From www.secretidentitypodcast.com:

With “Robotika,” Alex Sheikman combines steampunk, samurai, cyborgs and sprinkles in some Wild West to create a stunning vision on the future.

“Robotika” starts off following Niko, a samurai in the employ of the queen’s guard, who is sent on a mission through the badlands to retrieve a stolen piece of technology that has potential to change the economic landscape. Along the way he encounters bandits, cyborgs, and Cherokee Geisha, a sword-wielding mercenary that takes a shine to Niko and helps him on his mission. Niko completes his task and returns to the queen, but what she does with the recovered technology makes Niko question why he went on the mission in the first place. He decides to give up his sword, and walks away from the queen.

Niko then falls in with Cherokee Geisha and her colleague Bronsky, as they escort a group of people on a pilgrimage to visit their god. Needless to say, that adventure doesn’t turn out quite as intended, either.

Sheikman writes and illustrates this series, which is a good thing, as I’m not sure anyone else would have been able to convey the world he’s created in Robotika. The visuals are amazing, and Sheikman does an especially great job of fusing organics with technology against the backdrop of the Wild West-like badlands. It’s like nothing I’ve seen before.

The techniques that Sheikman uses to make each character stand out are interesting as well. Niko is mute, and much of his story comes from the characters and the world reacting to him. Cherokee Geisha is also mute, but has a voice modulator that makes her sound…odd. Sheikman conveys this by lettering all of Cherokee’s dialogue vertically. It’s jarring at first, but it also has the effect of slowing you down, making you take in what’s going on in every panel. I actually came to appreciate it by the end of the series, as Robotika is not a read that you can breeze through.

Overall, “Robotika” is a very interesting experience through a completely unique world. I would definitely recommend it.

I'm just not sure who this game is supposedly aimed at - if it's for children, then I doubt they'll find the obtrusive mechanics that easy to grasp. The presentation is very good indeed, but even though the Burning Wheel engine is stripped down, it's still way too jargonised and over-directed in it's gameplay objectives to be accessible for casual gamers, I feel.

Author Jason Becker and artist Jon Rea have collaborated to create Killing Pickman, a modern noire tale wrapped around serial child murder and Satanism. And honestly, it warms my heart, but please keep that between you and me.

Issue 1 starts with Detective Bill Zsu canvassing the neighborhood in which multiple children have disappeared. When he knocks on Dick Pickman’s door the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. After calling for back up a showdown ensues the results of which are six new holes in Pickman, the discovery of satanic hobbies undertaken by the aforementioned Mr. Pickman, and a tunnel in which more child victims are discovered alive. Pickman goes to the hospital and Detective Zsu goes a little crazy working the psychopath beat. Little does he know that he’s only scratched the surface of the depravity he’s just uncovered.

Becker’s story is fast-paced and streamlined. Where other stories get stuck in the mud while we all drown in exposition Becker kicks us in the ass, shoving us through the door of the loony bin. Conceptually and tonally, Killing Pickman is similar to comics such as Sin City and Arkham Asylum, as well as films including The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en.

Jon Rea’s artwork is bleak and fragmented embodying the dark themes of the story and the psychopathic nature of our antagonist. He uses charcoals, blues, blacks, grays and browns to saturate the pages with a noire palette. Fans of primary colors should keep a safe distance. Rea’s style is reminiscent of Frank Miller’s seminal Dark Knight masterpiece as well as Dave Mckean’s innovative and disturbing work from the early 90’s. There are moments when the action is obscured by the artistic style, but never for too long and never to the detriment of the book’s appeal.

Killing Pickman is fantastic. If you like your Satanism hardboiled and your child murder mysterious then this book is for you. Looking forward to issue 2.

A spot of snake-slaying and a conspiracy, in a good-looking first issue that has the distinct feel of stepping into the middle of an ongoing story.

From www.secretidentitypodcast.com:

What Nick Taplanski and Alex Eckman-Lawn have created with “Awakening” is a unique take on the zombie genre that has a distinct noir flavor. The story is set in the small town of Park Falls, and follows former detective Derrick Peters. As the first issue opens, Peters is doing some private investigation work for a woman whose husband has gone missing. The details of the man’s disappearance are not adding up, and Peters eventually sees similarities between his case and some other disappearances that have occurred recently. A shady pharmaceutical company, corpses with bite marks on them, and shadowy government intervention all point to something much more sinister than just some random disappearances.

Taplanski opens this series with a well-paced first issue that sets the table nicely for the rest of the story. In addition to the main mystery of what’s happening to people in town, each of the core characters has unanswered questions of their own, like why Peters is no longer on the force, or just what made the ‘town crazy’ lose it in the first place. Alex Eckman-Lawn’s artwork is dark and surreal, and it reminded me of some of Ashley Wood’s work, particularly the stuff he did on the “Metal Gear Solid” books. His style fits the story well.

Issue #1 of “Awakening” does an excellent job of sucking you in and raising a lot of questions about what’s to come in the rest of the series. Whether you’re a horror fan or you just love a good mystery, there’s a lot to sink your teeth into with this one.

The 'Intelligent Mice' premise is what got me to click on the product. The intro was interesting enough to want to buy it; the price was low enough that it was quickly bought. The story hooked me. It's thematic, gripping...And far too short. Things are resolved too quickly. Hopefully, the next series will play out over more comic pages. If you enjoy stories of epic struggles to survive against overwhelming odds and foes, then read this comic. It's a serious, enjoyable read. With intelligent mice.

Every gamer should play this game. Never have I been so impressed by a gaming product, and I have treasured superb works by the likes of Monte Cook's Malhavoc Press (among others) for years.

The game is simple to pick up, dynamic in play, and has some strengths not mentioned in the previous review. For instance, the typical session length is two to four hours. Once everyone gets the hang of the game, don't be surprised to clock in well toward the shallow end of that range. In a session - a two and a half hour session - the story moves forward significantly, every character gets a chance to shine, and interesting decisions are presented and resolved. If you are at all like me, the call for a game that can be played on a weeknight with work in the morning without sacrificing story advancement is acute. If you have more time to play, just stack several "sessions" in to one sitting!

Specific mechanics aside, the game embodies its obvious philosophical position - rules should be fun, move fast, and invoke interesting situations with meaningful choices. Every time the dice roll in this game, the situation changes, something significant happens, and the game rolls on.

Did I mention that the art, conspicuously present throughout the entire book, is gorgeous and evocative? Go buy the damn thing, but more than that - play it!

A couple of notes. If you are planning on printing this product, don't. Buy the physical book, the production values of which are stellar. You won't be sorry... but you don't want to print this. The previous reviewer's reasoning on this point is spot on. However, the square format of the book means that it is perfect for reading on a screen - one does not need to scroll at all to see a whole page clearly on most monitors, which makes paging through the digital product quite pleasant.

Also, I disagree with the previous reviewer that an expert GM is called for - the game itself is a robust manual on good Game Mastering, sessions are highly structured, character creation is simple and intuitive - and I mean intuitive even for children - a dozen pregenerated characters and three full adventures are included, and the conversational tone and accessible writing of the rules will make a suitably expert GM - and player - out of any engaged and intelligent participant in short order.

In conclusion, every gamer should play this game, and that's the best endorsement I've ever given a game system. In fact, I'm putting that sentiment up at the top just to make a point of it - I've played and run various editions of D&D for years, toyed with a few other systems for almost as long, and have never encountered a simpler, more robust game, nor one that so effectively develops good role-playing and descriptive skills. The game is based on Burning Wheel - Mouse Guard is, from a rules perspective, essentially Burning Wheel Lite - but is much simpler to pick up, sit down and PLAY. Oh, did I mention that the art is beautiful?

The colors in this comic are wonderfull , very good scan

Mouse Guard is not the usual RPG. If you are a d20 fan you may even not like this system. That would be a shame, because Mouse Guard can make a great storytelling system.

The core system is derived from Burning Wheel. Key to every player character is their goals and beliefs. Even missions have player-character created goals. This part can be hard to grasp for many players OR GMs. Good goals and beliefs that are played well will result in an enjoyable game; ergo poor goals or beliefs played poorly or with little understanding will not yield a joyful experience. You really need and EXPERIENCED GM to make this system work; having a GM that leads the PCs through the adventure is not enough.

The turn mechanic (GM turn, player turns) seem more like storytelling than roleplaying at times. Again, a good GM will be key.

But once you get through goals and beliefs, and play a few turns it all fits together. I have played this game with my kids (ages 14 & 11) and they really enjoy the adventures. Our first mission was a simple "Deliver the Mail" that forced them to: 1) Find the trail after the long winter (Use your skills) 2) Face an animal threat along the way (Learn combat) 3) Reach their destination, only to learn of a mystery (Social Conflict rules) 4) Search for the source of the mystery (Creative use of use your skills) 5) Face the villian (Combat or Persuasion?)

Mouse Guard deserves a place in every RPG collection.

So why not 5 stars? The pdf is derived from the 8"x8" book print, meaning lots of empty space on every page. And each page has a background. So if you want to print you are going to have to use LOTS of ink and have LOTS of white space around the edges.

The solution...BUY THE HARDBACK COPY TOO!!

This series should be considered mandatory background material for new Mouse Guard players. Should be bundled with the rules.

This series is MANDATORY reading for new Mouse Guard RPG players! Will go al long way towards helping you get into the setting.

Some complain that the stories are too sparse...that is what the artwork is for!

Awesome series...must have for Mouse Guard RPG players

Excellent series. Can be read by juveniles or adults.

My first introduction to Mouse Guard. Must-have series to complement the RPG. Indeed, the RPG uses scenes from this series as examples...to fully understand those scenes you realy need to read this series.