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Escape from Alcatraz!
From: TPK Productions
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Escape from Alcatraz! is a new PDF Adventure for Mutants & Masterminds (M&M) from TPK Productions.
Escape from Alcatraz! is an adventure sourcebook that updates this historical penitentiary for a super-powered 21st Century of Mutants & Masterminds.
From the website:
“There are plenty of super-prisons, but only one Alcatraz – the last stop for the worst of criminals.”
This e-book can be used in three ways: as an adventure, as a villain sourcebook, and as a general campaign source. In the PDF, the author has researched historical information about the real-life Alcatraz to create a fictitious super-prison complete with information on the security forces of Alcatraz (humans and supers), how that security force reacts to escapes and other security breaches, as well as the daily schedule of activities within the prison. Also, interestingly, it includes some creative ways that California puts the super-prison to use as a money-making enterprise.
After the Introduction and How to Use This Book sections, the author dives you directly in with the Alcatraz Power Prison that includes a historical brief that is accurate up to the 1990s, when the super powers appeared and forced the need for a super prison. Also included in this are interesting nuggets of knowledge and inspiration like one called the Mystical Alcatraz - a couple of historically based myths about the prison. In addition, there are several Plot Hooks as well as notes about the Lighthouse and Escape Attempts. There are also a few flavor-added "newspaper articles" that really add to the work.
Following this are the Maps and Details which include a full-color Map of the Island and Map of the Cell Blocks. They are reasonably well done but look like anything someone could get out of a tourist brochure. However, the author claims they are original, based on actual plans of the prison. Each location is described in reasonable detail. Following this is the Prison Staff with numerous NPC stats. Included are the regular staff and supers like Magnitude. Also included is a set of generic stats for several different minimum security inmates.
From the website:
“In a world of super-powered madmen, mutant convicts, robotic life, and talking apes, Alcatraz still serves as the place criminals Don’t Want To Go.”
The Second Battle of Alcatraz is an adventure that revolves around the breaking out of a particular super villain - Prince Primeval - on the night of his execution. It involves any number of the villains presented after the adventure. There are nearly 30 individual super beings (villains and heroes) that follow the adventure including Primeva (a descendant of Prince Primeval and the person attempting to break him out), Saint George (ghost of the great St. George possessing a super scientist human), White Dwarf (a dwarf gadgeteer bitter about his stature and leader of the Hollywood All-stars), The Behemoth (alien aquatic life form) , The Foo Fighter (alien 'gray' martial artist), The Mourner (spiritual embodiment of grief), La Nebulosa (Mexican thief) and of course, Prince Primeval himself. They are depicted in full color original art with complete histories and powers.
It should be noted that all in this PDF is compatible with M&M Second Edition! I like the layout of the PDF, and the art is very well done - very comic-ish.
In conclusion, honestly, this deserves to be put into a book of some kind. It's a well-researched and laid out sourcebook for any M&M fan. And it has so many different uses. I like this in particular because it is based on something real life and projects it into a fictional world. Even if you do not play M&M, this can be useful for other super hero games like Champions or that other d20 superhero RPG.
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