Aberrant RPG - Aberrant: Church of Michael Archangel

Matt · July 2, 2000

ABERRANT

CHURCH OF MICHAEL ARCHANGEL

<img src="http://www.nprime.net/images/archangel.jpg" border=0 height=200 width=140 align=LEFT>Thou Shalt Have No Gods Before Me...

In their own minds, members of The Church of the Archangel Michael are heroes and martyrs. While the media surrounding them is tempted, deceived and misguided, and the masses are lured toward oblivion, the Michaelites stand firm against the nova menace and wield their faith like a sword.

Or Before the Media.

The Church of Archangel Michael hates and resents novas, claiming that they detract from the glory of God and eclipse the good deeds of regular people. How do church members survive in a world where novas are a media phenomenon? How do they get their message heard?

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Retail Price: $4.95 U.S.

Page Count: 24

Authors: Bruce Baugh

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Matt · November 15, 2000

<table width="140" border="0" height="200" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="0" align="right"><tr> <td><img src="http://www.nprime.net/images/archangel.jpg" width="140" height="200"></td></tr></table>Church of Michael Archangel Review

Faith is a powerful thing. At its best, faith in an ideal (be it religious, philosophical, or political) can bring us together in common cause, creating a sense of community and family which can transcend the perceived bonds of race, gender, or nation. At its worst, faith can turn us against each other, eliminating rational thought and discussion in the heat of "holy" crusades, inquisitions, and demonization. Now imagine a world where people manifested the abilities commonly seen in religion? Walking on water, flying through the air, laying on hands, even raining down fire and brimstone. How would people of faith react? Would they see these enhanced humans as avatars of the gods? Or as demons bent on corruption and destruction? Aberrant: Church of Michael Archangel, focuses on the latter of these two viewpoints. To the xenophobic right-wing Christians of the Church, novas are nothing more than the spawn of Satan, and in the war between God and the Devil these unholy beings must be cleansed from the Earth by any means necessary.

Aberrant: Church of Michael Archangel is an uncomfortable read. It exposes use to the minds of xenophobic racists and their latest target, advocating a doctrine of hatred and prejudice that would make even the most hardcore of Teragen members blanch. The zealots of the Church use methods of both propaganda and the mob to ensure the aberrant filth get nowhere near the homes and lives of decent Christian folk. While not as powerful a threat as Project Proteus or the Teragen, the Church of Michael Archangel is perhaps a more insidious threat than either group. Hate is easily the most exploitable of emotions, and it's easy for people to fear and mistrust what they don't understand. How could an ordinary person understand a woman who does advanced calculus in microseconds? Or a man who can lift oil rigs over his head? There's nothing people hate more than feeling lesser than someone, of feeling bested, and the Michaelites embody that feeling in spades. To say that I enjoyed this book wouldn't be true, but it make me see how such a hatemonger group could grow and thrive even in the midst of Aberrant's utopian splendour. For people looking for non-stop quantum-powered slugfests, this book probably isn't for you. For storytellers looking for a truly evil set of antagonists who aren't knockoffs of the Legion of Doom, this is for you. It's far from pleasant, but it strikes a chord, and may help you and your team address some real world issues and really feel like they're making a difference in combating real villains.

Rating: <blink> Buy.</blink>

Review courtesy of Stacy Dooks, aka Defender.

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Aberrant RPG - Aberrant: Church of Michael Archangel

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