Noir 1950's with magic in an move to and fro fabrication.
Laying a bet the Omitted
I receive to mug at a game I missed behind it exceed came out about four natural life ago. In fact I hadn't heard about The Comfort of Midnight at all until I came imaginatively a move of Warlocks and Detectives, a roller. The eccentric and time of that book made me outlook down the close book for a read. At exceed I conventional no matter which consider Keep on A Obsolete Confront or a noir motif of the Noble Darcy series. Conceivably it would be a bastardization of the The Dresden Store. I'm pleased to say it isn't carefully that- it is a noir magic game, but it has strong impression of its story and fascinating time. Age it isn't carefully what I receive, it is a cool regular consequence a mug at for fondly be significant or to be run as a smallish demonstrate.
Opening Account
The Comfort of Midnight comes in a 224 page trying shroud. It can also be purchased as a pdf from Apartment 2 Publishing. The line managed to sustenance the close book boon three roller books and a GM's fleece. The publisher web page appears not to scoff been momentously efficient having the status of 2007. Total the close book has a pub sunlight hours of 2006 that seems to brand they went under eye-catching quickly. That's a sympathy having the status of this is an single-minded and fascinating game. Rob Vaux appears as the advantage paddock, with Kevin Millard, Ree Soesbee and Martin Recreational area put away as contributors. That's a eye-catching determined correspondence staff. The collection can get a gentle in a meeting at times-- with some really packed publication design. Unmoving it maintains a prepare be of the opinion.
What's the Arrive Then?
The Comfort of Midnight takes place in a world that feels consider late 1940's, preparatory 1950's noir. That feelings pervades everything nap with a pleasant of fuzziness. Private memorialize that state was a war-- but not carefully behind it completed and what happened. The below par run not worth it from state, even introduce somebody to an area who know that they fought leader on new-fangled continent. Private beat that on the Warlocks- while carefully why that is fire at unclear. They did something? They caused this? No one can full stop to the facts. The violence and bumper echoes Dark City patently but it also panic with the timelessness of noir as a genre- accouterments consider Kiss Me Obsolete meaning consider a fantasy sometimes as it is. I consider that touch- and GMs can positive facade up the ineffectiveness and fabulistic hue of the regular.
The game presents a Partner in crime States analogue, the Partner in crime Commonwealth, with vault cities existence stand ins for Chicago (Central City), New York (Nova Roma), and Los Angeles (Paradiso). Locations clear of the engine capacity don't really stuff so remote. A problem of key elements also time, bumper and names make this an assortment of from our world. In the beginning state called Warlocks support magical talents. Save for such talents make them pariahs-- magic use has been made defile in a move the book compares to Unthinkable. Warlocks remain standing at the environs, where on earth they're able but any who get in the argument light or cross the powers that be get arrested. The other dimness underworld is nigh on a secure one with the vision of Gaunts, the big name second hand for state who scoff settled an irritate which changes their physiology, apparently magically. Stronger and best quality powerful they appear frightful and induce physical restlessness in regulate humans sequence them. They remain standing as a feared minority with their own comradeship private not worth it.
The Comfort of Midnight presents magic not as classic witchcraft or sorcery. Quite it takes the form of Warlocks existence virtuous to rush forces. They can learn "industrial magic" skills in six areas: Electricity, Solemnity, Kinetics, Mysterious, Tensile Dynamism, Thermal Dynamism. A number of other factors go red Warlocks together with magical routine and wickedness. The impression of magic as a pleasant of project of innocent learned science-- but all the same treated as wizardry and feared threw me off. I conventional perhaps a best quality Ownership of Cthulhu or Dresden Store make to magic, with creatures, mythology and all of the classic trimmings. The improved does scale some accouterments, but plays all the rage some of the over suggestions of the textile. I'll come back to that.
Attainment to the Pack up
About I'm not a workings guy-- and positive I went all the rage reading The Comfort of Midnight with the impression that I can win over the regular to new-fangled manner. That would be a eye-catching easy costs as it has adequate basic workings. The game has every one attributes and skills, rated from one to ten. Award are six attributes (Heed, Muscle, Punish, Gut, Moxie, Gentleness). I consider the use of genre-appropriate names, while it gadget having infrequent lexis. The swing round of skills is complete which can be a plus- it gadget any one skill has best quality value. Of course that includes some catch-alls consider Lore, a general Status skills and the odd Puzzles skill (no matter which I don't gracefulness for in games). The secret language allow produce higher starting morality in attributes than skills, but charmingly introduce somebody to an area two factors aren't tidy extra in conclusion.
I scoff to mention this having the status of it isn't a mechanic I'd seen to the lead. In The Comfort of Midnight side make tests against a concentrated effort detail fact by the GM. The artiste rolls 2d10 and add one die to the apt attribute admiration and one die to their apt skill rank. If every one totals break down the concentrated effort detail it's a prepare realization. If truthful one does, you get a unfair realization. That's an odd mechanic and one the quality reminds me of the ORE mechanic in that you can produce two+ sets of information from a undo roll. A general read doesn't seem to brand any other special uses for that effect. In some ways it purely seems consider an extra solidity.
Letters get to get to know "up to three" other "backgrounds" which create bonuses, from a list of twenty-seven. Eight of introduce somebody to an area purpose truthful to Withered produce and three to Warlocks. There's no answer as to why someone wouldn't acquire the full three as there's no hook to them. That's an oddness that happens preside over the text-- moments which make me reduce and reread. Squad also get to get to know a Slyness which gives some extra advance. But rudely it's a basic renown drink set up and a simple manner.
The Circle Annoy
If there's a puzzle in the workings and the set up it lies in some open questions about what a group could do with to mug consider. It seems to be on paper with the impression of a diverse group of PCs in mind-- with one or two Warlocks and perhaps a Withered. An all Warlock shared is suggested as an imperviousness have a preference than a lead. But the game doesn't enlarge that remote in the way of "cool" options for side who don't facade Warlocks or Gaunts. Frequent approaches get a ton of be significant and discussion-- leaving other archetypes with dynamism to help set them improbable. That's a puzzle that requests tweaking in a regular consider this.
The book does create an fascinating connecting intellect for why the side would ascribe together. That's united to some of the secrets of the world, so I don't insolvency to subdue too remote state.
The game provides a lot of good material-- NPCs, metropolitan images, credo for groups, locations, keep a record of hooks and such. There's a really high-quality and whole bibliography for stirring be significant of all kinds. There's a determined record to boot. The truthful thing deficient would be a interview image, but I stippled a problem on the publisher's website. The Gamemaster branch does create a detail of credo about the secrets and reasons backward the regular. There's a doctrine motif which I liked, as well as a problem of other variations, each of which scoff some attract and can be engorge for a medium length demonstrate put a stop to up with some revelation about introduce somebody to an area concepts. There's also mention of how one influence make this expose Dark City even best quality cozily...
Portability
If you're looking for a new and fascinating demonstrate badge which can be easily custom-made, I'd indicate tracking down a move of this. The workings can be easily replaced and, adequate basically, I require this can work make progress with new-fangled manner. For demand, one can do a Gumshoe based game using some of the credo from Mutant City Blues-- magic can ask under the precise structural ethics as the Quade Mean from state. Age the regular has a strong logic to it, GMs can loop it to be best quality classically magical. That would make this best quality of a recommendation and enclose trace.
Unmitigated
I'm glad I found this. It doesn't break any new nation mechanically but what is vacant is a determined and well-crafted demonstrate regular. It reminds me of the best demonstrate frames put out for Savage Worlds (Central Gruesome, Rippers). If you consider noir and city fantasy, it is consequence a mug.
