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RPG Forum Contest 31 Reviews


Black Six

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  • 3 weeks later...

Review for Midnight City

If I had to choose one thing that this RPG does better than anything else - indeed, better than pretty much any RPG I've read - it's the writing, which is executed flawlessly. The only potential problem that might arise from this is that it could very easily scare off newer/younger players. With luck, though, that same principle should draw in just as many veteran players; since we're not really drawing in newer players anymore, I think it's safe to consider this a big plus for Midnight City.

As I read through the RPG, I was both disappointed and pleasantly surprised at the same element - the Demons. While I do like the design, I feel like the attention to detail given to the RPG is used a tad too heavily upon them - while their motives remain a mystery, other aspects of them seem pretty well understood. While I can justify this in light of the fact that they are being actively combated, there is one element I can't - the option to eventually play as one. Giving players options may be a good thing, but I don't think I'm jumping the gun in protesting this decision. While not always true, fictional settings more often then not drain away the level of a threat when it's added to the protagonists arsenal, the protagonists here being the players (regardless of morals).

 

It's not uncommon that a former villain be added to the the main cast; in these situations, how often do they maintain the same level of power as they seemed to have in their introduction? For a more specific example from this very forum, recall the Umbrae from Techna: Breakdown - it wasn't long after their introduction, and the option to play them soon after being provided to a select group, that they went from "take down a squad of Toa singlehandedly" to "a whole city of them might threaten some refugees". Thus, I urge you to reconsider the stance of promising players the eventual opportunity to control one of the monsters.

If, however, by "get one of these powerful creatures" you instead mean, "make use of a powerful item to control one" or something along those lines, and not direct player control, then ignore the above two paragraphs entirely.

Now, I'm a tad confused about when and where this takes place. Based on the presence of certain species, I'm going to venture that this takes place on Spherus Magna post-Relocation. Exactly how far into the future are we talking, though? "Too far for anyone but historians to know," perhaps? If that's the case, does this RPG run on the assumption of biomechanical reproduction for Matoran et al. or on the assumption that the species are gradually dying off?

Tonally, the biggest issue is that we're being given an RPG where oppression is an apparent theme... and yet the way the rules are presented, a member of those oppressed masses may have enough raw power to collapse the entire city.

As a minor question, what kind of economy is this city running on, anyways? There simply seems to be the affluent and the poor, and neither appear to be doing a job. Is all industrial and agricultural activity going on aboveground? Who's maintaining it? After all, even with robots present, there needs to be someone to maintain that, which indicates the presence of a working class. Assuming that the robots are operating with full autonomy, and production is just fine, what's separating the lower class from being allowed to use the facilities above?

The easiest solution to this is that the seemingly endless resources are not, in fact, endless; there can only be a finite number of people gaining them. If so, the question becomes the determining factor. If I were to make a suggestion here, one which would increase the threat of the demons and add to the powerless of the lower class, it would be a more literal state of powerlessness - Toa and other "better" species ruling from above, with some exceptions, whilst the "lower" species are kept below. Of course, if the goal is to provide a class struggle commentary, one could also simply make it a matter of inheritance... it's not that big of a deal, but it's still something that interests me.

Now, the setting isn't exactly unique; it is, however, interesting. The only suggestion I can really make is finding ways to incorporate a few more Bionicle elements to the undercity to mirror the chute system and so forth up above, to perhaps add a bit more of a unique touch. Dying Vuata Maca trees providing some of the last small pockets of both food and power; that sort of thing.

With the actual plot, I feel that the RPG is a tad lacking. Yes, we have class struggle; yes, we have demons. But not once are any important NPCs mentioned; nor is there much of anything given as a start. I really don't want to see this RPG be one of those ones that opens up, has a bunch of player introductions and initial action, and then drops up. Why? Because frankly, there's too much effort here to watch it be thrown out. It's obvious by the writing alone that your team put a lot of effort into this RPG. Not only do I respect the work, but I also like the idea behind the RPG. It's one of the ones that actually inspires the writing of characters simply to fit into its world, which has always been a requirement for an RPG having my interest. So adding anything that can perhaps draw players into the plot quicker and let it take off without a lull would be excellent.

 

(While the "first post" is a viable alternative, keep in mind that players whose characters are made before the RPG starts may have different plans for said character in mind then the actions taking place in said first post; thus, it may alienate some, and leave a number of characters hanging. Alternatively, it might lead to unusual situations where characters who have no business in a situation are forced to be, as the player, rightfully so, doesn't want to miss out on anything.)

So with all of the suggestions and comments having been made, I close off this review, whilst wishing you the best of luck in the contest ahead. :)

 

Addendum: Sorry if I wound up a tad repetitive; I wrote different parts of the review at different times, rather than doing it in one setting, and thus wound up a tad scattered.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor :flagusa:

"I disapprove of what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."


- Evelyn Beatrice Hall (often attributed to Voltaire)

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