Savage Worlds: Necropolis 2350 (2008)

Triple Ace Games

Date Reviewed: 11-23-11

Critical Kobold Rating:    (5 out of 5 Dice)

 

Sure, he's dead. But is he dead dead?

     In the far future, mankind has colonized the only other planet in the known galaxy able to support human life: Salus. A refuge from a polluted, overcrowded and dying Earth, the planet became home to millions of people… and something else.

     In the years after humans began dwelling on Salus, monsters from horror stories became very real. Zombies and skeletons rose from graves and attacked settlements, and soon more fearsome beasts appeared… vampires and wights, gargoyles and ghouls, mummies and worse. The undead had arrived on Salus, and began waging war on the living inhabitants. Within a few decades, whole armies of undead creatures overtook towns and cities, pushing the humans back from their former homes. Those slain by the violent monsters sometimes rose as monsters themselves. Now the planet Salus is more commonly known by its nickname: Necropolis. Cut off from Earth, with nowhere else to run, the last of the human race now fights a war for the survival of the species, and their very souls.

     Necropolis 2350 is a Plot Point campaign sourcebook for the Savage World rpg. (This review won’t delve into the SW rules, but you can check those out in the review of the core book here.) Players take on the roles of Knights of the Sacri Ordines, the holy orders of the Church of the Third Reformation. Knights are the elite fighting soldiers in the war against the undead, and mankind’s last hope for victory.

     The world of Salus is divided into three factions: the Church, the mighty Corporations, and the undead Rephaim. Each faction controls huge territories on the planet’s four continents, and none of them get along. Oh, the Corporations and the Church cooperate for mutual self-interest, but the two human institutions are more often at odds as to how to best guide the development of civilization in their territories. Both the Church and the Corporate Union see themselves as independent nations, with their own citizenry, currency, industry, laws, and armies. Just about the only thing keeping the Union and the Church from waging all-out war on each other is the fact that the Rephaim keep them both busy on the battle fronts along the borders of undead territories.   

     No one knows where the Rephaim came from, or what their goals are. In the centuries of warfare since their appearance, they’ve unnervingly begun adopting high-tech equipment and weapons to augment their own necromantic powers. The humans are also unsure what to make of the undead’s “magic” skills, which often defy the laws of science.

     It’s assumed that PCs will be Knights from one of the major chapters of Holy Orders under the authority of the Vatican of Salus. Knights are the bad-ass marines of Necropolis, warriors trained in weapons both archaic and modern, tactics, and undead lore. Knights may operate in small commando bands, or lead large squads of more common Sergeants on the field of battle.

     It’s possible to play the campaign in other roles, such as mercenaries in the Corporate armies, or even civilians living under the harsh governance of the Church or the Union, or trying to eke out a dangerous living on the borders between “safe” territories. But to go that route, the GM will have to design much of their own adventure scenarios and background, because the Plot Point campaign presented in the sourcebook is written as a series of military campaigns for a group of Knights.

     And really, that’s what you get. Necropolis is a setting where combat is the order of the day, and all else takes a backseat to stopping the undead menace before they exterminate mankind. PCs will run missions involving recon, rescue, recovery, scouting, sabotage, support, spying, patrolling, and search and destroy. They’ll utilize both small scale and large group tactics, light and heavy vehicles on the ground and in the air as they face the Rephaim over and over on a slew of theaters of operation. This Plot Point book focuses on one theme: kicking ass, baby. In the course of their adventures, PCs will work their way up through the ranks, help determine the course of the war, and maybe even discover a few of the secrets about the enemy’s origins, strengths, and plans.

     With this in mind, the book offers a fantastic array of futuristic weapons, ammo, gizmos, equipment, vehicles, and setting rules to augment what’s in the Savage World core book. New Edges and Hindrances round out a character brought up in a world filled with real monsters and constant warfare, and a whole chapter detailing tanks, APCs, and water and aircraft give players every toy they could want to play with. And if things get really rough, there are rules for calling in airstrikes on enemy positions.

     The remainder of the book outlines enough of the history of Salus and the setting background to get a GM started immediately. An overview of human society and the factions in 2350 presents just the right taste to allow players to visualize the world without boring anyone with unnecessary detail. While the major pillars of the campaign world are set up for you nicely, there’s a lot of room for GMs to personalize Necropolis to their own tastes.

     I really like this sourcebook. Most loyal readers are probably aware of my fondness for the supernatural genre, and especially undead as major villains, and my love of both action-adventure and sci-fi is equally as prominent. The fact that this campaign book manages to sweetly combine all those things into one setting is aaaawesooooome! I enjoy the scope of this military campaign milieu, and the flavor of the background, like I enjoy a well-done summer blockbuster movie.

     Necropolis 2350 promises explosions, chases, firefights, hand to hand combat, and big-ass blazing guns, all set to the backdrop of winged horrors and fanged evil overlords swooping down from the night sky to chill your blood and rip your heart from your chest with razor talons. I can’t tell you how much I think this setting rocks!

     Now, even though I’m not a fan of Savage Worlds, I can recognize that this is a quality piece of work, and recommend it heartily for your futuristic supernatural warfare gaming needs. (And if you don’t think you have any supernatural warfare needs, then maybe you ain’t lookin’ deep enough inside yourself, Sunshine.)

     So stop gawking at the smoking corpse of that hell beast like yer some kind of momma’s boy, Squire, and bring me a fresh battery for the laser carbine! We move to take back New Budapest from the undead tomorrow, boy, and I’m gonna get the Chaplain there to bless my flamethrower before turning in for the night.

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