Post apocalypse on high seas - a Mephisto review

The second Zone Compendium for Mutant Year Zero does not simply take players to new shores, but far out to sea. Dead Blue Sea presents a zone that is not an old city ruin, but a region on the high seas with several islands, dilapidated drilling platforms, sea fortifications, ships and the like.

After a brief introduction to the scenario, the book begins with a chapter for players. This introduces two new mutations, Cryokinesis and Human Toad, and in particular provides additional rules for playing on high seas. There are rules for swimming and drowning, a new look at weapons, as harpoon guns and rifles are more the standard, and also, of course, new projects for the Ark, which floats on water here. Some examples of boats are covered and briefly presented in terms of rules, and here too, they are usually vehicles that have been cobbled together from scrap parts. Traveling at sea is also somewhat different from exploring zones on land: there is a new skill called Navigate, which is available to Navigators (the replacement for Stalkers). One factor that plays a major role at sea is the wind, which can help sailboats reach their destination more quickly, but causes entirely different problems at storm level. Another new feature is that rot is handled differently because, unlike adventures on land, rot is mobile here and can increase and decrease in zones.

This introduction is followed by the game master's section, which begins with instructions on how to create sectors and provides corresponding random tables for wind, threat level, ruins, red, etc. It then introduces different types of ruins at sea, ranging from drifting containers to ghost ships and old oil rigs. With the new sectors come new threats, and here the book provides a number of suggestions and finds a few tie-ins to the Titan power Noatun. But the chapter is also rounded off with slave hunters, bandits and, in particular, new monsters, including extreme variants such as the Kraken.

The special zone sectors, of which several variants are described here, are more specific. There is an island with a harbor that is inhabited by slave hunters, a functioning oil field that is claimed by a Titan power, or a floating city that can significantly change the balance of power in the sector. There is also a kind of monster-filled dungeon, the ghost ship, which also has a lot of potential for players.

A few new artifacts, mainly vehicles and other things, are added, and there is a brief description of how the metaplot around Eden can also be played at sea. Dead Blue Sea is a very exciting Zone Compendium in that it changes the game significantly. Although the core concepts of Mutant Year Zero remain the same, there is a big difference between trying to survive in dilapidated, ruined cities and fighting for survival on the high seas between islands and the dangers of the ocean.

Unsurprisingly, Dead Blue Sea is reminiscent of Water World in some places, as here the mutants encounter enemies who still roam the sea with jet skis and motorboats and hunt for slaves. So if you have either exhausted the normal background of Mutant Year Zero or have an affinity for maritime themes, this is a good starting point for a campaign at sea. However, you will probably have to improvise some aspects yourself. Nevertheless, Dead Blue Sea is an exciting addition to Mutant Year Zero for those who want to experience the post-apocalypse at sea.

(Björn Lippold)

Dead Blue Sea ist ein schma­les Kom­pen­dium mit dem Thema Was­ser. Die Mutan­ten ver­las­sen dabei die Ark-Siedlung und kämp­fen auf offe­ner See gegen neue Mons­ter wie den Levia­than oder den Skla­ven­hal­tern von Cage Island. Hier wer­den inter­es­sante neue Muta­tio­nen, Arte­fakte und Frak­tio­nen ein­ge­führt, die aber haupt­säch­lich im Rah­men einer Meeres-Kampagne Sinn erge­ben. Als Aben­teuer gibt es das obli­ga­to­ri­sche Geis­ter­schiff und ver­sun­kene Schätze. Wie Lair oft he Sau­ri­ans ver­schiebt es ein wenig die Stim­mung der Spiel­welt, wirkt dabei aber wie aus einem Guss.