|
API Worldwide Canada is the first sourcebook for Third Eye Games’ Apocalypse Prevention, Inc. Apocalypse Prevention, Inc., known as API from now on in this review, is 3EG’s first setting. It has been floating around the internet as being “Men in Black” as if done by Joss Whedon, and I think that is an almost perfect description. While the corebook covered the United States in detail, API Worldwide Canada covers…well Canada.
The Book Itself
API Worldwide Canada is an 84 paged paperback printed in black and white. My copy was a POD from lulu.com. I also have the pdf, which is identical. The book sticks to the same cover theme only instead of a world map of blood we now have a maple leaf design in blood. The cover is simple, but something about it still drags my attention towards it same as the corebook. The interior has just enough art as to not seem lacking and ranges from the average to a couple of really nice pieces. This book is crammed full of information and provides a lot of ideas and details for only 84 pages (2 of which are index and 3 are ads.)
Chapter Breakdown
Pre-chapters
The prologue is a 3 page short story that really helps set the mood for the book, the writing is done well and really helps convey the mood of the setting. Small paragraphs throughout the book add to the continuation of the prologue story. After the prologue is the title page and table of contents.
Chapter One: A Look at Canada (Pages 8-19)
The first chapter is a brief overview of Canada. It delves into each province and talks about local customs, misconceptions about Canada, crime activity, and other important aspects of important cities and locations. I am by no means an expert on Canadian history, to be honest I am not even a novice, but this chapter helps me feel like I understand the basics of the country and its cities. The chapter gives the impression the author did a lot of research and an excellent job in choosing what was important in giving the reader a basic Canadian overview. There are tidbits of setting info also placed throughout this chapter to make real life Canada and the setting begin to blend.
Chapter Two: Inside the Company (Pages 20-31)
This chapter goes into detail about API’s history in Canada. It explains how the Great Strategist of the Circle of Ten came into power over the Canadian branch of API. It goes into current events for API in Canada and explains how their procedures differ from API in America. There is a small sidebar adding some Canadian specific Elite techniques, for those who wish to play one of API’s Elite in Canada. In this chapter a quick mentioning of TUTI, The Thing Under the Ice, is mentioned and explained more later. The phenomenon known as the Aurora Borealis is given some detail and is possibly a magnet for demon’s souls who die to closely to it, Spectrals beware.
Next is a description of the Canadian HQ. Virtually all mundane entrances and exits have been eliminated from the HQ and Mirror magic has become the main form of transport to and from the HQ. The HQ also houses a large prison know as the Pods for demons captured by API. Next is a description of how each race is represented in Canada, for example, Burners are rare due to the cold, but Wolf People and Taylari are more prominent. The chapter finishes with write-ups for important NPCs in the Canadian branch of API.
Chapter Three: Groups and Organizations (Pages 32-42)
Chapter three goes has descriptions for some of the major groups in Canada. There are five total groups explained, the Alpha Pack, TUTI, The Ordo Cryos, Leylines.Org, and the Two Thousand Sleepers.
The Alpha Pack is basically a term given to the strongest Wolf People civilization in Canada, if you can call it a civilization. It is basically a collection of the strongest clans working together (for the most part). They are very protective of their territories, but are on somewhat good terms with API.
The Thing Under the Ice (TUTI) is basically a large cthulhu-type monster buried under the ice and land of Canada. TUTI sends its pawns to try to spend up its release from its icy prison and has various worshippers and minions to do its bidding. It is considered to be a major threat to API, but one wonders if they understand what they are up against.
The Ordo Cryos, my personal favorite, is a group of scholars who studied magic to further cryogenics turned environmentalist. Their goal is to cool the climate of the entire world and stop global warming, all from behind the scenes. They try not to drag any attention their way, but their work goes directly against the cults of TUTI.
Leylines.Org is an organization that specializes in the magic Paths of Mirrors and Portals to create a transportation business for Demons and in some cases API. While their main mission is claimed to be locating and helping explorers lost in the wild of Canada, API suspects them of many illegal activities such as smuggling contraband or illegal demons. Leylines.Org is about profit first.
Last is the Two Thousand Sleepers, a group of Taylari who believe that the Taylari Mortus form is holy. They also consider the Long Night, the period of less sun in the northern area, as a Religious event for worshipping death and sacrifice others for group feedings. While many of the group’s activities would of course be against API law, most live completely legal lives and do not break API law.
Chapter Four: Canadian Toy Box (Pages 43-65)
This chapter begins with rules for Snowfall, Avalanches, Frostbite, Snow Blindness and many other effects from cold weather. It has rules for combat in snowy or icy conditions including new techniques for those familiar with fighting in these conditions. Next is a list of equipment, including cybernetics specific to Canada or colder regions.
The next section is descriptions for monsters and other antagonists for the area. These range from Fenris Wolves to minions of TUTI. After that are new Paths of Magic and their spells. The new Paths are the Path of Elements: Ice, the Path of Fractures (a Path specific to the Husks explained later), more spells for the Path of Mirrors, and the Path of Shadows.
The last part of this chapter introduces 2 new legal demon races and 1 illegal demon. The first are the Husks. Husks are demons that resemble statues; they must crack parts of their bodies to form joints to be capable of movement, and can re-heal these cracks when stationary. They are capable of breaking parts of their bodies off and these parts can act independently from the rest.
Wendigo are the second legal race and are a people who teeter on the break of berserking for fresh meat. Those who work for API have been neutered in a form to try to help them stave off their appetites. When a Wendigo does eat raw meat they transform into their Behemoth forms, becoming meat eating monsters of destruction.
The illegal race is the Infected. They appear to be normal humans but are actually minions and spawn of TUTI. The spawn of a TUTI slug impregnating a human woman creates a child that must live on a diet of human hearts. These Infected exude an Aura of Infatuation, making many people follow, worship or simply care for the individual. This makes finding hearts easy and often ensures the Infected’s survival.
Adventure One: Danger at the Mine (Pages 66-71)
I did not read the adventures into great detail, but did give them a quick once over. This adventure seems to be a good one shot that would give new players a good example of what a basic “adventure” for API in Canada might be. It fits well with the setting and good easily lead to a much longer campaign.
Adventure Two: Splinter (Pages 72-77)
This adventure appears to deal quite a bit with magic and introduces the players to the Husks. It has a lot of magical travel and a “stop the super villain” type feel. It seems it would take longer than a one shot, most likely two or three sessions, but still seems it could be very fast paced. IT also fits the setting very well.
Epilogue (Page 78)
This finishes the fiction began in the prologue and continued throughout the book.
Field Report Form (Page 79)
A blank field report form to copy and print. This can be a tool to add some realism to your players. It can be used to make your players fill out reports to their superiors at API. This in and of itself could start adventure hooks.
Index (Pages 80-81)
Advertisements (Pages 82-84)
The first ad is a general ad for Third Eye Games, the second is for API t-shirts from Ziraxia.com, and the last Is for the next sourcebook; Demon Codex: Lochs.
Overall
This book is crammed full of ideas. There is no wasted space. Every page had me excited with a new idea, adventure hook, or just feelings of “wow”. It really did a good job of presenting API’s Canada setting while also giving a good rundown of Canada’s actual geography. It continues the Whedon’s MiB vibe and has me excited to run or play the game using this setting. 3EG’s has claimed they are working on a rigorous release schedule and plan to have 5 more sourcebooks out before the end of the year, if they all turn out equally as good as Canada I will be very happy.
A couple bad things were there are a few typos, but still way below my annoyance level and way below some companies’ books I have. Again some of the art pieces look like they were originally wonderful but didn’t transition to black and white print as well as the artist and author might have thought.
Style I will give a 3.5(4). The cover is very nice and the inside art for the most part is wonderful. It gets a 3.5 because some of the artwork was too dark for the B&W print and appeared slightly bad when printed and because there is less art in it than the corebook. The layout is a very nice two column layout easily read and pretty to the eye. Again this book is crammed full of information and makes the less art “hit” not as bad.
Substance gets a 5. This book has a wonderful setting. That has had a lot of thought put into it. The book is crammed with so many good ideas and fun plot hooks that it should provide hours and hours of enjoyment.
|
Log In 
