas of how you might develop it further depending on what the characters want to do... and as it stands it is an exciting event to draw players in and make them want to find out more about this place.
Overall this is a good - if a bit thin - introduction to both the setting and the D6 game mechanic, and ought to whet the appetite for the full game. Worth trying if you and your group like playing games set in the far future with plenty of cinematic adventures.
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