Serenity RPG: “Six-Shooters & Spaceships” Review

Hello again, folks!
Just postin’ up here a blog concernin’ the Serenity RPG book “Six-Shooters & Spaceships.” This here book ain’t much more than wishlist of goods, guns and ships. Now, all in all, I don’t care much for such books, usually. Most times, they ain’t nothin’ but a way to separate me from my hard earned money. That bein’ said, this book is an exception.

Startin’ out in the first section, it covers basically what you would find in most general stores. You need some burn gel to get ‘round a bothersome lock, look no further. What’s that, some weldin’ tape? That and more are right here. Also a tailor section, so you can find you some right fancy duds to hit the town in or impress the lady folk. It is pretty light in the particulars, but gives enough for you to reason out somethin’ you may not see. Scootin’ right on past that, we find the section that most folk look for; the armory.

Now, the original book had a good set of guns and weapons. This book just adds to that. Not just weapons, mind you, but things to make the ones you already got even more shiny. Now, I won’t lie, ain’t much in the way of new stuff. The accessories for the firearms are things that a lot of folk would already know about, they just have decided to give us a description and set a general price range. A lot of folk I know tend to see this as useless and should give way to common sense. But, since not everyone out there has played RPGs all their life or had real world experience with firearms, I consider it a useful section, just not for everyone.
No section of an armory would be complete with explosives. Sometimes, you just need to blow something up. Period. So, there are some mines, satchels, and grenades.  Again, not a horribly long list, but enough to set you on the path to total destruction.

The rest of the section gives a little on Newtech, hardware, computers, programs and medicinals. The Newtech is sparce but good while the hardware, computers and progs are handy but could not overly excitin’. The medicinals should catch everyone’s attention, if for no other reason to see how to patch that hole from the lead they are bound to catch at some point.

They did add in a spot for some cybernetics. Not only is the asset included, but so is a mighty fine list of shiny pieces to help make your body a little shinier. All these really do is give you an Asset that you didn’t have before. For example, if’n I wanted to drive me a land cruiser like a bat outta Hades, but never could quite catch the knack for it, I would up and get me a Vehicular Interface. Basically, it mimics Born Behind the Wheel. Right nifty way to get that there asset you missed at character creation.

Not that they are rightly excitin’, but there is a small section giving examples of services offered by other folk. Everything from lawyer to Companion, it’s there. Oh, and a short section on livestock and critters, mainly stats and such.

Now, just barely over half the book is dedicated to new ships. Anyone who is looking for a new boat to ply the black or just likes reading about’em, here’s your book. Almost two dozen ships, rangin’ from a Purplebelly carrier to surveyin’ boats and starfighters. There are some sample ships with modifications from the original standin’ template and the folks who fly’em. All in all, a very nice way to end the book.

I have to say that I am pretty happy with the book. I ain’t a man who normally goes out for a book with nothing but stats and equipment, but this would compliments the core book nicely. The price point is 24.99, which is unfortunately pretty standard for a paperback RPG book these days.  If you find you just have to have more info on equipment, by all means, grab it.  If not, with a bit of common sense and the material presented in the core book, you can make the educated guesses needed to supply most of the info in this book.  In other words, not a must have, but not a bad addition to have on the bookshelf either.