After recieving the PDF I decided to order a hardcopy. This is an awesome product. Stumbled G-CORE purely by accident Was a fan of Marvel Superheores The G-CORE Rules are solid. Though slightlydifferent implementation is used in this. This product is still as solid. Jay has created a superb set of rules. He has brought the Cyberpunk genre in an incredible way. Well worth the money. Track down a hard copy.

Acclaimed RPG author S John Ross asserts that cliche is the stock and trade of roleplaying games. I call this idea to the reader's attention because Chronicle 00 Book One, the latest endeavor from Jay Libby using the G-Core system, begs the question: does one really need another cyberpunk genre setting? The previous review correctly catalogs what this setting does well: corporate intrigue, sleek battle suits, mecha, cyborgs, etc, and it's certainly Jay's most layered setting yet. But, and it's a big "but" one can find all of this in other settings out there, like Interface Zero, for instance. Why add Book 00 to one's cart?

The answer is that at its core, the G-Core system that drives the setting is derived from the old Marvel Super Heroes (MSH) game system, now available freely to game designers and players in a pared-down form as 4C. The particular version of G-Core used in Chronicle 00 does some interesting things mechanically, having players choose multiple careers to determine expertise, etc, but that's not my point. My point is that because the game is probably about 90 to 95 percent backwards compatible with MSH, the setting can easily be ported into a campaign using it or a growing family of games, including ICONS and Bulletproof Blues.

As mentioned earlier, this is a rich setting with lots of subplots. The art, particularly the mecha art, is what one has come to expect from Jay Libby. One welcome addition to 00 is a good number of text boxes explaining various aspects of the rules.

I am pretty enthusiastic about this line because I've always wanted to play MSH cyberpunk, but this is not a five-star review. Though the game contains the most of the G-Core engine rules, G-Core Grit is mentioned without clearly explaining what it is, so the book does presuppose a knowledge of other G-Core products. The cyborg and the tech character Origins get a pool of points to boost stats, representing custom implants or tech. This makes sense for those familiar with standard G-Core, and there are brief examples in the text, but it could be confusing because non-custom implants and tech have listed prices later in the book with no mention of points.

This book is definitely a move in the right direction for Jay Libby, a one-man prolific powerhouse of direct to PDF indie RPGs. Recently the big companies here on rpgnow and in other venues have been releasing Beta versions of game systems so that a wider pool of players can work out the kinks before the Alpha releases. Jay has been doing this for the better part of twelve years. His oversight was not calling certain releases Beta. Now, he's got G-Core Deluxe, a solid system proven, if by nothing else in the eyes on an ambivalent reader, its sales numbers. Jay is now focusing on setting. Chronicle 00 Book 1 welcome evidence of that.

I am here to present you with a review of a brand new game offering from Dilly Green Bean Games. You might recognize that company as being the same one that makes the G-Core Games that I am such a fan of. Please don't let my previous use of the game be an absolute to the way Chronicle 00: Book One is, while it has a similar system the game itself has been through an amazing deal of expansion and explanation.

Chronicle 00 takes place in a future where Mega-Corporations rule the world and their technological offerings have helped to create the perfect man. While this premise has been used before, it is Jay's presentation of said material that sets it apart. This is more than just a typical cyber-punk genre game.

Jay has spent tow years researching this genre in order to create his own vision of it. He has chosen to step outside the normal tropes and create a setting that is vibrant and easy to understand even by today's standards. The technology level of Chronicle: 00 is very high allowing for all manner of product from simple cybernetic upgrades, through fully self-aware Artificial Intelligence's.

There are comprehensive rules for creating your own cyborg characters as well as powerful suits of battle-armor that take the fighting to the next level. Even his use of power-armor is well done as it breaks it down to more than just bash your enemy until it's dead. There is a sense of actions and consequences to said actions even if the attack fails. There are even guidelines for repairing and recharging depleted mecha.

It is a fun read. I was able to take in and understand it all in a relatively short session. Anything that could be misunderstood is given an example to help clear it up. While the setting itself is quite bleak it has the glimmer of hope that only the characters can help bring to reality.

All in all I give this game a 5-star rating not because I am a fan of DGBG and their products, but because it is worthy of that rating. It is a work of patience and love that I can't help but enjoy.