Midway City update
Oct 15, 2005 1:59:44 GMT -5
Post by CynthiaCM on Oct 15, 2005 1:59:44 GMT -5
As some of you may know, my company is releasing a futuristic film noir-like roleplaying game called Midway City. In fact, the print version is set to hit stores in the next two weeks or so.
Anyway, I wanted to update you guys on some things.
We've posted a freebie document on our site that allows you to play a stripped-down version of the game. Check it out here.
Lastly, I'm copy & pasting a review for Midway City that has been posted to www.rpg.net. Enjoy.
Anyway, I wanted to update you guys on some things.
We've posted a freebie document on our site that allows you to play a stripped-down version of the game. Check it out here.
Lastly, I'm copy & pasting a review for Midway City that has been posted to www.rpg.net. Enjoy.
Midway City is an anachronistic sci-fi setting where mutant mobsters and psychic half-breeds wage covert war against a tyrannical regime of cybered-up G-men. It's also a full-featured RPG core book whose every page drips with noir style. Written by a veteran gamer for newbies and old hands alike, it's packed with valuable advice, clear explanations, and useful GMing tools. With professional layout and decent art, it's easily worth the $25 sticker price.
The news can't be all good, but I was hard-pressed to find something about Midway City that I didn't like. Even the organization was good. (I'm usually opposed to the chargen-first school of thought, but Midway City provides an excellent crash course intro to the setting that makes the transition into nuts-and-bolts chargen rules smooth as silk.) My only complaint is that the author intentionally left one or two setting secrets under wraps, explicitly stating that answers will appear in later supplements. I would much rather have a few short, suggested answers right away than cross my fingers and wait for a supplement. (What can I say? Once burned, twice shy.)
Setting
Those nearly unpickable nits aside, Midway City should be on the shelf of any gamer who likes pulp, film noir, or the Prohibition era in general. In the distant future, an eccentric billionaire has created his own utopia on an unknown planet. Convinced that humanity started its slow decline with the dawn of the nuclear age, he modeled his Great Experiment after the Earth of the 1920's and 1930's. Fedoras and flappers mingle with nanotech and steelware on the mean streets of a domed city. Its inhabitants include Flips (mutants), Blanks (engineered humans), and the half-alien Kyrhee (who put a whole new spin on Chinatown). Now, an egomaniacal Mayor has twisted the founder's vision by enacting draconian laws designed to restrict access to technology and eradicate all knowledge of the past. His private army of highly trained and artificially enhanced G-men enforces these laws with an iron will that makes Agent Smith look like a high school guidance counselor.
Player characters are drawn from a rich canvas of source material: private eyes, mafioso, reporters, masked vigilantes, psychics, cyborgs, hard-boiled cops, etc. Thanks to an ingenious extra-dimensional space called The Jade, you can even be a hacker! As with all aspects of the game, the author provides copious advice on how to tie your PCs together and weave them into the plot. My mind was buzzing with ideas before I even got to the adventure seeds!
System
While not as innovative (some might say "gimmicky") as I've grown accustomed to in recent years, Midway City's system is a serviceable toolkit that will feel familiar to most gamers. It's a version of Cartoon Action Hour, so fans of that game will feel right at home. Fortunately, the addition of a drama point mechanic called "Sugar" gives players additional control over the dice and allows GMs to reinforce genre-appropriate play. Without it, the system may not have been able to deliver all the style and atmosphere that the setting promises.
The core mechanic is a straight forward "trait+2d6 vs. difficulty" riff. Players can choose to take negative modifiers to their rolls in exchange for increases in the degree of success, should they succeed at all. It's a slick addition that should work especially well for car chases!
Characters are defined by their stats (including one called "Style") and a laundry list of traits. "Easy" actions can be used by anyone, if at a penalty, while "Hard" actions (like technical skills or psychic powers) are impossible for the untrained. (This distinction reminds me of Over the Edge, which is always a good thing.)
PCs also have "Hooks," which are like Flaws or Disads, but with a more plot-centered focus. They're designed to reinforce genre tropes and tie character to the game world. Playing up your Hooks earns you Sugar. There are also plenty of nifties to choose from, including psychic powers, a mystical martial art, steelware implants, nanotech enhancements, and genetic "flips and flops."
The game provides three different methods for handling character wealth, life styles, and the cost of living. The equipment section is short and sweet, avoiding needlessly detailed weapon or vehicle lists. Reducing an item's quality lowers its price, but increases the odds of mechanical failure during play.
The sample characters are all interesting and would work equally well as PCs or NPCs. They provide a solid cross-section of the available roles, abilities, and other character options. They even come with a few plot seeds pre-planted in Midway City's fertile soil.
GM Support
In addition to the 101 style setting introduction, the book delivers over 30 pages of locations, organizations, and plot hooks. A list of stock NPCs with minimal game stats and a set of encounter tables follow on their heels. Finally, the author provides 11 "adventure sketches" and one fully developed scenario that could fuel multiple game sessions.
"Narrator's Turf" covers 20 pages of advice on everything from designing a campaign to using music during a session. I must admit, I grew a bit impatient with the beginning of this chapter, because it's clearly written for novice gamers. That's not a criticism, as I understand the importance of making a game like this accessible to a general audience (as accessible as the product of a steamy three-way between pulp, noir, and cyberpunk can be). Rather, it's a warning to other gaming vets who might be tempted to skip the rest of the chapter: it increases in sophistication as it goes, so be sure not to miss the sections on "advanced" techniques and genre emulation.
The appendix includes a glossary, a guide to Midway City slang, a fairly detailed index, and a 2-page character sheet. Then it's time to roll credits.
The Verdict
I can't wait to play this game! Though near and dear to the hearts of many game designers, Prohibition Era (i.e. pulp and noir) games have always had a hard time selling to the general RPG market. The reason for this is a mystery to me, but Midway City may have struck upon the solution: setting the game in the future allows it to mix that delicious noir style with all the kewl powerz gamers crave. If you're a fan of The Shadow, gangster flicks, or Blade Runner, you owe it to yourself to visit Midway City... and drag your friends along!
The news can't be all good, but I was hard-pressed to find something about Midway City that I didn't like. Even the organization was good. (I'm usually opposed to the chargen-first school of thought, but Midway City provides an excellent crash course intro to the setting that makes the transition into nuts-and-bolts chargen rules smooth as silk.) My only complaint is that the author intentionally left one or two setting secrets under wraps, explicitly stating that answers will appear in later supplements. I would much rather have a few short, suggested answers right away than cross my fingers and wait for a supplement. (What can I say? Once burned, twice shy.)
Setting
Those nearly unpickable nits aside, Midway City should be on the shelf of any gamer who likes pulp, film noir, or the Prohibition era in general. In the distant future, an eccentric billionaire has created his own utopia on an unknown planet. Convinced that humanity started its slow decline with the dawn of the nuclear age, he modeled his Great Experiment after the Earth of the 1920's and 1930's. Fedoras and flappers mingle with nanotech and steelware on the mean streets of a domed city. Its inhabitants include Flips (mutants), Blanks (engineered humans), and the half-alien Kyrhee (who put a whole new spin on Chinatown). Now, an egomaniacal Mayor has twisted the founder's vision by enacting draconian laws designed to restrict access to technology and eradicate all knowledge of the past. His private army of highly trained and artificially enhanced G-men enforces these laws with an iron will that makes Agent Smith look like a high school guidance counselor.
Player characters are drawn from a rich canvas of source material: private eyes, mafioso, reporters, masked vigilantes, psychics, cyborgs, hard-boiled cops, etc. Thanks to an ingenious extra-dimensional space called The Jade, you can even be a hacker! As with all aspects of the game, the author provides copious advice on how to tie your PCs together and weave them into the plot. My mind was buzzing with ideas before I even got to the adventure seeds!
System
While not as innovative (some might say "gimmicky") as I've grown accustomed to in recent years, Midway City's system is a serviceable toolkit that will feel familiar to most gamers. It's a version of Cartoon Action Hour, so fans of that game will feel right at home. Fortunately, the addition of a drama point mechanic called "Sugar" gives players additional control over the dice and allows GMs to reinforce genre-appropriate play. Without it, the system may not have been able to deliver all the style and atmosphere that the setting promises.
The core mechanic is a straight forward "trait+2d6 vs. difficulty" riff. Players can choose to take negative modifiers to their rolls in exchange for increases in the degree of success, should they succeed at all. It's a slick addition that should work especially well for car chases!
Characters are defined by their stats (including one called "Style") and a laundry list of traits. "Easy" actions can be used by anyone, if at a penalty, while "Hard" actions (like technical skills or psychic powers) are impossible for the untrained. (This distinction reminds me of Over the Edge, which is always a good thing.)
PCs also have "Hooks," which are like Flaws or Disads, but with a more plot-centered focus. They're designed to reinforce genre tropes and tie character to the game world. Playing up your Hooks earns you Sugar. There are also plenty of nifties to choose from, including psychic powers, a mystical martial art, steelware implants, nanotech enhancements, and genetic "flips and flops."
The game provides three different methods for handling character wealth, life styles, and the cost of living. The equipment section is short and sweet, avoiding needlessly detailed weapon or vehicle lists. Reducing an item's quality lowers its price, but increases the odds of mechanical failure during play.
The sample characters are all interesting and would work equally well as PCs or NPCs. They provide a solid cross-section of the available roles, abilities, and other character options. They even come with a few plot seeds pre-planted in Midway City's fertile soil.
GM Support
In addition to the 101 style setting introduction, the book delivers over 30 pages of locations, organizations, and plot hooks. A list of stock NPCs with minimal game stats and a set of encounter tables follow on their heels. Finally, the author provides 11 "adventure sketches" and one fully developed scenario that could fuel multiple game sessions.
"Narrator's Turf" covers 20 pages of advice on everything from designing a campaign to using music during a session. I must admit, I grew a bit impatient with the beginning of this chapter, because it's clearly written for novice gamers. That's not a criticism, as I understand the importance of making a game like this accessible to a general audience (as accessible as the product of a steamy three-way between pulp, noir, and cyberpunk can be). Rather, it's a warning to other gaming vets who might be tempted to skip the rest of the chapter: it increases in sophistication as it goes, so be sure not to miss the sections on "advanced" techniques and genre emulation.
The appendix includes a glossary, a guide to Midway City slang, a fairly detailed index, and a 2-page character sheet. Then it's time to roll credits.
The Verdict
I can't wait to play this game! Though near and dear to the hearts of many game designers, Prohibition Era (i.e. pulp and noir) games have always had a hard time selling to the general RPG market. The reason for this is a mystery to me, but Midway City may have struck upon the solution: setting the game in the future allows it to mix that delicious noir style with all the kewl powerz gamers crave. If you're a fan of The Shadow, gangster flicks, or Blade Runner, you owe it to yourself to visit Midway City... and drag your friends along!