Here is a second playtest game report, again presented in the form of the old Police Gazette.
As before, a PDF copy of this one is yours for the asking by writing TVAG@att.net, and it will be sent directly to your email address. If you missed the first one, just say so, and it will be sent at the same time.
The discounted subscription is now scheduled to open by mid-July, for release in early August.
Most of the same description that accompanied the first post for this follows, for those who may have missed it the first time.
Of those who wrote for their copy of the first report, and asked questions, I'd like to add that We Only Kill Each Other does not attempt to be an immersive campaign-game system, with complex economics associated with actually operating a criminal enterprise (bootlegging, drug trafficking, etc). WOKEO literally allows players to "cut to the chase" and engage in all mayhem that makes the subject of Prohibition and Depression-era crime another form of skirmish gaming.
Thoroughly researched with an emphasis on "realism," rather than Hollywood and legend, WOKEO is a fast-playing game model for criminal-on-criminal violence with the sometime involvement of law enforcement. Unlike previous forays into the subject, the rules recognize three distinct "theaters" of criminal enterprise that have the common denominator of violence – "Beers Wars" (1920-1933), "Dillinger Days" (1934-35), and "Mafia Wars" (1931-35). Each had distinctive features that made it unique and separate from the others regarding characters and possible game episodes.
Characters are generated in fine detail by types/classes – gangsters, hoodlums, police, detectives, FBI and treasury agents, each with the opportunity for skills, areas of special knowledge, and even weaponry by period and subject. Distinguishing features, including Peculiarities/Personality Quirks/Addictions/Compulsive Behaviors, Speech Impediments, as well as detailed physical attributes and Criminal Records, are just some of the descriptors that will apply.
WOKEO recognizes that criminals are never to be confused with soldiers – they are almost exclusively violent, under-educated, and commonly unintelligent, who try to kill by stealth and surprise, rather than seek stand up battles with one another or law enforcement. Consequently, "discipline and duty" do not characterize them, while opportunism and fear of retaliation does.
Combat rules are fast and deadly, with a wide variety of basic weapon types available but not for the players' choice! Tommy Guns and BARs are truly "terror weapons," and far more rare than Hollywood would make them appear. You won't find one everywhere, every time, but when you do, watch out!
Most games will need fewer than a half-dozen figures to a side, though police can begin to show up in overwhelming numbers if the crime is not effected quickly and efficiently. And, more than any other game, WOKEO encourages the presence of "Square Johns" civilians who can as easily fall victim to the police as the criminals. Use of "The Third Degree" with interrogations is part of the game, as well as the competition between "G-Men" and local police. It is even possible to "frame" a suspect to get that career-enhancing conviction!
And if you think the "G-Men" were supermen, think again!
Intended for use with any of the fine 28mm castings from manufacturers such as Pulp Figures, Blue Moon, Copplestone, Brigade Games, and Reviresco, with 1:64/1:56 vehicles from such providers as the latter, and Lledo's Days Gone range.
WOKEO is specifically designed to use building models from Old Glory, Reviresco, and TVAG's Mean Streets and Mean Sets. WOKEO addresses the realities of the usually urban environment so central to crime of the period.
Call boxes, sirens, alarms, police whistles, auto and pedestrian traffic, all are part of the mix when perpetrating or confronting crime in the streets. Tear gas, explosives, body armor, automobile chases, crashes, brawling, "gun molls," extortion, and more make WOKEO the most comprehensive ruleset yet.
More Police Gazette accounts may be published before the subscription formally begins, to demonstrate what makes WOKEO unique.
All questions about the project are welcomed at TVAG@att.net.
