20 replies to this topic

[Willowhugger]

Roleplaying games have something of a dubious reputation amongst people due to the associations with the generic fantasy novel market, wargaming, and portrayals in the media that have emphasized some of its seemier members. However, the hobby has managed to largely start to pull itself out of the whole of public relations trouble by the increasing revelation that plenty of members are normal people. Eventually, I suspect that it'll end up like video games where its revealed to be a hobby that anyone can enjoy. This thread is about one particular RPG that I've petitioned for a subforum to be created for even though its sadly now defunct. One of the most widely acclaimed and famous RPGs of all time.....amongst gamers. Victory Games' James Bond RPG.



The tragedy is that this roleplaying game has been out of print for close to ten years now. It was published in 1983 to 1987 and really deserved to be updated by Wizards of the Coast or another property holder. This thread will discuss the work though and why it is an excellent piece of Bond history as well as a game that I'm proud to call myself a gamer for. After all, what is more fun than taking on the role of 007? It's actually how I met my girlfriend.

The setting for the James Bond RPG is sort of a strange medium between the movies and the books. The Fleming influence is stronger than the movie Bond in most places as the world is deliberately made to be darker, grittier, and crueler than the Roger Moore series that was currently going on during publication. James Bond's history is given to be outright the one from the books. This can result in a bit of a jarring sensation as the Roleplaying Game mainbook lists movie characters alongside Fleming ones. Hugo Drax from the movie Moonraker suddenly has a German origin and is set right next to the capable if annoying Mary Goodnight from the books. Red Grant is Smersh as opposed to Spectre yet Rosa Klebb is a defector to T.A.R.O.T (more on that below). For non-gamers, the book might serve as an encyclopedia were it not for the lack of difference between its two main source materials.

The biggest absence is due to the McClory estate where Ernst Stavros Blofeld, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. and Largo can't be used. Instead, the organization of T.A.R.O.T is created in which oddly they manage to replicate Spectre pretty completely except for the name change and the creation of a substitute Blofeld figure in Karl Fenric Scorpius. Karl's origin I got a headache from as being a gypsy smuggler for a circus turned information broker for both sides turned gunrunner borrows from several Fleming sources to create some weird pastiche Blofeld. Ironically, T.A.R.O.T is one of my favorite parts of the series as they are described in detail from how much influence they wield across the globe to how they carry out the various branches of their operations. We even find out what each of the "Numbers" do in the Thunderball boardroom without actually referencing said scene. Honestly, the bizarrity of the McClory settlement rears its head here as the RPG later does You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty's Secret Service supplements that use all of the Spectre characters within only substituting Fenric for Blofeld.

The book presumes that starting characters will work for MI6 and gives the option for playing rookies, veteran agents, and "00" operatives. The book even gives the chance to play James Bond himself with some humrous suggestions for how to handle the situation if everyone wants to play James Bond (harkening back to the Casino Royale spoof and some fan theories about the name going with the rank). The main book details an extensive supply of gadgets, vehicles, and weaponry that attempt to stay as accurate as possible to reality. Guns kill people in the James Bond RPG and they do it in one shot. They incorporate a system of 'hero points' though that allow this realism to be 'bent' a bit. Hero points effectively allow brief moments of unreality by the protagionist in order to save the day.

One area I was surprised was covered was the rules for 'seduction' in game. Effectively, they provide player characters with rules on bending members of the opposite sex they encounter to their will and how this can be used to exploit them for information or favors. It's a very mechanical yet satisfying way of handling the sexual elements of the Bond film. It also saves some of the awkwardness of playing out seduction scenes more than necessary.

I also enjoyed the modules (essentially the movies arranged in boxed sets for player characters to play through). One aspect of them is that they're all slightly different from the Bond movies themselves. If you play Goldfinger for example, they give tips on how to make it different from what the players are expecting. Going directly to Fort Knox won't help you for example since the book gives tips that they might instead hit another target entirely (but similiarly themed).

Overall, this game has provided me with many hours of fun and enjoyment. I recommend it to all Bond fans.

[ComplimentsOfSharky]

Holy crap that sounds awesome.

I don't think it really warrants a subforum since it seems to be pretty obscure. But still, this is really cool.

EDIT: Looking on ebay right now, there seems to be a few auctions for this.

[Willowhugger]

Yes, I got mine entirely by accident in the second hand Roleplaying game bin.

Oddly enough, James Bond the RPG is a bit more important to the world of James Bond than people think. There's a supplement called You Only Live Twice 2 that is written by a first time writer that was a fan of the James Bond series.

His name being Raymond Benson. Does this plot sound familiar? Australia, nuclear weapons, and a bunch of British businessmen with beautiful oriental girlfriends?

;-)

And I just think a subforum would allow those that did have it to discuss things like the individual modules, changes, and the possibility of the series getting a second edition (stranger things have happened)

Edited by Willowhugger, 09 December 2006 - 09:45 PM.

[Willowhugger]

The Man with the Golden Gun Module Review



One of the adventure modules of the James Bond RPG that I'll be reviewing, the Man with the Golden Gun is basically a reworking of the Roger Moore movie. In this respect, the plot is reworked so Scaramanga is actually a far more cunning criminal mastermind than in the film. The plot with the Solex Agitator remains but the object is actually just a minor part of a larger scheme of revenge between Scaramanga and his former employers in T.A.R.O.T.

The game starts with Scaramanga setting up the players to prevent the defection of the scientist Gibson to the KGB. This is actually arranged by Scaramanga as Gibson has no intention of defecting. In effect, using a fake contact and the charms of the alluring Saida (whom is actually Andrea Anders in disguise in the module) he has the players kidnap the solar scientist to turn over to him. Ironically, he's also tricked the KGB to do it so even if the players become suspicious then they have to face down another set of kidnappers that make the charge of defecting all too real.

In any case, even if Gibson is prevented from being kidnapped, the solex is stolen by Scaramanga and M is livid. He orders them to track down Scaramanga and find out what the hell reason an assassin is doing playing high stakes politics like this. In truth, Fransisco has gotten sick of T.A.R.O.T's head of assassination and having resigned (with a bullet) is now effectively challenging them to come after him. The luring of MI6 agents and the KGB is to draw T.A.R.O.T's agents into the open so they can be eliminated. The fact he'll sell the Solex to cement his retirement is only the cap on what he considers the organization's humiliation.

The players get to expose Andrea Anders as one of Number One's agents as she is not the humiliated mistress in the movie but a cunning assassin in her own right. Hai Fat is also revealed to be laundering money for T.A.R.O.T and serving in a role similiar to Osato of You Only Live Twice. The players basically end up revealing all of the loose ends that Scaramanga wants destroyed right up until the point that they arrive on his island for the final showdown.

One interesting fact is that because the game is designed for a group rather than just Bond's duel with Scaramanga, there's actually the option of teaming up with Fransisco against his former employers (T.A.R.O.T. and the KGB have the option of showing up with Number 4 as they've teamed up to eliminate TMWTGG themselves). The deal with the Devil won't save them from playing Scaramanga's Most Dangerous Game but allows them a chance to strike a deadly blow against the world's largest criminal organization. It even provides options for the possibility that Scaramanga could survive to bedevil the characters again.

After all, a man who hides an extra bullet won't be above wearing a vest....

Overall, this is one of my favorite modules in the James Bond RPG series.

10/10

[zencat]

A great overview and pitch for the RPGs, Willowhugger. I have many of these. I particually like that they eventually did orignal Bond stories as RPGs. And, yes, Raymond Benson's first orginal Bond story was an RPG (YOLT II: Back of Beyond). This is great to see someone who is so into these games review them. I think many Bond fans may not even know these exsisted.

[Willowhugger]

Thanks Zencat. I'm going to be revealing the modules that I do have and what I thought of them.

[Willowhugger]

b]You Only Live Twice II: Back of Beyond[/b]



This review is actually not going to be too kind to Raymond Benson despite the fact that I really enjoy most of his works. Unfortunately, Back of Beyond is not one of them and you're welcome to skip the rest of the review if you don't want to hear about his first entry in the 007 semi-canon. This adventure module chronicles an original adventure rather than an adaptation of a movie for player characters of 00 rank. A rare enough action in the RPG series.

Sadly, despite the title, there is no connection to You Only Live Twice. It's false advertising as the adventure takes place entirely in Australia. This little bit affected my enjoyment of the module and caused me to look at it more harshly than I might have normally.

The storyline of Back of Beyond isn't terribly bad. It's a bit sci-fi esque but it works about as well as Everything or Nothing. A villain has developed a chemical formula that will create a literal acid rain that he intends to seed the clouds of enemy nations with. The character has the players track him down to his Mountain lair in the Outback with them arriving just in time to stop the countdown to agents releasing the toxins. There's also the rather silly element of mind control with the 'ear drums' allowing the villain to convert people to his cause. Again, it's a little sci fi and out there.

No, the storyline's villain is where the entire thing falls apart tragically. I mean it FALLS APART. The whole thing leaves me with an uncomfortable feeling and the impression that I'd never enjoy playing this in a million years. Here's the set up....The villains father is a Nazi scientist whom created the formula and he's out to avenge his father's death. Oh yes, did we mention his father was Jewish and it was done under threat to his family? Did we mention that the Bond villain is a Concentration Camp Survivor?

Yes. Provided your characters can defeat the mad and insane plot of this Australian madman then you have the dubious distinction of winning over a Holocaust victim. In what crazy Bizarro world did Raymond Benson think that this makes a enjoyable Bond villain? Yes, the villain is certainly not playing with a full deck but don't you think that he has a right to be? I'd love to track down Raymond Benson and ask him in an interview what exactly he was thinking when he thought this was a good idea? The last thing that ANY Bond character should be feeling when he kills his enemy is pity for the poor bastard.

The rest of the story isn't terribly bad but Australia is portrayed pretty stereotypically with the majority of the NPCs being apparently rejects from the Crocodile Dundee movie set. Except for the villain's henchwoman whom is a Ninja. Yes, a ninja girl actually raises my review score of this work by some points. Sadly, she's the bad Bond girl as the "good" Bond girl in the module is a vapid blonde socialite. The only thing of note about her is her name: Felicity Foxworth. Come on and say it. It's fun to say. It rolls off the tongue well and you can definitely observe "That's a Bond girl name without even having to be dirty."

The adventure isn't very long and like all modules depends mostly on the players dealing with the enemies in a ruthless manner. When I ran the adventure, I honestly couldn't do his origins straight for fear of just hanging their heads in shame after offing the fellow.

4/10

[J.C.D'Arc]

...No, the storyline's villain is where the entire thing falls apart tragically. I mean it FALLS APART. The whole thing leaves me with an uncomfortable feeling and the impression that I'd never enjoy playing this in a million years. Here's the set up....The villains father is a Nazi scientist whom created the formula and he's out to avenge his father's death. Oh yes, did we mention his father was Jewish and it was done under threat to his family? Did we mention that the Bond villain is a Concentration Camp Survivor?

Yes. Provided your characters can defeat the mad and insane plot of this Australian madman then you have the dubious distinction of winning over a Holocaust victim. In what crazy Bizarro world did Raymond Benson think that this makes a enjoyable Bond villain? Yes, the villain is certainly not playing with a full deck but don't you think that he has a right to be?

Whatever you do, avoid watching any of the X-men movies.

[zencat]

...No, the storyline's villain is where the entire thing falls apart tragically. I mean it FALLS APART. The whole thing leaves me with an uncomfortable feeling and the impression that I'd never enjoy playing this in a million years. Here's the set up....The villains father is a Nazi scientist whom created the formula and he's out to avenge his father's death. Oh yes, did we mention his father was Jewish and it was done under threat to his family? Did we mention that the Bond villain is a Concentration Camp Survivor?

Yes. Provided your characters can defeat the mad and insane plot of this Australian madman then you have the dubious distinction of winning over a Holocaust victim. In what crazy Bizarro world did Raymond Benson think that this makes a enjoyable Bond villain? Yes, the villain is certainly not playing with a full deck but don't you think that he has a right to be?

Whatever you do, avoid watching any of the X-men movies.

LOL.

Exactly.

Good to read a review of this game though. Keep 'em coming, Willowhugger.

[Willowhugger]

Magneto works because he's also quite clearly using his past in Nazi Germany as an excuse for world domination. As Wolverine stated "If you really were so righteous then it'd be you up in that chair." However, even so, it's still unBondish to murder a victim as opposed to a monster. If I ran this game then I'd have him be a Nazi because it's more fun that way

Next I'll be reviewing You Only Live Twice the module.

[Willowhugger]

You Only Live Twice Review



You Only Live Twice actually works better than the movie itself in my humble opinion. Blofeld's Distaff Counterpart, Karl Fenric Scorpius, is not interested in destroying the world by starting World War 3 in this version. In this version, Karl Fenric Scropius is interested in acquiring a crashed Russian Space Station where the Soviets had been working on a powerful biological weapon.

I've mentioned that I'm very fond of T.A.R.O.T and think its superior to SPECTRE in quite a number of ways. We never get to know Blofeld in the context of the James Bond films since he's such a grossly different character from Film to Film. Telly's version of him is totally different from Donald Pleasance's version and that's not mentioning Charles' Gray's version. Karl is, thankfully, just a Romani criminal genius with a chip on his shoulder. The fact that T.A.R.O.T is well described in the main book also makes it a group that is a bit better detailed.

Basically, the plot skips over faking the character's death and starts the player characters headed to Japan at the start to investigate the Space Station. A major change at the start is that Charles Gray's character of Henderson has been murdered before the player character's arrive and been replaced with a TAROT agent. It's touches like this, that make the module better than the movie. Presuming the player characters survive this plot, they once more get to involve themselves in the plot to uncover Hai Fat's treachery and discover Scorpius' Volcano base.

There's a lot of nice subtle touches throughout this module with Kissy Suzuki's write up talking about how she wants to be the first female of Tanaka's ninjas, Aki being surprisingly forward with men for a reason, and the Ninjas being Japan's equivalent of the 00s. We also have a Japanese woman being TAROT'S master scientist in this work to give player characters yet another woman to potentially seduce to the side of good.

If there's one major failure in the work, it's the fact that the module fails to take into account that this is the first time the player characters have likely come face to face with Blofeld's equivalent and it is a chance to finally dispatch the head of TAROT. While there's talk about what will happen if the player character's fail to stop the plot of the module, there's nothing to talk about what would happen if the player characters kill the head of SPECTRE's organized crime syndicate. A glaring oversight for such a well written game.

One of my favorite modules and one I've used repeatedly.

9/10

Edited by Willowhugger, 31 December 2008 - 02:31 AM.

[Willowhugger]

Just about the only James Bond "original material" that honestly exists, unsurprisingly it's the best supplement in the entirety of the James Bond RPG canon. A collection of seven new Archvillains for player characters to deal with so they don't have the dubious honor of kill stealing people like Max Zorin and General Orlov. Villains is a great supplement and I wish that they had been able to make more books like it.

The first part of the book is detailing the revived SMERSH. Basically, this idea is pretty dead but let's not forget that this RPG was published around the time when Octopussy had just been made and lasted until A View To A Kill, which is pretty damn lengthy. The Soviet Union was still alive and kicking.

The modern version of SMERSH had General Orlov as its founder. Basically, sidestepping General Gogol and him fostering his own criminal network of spies, informers, and psychopathic loonies throughout Europe. It's not quite up ot the Fleming version of SMERSH that had all manner of crazy plots to disrupt the West but it was an enjoyable write-up. It's ironic the head of the KGB (General Gogol) was adamently against SMERSH.

Really, the meet of the story is the collection of the villains that are wholly original. Are they perfect? No, some of them are a bit silly. However, still the work around them is surprisingly good and there's quite a bit that's useful to gamers who want to have some suitably Bond movie esque weirdos.

The villains include:

* A modern day Venetian Prince who wants to control the world economically and has a vast network of corporate holdings plus a computer network linked to all the world's major financial centers.

* A insane scientist obsessed with gaining absolute control over the world's technological progress and creating a Technocracy. He has an underground sea-base.

* A Patty Hearst style terrorist who is traumatized by her past kidnapping.

* The son of a Nazi SS Commander who oddly doesn't want to exterminate other races but simply return to "White Imperialism."

* A CIA Operative who is secretly a serial killer.

* A former Basque seperatist whose simply now a terrorist for hire.

* A beautiful daughter of a Biological scientist who now uses a special mind control drug based on pheremones to get revenge on the intelligence communities of the world.

Really, it's an impressive list and I liked all of them. Even if I do find the idea of Nazis as a cheap and easy group of bad guys.

[Ultraussie (Jordan.adams)]

The only James Bond RPG I do is on Habbo.com.au in I'RP (Intelligence RP), and now Im getting bored of Habbo Altogether!
I find Book RPG like Dungeons and Dragons geeky, and the only reason I cliked on this thread is hoping this would be computer based!

Edited by Ultraussie (Jordan.adams), 01 January 2009 - 12:22 AM.

[darkpath]

I still have a very dear soft spot in my heart for the Q Manual... *sigh*

[Willowhugger]

The only James Bond RPG I do is on Habbo.com.au in I'RP (Intelligence RP), and now Im getting bored of Habbo Altogether!
I find Book RPG like Dungeons and Dragons geeky, and the only reason I cliked on this thread is hoping this would be computer based!

Well excuse me all to heck.



Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

Edited by Willowhugger, 04 January 2009 - 02:06 AM.

[Ultraussie (Jordan.adams)]

Breaststroke I use in swimming, Breast-Stroke I watch when im on the computer lol.
Seriously, I dont understand your proverb.

.....adventure takes place entirely in Australia. This little bit affected my enjoyment of the module and caused me to look at it more harshly than I might have normally.

BOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your racist!!!

[Willowhugger]

BOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your racist!!!

It's mostly that I didn't think the module gave much of a James Bond feel for the fact that it's supposedly going for an Exotic Country. There's plenty of Exotic-ness in Australia but the work could have gone to a couple of more foreign locations before heading to one of the British Former Colonies.

[dogmanstar]

Review of James Bond RPG game (The Basic Game, Softcover):

In addition to Willowhugger's excellent review, I would like to add some of my own thoughts to the James Bond RPG game. First, the flexibility of this game is amazing! What do you like best about Bond? The gadgets? The Bond girls? Gambling? Exotic locations? Car Chases? Gun play and action battles? Hand to hand combat? The amazing thing about the RPG is that Victory Games came up with a system for each of these Bondian elements! If you are really turned on by the action sequences, you can weight your character's strengths toward action. If you want a real ladies' man, you can do that, too. Or, if you want to turn the tables and have a female agent seducing the men, that's possible. You can play as 007 of course or can create your own MI6 character.

The action moves quickly and is easily understood. The sheer variety of the RPG provides hours of enjoyment--as a GM (game-master), you don't have to know everything about every element of the game--it takes some practice to get used to all the complexities, but instead of ruining the game--there's an embarassment of riches. As you play, you become more aware of how you can improve your skills as a Game Master.

The Basic Game Module has plenty of Tables and rules for set up--and will give you a quick refresher course around the casino tables, Bond history, types of weapons, transport and the like. You can create characters with all sorts of 'cover' stories--journalists, industrialists, sports figures, etc.

Capping off the Basic Module is "The Island of Dr. No," a quick, rough mini-adventure that gets you right into the game without having to master the labyrinth of rules and possibilites. It was this adventure that convinced me nearly two decades ago that Victory Games was on to something here and that this RPG was definately worth my time.

[Willowhugger]

Thanks for contributing!

Good review!

[Jamesbondrpg]

My twitter, webpage and facebook page is dedicated to the James Bond RPG. Check it out if interested!
Www.jamesbondrpg.webs.com

[Jeffrywith1e]

There is a Google Plus community dedicated to the James Bond 007 RPG.

 

https://plus.google....829826875414339