Weird War II for Savage Worlds – Monsters, Magic, and Mayhem in WWII

 

Weird type events for World War II? Yes, please. Unlike Deadlands, I think this one pulls it off. (That’s not an indictment of Deadlands, I like the concept, but that’s another topic.)

The topic at hand is the Weird War II sourcebook from Pinnacle Games for their Savage Worlds rules.

Weird War II is a source book for using the Savage Worlds system with a twisted take on World War II. Like Deadlands, there are dark forces at work, and Europe is in deeper trouble than just Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan. The “Weird War” genre has been around for a while, but I think this book captures it better than anything else in RPG form.

I’m not diving deep into the Savage Worlds rules here (if you’re reading this, you probably already know the system). Instead, I’m focusing on the book itself as source material.

Released in 2009, Pinnacle did a solid job capturing the feel of the genre. Character creation really shines, with advantages tailored to soldiers from each major nationality. While you could play Axis forces, the best campaigns are built around the Allies. The mixed nature of Allied forces gives tons of latitude for military and civilian backgrounds. Female players will find great inspiration in the illustration on page 12, who wants to play a WAC when you could be a French resistance fighter with a penchant for explosives?

The Office of Special Investigations concept neatly sidesteps traditional gender roles in combat: if you can handle the horrors of Weird War, you’re in, regardless of gender. It also feels very ad-hoc, much like units in Twilight 2000.

Equipment levels feel just about right. The book adds the right amount of new skills and Edges, plus an excellent mission generator that keeps things moving. The Warmaster can always “pull rank” with superior officers when the players start wandering off in search of Option Z.

The material scales perfectly, from personal arms all the way up to fighters, bombers, and naval vessels. Rules for fortifications, artillery, disease, parachuting, and more let you play out nearly every aspect of the war (and then some).

Large sections focus on the weird elements (especially Chapter Five), with monsters, Nazi blood magic, and Soviet psychic powers. While the European Theater gets a lot of attention, the Pacific campaign offers just as much potential for weirdness amid sweltering jungles and vast oceans.

The last chapter covers the Axis powers and their monstrous creations. Standouts include the Axis Stitch (soldiers sewn together from multiple bodies), nasty mustard gas zombies, and Wehrwolves.

Graphically, the book looks excellent. Even with some recycled art from previous editions, it’s uniformly strong and captures the tone perfectly. My favorite piece is the Axis Stitch on page 163. Additionally, the front and back covers are also outstanding.

Axis Stich, one fearsome monster!

 

One negative: the hardcover binding is flimsy. My copy is already separating from the spine despite light use.

If I ran this, I’d draw heavily from Return to Castle Wolfenstein for visuals, there’s natural overlap there. Handled right by the referee, Weird War II makes for a fun, exciting break from traditional sword & sorcery.

In closing, I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. How about you? Have you played Weird Wars?

All Flesh Must Be Eaten – The Best Zombie RPG for Beer & Pretzels Games

BRAINS!

Now that I have your attention, just who does not like the zombie genre? Not many people considering the obsession with zombies on TV and at the box office (although I am protesting World War Z).

Now if you do not like them get the hell outta here. Zombies are cool! In RPG land there are a few good choices for zombie horror survival, but for me I would probably settle on using All Flesh Must be Eaten (fans shorten it to AFMBE). A second choice would be to use Savage Worlds and use the Weird War campaign setting and modify it from there. The Savage Worlds rule system would be perfect for zombie adventures using Weird War II rules as I like the feeling of the supplement and they sanded off the rough edges compared to the previous installment. Lastly, there is also Battlefield Evolution with the Apocalypse Z supplement, but bear in mind that is a tabletop battle miniatures game first and foremost.

Released in 1999 AFMBE is still the standard for zombie RPGs out there. With a number of supplements the line is well supported. While there are other systems, I think All Flesh Must Be Eaten does the best job of capturing the feel of the genre. The rules are not cumbersome (or crunchy) which might be off putting to some gamers but I like the ability to use it in many types of settings from traditional end of the world trope "Rise of the Walking Dead", to voodoo zombie lords "Dawn of the Zombie Lords" to space alien zombies "They Came from Beyond", to name but a few. Seriously, if you are a GM and you cannot come up with SOMETHING in this genre, it is time to hang up your GM screen.

 Of course you can't go wrong with the classic "end of the world" zombie trope! 'Murica!!!!

Back to characters: three basic types (Norms, Survivors and Inspired) each with their own built in advantages (for the most part). Six stats on a point system and away you go. Grab some qualities and drawbacks (here is where I think Savage Worlds is better) and you are off. Also in the character creation chapter I especially like the Archetypes section as it gives a good feel of the tone of the design of the system.

Equipment and vehicles are well handled and I also like the sections for different types of zombies (Apocalypse Z does this as well). For a game with only one really defining monster some variation is needed and with the system presented it is simple to do so: take the base profile and add to it for variation. Boom, done.

One thing I did not like (I have the revised edition so I cannot speak to the original) is the graphic design. I like the look and feel but a lot of it looks like it was low-res quality scans, making it look a bit muddy. Even if they are not, that is how it looked. Shame in an otherwise fine presentation.

In closing I recommend the game. I cannot imagine playing All Flesh Must Be Eaten for really long periods of time but I can certainly see it for a beer and pretzels type of gaming. Anyone else out there with thoughts on this RPG?

Brainnnnssss anyone?