This is my first experience with the "Oddities" series, and it was interesting and informative. For those not familiar with the concept, these books provide random lists of objects that could be found during a role-playing game, depending on the genre- a Post-Apocalyptic campaign, in this case. Note that the cause of the disaster is up to the Game Master- it can be anything from nuclear war to the zombie apocalypse; the ideas included here could be adapted for any of those.
Because that is what the "oddities" are, actually- ideas. Everything from simple "well, that's unusual" to "geez, I wish I'd met the person who left this behind (or maybe not)." On their own, the Oddities are not much; just a way to fill the time as characters travel the wasteland to whatever their goal is. But they're very creative. I cannot truly explain how without giving the twists away, so take my word for it. By they way, don't let the intentionally cartoony art style fool you- some of the examples included can be creepy.
I only had two problems with the book, and to be honest they are more biases of mine. First is that I don't like random generation; I prefer thematic lists that help me find exactly what I need. The other is the format; each description alternates between "black text on grey" and "black text on white". I get that this is meant to help tell the oddities apart, but honestly, a simple line would have been better.
But as I said, those are personal biases that most people are not likely to share. Most Game Masters playing in a postapocalyptic setting who need quick ideas will find this most useful.
|