This isn't a review, just a kind of annotated heads-up ;)

I got my copy of Mark Galeotti's "Mythic Russia" RPG the other day, and of
course (since I've been working on an RPG that touches on related territory) I
was worried that it would be either too mind-bogglingly brilliant and
intimidating (some kind of Russian equivalent of King Arthur Pendragon) or -
even scarier - that it'd be some kind of painful amateur-night affair that would
make Russian fantasy, as a concept, look bad.

It is, instead, a game I'm awfully happy about the existence of. It's full of
_stuff,_ in particular ... lots of little setting bits in every direction, and
that's the kind of thing that makes me want to hug a game. It's really
interesting see how two different gamers into the same material can pick up on
different things about it ... There are elements that Galeotti explores with
gusto that my game is likely to make only faint passing mention of (or no
mention at all), and there are things that Galeotti makes faint passing mention
(or no mention of at all) of that are big-deal central setting elements in mine.
Naturally, of course ... but again: very interesting to see from this side. And
of course, he mentions my own earlier work in the area (GURPS Russia) favorably,
and even alludes to my forthcoming game with a note of hope, so that's good of
him :)

So it's the best of all possible scenarios as far as my selfish fears were
concerned, since Galeotti has created a Russian FRPG that stands admirably as a
very complete and appealing game with a nice, broad internal library of
resources ... but not one that would make anyone fear to tread that territory
again (even graphically, it's attractive -- even downright pretty -- without
being flashy or pushing expense in your face: an understated blend of
commissioned new artwork with public domain imagery, with tasteful and
mostly-straightforward typography).

Personal-Taste Matters: It's much more of a story-type game than a traditional
RPG; it's built on the HeroQuest rules set (all rules included). That's not my
bag as a gaming style, but as the book is mostly _stuff_ (setting resources,
resources for characters and adventure construction, etc) it's a book that
traditional RPGers would find very useful if medieval Russia is to their taste
(and if you don't _know_ if medieval Russia is to your taste, this is a good way
to find out). The maps are scant (but there are more of them than poor GURPS
Russia ever had, due to a production accident, alas) and very digital in style,
but they get the overland essentials across with a few welcome extras.

Structural/Production Matters: I wish they'd asked me to do the index; I'd have
done it on the cheap. The index is the weakest part of the book by far. But when
you can honestly say "the weakest part of the book is the index," that's praise,
folks, and not faint praise, either. Due to some kind of production error of
their own, the bar-code on the back looks like a low-res JPEG placeholder, so if
your game shop has a price-scanner and the cashier looks frustrated, that's why
:)

Random happy-stuff: I particularly liked the bit about Orthodox magic turning
the face of a priest temporarily into an icon-like image. It may edge somewhere
close to blasphemy, but so do I whenever given the chance, and I wish I'd
thought of it first.

The Details: 320pp Softcover published by Firebird Productions. The print is
clean, the binding feels good and the whole thing hefts solidly in the hand and
makes me glad it's there.

Good on you, Firebird; nice stuff.


|| S. John Ross
|| Husband · Cook · Writer
|| In That Order
|| http://www.io.com/~sjohn