Aberrant RPG - Aberrant: ReignofEvil.com

[Matt]

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<font size="+4">ABERRANT</font>

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<font size="+2">ReignofEvil.com</font>

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<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#000000"><img src="http://www.nprime.net/images/reignofevil.jpg" border=0 height=200 width=140 align=LEFT></font><font size=+1>Behold,the Quantum Beast...</font>

Shrouded in a miasma of Ter'r music, demon worship and drugs, theself- styled cultists of ReignofEvil.com proclaim their deviantbeliefs to the world, and reap a crop of naive young nova-worshippers. Sweet innocence is always ripe for the harvest.

<p align="left"><font size=+1>And Despair!</font>

Clothed in make-up, mysticism and black leather, the rebels at ReignofEvil.comare part counterculture, part cult and part unfolding melodrama.Aligned with neither Project Utopia nor the Teragen, these unholynovas are an extremist faction all their own. They're playing thedevil's tune. Care to dance?

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Retail Price: $4.95 U.S.

Page Count: 24

Authors: Phil Brucato

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565046900/nprim-20">Butit Now</a>

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[Matt]

<table width="140" border="0" height="200" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="0" align="right"><tr> <td><font color="#000000"><img src="http://www.nprime.net/images/reignofevil.jpg" width="140" height="200"></font></td></tr></table><p align="center"><font size="+2">ReignofEvil.com Review </font>

As hard as we try to deny it, we role-players are a subculture, and like any slice of the population pie we have a varying degrees of following. Some people see gaming for what it is; a diverting form of entertainment, a chance to kick back with friends and have fun. Others aren't quite as blessed in terms of perspective. They see gaming not as a release from the woes of the everyday world, but as the world itself. They do their best to assume the mannerisms and affectations of their character in the real world, and in so doing draw negative attention to the entire genre. Now consider such lost souls in the world of Aberrant; how must they feel in this world of quantum-powered godlings? For sheep like these, any halfway charismatic nova could make for a convincing shepherd, and the twisted novas of www.reignofevil.com find the flock a fine one indeed.

Aberrant: Reignofevil.com is a look at the opnet subculture of the Aberrant world. A website dedicated to the demon lord Astaroth, reignofevil is the ultimate embodiment of losers coming together to form a pseudo-cult/rebellious group. The core leaders of this self-styled "movement" are Astaroth himself ( a nova who claims to be "the body of Astaroth) and his avatars, Beltaine, Belial, Grimskull, and Mammon. The tenets of their religion are centred around the belief that on February 17, 2017 these five novas and an as yet unnamed sixth member will come together in the Mexican desert with thousands of followers to perform a ritual that will merge these six novas into the True Beast Astaroth. Will this come to pass? Perhaps. . .but given the fact that by and large the five current heads of the movement can barely stand each other, the world might be safe from demonic-fuelled Armageddon. Might.

Aberrant: Reignofevil.com is a study of Satanism for fun and profit. The novas behind the site all have their own roles to play in the grand scheme, but by and large it's just an excuse for this mid-level novas to get together and pose, spew out some pro-Evil rants and get blitzed out their minds to neo-speed techno metal. The book is a dark comedic look at the web culture and fandom in general, and how when taken to an extreme things can get ugly indeed. Reignofevil.com is a nasty little bit of fun, with jabs at everything from goths to metalheads to RPG enthusiasts, while at the same time disturbing as this idle creation of jaded nova minds begins to take on a life of it's own. Of course, the "hardcore satanic" feel of the book may offend some readers, but if that's the case then the book is clearly doing it's job. By and large it's a book at turns disturbing and funny.

<font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#000000"><font size="4" color="#FF0000">Rating: <blink> Buy.</blink></font></font>

<em>Review courtesy of Stacy Dooks, aka Defender.</em>