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| If you run a GURPS Conspiracy X game, stop reading this, run out the door (or point your browser at your local rpg suppliers site) and buy this book right now. If you run Conspiracy X in it's original system... stop reading this, run out the door (or point your browser at your local rpg suppliers site) and buy this book right now. If you run GURPS Illuminati… If you run GURPS Atomic Horror… If you run a 20th century or modern game with even the faintest hint of secrecy or conspiracy… yep, you guessed it, buy this book. |
| Steve Jackson Games GURPS Warehouse 23 Review |
| According to Good Collaborators several SJG products refer to War Of The Worlds, GURPS Mecha acknowledges it as the origin of the Mecha genre and mentions it as possible style of game but that’s as far as it goes. GURPS Steampunk gives us plenty of Wellsian goodies, land Ironclads, cavorite style gravity screens, animals surgically altered to be more human, the Time Machine (oddly using fuel) but alas skips out on the Martian Invasion. GURPS Mars mentions WotW again, and gives us several alternative inhabitants of Mars. The Insectoid version use Tripods as well as flying saucers though these are fairly high-tech. The book then briefly mentions the possibilty of more Wellsian Martians with several interesting ideas for using them. It goes on to suggest Warehouse 23 as a source for Wellsian Martians. |
| Cap'n Bayne and Supreme Martian Overlord give this product a rating of 4 raised tentacles! |
| If you would like your product reviewed by Cap'n Bayne and Supreme Martian Overlord contact us here |
| Even the most jaded GM will find a myriad of plot ideas, hooks and macguffins to spice up their game. The book describes the sort of secret facility full of everything powerful and cool and weird that any self-respecting government or secret organisation would want. The facility is covered in a reasonable amount of detail, with some simple maps and a history but it’s what is in it that is really nifty. The usual things are here, the ark of the covenant is dealt with nicely as are the holy grail, the spear of destiny, the crystal skull, The Roswell saucer, black helicopters etc. Add to this list things like the devolvo ray, an addictive video game for an 80’s console, Godzilla and more. Some things are quirky, some silly, and some eerie so there is something for every type of campain. There are even remains from the Martian Invasion, but I’ll leave that to Supreme Martian Overlord to go into detail. I give this a whopping 4 |
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| Does this mean that Warehouse 23 finally provides what is needed for a GM to run a War of the Worlds game in the GURPS system? Sadly only partly. So what does it have? In Warehouse 23 it covers the 1938 Invasion. The Orson Welles broadcast and H.G. Wells novel being altered after the events as part of a huge cover-up. Cool enough idea in itself and it fits in well with the rest of the book. The tripod stats in this book are different to those in GURPS Mars and are reasonable to what one might expect from a 1938 tripod. It isn't accurate to the novel with only 3 tentacles, no basket and no head-like hood, though I’m sure we’d have been more successful had we put in as much life-support systems as they have here. The heat ray and black smoke are given, though the smoke is sprayed directly by the tripod rather than launched like artillery. Mention is made of the Cylinders but no stats or rules are presented As for the Martians… there are only 6 tentacles, three dedicated as legs and three arms and as for an IQ stat of 10 puh-leeese! ST and DX higher than IQ? |
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| I give the WotW content of this book a 2, it’s cool, but I expect most people would find material from the novel rather than the halloween broadcast more useful, especially steampunk players since the publication of Volume 2 of The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It does, however fit in well with the rest of the book, which I agree with Cap’n Bayne is most excellent. The two tripod pics are cool and the tripod in the banner at the bottom of every page is even cooler so overall I give this a 4 too. |
| Perhaps one day we’ll see a GURPS War of the Worlds book that will give us accurate material for basing a roleplaying campain on H.G. Wells influential book. If they get started now they could have it out in time for the movie. |
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| This book can be obtained from Steve Jackson Games |
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