Victoriana

Rating:
Summary: Victorian Fantasy Roleplay...it works!
Review: I've never been one to enjoy historical roleplaying games. Victoriana is the first to get this distinction. It's based around the Fuzion system, pioneered by R. Talsorian games, the folk that brought us Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0 and Castle Falkenstein. It's obvious this is a first publishing attempt by these folks, as there are a few typos here and there. So that's the one star less than five reason. Otherwise, this game book rocks! They've gone so far as to reinvent quite a few things in history to mesh it into the new idea of Victorian England with elves and vampires, and what have you. The first part of the book is background, which is invaluable if you've not been exposed to the seamy side of Victorian England. The second part, as you guessed, is rules. Fuzion works, makes sense, and is easy to pick up. I'm not sure I would've chosen Fuzion for a system, when the D20 OGL seems to be more forgiving. In the end, that choice may condemn Victoriana to obscurity. (It's happened before.) But aside from that, the art, the writing, and the layout make sense. Highly reccomended if you're even slightly curious.