Quick-Start Saturday: Midnight of the Century Primer

Quick-starts are a means of trying out a roleplaying game before you buy. Each should provide a Game Master with sufficient background to introduce and explain the setting to her players, the rules to run the scenario included, and a set of ready-to-play, pre-generated characters that the players can pick up and understand almost as soon as they have sat down to play. The scenario itself should provide an introduction to the setting for the players as well as to the type of adventures that their characters will have and just an idea of some of the things their characters will be doing on said adventures. All of which should be packaged up in an easy-to-understand booklet whose contents, with a minimum of preparation upon the part of the Game Master, can be brought to the table and run for her gaming group in a single evening’s session—or perhaps two. And at the end of it, Game Master and players alike should ideally know whether they want to play the game again, perhaps purchasing another adventure or even the full rules for the roleplaying game.

Alternatively, if the Game Master already has the full rules for the roleplaying game the quick-start is for, then what it provides is a sample scenario that she still run as an introduction or even as part of her campaign for the roleplaying game. The ideal quick-start should entice and intrigue a playing group, but above all effectively introduce and teach the roleplaying game, as well as showcase both rules and setting.

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What is it?
Midnight of the Century Primer is the quick-start for Midnight of the Century, a mid-’90s pre-apocalyptic serial killer investigation roleplaying game inspired by ’90s films and television shows like Manhunter, Millennium, Silence of the Lambs, Twin Peaks, and Homicide: Life on the Street.

It is a twenty-four page, 9.38 MB full colour (but mostly black and red) PDF.

It is decently written and the artwork is excellent. It does need an edit in places.

How long will it take to play?
Midnight of the Century Primer is designed to be played through in a single session, two at the very most.

What else do you need to play?
The Midnight of the Century Primer needs a standard set of polyhedral dice, including percentile dice, per player.

Who do you play?
The Midnight of the Century Primer includes two pre-generated Player Characters. They are the Profiler and the Occultist. They are consultants for the OROBORO GROUP, which offers services in criminal investigation, risk and threat management, crisis management, corporate and private security, and intelligence gathering. The Profiler previously worked for law enforcement, whilst the Occultist may have consulted for law enforcement.

How is a Player Character defined?

A Player Character in the Midnight of the Century Primer has three stats. These are Body, Mind, and Will, and range in value between three and eighteen. In addition, a Player Character will have a personal Connection, a loved one that keeps him grounded and focused; a Haven where he feels safe; plus a vehicle, name, and traits. These are also rolled for.

Both Player Characters have a set of general skills. These are Investigate, Interview, Research, Bluff, Force, and Publicise. There are equal to one of the three attributes. A Player Character has a Specialism which grants specific skills. For the Profiler they are Glimpse, in which he can gains an involuntarily vision of the killer, and Profile, which enables him to generate a psychological profile of the Unknown Subject and gain more details for the Investigation Dossier. The Occultist can Commune with the dead and ask questions of the deceased, or Herald a vision of the past, present, or future. This requires the Occultist to touch the item, surface, or person.

The use of a Specialist skill inflicts Stress on a Player Character.

How do the mechanics work?

Mechanically, Midnight of the Century is straightforward. To have his character act or avoid a risky or dangerous situation or sue a skill, the player rolls a Save against the appropriate stat. A result of one is a critical success, but a twenty is a critical failure. The mechanics use Advantage and Disadvantage.

During play, a Player Character can suffer Stress. This occurs when a Player Character fails a Save, uses a Specialist skill, is engaged in a pursuit, or encounters the Uncanny. Stress also reduces a Player Character’s Will.

A Player Character can also suffer Fracture. It occurs when a critical failure is rolled, a crucial Save is failed, confront the killer one-on-one, and when the Player Character’s Will is reduced to zero. A Fracture check is a Will Save. If failed, the Player Character suffers Fracture, gains a Condition, and a roll must be made on the Fracture table. For example, ‘‘Tip of your Tongue’ doubles the amount of time it takes to conduct research and any roll is made at a Disadvantage and ‘Not Quite Home’ means that the Player Character feels that something is off, but cannot work out what it is and the amount of Mind restored for resting in a Player Character’s Haven is reduced.

The Doom Phase—Dawn, Midday, Dusk, or Midnight—of the Investigation determines how much Stress is suffered during an investigation.

The Midnight of the Century Primer includes an example of play.

How does combat work?
There are no specific combat mechanics in the Midnight of the Century Primer. By intent, a Player Character is fragile and the rules state that the Player Character is no good in a fight and if he comes face-to-face with a killer, suggests that he had better run or he is going to be the killer’s next victim.

How does Doom work?

Doom tracks the ratcheting up of tension and pushes the investigation towards a confrontation. Doom ticks increase the effect of the Doom Phases and the Killer may kill again, taunt the press, taunt or stalk the Investigator, or even target an Investigator’s Connection.

How does Chaos work?

This is left for the Midnight of the Century core rulebook.

How does the Uncanny work?

This is left for the Midnight of the Century core rulebook.

What do you play?

The scenario in the Midnight of the Century Primer is ‘On The Edge Of Apocalypse’. This takes place in the very rainy northwest, either Seattle or Vancouver. There are some nice notes on the technology of the period to capture part of its feel. The Player Characters are called in by the Oroboro Group on their first consultation. The case is neatly broken down and nicely detailed, enabling the Game Master to run it with ease. This is a well done mystery which feels right for the period and could easily have been an episode of a television series from the nineties.

Is there anything missing?
No. The Midnight of the Century Primer has everything the Game Master and her players will need to play, including advice on tone, safety tools, and a good example of play.

Is it easy to prepare?
Yes. The Midnight of the Century Primer is relatively easy to prepare.

Is it worth it?
Yes. There a lot to like about the Midnight of the Century Primer. It is a rare quick-start designed for one or two players and provides a decent introduction to the setting with a good scenario, though it leaves a lot of the weirder content for the core rulebook. Anyone who remembers and enjoyed the occult and serial killer media of the mid- to late-nineties will get a nostalgia hit from this quick-start.

The Midnight of the Century Primer is published by By Odin’s Beard and is available to download here.