Product Review
I was sitting at my desk, in my
office. My feet, as usual, lay on the hardboard, which
covered the top of my desk. The cheap wood had done
its job well for the last five years and I never regretted
buying it at that auction. My Panama hat hung in the
corner, facing an antique mirror. Antique wasn’t
exactly the word I should use; but I felt it was a
good way of enhancing the 'value' in my mind. I trimmed
my fingernails, while occasionally glancing at my
door. I loved reading my name backwards on the glass.
Suddenly, a black silhouette, slender, obviously female
appeared on the other side.
“Come in,” I didn’t
hesitate to say “I’m on duty.”
The woman did hesitate though, her
hand seemed to be guided by contradictory orders.
Then, she somehow managed to pull herself together,
and the door opened.
“Mr. Chalmers,” she
greeted me, in a very soft voice “My name is
Martha Steward.”
“What can I do you for, ‘Mrs.’
Steward?” The name had immediately rang a bell.
This woman’s husband owned a taxicab company.
Pretty wealthy, for the norm, at least, for the kind
of individuals I usually meet on the job. She wasn’t
surprised at my rapid deduction. I was a PI, after
all.
“It’s my husband, Mr.
Chalmers. I fear for his life.” This was getting
interesting. The grey morning had promised nothing,
and the thin rain had been somewhat depressing, but
things were improving.
“I think he has crossed some
people he shouldn’t have…” she continued,
her face was hard to read, but I was a pro and it
was all in the eyes.
“Continue, please” I
motioned for her to take a seat. Maybe this would
be a productive day, after all…
“Dark Rooms with light slicing
through Venetian blinds; alleys cluttered with garbage;
abandoned warehouses where dust hangs in the air;
rain-slick streets with water running down tin gutters;
dark office buildings overlooking crowded city streets”
Is how the book begins. I couldn’t have better
defined the Noir ambience.
A look, a feel. Darkness. Black.
Noir is a French term for “black” and
it is used to define a type of criminal or detective
story. The type that was born in pulps in the 1920’s
and made its way into cinema in the 40’s. Instead
of conventional detective practice, where the sleuth
only focuses on solving a mathematical puzzle, he
gets involved. The world isn’t simply black
and white, but shades of grey.
Everywhere our “hero”
goes, he finds moral corruption; good and evil mixed
up like a cocktail. Even within. The Noir “hero”
has a dark past, many issues that need solving, but
he tries to attain redemption. He is usually unable
to get it though, and that’s what makes him
such a tragic figure. Mean Streets takes you into
the atmosphere of Noir Film, and gives you the chance
to perform as one of these bleak characters, in this
bleak world.
The main book, a brief 58-page ride,
cuts through it and shares only valuable information
with the reader. It presents the potential player
and storyteller with the feel, the setting, and an
easy system called XPG.
XPG is a system used in Deep 7 RPGs,
such as Red Dwarf and, of course, Mean Streets. To
determine the outcome of an action, the player uses
the sum of a stat plus a category (ability). Then,
he or she rolls 2D6 (two six-sided dice) and compares
the sum. If the roll is lower than the stat plus category
value, the action has succeeded. If the player rolls
double 1’s (nicknamed “Snake Eyes”),
the outcome is a critical success. On a double 6 (nicknamed
“Boxcars”) the roll becomes a critical
failure.
The damage system doesn’t
require the player to roll again for a result. Its
result is determined by multiplying the margin of
success from the weapon’s base damage, sometimes
adding bonuses. This is compared to the character’s
“Shrug” value, his or her “damage
soak,” to determine how much damage actually
went through. The health system reminds me of the
one White Wolf uses, with seven levels of medical
condition. The system, as the book boasts, is very
simple and it’s easy to use and adapt to your
style.
Mean Streets is set in 1943 New
York, a city populated by gangs of Mafiosi and thousands
of people who just walk their lives, trying to dodge
the cruel reality. The book details each of New York
City’s boroughs and all of the major crime families,
besides some other interesting info about the city
and the time period; all of this is backed up by obvious
good historical research, while modified a bit for
gaming purposes.
At the end of the book is the ever-useful
period price list (one thing I loved from Call of
Cthulhu), some recommended movies, stats for various
NPCs, and a nice New York City map. Of course, the
book includes an adventure ready to play, based on
a Fritz Lang Noir film.
This game makes a good job filling
a niche not widely covered by popular RPG’s,
for one reason or another. Its simple system, and
its interesting setting makes it a good pick for a
troupe that don’t want to study three 300-page-books
just to start playing a game.
Now, if you’ll excuse me,
I have to help Mrs. Steward’s husband get out
of a little trouble he’s in. See you later.
Reviewed by Matías Timm |
