I purchased this supplement after looking it over. It looked interesting and I was intrigued. After reading it through, I am truly impressed with it. The writing is solid and it gives many suggestions for side adventures . I also really like the Hope/Despair rules which gives the world a deeper feel, rather than just the standard Heros-vs-Baddies. The initial seven (7) scenarios/adventures work well together and make for a great intro into the world. There are also a large selection of NPC's, that help flesh out the world and ten (10) full characters.
I would highly recommend this product for anybody looking for an alternate setting for their game.

This is the second product in the WARGAMES line, but the third in the "Cold War Series". As with the other products, it looks at the period of time known as the Cold War. A period of time of escalating tensions in the world....especially between America and Russia. The first product was Defcon 1 and this was my first exposure to the era. I really enjoyed it and was eager to pick up the next product, Wargames I. I grabbed a copy and was very happy. When Wargames II came out I avidly snatched up a copy and poured over it.

Now my review.....

First and formost this is a setting book and so adds to the world setting more than providing a set of ready-made characters, although they are some in there too.

This module details, to use a phrase, the Superspies and Commandoes of the Cold War....Similar to agencies such as S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Marvel Universe. As such, the power levels dealt with are around PL 8-9 and not the four-color PL 10 that some might be more accustomed to.

The first thing that I have to say struck me was the color.... lots of color!! I really liked that every picture in the book is in color.

The book is laid out in a way that each of the major countries has their own super-spy agency looked at thoroughly. There is no need to flip around looking for fragments of info between different chapters. This is a HUGE plus in my eyes. The first group looked at is U.S.H.E.R. (America), followed by Shturmovik (Russia / Soviet Union) and then The Stonehenge Agency (Great Britain) . Each group is written up with emblem/insignias and sample operatives (normal humans). There are even sample vehicles, battle suits and secret bases, which are fully mapped out.

No Cold War Era piece would be complete without the evil organizations bent on world domination and those that are sworn to stop them. The role of the evil spy network is played by P.H.A.N.T.O.M. A secret spy agency with its roots in WW II. Opposing P.H.A.N.T.O.M. is F.W.H. a United Nations group sworn to stop P.H.A.N.T.O.M.

Rounding out the collection of groups is the FOURTH REICH...The next incarnation of the Nazi party and the RED PROTECTORATE, which serves as the governing agency of 'Supers' in the Soviet Union. Also included is a Soviet Heli-carrier!! (I WANT ONE!!)

Overall, I really enjoyed reading through the product and I found a lot of really cool stuff that can be used to flesh out a game and to bring depth to your gaming world. Even if you do not play in the Cold War Era, I think that the ablility to reference agencies and people's names is a great help in adding that little touch of 'realism' that makes a game more fun. In the back of the book, there are also "Adventure Hooks" that can help the GM set things up and help explain how the characters are involved. These can really help out if, as a GM, you are having some writer's block and cannot think of an intro to that evening's game. Trust me... it sucks!!

I highly recommend this product, especially if you liked the other previous products.

Again.... to wrap up.

PRO's

Nice Layout Rich colors and all color pics Detailed agencies for each of the major Cold War players Independant agencies (Good and Bad)

CON's

None come to mind.... OH yeah.... these guys aren't running a game near me!!! ;-)

Hope this helps you make up your mind to buy this product.

I read this entire product in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had purchased DEFCON1 when it first came out and fell in love with the setting of "Cold War Supers". This product follows right along the same path and did not let me down. I think that it is an excellent follow-up/supplement for the setting. For ease of writing, and hopefully reading, I will break my review down into sections...

• Role-playing Supers in the Cold War

This is a great introduction to the setting of the "Cold War Supers". As is mentioned in the product's introduction, the era of the Cold War is woefully neglected for the most-part. DEFCON1 opened the door to the era-setting and now WARGAMES continues to flesh it out. This section gives the reader a good primer for the setting as well as helping you (the reader) get into the mindset needed. As a child of the 80's I, I remember the thinking of the time. The Russians were the bad guys and that was it, 'Nuff said. The era was filled with tensions as each side vowed to crush the other side.. Sometimes quite literally. This supplement helps to set the stage for the tension-filled era. For younger readers, this is almost a must since, if you were born after the Berlin Wall fell.. (circa 1989) then this can help you get a grasp of what people were thinking. This section is very well written (as is the entire product). This section also provides insight into how each country handled the different types of heroes... From Battle suits to Magic users and Psychics.

• Meta-Human Timeline of the 20th century

This is my favourite section of the product!! The writers did a brilliant job of weaving the fictional world of the supers into the real-world history of the period. The time-line starts in 1937 and moves to 1991. As I said previously... being a child of the 80's a lot of the history was something I lived through. Reading the timeline was like walking down memory lane.... While holding a super’s hand. Real world events are grafted to, and sometimes tweaked. The way that the two facets are woven together provides a tight, clean history that seems VERY plausible.

• Super-Powered Threats of the Cold War

This section is as well done as the rest of the product. It provides a great rogues gallery for your heroes to match wits with. I like the way that the characters are designed to be patriots and not just madmen. It is important to remember that these individuals were fighting (for the most part) for their homeland. They were not homicidal madmen bent on world destruction… they were patriots fighting for their way of life. My favourite of the villains is GENERAL VENOM. Like I said... I'm from the 80's.... You'll see!!! Throughout this section there are a lot of Adventure Hooks that allow a GM to quickly and seamlessly integrate the characters and also provide ideas as how to do it or what sort of adventure they would be in. This is a personal favourite feature, as it helps me as a GM to get into the villain’s head... so to speak. Also included in this section, that I really like, are the different groups that were operating during the Cold War. We tend to think of the Cold War as America -vs- Russia, but there were other countries and groups fighting. There is a section on Middle Eastern groups and such... Very well done!!! Each group is over-viewed and a character concept is included to help out the GM.

• Over-all thoughts

Throughout this product there are a lot of really nice art pieces that really show off the talents of the contributing artists. Mixed in with the art are also a large number of “real world” pictures, mostly in the History section. Again this goes a long way in blending the fictional and real worlds together. If you are familiar with Defcon 1 , then you will remember the propaganda pictures that were throughout the product. There are a couple of new art pieces that continue in that theme. I have to say that I HIGHLY recommend this product. 5 out of 5 stars. The writing is clean and very well done and the art supports the text. I like the format and layout of the product and the over-all usefulness of the product is great!! Even if you are not a GM, this product can serve as a “history” book that can help you see what the Cold War was like for the supers.

I am reviewing the DEFCON1 product. After briefly looking through it, I have to say that the layout is nicely done and there are some really great pictures of old propaganda posters and such. This really adds to the feel and also helps to establish the mindset. The product is set primarily in the era of history referred to as the COLD WAR era and this product helps bring it home. There are also "updates and suggestions" that allow the setting to be set in the modern era without a problem. Both Nato and Soviet characters are presented in a non-biased way that does not pick sides and shows that both sides are humans that are protectiong their homes.

There are three sections in the product. The first section, deals with advise for role-playing and not just roll-playing. There are some great suggestions and "schtickss" that you (the GM) can use to get the players involved in a more role-playing way. I for one, hope to use some of these suggestions with my own group. The second section deals with the characters that are in the product. You get five (5) Soviet characters and six (6+1) NATO characters (+1 is for a Sidekick) As I mentioned above, all the characters are well written and fully detailed. Each has a picture for them. The third section is the adventure that is included in the book. It too is well written and from what I saw, very complete. I hope to play it through with my group. There is a great map and write-ups for all the badguys. The only bad point that I have found is that there is no picture of the main bad-guy (other than the cover) Yes.. there is a Nazi artic base in here and it is sweet and is definitely being added to my characters' "Places to see" list. The base is ready to drop into any campaign and provides a great new setting to play in.

The "buddy movie" schtick is mentioned in the first section and to be honest, the movie Red Heat did come to mind. There is a great sidebar/box in which some classic/stereotypical Russian sayings were listed.. this along with some English to Russian translations for commonly used words... makes it easy to bring these characters to life in your game. When the GM can actually use the appropriate Russian words with a character, rather than putting on an "Arni-accent" and trying to pass the character off as Russian.. This is a good thing.

I highly recommend this supplement and I am impressed with it as a whole. I feel that this product would be a worthwhile purchase to anybody that is looking for a cool adventure and source material for Soviet (former Soviet) characters.

I picked up the Graveyard Gang and I have to say that I like it. It is written with a certain level of B-rated horror film campiness but the characters can easily be played with a darker side.

I fully intend on adding these characters to my campaign world and I cannot wait to use the Bone Yard.

I'd recommend this product to anybody that likes a little (campy) horror fun!!<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The characters are fun and there is enough information to provide a solid world.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Not much... I really like the product<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

I really enjoyed this product and found it very helpful. The characters were well thought out and original.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

I really liked this product. It was well thought out and had great characters that obviously were thought up and not just "Rolled up"<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Excellent setting and well thought up and designed. The characters are interesting and optional rules (cybernetic equipment) works well.

Definitely recommend this to anybody interested in the Cyberforce characters (Top Cow)<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Great product that has helped me out greatly. A definite "must-get" for fans of the Headless Horseman.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

BOO YAA!!!!!

This is fantastic.... a set of archtypes that are ready to use and are really well thought out.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

BOO YAA!!!!!

This is fantastic.... a set of archtypes that are ready to use and are really well thought out.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Ask not for who the Belles toll.... they toll for.... A PARTY!!!!

Oh yeah... this was the first Superline I bought and really liked it. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

I like the Dinosaur write-ups and they WILL be added into my game.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The Dinosaurs are great but they are the best part of the PDF.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>