Kingbeast's Lair

-== What is it? ==-

The Esoterrorists is a roleplaying game from Pelgrane Press. It is written by the well respected Robin Laws. The setting is one where elite investigators from a group called the Ordo Veritatis attempt to prevent others from tearing the fabric of our world. If this fabric, or membrane, is torn the Esoterrorists will be able to let loose hordes of horrific monster. I would classify the genre as modern investigative horror.

The book has a color cover and an entirely black and white interior. The book is 8 1/2? x 11? and is 86 pages in length. It includes a nice index and a character sheet. I reviewed version 1.3 from November 2006. Everything that is needed to play is in this one book. I have only read the book and several of the supplements; I have not yet played the game.

-== What I Like ==-

Probably the shining star of this book is the Gumshow system. The Gumshoe system is the rules system that Mr. Laws released first in The Esoterrorists. The system is geared for investigative type stories. One key mechanic that has given the game some attention in the roleplaying community is in regards to uncovering important clues. The PC are considered to be experts in certain fields. If a PC has an investigative skill he WILL find an important clue if it exists. By spending points devote to that skill he will uncover even more facts about that clue. The key is that this knowledge does not include the meaning behind the clue…that is still up to the players. If you think about TV police dramas this is really how they work. The characters on crime dramas find the critical clues they just have to figure out what they all mean. Same idea here. It is a really awesome concept that I have informally used in the past but this is the first time it has really become part of a game system and defined as such.

The Gumshoe system is very fast. Most actions take place quickly with simple dice rolls. For those who want detailed combat rules you will not find them here. The key is simple and fast. I consider this a strength for this genre.

The sample adventure in the back of the book is called Operation Slaughter House. I thought it was well written and really goes a long way in describing how the setting works.

The interior artwork and layout by Jerome Huguenin is really wonderful. In fact it is better than all of the other Esoterrorists related products that I have read after it. Mr. Huguenin also shows several characters multiple times through the book. The effect is almost like reading a comic on top of the game book. The layout if evocative of the setting and does not make the text harder to read. In other Esoterrorists related products the layout can be very dark and very hard to read.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

By far my biggest complaint about the book is the lack of setting material. There is very little presented on the Ordo Veritatis or the Esoterrorists. There really needs to be a lot more material to explain how the PC are grouped, how the Ordo Veritatis is organized, how missions are handled, etc. In fact I don’t think the translation for “Ordo Veritatis” is given in the book at all. It is a huge problem with the material in my opinion. (Note that since reading this book I have started reading the Esoterrorists Fact Book from Pelgrane. This supplement has 25 pages or so that really give great detail on the Ordo Veritatis. This material should be in the main Esoterrorists book.)

Even though I enjoyed the interior art quite a bit I think the cover it rather plain and uninteresting. It is also a bit dark and takes some studying to pick up the nuances. Maybe that was intentional but I was not fond of it.

-== Summary ==-

I really enjoyed reading The Esoterrorists. I think it really has a lot to offer for folks who enjoy modern horror and especially investigative games. As I am a big fan of monster hunting games it really hits a sweet spot for me. At a price point of $19.95 I think it is a good deal. If you plan to give it a try pick up this book AND the Esoterrorists Fact Book. Together these products make a complete and evocative game.

I give The Esoterrorists book alone 7 out of 10 paws. If you pick it up with the Esoterrorists Fact Book then I up that to an 8 out of 10 paws. (Note that I may review the Esoterrorists Fact Book in another blog entry. Watch this space in cyberspace for details.)