Heart of The Machine

[Messageboard Golem]

They say you can tell how close to the Outlands you are by the way a planet looks from space. If that is true, then the Outlands must be just around the corner from Drelga, because from space you can barely see signs of technology. Still, as you approach the starport looks busy enough, and since you will be there a week or more anyway, you decide you might as well make the best of it.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Heart of the Machine is a licensed new adventure by Mystic Eye Games for the Dragonstar setting. Designed for 4th level characters, the module has some innovations and this 64 page book reminds me in many ways of Morrick Mansion by Necromancer Games.

The book is broken up into roughly three sections. The first part describes the city of Drelandan on the planet Dreiga. There is enough information with enough mapped locations to make the city useful not only for this adventure, but with some effort, several more. This includes not only the bars and taverns, but the church and grove of the druids. Wise GMs should make footnotes about the various locations as they go through the module so that they can seamlessly integrate it into the adventure.

The second part of the module whets the players appetite for adventure. It relies on the old standard of the party being asked for help by a wanted man and depending on their actions, being targeted by a gang even if they decline to help the desperate stranger. Of course, attacking a group of adventurers is often the least intelligent thing anyone can do and there are several encounters set up to play off this initial meeting.

One of the innovations here is that the book doesn't rely on the party doing things one way. There are several things mentioned that the party may do, and the end results, i.e. The party overcoming the gang, are the only parts that matter. This could be a straight invasion of the punk's coffee lair, a diversionary tactic to split the gangsters up, or with clever players, something else. It's goal oriented.

The real secret of the module however, isn't the battle against the gangsters, but finding out who they work for and investigating this lone base in the wilderness. After some exploration and combat, the party will emerge triumphant and wiser or dead. Not a good choice eh?

Okay people are saying, then why is this a 64 page module? It sounds short. Well, like I said, it reminds me of the Mansion. See, the first 42 pages are pure adventure. The rest of the material includes the new creature, the mastermind behind the events, a marbuzi, his spells, new magic items, robots, weapons, equipment, and vehicles. In this way, the book (about 8 pages), is part sourcebook, part adventure. The rest of the book is filled with the stats of the NPCs. This includes the name, background information and full stat blocks. Most of these individuals are non-combatants so the mileage on them is entirely up to the GM. Those who want ready made characters have their choice of five characters.

One of the strengths of the adventure is the theme boxes. These boxes provide the GM additional notes on how best to change the encounter, depending on the strength of the party. For example, they have ideas on using the party with a heavy base of 'gunslingers' or 'treacherous traps'. In other words, for parties with a lot of fighters or thieves. This prevents the material from being static. Another useful trick is the adventure seeds scattered through the text. Useful material, but not deeply detailed.

It has a two-column layout. Art ranges from fair art to good. The maps however, are top notch, done by Ed Bourelle. The maps are readable and are only lacking a map key. Interior covers are not used. Layout is much better in this book as far as white space and font sizing goes, nothing like Raw Recruits or Vigilance. This is something very important to me. The layout is better. It's not important to me because it's a good layout and better format, but it's important because it shows that unlike some companies, Mystic Eye Games is interested and committed to IMPROVEMENT. The only problem is with the s when it happens at the end of a word in a possessive form, as there's a space between the word and the s like Voltagg s on page 11.

Heart of the Machine should provide your Dragonstar players with at least three nights of solid adventure and the wise GM will set up side missions for the players as they move through the city to insure maximum usage of the adventure.

 

[GameWyrd]

This is a review of a pre-written scenario. If you don’t want spoilers then jump in your spaceship and buzz off. Heart of the Machine is a licensed Dragonstar game. As a licensed game it’s not written by Fantasy Flight Games but by Mystic Eye Games instead, that’s alright, Mystic Eye have already proven they can do this successfully enough with Raw Recruits.

The Heart of the Machine is nice and clean. The book has a nice feel to it, a crisp layout, a bold front cover, good quality paper and exceptionally sharp cartography. The 64-paged paperback adventure is split into three parts and designed for fourth level characters. GM tips presented in easy to spot "theme boxes" are on hand to make it easy to scale the adventure towards the nuances of the party. For example, a "Greater Than" note suggests adding an extra thug and warrior because the party’s combined levels is greater than the suggested default, in the same place a "Lesser Than" note suggests removing one warrior and a "Gunslingers" note comes into force if the group is blessed with several strong fighters places the thugs behind some parked vehicles and therefore in half cover. I’m going to wrinkle my nose at the "role-play heavy" group being catered for by the "Puzzles and Pits" theme box, but only a little wrinkle since the alterations are often role-playing twists and not actually a puzzle or a pit.

The plot is nice and flexible too. Actually, it’s a fairly standard set up but it’s one that works and works well. The players arrive at a planet not far from the Outlands or the players might already be there, GM’s choice, the book is kind enough to discuss both options and present plot hooks for both. The trouble starts when an NPC tells the characters about a kidnapping ring. And they’re caught. The problem with pre-written adventures (one of many) is that often they need a serious and frustrating amount of railroading or artificial coincidence to get going. It’s perfectly natural to have someone say something. In this case there’s the added and important safety catch in that if the group does their best to wash their hands of what they’ve discovered, or even if they give the would-be telltale the cold shoulder then he’s doomed to be re-captured by the gang. Once re-captured he’ll tell the gang out of spite, or perhaps to make life easier on himself, that the PCs know the secret. This set of events, pretty much however they play out, will set the gang against the characters. If the group decides to investigate the gang then this will take the adventure on to stage 2. A brave and proactive group might get around to investigating and breaking into the Jack 23 (the gang’s) headquarters. That’ll finish with a hi-speed chase and Heart of the Machine offers up a handy table of random encounters (turns, groups of pedestrians, long straights, etc) to help the GM keep the action going. An investigation of the gang’s headquarters will prove that they’ve been kidnapping people for an organisation carrying out illegal experiments on them. Good aligned groups or those smelling an adventure will continue on to the last part of the adventure and end up trying to break into the Marbuzi facility, trying to rescue the captives there and getting out before it explodes.

The Marbuzi are a new race. In fact, the Marbuzi are an intelligent but artificial race created by the Sel-tava from the thumbs of dead Sel-tava. The Marbuzi’s relationship with their parent race is succinctly summed up as "they do those experiments the Sel-tava don’t consider worth their personal attention but which are still too important to be left to anyone else".

There’s as much new material as there is adventure in Heart of the Machine, in addition to the Marbuzi there are new spells, magic items, robots (Marbuzi ones), weapons, equipment, surface vehicles (hoverbikes, etc) and spacecraft. This is a book that’ll continue to support your Dragonstar games after you’ve run the adventure.

The book introduces more than just new crunch to your Dragonstar campaign. As the blurb points out there’s also new corporations and chain stores, flavour and setting material in other words. In truth there’s not very much of this, in terms of flavour, there’s only a taste. It’s good though. MacFolan’s has a solid claim as "The Galaxy’s General Store" and stocks everything from guns to gums. If you’re struggling to produce a distinct Dragonstar themed campaign then the addition of corporations will help. They’re an example of a social change that we’re familiar with but which is absent from high fantasy campaigns.

I’m not a fan of pre-written scenario but I most certainly am a fan of the way the adventure is presented in the Heart of the Machine. The book begins by describing the planet and the star port (where the adventure is set). There’s a sort tour of the city, a good map with key locations marked on it and then text supporting each. NPCs have their own goals, weaknesses, strengths and weaknesses. The city is alive and interesting long before the PCs start shooting punks. Stats for the NPCs are found in the end of the book. In the middle are the set of events and detailed locations (like the science lab or the gang’s base) the GM is likely to use in the game. I think it’s much better to present the would-be adventure as a framework, with all the pieces in place, so the GM can simply deal with how the players change the status quo through their actions. This is a far better, more mature, approach to adventure design than a set of rooms to explore or strictly linear events. In the Heart of the Machine the players can ignore as much of the adventure as they want (and the book’s not wasted because of all the new spells, equipment, etc) or investigate without feeling their being forced into doing so. It’s this that’s primarily responsible for Heart of the Machine’s high-for-a-pre-written-adventure score.

Mind you, it’s not perfect. I’d ban the word "You" and especially "You see" from text the GM is supposed to read to the players. Heart of the Machine doesn’t go as far as telling the players what their characters are doing, though. The game also relies on the party being fairly confidant and ready to get involved in events.

It’s worth noting the cartography. It really is good. Mystic Eye have Ed Bourelle of Skeleton Key Games back again for one of their books and he’s worth whatever they pay him. It’s a given to see his name on any "Best Cartography" shortlist.

If you want a neat, tidy and satisfying adventure then Heart of the Machine is well worth a look. If you’ve dragged your Dragonstar players up to about fourth level by hook and by crook and you’re in desperate need of something solid to continue from then the Heart of the Machine will do you proud.

* This Heart of the Machine review was first published by GameWyrd.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

By John Grigsby, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine Rack

Caution: This review may contain spoilers which may jeopardize your enjoyment of the adventure if you intend to participate as a player. Remember, cheaters only cheat themselves.

Sizing Up the Target
Heart of the Machine is an adventure for the Dragonstar campaign setting from Mystic Eye Games. This 64-page softcover adventure was written by Stefon Mears and features the artistic talents of Ed Bourelle, Brad McDevitt, and Jeremy McHugh, with cover art from Jhoneil Centeno. It retails for $13.99.

First Blood
Heart of the Machine is an adventure in three parts and is intended for 4th level characters. The whole of the adventure takes place on the planet Drelga, a small and insignificant (though not for long) planet on the outskirts of the Great Dragon Empire. Four ready-made PCs are included as optional characters if the party is of insufficient experience or does not have characters prepared.

Recently, rumors have filtered from Drelga about people disappearing. Is they were just transients, no one would likely question it, but other, more prominent local figures have turned up missing as well. The players don’t know this at first, however, until their ship arrives at the backwater planet for whatever reason (a few suggestions are offered in the adventure) and they find that the capital city is barely larger than a small town.

In brief, the characters arrive at Drelga for a brief layover and soon find themselves embroiled in the kidnapping plots. Ideally, they will be moved to investigate and will eventually trace the plot back to its source, wherein the real (and horrific) truth is revealed. The adventure is fairly straightforward and only takes up about 20 pages. Despite this, it looks to be entertaining and would probably fill out a single game session nicely. A GM could easily fit it into an ongoing campaign as a side trek or brief diversion.

The remainder of the book features a fairly detailed description of Drelandan, the capitol city of Delgar, and some new campaign material. The city is well-detailed, with several accompanying maps that could be used to expand the adventure. In addition, it includes a listing of names and establishments that are left unrealized, in case the GM should find herself in need of one. For each location that is fully described, a selection of rumors and adventure hooks is also thoughtfully provided (the rumors are also compiled into a master listing at the end of the section).

The new material includes a new race, four new spells, a new magical item, several robots, two new weapons, two new items of equipment, and several new vehicles and spacecraft. There are also some player handouts and some thoughts on continuing the adventure. As is the case with most adventure products from Mystic Eye Games, the NPCs are given on name, race, class, level, and hit points within the text, but are fully described in their own appendix.

The layout is comfortable and easy to read and there are no weird fonts to send the eyes into spasms. I also noted no significant spelling, grammar, or formatting errors in my read-through. The plot is very simplistic and there really isn’t much of a sub-plot, but it should prove engaging, nonetheless.

Critical Hits
Some encounters include notes for modifying the circumstances to fit the situation, whether the party is aggressive, more role-play oriented, or of a higher or lower level than the adventure recommends. This is actually a practice that I wish other designers would use because it makes adjusting the adventure a lot simpler. In addition, there are “quick fixes” addressing things like the group being soundly defeated, splitting up, and the like. All of this contributes to a much more enjoyable game from the GM standpoint.

I’d also like to take a moment to address the chase scene that occurs in the scenario. The chase mechanism used is both easy and fairly realistic and it really enhances the adventure. It requires a little work to set up ahead of time on the part of the GM, but it will really bring the scene to life if used properly.

Critical Misses
The only real complaint I have is that the adventure just seems too darned short. Out of 64 pages, the adventure itself takes up only 20 (29, if you count the NPCs and ready-made PCs). The remainder is little more than filler (though some very good filler). As it stands, this is really more of a brief diversion and though the price is alright for what you get, I just think that there could have been more done with the plot than what there was (perhaps one of the continuation hooks could have been expanded on).

Coup de Grace
On the whole, this is a decent value. The background material provides a GM with a viable setting in which to base further adventures, as well as some new goodies that can be used in the campaign, and the adventure itself, though short, is still entertaining. Spells, equipment descriptions, creatures, and similar content derived from the SRD are named as Open Game Content, which accounts for about 30% of the book. The plotline seems pretty original (at least, it isn’t something I’ve seen a hundred times in movies or books) and though most of the work is aimed at GMs, the players will doubtlessly enjoy the adventure and may be able to use some of the new goodies described here.

To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.

 

[Psion]

Heart of the Machine

Heart of the Machine is a licensed adventure published by Mystic Eye Games for Fantasy Flight Games' Dragonstar setting. Heart of the Machine is written by Stefan Mears, and is designed for a party of 4th level characters.

A First Look

Heart of the Machine is a 64-page perfect-bound softcover book priced at $13.99. This is about average for a d20 System product of this size and format.

The cover of the book has the black and blue circuitry pattern common to Dragonstar products. The cover has an illustration of four characters aboard some sort of airspeeder being fired upon by assailants on one-man flying vehicles. The driver looks way too happy for someone under attack. The cover art is by Jhoneil Centeno.

The interior is black and white, with interior artwork attributed to Ed Bourelle, Brad McDevitt, and Jeremy McHugh. Ed Bourelle is responsible for the cartography, which is top-notch. The remaining artwork is of passable quality, but a bit bland in places.

The interior body font text is of modest size, with close line and paragraph spacing. Generally, the use of space if better than average for MEG products. The layout is clean, and uses the "computerized" look of Dragonstar products.

A Deeper Look
(Warning: This section contains spoilers to the adventure.)

Heart of the Machine is an event-driven adventure with some site-based sections.

The adventure takes place on a backwater planet called Drelga, and much of the action takes place in the starport city of Drelandan. The adventure has provisions to have PCs be locals or travelers.

The book is split roughly into introduction, background, events of the adventure, and game statistics material.

The introductory section is brief, and contains an overview of the adventure and the background behind it, as well as plot hooks for involving either natives or visitors.

The background sections describing the background and details of the planet and city takes up a whole 18 of the adventure's 64 pages. The city section focuses on establishments that the players are likely to visit, as well as providing rumors that they can find in various locations that relate to the adventure itself.

There are three sections related to the events of the adventure itself. The adventure makes use of the "theme boxes", an innovation first used by Thunderhead Games before they merged with Mystic Eye Games. The theme boxes provides variations that you can insert into the adventure to better fit the competencies of the party. While these are generally a great boon to the adventure, I did catch an error in one of them: in one encounter designed to be for a tougher party, the theme box states that the modified encounter is EL5, where, in fact, the base encounter is EL5.

The first part of the adventure gets the players involved. The PCs are stopped by a man pleading for help, alleging that he has seen a kidnaping. Just then, a couple of thugs round the corner and claim that the man owes them money, and that his claims are false. The adventure is rather flexible from here on, as regardless of what they do, the party is marked by the gang, who will attack them later.

As they players investigate, they should stumble on a plot by a local gang in league with a member of a new alien race to kidnap locals and itinerants in a plot to turn them into soulmech slaves. There is one potential plot bottleneck between the second and third parts in that the party has to find and examine a specific data chip to find directions to the final encounter area/site. Fortunately, this is a small enough problem that the GM should be able to plot around it.

The first two appendices in the back provide game statistics for characters and equipment used in the adventure. The first appendix has the statistics for new game material, such as a new creature (the marbuzi, the sinister race of the villain of the adventure), new spells, magic items, robots, and vehicles.

The second appendix contains character statistics, including stock and specific NPCs opposing the players, and pregenerated statistics for a party of 4th level PCs.

A third appendix contains three player handouts. There is no statement of permission to photocopy, which would have been nice if the only place you have to make copies is staffed by "copyright bullies."

A fourth and final appendix provides plot hooks/adventure ideas for the GM to use other locations in the port city for other adventures.

Conclusion

Heart of the Machine is a fairly simple and well put-together adventure. Though it is not as ambitious as MEG's Raw Recruits, it lacks some of the aggravating mistakes and logical holes of that adventure.

The actual adventure itself seem somewhat short, so you will probably get the most use out of the adventure if you run other adventures on the planet of Drelga.

Overall Grade: B

-Alan D. Kohler