The following review was originally published in Mephisto 65 and translated from German.

With the revival of the roleplaying game Vampire in its 20th-anniversary version, novels and short story anthologies based on this game setting get published again. The Endless Ages Anthology is a collection of short stories, which, in contrast to the anthology volume Dark Ages: The Cainite Conspiracies, is set in modern times. The different short stories illuminate different facets of the vampires' unlife and offer exciting and amusing insights into their world. As you would expect from such a volume, the stories cover a wide range of topics, but basically, most of the stories are well written and entertaining. It is striking how often the conflicts between vampires are the central topic and that the focus is on the Camarilla. As expect, the different clans and their features stand in the foreground. But also bloodlines like the Gargoyle have their appearance.

If you plan to start with the roleplaying game Vampire again and like to take in a little flair and atmosphere, The Endless Ages is a good choice to get back into the world of Vampire.

(Björn Lippold)

Halloween

Wenn es einen besonderen Tag im Jahr gibt, der perfekt zu Cthulhu passt, dann ist es vermutlich Halloween. Entsprechend hat Pegasus dieses Jahr rechtzeitig einen kurzen Abenteuerband mit drei Abenteuern herausgebracht, die sich nicht nur dazu eignen, an Halloween gespielt zu werden, sondern deren Handlung auch zu Halloween stattfindet.

Das erste Abenteuer, Halloween in Dunwich, führt direkt ins Herz von Lovecraft County. Hier übernehmen die Spieler kindliche Charaktere, die anlässlich einer großen Halloween-Party mit ihrer ganzen Familie auf den Hof ihres Urgroßvaters eingeladen werden. In dieser Nacht kehrt jedoch auch ein alter Fluch zurück, und es liegt ausgerechnet an den Kindern, die dunklen Mächte zu vertreiben.

In Schule der Toten haben die Spielercharaktere, die hier jugendliche Schüler sind, Glück im Unglück. Weil sie nachsitzen müssen, fallen sie nicht einem schrecklichen Ritual zum Opfer, doch auch sie werden von den Ereignissen getroffen und müssen sich aus einem bizarren Totenreich befreien.

In Süßes oder Saures geht ein gefährlicher Killer um, und es ist die Aufgabe der erwachsenen Investigatoren, diese monströse Gefahr irgendwie aufzuhalten, bevor sie auch Jagd auf sie selbst macht.

Ein thematischer Abenteuerband zu Halloween ist eine gute Idee, und alle drei Abenteuer fangen das Thema stimmig ein – nicht nur dadurch, dass sie an Halloween spielen, sondern auch die Handlung der einzelnen Abenteuer passt gut zum Thema. Alle drei Abenteuer sind relativ kurz und kompakt gehalten, so dass man sie durchaus an einem Spieleabend spielen kann. Aufgrund der einfachen Handlung und den nur geringen Bezügen zum Mythos eignen sie sich auch hervorragend für Spielrunden, die ihre erste Exkursion in die Welt von Lovecraft unternehmen wollen. Für Cthulhu-Veteranen sind diese Abenteuer vermutlich schon zu einfach, doch auch hier kann der Perspektivenwechsel, jüngere Investigatoren zu spielen, durchaus spannend sein. Wer schnell noch zu Halloween eine Rollenspielrunde organisieren will, ist hiermit bestens bedient.

(Björn Lippold)

Petersens Abscheulichkeiten

Der Horror kennt kein Ende: Unter dem Titel Petersens Abscheulichkeiten ist nun ein weiterer Abenteuerband für Cthulhu erschienen. Die Klammer der fünf Abenteuer in diesem Band ist dieses Mal, dass sie aus der Feder von Sandy Petersen, dem Entwickler des Cthulhu-Rollenspiels, stammen. In seiner Einleitung schreibt Petersen, dass diese Abenteuer aus seinem Fundus stammen, mit dem er diverse Conventions bestritten hat. Damit fokussieren sie sich auf bestimmte Aspekte des Spiels, bieten einen schnellen Einstieg – und nehmen auch wenig Rücksicht auf das Überleben der Charaktere – schließlich sei ein harter Charaktertod das, was aus seiner Sicht seine Spieler von ihm erwarten.

In Hotel zur Hölle übernehmen die vorgefertigten Spielercharaktere ein Hotel in der kanadischen Wildnis und finden dort ein finsteres Geheimnis, so dass es am Ende eigentlich um nicht weniger als die Rettung der Welt geht.

Das Wrack führt eine Gruppe vorgefertigter Spielercharaktere auf einem Segeltörn zum Wrack eines Frachters. Während die Bergungsprämie lockt, zeigt sich bald, warum von der Mannschaft jede Spur fehlt. So entbrennt ein Kampf ums nackte Überleben.

In Panákeia werden die Spielercharaktere auf die Spur eines Biotechkonzerns gebracht, der wahre Wunder der Medizin zu vollbringen scheint – natürlich mit einem entsprechend hohen Preis.

Mohole lässt die Spielercharaktere eine Inspektion auf einer Bohrinsel durchführen. Hier wird ein neues Bohrverfahren angewendet, mit dem man besonders tief bohren können soll – was in der Welt von Cthulhu vielleicht nicht die beste Idee ist.

In Die Stimme am Telefon schlüpfen die Spieler in die Rollen von Gangmitgliedern in einem blutigen Bandenkrieg. Als wäre diese Auseinandersetzung nicht schon brutal genug, wäre dies nicht Cthulhu, wenn hier nicht Mächte mitmischen würden, gegen die man kaum bestehen kann.

Die fünf Abenteuer decken ein breites Spektrum ab, und Petersen verspricht nicht zu viel: Die Abenteuer sind durchaus hart. Als One-Shots bieten sie gute Möglichkeiten, dass die Spielrunde scheitert. Die Abenteuer sind so aufgebaut, dass man sie gegebenenfalls zügig durchspielen kann (auch wenn mir eine Conventionspielrunde schon ein ehrgeizig kurzer Zeitrahmen zu sein scheint), aber auch das Potenzial haben, für mehrere Spielabende Horror zu verbreiten.

Einerseits praktisch ist, dass die vorgefertigten Charaktere direkt in die Handlung integriert sind und auch gegebenenfalls vorbereitete Konflikte in die Gruppe tragen, andererseits wird mit diesen Abenteuern ein Kampagnenspiel von Cthulhu immer unwahrscheinlicher. Mir hat die Auswahl von Abenteuern wirklich gut gefallen. Hier gibt es eine gelungene thematische Bandbreite, und dass die Abenteuer nicht in den 1920ern sondern in der heutigen Zeit spielen, erscheint mir persönlich als Vorteil. Spielrunden, die harte Cthulhu-Abenteuer suchen, sind mit Petersens Abscheulichkeiten bestens beraten.

(Björn Lippold)

Perlentaucher vor R‘lyeh

Der Abenteuer Sammelband Perlentaucher vor R‘lyeh für Cthulhu ist eine Sammlung von sechs bereits früher veröffentlichten Abenteuern, die als „Perlen“ aus einer Fülle von rund 340 Abenteuern von einer Jury ausgewählt wurden. Diese Abenteuer stammen aus früheren Publikationen für das Rollenspiel bzw. aus dem Magazin Cthulhoide Welten.

In Der Sänger von Dhol geht es an die deutsche Nordsee bzw. auf die Insel Pellworm in den 1920ern, wo die Mitglieder einer Familie mit einem Toten konfrontiert werden, der nur der Auftakt für schlimmere Ereignisse ist. Bei dieser Geschichte stehen auch die vorgefertigten Charaktere und ihre Beziehungen zueinander im Vordergrund und können für die Spieler einige Überraschung bedeuten.

Kinder des Käfers für die Investigatoren in den USA der 1920er hat eine klassische Story: Die Investigatoren werden von einer besorgten Mutter angeheuert, ihren verschwundenen, erwachsenen Sohn wiederzufinden. Hier führt die Spur in eine hinterwäldlerische Kleinstadt, die wenig überraschend ihre dunklen Geheimnisse hat.

Der Lachende Mann verlegt die Handlung wieder nach Deutschland, wo die Investigatoren anlässlich eines Jahrmarkts Freunde besuchen und mit schrecklichen Ereignissen im nächsten Umfeld konfrontiert werden, die nur der Auftakt für eine viel größere Gefahr sind.

Auch In Scherben spielt in Deutschland. Hier übernehmen die Spieler wieder vorgefertigte Charaktere, nämlich die angehenden Erben eines Münchner Industriellen, deren Erbe und deren eigene Hintergrundgeschichten und Beziehungen untereinander sich zu einer düsteren und immer bedrohlicheren Geschichte entwickeln.

Pinselstriche führt in die Künstlerszene von New York, wo die Spieler Teil einer Jury für Kunstwerke sind und bald mit den Todesfällen einiger Jurymitglieder konfrontiert werden. Auch hier ist dies nur die Spitze des Eisbergs – bald müssen die Investigatoren erkennen, dass sich ganz New York zu verändern beginnt.

Die Mutter allen Eiters führt hingegen wieder in die klassische Cthulhu-Stadt zurück, nämlich nach Arkham. Hier ist es ein brutaler Mord, der die Spielercharaktere auf den Plan ruft. Wie für ein Abenteuer in Arkham und der Nachbarstadt Dunwich zu erwarten, werden die Charaktere hier mit düsteren Kultaktivitäten konfrontiert.

Perlentaucher vor R’lyeh bündelt sechs durchaus spannende und vielfältige Abenteuer für Cthulhu aus vergangenen Publikationen in einem Band – und sorgt dafür, dass diese auch direkt mit der 7. Edition spielbar sind. Alle Abenteuer sind in den 1920ern angesiedelt und nutzen sowohl die USA als auch Deutschland als Hintergrund. Insbesondere bei den Abenteuern mit vorgefertigten Charakteren – Der Sänger von Dhol und In Scherben – können die Geschichten ihre volle Dramatik entfalten, wenn die Spieler bereit sind, sich voll und ganz auf ihre Charaktere einzulassen. Während zwei deutsche Abenteuer eine spezielle deutsche Mythos-Legende aufgreifen, sind die Mythosaktivitäten relativ gering, auch wenn in einem Abenteuer durchaus New York gerettet werden muss. Aus meiner Sicht sind die Abenteuer eine gelungene Auswahl, auf die sich die Spieler aber einzulassen bereit sein müssen, denn die Themen gehen hier durchaus unter die Haut: Die Abenteuer sind deutlich mehr als reine Monstergeschichten, sondern offenbaren an vielen Stellen menschliche Abgründe. Insbesondere werden die sechs ausführlichen Abenteuer (die aus meiner Sicht manchmal fast schon zu ausführlich ausgearbeitet sind) die Spieler viele Spielabende fordern. Für Cthulhu Fans, die die Abenteuer nicht bereits in ihrer vollständigen Quellenbuch-Sammlung haben, kann Perlentaucher vor R’lyeh daher bedenkenlos empfohlen werden.

(Björn Lippold)

The fate of humanity - a Mephisto review

Combining the Fate rules system with the background of Cthulhu is an idea that is actually quite obvious, so you almost have to wonder how long it took until Fate of Cthulhu was released (strictly speaking; however, with the Fate variant of Achtung! Cthulhu already exists a roleplaying game that combines both parts).

If you now expect Fate of Cthulhu to be a simple adaptation of the usual background and (presumably) necessary rule mechanisms for Fate, you will be surprised by this book. Fate of Cthulhu is not merely an adaptation of the rules, but provides, as is so typical for Fate, a very unusual approach to the setting. The starting point is bleak: In 2030, one of the Great Old Ones appears, and humanity is almost completely wiped out. Or rather: that would have happened. For with the solution from the Terminator films, the last humans - here in a dangerous ritual - send several people back ten years into the past to change the timeline and stop the events that led to the appearance of the Great Old One.

Fate of Cthulhu thus follows a very schematic approach in its gameplay: There are always four core events that led to the appearance of the Great Old One - and the player characters familiar as time travelers are familiar with these events. It is now up to the player characters to stop or at least mitigate these events, which in turn are defined by four so-called catalysts - places, people, enemies, and objects - so that humanity still has a chance in the future. The book provides five such scenarios, each one focusing on one of the most famous Great Old Ones: Cthulhu, the King in Yellow, Shub-Nigurrat, Dagon, and Nyarlahotep. At the end of the book, however, there is also advice for the game master, how to plan a tailor-made apocalypse (to be prevented by the player characters, hopefully).

Playing with the timeline is not only a ruse for drama, but depending on how the players act, they can change the events, which should also manifest itself visibly in their timeline. But beware: the risks and side-effects that are typical for the genre will probably occur.

In terms of rules, the book provides complete, very compressed and adapted Fate rules, so that you do not necessarily need Fate Core for this roleplaying game. In fact, Fate Condensed is based on this variant of the rules and has taken up many of its simplifications. Of course, such a book also provides additional rules needed for the setting. In contrast to classic Cthulhu scenarios, however, the investigators are not driven insane but corrupted by the events, which manifests itself in aspects and also stunts. The corruption gives the player characters additional power and strength - but at a very high and very dangerous price. The rules that determine whether the player characters in the individual scenarios change the story for the better or worse - and how this affects the overall timeline - are also explained in detail and are surprisingly mechanistic for Fate at first glance. But they are very useful for measuring the success of the player characters more objectively.

The five exemplary scenarios are well designed and build on the individual characteristics of the Great Old Ones. And as you might expect, the information of the time travelers is not always accurate, so there will be some surprises in this respect as well. Even with the trick of time travel, the chances of humanity are minimal.

Even though Fate of Cthulhu surprised me with its approach initially, which I did not expect at all, I like this roleplaying game very much. The concept of time travel is a fitting element for the Cthulhu background and gives the game its additional charm. Of course, most groups will probably not play several apocalypses—still, the option to choose the appropriate variant or use it as basic material for your background is very helpful. If you are looking for a simple adaptation of the Cthulhu setting to Fate rules, you will only find a few pieces of the puzzle here. But if you want to play a truly epic campaign against the Great Old Ones, which can be bizarre, dark, and sometimes a bit black-humored, this book is one of the Fate series' highlights so far.

(Björn Lippold)

The dangerous peace of London - a Mephisto review

Pax Londinium is the first major sourcebook for the urban fantasy roleplaying game Liminal. While smaller cases (i.e. adventures) for the players' crew have been published in addition to the rulebook so far, Pax Londinium presents a larger setting for the first time. But also with this London sourcebook Liminal continues its previous approach and states already in the introduction that there is not a single London, but London always lies in the perception of the observer. In this sense, the sourcebook provides several ideas but does not elaborate the setting down to the last detail, leaving enough room for gaming groups to find their individual interpretation of the city.

The book begins with the various power groups that can be found in London. Some of the groups already presented in the basic rules are presented. Their regional influence and usually a vital member are introduced. Some aspects have not been in focus so far, such as the fact that the Order of St. Bede has a media department. Furthermore, there are several power groups unique to London, of which the Hidden is undoubtedly the biggest. These people are no longer noticed by others and secretly care for the well-being of the city with their guilds. The authors openly admit that Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere inspired them. What is essential is that London is a divided city. While the supernatural groups north of the Thames are allowed to pursue their plans discreetly, the area south of the Thames is closed to them. Both the Order of St. Bede and the P Division of the Police, as well as old pacts, ensure that these rules are observed.

In the second chapter, some London legends and customs are explained and put into the context of Liminal. Here, one finds, for example, the ravens of London. One chapter shows the significance of the ghosts and undead of the city, while the next is about deities that partly influence the city. But not only celtic myths are found here, but also the Orisha or Egyptian influences affect in London. A further chapter introduces some strange encounters from secret video shops to supernatural courier services to a griffin.

The concept for a crew, a mysterious organization that brings together supernatural investigators, completes the book. Besides, there is a short magical rule supplement for chronomancy.

Pax Londinium consequently continues the philosophy of Liminal, that gamemasters get ideas and inspiration, as well as a few smaller concrete things - but not a sourcebook which details every supernatural personality and conspiracyl. The book is less about a concrete description of London than about feeling and atmosphere of the city and its mystical secrets. If you like to play Liminal away from small rural investigations in a city full of secrets and mysterious powers, Pax Londinium is an excellent choice. You will get a fascinating sourcebook, which is again atmospherically illustrated.

(Björn Lippold)

Daemons and intrigues - a Mephisto review

Grimoire is a compact game setting for Fate, which plays in the world Ganseldom. Here, powerful city-states compete with each other. One way to gain influence is to use the powers of daemons. There are instruction books - the grimoires - to summon the daemons and bind them into the services. In theory, anyone can bind a daemon, but the catch is that this is a challenging task, so few specialists have the training to do it safely. To summon a daemon, a grimoire is also required, which describes the necessary summoning rituals.

However, the predominant church opposes the summoning of daemons, so that the warlocks are persecuted. However, this does not prevent many powerful noble families from using the services of a warlock to gain an advantage.

The small book compactly presents the essential game world, which is transitioning from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. It briefly describes, for example, the various city-states and religions from the main daemon-hostile mainstream religion to a few pagan currents. The rule system's central element is playing a warlock because this setting requires all players to play exactly this role. Accordingly, detailed rules for summoning daemons and binding these powerful (and dangerous) creatures are provided, and some example creatures are presented. An adventure that revolves around the intrigue of a house offers immediately playable material.

Grimoire is a well-thought-out setting, and the rules concerning daemon summoning are also fitting. From my point of view, the focus on the fact that all players are warlocks and usually carry out missions in the service of a noble house provides a somewhat limited setting, which is more suitable for a few game nights - instead of a long campaign. For gamemasters who are looking for ideas and rule mechanisms for daemons and their summoning, however, here is an excellent toolbox to use for the own game worlds. In this respect Grimoire is a quite exciting setting.

(Björn Lippold)

Menschlicher Schrecken - eine Mephisto Rezension

Namenloser Schrecken in Neuengland ist ein weiterer Abenteuerband für Cthulhu, bei dem zwei von acht Abenteuern in Neuengland der englischen Publikation Nameless Horrors für die deutsche Ausgabe zusammengestellt wurden. Die Abenteuer spielen in den 20ern und 30ern, und bei beiden stehen gefühlt eher Menschen als Mythos-Gottheiten im Vordergrund. Außerdem sollten für beide Abenteuer vorgefertigte Charaktere benutzt werden, da diese bereits in das Setting integriert sind – es geht also um One-Shots mit normalen Menschen und nicht um die Abenteuer mythos-gehärteter Investigatoren.

Das erste Abenteuer Ein Teil fiel auf felsigen Boden entführt die Spielercharaktere in eine amerikanische Kleinstadt, in der sich auf einmal einige Personen sonderbar zu verhalten anfangen. Eine geheime Macht unterwandert einige der Einwohner, die zu einer Gefahr für ihre Mitmenschen werden können, sodass es an den Spielercharakteren liegt, das Rätsel zu lösen und Schlimmeres zu verhindern.

Das zweite Abenteuer Düstere Aussichten verfrachtet die Spielercharaktere zur Zeit der Weltwirtschaftskrise in ein Elendsviertel vor der Stadt. Alle Spielercharaktere sind gescheiterte Existenzen, die in diesem Lager ihr Dasein fristen. Als dann Gerüchte von gesichtslosen Männern umgehen, zwei Kinder verschwunden sind und ein mysteriöses Leiden die Bewohner zu befallen scheint, müssen die Spielercharaktere die Ursachen finden und finstere Mächte stoppen.

Auch wenn beide Abenteuer durchaus cthulhoide Themen haben, spielen hier menschliche Faktoren – im ersten Abenteuer das Leben in einer Kleinstadt und im zweiten Abenteuer die begrenzten Möglichkeiten der Ausgestoßenen – eine große Rolle. Beide Abenteuer bieten sich sinnvollerweise nur für vorgefertigte Charaktere an. Mir persönlich hat der Ansatz, die Großen Alten und andere schwergewichtige Mythos-Mächte im Hintergrund zu halten, sehr gut gefallen, denn diese Spielweise macht den Horror etwas mysteriöser, aber auch gleichzeitig für die Spielercharaktere nachvollziehbar.

(Björn Lippold)

Für Recht und Ordnung - eine Mephisto Rezension

Unter dem Titel Polizisten und Vigilanten ist der vierte Berufsband für Cthulhu erschienen, der sich mit Charakteren auseinandersetzt, die ihre Bestimmung in Recht und Gerechtigkeit sehen. Das Buch beginnt mit einer Einführung, die die Entwicklung des Umgangs mit Recht und Gerechtigkeit von der Antike bis in die Neuzeit kurz beschreibt und Hinweise gibt, wie das Recht durchgesetzt wird. Dabei geht es logischerweise nicht nur um Polizeiarbeit, sondern auch um Gerichte und Gefängnisse. Nach dieser allgemeinen Einführung dreht sich das zweite Kapitel stärker um Charaktere und liefert Motivationen für Ermittler, beschreibt die Wirkung von Uniformen und diskutiert die Besonderheiten im Kampf gegen das Verbrechen. Hier wird auch gleich ein Vergleich zum Kampf gegen den Mythos gezogen, so dass entsprechende Wege für die Spielercharaktere geebnet werden, wie sie vom normalen Ermittler zum Investigator gegen den Cthulhu-Mythos werden können. In entsprechenden Würfeltabellen können Charaktere ausgewürfelt werden – sowohl was ihren Beruf angeht, aber auch was ihre persönlichen Motivationen und ihr Verhalten betrifft. Dabei kommen nicht immer edle und gute Ermittler raus, sondern es können durchaus auch kaltblütige, brutale oder korrupte Diener des Gesetzes generiert werden. Im Kapitel Das Recht des Stärkeren werden die Vorteile eines Ermittlers im Dienst des Rechts beschrieben, also z.B. die Institutionen, die ihm helfen, aber auch ganz praktische Dinge wie Bewaffnung oder Kampffertigkeiten. Hier finden sich auch einige waffenlose Nahkampftechniken bis hin zur obskuren Kampfsportart Bartitsu.

Natürlich wirft das Buch auch einen Blick auf Gruppenzusammenstellung und schlägt hier einige Ideen vor. Konkret gibt es vier Charakterpakete, durch die die Charaktere zusätzliche Punkte und einen erweiterten Hintergrund bekommen und die vom rachsüchtigen Ermittler bis zum altruistischen Ermittler reichen. Wie gehabt macht ein großer Teil des Buches die Vorstellung neuer Berufe aus, die ein breites Feld abdecken. So finden sich hier auch Mitglieder der Bürgerwehr, Gefängniswärter, Henker oder maskierte Rächer. Den Abschluss des Buchs machen vier ausgearbeitete Beispielcharaktere, die exemplarisch unterschiedliche Ansätze dieser Ermittler vorstellen.

Polizisten und Vigilanten widmet sich einer ganz eigenen Gruppe von Investigatoren, die als Ermittler sowohl staatliche Macht hinter sich haben können (falls sie keine Vigilanten sind), als auch körperlich und kämpferisch fähiger sind (zumindest in der Regel). Auch wenn das Buch einigen guten Hintergrund und mit den neuen Professionen viele neue Ansätze für die Charaktererschaffung liefert, ist auch dieser Berufsverband aus meiner Sicht keine essenzielle Ergänzung und lohnt sich eigentlich nur dann, wenn man das Thema Gesetzeshüter oder Vigilanten besonders tief in der Kampagne verankern will und entsprechendes Detailwissen braucht. Insbesondere die neuen Professionen sind zwar eine nette Ergänzung, aber im Grunde vor allen Spezialvarianten der klassischen Professionen aus dem Grundregelwerk.

(Björn Lippold)

London falling - a Mephisto review

In addition to the city sourcebook Chicago by Night, a volume on a European city has now been published for Vampire V5. The Fall of London focuses on London and the events around this city in the world of Vampire. Those who have read the rules carefully already know that the vampires of London suffered severe setbacks and that the old order was completely destroyed by vampire hunters. One of the once most powerful domains of the Camarilla in Europe has fallen.

But The Fall of London is not a typical city book that presents the situation in the city today. Instead, the book offers a comprehensive adventure that takes players back to the year 2012 - precisely the year of London's dramatic changes. Not only do players get to experience the fall of London at first hand, but they are part of that development. The story is based on the premise that the players play with ready-made characters who awaken after decades of torpor. Upon their awakening, they are given a clear mission to recover several artifacts that once belonged to Mithras. These artifacts are in the hands of various powerful vampires in the city, and it is up to the player characters to obtain them piece by piece. The fact that the current owners are some of the most powerful ancestors, including Queen Anne herself, probably weighs little compared to the fact that this is also about Mithras: a 4th generation vampire who was supposedly destroyed during World War II, but whose shadow still shapes the fate of the city. As if this starting point was not challenging enough, 2012 is the year Operation Antigen is launched in London: one of the first major actions that will be the prelude to what will later be called the Second Inquisition.

The story is divided into several chapters, each of which usually revolves around one of the artifacts. The chapters can be played in relatively arbitrary order and usually introduce a part of the city as also some vampires - among them, of course, always the respective owner of the artifact. However, the chapters do not only focus on the central task but always offer secondary characters and additional storylines to give the players a more colourful picture and offer deeper insights into the vampiric world. The way the characters behave towards the non-player characters also has an impact on the later chapters. The challenges are manifold and confront the players again and again with different situations to obtain the artifacts.

The idea that most of the chapters offer flashbacks that not only give impressions of London at other times but also offer more in-depth insights into the central characters is brilliant. Within these chapters also the most important vampires are introduced with background and the game stats. These representations are very well structured and very detailed: a description can easily be longer than two pages. Even if the events in the campaign shape the metaplot of the World of Darkness, the players have a lot of freedom here, how they behave. They can make their own decisions so that the story can end extremely different in the final chapter. However, players cannot change the fact that London will fall as a result of Operation Antigen. In the appendices, the book also provides some information about London as a city, but without providing the information content of a classic city book. Besides, some loresheets supplement the game material. At the end, the ready-made player characters are presented, which are very diverse and very well designed.

The Fall of London is in an unusual sourcebook. Specific stories have been rare with Vampire so far, but The Fall of London is not a sourcebook to play London as a city in the long run but presents the city in one of its most critical moments. The ready-made characters - as much as many players probably do not want to use them - are an essential part of the story. They are crucial for the players to get in contact with some quite legendary vampires and to be able to interact with them on an equal level, at least roughly. However, meeting vampire elders during the first great vampire hunt (which will develop into the Second Inquisition) confronts players with an extreme situation. Also, the players often have to make difficult decisions, none of which can be clearly identified as right or wrong, but which can have significant consequences. And of course, players - unlike their characters - probably know that London will fall. This is a fact they cannot avert.

Personally, I enjoyed The Fall of London, because players can not only experience a critical moment in the history of Vampire but also help shape it. This approach makes them an active part of the metaplot. The price for this, however, is that players have to use ready-made characters, which is perhaps not bad considering the threat level. The non-player characters, some of which you already know from the former London sourcebook for Vampire Victorian Age, are updated here. However, they look comparatively weak due to the current discipline limit of five points, which is especially true for the real heavyweights in this adventure. Like all new books, The Fall of London uses the new layout. It relies more on photos than on drawings, which leads to a comparatively lower number of vampire illustrations in comparison.

If you're looking for a London sourcebook to play a long-term Vampire campaign in one of the biggest and most powerful Camarilla cities, you will not be happy with this book. However, those who want their players to experience and help shape a historic moment in the world of Vampire and are not frightened by the appearance of some legendary vampires, will get a comprehensive campaign with The Fall of London, which will challenge the players for many game nights. With its new design and its far-reaching background, The Fall of London breaks new ground here, which sets a good example fort future sourcebooks. I recommend The Fall of London as an excellent for any Vampire group - especially for those looking for a real challenge.

(Björn Lippold)

New Blood for Vampire - a Mephisto review

As the name suggests, the New Blood Starter Pack is designed to find "fresh blood" for Vampire V5. The New Blood Starter Pack consists of several elements: some ready-made characters, a small rules booklet, an adventure booklet and several cards for victims and enemies, as well as a template for the relationship network of the characters. The whole package serves as a starter adventure for new players (or for players who are not yet familiar with the new rules). It starts with several newly created vampires waking up in a cold storage house - these are, of course, the ready-made characters. In several scenes, the characters are introduced to their new state and gradually learn about the world of the vampires. The story is designed in such a way that each chapter deals with different themes or rules. One chapter focuses on the topics of bloodthirst and the hunt. Another one introduces the various sects of the vampires, who get an appearance. While the adventure is interspersed with short rule fragments that always explain the rules that are needed at the moment, the New Blood Starter Pack also contains a kind of brief rule booklet. This Reference Guide summarizes the essential rule concepts and backgrounds once again. The additional cards, for their part, allow you to quickly insert potential victims or opponents of the vampires for a handy reference.

While the adventure does a very good job of introducing new players (and possibly gamemasters as well) to the world of vampires and explaining themes and rules, experienced players will probably have limited use for this set - also because they will certainly want to start with their own characters. For newcomers, however, this is an excellent start to gradually learn the rules and develop a feeling for the game. The additional booklet for the rules and background is, in my opinion, a useful handout in any case. It is very convenient here that all documents may be copied for personal use. Also, the characters themselves and the approach to gradually incorporate their characteristics into the game while summarizing the most important rule concepts, backgrounds, and special features is well done. From my point of view, the game cards for victims and opponents are a valuable tool, because you can quickly improvise hunting scenes. If you don't want to print out these cards, you can also use a table for reference.

For novice Vampire players who want to get a taste of the system or the new edition, the New Blood Starter Pack offers a perfect and compact starter pack. However, if the group has "tasted blood", you will of course not be able to avoid the rulebook. Even for more experienced groups, the cards and the quick rule summary are a helpful addition, which can also make it easier for veterans to get back into the game.

(Björn Lippold)

In space no one can hear the characters scream - a Mephisto review

To mark the anniversary of the first and still outstanding film in the Alien series, Fria Ligan announced a new roleplaying game in this dark science fiction universe. After the publisher has given a first impression of the game with the Alien Cinematic Starter Kit, the core rules are now available.

Alien takes place in the year 2183 when humanity colonized many star systems and penetrated deep into space. But this is not a shining vision of the future. Life in the colonies is pragmatic at best and in most cases hard. Spaceships are functional and have the aesthetics of construction machines. Several power blocs have divided up the star systems among themselves, but it is often the big corporations that really hold the reins - and always look at the colonies with profit in their minds. And even if life in space is already full of deadly dangers, there have been rumors for some time about a monstrous species that poses a deadly threat to humanity. While powerful factions are trying to suppress these rumors, the corporations are pursuing their interests - the prospect of a lucrative bioweapon is tempting here...

The Alien RPG is based on the film series that began with Alien. Therefore, the timeline in the book covers the storyline of the films from Prometheus to Alien 3 and also takes the events from the computer game Alien Isolation as canonical background. Only the fourth film, Alien - Resurrection, does not play a role here, as it takes place in the future in terms of time. The game world, which presents itself to the players here, consists of the colonies in space, which are operated by the various corporations. Life on this frontier is characterized by a variety of dangers, and of course, there are also independence aspirations of some colonies. So it is the Marines who are supposed to keep order here. And, unsurprisingly, there are, of course, extraterrestrial life forms that pose a particular threat to the lives of the colonists and ship crews.

The idea of the Alien RPG is, among other things, that it works with two game modes. On the one hand, there is the campaign mode and on the other hand, the cinematic mode, which corresponds to an action-packed single adventure. The cinematic mode clearly emulates the movies: A small group of people is confronted with the dangers of outer space and alien monsters and has to fight for their survival. The death of the player characters is an apparent threat in this version. There is also internal friction within the group, as there are friendships as well as enmities and personal goals. With the scenario, Hope's Last Day, which takes place in the colony of Hadley's Hope, this approach to the game is demonstrated. Anyone familiar with the Alien universe can guess what the player characters can expect here...

But Alien also offers a campaign mode and three different settings: Space Trucker, Colonial Marines and Frontier Colonists. While Space Trucker as a crew on a spaceship - usually a freighter - and the Space Colonists as pioneers on new (and not always life-friendly) worlds belong to the hard-working population, the Marines are experienced soldiers with the appropriate armament (which is still not a pleasant job considering the dangers). The character creation is based on a career the player chooses - e.g. Colonial Marine, Company Agent or Pilot - which pre-defines the selection and distribution of the game statistics. At the same time, each character gets an agenda, i.e. an individual game objective, which can create further potential for conflict. Besides, each player character names a buddy and a rival - i.e. two characters with whom he or she is particularly connected. It is also possible to play androids, but these have completely different rules. They are more robust and don't know stress (which can be an advantage, but sometimes also a disadvantage) - and they can't force dice rolls.

Alien is based on six-sided dice. In tests, one of four different attributes is combined with one of twelve skills. This result is rolled as a number of six-sided dice. Tests can be repeated and forced, but this causes stress points. The special feature of stress points is that each stress point means an additional pool dice. Stressed out characters can thus definitely rise above themselves and achieve more. However, 1s rolled on the stress dice lead to panic attacks, which, depending on their severity, can get the individual character or his whole group into trouble. And as a rule, the stress increases quickly within an adventure...

One focus of the rules is on fighting and panic. These fights are designed so that the situation can quickly get out of control and then become quite deadly. If, as in the test game, several characters panic and this panic spreads, even a single alien life form becomes a real threat. The fact that the loss of the few health points results in critical injuries (up to an immediately fatal wound) further increases the drama. Accordingly, the equipment focuses strongly on weapons, but also provides vital equipment to survive in space. Vehicles are presented from normal ground vehicles to large spaceships, and rules for fights between spaceships are provided. In vehicle combat, critical hits can also quickly have fatal consequences.

A large part of the book is devoted to the setting and introduces life in the 22nd century. Of course, the background, which did not play a role in the films, is also provided. A look is taken at the big power blocks, various colonies and the corporations - above all Weyland-Yutani, of course. Although these chapters offer many examples and also details, the picture of the game world remains sometimes a bit vague with the aspects that didn't appear in the movies - maybe also because it is simply very large with its many colonies, so that everything can only be briefly touched upon. On the other hand, the alien life forms are presented meticulously and in detail, with the xenomorphs and neomorphs of the films being the focus here.

Chapters for the game master - who is called Game Mother here as an allusion to the computer Mother - round off the book, and with Hope's last day there is also tough ready-to-play scenario for the players.

In its presentation, the book clearly focuses on the content of the films. The rules are strongly optimized to reflect their storylines and action, but the background also stays within this narrow framework. The illustrations and the layout fit the atmosphere of the setting perfectly.

The Alien Cinematic Starter Kit has already definitely proven that Alien is suitable for playing cinematic one-shots. The rules are consistent, and especially the stress rules offer interesting possibilities. Whether Alien is really suited for long-term campaigns has yet to be proven, because, in my opinion, the high threat level fits the setting very well - but it's not really compatible with a campaign (unless the players are allowed to change characters frequently). Of course, you can also play scenarios with Alien in which the xeno- and neomorphs do not appear in the role of the antagonists, but then the question arises whether the expectations of the players for an Alien RPG are fulfilled. For cinematic-style one-shots, however, Alien offers a coherent, atmospheric and hard-hitting roleplaying game that fills a successful niche with the stress levels and different deadly threats that the player characters have to deal with.

(Björn Lippold)

In space, no one can hear your characters die - a Mephisto review

When several space truckers are suddenly awakened from their cold sleep by the ship's computer during a routine transport to answer the call for help from a spaceship that has been missing for decades, this does not bode well - especially when this mission takes place in an Alien universe...

Chariot of God is an entry-level adventure for the Alien RPG, which was also included in the Cinematic Starter Kit. The adventure follows one of the two approaches of role-playing games, called "cinematic", which keeps close to the approach of the movies. The plot focuses on a dangerous one-shot, which takes into account the fact that characters can die (and they probably will). The aim is to capture the dark and harsh flair of the movies and to start the plot directly.

Chariot of God provides the necessary material for this, starting with ready-made characters with conflict potential and their own goals, through the deck plans of the two spaceships, to a plot that takes up the Alien theme and throws the player characters into a deadly scenario.

Chariot of God is very well designed and confronts the players with one threat after the next, so that the adventure is a permanent fight for survival, illustrating the different game mechanics.

From my point of view, Chariot of God is an excellent adventure that manages to capture the flair of the films - and their threat level. If you want to play the hard fight for survival in its various facets, you'll get a story in the style of the movies. However, those who are attached to the survival of the characters or think that a game should end with sucess, should rather avoid this challenge...

(Björn Lippold)

The Alien Maps and Marker Pack contains a star map, maps of the colony Hadley's Hope, as well as markers for characters, aliens, spaceships, motion tracker contacts and actions.

Since both the star map and the plans of Hadley's Hope are also included in the rulebook, and both were designed in a way that a printout will cost a lot of toner, this extension in the PDF version makes only limited sense in my opinion.

In the world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - a Mephisto review

It begins with the suspicious death of a bookseller. After a few mysterious break-ins, it quickly becomes apparent that there must be more to the case. Of course, it's up to the crew of the players to solve the case - and to prevent worse.

Repairer of Reputations is another short adventure for Liminal, which only needs just 11 pages for its story. The interesting point of this adventure is the way the story is linked to the historical figure of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and events in his history. On the other hand, the options of the players in this story seem a bit limited, because they can only explore a handful of locations before the finale, which can be very flexible.

Repairer of Reputations is a short adventure with an exciting storyline and interesting details, but playing this story will probably require some additional input from the game master.

(Björn Lippold)