First Impressions - Along Came A Patriot (Cold Shadows)

 

A campaign frame for Cold Shadows

This is a short (23-page campaign) frame for Cold Shadows, Gallant Knight Games' Espionage roleplaying game. It was the final part of the Kickstarter to be delivered and is available as a PDF or perfect-bound book from DriveThruRPG.

TL;DR: Along Came A Patriot is ambitious in scope but very light in detail. The book has five lightly prepared scenarios across five decades in which the characters become involved in the hunt for a mole in the CIA, codenamed Outrider. During the span of the campaign, characters will have the opportunity to be promoted and retire, to be replaced with younger, less cynical and less experienced new recruits. Overall, I was underwhelmed by the material presented; there are definitely ideas to be mined but it's very much an outline rather than a developed campaign. The book also includes extra material giving guidance and some examples to address frequently asked questions about the game.

Along Came A Patriot is ambitious in scope but very light in detail. The book has five lightly prepared scenarios across five decades in which the characters become involved in the hunt for a mole in the CIA, codenamed Outrider. During the span of the campaign, characters will have the opportunity to be promoted and retire, to be replaced with younger, less cynical and less experienced new recruits.

The first three pages are a reminder of how to run Cold Shadows effectively. The next section covers the ground rules for the campaign. The key point is that only the GM has the narrative authority to reveal who Outrider actually is. The players can come close, but Outrider will always escape until the campaign reaches its climax.

The second point is that - because of the narrative control that the players have - each scenario is only outlined with a situation and some suggestions for how the story may progress. It's a toolkit for a situation, rather than a scenario. Each section concludes with a transition piece that is designed to set up the next in the sequence.

This section also makes it clear that characters may retire and perhaps return as contacts or handlers, or even enemies.

The five acts move from Budapest in 1956 (just before the revolution), to West Berlin in 1961 as the Wall goes up, and then moves out of Europe to Chile in 1973 as the CIA moves to support General Pinochet. The story returns to West Berlin in 1987, as David Bowie is about to play Heroes at the Reichstag, before finishing as the Cold War burns out in Washington DC in 1992.

Each act has a very light framework, some stats for NPCs, and notes on elements to throw in. The guidance also recommends preparing further complications and contingencies. These are definitely needed as the material presented is very much top level ideas rather than detailed adventure frameworks. It does suggest adding further episodes between each act; I guess that will depend on your group, but I think that it could dilute the experience a little.

The book concludes with four pages of examples and guidance. Layout matches Cold Shadows and the editing is probably a bit sharper, although there are still typos.

Overall, I was underwhelmed with Along Came A Patriot. I could see me using it for inspiration, but even in a narrative game it needs more for a GM to deliver effectively. I don't regret getting it, but it feels like an outline rather than a finished campaign. That said, I can understand why it's like that.

15 May 2021