Black Atlantic is an adventure. Black Atlantic is a regional sourcebook. Black Atlantic is the third adventure in a trilogy, ending a long connected story arc in a glossy, full-color pursuit of a powerful weapon. It is not necessary to have played the previous two hardcover adventures. In Thy Blood or The Killing Game. However, Black Atlantic will spoil the overall story if you have not the played them.
If you have read our previous Degenesis reviews, you can already imagine the kind of production values that have gone into Black Atlantic. The book is a hardcover and beautiful. The artwork is outstanding, though a bit simple at times. It focuses a great deal on individual portraits with a few action scenes. There is some art of a more sexual nature and plenty of bloody swords and severed heads. Just be warned that not every piece of artwork will be comfortable for everyone. Inside the front cover is a map of northwest Franka, Briton (Brittany), and some of southern Britain. The inside back cover is a map of Brest circa 2597 A.D. Look and feel are consistent with other Degenesis products.
Broken into four sections, Black Atlantic is more than just an adventure. In fact, the adventure does not even get started until Chapter Three. Chapter One, “Starfire”, talks about the region of Briton and many adjacent locations. This includes a number of cities and history of the region and the pursuit of the weapon. There is a timeline, which was appreciated, and rumors provided near the end of the chapter. Chapter Two, “Burnt Idols”, gives background on the NPCs and much more. Each NPC has a portrait and a great deal of information provided, including a paragraph on how to role play that character. The extensive information helps the game master be fully prepared for the complex adventure that follows.
As mentioned, the adventure itself begins in Chapter Three, “Black Atlantic”, and continues in the next chapter (Four), “Thrown to the Gods”. Information is provided to the GM if they wish to run just Black Atlantic itself, without playing the previous two adventures. A section helps the GM get the players established into the adventure and the locations before bringing on the main storyline.
The adventure is broken down into Acts, which are further broken down into Scenes. The Scenes are then divided into subsections, where the flow of the story is played out. There are sidebars that give stats or add more information to the various sections. The artwork here helps add flavor to the adventure itself and can enhance the role playing. That is a nice touch. The low level enemies have their stats at the end of Chapter Four and are provided in the typical clean fashion.
Black Atlantic is a dense book and the price point is about on par with similar rpg books that are sourcebooks and adventures. Which still means it is expensive. There are options to bundle it with the PDF and a limited edition that is currently sold out. The PDF is also available by itself. The entire trilogy, Jehammed’s Will, seems to be an epic storyline that would certainly introduce players to the world of Degenesis. Black Atlantic the adventure has a lot of moving parts but the adventure is straightforward and feels a bit linear in places. That is not to say the adventure is not compelling, but the impact of Black Atlantic by itself might not be as grand without the first two parts of the trilogy. If you are already a fan of Degenesis then I definitely recommend picking this book up. If you are on the fence, perhaps pick up Black Atlantic and read through this adventure. It may go a long way in helping you decide whether Degenesis as a whole is right for you.
This article was contributed by Sean Hillman (SMHWorlds) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
If you have read our previous Degenesis reviews, you can already imagine the kind of production values that have gone into Black Atlantic. The book is a hardcover and beautiful. The artwork is outstanding, though a bit simple at times. It focuses a great deal on individual portraits with a few action scenes. There is some art of a more sexual nature and plenty of bloody swords and severed heads. Just be warned that not every piece of artwork will be comfortable for everyone. Inside the front cover is a map of northwest Franka, Briton (Brittany), and some of southern Britain. The inside back cover is a map of Brest circa 2597 A.D. Look and feel are consistent with other Degenesis products.
Broken into four sections, Black Atlantic is more than just an adventure. In fact, the adventure does not even get started until Chapter Three. Chapter One, “Starfire”, talks about the region of Briton and many adjacent locations. This includes a number of cities and history of the region and the pursuit of the weapon. There is a timeline, which was appreciated, and rumors provided near the end of the chapter. Chapter Two, “Burnt Idols”, gives background on the NPCs and much more. Each NPC has a portrait and a great deal of information provided, including a paragraph on how to role play that character. The extensive information helps the game master be fully prepared for the complex adventure that follows.
As mentioned, the adventure itself begins in Chapter Three, “Black Atlantic”, and continues in the next chapter (Four), “Thrown to the Gods”. Information is provided to the GM if they wish to run just Black Atlantic itself, without playing the previous two adventures. A section helps the GM get the players established into the adventure and the locations before bringing on the main storyline.
The adventure is broken down into Acts, which are further broken down into Scenes. The Scenes are then divided into subsections, where the flow of the story is played out. There are sidebars that give stats or add more information to the various sections. The artwork here helps add flavor to the adventure itself and can enhance the role playing. That is a nice touch. The low level enemies have their stats at the end of Chapter Four and are provided in the typical clean fashion.
Black Atlantic is a dense book and the price point is about on par with similar rpg books that are sourcebooks and adventures. Which still means it is expensive. There are options to bundle it with the PDF and a limited edition that is currently sold out. The PDF is also available by itself. The entire trilogy, Jehammed’s Will, seems to be an epic storyline that would certainly introduce players to the world of Degenesis. Black Atlantic the adventure has a lot of moving parts but the adventure is straightforward and feels a bit linear in places. That is not to say the adventure is not compelling, but the impact of Black Atlantic by itself might not be as grand without the first two parts of the trilogy. If you are already a fan of Degenesis then I definitely recommend picking this book up. If you are on the fence, perhaps pick up Black Atlantic and read through this adventure. It may go a long way in helping you decide whether Degenesis as a whole is right for you.
This article was contributed by Sean Hillman (SMHWorlds) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
