The Digital Front Review Corner: Wizards and Wiseguys

Wizards and Wiseguys is a 23 page PDF from Rpgobjects written by Mike Lafferty. It is an alternate history setting based on the modern and fantasy SRDs. It is available from rpgobjects.com, rpgnow.com and drivethrurpg.com for $3.95. The download has both a print-friendly (portrait) and screen version (in landscape with colour elements) and both are extensively bookmarked.

This product is divided into two main section; the first 17 or so pages look at the changes to the world's history as well as providing a number of adventure hooks, and the last 6 or so pages of mechanics suggestions and non-player characters. The main premise of the product is that the 1908 Tunguska event/explosion was actually the result a magical explosion that exposed the real world to the world of Shadow (as similar in Urban Arcana). Magic is reborn into the modern world and the product looks at how it effects events during 1908-1912 (pre-WWI), 1912-1928 (WWI), 1918-1920 (the Dragon war), 1920's (roaring 20's and prohibition). The influence of magic across these times is gradual so that major events still occur but they are flavoured by the magic that now exists. Each section of time has a couple pages of history, GM notes on running that section and three or four adventure hooks.

During the emergence of magic has profound effects on the political climate of the world with China collapsing into anarchy, Britain repelled form some of its colonies and several areas that have long sought independence achieve it with magic. The use of magic is criminalized in several areas as magic is seen as the work of devils or used by criminals. During the great war, German mystics manipulate Mexican officials into invading America to keep them out of the European theatre. Allies and Axis powers are divided on the sorts of magic they wield. Griffins and wyvern are employed as mounts in the war and clay golems are used to assist the allied ground troops. As the Kaiser's army began to fall, he negotiated with 4 red dragons to lend combat support. During the dragon war era, warfare focus on man versus the creatures of shadow. With the dragons defeated, society enters the 20s and America enters prohibition. Overall the history is imaginative yet plausible so that all of history veers of the tracks.

The rule section is kind of a mixed bag. This campaign is in someways similar to Urban Arcana but instead of using the Modern SRD for magic and monsters it uses the Fantasy SRD. Much of the rules information is done in the form of a suggested list of changes. It lists classes and skills to exclude from the modern ruleset and suggests changes to some of the modern spells. I like the inclusion of rune charms (to resist magical attacks) and rune slugs (to harm creatures of magic). I really dislike that the fantasy spell list is being used instead of the modern one. I really liked the concept that all high magic could only be accomplished through ritual in modern. As this is written, a 12^th level character (3^rd/9^th mage) has access to 9^th level DnD spells; this significantly ramps up the power available in a d20 modern campaign (this also would be 5 levels before a wizard in a magic-rich fantasy world would achieve such skill). There are a number of caveats about spell level and campaign year and school availability. The product closes with npc stats for main characters from the history.

There are a couple of issues of consistency in the text such as where both the allies and axis have the upper hand when it comes to transmutation magic. The setting is really interesting but I'm not comfortable with how the mechanics are developed. By providing a short list of changes, not providing advanced classes for the many organizations listed in the history and trying to integrate the fantasy SRD it just seems like the product leaves all the heavy lifting to the GM. I think if I choose to run a Wizards and Wiseguys campaign I would drop all reference to the fantasy SRD and still with the rules for magic and magic items in the Modern Arcana book or SRD.