[HoE] Heart of Darkness review

[Dusarat@aol.com]

"How  good was the series?"

Good general  story line    but the adventures did a   terrbible job of 
giving the Posse  a reason to give a flyin Skedadle. Literally, every  hook 
for the adventures is "The posse is asked by a    mysterious   character to 
seek after the Heart of Darkness..".    The Posse's facing big nasties, 
bigger nasties, and   undead   half-breed alien bloodsuckers,   and yet has 
little reason to care about this  carefully crafted series of   action 
sequences the adventure provides. 



SPOILER






In the  last part, it makes a point to state the ONLY person who can  hurt 
Stone is the NPC!!   Now since you have an all-powerful villain (Stone, who 
can't be killed and has all the harrowed powers at level five and an 
adventure  writer who seems to have little idea of exactly HOW nasty that is, 
think a moment, have stone start using the harrowed powers in tandem, he's 
got the wind.  You have a  god-like opponnent,  who  will have ten actions 
every round, and who has no weaknesses?),  AND the stereotypical all-powerful 
NPC (Jackie Wells), the posse' seems to pretty much be there to spectate.  


I would  say the advantures are play-able, and fun!     good villains an 
sequences   just with an overall lack of 'we should care because?', I suggest 
one or more of the following changes.

1) at the end of the first part,   when they   are empty handed, Hellstromme  
expresses his  displeasure    by having a servant meet with the party saying 
         "I am  sorry you lost the  item, it is unfortunate.  Especially 
since it has medicinal properties.    Hellstomme needed it for some research  
since exposure to it or places where it has been seems to cause people to 
contract a  unique form of consumption, a form  you are now likely to have.  
I would suggest you go after the gem, for your sakes"

See?  THERE's motivation!,  Especially when Jackie tells them in part three 
that's a  load of donkey droppings. Have em go through half of it fearing 
Death, THEN they'll beheartbroken when   they don't have the gem at the end 
of  part II

2)   Give them a way to hurt Stone and a way to  somehow get the  drop on 
him, otherwise the climax is senselees slaughter.  Perhaps the Gem has 
anti-harrowed powers?  Perhaps the Half-breeds can rig something with their 
force fields to trap him.      I rather like killing off Jackie and giving 
the Posse her Gun.  I never like combat NPC's  much anyway.    

3) This is my fave, cut out Jackie Wells,   and  put your Posse in her place. 
 That's right,   send your HoE posse back in time to save the future.  then 
you have motivation, excellent   role-playing ideas, and Stone may have an 
ace or two,  but so would a posse from 200 years in the future.