[RPG]: Unhallowed Metropolis, reviewed by C.W.Richeson (3/2)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13589.phtml

Christopher W. Richeson's Summary:

Enter a post-apocalyptic world where the undead control the countryside, bodies are incinerated upon death, and only the exceptional stand between humanity and certain doom.

Go to the full review for more information.

[devlin1]

Thanks for the review -- I've been curious about this one for a long time.

I don't know if Eos Press mandates long-winded writing or something, but I found Weapons of the Gods, another Eos product, almost unbearably overwritten much of the time.

If nothing else, it sounds like Unhallowed Metropolis has a lot of cool ideas to mine for other games.

[Dan Davenport]

Great job, Chris!

First of all, I see that Hollow Earth Expedition still lingers on your brain...

That aside, when playing in Nicole Vega's demo game, I found that the Stunts went a long way to counter the deadliness of the setting. Yes, you really don't want to get hit... but if you're good enough, you can really lay waste to your enemies.

Actually, I think the Stunt concept should be applied to games that use an attribute+skill format, since the addition of a Stunt per level of skill would counter the problem of characters becoming instant experts with skills that play to their higher attributes.

[C.W.Richeson]

Originally Posted by Dan Davenport

First of all, I see that Hollow Earth Expedition still lingers on your brain...

You know, I haven't the foggiest idea how that got in there. Not even a vague clue. Wish I could edit it

Actually, I think the Stunt concept should be applied to games that use an attribute+skill format, since the addition of a Stunt per level of skill would counter the problem of characters becoming instant experts with skills that play to their higher attributes.

I wish this game used stunts for Skills a little more consistently. They are definitely a nifty addition!

[adamsmith]

I think that UM has a lot of unfulfilled potential that with a good GM and player buy in could be brought out (like the madness spiral).

I found the overly fetish heavy public clothing a bit off-putting, though, mainly because it didn't match the repeated emphasis on victorian mores that is emphasized in the text.

[Dan Davenport]

Originally Posted by C.W.Richeson

You know, I haven't the foggiest idea how that got in there. Not even a vague clue. Wish I could edit it

Shannon could do that for you.

Originally Posted by C.W.Richeson

I wish this game used stunts for Skills a little more consistently. They are definitely a nifty addition!

I agree, re: consistency.

My guess would be that they had a hard time coming up with plausible, interesting Stunts for every Skill and thought it better not to try forcing the issue.

[MUran]

Originally Posted by devlin1

Thanks for the review -- I've been curious about this one for a long time.

I don't know if Eos Press mandates long-winded writing or something, but I found Weapons of the Gods, another Eos product, almost unbearably overwritten much of the time.

If nothing else, it sounds like Unhallowed Metropolis has a lot of cool ideas to mine for other games.

In UnMet's defense, the reason for the long-windedness is to help convey the victorian feel of the thing. Have you ever read the writings of the era? Your brain ends up in a knot from the excessive overuse of words. Nicole and Jason did a great job of adopting just enough of that long-windedness to help keep the whole feel of the book in-setting while keeping it clear enough to understand. I had no problem reading it at all, esp after the text format nightmare of the nWoD books and the over-explanations of some parts of Exalted.

[MUran]

Originally Posted by adamsmith

I think that UM has a lot of unfulfilled potential that with a good GM and player buy in could be brought out (like the madness spiral).

I found the overly fetish heavy public clothing a bit off-putting, though, mainly because it didn't match the repeated emphasis on victorian mores that is emphasized in the text.

There is actually a solid reason for the 'fetishized' clothing- the smog and miasma of the place eats fabric, and 200 years don't go by without developing different materials to deal with it. It's given a good explaination in the book. Also- zombies. Tougher materials take a beating better.

[painandgreed]

Originally Posted by adamsmith

I found the overly fetish heavy public clothing a bit off-putting, though, mainly because it didn't match the repeated emphasis on victorian mores that is emphasized in the text.

As somebody pointed out, much of the fetishy aspects are utilitarian in nature. Leather and rubber are needed in a world where minimal protection against assault, pollution, or spraying bodily fluids can mean life or death. Another is this is not a Victorian world, it is neo-victorian world well advanced into the future with 200 years of social changes. The worlds attitudes concerning women, the dead, the living, the poor, the wealthy, science... have all changed from those of the Victorian era. It's a world well in advance of our own and it was never meant to be presented as a world where Victorians could ever be transfered to and not be shocked by the culture.

IMHO, I think you'll find that the emphasis on Victorian mores is much like the hope for the future and Empire in the game, a thin veneer that only hides reality from those who do not wish to look for it. In reality, the earth is dying, mankind is doomed, and any adopted Victorian mores are either dictated by necessity or forced by the ruling class who is trying to maintain control by reproducing an image of past greatness.

Certainly, if you want a more Victorian world for your game, feel free to make it so. I doubt anybody will complain. For me, I like to go the other way. The game I'm currently running is dealing with lower class punks with all their glitz in the form of anti-social youth movement. The Victorian/punk images from the Baker Street comics by Guy Davis were simply too tempting to pass up (as I imagine some of his other art from comics such as the Marquis and Sketch Macabre will be also).

[devlin1]

Originally Posted by MUran

In UnMet's defense, the reason for the long-windedness is to help convey the victorian feel of the thing. Have you ever read the writings of the era?

As an English major, I can safely say yes, I have, in spades. I can see applying that writing style to whatever game fiction is in there, but when it comes to rules, I say keep it clear and concise. Economy and precision of language are important when it comes to game mechanics, IMO. I prefer when authors keep the flowery prose confined to the fiction bits (especially since I almost always skip the fiction anyway).

I should emphasize that I don't have this book and haven't read it, so I can't speak to the specifics of it, but I mentioned it because I found WotG to be pretty overwritten as well.