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Mechanical Dream
Mechanical Dream: Chapter One: The Core's Crusade
Book by Benjamin Paquette, Francis Larose
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 23, 2007
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February 2, 2008
Mechanical Dream is an exceptionally strange and innovative roleplaying sourbook and setting that, sadly, is also incredibly obscure. I discovered it entirely by accident and, after a half-hour of trying to make sense of it, decided it was worth the investment. I have been quite satisfied with the results, and encourage others to track down this rare gem.
The setting of Mechanical Dream is extremely strange, invented from the ground up with no prior assumptions. Rather than write at length about the dozens of things that make it strange here, I will instead point you to its Wikipedia article, 99% of which I also wrote. Sufficed to say, it pushes the envelope to the point that it threatens to fall off the table.
The rules are almost as unusual and experimental as the setting. Everything from character creation to combat resolution is odd, and some aspects of the system are brilliant.
In terms of setting, rules, and editing, Mechanical Dream is still far for perfect. Very much a first edition of a roleplaying game, the book itself has mistakes, omissions, and contradictions that will flummox an inexperience roleplayer and annoy a veteran. The setting is very experimental, and like all experiments misses the mark occasionally.
Nevertheless, Mechanical Dream is still a showcase of fresh, weird ideas. I recommend it to anyone looking for something that stands apart from the pack, and recommend it especially strongly to people interested in writing new systems or settings from scratch. In many ways, Mechanical Dream is both an inspiration to budding worldsmiths as well as a warning of how things can wrong if you aren't careful.
The setting of Mechanical Dream is extremely strange, invented from the ground up with no prior assumptions. Rather than write at length about the dozens of things that make it strange here, I will instead point you to its Wikipedia article, 99% of which I also wrote. Sufficed to say, it pushes the envelope to the point that it threatens to fall off the table.
The rules are almost as unusual and experimental as the setting. Everything from character creation to combat resolution is odd, and some aspects of the system are brilliant.
In terms of setting, rules, and editing, Mechanical Dream is still far for perfect. Very much a first edition of a roleplaying game, the book itself has mistakes, omissions, and contradictions that will flummox an inexperience roleplayer and annoy a veteran. The setting is very experimental, and like all experiments misses the mark occasionally.
Nevertheless, Mechanical Dream is still a showcase of fresh, weird ideas. I recommend it to anyone looking for something that stands apart from the pack, and recommend it especially strongly to people interested in writing new systems or settings from scratch. In many ways, Mechanical Dream is both an inspiration to budding worldsmiths as well as a warning of how things can wrong if you aren't careful.
Displaying 1 of 1 review