[RPG]: Dirty Secrets, reviewed by Jocelyn Robitaille (5/5)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13415.phtml

Jocelyn Robitaille's Summary:

If you're interested in a pick-up game that'll deliver some quality storytelling within the noir genre, Dirty Secrets is a game you simply can't pass up.

Go to the full review for more information.

[Seth Ben-Ezra]

Thanks for the review, Jocelyn. I appreciate the work that you put into it. I appreciate it.

I'll also be here, in case someone has further questions that they'd like to ask about the game.

[Mechante_Anemone]

Hey, Jocelyn, merci pour l'aperçu! Great review. BTW, it looks like you clicked "Capsule Review" instead of "Playtest Review." You should try to get that corrected, I think people really like to see playtest reviews.

Also, curse you for putting one more book on my to-buy list!

[Jocelyn Robitaille]

Thanks for the heads-up, Anemone! I sent an e-mail to Shannon about the situation.

[Poster #15672]

I have a question: What about "amnesia stories" like Memento? Can those be done with Dirty Secrets?

Also, "fantasy noir" games like "Cast a Deadly Spell." Can those be done?

[Seth Ben-Ezra]

Originally Posted by Poster #15672

I have a question: What about "amnesia stories" like Memento? Can those be done with Dirty Secrets?

Actually, you could. I have an optional rule called "corrupt investigator", which lets you put the investigator's name on the Crime Grid. That means that everyone in the story is an unreliable narrator. So, you could probably use that rule to do Memento. Well, apart from the reverse storytelling.

Also, "fantasy noir" games like "Cast a Deadly Spell." Can those be done?

Obviously, there's no specific support for fantasy tropes, but I don't see why not. Instead of a mob enforcer pulling a gun, a fighter pulls a sword or a mage pulls a wand.... Sure!

Personally, I still recommend that people play the game "straight" first before beginning to experiment. It will make it easier to grasp the necessary skills to play. But, once you've grasped those concepts, there's a *lot* of room to play. Simply tweaking the Demographics (or, in the case of fantasy noir, completely overhauling them) can make a big difference in the game, and that's a fairly simple adjustment to make.

And, if you do play some of these alternate settings, I'd love to hear about it! I can be reached at greatwolf (at) gmail {dot} com.

[Poster #15672]

Also, what about stories like Brick, which occur in a high school setting?

[Seth Ben-Ezra]

Originally Posted by Poster #15672

Also, what about stories like Brick, which occur in a high school setting?

Brick was a major influence on the game and is generally my first choice when introducing people to both my game and the genre.

(And, as an aside, I love that movie. After I saw it, I went out and bought it. Then I went out and bought the soundtrack. Given that I rarely buy movies, you know that I thought it was good.)

Also, I just finished watching Season One of Veronica Mars, and it's another good source for this game.

Actually, as Jocelyn notes, the setting for the game is "your town, last week". The game isn't supposed to be about recreating period pieces (although it's possible with the rules.) It's about telling those noir detective stories close to home. It's actually more about Brick or Veronica Mars than, say, Chinatown.

[Seth Ben-Ezra]

For those who are curious, here's a link to the book preview on Lulu, which includes the entire table of contents.

[Robert A. Rodger]

This sounds awesome, and very interesting.

Jocelyn: do you remember enough about your game to give us a sense of the story you ended up with?

How many people can you play it with? Or really, what's the fewest people you need to make it work?