Xenomorph Invasion Chronicle 2. The name gives a lot away, and this book lives up to the expectations set by the title. It's got alien monsters galore, but this time with an even darker twist. It's also not just an additional worldbook or an expansion, it's a continuation on the first book, a further exploration of the meta-plot set up in Chronicle 1. This is a good thing, I think. It shows thought and a development beyond the stats and game mechanics.
The setting is best described as an extremely well thought out home-brew. It's roots are pretty apparent, but they are combined in an interesting way. Whereas Chronicle 1 was pretty much Macross meets Aliens (not so much Alien but DEFINITELY Aliens!), Chronicle 2 is Terminator and Matrix meets Aliens meets Macross. Still cool, darker with even more ambiguity introduced about the "bad guys", well the new bad guys at least, the old bad guys are still running around munching people up just as harsh as Chronicle 1! Which should give some indication of how bad the new bad guys are. But what's nice about this evolution of the bad guys, it's not just power expansion, or "bigger better guns" (though that is there). The new bad guys have a story and purpose of their own, complete with internal conflicts, motivations and rationale for both behavior and tech. The new baddies build on hints and weaknesses dropped in Chronicle 1 (if you're surprised by the QChip thing though...you'll probably be shocked to find out that Santa isn't real!).
The story and world setting is pretty tight. The different factions are well developed with motivations and humanizing elements for each. They seem a bit cookie cutter at times, but I guess that's the pitfall of distilling an entire culture to a couple paragraphs. It's not a deal breaker by any means. And in some cases you want that -- for example the Colonial Marines, you would all be disappointed if they weren't tough as nails badasses! All sides have the potential for great evil, soulless babykillers can be found in any of the factions. While the tech and setting may lean towards space-opera, the morality is definitely dark. The good guys are flawed, the bad guys aren't as evil as we're initially led to believe (by the good guys propaganda, of course!).
There's not a lot of crunch in this book, no new rules, some new equipment, archetypes and NPCs, but that's okay. The original book presented the game framework. Though I still have a feeling that something is missing - whether it's a GM book, or a comprehensive system description - from both these books. One thing that especially would have been nice in Chronicle 2, a GM's "eyes only" section. Now, no spoilers here, but as a player, if you read some of the background sections, it kind of gives away a lot of the mystery. Earlier in the book, that mystery was played up to good effect.
From an art and layout point of view, Chronicle 2 is an improvement. Some of the pictures in here are damn fine illustrations! It's still recognizable Poser/DAZ stuff, but tweaked and rendered in such a way all that really matters is how cool it looks. That's especially true for the new armor suit "turn-arounds" and some of the mecha shots. But those sure are sweet. Most of the new NPCs get very nice illustrations too. I get really excited to play the game looking at these pictures! However, some of the other images don't seem quite as successful, but the only thing that really bothered me was the STUB Commando design, it looks too much like a Heavy Gear, the Hunter I think.
The page layout works surprisingly well for a PDF. The single column width is just about right for reading on screen. Each page has a background image with a frame and a text box overlayed on top. Some of the textures are a bit uneven, but it's generally readable. The font choice is pedestrian, and maybe a serif font would have been better for the body copy. But on the whole, only design nerds like me probably notice this stuff!
At the end of the day though, this is an enjoyable read. I think it straddles the divide between a truly professional production (in terms of image quality, editing, layout, etc.) and a home brew. But the concept is great fun, with lots of potential for action, adventure, and maybe even a mecha-zombie shoot out or sixteen!
(Full disclosure: I received a free copy to review before it was published. But it's only five dollars! Let me know if you think the review seems biased. I'm curious!)
Tags: Review Fuzion
