Thoughts on Cold City (Part 1)

Thanks to a rainy Saturday night while my beloved was out with some old Uni friends, I finally got around to sticking my nose into Cold City,a game of trust and lies, set against the backdrop of post-World War II Berlin. I played the sister game, Hot War (which I also have but haven't read yet), at a Kapcon a couple of years back, and really enjoyed the rule light approach and strong narratives both games share.
 

In Cold City the players each take on the role of a member of the Reserve Police Agency, comprised of members of occupying powers (USA, UK, France, USSR) plus Germany, who investigate and clean up the strange occult experiments of the Nazi regime, known as twister technology. There is certainly a strong noir feel to the setting, which is reinforced by the shady deals and conflicts between the occupying powers. Check out The Third Man and you'll have immediate sense of the setting.


Cold City also shines in its approach to character creation and game structure. It's highly narrative focused, which encourages players to contribute scenes or concepts they would like included in the game. The mechanics of the game are also light, which means there is plenty more room to flesh out character personality, with how a character is roleplayed counting for more than what stats they have.


At the heart of the game lies trust, and all characters have different national agendas and personal agendas (which can be in conflict). As all the players are working towards different agenda (and can get in game bonuses for doing so), it makes for a really interesting experience, especially as trust also plays an important role. 


I'm still working my way through it, which isn't a chore at all, so will have some more thoughts by the time I am finished, but already I have some ideas for a game or two. What is really exciting is that the rules could be adopted to any other slightly shady, noirish setting. I would love to run a game with an adapted version of this rule set set in 1930s LA, with a real Raymond Chandler vibe going on.

I'm thinking haunted lighthouses...

Spooky enough for you? Maybe it could use a little mist. However the best part is that it is (well was) nuclear powered. In Russia.

That's right, it's an abandoned Soviet-era atomic lighthouse.