The cold war was fought between the superpowers by the government agencies involved in espionage. The tension, real or imagined, gave rise to a genre of spy thrillers that has given us great books, movies, and role-playing games (RPGs).Cold Shadows from Gallant Knight Games is a recent addition to the collection of RPGs that every player who enjoys espionage should have in their gaming library. Cold Shadows is based on the ruleset by John Wick as presented in Houses of the Blooded and Blood & Honor.
This is not a long book, just under 130 pages (and they’re half pages), which provides everything needed to create and play an espionage setting. The game is foremost espionage and then setting it in the period of the cold war. The information is not limited and with just a little creativity could be easily applied to running spies in another genre.
The initial part of Cold Shadows provides all the information needed to set up the agency, division, field of operation, and the agents. In Cold Shadows everyone is playing characters in the same agency and division, these are people who know each other, or at least the best they can, considering the circumstances of their employment. This level of creation is done by the entire group, players and game master (Narrator).
Most games have one player (the game master) create the base setting and then introduces the players/characters to the setting. In Cold Shadows the players have an integral part in the creation. The players decide what the director is like and what are the goals and assets of the Agency. What they decided during this part of creating the setting influences what characters can choose from and what they have available later.
I like the setup process. It allows players to build a setting they want to be involved in. It can be built for more aggressive characters, or with a higher level of intrigue for delving deeper into the clandestine operations. It also works well because the style of the Agency would dictate what style of recruits the Agency would be going after. This allows for a method of creation where all of the characters have a certain level of similarity to provide congruency throughout the game.
Characters are diverse, but have certain aspects bringing them together under the umbrella of their Agency. If the group builds an Agency with a dangerous director they get to draw upon a different set of advantages and disadvantages than a group that has a paranoid director. This is because the director would be recruiting agents who are better for the way they are directing their Agency.
How a character is created affects the dice pool they create when attempting a risk. Simply, a risk is when someone is attempting an action that can influence the story. In Cold Shadows a player is not rolling to attempt a success or failure. The roll is to determine who controls the next part of telling the story. Even if a player wins the risk, they don’t have to succeed at the action. Or, they could succeed with side effects. The outcome is not based on the dice rolls, but on the player, or Narrator, in control of the story at the time.
Additional information can be obtained when a risk is being done with additional wagers with the dice. Wagering dice means you don’t use them in the attempt to win the risk, but use them afterwards to allow the player to create more aspects of the story. This works even when there is more than one player involved. Privilege to tell the story rotates through the successful risk takers.
As the story unfolds, what is told becomes the story as the players know it. When another player gains privilege to continue the story they are not allowed to nullify a part of the story already told. The story can be altered with additions being added to the facts, but the story once spoken is what the players know. An example given is a player states their director is an alcoholic. Then, another player adds, it is because of the marital problems the director is facing.
This narrative style of an RPG allows players to gain more control over the story. In our group it even means many times players are adding in their own plot twists without the help of the Narrator. But, the Narrator has a little more control over the story. The Narrator has a specified number of story points (gained during the creation process) that allow them to take make the changes the players can’t. These can be major plot twists that alter what the characters know.
In this style of a narrative RPG the mechanics of all the possible equipment and gadgets can be simplified. There’s no reason to go into pages of tables of weapons with rates of fire, accuracy, ranges, etc. etc. etc. There are some differences presented to certain styles of items which allow additional dice to the pool when taking a risk. But, the focus is on the story and the tools of the trade are in support of the characters instead of the driving plot points.
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| Dice designed for Cold Shadows |
All of this allows for a quicker start into the gaming scenario and easier flow through the story.
Cold Shadows also has another level of play besides the characters, the Agency. The game moves through seasons, just like the year. In each season the group takes actions for the Agency. This allows for the group as a whole to improve in general ways as the characters improve in specific ways. This also gives a power limit to characters. Characters age, and as they age eventually hit a point of retirement, if someone hasn’t already retired them.
With this being a game of intrigue, trust is a major issue. Cold Shadows has components for characters to create, maintain, and even lose trust with their fellow agents or other Agencies. These elements provide great fodder for the storyline. If one agent is feeling on the outs with the rest of the group, it may be time for an opposing agency to court their friendship. And, again, this doesn’t have to be done just by the Narrator. A player can explain how their own character is turning, or how they see another agent turning to the opposition.
The end of the book finishes with methods of play for when there are only two people, or even when you are by yourself. The solo adventure creation is mentioned as being a good source of creating adventures for a larger group. With a few quick decisions, or dice rolls, in the tables presented a scenario can be ready to drop characters into.
Cold Shadows is another success for Gallant Knight Games and the creative efforts of Alan Bahr, Ben Woerner, Elizabeth Chaipraditkul, Tobie Abad, and Drew Wendell who were the writers.
If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.
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