Can't rate this game enough. Refreshingly simple, yet adequate mechanics. The stereotyping was awfully heavy though.
I thought the idea of stereotypes was actually pretty clever, since given the absence of a shared history between characters at the game's outset, they give everyone a starting attitude toward each other which is expected to become more complex over time and kicks things off with little chance of characters feeling indifferent toward one another.
And it's worth remembering the stereotypes presented in the book are examples to choose from when describing a character's Trust and it's not as if every non-French character will holds the same view toward all the French for example - one might have a predominantly positive view (romantic, fond of good food and wine) while another negative (rude and snobbish).
Is the setting detailed enough to be used with other games?
Well, the detail of the setting in the Cold City book is very brief, but given that you would have to flesh the setting out to use it for Cold City as much as you would for any other game, there is certainly no reason you can't use it with another game.
Well, the detail of the setting in the Cold City book is very brief, but given that you would have to flesh the setting out to use it for Cold City as much as you would for any other game, there is certainly no reason you can't use it with another game.
Hi,
Thanks very much for the comprehensive review, much appreciated. For further background reading and other materials, we've got a fair amount of stuff on the CGS website at these pages.
Oh, and I should add that the game is available in PDF format (as per the review) and in hardcopy.
On the other hand, is there a reason for not giving it a 5/5 rating? You don't mention anything negative about the game.
I don't know how Ben feels about such things, but personally when I review, I'm very sparse with top marks. They should be reserved for truly exceptional products (just like bottom marks should be reserved for the truly crappy.) I don't start with top marks and subtract points for demerits, I start with average and rate how far above or below average the product is.
I would like to know the reviewer's opinion on the visual aspects of the work ( art and layout).
I didn't really have much to say about the art and layout. There are about a dozen very nice and quite evocative full-page pictures throughout the book. They don't add greatly to the book however, and I don't think the book would be particularly improved by having more. The graphical design of the book is good. It has a nice clean layout and the typefaces used are appropriately grim. It is worth mentioning that the book is digest sized.
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On the other hand, is there a reason for not giving it a 5/5 rating? You don't mention anything negative about the game.
Cold City is a very good book, but not outstanding. The fact that there is nothing specifically wrong with the book is why I have rated it highly at 4/4. However, there is still room for it to be improved (e.g. a fuller description of post-war Berlin, consideration given to long-term play, better organisation of some of the material (the 'Trust in Play' section should be in the 'The System' chapter, not 'Character Creation'), more examples), which might then have warranted an even higher rating.
Linear Mode
