Picked this up this weekend just gone at the 'UK Games Expo 2007'.



It is an RPG game called 'Cold City' by Contested Ground Studios. The game is set in post WW2 Berlin. The characters play part of an international task force set up to deal with all the pesky little blighters set loose by foul nazi experiments (zombies, demons of all flavours etc). Of course, being the cold war, none of the characters trust each other and each has national and personal goals to reach as well as the more immediate mission specific ones.

My gf, who's not usually interested in WW2 or wierd war settings (more of a fantasy or sci-fi girl) decided to read the rulebook on the train and had almost finished it by the time we got home. I have to say, I'm really looking forward to giving it a try. The rules seem solid (and simple, which is always a bonus!) and there are some interesting game mechanics to cover things like inter-character trust, which is a big part of the system. Simply put, if the characters trust each other, there are bonuses for all, if they don't there arent It uses a D10 system which is incredibly simple - there are no 'skills' and combat is absolutely lethal (as it should be!)

I think that I will use some of Heresy's monsters and the new Mawes from Hasslefree (when they are released) to be some nasty critters for my characters to fight. Plus there are now plenty of alt-WWII minis on the market.

A few bits from UM would work, as would Villageworks for rustic Bavarian towns. Castleworks would also be good for German Schlosses, not to mention Shellendrak. Bits of PCON & RS would be good for decaying Nazi labs and 'scientific facilities'. You could even get some mileage out of Caveworks or shadowcore - after all, who know what those maniacs unearthed?

I'd say that the content of the game could get quite heavy, as it does deal with the after-effects of the nazi regime and therefore some people would be uncomfortable playing in this setting. It's very Hellboy, but in a good way, and encourages a more 'co-operative' style of storytelling. Anyone familiar with 7th Sea will have an inkling of what I mean. It also expects mature players who are not afraid of morale dilemmas.

All in all though, for what appears to be a young RPG company, this seems like a really well constructed game with some interesting concepts and I look forward to what they produce next. (BTW - there's a demo download on the website)

This looks very cool. Thanks for the link!

I'm willing to devote some resources to this new company because they broke the mold from what I've seen. I like to encourage any RPG company that goes beyond the d20 system and tries to be innovative.

I can see you using the models to portray scenes, but not to go much farther beyond that. Definitely not for realistic combat situations or whatever. This game has a Tannhauser feeling to it, and you might be able to apply the miniatures and game to this RP for the sake of speeding things up. Storyteller games like these always seem to want to go fast, but they bog down when you have a system of combat similar to this one (simple doesn't always mean "faster" or "better").

However, it is a great first effort and will get some money from me just for the background material. Thanks for the link.