Pyramid Review
Lost Colony (tied to Hell on Earth and Hell on Earth d20)
Published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group
Written by John Hopler
Illustrated by Richard Pollard and Chris Appel
144 pages; $25.00
Lost Colony is difficult to immediately classify. As the newest free-standing setting in Pinnacle Entertainment Group's Deadlands line, it could be classified as an independent roleplaying game. As it requires the Hell on Earth rulebook to play the game (a decision that has advantages and disadvantages), it is a supplement rather than an independent game. Whichever it is, Lost Colony provides an interesting and complex setting for gamers. Marshals will find the possibility for everything from the traditional dark castle dungeon crawl to futuristic science fiction settings -- all tinged with horror. Perhaps most interesting for a game in Pinnacle's flagship line, Lost Colony resists many of the expectations that come from a Deadlands based game -- a story-driven game based ultimately on the western genre -- without departing from the core vision of the game world. Fans of Pinnacle Entertainment Group's prior offerings and those who enjoy cross-genre games will probably enjoy Lost Colony. Those who actively dislike (and cannot ignore) a setting with an overarching storyline or Pinnacle's Deadlands settings should probably look elsewhere.
Lost Colony is set in the Faraway star system, where player characters can take the role of either earth colonists or Anouks, an indigenous sentient . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: December 13, 2002
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