). I will break this review down to Fluff, Art, Toys and "Issues". Ready? Ok, here we go!1) Fluff: Suprisingly there was relatively little fluff text but what there was was well done. The "communications/reports" from the front lines were well done and set the tone quite well. The descripitions of the various groups and the addition of the Minion War having spilled over through time, and having had an impact upon the bygone days of Chaos Earth links the past and the future together quite well .
The Seven Hell plagues were a very nice touch, I thought, as they really give one the idea that this is indeed a WAR, not some random demon incursion. They allow for the possibilty that ANYONE can become infected WITHOUT making it a total "**** You, you're screwed with out any recourse".
Calgary, City of Monsters!: Finally, other than brief, tantalizing mentions elsewhere we truly get to "know" this city and the role it plays in this invasion. The Demon forces are well laid out and present a definite challenge to small groups without feeling that you're totally outclassed. * See Addendums for my thoughts on forces strength vs. the CS military.
2) Art: Chuck Walton's art was, as usual, EXCELLENT!! The artwork for the vehicles and weapons was well done, too. But Mr. Walton was not the only artist present, Bradshaw's art was also fairly well done, there were on or two pieces that didn't quite ring right to me, but over all he did good work.
In the end I feel that all the artists did an excellent job capturing the feel of the story.
3) Toys: NEW TOYS!!! Yes, the Demons now have actual weapons and equipment that makes them even more of a threat to those that rely solely on technology and an even greater threat to non-tech users. I especially like the BEW Meat Grinder Tank and BEW Carnage Tank, while they are strong units, they're not too over powering and will make for excellent challenges.
4) Issues: Over all I didn't find too much to complain about, I felt that Mr. Gleba did a very good job of outlining how most of the Powers That Be will respond to the coming threat. The areas I, personally, disagree with him are the New Navy and the Republicans and A.R.C.H.I.E.- 3
The New Navy: While the New Navy may be intially unaware of the Minion War, their own Intelligence services would soon get that inforamtion form any number of demons or sub-minions that they might capture and interrogate. They wouild be paying close attention to the CS and other North American forces and woul be aware of the massive demon incursion almost immediately. I do not see the New Navy sitting idly by if there is suddenly an increased presence of Hell Galleons or other demonic forces appearing on the oceans. I believe they would actively oppose them and begin a very serious build up of their naval forces.
The Republicans: Despite the Machiavellian machinations of the so-called "Director" I think that the Republicans would quickly realize that the Demons are a far greater threat than their long standing grudge against A.R.C.H.I.E-3 and would quickly start gearing up to confront this threat. It may even cause them to "remove" the Director (GODS, I HOPE SO!!) and refocus their energies in a more positive direction.
A.R.C.H.I.E.- 3: Archie, as a military AI, would take some time, intially, to asses his foes weakeness and battle strategems and then he and Hagan would roll out a brand new force of robots to stomp the demon forces into the ground, even if this means allying himself (temporarily) with the Splugorth. Also Hagan has been Archie's partner since before Plato's warning to the various forces and would be well aware of the Edict of Planetary Distress.
Reprinting the Anti-Monster O.C.C.: A couple of times during the Epilogue other books are given due reference as sections concernng them are mentioned. However we did NOT need the ENTIRE Anti-Monster O.C.C. reprinted when a simple reference to South America 1 with page number attached would have sufficed. This was not needed AT ALL! This was just a waste of paper and space. I do not blame Carl at all for this mistake as it clearly has the feel of Kevin's handiwork.
Coalition States, Heroes of Humanity: We already understand this so do we really need another Tolkeen War style book? Aslo the CS's equipment is BRAND NEW and has survived the ultimate test, an actual war, so there's no real reason to write new book featuring "new" CS equipment, IMO.
Addendums: I feel that setting the first demon incursion dircetly on the heels of the Tolkeen War is not a good concept.
I, myself, choose to set it a year later in 110 P.A., thus giving the CS time to lick their wounds a bit and begin to recuperate.
I also disagree with the representation of Free Quebec as having no experience fighting demons & monsters. World Book 22 does actually state that FQ has fought many times against demons and monsters over the years of the Dark Ages and it is due, literally, to the Glitter Force that they've survived as long as they have.
Triax, too, has been fighting against various types of demons and monsters for years and according to Triax 2, they recently fought a major battle againt the Gargoyles with the aid of the CS so the Gargoyles are in no position to be a threat to anyone right now.
I like the various demon armies and their leaders but I feel that the numbers are too small to pose a serious threat to the CS's millions of troops. Especially troops that so recently had the experience of fighting the Tolkeen forces. I recommend multiplying the Demon numbers by a factor of ten. This makes them a more credible threat to the CS and allows any PC actions to have a greater effect, especailly if they can take down a Hell Pit or if they are instrumental in taking down a Hell Lord.
Conclusion: Despite my "complaints" I do believe that Megaverse In Flames, in a nutshell, is a good book that can add nicely to your campaign without overburdening it with overpowered creatures, machines or ridiculous across the board "Screw You's" that break the game. I WILL use it in my games and I fully expect to get good "mileage" out of the monsters and demons.
Have fun and Keep on Gaming!
