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shane_tiernan's review
4.0
It was 1994 I had just graduated from college and quit working at Hardees and delivering pizza, only to, 3 months later, start working for B'Daltons bookstore at the mall making even less money, because none of the software on my resume was being used anymore and my hair was still down to the middle of my back. Two of my three bands had broken up but no before putting out a vinyl 45 EP. I had stopped playing role playing games because of a new addiction - "Magic the Gathering", that had cool art and didn't require a huge time commitment or people being responsible, to play. I was reading Anne Rice and groaning about Tom Cruise being cast as Lestat in the movie.
Just wanted to set the scene of the 90’s, because I feel like it’s the only time HOL could have come out. It’s a gen X rpg, written by snarky gen Xers, for snarky gen Xers. Is it awesome? Yes. Is it playable? Probably not. Are many of the references now outdated? Definitely. It’s a cult favorite and even though this is the first time I’ve ever read more than a page or two of it, I have fond memories of paging through it during my wild 20’s. This time I read the whole thing, because that’s what I do now that I’m middle-aged, but really this kind of book is probably more properly enjoyed in small doses, so as not to get “bored with the joke”. I do really like the art a lot too.
I think where the book fails, other than being a playable game, is in “setting the scene”, we get a small atlas of crazy locales, but how people “live” on the planet HOL is really never talked about.
Just wanted to set the scene of the 90’s, because I feel like it’s the only time HOL could have come out. It’s a gen X rpg, written by snarky gen Xers, for snarky gen Xers. Is it awesome? Yes. Is it playable? Probably not. Are many of the references now outdated? Definitely. It’s a cult favorite and even though this is the first time I’ve ever read more than a page or two of it, I have fond memories of paging through it during my wild 20’s. This time I read the whole thing, because that’s what I do now that I’m middle-aged, but really this kind of book is probably more properly enjoyed in small doses, so as not to get “bored with the joke”. I do really like the art a lot too.
I think where the book fails, other than being a playable game, is in “setting the scene”, we get a small atlas of crazy locales, but how people “live” on the planet HOL is really never talked about.
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