So back in February of 2020, I posted that I was going to do a comparison between contemporary spy/espionage role playing games, but it never happened. I got distracted and a bit wary of such a task I had given myself.
No more. Here we go. I’ve decided to take a close look at eight of my favorite of the genre. Some of them you may not have heard of, or don’t remember. I’ve tried to stay away from any with any type of supernatural elements, and I’ve not included any games that are generic or could be used for a spy game. These are all dedicated to the genre. Most of the games I’ve going to list here are pretty old, and most represent the time period set in the 80’s or during the height of the Cold War, which was (fictionally) a great period of time for these types of games, movies, and stories.
This is going to work out to be a fairly long article, or series of posts. For each game, I intend on focusing on a certain number of things that are common in each game, and common in role playing in general.
First is going to be character generation. Is it straightforward? Are there a lot of options while not being overly spread out and confusing? Is there any type of back story generation built into the characters, or do they at least reinforce good character story? Are the dice mechanics well built, or overly simplistic or complicated? What about skills? Is there a good base of skills usable not only in the genre but also in a modern setting?
Next, one of the most (in my mind) important aspects of modern era characters: skills. Is the skill list too focused or to too broad? Are beginning characters skilled operatives or newbies just out of training? Speaking of training, what type of training do the characters receive to be able to complete missions?
Third, and for many people the number one most important part of modern gaming, is Equipment. Is there a good list of firearms of all types? Are there spy-craft gadgets? What about clothing and style? Is there a good choice of vehicles, from motorcycles to tanks? Boats? Night-vision gear or parachutes? Could you play a Mission Impossible kind of campaign with what’s in the core rule book? What about obtaining gear? Are there long lists of stuff to buy that’ll take hours to go through, or are there streamlined rules for gear that let you get going with little fuss?
The next topic will be covered more in depth in the Combat comparison, but I’d like to touch on health, healing, types of damage, character death and mortality. Can the characters spring back into action after just a short bit, or does it take weeks in the hospital just to be able to walk around?
Also, and just as importantly in the genre, the actual working bits of espionage. Tailing subjects, breaking and entering, disguise, seduction, microscopic cameras and boom microphones, ball-point pens with knock out gas, safe cracking, and all the other things found in all the best spy movies and stories.
And of course, combat. Shooting Walther PPK’s at the guards with AK’s (because the bad guys are always better armed), Karate and Judo and all types of crazy martial arts. Knife fights, car chases, motorcycle stunts and helicopter getaways. All the cool high action parts that we all love from spy games.
Lastly, I’ll probably cover character growth through experience, if I don’t cover that more in depth in the first section. Rewards, improving abilities, all that jazz.
So hopefully I haven’t lost your interest so far. The games I’m going to cover in this huge project are:
Top Secret/S.I. (really the second edition of the original TSR Top Secret, but in my opinion a much better product).
James Bond, 007, the original Victory Games version, a true classic of the type.
Modern A.G.E., an adaptation of the Adventure Game Engine by Green Ronin
Covert Ops by DWD Studios, a rules light but truly solid game.
N.O.W. By Mike Myler
Palladium Game’s Ninjas and Super Spies
and Spycraft 2 by Crafty Games, an updated d20 version of the original.
I was also going to review Mercenaries, Spies, and Private Eyes, but my PDF copy is unfortunately corrupted. I’ll cover each of these through the lens of the categories I explained above.
Please be patient with me, though, This is a big project I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but time to actually sit down and do this is in short supply. Also, if there’s a game you think should belong on this list, let me know!
Thanks!
Tim
Dice Mechanic