Since it was requested in another thread, here is a snippet of issues from Agent. I began this review back when it was released but set it down since it was mostly negative (except the CharGen section) and that nevers helps the hobby. Agent was my most anticipated book so maybe my invective is enhanced by that but I still think this book should never have been published as it was. There are other issues with the book but the copy of the review I have (with me) on my work PC only covered these two in detail:
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...The Character Generation chapter also provides information on three new benefits (for lack of a better word). Agency/Trust is the government unit that the character works for and Trust, like a skill, is effectively the character’s pull in the Agency. This is discussed more fully in the Agency section. The other two are a hybrid of skills/benefits: Cover Identity and Networks. Both of these new bonuses represent really interesting and unique attributes for the Agent career.
Unfortunately, they’re just weak outlines with almost no discussion within the book regarding how to handle them.
Cover Identities are just that, fake personalities that are constructed for the undercover agents. These CI’s are rated just like skills and that indicates how secure the identity is under observation. The different Agent career skill tables and Events can result in the character gaining a Cover Identity. When you get it, you have the option of taking a different career (Merchant, Scout etc) and gaining skills through your Cover Identity. In addition, your CI gets a rating of Very Weak(+0). Successive rolls that result in a Cover Identity allow you to create another CI or boost the rating of an existing one. A Weak (+1) CI has forged documents, some secondary documentation to back it up etc. The different ranks tell you how detailed the identity is and how it can hold up to investigation.
Cover Identities is an excellent. Unfortunately, there is simply no discussion of how to use a Cover Identity in gameplay. Does a Patrol Officer’s undercover CI pass muster on a different planet? At what level is a fake Imperium ID effectively faked? How does the rating match up against high-tech scanners? The concept is excellent and the delivery is weak. Cover Identities are barely mentioned again in the book and less than 150 words are dedicated to explaining them. There is no helpful information provided for a GM to determine how a CI works in gameplay.
Networks suffer from the exact same problem but with even worse results. A Network is rated and obtained just like a skill. When an Agent gets a Network, they have to choose what kind it is and the book provides a list of six categories of different networks. That’s it. Actually I’ll just reproduce the entire section and you can decide:
“Agents may also create networks of informants, contacts and allies. Networks must be cultivated over time but may pass on rumors and useful information or provide help in times of need. Networks are rated numerically like skills and are acquired through events, skill tables or through roleplaying. Networks are as follows: Street, Criminal, Politics, Corporate, Military, Academic.”
That is the entire section on Networks.
Here you have one of the most pivotal tools in an agent’s arsenal, the almost requisite network of connections, informants and seedy contacts that is prevalent in every detective story, cop movie and novel and that’s all it gets? This is a complete failure and I won’t even go into how many opportunities were lost to deliver a solid benefit to the Agent career or the absolute nightmare for a GM and a player to hash out just what the effectiveness and boundaries a Network could provide in a game.
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In the interest of being positive, my review on the character generation tables/careers was pretty glowing! But that was only the first 15 or so pages. I'll post that also when I get access to my more complete copy at home.
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...The Character Generation chapter also provides information on three new benefits (for lack of a better word). Agency/Trust is the government unit that the character works for and Trust, like a skill, is effectively the character’s pull in the Agency. This is discussed more fully in the Agency section. The other two are a hybrid of skills/benefits: Cover Identity and Networks. Both of these new bonuses represent really interesting and unique attributes for the Agent career.
Unfortunately, they’re just weak outlines with almost no discussion within the book regarding how to handle them.
Cover Identities are just that, fake personalities that are constructed for the undercover agents. These CI’s are rated just like skills and that indicates how secure the identity is under observation. The different Agent career skill tables and Events can result in the character gaining a Cover Identity. When you get it, you have the option of taking a different career (Merchant, Scout etc) and gaining skills through your Cover Identity. In addition, your CI gets a rating of Very Weak(+0). Successive rolls that result in a Cover Identity allow you to create another CI or boost the rating of an existing one. A Weak (+1) CI has forged documents, some secondary documentation to back it up etc. The different ranks tell you how detailed the identity is and how it can hold up to investigation.
Cover Identities is an excellent. Unfortunately, there is simply no discussion of how to use a Cover Identity in gameplay. Does a Patrol Officer’s undercover CI pass muster on a different planet? At what level is a fake Imperium ID effectively faked? How does the rating match up against high-tech scanners? The concept is excellent and the delivery is weak. Cover Identities are barely mentioned again in the book and less than 150 words are dedicated to explaining them. There is no helpful information provided for a GM to determine how a CI works in gameplay.
Networks suffer from the exact same problem but with even worse results. A Network is rated and obtained just like a skill. When an Agent gets a Network, they have to choose what kind it is and the book provides a list of six categories of different networks. That’s it. Actually I’ll just reproduce the entire section and you can decide:
“Agents may also create networks of informants, contacts and allies. Networks must be cultivated over time but may pass on rumors and useful information or provide help in times of need. Networks are rated numerically like skills and are acquired through events, skill tables or through roleplaying. Networks are as follows: Street, Criminal, Politics, Corporate, Military, Academic.”
That is the entire section on Networks.
Here you have one of the most pivotal tools in an agent’s arsenal, the almost requisite network of connections, informants and seedy contacts that is prevalent in every detective story, cop movie and novel and that’s all it gets? This is a complete failure and I won’t even go into how many opportunities were lost to deliver a solid benefit to the Agent career or the absolute nightmare for a GM and a player to hash out just what the effectiveness and boundaries a Network could provide in a game.
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In the interest of being positive, my review on the character generation tables/careers was pretty glowing! But that was only the first 15 or so pages. I'll post that also when I get access to my more complete copy at home.
