Stefano Buonocore
Today we have the pleasure of offering you a review of Outgunned core rulebook. First of all, we would like to thank you Two Little Mice for sending us a copy. And in particular, thanks go to Riccardo “Rico” Sirignano and Simone Formicola, the authors of the game. We had already had the opportunity to talk about the preview of this role-playing game, reporting about it our first impressions.
The volume is on pre-sale on the Backerit e-shop, at the price of 45 euros for the hardcover physical version (with a ribbon bookmark, which always looks great). This rulebook is available both in Italian, the original language, and in the English version. The shop also offers a vast series of accessories: we are talking about both expansions ready for the game and physical props. Two Little Mice has outdone itself, making them all too attractive for enthusiasts and collectors.
Volume Review of Outgunned
The manual is published in 15 x 23 cm format, a more and more used photographic format in the panorama of role-playing games: this allows it to be compact and practical to transport. The game presents itself with an excellent visual impact; its cover alone is enough to make it clear what we will bring to the gaming table. The layout is very clear, with the choice of text distributed over a single column which goes well with the size of the volume. However, it makes reading on digital devices with small screens, such as smartphones, a little less practical.
As can be seen from the images included in this review, the graphic line of Outgunned is flawless; It’s now a very pleasant habit with Two Little Mice. Luca Carbone, the graphic designer, did it benefit from a contemporary style: clean but scratchy, perfectly fitting the style of the game. The result is perfect, the volume is readable but not anonymous. As always, a round of applause goes to the contribution of the illustrations by Daniela Giubellini, now one of the most successful pencils in the panorama of Italian role-playing games. Representing action movie stereotypes while maintaining personality is no mean feat.
What’s Your Game?
Outgunned it is, in the words of the authors, a “cinematic action role-playing game”; a role-playing game that aims to replicate the experience of the great masterpieces of action cinema. There is a very long list of specific references in the manual, a triumph of pop culture that fans of the genre will surely know more than well. In any case, the text is also full of highly evocative examples. The names of John McClane, John Wick, Danny Ocean are enough to immediately give an idea of what you have in mind.
Perhaps the only point that can be made about this part of the work is the choice of the protagonist. The references used are almost exclusively taken from films focused on a single character. It is certainly true that the badass hero, reluctant or not, is the main trend of the action genre. Outgunned it also features a two-player game mode (master, or rather Director, and player); however, its main objective is to get a group to play. Using titles that were less appealing but more responsive to this element (any film focused on a team, or the immortal buddy cops genre) would have helped to give a more fitting idea of the final experience.
Heroes Review of Outgunned
Outgunned is based on the game system Director’s Cut, which relies on the authors’ experience in the role-playing world to create mechanics that highlight the more action side of the game. To perform an action that carries a significant risk or possibility of failure, a pool of six-sided dice is rolled. This pool is calculated on the value of one of the five characteristics (Brawn, Nerves, Smooth, Focus and Crime) added to the value of the most appropriate skill.
The mechanical part of the Hero’s sheet is mainly given by the intersection of two criteria: the Role and the Trope. The first indicates the Hero’s skills and his heritage. There are all the stereotypes, in the positive meaning of the term, of the action genre. The Commando, The Fighter, The Face and the Spy are certainly those with the most classic profile. The Ace, the Agent, the Brain, the Sleuth and the Criminal they are Roles that usually have a more specialized narrative impact; however, in Outgunned they have fully found their place in the sun. A separate mention is due to the Nobody, a role usually reserved for the back which in recent years has earned a leading role. This is the classic character who, overwhelmed by events, only “found himself in the middle”.
A “Genre” Story
Tropes represent instead the behavioral archetypes of characters typical of the action genre. There are eighteen to choose from. The Diehard and the Last Boyscout/Girlscout will probably cause premature hair loss, but they are literally the cornerstones of the genre. The Jerk with a Heart of Gold and The Good Samaritan allow you to explore the more positive side of the Heroes in a different way. Instead the Neurotic Geek and the Genius Bruiser they are more evolved, less obvious archetypal figures. But you can also play there Cheater or the Hunk, usually negative connotations. Even secondary characterizations like the Mentor and the Hot Stuff they are available for a leading role in the story.
The intersection of Role and Trope provides the framework in which to distribute Attributes and Skills. It also allows you to select Feats, i.e. particular abilities, and starting Equipment. Complete the choice of the character’s Job, Catchphrase and Flaw, as well as his age; in addition to characterizing the Hero, these elements have a precise mechanical weight, which is felt during game sessions. It is in fact about elements that have a direct impact on shots, or on the possibility of accessing particular manoeuvres. Very appreciable, a modern element that makes characterization an active game factor, and not just an acting choice.
Outgunned: Game Mechanics Review
In the Director’s Cut success occurs when multiple dice obtain the same result. A pair is sufficient for a basic success, more complex operations may require a set of three, a set of four or even a set of five; however, minor successes can be used to improve the basic result. There is a Re-Roll option with a moderate risk (very often the Traits allow you to do one safely); there is also an option for a second re-roll, called All In, which exposes the Hero to enormous risks.
This is a less immediate system than others that provide a sum or value threshold; to remedy this, Two Little Mice has also prepared a special line of dice, with images instead of numbers and dots. The impact on the game is relative: the normal six-sided dice are equally functional, and the glance does not change that much. The dedicated dice are interesting mainly because they are beautiful and follow the graphic line of the game.
Review of Outgunned: a Game Rich of Options…
For greater accuracy, the tests have been divided into Action Rolls and Reaction Rolls, depending on the phase of the turn in which they are carried out, leaving the fate of the scene always in the hands of the players. In this Sirignano and Formicola married the philosophy of Fail Forward, with failure never blocking the scene, but only a narrative engine. However, the game is full of other mechanics. Adrenaline, for example, is a resource that is acquired in various ways during the sessions, and which can be spent to obtain bonuses on shots, activate certain traits or purchase Spotlights. These are in turn a more valuable resource, allowing you to achieve mind-blowing successes, save characters and generally resolve a scene with real badass work.
Grit, on the other hand, is a counter of the Hero’s remaining energy. Losing it all is not a good thing, because it forces you to take a turn on the Death Roulette: the more times you survive this option, the more difficult it becomes to succeed the next time. Up to the point where the Hero will be Left for Dead (because in Outgunned the last word is never written: there is always room for a new plot twist). Then there are the classic help mechanics and the rules for managing the riskiest shots; we find Gamble, a series of Conditions that apply to characters when they find themselves losing too much Grit, rules for managing Rides and Chases, and rules to differentiate Fights from simple Brawls. And also rules for managing “heists”, the great classics of heist movies.
…Maybe Too Many
In short, many rules for managing every aspect of the action genre that can be faced during game sessions. So many rules that end up becoming too many. Outgunned is not a “crunchy” game. It doesn’t require spending hours on manuals studying efficient character builds or playing battles using a grid map.
The aim is to offer a narrative gaming experience, which has a mechanic for every eventuality. The problem is that this means that both the player and the Director have to pay attention to rather simple parameters, but they are connected and offer various options. A mechanic so broad as to perhaps be complex, and which can still turn into a later scene, further messing up the cards.
This is not impossible, also because as stated the game still has rather light regulations; but when the idea is to propose an adrenaline-filled, action-packed game, making it a bit cumbersome certainly doesn’t help translate its intent to the gaming table.
The Role of the Director
The core rulebook opens with a very clear declaration of intent:
“These are tools, not rules”
An extreme synthesis of the zero rule which at the time was “authorized” and which today encourages players to shape the game according to their needs. However, it must be said that the Director is offered very precise tools, which mark the various phases of the game with extreme rigour. In addition to the rules that allow him to manage what has been said so far he can rely on various other resources. In fact, we find the canonical advice for the Director, designed to ensure maximum effectiveness in the action genre, and a series of best practices suggested so that the game flows at its best, guaranteeing fun for all participants.
Perhaps some steps on security tools are missing. This is probably a reflection of the lightness with which the game wants to be approached, offering shootouts, chases and life-or-death battles with a focus purely on entertainment. However, the themes that are suggested to be brought to the table are still of a certain depth: the motivations and dramas of cinematic heroes are cumbersome even when told lightly.
Review of Outgunned: the Director’s Tools
The list of tools available to the Director is quite extensive. There is obviously a whole series of opponents, catalogued as Goons, Bad Guys and Bosses, and divided into categories that allow you to choose them at a glance, without having to browse through dozens of pages of cards; each opponent can have specific Traits to trigger during fights. But Outgunned goes further, proposing a much more punctual management system for the entire campaign (or rather, Season). It marks the rhythm, also suggesting when to use Turning Points and how to get to the Showdown with the Villain. Perhaps taking advantage of his Weak Points that emerged during the sessions.
And again the rules for managing Secondary Characters, because every good action movie has followers worthy of respect who highlight the figure of the hero. The way to make the characters use a Plan B or a last-minute escape. Time Out, or the moment of downtime in which to recover energy and resources. And also the Heat, the measure of the risk taken by the Heroes. It can be said that you can breathe a bit of the same air as the rules dedicated to players.
There is a lot of material, and the effort required of the Director is not so much the creative one but keeping up with all the mechanical elements that are set in motion at the same time. The fact that the manual, although very practical to read, is not as practical to consult. For example, the mechanics of Plan B are explained in a chapter on the progress of the mission, but it would have been more practical to have it in the basic mechanics available to players. And Heat is mentioned in various passages well before being presented.
A Prologue
The manual of Outgunned ends with Race Against Time, a short adventure that can be used to let your group try the game. Alternatively, it can also act as an initial starting point for a longer season. The four pre-generated characters are quite heterogeneous, and driven by more than solid motivations for a genre that asks for nothing more than a pretext. After all, the Heroes pursue the same goal, but each has their own purposes: the game only requires that they always be heroes; perhaps with dark features, but overall positive figures.
Our reviews are always spoiler-free, but we can anticipate that Race Against Time allows you to explore many of the gameplay dynamics of Outgunned. In addition to free play phases to get into characters, the Heroes will face fights that they can approach in various ways, chases, daring actions and the consequences of extremely dangerous situations. They will also have a confrontation with a Villain, who from here will provide a connection with a possible continuation of the adventure in an entire season.
Conclusions of the Review of Outgunned
Summing up this review, Outgunned it is a game that offers a very precise experience and does so with equally punctual and detailed rules. It runs into the paradox of offering light mechanics, with a narrative mould and strongly focused on the theatre of the mind, but which are intertwined to the point of forcing the player and the Director to keep their gaze fixed on the card for longer than you would expect.
This is certainly an excellent product, which Two Little Mice has taken care of in an almost obsessive manner from an editorial point of view; a lover of the action genre cannot miss it in his library to propose (or to shoot) what he has always dreamed of in a cinema seat. It is though important that the entire gaming group is willing to undergo a good run-in phase because to work the game requires acquiring enough familiarity with its mechanisms to make them become automatic.
