Spes Magna Games

If you still haven’t purchased your copy of WWII: Operation WhiteBox by Pete C. Spahn, you need to hurry up. Seriously. Do you want the Axis to win? I think not!

Since I’m not a big fan of historical accuracy in games, even games based on history, I think the niftiest parts of OWB are the mini-settings. Why fight normal Nazis when you can match wits and trade bullets with Nazi cyborgs, occultists, and space aliens. When you purchase your copy of OWB, don’t read through the book in the order its words are written. Skip ahead to the mini-setting section and gape in astonished awe at Nazi superscience, Nazi occult, and Nazis in space.

Speaking of Nazi superscience…

Nazi War Wheel

Armor Class: 2 [17]
Hit Points: 66 (HD 11)
Movement: 12
Attack: Flamethrower (x2), Heavy Tank Gun (x6)
Modifications: Communications, Firing Ports (x4), Reinforced Hull (x3)

The War Wheel was invented by Professor Merson, who defected to the Nazis, although it was widely believed he was abducted. The War Wheel went into action in May 1940. Its interior compartments remain level due to highly advanced gyroscopes.

Brain Drain

Armor Class: 4 [15] (advanced materials and Dex)
Hit Dice: 4
Total Hit Bonus: +4
Attacks: Weapon or robot fist
Saving Throw: 15
Special: Mind control
Movement: 12
HDE/XP: 5/240

Brain Drain’s real name is Werner Schmidt. He is a Nazi scientist who was injured during the crash of an alien vessel. Unable to save his body, Nazi doctors transplanted Schmidt’s brain into a advanced robotic body based in part on alien technology. Free from the limitations of a human body, Schmidt developed the ability to telepathically control minds.

Tags: NPCs, WWII: OWB

I recently received by copy of WWII: Operation WhiteBox by Peter C. Spahn. I read most of it last night before bed. Short review: It’s nearly perfect. Do you like the OSR and/or do you like historical roleplaying games? Then go purchase WWII: Operation WhiteBox as soon as possible if not sooner.

Best of all from my perspective is that WWII: Operation WhiteBox is fully compatible with the Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox fantasy RPG. Thus…

Worlds Wars, Too

Portals exist between two worlds torn by war. The mad sorcerer Amon-Gog commands armies of orcs, gargoyles, and giants. The mad ruler Adolf Hitler commands armies of soldiers, planes, and tanks. Both seek to purify their worlds with blood and fire in lunatic quests for imagined utopias. Against these rapacious hordes stand stalwart allies: the United States, the Lorian Confederation, France, Ironspyre, the United Kingdom, the Four Shires, the U.S.S.R., and the Buyan Steppes.

The Heroes

Make up a character using either Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox or WWII: Operation WhiteBox. Your character has a new ability, Link, which represents his connection to his native world. Link starts with a d6 rating.

You Got Your Fantasy in My History!

Magic does not work in the world of WWII: Operation WhiteBox except for in the proximity of a portal or significant relic/artifact. Similarly, no modern technology works in the world of Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox except in the proximity of a portal or significant relic/artifact. That magic wand in France? It’s just a stick. Those grenades in the Lorian Confederation? You can throw them, but they don’t explode.

A few exceptional individuals from both worlds can violate these restrictions, at least for a time. This is why your character has Link. When your character does something that violates the reality of the world he’s in, such as a Fighter using a magic sword in Poland, he must roll Link. When your character uses something that violates his own reality, such as a Combat Engineer using a magic sword in Ironspyre, he must roll Link. On a 1-2, his Link decreases by one die type. His action works regardless.

If your character’s Link decreases to less than a d4, your character has lost his Link. He’s become severed from his reality. He can no longer use forbidden items or abilities to his native world. (Yes, I’ve shamelessly taken the idea of Usage Dice from The Black Hack.)

Order of Dice: d4 < d6 < d8 < d10 < d12 < d16 < d20

Repairing and Improving the Link

When your character gets a chance to rest and recover, his Link repairs by one step (up to its normal die type). When your character reaches 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th levels, his maximum Link increases by one step.

Tags: WWII: OWB