Mutants, prophets and other monsters - a Mephisto review

Lair of the Saurians is the first Zone Compendium to introduce several zone sectors for Mutant Year Zero. In contrast to the Zone Sector booklets, the book offers four of these special locations. It starts with the eponymous Lair of the Saurians, a lair where lizard-like mutants hide. This is followed by the Oracle of the Silver Eye, a mysterious prophet who resides in a high-tech capsule. Seeds of Evil is structured more as a scenario than a location, even if the events are linked to an old bathhouse. The book concludes with the Family Homestead, a seemingly idyllic suburban home with a family living as they did before the catastrophe.

The book is supplemented by a few brief notes on the subject of long journeys on large-scale maps, where the relevant sectors are much more expansive, as well as a series of random tables that can be used to generate monsters.

The four settings are well-chosen and offer variety, even if there is again the variant of the local tribe being threatened by a second power, so that the player characters have to choose sides. However, the sectors that offer their dark secrets are particularly convincing. Two of the scenarios can certainly pass as horror scenarios (subtle but no less convincing). In my opinion, the rules for the long journeys and the monster generator are just accessories, but I really liked three of the four zone sectors, and they offer an exciting addition to the player characters' zone. So if you still need exciting and dangerous places in the neighborhood of the Ark, you will find several approaches here.

(Björn Lippold)

Lair of the Sau­ri­ans ist ein 32 Sei­ten dün­ner Sze­na­rio­band. Darin fin­den sich vor allem Orte, die Hin­weise auf „The Path to Eden“ geben kön­nen, etwa ein mutier­tes Sau­rier­volk, das auf Schät­zen der Vor­zeit sitzt oder ein selt­sa­mer Ein­sied­ler in den Sümp­fen, der als Ora­kel gilt. Damit macht Mutant Year: Zero einen klei­nen Sprung Rich­tung Fan­tasy, was sicher nicht jeder Spiel­runde gefällt. Immer­hin gibt es noch eine span­nende Geschichte um eine umge­hende Seu­che, die die Ark-Siedlung bedroht und einen Monster-Generator für Spiel­lei­ter. Die Regeln zum Ver­las­sen der Zone und Rei­sen über den Kon­ti­nent sind nett, dürf­ten aber in einer nor­ma­len Spiel­runde kaum Anwen­dung fin­den. Der Preis für den Inhalt ist mit 8,99 EUR etwas zu hoch.