Before we dive into Roll & Play: Sci-Fi: Toolkits in this review, I want to thank the publisher Roll & Play for sending us a physical copy of this product. Written by Sam Bartlett and Beth Davies is made of two books: The Game Master’s Sci-Fi Toolkit and The Sci-Fi Character Kit. Both products contain hundreds of random tables and are compatible with all science fiction role-playing games.
If after reading this review, you want to buy the products, you can find them in physical copies including PDF directly on the publisher’s store at £19.99, approximately 20 euros, for The Game Master’s Sci-Fi Toolkit and £21.99, approximately 23 euros, for The Sci-Fi Character Kit.
Passe-Partout Manuals
Let’s start by saying that both Roll & Play: Sci-Fi Toolkits manuals are perfectly adaptable to your favorite gaming system. You can therefore use them for all your sci-fi campaigns and you will be the one to decide the setting and the rules system.
The products are a collection of random tables for generating every aspect of an adventure or a sci-fi campaign.
The system of use is very simple. Whenever is necessary, it is sufficient to choose the appropriate random generator, roll a die and read the result.
Each table has several options, so you will need a full set of dice to use both manuals completely.
The Game Master’s Sci-Fi Toolkit
Analyzing The Game Master’s Sci-Fi Toolkit a little more closely, we can say that the contents are well listed in a clear and organic index. The topics available to the master are truly very broad. They range from the name generator for every aspect of a science fiction story (planets, civilizations, spaceships, to give a few examples), to alien flora, to the effects of hyperspace travel, up to the possible treasures to find.
Each table is easy to use, just roll the corresponding die and apply the result.
What I find particularly interesting is that the book can be used to create an adventure even before arriving at the gaming table. In this way any master, even with no experience, can effectively create a modular session from scratch quickly.
The Sci-Fi Character Kit
This 135-page A5 booklet can be useful to all those players who need to create a character for a sci-fi adventure. Divided into clear chapters and well summarized in the index at the beginning of the volume, it guides players step by step in the random, or reasoned, creation of their character.
Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the character, starting with names and biology, with particular attention to aliens and androids. It ranges in many fields and all the tables are easy to use and integrate into the game.
You will find many examples of character archetypes or careers, with ideas for creating original backgrounds. The tables range from character traits to clothing and equipment. Possibilities also include bonds between crew members, allies and adversaries. The chapters cover a huge kind of sci-fi roles including agents, bounty hunters, diplomats, engineers, law enforcement, doctors, mystics, pilots and technomancers; in short, there is something for everyone!
The manual is also useful for masters who need to create pre-generated cards for a one-shot or generate ready-to-use PNGs.
Roll & Play: Sci-Fi Toolkits Aesthetics Review
From a purely aesthetic point of view, Roll & Play: Sci-Fi Toolkits is a simple but pleasant product to browse. The soft colours that highlight each page break the monotony and emphasize the proposed elements. I found it particularly nice that the pages dedicated to the various types of territories had pastel colours and small images to give context. For example, the part dedicated to the encounters in the desert is decorated with dromedaries and the pages mix the sand tones well.
The division of the chapters is introduced by a themed illustration that captures the attention without being too invasive.
Binding the two notebooks with a metal spiral makes them practical and easy to consult, without risking ruining them. This is undoubtedly an intelligent choice; these are products designed to be stressed by high use. The A5 format and ease of handling are a winning choice.
Conclusions of the Review ofRoll & Play: Sci-Fi Toolkits
Roll & Play: Sci-Fi Toolkits is a duo that constitutes a practical toolbox for all masters and players who want to tackle a science fiction setting even from a writing point of view.
Just the right amount of colour (without disturbing the reading), easy to handle and light to carry, sturdy and durable over time, it provides a truly valid combination to implement in your library if you are passionate about science fiction.
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