From: Frederic Moll <100350.1766@compuserve.com>
Subject: Review: Chair et Metal
System: Hawkmoon
Chair et Metal by Olivier Saraja
Cover by Alain Gassner; art by Alain Gassner, Jean Luc Sala and Franck
Capelli; Maps by Bruno Martin
published by Oriflam 126 pages, 144 FF, ISBN : 2-906897-58-2.
Reviewed by Frederic Moll
"Chair et Metal" is the fourth installment in a series of original supplements
for Hawkmoon in French, covering Europa areas. Previous supplements were "La
France", "La Kamarg" and "l'Empire Tenebreux" (GranBretan).
The first part of this book is a gazeeter of the Sicilia island in 5298. It contains:
geographic descriptions; populations; political organizations; sects; science and
knowledge; armies; prominent people; interesting sites; history; notes on travelling in
Sicilia; Sicilians of the sixth millenium; and ideas for adventures. In 18 pages, the
island is summarily described, but at least this gives a good idea of the situation and of
future events (a kingdom with a weak king, Granbretons and a resistance movement). As a
sidenote, the mafia is still active (but only as family business in Sicilia)!
The second part (15 pages) is titled Sicilian Bestiary and includes optional rules on
genetics programming, a description of four Sicilian races and a long description of the
cyborgs (humans with cybernetics modules for senses, protection, weaponry, tools and
special equipment) that can be found in the scenarios and elsewhere in the world.
The third part (10 pages) is a gazeeter of Malta, which has the same organization as the
Sicilia gazeeter. The New Knights of Malta Order is the unique source of authority for
this area.
The fourth part is a big campaign composed of 5 scenarios :
- L'oeuf du demon
- Dans les griffes du dieu rugissant
- Dans les marais sanglants
- Le premier sang
- Represailles
This is an epic campaign that starts as a small egg hunt and ends with great fighting,
treachery, cyborgs and aliens. In each scenario, additional background information can be
found as sidenotes, and all the NPCs are well described. The fatalistic feeling of
Moorcock's works is rendered by the deaths of some of the NPCs during the adventures.
The last part (18 pages) is made of Annexes (miscellaneous stuff that could not be
included in the previous parts).
"Chair et Metal" is a good supplement for Hawkmoon with the usual quality of
Oriflam products. However, with the wealth of information found in this supplement, an
index would have been a very useful addition. The mix between background and scenarios is
perhaps too balanced. The background resulting from years of adventuring mentioned by the
author in the introduction seem to have been shrunk to leave enough space for the
scenarios.
If the Hawkmoon! project presented by Lawrence Whitaker in the Digest (V9.8) becomes a
definitive product, it could lead to a renewal of
interest in the Hawkmoon world, and maybe we will see in the future supplements of this
quality, in English bthis time....
Frederic Moll
e-mail : 100350.1766@compuserve.com
or fm10@calvanet.calvacom.fr