Patriot Incident Almost Complete

The Patriot Incident is almost out, and I think Terror Network fans will be pleased. It is a great investigation, set in Boston against a terrifying threat.

Like most of our investigations, it doesn't railroad the characters, but puts them in the driver's seat. I like to think that characters are what create great adventures in gaming. With that in mind, the Patriot Incident allows the characters to react to a terrorist plot, without a series of pre-planned events. It's all about letting them investigate and interact.

It is also, I believe, a very well researched module.

I actually went to the Boston FBI field office to see a squad and interview a special agent to prepare for the Patriot Incident. This experience really opened my eyes to how an FBI field office is run, and one of the pleasant surprises was learning how well suited an FBI squad is to the classic RPG party structure.

Another thing I love about the Patriot Incident is the local flavor. We usually ask our writers to set adventures in locations they are personally familiar with, because we believe this adds depth and accuracy. In the Patriot Incident, we put our local knowledge of the Greater Boston Area to good use. The result is an exciting investigation rooted in a real setting.

I expect to have the Patriot Incident through layout soon, and a big thanks to all the patient Terror Network fans out there.

Brendan

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.p...&src=FrontPage

Terror Network just got more intense...

Expand your Terror Network game-play with the Agency Resource Guide. Compatible with the network system, but handy for any game featuring counter-terrorism action, this

is the perfect book for gamers looking to add another level of realism to their game. The Agency Resource Guide delivers critical background details on investigations, agencies, security clearances and more.

Includes:

• Dozens of new equipment entries

• A clear breakdown of government departments and agencies

• An overview of security clearances

• Counter-Terrorism investigations

• Entries on foreign Counter-Terrorism agencies

• Updated Agency Mandates and rules expansions

Bundles of Joy

Enjoy these bundles of Terror Network and Crime Network for the holidays.

The Terror Network bundle comes with Operation Hydra, Operation Hydra Den and the Terror Network rule book: TN Bundle.

The Crime Network bundle comes with Old Country and the Crime Network rule book: CN Bundle.

Brendan

Horror Network Character Sheet

Here is a glimpse of our character sheet for Horror Network. We are still working on it, but added a new tracker: The Horror Tracker.

Characters exposed to frightening situations can experience three different levels of fear, starting Frightened and ending with Catatonic.

We've also added Karma, which functions a bit like Clout from Terror Network or Respectability from Crime Network. But it will have some more compelling effects in the game (more on that in the future).

In addition to these elements, we added another level to character creation: Occupation. Taking an occupation helps flesh out your character and provides skill bonuses.

So far playtests are going well. Looks like our hard work is paying off on this one. More previews coming soon.

Brendan

Book Review: To Kill the Irishman

To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia,by Rick Porrello, is a great book for fans of true crime. It tells the story of Danny Greene, an Irish Mobster battled with the Cleveland Mafia for control of the city’s rackets.

Porrello’s background in law enforcement lends unique insight to the material, in a genre dominated by journalists. At times his style can be on the dry side, and he suffers from problem common among true crime writers who tackle the mafia: too many characters, with too many shifts in focus. But Porrello’s even-handed approach more than makes up for these minor issues. For those who do have trouble navigating the names, there is handy reference sheet for all the major players in the first few pages of To Kill the Irishman.

Gamers will find To Kill the Irishman an excellent source of material for modern campaigns (particularly those involving law enforcement or criminal networks). Danny Greene can be ripped directly from the book and popped into a session with ease (I created a 4 session campaign entirely from the events of the book). He was a brash, celtic warrior, who loved animals and despised Italians. Porrello paints a clear portrait of Greene, and hones in on some useful details, like his exploitation of local media outlets and his somewhat mundane home life.

The book covers everything from Greene’s birth to his rise and his assassination by the mafia, plus its aftermath. Porrello does a good job explaining the legal context of the story, something many writers gloss over, and he avoids some of the over-the-top speculation and sensationalism
similar books succumb to.

These last two points deserve some emphasis and Porrello deserves praise because of them. In a lot of books in this genre, the writers breath life onto the page by engaging in less than objective reporting on the facts, choosing sexier details or assumptions that fit the overarching theme of the book rather than more reasonable conclusions.

I recommend the book to anyone interested in the Italian Mafia or Irish Mob, and to any gamers looking for campaign material. Though it leaves something to be desired in terms of focus (I would liked to have seen fewer detours into the backgrounds of minor characters), it is a refreshingly objective look at the topic.

To Kill The Irishman, is published by Next Hat Press, and is being made into a motion picture called “The Irishman”. Rick Porrello is a writer, jazz musician, commentator, and police chief. His website Americanmafia.com is resource for all things mafia.

Brendan

Busy Year

It has been a very busy year for us at Bedrock. Our day job responsibilities and our writing responsibilities for Bedrock Games have taken time from general communication with our readers. Thankfully things have calmed a bit, and we are back to newsletters, blogs, and twitter.

We believe this is going to be a great year of new and interesting products. Presently we are working on Orlando's Guide to Organized Crime, an in-depth look at the mafia and other criminal organizations. It covers everything from laws to crimes.

Another great project in the works is Horror Show. This is our horror game for the Network System. It is in development and we will release previews on our blog as the months go by. All we can say at the moment is, the game is designed specifically for horror movie buffs.

Due to some technical issues, we had to delay the release of The Agency Guide and the Patriot Incident, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Both books are even better than originally planned, since we had more time to work on them. The Agency Guide contains tons of background material for counter-terrorism campaigns, and The Patriot Incident is a heart-pounding investigation set in Boston.

Happy Holidays,

Brendan