Product Review

This sourcebook covers the mysterious scientists/engineers know as the Junker's. The book contains the usual mix of well-written background information, comic material, new powers and new rules. If any of you want to play Junkers you must be prepared to ride in the back seat behind other characters who are playing Sykers, Templars and Doomsayers. All of which have powers that can be used at any time, whereas the Junker is more like the whole A-Team rolled into one. All you need is an old car and a pile of junk and very soon you'll have a tank. Only problem is it all takes time. So make sure you keep a few more ‘direct’ characters around as back up.

In the first section we have all the usual background information from the point of view of a Junker in the Wasted West. In this case a Junker by the name of Lazlo Huber. In his story we learn how the Junkers gained their powers, how many of these older Junkers worked on the bombs that destroyed civilization thirteen years ago and the friends and enemies of the Junkers in the Wasted West. The story of how the Junkers gained their powers goes back to the Weird West, where there was a group of people known as Mad Scientist's who created steam-punk devices with the help of evil spirits. As opposed to Junkers' who use the spirits of humanities destroyed tech to meld any old junk into working devices. Many of the people who are now Junkers were once Mad Scientists who worked on devices of war for various world powers. The most destructive of these was the Irradiated Ghost Rock Bombs, which were used on Judgment Day to kill 95% of the world population.

Then we get a section on the allies of the Junkers' which include powerful techno-spirits and the Chamber (a group of Junkers' dedicated to some mystic cause). The enemies of the Junkers' include Old Way Indians (the bow and arrow type), gremlins (who seek to disrupt Junker tech) and the Neo-Luddites (a group against technology who act like The Amish with attitude). On top of all these are the Combine a group who seek to use Junkers' to create Cyborgs, these Cyborgs are for use in ‘PERSUADING’ everyone to join their Combine (read Conquer).

In the next section we get into the new rules and edges. This section is ok, with some very good additions in the form of a pair of new Edges called Browser spirit and Familiar, both are powerful techno-spirits who grant the Junker new powers and help with a certain type of techno-magic, in addition the Familiar gets a small robotic body (normal the size of a cat.) These spirits grant the Junker some good little powers that he can use at any time as long as he has the chips to pay.

Some of these powers are Automatic hits with weapons, Increased vehicle performance, Code breaking, Creating buildings and Picking up old transmissions (from old military bases telling people new password to get into the armory). The other really good part is the Tool Tricks; small acts of magic that makes the Junkers life easier. From Light (a small sphere of light that follows the techno-mage) to Reload (Transfer ammo from belt to gun very quickly.)

After this we get into the new power section where we find out how to build these wonders of Techno-Magic. With the right set of powers and the time a player can create Massive Walking Robots, Plasma swords, rocket packs and anything else in your twisted little mind. These powers are a bit complicated to begin with so if your a player you may want to work yourself through several devices to see if you really want to be a Junker. If you do… you have the power to be one of best characters in the party, at least once you have built a few funky devices. For example the Junker has the only ways of bringing dead characters back to life, first using a powerful healing device he can create and second by turning the dead body into a cyborg (the only other way come back is as Harrowed, Undead with a soul and a lodger.)

That is pretty much it for the Junkman Cometh, which is a good book for a limited character type, but with this the Junker has a few more options. And if you do play a Junker my advice is to create a lot of new Tool Tricks with the help of the Marshal (so be nice all you Marshal's.) Even with the Junkers themselves being limited, the background material is very good leaving lots plot hooks for the Marshal to work into his game, you may get annoyed by the information on Cyborgs which amounts to "get our new sourcebook." But that one is very good and is also reviewed by me on KMANT.

Junkman Cometh is a pretty good book but being a Junker is a lot more work than some of the other Arcane Backgrounds, so check with any players who want to be one that they are really up to it, if they are, enjoy.

Other Sources:

Back to the Future (All of them.): The Doctor/inventor who created the time traveling car would be a good example of a Junker.

Rifts RPG: Here we have the OCC Techno-Mage, magic user who enchants items to focus their powers.

The A-Team- For ideas on what you can create with miscellaneous pieces of junk.

Reviewed By Martin Dye