|
Not sure why the other reviewers gave 5 star reviews, but the story for Metropolis Rho has a lot of plot holes and railroading. While the premise of a degenerative society in a "cyperpunk" metropolis is nice, especially when the many of elements borrowed heavily from movies like Soylent Green (algae chips, food shortage, food riots, unemployed, the ultra wealthy, etc), Logan's Run (which similar with the movie where a citizen reach to a certain age, they'll be terminated but for Metropolis Rho, any signs of deformities or mutation defects are terminated at birth), and THX 1138 (where society are forced to take drugs to escape their depressive life).
The entire premise also introduces us with the metropolis suffering from shortage of resources. Food is the major issue with the city, and since the city couldn't make farms or gardens (there is a small pocket of it, but cater to the ultra wealthy and the criminals), the major source of food production is algae farming. But instead of using more sections of the river to cultivate algaes, the factory uses a small section to grow them and turn them into Algae Chips, where they are tasteless and bland.
The main plot have the main villain, Mayor Morrison (who looked like Benny from Fallout: New Vegas), discovering a cloning machine, and his idea of using the machine, was to clone himself and turning himself "immortal" so he can rule the city forever. His other plan was to hoard all the food and fuel in the city, so that when the inevitable comes and everything has ran out, the rest of the gangs and the civillians will have no choice but to rely on his "leadership. But the one thing that bothers me is that, rather than using the cloning machine to....let's say, clone animals like cows, he can monopolize the food industry to better control the population under his heel. Instead, he rather clone himself. And if the cloning machine doesn't work on animals, well, there's one thing that this module never mention is about cannibalism. If the city is running low on food shortages, but somehow, a degenerate city, didn't resort to cannibalism (Like what Soylent Green would introduce for food shortages or the comic like Transmetropolitan, where society introduced "long pigs", cloned humans to be consumed as a delicacy), Morrison could have simply cloned himself, repackage the meat and sell it to the masses. Isn't this what a degenerate city would do? I guess not.
The city also over rely on drugs to keep them happy and numb their depression, they even have a drug that simulates your taste buds so you can taste the wonderful artificial taste of cooked meals but it doesn't satiate your hunger. It's also a drug that you can get addicted to (though the fortitude save DC is only 10) but there is no overdose effect. Nor that it even have any game benefits, just merely a roleplay item. This is a wasted opputunity.
As the city rely a lot on drugs, but at the same time, the city is suffering from running low on resources, you would wonder to yourself, where do they even find the ingredients or chemicals to make these drugs? The city is run by gangs of criminals, and there's at least 2 dozens of them while half of them would at least sell drugs, since that their major profit. For a city that's running low on resources, but somehow, they can still sell drugs, makes no sense.
Another problem is that the city's vehicles still relies on gasoline, but since gasoline is running low and only sells them to the criminal gangs and to the Enforcers, majority of the population had to rely on cheaper alternative. You would think ethanol, methane, or something like an electric car. But no. The author introduces us "GrassGas". Yes. Gas made from lawn grass. But they're unrefined and tend to cause problems for vehicles, that your engines will sputter and die, causing you to have an accident. "GrassGas" is the most ridiculous fuel to be introduced in the game, especially for a "sci-fi" dystopian module like this.
The game also introduces several new firearms, and several gangs in the city also sells blackmarket firearms. Now, i can accept the idea of selling firearms, since the module highlight about the common gang wars or enforcers vs gangs, and whoever's dead, anyone can scavenge and salvage firearms from dead bodies. But a city that's running low on resources, somehow, bullets are plenty. Who's making the ammunition? How did they even make ammunition with the city's resources are dwindling? Never explained. What makes it more hilarious is that a lot of the gangs are also selling firearms, but there is no firearm industry, and the module explained that a lot of the firearms are scavenged, stolen or taken from dead rival gangs. Imagine that a gang's main profit is selling firearms, but you're also limited in stock since most firearms are scavenged or stolen and ammunition are "infinite". And why do i say that ammunition is "infinite"? Because in Metropolis Rho, not a single page mentions the cost of ammunition. But in the module, everyone's shooting their guns. So if there's no cost for ammunition, and everyone's using guns, what are the conclusion? Free ammo.
Nevermind that the city is running low on resources, but somehow items like bullets, drugs, guns, gasoline are still "plenty".
The adventure module plays like a police detective would, with some scenes play like how Soylent Green would with the food riot. But the author insists that this module is for 4 players (written in the handout) and one npc enforcer driver. Unfortunately, this npc enforcer driver, Sanderson, is psychotic. He'll cause more problems for the players, but deliberately instigating certain npcs in some of the scenarios. It makes you wonder why would any players will want to have a unstable npc to tag along with the players, because the author needed a "DMPC" to nudge the players in the "correct" path. Really poorly written. One of the examples is that, in the first scenario which is the drug raid, players will encounter a gangster named Frankie, which the players will kill because the "Mayor says so". After much time had passed, your party will visit the most elite high class club (that sells furnitures) where you will meet an NPC furniture singer name Veronica or "Ronnie". Ronnie is Frankie's lover, and is still angry that enforcers had killed him. She doesn't know it was the players that killed Frankie. But Sanderson, your npc enforcer driver, will blurt out saying dumb things about how the players killed Frankie, or how much Sanderson will boast about Frankie's death. This in turn, causes Ronnie to have a meltdown, by taking out a gun and start firing at the players, though would miss quite a few shots. Players can either kill Ronnie, or leave the club.
Another scenario which happens much more later on, is when the players head over to the university to meet Dr. Cole, and after learning what the players can from Dr. Cole, he'll plead to the players to not report about the University's illegal activity concerning about the university's facility is used as an underground hospital, to deliver babies that suffered from inbreeding mutations. Metropolis Rho has a law where any birth that resulted with the child having any kind of mutations and defects, will be subjected to euthanasia in the most "humane way". Whether or not if the players keep the secret is up to them, but the players' NPC enforcer driver, Sanderson, will definitely report this to the precinct's Captain Nelson. Players later on will find Sanderson missing from their peacemaker car, as the NPC will be reassigned to another squad and that the captain calls for a brutal raid to the university.
The main plot for this module is that players are given a case to investigate the murder case of a recluse wealthy old man (again, inspired by Soylent Green) and finds out that he has a lover by the name Therese. Therese does not belong in the Metropolis, instead, she's from the outside of the dome. I find problem to accept this part of the story, because we were told that the dome's barrier security defenses have automatic turrets and minefields to prevent anyone from invading into the dome. Somehow, the young child Therese, manages to slip through the barrier's defenses without incuring any injuries and "nearly died". Therese being the only person that had lived on the outside, is what Mayor Morrisson fears. You see, the population in the dome believed that, anything outside of the dome is a irradiated wasteland and that no one can survive out there, so to stay alive and be safe, everyone lives in the dome. Mayor Morrison's plans was to control the dome by hoarding whatever food and fuel is left, and turn himself "immortal". But with the introduction of Therese, it means that people can leave the dome and the mayor can't have that (despite the dwindling resources and that food shortages is the number one problem). So the mayor is trying to find Therese and shut her up forever. You as players, must find Therese, and learn this "terrible" secret, and stop Mayor Morrison from his plans.
The major theme for the enforcers is that they act like the Judges from 2000 AD, though without the "executioner" part, only retain the "Judge and Jury". People and gangs are suppose to fear them. But the enforcers are technically a "gang" of some sorts. They can take bribes, skim, steal, within certain limits. They take orders from the Mayor because that's their policy, loyal to only the Mayor (and the Mayor being the main villain of this module). You can get the idea how the Enforcers are from 2000 AD but you mix it in with Soylent Green. But the module encourages the players to be brutal, killing not only the gangsters, but even the unproductives and civillians. Because the module introduces the "PPP", the "Police Popularity Points". So killing a gangster is worth +1 (or +2, depending on the scenario), and killing an unproductive (the author's version of the unemployed) or civilians are worth +0.5 points each. And doing anything dramatic will also yield +1 to +5 points. Examples like, throwing Lambert out of the window (this is from the second scenario where the enforcers were ordered by the mayor to kill all the unproductives occupying a building "illegally" so in the future, he can rebuild it into an ethanol factory for vehicle fuel). Another scenario, you'll also given extra points if your players flirt Tess Dane, the "madam" of the elite club. The major problem with the introduction of "PPP" points because you need to rake up as much points as possible, to gain access to evidence that were conveniently taken from you by your other fellow NPC enforcers. For example, when your party investigate the murder case of Durante, there are three npc enforcers standing outside the deceased's apartment, waiting for your party's arrival. When players search inside the apartment looking for clues, one major clue is missing from the apartment which the players do not know about. And unless players confront the npc enforcers standing outside the apartment by interogating them and retrieving the stolen decantor alcohol, they'll miss the major clue but this doesn't need the PPP points...yet. Only when your players had retrieved the decantor and sent it to the precint to analyze the bottle for fingerprints, that's where you need at least 35 PPP points where the lab technicians will tell your players that the fingerprints revealed to belong to Mayor Morrison. If players do not have 35 PPP points, this information is "lost". So, in your players' best interest, is to slaughter as much of the "unproductives" as possible and do spectacular actions to rake as much points as possible in order to gain any kind of clues and insight to the murder case.
While the book offers a lof of information on how the people, gangs and enforcers' way of life are, unfortunately, the module wants your players, who plays as the Enforcers, are encouraged to seeking justice on the murder case while encouraging you to be ruthlessly (and comically brutal) against civilians, for no other reasons but to gain the PPP points.
A major problem with this module, is that certain scenarios forces players to be railroaded by the GM, especially when with scenarios involving chasing Morton, the underground mutant leader. The entire chase scenario is forced upon the players with multitude of obstacles, all are meant to hinder your players in one way or another. It doesn't matter if your players takes too long to deal with the obstacles or even succeeded in making good time, the point is to make your players "dramatically" slow down. Because in the end, Morton will escape, whether if you succeed or not. It's to the point where even reading the chase scenario becomes frustrating. And players will never get an upperhand out of this chase. The chase begins from the Sodom club, down under the Hive (an undercity) and then back to the surface, where in the finale of the chase, you're also forced to fight two mutant children with neural mutation abilities and in no way, you can't avoid the children but have to fight them to death. You're not allowed to even capture them, and by the fourth round, Morton will be in a van to escape. You will find such railroad a reoccuring theme.
There are also several scenarios that relies on the players to successfully make their spot checks to notice certain npc individuals, as they are the key suspects that needed to be interogated or to be chased down. But the author didn't take account on what happens if players do fail their spot check, because dice rolls are unpredictable. Take for instance, before the Morton chase scene in the Sodom club, players are to roll for a spot check DC 15, to first notice Morton, and another spot check to notice Derek, the Bloodsport star player (who is supplying weapons to the mutant underground). So if players failed the second spot check to notice Derek, then what happens if players couldn't figure out their next scenario which needs them to go to the Metropolis Colieseum to interrogate Derek? This isn't just a one time issue, as i said, there were several instances where players must rely on that one time spot check, and if they fail, that NPC dissappears and your only lead is gone.
I like the premise of the module, but the story itself is just filled with ridiculous backstory, railroading scenarios that's not even fun and even more unbelievable plot holes.
|
Log In 
