KMANT - Blue Planet V2 Fluid Mechanics

Product Name
Blue Planet V2
Fluid Mechanics
Retailing at around
£14.99
Rating out of 10
8.1 / 10
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Product Blurb

More than just a guide to gear, Fluid Mechanics presents detailed information on the design and capabilities of computers, cybernetics, genetic modifications, robots and remotes, cetacean tech, weapons, vehicles, and much more. If you've been itching to get your hands on Hanover Autoworks new Cormorant™ ground-effect plane, Hydrospan's SmartGuide™ navigation software, or Atlas Materials' HardTarget™ battledress, your wait is coming to an end.

This Blue Planet sourcebook includes everything players and moderators need to incorporate high technology into their games.

Detailed descriptions of new equipment and technology, from infantry-support weapons to fusion-powered torchships

Information about specific equipment models manufactured by the Incorporate, from the Hanover Autoworks Hurricane™ jumpracer to the MacLeod Silva Special™ 14mm Magnum.

Overviews of several core technology fields, including computers, communications, medicine, vehicles, and weapons

New rules for equipment durability, damage, and malfunction

Complete, streamlined rules for vehicle chases and dogfights

- From the Blue Planet V2 Fluid Mechanics Sourcebook-

Blue Planet V2 Fluid Mechanics Review - By Jon Simpson

First Things First…

The Fluid Mechanics sourcebook is a techno lover’s bible. It gives you loads more vehicles, weapons and technology to use in your Blue Planet V2 games. It is well put together with lots of good pictures to go with the new gear. This is not just a catalogue of weaponry, methods of transport and gear though. It gives you information on how technology has become an essential part of Poseidon’s day-to-day running, ranging from the bustling streets of the biggest colonies to the smallest settlements on the tiniest islands.

Content…

The book is broken down into four chapters and an introduction. The Introduction is used to explain how the information in the rest of the book has been laid out. Each item in each section has a list to accompany it. This will tell you everything from its weight to its durability.

Chapter one is about Hardware, which is quite a broad subject and has been broken down in to lots of subcategories. The first of these are pretty standard with, info on things like life-support equipment, generators and materials. Then comes the armour section, which has three new types of armour. These range from heavy battle-suits to bulletproof vests, which could prove useful if your characters keep getting badly shot-up in firefights.

The computer and communication section tells you how computers can be used in your game and what different software is available. The espionage equipment section is good if you want to get your players involved in a sneaky James Bond style game, where stealth can be more important than firepower. This gives you access to stuff like disguise kits and Intrusion Suits, which help protect the wearer from thermal imaging cameras (good for hunting Predators then).

The medical tech section is very comprehensive. One of the things I’ve found most useful in games is the Auto Doc. This is very nifty piece of gear that helps keep players alive until they reach a hospital. For some reason medical skills always seem to be forgotten until the bleeding and dying starts. In keeping with life saving there is also a good section on survival gear. This include things like rescue rafts (useful with all that water), solar stills and temporary shelters. It’s a sure sign of an evil GM when all the players race to this section of a book and start loading up with gear.

The robots and remotes section is good when your more cautious (read: cowardly) players are debating whether something looks safe or not, as you can now send a robot to poke it. Finally the Cetacean hardware is expanded from the few items in the Player’s Guide. This includes things like the common utility harness and the more bizarre zero-g thruster pack.

The second chapter is called Weapons (hurrah!). This section of the book gives you loads of new weapons to let your characters play with. Most of the weapons have pictures (this is something lot’s of games don’t do, which is a shame) and a description of what they do. Several of the weapons are good for everyday colony use and will be familiar to most areas of the planet. Some of the other stuff however is a little more rare, like the Bloop tube. These fire small radar guided rocket launchers, which you can use above or under the water. Nice, depending which end you’re staring down obviously.

The third chapter is where you can find everything you wanted to know about Biotech but were afraid to ask. Biotech has become an essential part of society in the Blue Planet world and this chapter will let you have anything from a cybernetic hand to a full body modification.

Chapter four is like and aquatic auto-trader. It gives you the low-down on loads of new vehicles, which is good because in our games we spend a lot of time moving form A to B, so might as well do it in style. The vehicles have all been well designed and each one has a bit of history behind it. There is also a vehicle accessory section as well. This is good if you want to give your gleaming new BMW hovercraft extra armour, a supercharger or maybe a full stealth package. Before you ask, NO, there’s no alloys, furry dice, body kits or huge speakers for all you frontier boy racers out there.

The End…

This book isn’t just a collection of stuff they couldn’t fit in the main books equipment section. It’s a well put together breakdown of technology on the planet. If you have been playing Blue Planet V2 for a while this book is a great way to bulk out your characters next stop at the trading post.

This book is full of the kind of gadgets R2-D2 would probably like on his Christmas list and is well worth a look if you want to add more 'tech' to your games.

Reviewed By Jon Simpson