Kind of like Shaun of the Dead, if it took place 200 years earlier and wasn't a comedy. So not much like that, actually.
The Game: Unhallowed Metropolis
The Publisher: Not sure. Started off with Eos, then apparently moved to Hallows Eve, and they've got a note on their site that says it'll be moving to a new publisher.
Degree of Familiarity: Some. I've played it a few times at MarCon, and always had a good time with it.
Books Required: Just the core. Mine has a cover half torn off, thanks to Cael. Grr.
Unhallowed Metropolis
is a steampunky-horror game. A zombie-plague hits the world and wipes
out most of it. Jolly Olde Englande manages to stay alive, more or less,
and over the next hundred and some years, manages to reclaim most of
London and some other cities. You got zombies, vampires, werewolves,
lightning guns, and some really badass people called Undertakers (I
played one once) that kill off monsters for bounty. You can play
dhampir, Mourners (people paid to sit with dead rich people so that they
don't get up, and to behead them if they do)... it's a big, fun game.
Also some aweomse artwork.
The game has a really, really
detailed, rich history. I'm finding I'm in a phase now where I like the
games that have easier to understand and read histories, and I'm kinda
over the White Wolf/Fading Suns "let's have 40 pages of text explaining
the world" history. That's mostly because I'm reading a lot more games,
and I want to get through them. But that's neither here nor there - the
game is well-written, the history is immersive and well-researched (as
far as I can tell).
So, starting off. "Present day" is 2105, and
here we are in London. We've got seven steps of chargen - actually, it
looks very White-Wolfy.
Step One: Character Concept. I want to play a Fagin-like character, someone who runs a group of minions (you might be able to spot some Bioshock
here, if you look). Definitely someone on the street-level, but someone
who has some money in his family. My guy's name is Bernard Admunson,
and he's the outcast of the family. In fact, folks on the street call
him "Bernie the Black Sheep." He looks the part, too. He's got black
hair while the rest of his family is sandy blonde, he's skinny when
they're all stocky, and he's poor when they're all rich. Why? Well, I'll
figure that out.
I've gotta come up with a Calling, here, so
let's look at my options. Aristocrat doesn't work because it assumes
you're still living high on the hog, so never mind that. Let's take
Criminal.
I start with the Qualities of Criminal Associations,
Murder of Crows and Reputation - Street. I have no idea what those mean,
but I'll look it up later. I also start with Language (Thieves' Cant or
Rhyming Slang), Streetwise, and some Skill choices. OK, let's have a
look.
I get three Criminal Skills, so I pick Shadow, Pickpocket
and Lockpicking. Mostly, I'd rather not be noticed stealing. Then I get a
pick of three Skills from a list, so I take Appraise ("One microwave
oven...ten quid, hardly worth lifting it."), Melee Weapon and Unarmed
Combat. I think for my language, I'll take Rhyming Slang, while I'm
here. I get all this at 2, but I might buy some of it up.
Step Two: Attributes.
Got six of these, 25 points to spend, but it ain't one-for-one. 1 is
underdeveloped or otherwise sucky, while anything over 5 is pretty
darned OMG.
So. I know I want Bernie's Charm nice and high, and
probably his Coordination, too. Let's go ahead and set Charm at 4 (9
points), Coordination at 3 (5 points). That's 14 out of my 25. Geez.
I'll put Intellect at 3 (5 more, spent 19), Vitality at 2 (2 points, 21
spent) Will at 2 (2 points, 23 spent) and gee, guess that leaves my Wit
at 2, too. Hopefully I can raise it with Custom points. Moving on. My
Prowess is Coordination + Wit, or 5.
Step Three: Skills. I
get 25 points here, too, but again, not one-for-one, dangit. I can (and
will) increase the Skills I have. I also get stunts for combat skills
and, because I'm a Criminal, Streetwise. In fact, I'll start there.
I
start with Streetwise 2. I get two Stunts right off, and I want Alibi
and Cant (basically, I've always got an alibi and I have Rhyming Slang
and Cant at 5). I'll buy Streetwise up to 4, which costs me 7 points,
and buy the...holy shit, a bunch of these are gold. Screw it,
we're going Streetwise 5. That sets me back another 5 points, but
whatevs. I want Phantom (I know the streets like the back of my hand),
Mobsman (I am part of a gang, and they have my back) and Rothschild (I
can impersonate an Artistocrat).
OK, I also want Thrown Weapons 2
(3 points). I take Improvisation (I can throw unbalanced stuff and not
take a penalty) and Snap Reaction (it's all in the reflexes). I'll leave
Melee Weapons at 2 and take Free Parry and Two-Weapon Fighter. I'll
leave Unarmed Combat at 2 and take Pull Punch (I can knock you out
without killing you), and Trip (sweep the leg).
Right, 13 more
points. I'll spend 9 and bump Lockpicking, Pickpocket and Appraise up to
3. I get specialties in those, too. I take Clothes, Art and Metals as
Appraise Specialties. I'll take Old Locks, New Locks and Detection as
Lockpicking Specialties. I'll take Crowds, Teaching and Watches for
Pickpocket. And let's see, I've got 21 points spend. 4 more. I'll buy
Shadow up to 3 points and take Crowds, Plain Sight and Hide as
specialties. With my last point, I take Acting 1 with a Specialty in
Impersonations.
Bernie's story is coming into focus a bit more.
He had to become the Black Sheep pretty early, or else he'd have more
Etiquette. Instead, he's learned to be a Rothschild, learned about high
society by mimicking it.
I think he's the bastard son. His
mother got in a bad predicament with...well, we're not sure. But his
father isn't really Mr. Admunson. When he was born, all black-haired and
stuff, Dad claimed him as a son, but never really paid attention to him
(he knew, see). And then by weird coincidence, Mom got bitten by a
reanimate a year later, so Bernie never really knew her. Dad raised his
other kids, but distanced himself more and more from Bernie, and Bernie
found he enjoyed spending time with the help. He'd go shopping in the
market districts, and he learned from the other snipes there - how to
pickpocket, how to be sneaky, and how to talk the talk. One day he just
melted into the crowd and never went back. He was 8 at the time.
Over
the years, he's made himself a lot of friends, especially among the
kids of the streets. He keeps them safe from the zombies and the police,
and has even appeared as an advocate when they get busted. He doesn't
advocate killing or even violence to get rich, because "you never know
who's who, do you, lads?" He's encouraged the rumor that he's descended
from royalty, and he hopes one day to rub his Dad's nose in what he's
become.
Step Four: Corruption. Yi. Everyone in this game
has the makings of their own undoing. In Bernie's case, he wants to
become the Crimelord of London, ruling the Family. But it's a pipe
dream, not so important to him as to make him Consumed. Nope, I'll take
Dissolution. Everything he touches is doomed to failure.
Right
now it's handkerchiefs. There's a market for them, and some of his kids
can swipe them pretty well. But every time Bernie tries, he gets made.
Every. Time. White ones especially.
Step Five: Qualities and Impediments.
Well, the ones I have are the ones I'd have bought, anyway. Murder of
Crows means that folks watch my back on the street. Street Rep means
exactly that, and Criminal Associations means I'm a member of the Family
in good standing. Let's see if any Impediments make sense.
OK,
I'll take Nemesis 2. That's Bernie's dad, Charles Admunson. He won't
actually harm Bernie, but when Bernie surfaces from the criminal
underclass, there's always someone waiting to make his life hard (by the
way, Bernie suspects his Dad of murdering his Mum. He's wrong).
I'll
also take Illiterate. Makes sense; Bernie never went to school and he's
forgotten whatever his tutors may have taught him. Finally, just for
fun, I'll take Good-Tasting (he gets it from Mom).
Step Six: Custom Points.
That all gives me 8 points to play with. I get 5 more Custom points.
There are no Qualities I really want, but I do want to raise my Wit. If I
raise it to 3, that'll cost me 6. If I want to raise it to 4, that'd
cost 14 total...damn, not enough. OK, I'll put Wit at 3. That leaves me
with 7 points, total. Hmm. I'll plump for Ambidextrous, I guess. It
works for this guy. Finally, I'll spend my last 3 points and buy
Acrobatics 2, with Specialties in Climbing and Falls. Second-story man,
y'know. Occasionally.
Step Seven: Finishing Touches. This
is where I'd buy equipment, but you know how I feel about that. I think
I've got a good sense of Bernie. He looks out for the urchins, the
snipes and the like, but at the end of it all, he's going to get himself
hanged for swiping a goddamned hanky. And he'll see his father's
disappointed, loathing face in the crowd.
