Wilderness of Mirrors

From StoryCodex

Contents 1 Author 2 Pitch 3 Summary 4 Play Reports 5 Reviews 6 Resources

[edit] Author

John Wick

[edit] Pitch

A modern espionage RPG, which concentrates on bringing to life the planning of espionage operations.

• First Runner-Up for the Best Sui Generis RPG of 2006 Outie Award
• Honorable Mention for Have Games, Will Travel Top RPGs of 2006

[edit] Summary

The game consists of a few simple mechanics that aim to reward play simulating our favourite spy novels and movies.

• There are no skills, just braod areas of expertise (the Face, the Wetworks Specialist, etc.)
• Planning the mission or the heist is worked into an integral part of the game, rather than being a road bump on the way to the game: players get to create all the obstacles and difficulties in their path as they plane, for which they get Mission Dice. The more difficult the players make the mission, the more they’re rewarded for it.
• When you spend a Mission Point on an action, you add it to your Area of Expertise for the number of dice you roll. The more dice you roll, the more narrative control you have over action (somewhat similar to octaNe or InSpectres).
• Mission Dice spent on one's Areas of Expertise can also grant special effects once per mission.
• Whenever an agent does something that sabotages another player or looks fishy, the GM hands the player Trust dice – increasing the team's level of paranoia.
• There are three optional mechanics to account for Real Time in game, through which the GM gets to make the plan increasingly difficult for the agents as time ticks on.

If you don't like the lack of skills and attributes, the general mechanics can be ported over to your favourite system It has been pointed out that the system lends itself well not only to Mission Impossible, James Bond or Jason Bourne novels and movies, but to caper stories (The Great Escape, Ocean's Eleven, Heist, etc.) and to A Team-style or even Shadowrun stories.

[edit] Play Reports

• Have Games, Will Travel - Podcast #73

[edit] Reviews

• Tribute Pile Shout-Out by Robin Laws
• Out of the Box: Somebody Put Something In My Drink by Kenneth Hite
• Mini-Review by Tim Gray

[edit] Resources

• Tell me of Wilderness of Mirrors by John Wick - RPGNet thread about the game
• Spy Game - Wick's original LJ post
• Daniel Solis' Book Design and Layout
• Spy Games are All About Paranoia