Pyramid Review
Crime Scene: Forensics (for d20 System)
Published by Hogshead Publishing
Written by Mark Ricketts & Ian Hunt
Cover by Lee Moyer
Illustrated by Marcio Fiorito, David Esbri Molines, Chris Pepper, Sheila Thomas, & Ursula Vernon
64-page b&w softcover; $15.95
In its quest to present the two entwined worlds of law enforcement and organized crime, it is no surprise that sooner or later that Hogshead Publishing would get to the subject of forensics. Crime Scene: Forensics is the publisher's third book in the series and opens up the world of forensic investigation for the d20 System. And since the figure of the forensic investigator is a favorite of both fiction and television, whether the Medical Examiner of Quincy and Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta novels, or the forensics team depicted in the C.S.I. series, then Crime Scene: Forensics should prove useful in depicting such characters within a game.
Behind the book's dark cover, the layout seems decent enough, as does the artwork. Upon closer inspection, the text turns out not be error-free, and these errors mar both the layout and the writing. Plus several pieces of artwork are reused, often to detrimental effect. In each case, the piece has been expanded in size to fill an empty space and has pixellated in the process.
Crime Scene: Forensics is organized into a series of short chapters. The first few give a brief history of forensic science, an all-too-short look at how a forensic type of game is played, and descriptions of . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: August 13, 2004
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