[RPG]: Defcon 1, reviewed by C.W.Richeson (3/3)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13639.phtml

Christopher W. Richeson's Summary:

Need a super hero adventure in a hurry? With pregenerated characters and a solid adventure, <I>Defcon 1</I> promises a night's fun.

Go to the full review for more information.

[Dan Davenport]

Interesting review, Chris. I guess this is one of those situations in which you really have to ask what the authors were trying to accomplish, insofar as that's possible to determine.

It sounds to me as though they were going for more of a "Red Heat with Superpowers" feel than they were a serious examination of supers inserted into the midst of the Cold War. Unfortunately, I can see how that approach would limit the scope and general usefulness of the supplement.

[MikeLaff]

thanks for the review

[C.W.Richeson]

Originally Posted by Dan Davenport

Interesting review, Chris. I guess this is one of those situations in which you really have to ask what the authors were trying to accomplish, insofar as that's possible to determine.

While I feel weird saying this while also quoting the author I think the author was going for a butt kicking Nazi fighting good time with an emphasis on Nationalism amongst the superheroes. Which is a cool idea, but not what I expected from the cover and blurb.

I do like Nationalistic superheroes, though, and I think this is an area that deserves more attention among superhero products. To that end I think Mike does a really good job of creating interesting, believable characters that represent their country.

The international politics scholar in me would *love* to see a product that really digs into the fear, paranoia, and security concerns of the Cold War as they relate to super heroes. The United States had a large military advantage throughout the Cold War, but it would only take one Superman-level character to force both sides to reevaluate that status. There's a lot of other material that could be discussed, too, such as the advantages of hiding or mis-directing the might of superheroes.

Originally Posted by MikeLaff

thanks for the review

Sure thing, Mike!

[MikeLaff]

Originally Posted by Dan Davenport

Interesting review, Chris. I guess this is one of those situations in which you really have to ask what the authors were trying to accomplish, insofar as that's possible to determine.

It sounds to me as though they were going for more of a "Red Heat with Superpowers" .

That's actually exactly what I was aiming for. I even specifically reference that movie (among others) in the product. To put it another way - I was aiming more for a comedic (with flashes of drama) character driven comic written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis and less for a plot-driven espionage thriller with supers ala Greg Rucka

The main thrust of the products is that inter-character interaction and conflict makes for fun/interesting gaming- and we provide various techniques (mainly stolen from improvisational comedy) for how to foster and facilitate that in ways that enhance the game session rather than derailing it. The Cold War is a handy backdrop for this because it provides a broad and familar conflict for the players to reference and draw from.

[MikeLaff]

The international politics scholar in me would *love* to see a product that really digs into the fear, paranoia, and security concerns of the Cold War as they relate to super heroes. The United States had a large military advantage throughout the Cold War, but it would only take one Superman-level character to force both sides to reevaluate that status. There's a lot of other material that could be discussed, too, such as the advantages of hiding or mis-directing the might of superheroes.

That almost sounds like it'd be an excellent basis for a novel as well