In Dark Alleys

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

Am slowly working my way through In Dark Alleys. Am taking anything about the real world con grano salis, given that this comes from the people who seriously expected me to believe, in Fates Worse than Death that a) the Internet could fall down and not get back up for a decade, b) that parents would be allowed to keep their kids with them in prison, where they pick up all sorts of prison skills (ebartley: Yes, they would. This is why prisons don't allow convicts to keep their kids with them in jail.), and c) that the government would not be willing to issue anyone identity papers and keep track of them.

On the other hand, I am pleased to note that In Dark Alleys actually notes that Whites are a minority in LA, and gives some kind of ethnic breakdown. I'm not sure of the source or accuracy of the figures, but that's less important to me than the recognition that people in a contemporary gaming world are not all like, well, me or most of the folks that I game with. When discussing native traditions, the book avoids the usual Celtic stuff, and gives a 1-page summary of Latin American beliefs, which, while not screamingly original for an rpg, is quite appropriate given the setting, and also gives a brief summary of 3 Asian traditions -- Hmong, Cambodian, and Vietnamese. I do not think I have ever seen that in an rpg before. I am not attesting to the accuracy or lack thereof, but definite nod for thinking about the setting.

Oh, and there's a lot of lovely horror / dark fantasy cool bits in there.

The system is, of course, crunchier than I'd like. Most systems are. But, I bought it to find stuff I could use, and, like Fates Worse than Death, it's got plenty of lovely stuff.

Comments

[selki.livejournal.com]

When discussing native traditions, the book avoids the usual Celtic stuff, and gives a 1-page summary of Latin American beliefs, which, while not screamingly original for an rpg, is quite appropriate given the setting, and also gives a brief summary of 3 Asian traditions -- Hmong, Cambodian, and Vietnamese. I do not think I have ever seen that in an rpg before. I am not attesting to the accuracy or lack thereof, but definite nod for thinking about the setting.

Cool! I know nothing about Hmong or Cambodian traditions. I've heard some folks just buy GURPS books for reading (not ever intending to play).