Blue Planet RPG by Biohazard Games
Written: Aug 16 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Believable, realistic hard Sci-Fi
Cons: Not for powergamers.
The Bottom Line: Innovative
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| maza's Full Review: Blue Planet Rpg Books |
Blue Planet is a really good hard science fiction role playing game. I love hard sci-fi, and I miss it sometimes, since I spend so much time in fantasy or soft sci-fi games (Trinity, Fading Suns (although it's harder). Blue Planet brought me back to the good old days of reading Niven, Pournelle, Asimov, Brin, and others. If you have any interest in SF, go and buy it now (or as soon as the UPS permits).
The setting is totally rational and logical, following completely the laws of physics (with some extension, such as the wormhole) and human behavior. Cyberware, bioware, and genetic engineering makes sense in the game and make sense in real life. This is one of the few games that I know have made a point of mentioning how cyberware is powered, and requiring that limbs and such have batteries. Blue Planet has all the typical cyberpunk elements, like multinational uberpowerful corporations (Incorporates), but they give a reasonable and valid reason for their existence, protecting their employees/citizens from the Blight. I love the elevation of the dolphins and orcas to sentience, although I wondered why chimpanzees weren't elevated as well. Earth is in ecological collapse due to human genetic engineering screw-ups, and Poseidon (the Blue Planet) is a new frontier.
Layout and presentation: This is serviceable, but not fantastic. There is little artwork, although what there is, is fine, but everything is readable, and the book makes sense if you start at the beginning and work through to the end. There is an index, but it is rather small, given the size of the book.
Mechanics: The basic system is percentile. For most actions, it looks to be slick and easy. The combat system is rather too complex for my tastes, but the damage system, in particular, looks realistic. I really wouldn't want my character taking damage. There is also a properly developed system for vehicle chases and dog-fights. Anything else, and you will have to wing it.
Character generation is interesting. One of the basic options is a Sell-Out native, trying to scrounge booze on the waterfront (lots of that on Poseidon planet), while another is a GEO Magistrate, one of the four most powerful people on the planet. Forget game balance: the whole idea is to put together a group that can play whatever sort of game you want. The options make sense, and help with getting a feel for the world, and it shouldn't be too hard to set up other slots. Blue Planet makes no illusion of all characters being created equally. The creation system is totally freeform for the most part (except for the need of a worksheet) and realistic. Not everyone will have the same resources. Because of this and the system, which has it's merits (simple for one), this is definitely a game for mature (as in experienced and non-powergaming) players. AD&D lackies stay away, and this is not a game for the average Rifts enthusiast.
Background: Wow. The main designer is an oceanographer, and it shows. It is nice to have an SF game where the main emphasis isn't on physics. Indeed, the only scientific error I've found is a physics one. Entry to and exit from the Earth-Poseidon wormhole are space-like separated, which means that there are frames of reference in which you leave before you enter, yet there are several paragraphs claiming that the wormhole cannot act as any sort of time machine. This is a subtle error, to say the least. Most of the science strikes me as a reasonable extrapolation of current trends, although the Blight is a vital part of this: without fifty years or so of little or no progress, it wouldn't be. Long John, the amazing bio-engineering mineral, is a McGuffin. However, it is part of the main mystery, an enabling technology for many of the scifi features, and a vital catalyst for most of the conflicts on the colony world: in the absence of an incredibly valuable resource available nowhere else, it wouldn't be economically viable to send large numbers of people to Poseidon, and that would make for a boring setting. Further, the reason that there are no synthetic versions is that no-one has managed it yet: they've only had about fifteen years. This also strikes me as reasonable, although I would expect a successful synthesis within a couple of decades, given the stakes.
In short, I found no major problems, and lots of good ideas (cetacean PCs, for example). You could even run a campaign set on Earth, or one of the solar colonies, with the information in the main book: there is plenty of conflict to enjoy.
RPG Definition for the uninitiated
A typical Role Play Game would be an activity satisfying most of the following:
1. It involves persons consciously playing fiction roles (either medieval, contemporary or sci-fi roles)
2. It involves the collective creation of a story
3. Usually one of the participants is responsible for guiding the activity
4. There is no audience besides the participants themselves (unless there is a demonstration of course).
5. The main purpose of the activity is to entertain the participants.
There are published books, often referred to as Rulebooks, containing unique rules regarding how to create a character (role) or how to resolve specific actions. Generally the success of an action is determined with by rolling one or more dice (dice can be funny in RPGs since they tend to have more than 6 surfaces).
Besides the rulebooks, there are books describing settings in which characters can role play. Settings are very diverse and include high or low fantasy worlds, dystopian worlds, contemporary worlds, or alternate reality worlds.
More RPG reviews that I would love to get a few more ratings:
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Referee’s Screen by Games Workshop
Feng Shui Action Roleplay by Atlas Game
Unknown Armies by Atlas Games
Delta Green by Pagan Publishing
Mortal Coils by Pagan Publishing
Mechwarrior RPG by FASA
Shadowrun 3rd Edition by FanPro
All Flesh Must be Eaten by Eden Studios
GURPS Vampire: The Masquerade by Steve Jackson Games
GURPS Mecha by Steve Jackson Games
Time of Thin Blood by White Wolf
Jerusalem By Night by White Wolf
Dark Conspiracy by GWC
7th Sea RPG by AEG
Blue Planet by Biohazard Games
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
maza
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Member: Nick Maza
Location: Greece
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
I live in Greece. I hate the summers.
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