The Breach Of Matteo Sciuteriwhose Italian edition is edited by NeedGameswill make us travel along the routes of 70s science fiction in a retro sci-fi with dark and well-crafted atmospheres, to evoke precisely those feelings typical of the most common theme of the time: the discovery.
In a dystopian past1943, an accident that occurred during experiments on spacetime flows to test the theory Mobius-Higgs, forever disrupts a reality that is already very different from ours, opening a portal to other dimensions. A Breccia, precisely. Every emergency protocol is activated, every restrictive measure is put in place, until one is obtained completely isolated community call The Citadel, commanded by the Supreme Leader in a very rigid dictatorial hierarchical structure. And 25 years after the accident and the creation of an isolated and miniature society (which follows that of the past of The Breach), it will be precisely the Supreme Leader to command a final and very important order:
Travel across the infinite worlds to bring glory to the All-Knowing Confederation.
Rules of survival
Before analyzing the setting, the stylistic choices of the manual, the illustrations and the fluidity of the game, let's get to know what the real skeleton of The Breach is: its rules. As also explained in the game manual, The Breach follows the line called “old school“, that is, based mainly on the intuition, logic and common sense of the players (called Observers) and the master (called Operator).
Since it is a game in which you will have to find answers to mysterious dilemmas, collect more information possible within the alien worlds that are being explored, and recover evidence and samples of what has been seen, the combat is treated like alast resort. The same manual discourages fighting against creatures, where the preference is to flee, although the fight is still contemplated, just like the death of the character.
The Breach is rated for a minimum of two it's a maximum of four players, plus an Operator to direct the game and missions. You will need paper copies of the cardsThe game manualof the sheets for notes And a handful of dice (at least one of each type).
The card and the character
There form It shows up compacted on a single page, right at the end of the manual, containing the 4 approaches of gameplay that each observer could have, that is, the style with which they will respond to the dangers, puzzles, challenges and decisions that the Operator will put before them. These are: Careful, Elusive, Mighty And Quick. It also contains various data on the Observer, stamina, wounds, experience points and so on.
The advantage of this card is its immediacy which makes it simple to consult and above all it takes up very little space. Furthermore, each box is a perfect size for writing inside, and there are no tiny areas where writing something could become a precision operation.
There creation of a character results particularly simple also thanks to the reserve of names, nicknames, traits And stories available within the manual. So death will not scare us every time the Operator presents us with a particularly difficult situation.
The values to be assigned are few and will have to be consulted mainly during the You roll Reactionwhich correspond precisely to four approaches which we have already talked about.
Between dice and clocks
Each character will have one dice reserve to be used when he wants to carry out an action associated with the chosen approach, and this reserve will be one consumable resource. A d10 (10-sided die) will consume one dimension, that is, with each use it will become a d8, then a d6, a d4 and so on. Being one of the strangest rules of The Breach, as well as its peculiarity, it will also be a bit the pivot of the gameas it blends perfectly with the Reaction Shot and the Traits that grant advantages and disadvantages.
Each mission will begin with a briefing in which different tasks will be entrusted to each character, tasks that can be consulted by the Operator in convenient tables, to then have the Observers venture into the breach and face the chosen paradox. This sorting can be done randomly with a d4 and a d8, so as to entrust the fate of the Observers to destiny on the dice.
Each mission will take place within an alien, hostile world full of dangers that will be represented by gods clocks that will go come on 12 to the 4 segments, and will represent dangers of minor degree (12) until an escalation of extreme danger (4). The clocks, in short, are the way to calculate the danger of the mission, and it will advance in time with a die roll by the Operator who, based on the values that are gradually calculated, will make something happen: a climate change, an earthquake , a sudden collapse of construction and so on. The more time passes, the more dangerous and unstable the mission in the paradox becomes.
Once all the segments of the clock have been completed, the paradox will collapse on itself and the characters inside them, provided they have not managed to escape, will be disintegrated.
The missions of The Breach end when the clocks expire (i.e. as soon as the paradox collapses), or when the Observers have completed their task and are transported out of the Return Device (a machine similar to a mechanical winch to which the Observers are tied with steel cables), which remains the fastest and safest method. If this is not possiblethe Observers, will have to retrace the paradox backwards hoping that these do not collapse with them inside and gain the exit.
Style
The Breach has a very fascinating style and design which, on every page, manages to reflect the sci-fi of the 70s and also recall the imagination of contemporary works. It is not only the design of the manual that inspires this kind of imagery but also the way in which the environments are described, the paradoxes themselves and the type of equipment that the Observers will carry on the mission.
The adaptation to different styles of imagery, complete with initial references that will make us understand what to choose and what not (still keeping in mind the freedom of the players), greatly enrich the game because they manage to create a mood more than useful to any Operator (narrator or master) who wants to explore different imaginaries: from dystopian science fiction in Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury, to the science fiction comedy of Wall-E.
L'aesthetics of the manual attention has been paid to every single detail and with a meticulousness capable of making the product genuinely beautiful, valuable and perfect to keep in the library. For those who love this kind of games and imagery it will be a feast for the eyes to see registered pages of the manual and the illustrations that intersperse the chapters and descriptions.
Why explore the unknown?
Summing up The Breach is very easy, child's play, because it presents itself perfect for every type of player: from the one who has never picked up a dice, to the one who has been playing for years, up to the one who would like to get back into role-playing games. The Breach is a perfect route for begin your master's career precisely thanks to the precious advice that the manual manages to give and because of the broad scope of a possible long campaign, interspersed with scary missions and puzzles to solve.
We can confidently say that The Breach and his adventure they are worth the price of the ticket and they manage to create, even after just the first browse, an unmissable world for any enthusiast sci-fi.
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