Read Through: Colonial Gothic

Disclaimer: This is an idiot review.

Colonial Gothic
Publisher: Rogue Games
Pages: 289
Reviewed: PDF

"There is a secret history, and this history deals with events that took place in the shadows. These events played a role in the history of the American colonies and the Revolution that few know about.

The truth is hidden, and plots are afoot. Events are moving behind the scenes, and lurking in the shadows are agents with their own agenda.

War is coming. The Siege of Boston is lifted, and General Washington is leading the Continental Army to New York. The enemies are many, but as to who they are, you do not know.

Colonial Gothic is a supernatural historical horror roleplaying game set during the dawn of the American Revolution."

The Good.

The book is fairly well laid out with an easy to read manner and style. The artwork is black-and-white line art which fits well with the setting and helps make a connection with the players that this is a historical setting. Interestingly, the artwork provides a a solid visual way of showcasing that this is not your normal fantasy or science fiction role-playing game and is something a little different.

The game uses their 12° system, which is apparently an in-house game system. The system seems solid and usable and allows for a good level of GM and player creativity. The simple mechanic takes a trait and skill for a target number the player must then roll below to succeed. Thus higher numbers are bad and lower are good. To moderate difficulty the GM can apply modifiers to raise or lower this target number, very simple and effective. This mechanic has certain ties (or similarities) to many of the more simple story games that are common these days and I feel it works well here.

Also an interesting idea is the Fate Card and Faith Points. This essentially allows a player to manipulate the GM's story and allow the players to have a little say in where the story goes and unfolds. I like this idea and can see players coughing up these Faith Points to help steer the story in directions they would like to explore. A strong group of gamers could use these to great effect and help create a more collaborative story than might otherwise happen. Here is an example from the book on using a Faith Point:

For example, your Hero and his companions are having a drink in a seedy bar in some city when a pair of bounty hunters enters intent on capturing them. You spend a Faith Point to establish that the bar not only has a back exit but that your table is conveniently located near it so that you and your friends can make a hasty retreat. Unless the GM had specifically stated that there was either no back exit or that your table was located far from any exit, this is a perfectly legitimate use of a Faith Point.

To help add to the flavor, the book is also scattered with fiction by Jennifer Brozek. These serve their purpose and help draw you into the world. This is a great addition as I think the Colonial period is as ancient to most people who might play this game as any fantasy or science fiction setting might feel.

The Bad.

Fifteen pages of table of contents! This is why indexes are created, which by the way the book is lacking. A change to the massive list up front to an index would serve the purpose much better. As I began the book, as page after page was turned, I began to wonder when the table of contents was going to end and the game would begin. A short chapter listing, and the inclusion of an index, would have served this purpose much more effectively.

Around chapter Four is when the book started to lose me. The book launches into many setting details, then suddenly returns to focusing on the rules in Chapter 5. This would be great for an in-depth historical campaign; if that is what you are looking for, this works. Clearly these guys have done their homework and know this setting inside and out. However, is it really necessary? Do we need to know that 1 Doubloon = 8 Pistoles, or that the Virginia Bill of Credit was 6s and 8p while the Pennsylvania Bill of Credit was 7s and 6d? I do not feel that level of detail is required for a game. If you enjoy this minute level of detail, then this could be the game for you as this is a pattern reproduced elsewhere.

The book appears to have been organized poorly. In the middle of Chapter 5, whose header tells us it is about "Actions", the game launches into a discussion on Sanity, the different types of insanity, and then into a multitude of diseases. A full eight pages are dedicated to these two topics. Surely very important back in the 1700s, but here is just seems like a waste of space and needless information that would get little use in most games. I have never ran, nor ran into a GM who used disease or insanity to major effect in their games.

Starting on page 147 and running through to page 217 is a player's guide to the colonies. All good information, but again, sometimes far too much detail. However, as a game rulebook, I suddenly felt like I was back in high school reading my history book.

The Ugly.

Overall, this is a decent book. If you are into history and especially this period of time, you will probably enjoy reading this rulebook. If you love history, you will probably find this book interesting, even if you never intend on running a game. While the author tries at times to present an almost pulpy feel to the action in the game, there are times where they mention styles of play such as “High Action Style”, “Occult & Mystery Style”, and “Supernatural Style” but I failed to find any mention of this anywhere else in the book besides a page of information about "Setting the Mood" and "Horror and Pacing" running from page 235-236. At the end of the book it dives into a creature catalog which includes some supernatural beasts, but other than those, I could find no examples of why this is "Gothic".

I feel I must look at this product in two different lights. As a historical game, I would rate it 4 out of 5, it has a wealth of information on the period, gear, peoples, politics, and everything else you could possibly want to know about the Colonial Period of American history. However, as a game that bills itself as "a supernatural historical horror roleplaying game," I would have to give it only 2 out of 5. Perhaps in follow up supplements there will be a more supernatural vein presented through the book, but in this core book, it is lacking. Going into the book, I expected much more focus on the supernatural aspect of the game, or even the mentioned "secret history" but neither show up much in the game book.

If you are interested in seeing for yourself, Rogue Games has been nice enough to furnish a Primer on the game.