The Fires of War: The Algernon Files Volume 2

[Crothian]

Available in Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition and HERO System 5th Edition formats!

The fires of war burn on the horizon, and a world already short on hope desperately looks for heroes. Luckily, they don't have far to look. Welcome to the so-called Golden Age, where the first generation of superhumans in the public eye are forging legends that will live on long after they're gone. Nazi supersoldiers terrorize Europe, while gangsters vie against mad scientists for control of the underworld. Masked mystery men and two-fisted adventurers bring justice into the darkest alleys and deepest jungles.

The Fires of War: The Algernon Files, Volume 2 is a sourcebook for the early days of the world of capes and cowls. At 128 pages, it includes over a hundred write-ups of characters on both sides of the fence, good guys and bad, as well as a dozen exotic locales, maps, and details on wartime equipment and vehicles.

Click here for details.

The Fires of War (M&M) is a 128 page softcover book with black & white interior art. It retails for $24.95.

The Fires of War (HERO) is a 228 page softcover book with black & white interior art. It retails for $29.95.

The Fires Of War is available for download at RPG Now in M&M and HERO editions, for a mere $14.95. The printed books are in the works, and we'll announce details when the contracts are finalized. You can get notifed when the printed books come in here.

 

[Sketchpad]

Fires of War: The Algernon Files Vol. II

Fires of War: The Algernon Files Vol. II
By DT Butchino

Blackwyrm Games’ first Algernon Files is often considered one of the best Superlink products for Mutants and Masterminds, First Edition. Fires of War, the second volume in the Algernon Files line of books, is a worthy sequel. This time around, Blackwyrm hasn’t only made a book for Mutants & Masterminds, Second Edition, but also for Hero Games’ popular Hero System. For the most part, the two books are similar, with the only differences being the systems used and a few added details in later chapters.
Within the first few sections of the book, the authors give a minor explanation as to what the book’s purpose is and the fact that it’s not a dissertation on what’s commonly known as “The Golden Age”. Rather, this book explores the Word War II era of the Algernon universe and only covers a part of the superhero “Golden Age”. They then explain how to read the character sheets, giving all the info that someone would need to make full use of the characters listed within. This is followed by a brief timeline that covers 1935 to 1954 in the Algernon universe. It should be noted that, while the authors don’t go into extensive detail of the era, the timeline they’ve created is easily adaptable to any campaign or may simply be used on its own. Following after the timeline is a brief listing of equipment available for the era. Covering everything from machine guns to artillery to PT boats, this list details several useful pieces of info for both Gamemasters and players to use. As a side note, this information is especially useful in the M&M 2e version, as some of the equipment is yet to be covered and costs are listed in both power points and equipment points (as gained by the equipment feat).
By page 9, I was starting to see stats for various characters. Both versions of this book cover a ton of ground. Not only are we treated to several war-era villains, but we also get a slew of heroes and a handful of vehicles to use. The first group encountered in the book is the Sentinels, which some may the name from The Algernon Files Vol. 1. This time around, the group is composed of Golden Age heroes, as well as some info on their team vehicle and their base, The Brownstone. Next up are the Defenders of the Crown, a British team composed of heroes like John Bull and The Gryphon. The next section deals with “Independent Allies”, a section that deals with both solo and teamed heroes. Of these characters, I found two groups particularly interesting: The Timesavers, a group of heroes that seem to have time on their side, and Avery “Red” Hawkins and the American Eagles, which is an obvious homage to characters like the Blackhawks and G-8.
About half-way through the book, the villains begin showing up. The first major villain group in the book is Einsatzgruppen Ubersoldaten, a Nazi group that spans over twenty pages and gives the details on several characters, vehicles and locations. I especially liked the maps of Castle Frankenstein, which take up two pages. Next up is a Japanese group called The Emperor’s Hand. Composed of the Kage Do, a sect of warriors and sorcerers, and four legendary figures, this group would make an excellent foil to any heroes of the era. Like the heroic side of the book, the villain side also has a healthy amount of independent villains in both solo and grouped variants. Of the villains, I found three very interesting: The Element of Crime, an element-wielding thug, The Emperor of Heaven, struck me as a very “Ming the Merciless” kind of character, and Salamanca, because I’m a big fan of sky-striding pirates with living voodoo dolls.
The rest of the books are where they begin to differ a bit. The next few sections of the M&M 2e version cover some optional rules, like additional feats and tactical movement (among others). While the Hero version gives a handy Speed chart. Both versions carry a “Pages of History” section that details further information on the characters in the Blackwyrm universe, providing brief snippets of what happened to the characters as time furthered on.
Overall, the product is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. The PDFs are well organized, have a great design structure and include full-color art (which you can preview over at Blackwyrm’s website). If you run a superhero game, even if you don’t use Hero or M&M 2e, these books would be extremely useful just for the campaign world within. Well done Blackwyrm Games … can’t wait to see what else you have planned!