Colonial Gothic is an alternate history setting powered by Rogue Games’ 12° system and placed within the backdrop of the American colonial period. The historical aspect of this setting is mired in supernatural and magical superstitions with inherently paranoid inhabitants. Colonial Gothic turns all of these superstitions and beliefs into a reality thus creating a surreal setting filled with the legends and fictional writings of the time or pertaining to the time.

These writings are turned into the horror found throughout the setting, along with a few Lovecraftian themes thrown in for added flavor. This period of time is already rich with history and filled with significant events that campaigns and adventures almost write themselves. Add to this a rules system that makes combat brutal, role-playing interesting, and covers lots of ground without worrying about the little things that can slow down a more convoluted system.

Just imagine running through town looking for George Washington while hunting a vicious vampire just outside the city limits. Will you change society or will you help save the day?

OVERALL

With an historical setting that was mired in superstition, supernatural paranoia, and vivid fictional writing, Colonial Gothic does a fantastic job of giving that surreal feeling of horror within the dangerous New World. Game-play can range from cinematic combat to interesting role-play with mechanics that are very intuitive to giving players the true feel of the setting, while keeping things from becoming mundane. Even with the the noted confusions during Hero creation, once game-play begins, things should move swiftly and keep players involved.

RATINGS

Publication Quality: 8 out of 10
While the included content and illustrations do an excellent job of creating the setting, the multiple locations for defining the mechanics and their conflicting explanations can make reading through the book a bit difficult and slow to start. Once you get past that, the presentation flows smoothly and is filled with valuable source material.

Mechanics: 7 out of 10
The Character Creation mechanics are sometimes confusing and lend themselves to a bit of abuse. This can possibly be resolved through better explanations, more use of examples, and a better definition of terminology used throughout. The overall game mechanics, however, are fantastic and very fitting for a horror-based setting, especially when set within the colonial era of America.

Desire to Play: 10 out of 10
The richness of the historical aspects of colonial America could easily make Colonial Gothic desirable to those interested in playing within an alternate history. The horror added to the historical setting create an environment that is highly conducive to a possible endless number of hours of diverse game-play and very dynamic campaign settings.

Overall: 8 out of 10
What makes Colonial Gothic so appealing is the setting and how it works with the given game mechanics. It keeps with the style of horror-style combat being brutal and unforgiven while keeping with the cinematic appeal many players desire. The simple 2d12 roll-under system can create faster game-play without having to remember a multitude of different roll-types using an endless combination of dice. I recommend Colonial Gothic for anyone looking to move away from the often typical Fantasy and Sci-Fi settings and place themselves within a history rich setting filled with possibilities.