SHOWBIZ: Pre-Game (d20 Future)

[Messageboard Golem]

"SHOWBIZ: Pre-Game" by BlackWyrm Games

A d20 Future adventure for character levels 3 to 6.

When the characters are hired by a mysterious corporate sponsor to infiltrate a secret robotics lab, that's just the start of the festivities. Soon, they also find themselves given a shot at fame and fortune in the latest reality show by the major media-megacorp. But in this production the guns are loaded and the danger is real. One mistake and you'll be cancelled, permanently. Does your team have what it takes to fight off the competition and get the job done?

This near-future, urban adventure features all of the high-tech opponents and corporate subterfuge you would expect to find in a cyber-punkish, guns-for-hire scenario. You'll also find detailed settings ranging from wharfside slums, to high-rise offices, to ultra-secure underground data vaults. Crazed cyber-gangers, suave corporate power-brokers, and laser-wielding Deathbots - it's all in here, and this is just the pre-game!

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Some sample art can be found on our company website:
http://www.blackwyrm.com/Products.htm

Technical information and a free preview are available at RPGNow:
http://rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=3630

 

[Crothian]

Show Biz

Every now and then a small and basically unknown product comes out and does a great job tackling the routine. One of the nice jobs about being a mainly PDF reviewer is a lot of the products I get are the first ones people have ever done. These people are usually new to the industry and some hit while other miss. The misses are not so much fun. But the hits are just special. There is nothing better then opening these files and just being impressed with the first product some people but out. And sure I may have revealed my hand to show that Show Biz is one such product.

Show Biz is an adventure for d20 Modern. It is set in the not so distant future so using d20 Future should also be an option as long as the time period stays the same. The company is Blackwyrm Games. The file it all comes in is a bit over three megs and that is good since there is a print and on screen version of the module as well as color and black and white versions of the maps. I will be raving about the maps shortly. The Module is fifty nine pages long. It has great art and great layout. It is done in full color, the action is easy to follow, and the module just flows nicely. The book is nicely book marked and should be very easy to use from a lap top other computer device at the gaming table. As this is a module and more likely to be used at the gaming table then most source books I find this very important.

There are maps in the module but even more impressive are the player handout maps. There are thirty two pages of maps and while they need to be printed to use there are black and white and color versions of them. These maps are fantastic, especially the colored ones. They are designed to be used with miniatures so all are nicely scaled and depict many places around a city. One of the coolest is there is an encounter that takes place down town in the city. Not only does it have a map from the overview angle but includes a side word view at an angle showing the three dimensions of the area and the buildings. I really like the coloring of the maps and the details provided. They are a good mix of both art and function making them easy to use and nice to look at. That is a balance that not many maps have.

The adventure is simple and complex. It is designed for characters of level three through six. There are going to be spoilers because the there is no really way to describe all that is going on without giving something away. The adventure starts with a typical meeting for the players to be hired under the table to do a deed. But what the players don’t know is they aren’t exactly being set up, but the deed is a front for something else; namely reality television. They are auditioning to be on a new and deadly show where people fight and can actually die. The players are just going after a gang as far as they know but there are hidden cameras and if they live they can make some real money on this show.

But that is just the first twist this module has. It seems that some groups realize they are auditioning for a show and want to take out the competition. And if that was not enough there is a rival television station that wants to take the show off the air... permanently. There is enough info here to expand it into a series of adventures or this adventure would really make a good one shot for a convention, game day, or just something a little different with the regular group. The module is well written, creative, and the production values are really top notch.

There is not much more I can say about this module. I count myself as not being a big fan of the modern game but this module won me over. It looks great but most important as I read it I couldn’t help thinking that this would be a fun module to either run or play through. And that is the best thing I can say about any gaming product.