The [Redacted] Hack by Alan Bahr, Game Review

The coffee shop is a little busier than normal for a Thursday at 9 a.m.—a definite mixed blessing. Sitting by the window with your tablet set up to look like you are writing, you scan the rest of the customers with an expert’s eye. Your backup is stationed over by the wall. At the far end of the counter is a woman also carefully checking out the rest of the customers. You don’t recognize her, but she’s probably your contact’s backup. You still have a couple of minutes to go when Hensley of the C.I.A. walks in and up to the counter. It might be a strange coincidence. Doesn’t matter though, everything just took a turn for the worse.

­­

-----

The [Redacted] Hackby Alan Bahr is an espionage minimalist role-playing game (RPG) using The Black Hack system. I was given a copy of The [Redacted] Hack by the author while at Life, The Universe and Everything (LTUE website) 2018 writing conference for review purposes.

In 17 pages The [Redacted] Hack rule book provides everything needed to start an espionage game. All you have to do is create a character and a scenario to delve into a world of intrigue.

Alan Bahr is able to strip the game system down to the basics. Minimalistic gaming is about giving the players and the game master (GM) the ability to shape the game into a story they want to create quickly and easily. The [Redacted] Hacksuccessfully does that. There is enough here to provide the scaffolding without weighing everything down with minutia.

There is one class of character, secret agent. How you decide to play your spy is open to the game you are creating. You build them based on the attributes rolls and the background special features you choose. This minimalistic system is great for players who don’t want to spend a lot of time working up a backstory and for times when you want to start a game quickly.

One strong advantage The [Redacted] Hack has is the ability to bring players into the adventure quickly. It states, “This game is much more lethal and unforgiving than the core iteration of The Black Hack it’s based upon.” This isn’t a bad thing, and can be used in a fun way.

I created a quick scenario to play in the system. The higher lethality was used as part of the story with the knowledge not everyone was going to make it through the adventure. Because the system allows for easy character creation, everyone had a backup secret agent who could be called in from another part of the city. It had a bit of call back to Operation: Sprechenhaltestelle from Top Secret (Wikipedia page).

The [Redacted] Hack worked great for the game and provided an evening of fun.

I give The [Redacted] Hack 5 out of 5. It accomplishes what it set out to do in a manner that makes it enjoyable to play.

The [Redacted] Hack by Alan Bahr is published by Gallant Knight Games (website and Facebook).

-----

You lean against the wall around the corner in the alley across from the coffee shop. Smoke is rising out of the broken front window you dove through. Funny how the tablet is still sitting on the table untouched. In your right hand you have the machine pistol you took off your backup after you ran out of bullets. In your left is the flash drive you came for. You knew there were others wanting the drive, just not that many. The bullet in your thigh hurts and the loss of blood is making you light headed. Doesn’t matter though, now you have to get back to the safe house.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Cold Shadows, Game Review

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.

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.

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad