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Message: <blockquote data-quote="billd91" data-source="post: 2010897" data-attributes="member: 3400">Crooks is the latest publication for Mutants and Masterminds, a d20 super-hero game that has really been sparking a lot of interest in the genre, and I'll start out by saying that it's very good, if a bit pricey.The hardcover book ran 27.95 at my FLGS and is fairly thin at 128 pages. I think I probably would have been satisified with this available as a somewhat cheaper soft-cover, since I've very rarely had significantly more durability trouble with my RPG soft-covers than I have with my hardcovers as far as wear and tear. I was tempted to rate this a good rather than superb because of that... however, the content, I think, considerably overweighs my concerns about the relative price.Crooks provides background information on the META-4 campaign setting, the setting from which the template characters in the core MnM rules are drawn. This is a West Coast oriented setting with some interesting differences from the Freedom City campaign, which is an East Coast oriented setting. That said, there's little that can't be adapted and used in the other setting. A little care in integrating their respective campaign histories and you're good to go.There are also some rule additions in this supplement, mostly additional weaknesses, feats, and even a couple interesting templates that can be applied to characters. Many of the feats and weaknesses are geared toward the villainous end of the spectrum in case the players want to have a super-villain campaign or the DM wants to add some oomph to his villains. I like one of the super-feats in particular: Into Thin Air. This is pure comic book. When the villain is defeated, particularly in one of his stranger local bases like the one over the volcano or in the orbital shuttle, and he is thrown into the nuclear furnace that will kill him, his body and stuff all disappears, potentially leaving the death somewhat ambiguous. This is perfect for so many master-mind villains and even main villains in less powerful campaigns. How many movies did that pestky Ernst Blofeld appear in, only to have his nefarious plots thwarted by James Bond ending in what appears to be his own slightly ambiguous death?The bulk of this volume, however, is made up of NPCs for the characters to deal with. Some are minions, easily defeated, but with some interestingly varied power ranks. Others are full-blown villians including the somewhat comical group of grrl villains, the Clique, Nazi villains Blitz and Iron Cross, and deranged sickos like Beholder. All are lavishly illustrated, have detailed histories, tactical notes, one or two plot hooks, and notes for using them in a campaign. The villains are pretty interesting and inventive and come at a variety of power levels, with some preponderance at just a few points over and around PL10. The writing is clear and engaging and humor is put to good use as it has been in other MnM publications. One thing of interest: this particular publications, unlike most other superhero RPGs or even comic books, does not shy away from mentioning real-world events or personalities. Beholder, for example, apparently had something in for both Marilyn Manson and Drew Barrymore, judging from his description. And I have to wonder just what spot Duran Duran has in the minds of the authors. On second thought, maybe I don't want to know. I do find it interesting, though.</blockquote>

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