Amidst an ocean of D&D fantasy d20 products, Malls & Morons stands out as something unique. This, to me, is what the d20 system is really here for: new and innovative concepts all using the same basic ruleset.
OK, I may be slightly biased - I host Malls & Morons here at EN World, although I have nothing to do with the design of the game. That honour belongs solely to Orion Cooper. I also admit to not having actually played the game. But it makes for a great read!
For those that have seen the film Mallrats, this game needs no explanation (although Orion Cooper claims that he hadn't actually seen the film when he came up with the concept for Malls & Morons). Players adopt the roles of the various comedic stereotypes to inhabit the world of America's malls. Never having been to the US, I can't vouch for its accuracy - but it certainly matches any media-based interpretation of the phenomenon that I've ever seen.
In an slight twist on the concept of PC races, Malls & Morons uses PC 'types' to represent the different...err...types of poeple to inhabit the mall: Freaks, Jocks, Nerds, Undermen, Valley People, and Weirdoes. These are presented just like races, and amplify the stereotypical characteristics of each - for example, Jocks are strong but dumb, Nerds are smart but weedy and Valley People are attractive but vacant. When reading this section, I could already imagine the characters from Clerks, Mallrats, even Buffy.
I won't go into too much detail here - you can read it all for yourself here at EN World. I spent a good hour or so reading through the entire game, chuckling to myself frequently - Orion Cooper seems to be a very observant chap and is really able to pick up on the small things that make the mall what it is. From Trekkies to Teen-Witches, from feats such as Improved Grope and Ugly to spells like Acne and Foul Breath, from the fact that you character cannot die to the stat blocks for Eric Noah and Stephen Hawkins, the whole game just appears to be all about tongue-in-cheek fun.
If I had any reservation about the game at all, it would lie solely in its suitability as a long-term prosepct. I suspect that it is intended for the occasional one-off session in between the heavier, more serious dungeon-crawls of D&D. This opinion, of course, is given with no first-hand experience of the game itself.
Of course, there is one other thing in Malls & Morons' favour - it's free. Doesn't cost a penny. Gratis. You can download it now, or peruse the rules on the website. I sincerely recommend that you do so.
