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Mutants & Masterminds - Review: Mutants & Masterminds Emerald City Knights


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eck1.jpgThis review covers Chapters 0 and 1, the Prologue and the first chapter of six. I'll be as spoiler free as possible since I may end up using this myself and others may get their own opportunity to play.

Emerald City Knights is an adventure path, a series of interconnected adventures, published online in PDF format by Green Ronin in support of Mutants and Masterminds Third Edition and the forthcoming Emerald City setting book. Chapter 0: The Silver Storm was released for free back in January, and Chapter 1: Life in the Aftermath was released last week and carries a price tag of $3.99.

Emerald City Knights is designed for six to eight Mutants & Masterminds heroes in the power level 8 to 10 range. The adventures contains everything you need to run it using just the Mutants & Masterminds Hero's Handbook.

[end_news_blurb]

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Emerald City Knights Prologue: The Silver Storm is an 8-page, full-color PDF. It is written by Christopher McGlothlin, with adventure concept by Steve Kenson & Jon Leitheusser.

Welcome To Emerald City

Emerald City Knights is a complete Mutants & Masterminds Third Edition adventure set in Emerald City, Freedom City's west-coast counterpart. Emerald City lacks a large super hero population and for the most part has been peaceful... at least until the Silver Storm.

What you get in Emerald City Knights: Prologue: The Silver Storm is the ultimate setup for the ECK Series, the literal catalyst for the events therein, The Silver Storm. This event is such that it can also be the turning point in the PCs lives where the become a hero, either in terms of their first exposure as a practicing hero, or by gaining their powers as a result.

Chapter 0 gives you a handful of neer-do-wells for the players to combat in whatever fashion best suits them (not all the "enemies" require a fisticuffs solution). These character are statted up and have brief profiles including motivations and personalities to help you land on your feet.

Chapter 0 is one scene, and leads directly into the first two scenes of Chapter 1.

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Emerald City Knights Chapter 1: Life in the Aftermath is a 16-page, full-color PDF. It also includes Hero Lab character files for NPCs. It is written by Christopher McGlothlin, with adventure concept by Steve Kenson & Jon Leitheusser.

Chapter 1 picks up immediately after Chapter 0 and takes the characters through the aftermath of the Silver Storm before catapulting them into the investigation of the same. Scenes 3-5 of Chapter 1 start a whole new series of events, with the players investigating the prior and following those leads. Each scene is clearly broken up and a "Scene type" is given to help the GM determine pacing. Breakouts include Challenge, Role-Playing, Investigation, and Combat and do a good job at providing a clear sequence of events without railroading the GM or the PCs.

Chapter 1 has a group of four villains for the PCs to battle in addition to one fully statted NPC bystander (though a key one at that), and two sidebars of bottom tier NPCs, cops and media people, with which to interact with the players.

EmeraldCityKnightsCover.jpgHow To Handle The Adventures

Having had a chance to read the PDF and digest it over a period of multiple days I have come to the conclusion that ECK part 1 is in fact ECK Part Zero Part 2 and Part 1 Part 1. That is to say that I feel I would likely run the Prologue (Chapter 0) and the first two scenes of Chapter 1 as a single session. Scenes 3-5 of Chapter 1 are enough to work as a their own session or (as it seems is intended without seeing part 2) the first half of larger session. This is because Chapter 1 ends in a cliffhanger. Everything seems shifted by 1/2 increment. This is of course due to the nature of the prologue as an incomplete setup piece that segued directly into part Part 1.

Unfortunately a cliffhanger that you don't know the ending too (or even when it will be released, sometime in April I hope) is one that you can't use, at least not until you know what comes next. What this means is that as GM I could run The Prologue and Chapter 1 parts 1 and 2 as a single session, but after that I would need to run filler stories until I get Chapter 2 and determine who I can run Chapter 1 Parts 3-5 properly. As a method of making you want to purchase the next installment it works. As a complete adventure it fails a little.

That now understood, and the logic pushed out of the way; I like what ECK has done with itself thus far. It is very clearly "the setup" for the large story, and that is fine, laudable in fact. A proper series needs to run by the rules of a good story, that is set up, commencement, and resolution. One can assume that Part 6 will be the latter and 2-5 will comprise the bulk of the story's true narrative.

However I'm a bit concerned that ECK lacks the very much required setting to be properly usable. What little information we have about Emerald City is sparse. Limited to a small introduction section of the Prologue and tidbits within Part 1. Can I fill in the blanks myself? Certainly, but if I do and later chapters provide contradictory information I am forced to either Ret-con (which would be humorously in keeping with the Comic genre) or plow ahead with the intent to change the published setting to match my own efforts. I am hoping that there will be slightly more setting information and perhaps even a map provided in one of the next installments. I'm cautiously optimistic but thus far I feel as though this particular adventure path may have been better served coming out after the Emerald City book rather than before.

Closing Thoughts: Thus far the quality of Emerald City Knights has been high. The events and stories are interesting, the writing well executed, and the art and layout attractive without sacrificing readability. The down side is a product that feels like it should be released after the setting book it utilizes and a cliffhanger ending to Chapter 1 that makes the second half of the Chapter unplayable until the release of Chapter 2 in April or May.

Rating: 75%

The Adventures

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