Pyramid Review
The Directive (for Aberrant)
Published by White Wolf Publishing, Inc.
Written by Carl Bowen, Richard Dakan, Kyle Olson
96 pages, $14.95
It's too bad The Directive doesn't have the primary-color characters of previous Aberrant roleplaying sourcebooks like Teragen and Project Utopia. It's hard to get excited about this secretive agency's inner workings, but it has the potential to inspire some fascinating stories.
The Directive follows the usual conventions of the Aberrant faction books. The goals and methods of the Directive -- an international espionage organization which watches and occasionally intervenes in the affairs of Aberrant's super-powered "novas" -- are presented through reports, internal memos, and recruiting documents. There are new intelligence-related Backgrounds and Abilities, campaign suggestions and write-ups on important figures within the Directive.
So far, nothing unusual -- and unfortunately, The Directive lacks the narrative drive of some of the previous books. Teragen presented a radically different perspective on the "supervillains" of the Aberrant universe, showcasing over a dozen gripping characters and the conflicts between them. Project Utopia slowly built up a sense of horror by presenting the Utopians' achievements and then stripping away the bright, shiny exterior to show the hidden agenda inside.
By contrast, The Directive is amorphous, decentralized. It spends most of its time watching and waiting, and its leaders are so self-effacing that . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: June 30, 2000
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