Battlelords of the Twenty-Third Century Lock-N-Load: Reloaded
Reloaded is a supplement from the Lock-N-Load series for the military sci-fi system Battlelords of the Twenty-Third Century written by Tony Oliveira and published by SSDC.
By Aaron T. Huss
Reloaded is a supplement to the Lock-N-Load series of sourcebooks providing additional weapons, armor, ammunition, and optional rules. It claims to contain the content that wasn’t squeezed into the first two books, although it feels more like SSDC just can’t get enough weapon and armor options. With that said, this book is pretty much all crunch, like 98% of it.
CONTENT
Reloaded is the third supplement in the Lock-N-Load series that presents players and Battle Masters with new weapons, armor, and equipment. Reloaded is structured in a very simple manner starting with a collection of tables displaying all the new items and then followed by the details and descriptions of each. The list includes armor, equipment, weapons, ammunition & missiles, and optional rules. Each item has a balance rating that gives an idea of how that item may affect the game’s balance. Everything within is fairly standard, but still fully detailed and described.
OVERALL
I don’t really see the need for another Lock-N-Load book, especially one that contains modern and archaic weapons. I understand the flavor of being to add these types of weapons to planets of lower technology, but there’s already a boat load of options to choose from. If you need more weapons, then here you go, you won’t be disappointed. If you have enough weapons, then just move along.
RATINGS
Publication Quality: 9 out of 10
Reloaded utilizes the same formatting and layout as all other Battlelords books. However, this one is filled with charts and a total lack of the great illustrations typically found in a Battlelords book. It’s still a quality publication, but its visual appeal is very bland. The charts are super easy to read and there is no shortage of detail and description. Additionally, what makes it much easier to use, page references are located in the charts to let the reader know where to find the details for that item.
Mechanics: 8 out of 10
Reloaded takes advantage of all the standard mechanics governing weapons, armor, and equipment. Additionally, there is a mechanic for each equipment piece to inform how it can alter the balance of the game. This mechanic is a rating of how much they affect the balance, letting Battle Masters know the residual effect of allowing these weapons to be used. Some of them are fairly overpowered, but that’s the point – to provide a wide array of equipment that can alter the game-play. Other than that, it’s a very standard book concerning mechanics.
Value Add: 6 out of 10
I don’t see a lot of value in adding Reloaded to your Battlelords library, unless you really want to add a bunch of new weapon, armor, and equipment options. I think they covered more than enough in the original two Lock-N-Load books and this one is unnecessary. But as I said, if you really want more, then there’s plenty more here.
Overall: 8 out of 10
Reloaded is good, and follows the efficient and effective format of other Battlelords products. There’s a lot of new choices for the battlelord who can’t seem to get enough, but for the most part you should already have plenty of options to choose from. The balancing options present the Battle Master with some new options that could make game-play quite interesting. That part alone could entice people to buy it, simply to experiment with the different ways they can enhance their game.
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