BattleTech Tactical Handbook

BattleTech is a game that I have played probably less than ten times in my life. I had a  friend that was really into it and he insisted I try it. I own an amazing amount of the  stuff for not ever having played it all that much. I am a sucker for technical manuals  and much of what I own falls into or close to that category. That and I seem to be  willing to buy almost anything gaming related.

Published: 1994
Pages: 80

From the back of the book

The BattleTech Tactical Handbook is an advanced-rules supplement for the BattleTech game  universe. The Handbook provides advanced rules and equipment that enable players to add  new depth and intensity to their games. Guidelines for creating long-term campaigns and  double-blind games, formulas for calculating the combat values of all BattleTech combat  units, detailed descriptions of advanced weapon systems and more make the BattleTech  Handbook a necessity for the serious BattleTech player.

HIL Sector Blues - WEG, Cassandra's Mystical Barrier

Paranoia is a game that I like playing as a one up or maybe a few sessions but I have never been a big enough fan to make it a long term game. I think it because when I was playing it I was younger and the level of discord it created amongst characters seem to migrate out of the game and into the real world among the players.

HIL Sector Blues is a campaign pack for Paranoia. I never really had a chance to use it as it was intended but there are still components of it that I found useful. If I were going to play Paranoia today I think I would go this route as it is much more Machiavellian in nature than normal Paranoia. In this you don't shoot your friend in the back every other session. You spend that time framing them so the computer does the dirty work and the player may never know who did it.

The premise of the campaign is that you have served the computer well enough that you have been transferred to be part of the internal security force that does the day to day security work. It is set to to have you create a character from scratch and build them with some back history similar to Traveller. I guess you could promote previous characters if you wanted though.

The bulk of the book is dedicated to the design of HIL Sector adventure design. This lays out for the GM the game mechanics basics that should be present in every adventure for the campaign. Not every aspect needs be in them all but most should be. The Paranoia adventure is very much a series of long running gags or situations that repeat themselves. Many of these ideas could be adapted to other games but I would use sparingly as I think they would disrupt other games too much if they happened all the time.

The module also presents the GM with a number of actual adventure ideas that the players will encounter. These very much mirror what would be considered every day crime in the real world though with a Paranoia bent to them if possible. You get a list of crimes both general and specific to the sector as well as roles and missions. There are then some specific plot hooks provided for the GM to get them started.

The GM is given a number of fold up cardboard miniatures that they can use. There are also specific rules for the use of the miniatures. We forget that these were not always present in games or available online. When this was released in 1986 this was probably a very big deal though the intervening twenty-five years make it had for me to recall. These are present in color and a b&w version as well. These are referred to as Cardstock Commies.

The last portion of the book are a number of mini-adventures that can be inserted into the campaign or perhaps used as starter adventures to get the campaign rolling. These are designed to use the miniatures that are presented in the game as well so the GM can get experience in using them.

I can't say if this is something that the average player or even GM would want to have or need to have. If you are a regular Paranoia player then yes you will want it. There are items that can be mined from it but not so much for regular use. It is rare for me to say this but this is perhaps one you could pass on. Just hope the computer isn't listening on this one.


Spell:

Cassandra's Mystical Barrier

Level: Fifth
Range: Special
Duration: 1 Hour/Level
Ares Effect: One Room
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 3 Rounds
Saving Throw: None

This spell allows the caster to create a mystical barrier that will prevent  the passage through entrances to and from a room. The effect is not limited  to man made areas and the room to could be a natural cavern. The room size  can be anything from a broom closet up to a space no bigger than 4" square  per level of the caster. All points of ingress or egress will be covered by  this spell no matter how small or if known by the caster.

The barrier that is created is specific in what it will prevent passage of.  The specification must be made at time of casting and can be general in nature  as any living thing, dwarves or non humanoid creatures. It could also be  something like enchanted items or invisible creatures. There is not a real  limit to what can be specified but the DM needs to make the final decision.

The caster may only have one barrier up at any given time and casting a  second will fail and not bring down the one previously cast. Once the barrier  is created it can not be brought down except through use of a Dispel Magic  spell or stronger magic. Even the caster can not bring the barrier down prior  to the expiration of the duration. This will make use of specifications of  "living things" dangerous as the party could not leave the room.

The material component of this spell is a cube of amber. The size of the cube  is not important nor is the value. The cube of amber is used up in the  casting of the spell.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups  last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology  may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I  did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any  duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If  anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in  advance and all I ask is proper credit.

GURPS - Russia, Omnivision

GURPS allows the GM to run all most anything provided that they have the source material for it. Steve Jackson Games (SJG) has been good about providing source material for the GM. Some of these end up being more desirable and harder to find than others. Russia is one that seems to be on the harder to find end of the spectrum and having seen the information inside I can see why. The book mentions a limited run of 2000 but I am not sure if it was expanded upon.

Russia does not deal with the Russia that we know today or even the one we knew before the Iron Curtain was lifted ever so slightly. This book deals with Russia from the 10th century to the 18th century. This would best be called medieval or Old Russia.

After the Introduction the first section is Mother Russia. This section lays the groundwork for the society, culture and environmental features that will be important later in the book. The topics covered are below. It is important to note that throughout the book there are amazing little sidebars that offset important information or items of interest that will add color to the campaign.

The Russian Village
City Life in Old Russia
Social Organization
The Cossacks
Moscow
Other Cities
Geography
Climate

The second section Russians deals largly with the character generation. This is mostly GURPS specific information but the details could be extracted for use in other systems. Another color item for the book are the quotes that are present at the beginning of the chapters. They help identify how the rest of the world say Russia and Russians during certain times. The sections in the second chapter are below.

Appearance
Names
Character types
Advantages
New Advantages
Disadvantages
Skills
New Skills
Wealth and Status
Job Table
Technology, Equipment and Weapons
Equipment

The third chapter deals with Russian History. This may be one of the most interesting potions of the book to many. I myself learned things about Russia that I did not know and except for this book would most likely not have known. I have to hope that it is accurate if I am ever on Jeopardy and Russian History is a topic. Another item to note is that the art in the book is well done and used to accentuate the topics being covered and not just thrown in to fill space. The sections in chapter three are below.

Prologue: Slavs and Varangians
The Rus and Kiev
Years of Early Growth
Vladimir
The Latter Days of Kievan Russia
The Mongols Arrive
The Heart Awakening
The Climax
The Muscovite Era
The Beginning of the End
Russian Timeline

In the fourth chapter, Religion, we are presented with the history of religion in Russia. There chapter covers this nicely and the focus is on Christianity but it also covers the older and less well known options that the citizens of Old Russia might practice. The sections here are:

Russian Orthodoxy
The Slavic Earth-Cult
Dvoeverie As A Dramatic Device

Fantasy Russia is the topic for the fifth chapter. This was most likely my second favorite chapter and may be the one that most GMs will find useful. This section covers perhaps the most famous entity from Russian mythology Baba Yaga. The full list of sections in this chapter follow.

Location in Fantasy Russia
Roleplaying Folklore
Russian Magic
Magical Objects from Russian Folklore
Prominent People

The sixth chapter is a short one. It is the Bestiary section of the the book. There are two sections here. The first deals with the Natural Creatures that will be present in Old Russia. The second section deals with Supernatural Creatures. There are some interesting entries in this section. I for one wish that there had been a little more material presented in this section. I find it hard to believe that a country the size of Russia can have the bestiary section be less than three pages long. The section on supernatural creatures was almost twice the size so that at least was a positive.

The seventh and final chapter deals with the running of a Russian campaign. It begins by pointing out that there is no right or wrong campaign to run. It makes the distinct point that one of the important decisions is the reality level of the campaign. The primary point of contention is do you run a historical or mythical campaign. Finally the chapter presents the GM with a number of short adventures they can use. There is a good mix of historical, fantasy and even some cross-over campaign ideas.

If you have any interest in running a Russian based campaign this would be one of the best resources you can find among gaming material. At Origins I was able to land a copy of Rus which would be another excellent resource but I have not had a chance to fully read it yet. That aside if you can pick this book up reasonably don't hesitate.

Spell:

Omnivision

Level: Fourth
Range: 6"
Duration: 1 Turn Level
Ares Effect: Special
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 4 Segments
Saving Throw: None

By means of this spell the magic-user grants themselves the ability to see in the whole visible spectrum of light. In game terms this will grant the caster both  infravision and ultravision. The caster also has a percentage chance to see  invisible and out of phase objects. If the caster spends a full round there  is a 25% cumulative chance that they will be able to bring into focus beings  that are out of phase and a 50% chance to see invisible creatures.

As the caster gains levels they are ability to allow others this ability as  well. For every two levels over seventh the caster is able to grant this  ability to another creature that is within sixty feet of them.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups  last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology  may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I  did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any  duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If  anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in  advance and all I ask is proper credit.