[Fanzine Focus XL] Gridshock 20XX ’Zine 2: Roster

On the tail of Old School Renaissance has come another movement—the rise of the fanzine. Although the fanzine—a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon, got its start in Science Fiction fandom, in the gaming hobby it first started with Chess and Diplomacy fanzines before finding fertile ground in the roleplaying hobby in the 1970s. Here these amateurish publications allowed the hobby a public space for two things. First, they were somewhere that the hobby could voice opinions and ideas that lay outside those of a game’s publisher. Second, in the Golden Age of roleplaying when the Dungeon Masters were expected to create their own settings and adventures, they also provided a rough and ready source of support for the game of your choice. Many also served as vehicles for the fanzine editor’s house campaign and thus they showed how another Dungeon Master and her group played said game. This would often change over time if a fanzine accepted submissions. Initially, fanzines were primarily dedicated to the big three RPGs of the 1970s—Dungeons & Dragons,RuneQuest, and Traveller—but fanzines have appeared dedicated to other RPGs since, some of which helped keep a game popular in the face of no official support.

Since 2008 with the publication of Fight On #1, the Old School Renaissance has had its own fanzines. The advantage of the Old School Renaissance is that the various Retroclones draw from the same source and thus one Dungeons & Dragons-style RPG is compatible with another. This means that the contents of one fanzine will compatible with the Retroclone that you already run and play even if not specifically written for it. Labyrinth Lord and Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay have proved to be popular choices to base fanzines around, as has Swords & Wizardry. Another popular choice of system for fanzines, is Goodman Games’ Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game, but then there are outliers, fanzines for genres, let alone roleplaying games, which you would never expect to receive support in this format.

Gridshock 20XX ’Zine 2: Roster is a fanzine for ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying. Published by VX2 following a successful Kickstarter campaign, this is a product which is very different in many ways. It is a fanzine for the superhero genre, it is a fanzine for ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying, and as superhero fanzine, it actually presents a post-apocalyptic setting. All three factors make it standout as different. As the name suggests, Gridshock 20XX ’Zine 2: Rooster is the second in the series for the fanzine, but there is only a total of four issues.

The first issue in the series, Gridshock 20XX ’Zine 1: Roadmap presented an overview of its setting. This is the future of the North American continent after society was society ripped apart in 1986 by an event known as the Shock which followed the successful attempt by the mysterious Omegas to destroy a psionic computer network powered by extradimensional energy. The resulting Aftershock killed millions, made more disappear, substituted familiar landscape with alien ones, turned the sky violet, and changed some of the stars to alien ones. Governments collapsed and supervillains seized control to establish their own, ultimately dystopic fiefdoms, together known as the Supremacy. The Shock also disrupted the Grid underlying the whole of reality and weakened it, leading to the opening of ‘Gridgates’ to other worlds and aliens visiting the Earth. Reality storms imperil travel so that long term travel in in convoys and all forms of broadcast media act as vessels for a necrocosmic plague. Only the wealthy has access to any form of direct communication, whilst messages and recorded media are delivered directly. Long distance travel is via the Thunder Road, a continental network of highways and fuel stations controlled by Lord Thunder, the leader of the Sanction.

In the world of Gridshock 20XX, the Player Characters are Vectors. They possess the ability to warp the Grid and thus reality, manipulating it in their favour. Vectors are typically human, but can also be gatecrashers from other realities or hybroids—one of the genetically engineered labour force. Whilst Vectors have superpowers, they do not operate as the superheroes of old. They do not wear spandex and they do not patrol looking for crime. That, combined with the flashiness of their powers, would make it easier for the Supremacy to find them. Instead, they travel the Thunder Road, looking for work and when they can, attempting to strike a blow for justice and freedom. Vectors are meant to be proactive and fight for what is right, forge new alliances, push their powers to the limits of reality—and perhaps beyond, reclaim hope and rebuild civilisation, and explore the secrets of old world and the new.

Gridshock 20XX ’Zine 2: Roster is the character book for the series, the bulk of which is devoted to twelve Vector Templates that a player can chose from. These have one of five sources—Genetic, Mystic, Necrocosmic, Omegalithic, and Technologic. Genetic means that the source is biological; Mystic means the source is derived from a bond or pact with the supernatural; Necrocosmic is tied to the Necrocosm, the dark echo of where daemons come from; Omegalithic, linked to the weird crystalline substance salvaged from encounters with the Omegas before the Shock; and Technologic means that a device or cybernetics are the source. The Vectors Templates consist of the Ace, which is skill and training focused; the Fabricator, equipped with an illegal portable omegatechnology factory; Free Agent, which has been in stasis since before the Shock and uses a psionic amplifier for its powers; a Gatecrasher, an alien from another world or dimension; the Gridjockey, which can use any power by rewiring the Grid temporarily; the Hybroid is a human genetically engineered with animal DNA; the Neogenic has unique superhuman abilities; the Outcaster is empowered by the Dreaming Mother; the Revenant had his lifeforce drained by an unliving being from the Deadside, but is still in possession of his Geist and still needs to feed on the lifeforce of others; the Roguebot is illegal in the Supremacy; the Suitjack is bonded with a relic battlesuit of pre-Shock Omegatechnology; and the Ultra-Knight is a hunter of daemanoids and other evildoers.

Besides the base stats, each Template instructs the player to select one or more powers and specialities, whilst choosing three qualities from the list given. A player can take a Template as written, but each Template also suggests three variants. For example, the Ace Template also gives the Neo-Ninja, the Neutraliser, and the Vigilante as alternatives, whilst for the Outcaster, there is the Daemonologist, Exorcist, and Warlock. In each case, there is an explanation too, of how to create them from the given base Template. All together, Gridshock 20XX ’Zine 2: Roster provides thirty-six possible Vector types beyond the base twelve for a total of forty-eight options.

The last two pages of Gridshock 20XX ’Zine 2: Roster details a pair of ‘Threats and Menaces’. The first is Daemons, of which there are several types and which can only assume physical form in Realspace for a limited amount of time. The information here expands upon that given in Gridshock 20XX ’Zine 1: Roadmap, whilst the second type is given ready made stats. These are for Exhumans, those who have had their lifeforce drained by an unliving being from the Deadside. Ordinary humans drained are converted into Shamblers, whilst Superhumans so drained return as Exhuman NPCs after a few panels. Several types are included, like the Annexator, which boosts the abilities of other Exhumans, the Demolisher—which can be formed from ordinary Shamblers in time, and the Shambler itself. These nicely tie in the with the Revenant Template earlier in the book as well as expanding the threats available for the Game Master to use.

Physically, Gridshock 20XX ’Zine 2: Roster is very nicely presented in swathes of red and black. The artwork is decent, but the typography is difficult to read in places.

Gridshock 20XX ’Zine 2: Roster is a solid continuation of Gridshock 20XX ’Zine 1: Roadmap. It firmly focuses the player and the types of character he can create, whilst for the Game Master the Templates can be used for NPCs as well as using the monsters.