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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2009849" data-attributes="member: 18387">By Steven Creech, Exec. Chairman, d20 Magazine Rack Sizing Up the Target Just in time to see the cancellation of the series by the Sci-Fi channel, the Farscape Roleplaying Game is released by the team at Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG). This much-awaited 320-page hardcover, which retails for $39.95, gives role-playing gamers what they’ve been waiting for – the chance to play in the Farscape universe. Having never seen a single episode (I don’t have cable), I was looking forward to reading this book to see what the hype is about. First Blood The book opens with a short fiction piece that flavors the rest of the book with personality by giving the characters identity of their own. It’s an entertaining read. Following this is a rundown of the setting and role-playing in general. The first half of the book is source material from the Farscape setting while the second half contains the meaty game mechanics. An episode synopsis of the first two seasons comprises chapter one. This gives the reader a very good understanding of the setting. Chapter two introduces you to the show’s personalities, otherwise known as the crew of the leviathan ship, Moya. You also get details of two of the show’s more familiar badguys. Here you learn all you need to know about the characters. Farscape races is the subject of chapter three. Each race is defined according to description, homeworld, nature, and society. Chapter four is a sampling of locales and worlds within the Uncharted Territories. Essentially this is your detailed guide to the Farscape galaxy. The d20 game mechanics explanation begins on page 145 with chapter five. Character creation guidelines are outlined followed by explanations of key terms such as wound points. Chapter six lists playable races while chapter seven goes into character classes. Feats, powers and skills is the aptly named title of chapter eight. Besides the common feats and skills you are used to seeing, several appropriate to the setting are offered. The powers are similar to what you might see in the Psionic’s Handbook except that they are either physical or metaphysical in nature. Chapter nine, equipment, is a respectable collection of weapons and gadgets derived from the series. Chapter ten covers combat and just about every other game mechanic a GM would deal with in this setting. Chapter eleven is a collection of ships complete with rules for construction. Game Masters get their own chapter (12) containing tips and suggestions for running campaigns in the Farscape universe. Monsters (aka lifeforms) comprise chapter thirteen and let me say that this is one eclectic collection. Finally, the appendix contains NPCs (complete with stats) that can be quickly used by GMs. Critical Hits The book excels at capturing the Farscape feel and would fit into most any science fiction d20 game. The wound point system offers a good alternative to the standard hit point system that most folks are accustomed to. The combat and hazard rules are written cleanly in an easily understood manner. Critical Misses Obviously, this is meant to appeal to the masses that love Farscape and therefore has limited marketability. Another criticism goes back to those that are common in Star Trek; all alien races are humanoid in body type. Why not have some playable races that aren’t restricted to bipedal forms? Coup de Grace So assuming you are not a diehard fan of Farscape, why should this book become part of your collection? Well, that’s a tough answer. I can only relay my thoughts on this matter. The Farscape RPG is a solid book that offers gamers the chance to explore the universe in a science fiction setting that doesn’t have the Force or have fantasy creatures like Drow and dragons. A major drawback is that there are no future support products planed for 2003 by AEG (although there is good support on their website). From the sounds of it, this is a one-shot book. However, this one single book has enough information to sustain an enterprising and industrious GM for some time to come. My final opinion is that it is a good book if you are looking for something different, yet still d20 science fiction. But be prepared to develop your own campaigns. To see the graded evaluation of this product, go to The Critic's Corner at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com" target="_blank">www.d20zines.com.</a></blockquote>

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