Warzone Resurrection Review Part 9: Rulebook.

1. Dark Legion Miniatures
2.Dark Legion Cards
3. Brotherhood Miniatures
4. Brotherhood Cards
5.Bauhaus Miniatures
6.Bauhaus Cards
7. Misc Miniatures
8. Misc Cards
9. Rulebook from a non rules perspective


Lo gain folks, final part of my review of Warzone ressurection. Part 8 is found here.

This time we'll be doing something different, because it is not miniatures or cards this time but the rulebook. Now I have yet to play the game so I will not comment on the actual rules, instead I'll focus on quality design and fluff.

Ok let get going.

This is the Warzone Ressurection Rulebook.

The quality of the book is great smooth velvet cover, nice paper quality and as far as I can tell real binding (unlike my told first edition warzone rulebook where only half the pages are still in place).
All in all it feels more like the artbooks I usually get when buying limited edition games than a a rulebook. That only applies to the quality of the materials though, the content is very much a rulebook smack full of text, both rules and fluff. And the occasional art page.

Design Wise the Book is broken up into seven sections, one for the main part and one for each faction, each with it's own unique page design.

 This is the design used for the 'rulebook' part (as well as the fluff part, timelines, and armoury)
It's certainly good looking but it gets better.

 This is the design of the Bauhaus pages, Notice the water stamp cogwheel of Bauhaus in the back.

 This is the page design for Capitol, with easily recognisable with an eagle and skyscrapers, ah these americans... I mean Capitolliers.

 This is the Mishima design.

 And Cybertronic

 The Brotherhood

And last but by no margin least, the Dark Legion. And this is where I have my first Issue on the book, that font they're suing for the header there they use it for loads of stuff in the book, and when it's smaller it's really hard to read.

Well that's quality and design. now On to my favourite part fluff. We'll start from the beginning, I will not explain the fluff here only changes I feel have been made and if I find them good or bad. It starts of with an explanation of the history of the setting.

Rise of the corporation
And right there is my first issue, the russian federation is said to be the only country that stands against the rise of the federations... ok sure if Russia was still communist but now days it's an oligarchy the closest thing to the corporations of warzone that exists in the present world. But that doesn't stop them from making up the white star federation which seems very communist in nature. Also another Russian faction, yeah! It's not like we have Bauhaus which is 1/4 Russian, or the sons of Rasputin who are Russian, and it's not like we already have six factions who are either european or pan-european (Bauhaus, Imperial, Sons of Raputin, Crescentians, Lutherans and Templars) and that Capitol and Brotherhood also falls under much the same culture. No let's add another. Now as I understand it this isn't Prodos fault as I understand it this is Modiphius' brainchild, but it proves that Paradox has ceased to give a damn about what they approve. There are so many cultures across the globe that could have been used for a faction, maybe a near eastern one (though the crescentians are roughly that), or an African faction, or maybe a native American (either north America or south America) any culture could have risen in the power vacuum. But no let's make it Russia and let's make them communists! That's original. Also they attack the corporations when they set down in the ruins of washington? if they hold all of earth then how can the tribes exist? Well moving on.

The exodus
Adding natural disasters is a good idea, but could use some why there are natural disasters happening at the same time as an economic collapse. Spreading wat Corp did what in the terraforming out is nice.
The bombing of earth I don't know if that's new or not, but also a good part, because it explains why there's absolutely nothing left on it later.
Then the first corporate wars, not much new there, some added detail on the pluto landing, all very nice stuff. Then there isn't anything new in the following parts up until...

Second corporate war
A slight mention of Imperial blaming the kingsfields for shooting down the capitol airsstrike on the citadel of saladin.  Not a bad fluff piece but it had a problem, and that is what we'll discuss next.

Most of this background story is lifted directly from the first edition of warzone (which is in turn lifted from first edition of  the mutant chronicles rpg), and it's written as a monk chronicling these events yes it's the chronicles of mutant chronicles. It's written in a  preaching bombastic style that is very nice. In this incarnation it has however been added to not just in the new stuff i mentioned but stuff that has been part of the story before but been written elsewhere. And this new stuff is written like someone telling his neighbour about last nights game, not at all in the same style.

Contrast
"No longer did the followers of the darkness win easy victories over terrified foes. Now they were met by stiff resistance carried out by determined warriors who knew they where humanity's last hope"
with
"The apostles were revealed as integral parts of this pattern. In essence, each apostle is a sentiment part of  of the structure and through it is capable of manifesting physical form"
There are plenty of such examples in this text, sure not all new additions suffer from it, there are some parts that blend in really well, but others that lack the emotional drive tat the original author managed to get across, it's not bad just bland in comparison.

Moving on, let see timeline, very nice no arguments there (aside from the whole White Star federation), and then  we're at the faction sections.

Bauhaus
Nothing  new (well except the new units) but loads lifted from the RPG Bauhaus sourcebook, very good stuff, very well phrased. I really liked the part about Max Steiner, not sure if it's new or not. I'm not sure I agree with Valerie Duval being described as an 'immaculate beauty', such phrasing just come of as cheap to me I know she has been described as such in some earlier sources but she has also been described by herself as "Not a sweet young girl any more", and a person can be good looking without resorting to fan fiction levels like immaculate beauty. Other than that it's a nice piece. It's nice to see the vast Bauhaus ministry structures mentioned in several stories. I like the part about Golden Lions and Vensusian rangers respecting each other.

Capitol
Again most general stuff is from the capitol sourcebook. Mitch hunter is Mitch hunter, I never managed to like him in the past and not doing much better now. The story about him meeting Pride is nice though, the blurb in character, not the description of it. That along with a blurb in the old Warzone first edition rulebook where Mitch and Bob storms a citadel gives him a smart mouth which makes him much easier to like.
Big Bob Watts seems much the same.
Henry Thomas is a fairly well written character.
Mike Sanders feels like he has a little to much going on, his story could have been elaborated less here and more in some other source later. Also a character being the nemesis of Saladin is a little over the top.
I really like the stuff on the orca about the driver having a miserable job. I hate that the leviathan is described as the end of all tanks when Capitol isn't even supposed to be much of an armour faction.

Mishima
the seven sages part might be new, I think so but I could be wrong, it's really nice to get where the falling out between mishima and the brotherhood came from.
I see that they mention the idea of bushido samurai but it seems no units follow that code any more, my question is "why do they mention it at all?" Why not just retcon it?
I like Nozaki's story especially the part of him meeting Steiner. What I dont get is how the heirs can be afraid of him, even if he controlls lord Moya's teritories on Mercury (because Lord Moya went insane when his son died) Mishima's system is built on the balance of power, that no one heir can defeat both the others, not even the one holding mercury.
I dislike that they turned Hiroko's grand achievement in killing stalkers to killing un-animated bodies. They could have had him kill them over an extended period of time instead of just dumbing it down to a shoot the barrel moment.
The new stuff on the crimson devils is nice. The Kunshu riders are cool but just like many easterners venerate the dragon it would have ben cool if they were held as an embodyment of Ki and thus equal to the samurai rather than below the samurai but above the commoners. Consider the dragons in the 'Avatar: the last airbender' episode 'The Firemasters'.

Cybertronic
Cybertronic stuff has been increased a lot with the whole where cybertronic came from storyline. I wasnt to fond of old cybertronic (warzone takes the Romanticism standpoint to technology while I am a strong believer of the enlightenment view on it) and not much has changed. I'd have loved them to become more ambivalent, not just as technological jerks who conspires for world dominence but at least possible to interpret as the good guys who believe that resuming the technological progress will in fact save mankind (more Data from TNG, and not only Agent Smith from the Matrix). But that goes against the basic premisses of the setting I guess.
The idea tat Cybertronicis the most populous corporation if new I feel is pointless and kind of fits badly with their position of being the smallest Corporation.
The immortal isnt a bad story it just feels like more of the same of what we already had of Cybertronic, it adds very little.
Dr Diana is kind of interesting, i like the part where the clones seem to be lacking something it fits with the in setting idea of their being a soul which the clones lack (and cybetronic has no use for anyway). Which fits Cybertronic in their current incarnation, it adds more than the immortal's story. But still lacks the fresh take I could have really liked.
I'm a little perplexed with the chasseurs being named as the best basic troops where earlier incarnations say that Cybertronic cares little for low value assets and prefer to spend their resources in high value assets. Especially now that they are to most populous corporation it seems strange.
I donä't udnerstand the idea that the Atilla can't react to a situation on it's own, but must be commanded to react, our computers today can do that, why should the advanced AI used by Cybertronic be lacking that ability.
And in the next entry the machinators they claim that the attila AI is capable of acting on it's own and even learning, so which is it? That said I prefer the Machinators version, it seems more Cybertronic.
The scorpion entry again seems to say that the Attila system is flawed and in order for scorpions to be useful they had to be run by chasseurs, so will they make a decision on if the Attila AI can think or not? I however love the idea that these can shift back and forth between scorpion chassis and mechanical legs, that kick ass.
Oh and the best thing in the cybertronic part is the use of metric units in the little story blurb on the Eradicator entry, unlike most of the book that seems to use imperial units (including game play for some reasons, why inches? there's this great unit that's called centimetres that like 90% of the world uses) .

The Brotherhood
Not much new in the faction explanation, again most is from the sourcebooks (which is great).
Dominic's stuff is quite good, I think the mysterious death of his predecessor is new and it's a good addition. The statement that the highest rank is entirly beyond him seems to indicate we haven't retconned the three bothers out of existence. I would still recommend doing this if it's possible to get Paradox to approve it (but since they approved the White star federation I cant see why they would not).
Blessed vestal laura is a nice piece, she is however the third character to see the light and become a beacon of goodness after fighting the dark legion, considering the old stuff says that fighting the legion for to long is more likely to corrupt you it seems strange every other named character became pure by doing it. Not really fussed it's just an overused plot device.
Hamilkar's stuff is nice since it makes Luna larger than  luna city. Is he the leader of the entire second directorate though? Is there a single guy in charge of all that? Haven't the brotherhood heard of division of power? I mean it's not like the other directorates have anything to put against a supreme of the second directorate should he try a coup.
Sacred warriors are the same as ever sadly there are no unhelmeted heads for the miniatures considering "they often forgoe the use of helmets" but maybe those will be added later.
I like the idea of jump pack Valkyries let's see some miniatures for those in the future.
The cardiani oblati is an entirely new unit as I understand it, i however don't get what they are the story is very strangely written. maybe it becomes obvious when the miniatures come out.

The Dark legion
The faction explanation contains my favourite new fluff piece, the thing that almost make me forgive the white star federation's existance, and that's the final and utter specification on what was outlawed technology wise by Toth's first edict, the use of microprocessors. I think it's a very nice compromise between the faction saying all computers (like myself) and those only saying AI's. Without microprocessors they can still have punch card computers, but nothing really advanced. Except cybetronic who don't give a damn. The fact that cybertronic has been around for 300 years (and people have been trading with them) when the legion returns account for the existence of powered armour. I also approve massively of Demongonis being made lord of mutation in addition to disease that makes him different from a  very similiar being in another famous wargame setting.
It's sad all reference of Alakhai plotting against Algeroth has been dropped. But since it's not contradicted I'm going to assume it's still true.
Golgotha i know very little of, whe wasnt in the RPG and not in first edition of warzone. she still seem to plot against Alakhai, the reference that she does it because she know that alakhai is trying to betray Algeroth seems to have been removed though.
Valpurgis is the same guy as ever, which is nice, they don't need to fix what isn't broken.
I do not approve of the changes to the story of the praetorian behemoth, it used to be the brain of a praetorian stalker infused in the fused bodies of two razides, now it's a extradimenional being summoned from another universe. If it has no link to the stalkers any more why is it still called Praetorian? they took a cool story and replaced it with a stnard story from the dark legion and one that fits Ilian more than Algeroth. Other dimensions is her thing, Algeroth's is the use of dark/necro/black technology.
The necrobeast story also seems kind of strange to me, we know the Apostles were created to destroy the solar system but this story suggests Alakhai has been presentt when the dark soul destroyed another solar system, would that mean that Alakhai is in fact older than Algeroth?
Also a centurion didn't use to be a sort of necromutant. they had similarities yes but a centurion was passable for a human, a necromutant never was. A necromutant is a slave a centurion is just below the nepharites in the favour of algeroth and is generally made from willing cultists. While necromutants are exclusively made from prisoners of war. beign made a necromutant is a horrible thing, being made a centurion is as far as the dark legion views matters a great honour.

And I think that's it there are some minor things I disapprove of, some major (white star federation) and some things i really really like, but mostly there are slight minor improvements all across the board.
 If I didnt mention a story or explanation it probably means I liked it but couldn't come up with a more constructive way of saying that than I like this (And I had a fair few of those anyway).

All in all it's a great book, I hope the sourcebooks from the RPG lives up to this quality when they come out, Modiphius should you read this, if you make a this nice book I'll forgive you for the white star federation, deal?