Pyramid Review
Mean Streets RPG
Published by Deep7
Written and produced by Mark Bruno
56-page PDF; $7.95
(Available via Deep7's website and RPGnow.comSince Mean Streets: The RPG of Classic Film Noir isn't following hot on the heels of Archon Gaming, Inc.'s Noir, the last high-profile effort in the genre, it's probably safe to say dark cinema is not the most faddish campaign arena in the market. Nevertheless, Deep7 takes a shot at bringing the dank and ill-lit streets of the hard-boiled private detective story to the tabletop with this first release in the XPG System.
The year is 1943 (by default, anyway), and the embattled mayor of New York City is fighting an intense battle against the united criminal forces of the Syndicate. It's much like the New York we know, but with a few details changed and some fudging on the history to give it the cinematic veneer. Players play cops, politicians, gangsters, mob molls, and private investigators caught up in webs of intrigue or running from their own past. Most of the story is open-ended, leaving it up to the GM and his players to choose the focus of their game.
Fledgling PCs start with a character archetype and six statistics. The archetypes are critical only for determining starting wealth, but for some reason they are discussed at the end of the character creation section. The stats are Agility (control of the whole body for activities like gymnastics or brawling), Dexterity (fine motor control . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: July 19, 2002
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