| Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex
Publisher: Goodman Games
Type: D20 System role-playing game
MSRP: $20.00
Reviewer: Peter Mancini I've been a role player since 1980. I've seen some wacky role-playing games in my time. When I was handed this game to review I kind of rolled my eyes and shook my head. I thought to myself - oh great, another totally juvenile product.
Had I thought back to the lessons of my own youth however I would have remembered to never judge a book by its cover. I ended up liking DP:BR and I'm here to tell you all about it.
The basic premise surrounding DB:BR stems back to a branching in reality during the American Civil War. In Joseph Goodman's world the Civil War is a stalemate. Technology advances more rapidly in material sciences but never develops in digital technology. Man reaches the Stars long before the year 2202 (the opening of the gaming setting). The Confederates are forced off of Earth and one of the worlds they settle is Cretasus, remarkable for the fact that all the types of dinosaurs on Earth from all of the different dinosaur ages exist on the planet.
The Union has also made a presence. Add in a third faction, the Free Fleet, and you have one hell of a weird game. Think Jurassic Park meets F-Troop meets Star Wars.
Now, you are probably thinking, how do they pull off of this off? Normally this is where things go bad. In a bad game the background story is just terrible and doesn't hold it together. In this case I found the back-story to be engaging and zesty. It was compelling and the world is big enough for just about any story you might want to tell. The author even lavishes you with 100 plot ideas! All this fun is contained in fewer than 100 pages.
Playability of the game seems high. The number of interesting choices one can make in terms of class and loyalties are rich. The class types described are Bronco Rider, Machinist, Soldier, Spy, Two-Fister and Wild One. Bronco Riders are basically Dino-cowboys. Machinists are the "wizards" of the game but they wield technology instead of magic. Soldiers are a specialized type of Fighter. Spies are just what you think, Mr. Bond. Two-Fisters are men of true grit who lack the sophistication of Soldiers but wield the power of their own desperation. Wild Ones are people who have gone native and have found a niche in the world of the dinosaurs. If you have ever read the Death World trilogy by Harry Harrison you will recognize this character type. If you have not read this series, do so- it will give you some good ideas for the game in my opinion.
The combat system is deadly. Weapons are mainly ranged and powerful. Also your typical random encounter is going to be with something large, green and full of teeth and claws with potentially hundreds of hit points. The game is offense heavy with weapons doing a good deal of damage. I find this interesting and it affects game play a lot. Characters are much less likely (especially at lower levels) to engage in combat because of the threat of ending up very dead. In many ways this will force players to do more with their role than hack/slash/loot and pillage. By goodness this may actually force some players to engage in role-playing instead of rolling dice and adding up damage! With a rich background to have fun with this can only be good. Of course combat will eventually occur and when it does it should be quite interesting. It takes a lot of clever thinking when tracking and trying to kill a 240 HP anklyosaurus with a DC of 20 and a tail designed to stomp your butt into the ground.
The technology system is fun. The Machinist characters in your group can produce interesting tools and equipment and maintain them. The more skilled they get the better they can maintain it and the more they can produce. There are lots of interesting if non-digital toys available in the game. It isn't exactly steam-punk. It's not too far from the technology in Star Wars either. There is some fun stuff and I am sure that a good GM will make many of the more interesting toys available in some fashion to the players.
Character creation and advancement is as per the standard D20 system. The character types are all quite interesting and I think anyone would be able to find something interesting in the mix that is available.
As I mentioned before, the setting is what sells this game. I liked the back-story a lot and I also like the rich field to plant story ideas in. There is a lot I haven't talked about that you should pick the game up just to read about. There are many surprises that await you in this game.
The presentation of the game is ok. The cover put me off but after reading the book, I can't think of much I would do different with it. Some of the interior art is just great. The layout is well executed and clearly this is not an amateur effort.
I give this game 4 stars, with high marks for the background setting and the rich environment of ideas. You don't so much as have to suspend your disbelief as much as shoot it and put it out of its misery but it does promise to be a fun ride with a lot of good gaming sessions possible. If you are looking for something really different than Dwarves and Orcs or Spaceman Jim and his Trusty Laser you can't go wrong with this game. If you collect games, this is also a must have.
It is a good read and you will find the world will grow on you. Two supplements are planned for 2002 and I look forward to getting those as well. | |
