“Try Before You Buy” is an occasional segment of Astral Projections. It spotlights free (or nearly free) supplements, quick-start rules, and modules for various RPGs.
Wiseguys JumpStart for Savage Worlds by Just Insert Imagination is a free teaser for a possible setting book for the system. The “What Is This?” sidebar in the PDF says it will “hit Kickstarter later this year!” I decided to take a look at it since my gaming group got me into the Savage Worlds system. As the title and cover art suggest, PCs are working for the Mob, in Las Vegas specifically. The introduction provides some background with an entertaining first-person monologue by an ex-con turned parole officer. (What the–can you even do that?) Sidebars provide a smattering of slang and an overview of Omertà, the code of the Italian/Sicilian mobs.
Like most quick-starts, Wiseguys provides only enough mechanics to run the included module, but appears to stay very close to the base Savage Worlds rules. There are a few setting-specific Hindrances and Edges. I liked the Roller Skater Combat Edge. (There are roller skate equipment stats, too.) I was amused by the decision to call the gamemaster a Don–in Italics, even.
The last part of the PDF is the module “Song of the Canary.” Without spoilers, word comes down for the PCs to get rid of an informant, and NOT in the middle of nowhere, let’s say. There’s also lots of competing, non-law-abiding interested parties, too. The module includes 4 pre-gen PCs, plus a blank character sheet. These are ostensibly low-level gangster movie/book tropes. I did roll my eyes at the background capsules for the 2 female PCs–a roller-derby queen and a disgraced ex-medical student. I didn’t find either of those at all realistic or appealing–but maybe it’s just my limited genre-savvy showing.
Overall, I find this a good start for running a Pg-13 fictional-Mob RPG, and I suggest anyone who doesn’t mind playing anti-heroes (I usually do mind) take a look at it. To be fair, the “What Is This?” sidebar does say it can be used for games about organized crime’s antagonists as well, so maybe there will be something for us Goody Two Shoes RPGers in the full rules.
Linda Whitson
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