The good folks at Politically Incorrect Games have kept
their quality streak alive with the release of Steampunk Musha, a “Victoriental Adventures” setting for Iron Gauntlets. It’s nice to see such an excellent gaming
system as IG getting plenty of love and support; despite its relatively small
size, PIG is providing as much and more support material for Iron Gauntlets than some companies 3-4
times its size are doing for there lines. Steampunk Musha is a good
indicator of the high quality of these releases.
My review copy was a pdf, some 122 pages in length. SM
(as we will periodically refer to Steampunk
Musha) was created by Rick Hershey, with Brett Bernstein and Alana Abbott
(an up-and-coming young authoress who you might remember from my Into The Reach
review) doing the writing. The artwork
throughout is more functional than lush (though nicely done and evocative), but
the overall design of the book is one of clarity and ease of reading.
The world of Steampunk Musha is very much one of tradition
fighting to hold on in the face of progress; a Victorian theme wrapped in fantasy, but definitely a Victorian theme
nonetheless. However, this is not your
standard British Isles steampunk; our
setting takes place in on the island of Rosuto-Shima, which
has a decidedly Oriental feel to it. The
island (and setting) are completely modular, and can be dropped into any Iron
Gauntlets campaign because of it.
Rosuto-Shima is, as I said presented as isolated from the
rest of the world, and is going through the struggles of an new industrial age
(which is where our steampunk elements enter in). I was somewhat reminded of Japan and the
days of the Meiji Restoration). Bernstein and Abbott work cultures derived from several oriental nations
as well as Victorian England to create cultures that really do present
excellent chances for conflict and struggle. Among the themes presented here is what is given up when
industrialization destroys the old ways, but also the question of what is worth
saving at the risk of halting progress?
SM is divided into 7 sections. The first deals with Character Basics, and
provides a solid introduction to what is new for this Iron Gauntlets setting.
The second section is Character Races. I liked the fact that Humans are presented as
a different race from the Gaijin, or foreigners (the folks responsible for much
of the technology challenging the tradition of Rosuto-Shima. In addition to these two, there are the
Clockwork Ronin, which can be imbued with the spirit of a deceased warrior; the
Jinteki-Oni, a surprisingly peaceful, powerful hybrid of demon and human; the
Juunishi-p’o, small, strange creatures based on the animal lords of the zodiac;
and the Keshou, a former slave race that is related to goblins, though it has
many dwarf-like qualities. I was
surprised how much I enjoyed some of these races, which managed not to fall
into the trap of most new fantasy races (you know—“lizard humanoid, bird
humanoid, octopi humanoid, etc.”).
Chapter 3 deals with magic and religion, and how their perception
has changed with the arrival of reliable, new technology. The schools of magic are a definite
highlight, with the scholarly paths and Gui (an elemental school which incorporates
the martial arts) being total coolness.
SM goes on to describe both traditional and
modern, native and gaijin equipment. For
me, this chapter (#4) was the highlight of the book. The steampunk items here really shine, with
steamwork mounts, constructs, and weaponry present in high volumes. Gun bunnies will be happy to see their
favorite type of weaponry on display here, and the magically-inclined will find
enough items to keep them in the ballgame.
Chapters 5, 6, and 7 sort of work together, with a detailed
history of Rosuto-Shima being followed by a fully illustrated bestiary
(containing some great twists on some Japanese favorites along with a few
new beasties altogether), and, of course
(being a PIG product), a full chapter of plot and campaign ideas. This setting may only be 122 pages in length,
but it can stand up to the big boys in terms of quality and detail with no
problems.
Of course, no PIG pdf would be complete without a character
sheet, game reference sheet, and map. They keep this up, and I might just (gasp!) expect this behavior from
all pdf publishers.
In short, Steampunk Musha is more than just a standard
fantasy setting, and is definitely not your run-of-the-mill steampunk genre
entry, either. I find it interesting
that Iron Gauntlets, which has an “Unorthodox” sourcebook series, has produced
an unorthodox setting as well. The
conflict between technology and the old ways is prevalent throughout, but
steers far from becoming cliché or boringly redundant. Despite its unusual premise, the writing of
this book is rock-solid, and ensures that Steampunk Musha is another feather in
the hat of PIG.
