Vengeance The RPG Review

Vengeance The RPG is a minimalist vigilante rpg adaptation of 24XX by Jason Tocci. The game prioritizes description and narrative over complex rules. Instead of math things are resolved with highest die rolled. The rules only take up 2 of the 16 pdf pages.  The game is very upfront. This is not a supers game. I used that tag  for this post because I think the game could be a great resource for supers game, but there's nothing super about the characters in Vengeance The RPG. The game also features adult and mature themes and there is a content warning. 

Vengeance the RPG is set in Phantom City. Phantom City is a cesspool of criminal activity. It's not safe. Good citizen stay indoors at note and the police can do little to protect them. Criminals murder, steal, supply drugs, and take part in human trafficking. The only thing fighting back are the men, women, and nonbinary folks that put on costumes work to defend the innocent people of Phantom City.

There are 20 Movers & Shakers in the city briefly mentioned. This section made me smile because it's a who's who of Eric's friends and family. There are several rpg authors and creators mentioned, including a Nurse Justin Isaac, who's down to help Phantom City's vigilantes heal up to fight another day, for a nominal fee of course.

There are 35 Locations you can use to flesh out the city. Again these are given a very short description and are named for creators and folks Eric knows. This also includes four upcoming events that make great plot/adventure hooks. 

As I mentioned earlier, the rules only take up two pages. These are supplemented by a set of Origin tables. You can just pick and choose from them or roll. Players will then pick and Archetype. They then choose or invent Skills relevant to their vigilante. Players can pick from a selection of Items.

There are two pages of Quick Adventures that are appropriate for Vengeance The RPG or most supers/vigilante games. There are 14 total and I dug them all. My personal favorite would be Pun's Anarky Circus for obvious reasons. I mean who doesn't love clown burlesque?

There is a really handle and simple set of Investigations tables. You can roll for random contacts, investigation locations, criminal activity details, and twists/problems. 

Finally the pdf has a character sheet for the game.

If you like narrative focused games with street level vigilantes, this is the game for you. Even if you aren't a narrative heavy game person, this book is a great tool kit for any supers/vigilante game. It's definitely a useful toolkit and I highly recommend it. If Vengeance the RPG sounds like something you'd be interested in you can get the pdf from DriveThruRPG or a print and pdf bundle from Bloat Games.