Stefano Buonocore
To begin this review, we want to thank Luca Galietta and his co-authors Mattia Arnaudo and Simone Raspi, for making a copy of Vulcania – The Xhuul Saga. This is the first official game campaign for Vulcania, the all-Italian steampunk role-playing game published by Geargames; a real revelation of our gaming panorama in recent years. And it is our pleasure to let you read what we think about it after reading it.
For those interested, The Xhuul Saga is on sale on the official Geargames store. The physical version of the manual is available for $34.99; the digital copy costs 14.99, slightly less than half.
Review of the Manual of The Xhuul Saga
The volume has 138 pages; an honest issue for its price, especially considering that Geargames chose to publish it in hardcover anyway; in this way, it remains in line with the solidity of the previous works of Vulcania, Thebasic manual and expansion Beyond the Storm; tomes that certainly make a good impression in any library. If you are interested in the other manuals of the Vulcania, you can take a look at reviews that you find on our site.
Consistency with other manuals is also maintained internally. This applies both to the artistic style, very “cartoonish” and exaggerated as it is Vulcania, and to the layout. In particular, in the first pages of the manual, there is a sort of legend, a reference guide that makes it impossible to get confused.
A Few Little Flaws…
It is important to underline that the manual maintains the typical communication style of Vulcania; many passages are phrased as if addressing the reader directly, in a very conversational tone. A stylistic feature which, however, occasionally leaves the side exposed to overly creative punctuation or some passages with some slight imperfections (nothing that an additional revision would not have resolved). Fortunately, nothing that compromises the reader’s experience, but for a product presented like this it would have been nice to be able to define it as impeccable.
Another stylistic trait very dear to authors is quotationism. Just think of the titles of the adventures they compose The Xhuul Saga they are all taken from illustrious cinematographic works; one of the NPCs is called Lando Carlizzo and, directly from the introductory adventure of the basic manual The Usual Suspects, she is revived as NPC Yuriko Kobaiashyi. Certainly nice, but in the long run, reviewing or knowing that you have to look for a quote in everything could become a little cloying.
Content Review of The Xhuul Saga
As anticipated, The Xhuul Saga contains the first official campaign of Vulcania. This is divided into seven distinct adventures; they can virtually be played independently, but the advice is certainly to tackle them as a whole campaign. They are written in such a way as to allow not only the evolution of a vertical plot that unites them all but also to explore various settings. Vulcania is full of different scenarios, and these allow you to significantly vary the style of play.
Perhaps the only concern required here is the game master. The constant changes could end up disorientating the group, so placing emphasis on the “yellow line” that unites the seven adventures becomes fundamental to maintaining points of reference.
The Story So Far
This campaign kicks off, as anticipated, from the aftermath of The Usual Suspects, the introductory adventure of the basic manual of Vulcania. The authors recommend starting in medias res. After all, Vulcaniait’s a game designed for action, so there couldn’t be a better premise.
From here starts a bit of healthy, old illusionism. Reconnecting to The Usual Suspects, the characters are allowed to join the Cornomula, a secret association that will catapult them into the heart of the plot with a series of tasks. Otherwise, in escaping the Cornomula the characters will end up in the plots of Lando Carlizzo, a fixer with his criminal network who will essentially have the same role.
The characters do not have the actual possibility of escaping a series of events already written, nor of proceeding through the campaign freely. However, depending on their initial decision, they will face the same events from two different perspectives. In fact, in more than one situation the manual offers separate scenarios, which come together at the main points, and then separate again when the story resumes on the specific path of the faction they are part of.
The Xhuul
“A couple of flashes of brighter light illuminate the room and you notice with horror that all the walls are covered in numbers and letters written in blood, while a low layer of greenish gas covers the floor. The man, or the creature that was once a man, suddenly fixes his gaze on you and lets out a monstrous scream, gnashing his teeth.”
As usual, our reviews are spoiler-free. But let’s still give a bit of context to understand what we’re going to play next The Xhuul Saga. Starting from the latter: what are they?
The Xhuul are ancient beings who inhabited Vulcania before a cataclysm separated its lands in the current Isonations. These are creatures endowed with immense psychic powers, whose survivors are only now awakening from a long torpor. Now they want to tighten their grip on the world which in the meantime has been conquered by humans.
Somewhat Lovecraftian references are perceived, and the Providence Solitaire it is mentioned at the beginning of the volume; the creatures closely resemble the classic D&D Mind Flayers in appearance and attitude. The Xhuul Saga will see the characters oppose the latter’s plans, trying to save the world and the apple pie, and not die in the meantime.
Review of the Adventures of The Xhuul Saga
As anticipated, this campaign tries to make the most of the variety of different settings that the setting of Vulcania offers; this is both to allow you to experiment with different gaming styles (remember that the volume is also sold as a collection of independently playable adventures), and to highlight the potential of the setting itself. To immediately give an idea of what will be played, in the preface each adventure is associated with a series of book and film titles that help to understand the main themes and tones.
Mysteries in the Desert takes up the trend of the most classic exploratory adventure, with some features borrowed from the world of horror and more esoteric fantasy. It is no coincidence that it is associated with Indiana Jones, you have a film of The Mummy and the works of Lovecraft himself. Even if, as mentioned, the latter must be recognized as having a much broader role as an influence.
The Shadow of the Sepia instead takes up scenarios from a decidedly more action horror, with claustrophobic settings à la Alien, or inspired by Pitch Black. Yes, it’s an adventure that will allow that player to finally find their moment of glory and say, after a long time, “They’re coming outta the goddamn walls, we’re f***ed! “.
The Camel Is in the Enclosure it is perhaps the most sui generis adventure proposed by the manual. Inspired by Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas it’s at The Hangover, features classic hangover scenes that push decisively towards surreal and incorrect comedy. It is no coincidence that a small disclaimer specifies that the themes addressed here could disturb some, and suggests that if necessary a good part of the plot can be cut (or veiled).
The Plot Evolving
From here things get more serious. Your characters, starting from the Expert rank, become Veterans, and face decidedly more demanding challenges. The Conlio and the Blood recalls the dreamlike and disturbing atmospheres of games like Bloodborne or Dark Souls. The characters will find themselves facing adversaries without even being able to say how real what is happening is.
Ice Trap contrasts with the claustrophobia of some previous scenarios, projecting the characters into a sense of bewilderment with very few points of reference. Into the Wild and The Revenant, are two movies taken as models, especially the latter for its snowy atmospheres.
In the Octopus Den, he’s starting to see the plots come to a close. The characters, now of Hero rank, will move in a paranoid and deceptive environment, in which they can’t trust anyone. They won’t even be able to know the real identity of the people they interact with, as in Blade Runner and The Usual Suspects (the movie, not the introductory adventure). This story segment paves the way for Showdown in Gerola, where desperate struggles in a post-apocalypse world will allow you to overwhelm the Xhuul or die trying. In that all-for-all typical of the sagas of Mad Max, Fallout or Borderlands.
Review of the Adventure Scheme of The Xhuul Saga
The adventures follow a very similar structure to each other. The introduction which explains in broad terms what will be played is followed by a background, which allows the game master to get a complete picture of the situation. From time to time individual scenarios are then presented, sometimes common to the two narrative lines from which it is possible to choose at the beginning, sometimes exclusive to one of these. The succession of events is rather rigid, but the individual scenarios are designed to be addressed in a completely free manner. This is also thanks to the presentation of various NPCs that can be used to approach the plot differently.
The manual concludes with a series of very useful appendices for adding more personality to your campaign. The two main cities in which the game takes place are described, as well as a series of unexpected events to be exploited during air travel or chases through the alleys; they are that spice that becomes necessary in the more “free” scenes of the game, not directly dictated by plot needs.
Finally, we find a few pages of new equipment, which is added to that of the basic manual, and a practical bestiary which introduces opponents, threats and some NPCs, also original.
Conclusions of the Review of The Xhuul Saga
Vulcania – The Xhuul Saga it is certainly a work of some weight on the market. Despite some slip-ups in the writing, this volume is created with great care and designed to effectively expand the success of Vulcania. It is a raucous, quotable campaign, full of action and with hints of horror moments; in this, it does not betray the premises and promises of the base game.
For lovers of steampunk style, action horror and for those in general who want a roller coaster riding game, The Xhuul Saga Is worth trying.
