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"In a decadent future where technology has fulfilled every person's desire, humanity has lost everything humane. Enter into the universe of the Metabarons and fight to rediscover your own personal code of honor, your path to physical and mental mastery. Numerous casts of warriors, techno-technos, and psychic sorcerers wade through a Machiavelian fog of intrigue. Life has lost its meaning, but you will have to fight to stay alive."

The Metabarons Roleplaying Game is a space opera where the tradition of honor is the essential motive behind your ascension to power. Inspired from the Metabarons graphic novels of Alexandro Jodorowksy, this universe has been illustrated by some of the greatest comic book artists in Europe - Gimenez, Moebius, and Janjetov. The most recent version is printed by Humanoids Publishing and has already established a legion of fans.

D6 Legend premieres The Metabarons Role-playing Game under its West End Games imprint.  Players of WEG's Star Wars RPG should feel right at home with the D6 system. The rules are simple and straightforward. Characters are tested
by rolling their skill die over the difficulty number. Difficulty is broken up into 6 levels: very easy, easy, moderate, difficult, very difficult, and heroic. The rulebook provides enough detail to cover most situations and game play is streamlined to keep up a fast pace and focus on action.

The game revolves largely around action, the struggle for honor, the fight against the Necro-Dream and epic storytelling. In the Metabarons universe there is no Good or Evil. Characters simply base their actions on their code of honor.  A Bushitaka follows the way of the warrior and would never refuse a personal duel, but a Fuga views the act of fleeing to be the highest expression of the art of dodging. There are 6 codes of honor to choose from giving you a good range of character possibilities.

Most people in the Metabarons universe have slipped into the languid apathy of the Techno-Technos' Necro-Dream, wallowing on the comforts of technology, easy living, drugs and other pleasures. The characters belong to a small segment of people who've manage to free themselves from the Necro-Dream, rising above others to pursue their goals and follow an honor code. 

As an added incentive, game masters may give you Necro-Dream points if you don't follow your honor code. These represent how close a character comes to drifting off into a life of passive pleasure and oblivious stupor. Characters can also spend Amarax points to double an attribute for one round. Amarax points you spend on heroic feats (according to your honor) are replenished at the end of the adventure. Not only does honor codes and Amarax points add an interesting game
mechanic, but it encourages action and epic role-play.

The book is divided into four sections and here's a brief look at their contents:
The Player Section includes information on characters, attributes and skills, psionics, honor, Amarax and the Necro Dream.

The Game Master Section details the rules on combat and injuries, movement and chases, space travel and combat, running battles and an introduction on becoming a Game Master.

The Adventure Section features tips on running and designing adventures, and also includes an introductory adventure: The Maganat's Daughter.

The Universe Section touches briefly on characters, creatures, weapons and technology, vehicles, spacecraft, and worlds. Fortunately the Universe Guide supplement will be released to make up for the lack of content. The Metabarons comic also provides more than enough information and inspiration to get you by until then.

Verdict:
The Metabarons RPG captures the spirit of the comic well. Rules junkies will suffer withdrawal from the lack of advance rules with charts and tables but beginners will find the rules easy to learn and veterans will enjoy the streamlined system for fast action. Its system is very similar to West End Game's Star Wars RPG but Metabarons is a unique setting with even greater possibilities for epic drama. In the Metabarons RPG you're not only fighting against a galaxy of adversaries but you must also maintain your code of honor or risk slipping into the Necro-Dream. This leads to many internal struggles and gives you a feeling that you are an army of one vs. the entire universe. This is truly epic role-play on a personal and galactic scale.

Bottom Line:
If you're looking for an epic space opera RPG, look no further. Metabarons is THE role-playing game.

John Goodenough
(Posted 04-23-2001)