(Note: I've not yet run anything with Venture City, so this review is based of of reading it only, though I have done a few games that relied on the system presented in Wild Blue)

A great (thin, but fat for the price) toolkit for supers and an original setting that provides plenty of flavor. Venture City provides a different approach to powers than the Wild Blue setting (by the same author and in Fate Worlds Vol 1) while retaining the non-crunchy approach (powers are a collection of Stunts with some flavor tweaks to allow for special effects, drawbacks/limitations, and/or Collateral Damage for additional effectiveness).

There are no arbitrary limitations on how many powers you can have or what mechanics are appropriate (though it does suggest that no one character have more than two distinct powersets, each powerset can cover multiple effects). Compared to Wild Blue this is distinctly more flexible and feels more "supers".

A 30-page supplement can only go into so much depth, but here's what you get:

• A setting that provides for morally-gray hero/villain face-offs and normal people trying to get by.
• A system to build powersets that relies on Fate Core fundamentals with only a tiny tick up in complexity.
• Some sample pre-built powersets (5 basic templates that offer suggestions on variations)
• a pre-written adventure in the setting, including NPC supers.

Each of these is covered enough to pick up and run (the adventure, being Fate, is more a basic plot and the desires of various NPCs than a linear set of encounters), but those looking for exhaustive answers or a book of power stunts to pick from will be disappointed.

The setting itself is modern-day, and covers the superhero power origin, but each individual hero is allowed a lot of leeway in determining how they unlocked their powers. It has a distinctly cyberpunk, dystopian feel (minus the cyber). Aside from the existence of corporate-managed supers, fans of the TV show Arrow will find many similarities in the setting feel.

On the whole, the product is well-worth the suggested price for those looking for a system to run Supers in Fate or those looking for a gritty supers setting that is easy to inspire stories from, and you get both in Venture City.

An excellent Fudge product, presenting simples rules for a usable Fudge setting (modified modern-day) along with a very good starter adventure. Excellent as an introduction to Fudge, and The Collectors setting is easily adaptable.

I forward to any future releases for this setting.

I was looking forward to an inexpensive replacement for Warhammer 40K, and BDA looked to fill my needs. I was disappointed.

The purchase gets you some units, and rules on how to have them fight. Missing is any point cost for the units (so you have no idea of how to set up a "fair" fight). There are a few races, but the rules break them into "good" and "evil", so there aren't that many sides to choose. Units aren't customizable to any extent, so there isn't a lot of tweaking to do even if you had a point count. (The rules mention a point count at one point, but none is given for the units).

The combat between units appears decent enough, though I haven't tried it. Being unable to assemble an "army" or have an idea of how units are expected to compare left me with little interest in trying further. I visited the author's webpage and sent an email seeking assistance, but two weeks have gone by without an answer.

I think the basic concept is quite workable, but I'd rule this product in need of some basic editing. I can't imagine what the first edition was like. For anyone seeking a WH40K replacement, look elsewhere, there just isn't the customization here. (That's not itself a criticism, but it's info that is unavailable in the product description)