| The yellow
paper seems rough in my hands, cheap, but
made from the stuff of dreams. The pale black
ink reveals yet another story of action, of
fear, of humanity. In an age of much-needed
hope, men (and some women) of vision sit at
their typewriters… and on they type.
Their stories unfold, released on cheap pulp
paper, dismissed by the snobbish literates
as garbage fit only for the uneducated. But,
as Robert Bloch (known horror author, nowadays
especially for his “Psycho,” which
inspired Hitchcock’s movie) so aptly
put on paper: “no objective literary
school can ignore the lasting influence of
Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan and the Wizard of
Oz upon contemporary culture.” The pulp
stories deal with larger-than-life heroes,
who risk life and limb to save their fellow
man. The most famous of the pulp heroes is
Doc Savage, but we are probably more familiar
with the Phantom, the Shadow and Indiana Jones,
among others. Adventure! gives you the chance
of portraying one such hero, and living exciting
adventures while saving humanity from its
impending doom. The second prequel to Trinity,
White Wolf’s science-fiction RPG, this
game is set 200 years earlier, in an age of
Hope.
It’s the roaring twenties. The Great
War has come to an end, and people want to
enjoy their lives. Liquor, however, has been
outlawed in the U.S. through the Volstead
Act. Still, thirsty men and women rush into
the speakeasies, clandestine bars that won’t
refuse people a drink, even if the Constitution
forbids. This decade also witnesses the birth
of the gangsters as a social phenomenon. Gang
wars storm the streets of cities such as Chicago
and New York. The automobile becomes popular
and cheap, as are dozens of magazines that
publish stories of action and adventure.
It is in this decade, that Maxwell Anderson
Mercer, philanthropist millionaire opens his
“Æon Society for Gentlemen.”
Mercer has a dream, which is nothing more
and nothing less than helping humanity achieve
its potential. Mercer funds exploration and
invention, by talented and gifted people,
and he, and his fellow club members fight
crime, evil and injustice throughout the world.
Earlier, in this very decade, one man, a Doctor
Hammersmith exposes his Z-ray theory, and
an accident unleashes Z-waves all over the
world, changing people and places, into more…
interesting ones. Soon, men and women become
gifted as daredevils, mesmerists and stalwarts.
Weird or desolate places give birth to strange
civilizations and ancient mysteries (as Z-waves
travel back (and forth) in time.)
You play one of these individuals. If you
have played Trinity, and or Aberrant, you
are familiar with the idea of super-powered
people and the Æon Society (later Æon
Trinity). The characters available in the
Adventure! Era are the daredevils (people
with uncanny luck and abilities, but not essentially
super-powered), mesmerists (somewhat weaker
versions of Trinity’s Psions) and stalwarts
(very weak forms of what you’d call
a Nova in Aberrant). Each of these three categories
have their gimmicks and benefits.
The daredevils can be the best in the world
at what they do best, say, like the world’s
finest surgeon. They also have incredible
amounts of good fortune (in mechanical terms,
they have one type of Knack that give them
what seems to be amazing luck). Mesmerists
are those who command their (and other people’s)
minds. They can also develop advanced scientific
breakthroughs and are, generally speaking,
mental geniuses. Stalwarts are physical prodigies.
They can literarily have bodies of bronze,
and super-fists of sheer destruction. These
people’s minds are also capable of processing
even more advanced scientific discoveries
than mesmerists.
In my opinion, though, the real salt of the
game are the daredevils. They are, also, the
most common type of “gifted people”
around by the 1920s and 30s. One important
bit, as I asked myself upon first hearing
of this game, you might ask yourself as well:
“must you play a character that works
for Æon?” Not at all. There are
various organizations, and your character
doesn't have to belong to any of them.
As for the game’s system, well, it
is the same as the one found in Aberrant and
Trinity. There are, however, some changes,
mostly in the combat section. Characters in
Adventure! can easily fight several opponents
at a time, and fist-fighting is given a slight
advantage to make it more desirable by players.
We are also introduced to the Virtue/Vice
pair under each Nature Archetype and characters
are able to get a sixth dot in some traits,
to reflect their unique prowess in some areas.
There are some new Backgrounds, and most of
the powers (Knacks) are described in an interesting
and funny fashion, revealing, yet again, the
light-hearted ambience that’s in the
heart of this game, as opposed to the all-encompassing-conspiracy
of Aberrant and the fear of the unknown in
Trinity.
One thing I liked a lot about this game is
its versatility, as it’s designed to
cover each and any kind of pulp action stories,
even with a little dose of horror, if that’s
what you like. You can play a two-fisted crime-fighter
in the New York City underbelly, or an exploratory/treasure-hunter
in the jungles of the Belgian Congo, even
a masked avenger or a mad scientist obsessed
with world domination! The possibilities are
only limited by your imagination. Meet face
to face with a villain who calls himself the
“King of the World” or ride your
biplane into battle against an armada of zeppelins,
controlled by a nut who wishes to bring humanity
into the skies! Put the exclamation mark in
“Adventure!” while you climb Mount
Everest in search for the mythical yeti! This
and a lot more, for only 10¢! (Well,
nowadays, that amount will at least cover
the character sheet’s photocopy cost.)
The main book’s layout and design are
superb. An excellent job was made at making
the book look like a dime novel of ages past.
The pages have an aged look and the cover
even hosts the “10¢” price!
I must leave you now, since my most esteemed
colleague, Dr. Winfrey Woodlong has sent me
a frenzied telegram asking for my help. His
crew disappeared in the Amazon three days
ago while they were investigating rumours
of the fabled Fountain of Youth. My private
plane, steered by the world’s one and
only “Ace” Burton, takes off in
about ten minutes. I will contact you when
I’m back… if I return, that is!
Reviewed by Matías Timm |
