01/05/2022

Since we are on a superhero kick at the moment, let’s look at some of my favorite supplements for Mutants and Masterminds 3rd edition. First, up will be Due Vigilance Issie 1: The Oktobermen!

The book begins with a quick background of the team. The supplement also contains a matrix of the relationships of the members of the Oktobermen that shows what each member thinks of the others. I think this really helps the Game Master play out the characters. After that, there is a small relationship paragraph for each of the team members along with a couple of team tactics that they use. Again, this is nice information to have for a Game Master. It makes the team feel like more than just a collection of villains that just happen to be in the same area at the same time.

Next are the six members of the team. Each has a page of background information as well as their personality and a small description of their powers. All of the villains have a nice image that can be shared with the players so they can better picture the villains. Each villain has a full page that contains the character’s stats and abilities laid out in a similar format to that from the Green Ronin books (consistency is nice). I bought the softcover book and pdf through DriveThruRPG. It was nice to see the HeroLab files for the villain are included with the purchase.

Adventure seeds are next in the book. There are four different hooks to get the Oktobermen into conflict with the heroes of your campaign. There are also a couple of NPC writeups included that are part of the adventure hooks. Again, it is once to have things like this presented in the book: it is really helpful for newer GMs that might have a harder time coming up with plots and hooks.

There are also a couple of “extra” characters included in the book as well: Smoke and Mirrors! Both of these characters are as detailed and thought out as the members of the Oktobermen. These characters have their own adventure seeds and there is even a sidebar connecting them to the Oktobermen!

The entire book is a great addition to any superheroes campaign where you are trying to add mystical villains. There is even a link (Bookbinder) to the next Due Vigilance supplement (The Black Chapter).

Final Grade: A

Keep on gaming!