SHADOWFORCE ARCHER

Format: B&W Cover, B&W/color Interior, hardcover Page Count: 255 Genre: campaign setting (Spycraft) Campaign Setting: Alternate History Modern Developer: AEG Publisher: AEG Authors: Patrick Kapera and Kevin Wilson  Product Code: AEG1000

Overall score:  3/5

Shadowforce Archer is designed for what marketing experts would call a "captive audience", people who are already interested in the Spycraft roleplaying world and are looking for more source material.   While it indeed adds a great deal of depth and information to the Spycraft system as a whole, it does little to generate new interest in the game or roleplaying in general.  The black and gray cover doesn't exactly grab your attention.

Shadowforce uses minimal illustration, and what illustration there is adds little to the overall value of the book.  The silver-tone ink used in many of the headings and charts creates a nasty glare in the light, making it hard on the eyes.  Take it from a gamemaster with sensitive eyes-- if you are a gamemaster who will spend a lot of time with the book, that IS an issue.

There is a wealth of information to be discovered, however, if you are into the game system.  The book provides in-depth details of the mysterious Archer Foundation, founded in 1950 to police and protect the world from itself.  We learn the secrets behind the "Shadow Communities" that make up the Archer Foundation, from the mystical Guardians of the Whispering Knife to the commandos of The Company.  Players chose a community, and this choice allows them access to special feats and equipment.  A revisionist timeline is provided from 1881 to present to give players a common history in which to work.

Shadowforce presents low, mid, and high-level versions of important NPC's, allowing gamemasters to tailor these figures to their game quickly.  It also allows for more realism in play.  As the players advance, so too do their enemies and allies.  Unfortunately, the book does not provide illustrations of these NPC's and the descriptions are rather generic.

We also get five well-developed prestige classes that could be used in any D20 game set in the modern world.  They are the cat burglar, the counter-terrorist, the hacker, the sniper, and the Shadespeaker.  The first four are self-explanatory.  The last is supposed to be exclusive to agents who are a part of the Guardians of the Whispering Knife, but could be modified for any campaign.  Shadespeakers can communicate with the dead and even partially enter the spirit realm.

Fans of psionics will get a lot out of chapter five, which not only provides clear rules on developing and using psionic powers, but also provides three new classes designed for psions.  The Mentalist uses psionic powers to create fantastic psionic-powered gadgets.  The Physical Adept uses psionics to increase physical capabilities.  The Telepath uses psionics to delve into the minds of others.  The psionic classes seem to be a little unbalancing, and I would hate to think of a campaign composed of ALL psionists (unless you REALLY know what you are doing).

Chapter 6 highlights the world of the mystic agent.  By taking Mystic feats, players have access to a variety of rites and rituals.  Mystic agents can wield terrifying power if they can locate and bond enough followers, who channel their faith and loyalty to the Mystic.  Indeed campaigns could begin or revolve around cultivating enough followers to ward off some greater evil.  Mystic powers are balance by something called The Thirst, the corruptive desire to wield greater power at any price.  Powerful rituals have a Thirst DC assigned to them.  The player makes a Will save against the ritual's DC.  If successful, the player suffers no ill effects.  Failure means the player has gained a Thirst Level.  Thirst Levels offer additional benefits to the mystic?at the cost of his soul.  Giving into the Thirst can eventually make a player go mad.  The chapter also provides details on a variety of mystical relics that could provide story hooks.

If you are already a fan of the Spycraft game system, Shadowforce Archer may be worth the price. As someone unfamiliar with the system, it did little to raise my interest.  Shadowforce Archer is a book I would borrow from a friend to get a few ideas from.  And if I was invited to play in a Spycraft game, I would hope there was a copy in the room to reference.  But it is not a "must-have" book, only a nice addition.

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Originally reviewed for Gaming Frontiers Magazine