B.O.A. is a role playing game written and published by Brandon Crilly.
The supplement is available as a 22-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $5.99 but was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, one the front matter and one the Contents.
The Introduction explains that B.O.A. is a group that can help solve all kinds of problems, though what they want as payment can sometimes be odd.
Welcome to B.O.A. explains that the characters in B.O.A. are Operatives for an organisation. And that they are snakes. The Bureau of Agents waits to be called and has three priorities; remain unseen, or at least don’t get caught, accomplish the mission and promote snake advocacy. B.O.A. takes on all kinds of missions and never quits until that succeed. And don’t question the payment asked.
How to Play explains that the GM and each player will need at least two d6s. Whenever an Operative tries something that might fail, that becomes a Move, and snakes have access to a range of Moves. There are general Moves, based on snake abilities, that all Operatives can use. An appropriate move is chosen, a Target Number is set by the GM and if 2d6 plus bonuses is equal to or greater than the TN, the Move succeeds. Lower by 1, it fails. Lower by 2 or more, it fails and the team loses a Spy Point. The GM narrates what happens, succeed or fail.
Spy Points explains B.O.A. doesn’t use Health or hit points. Instead, it has Spy Points shared by the entire team. If all of these are lost, the mission failed.
Complications can be added by the GM if a Move is failed, especially if it was failed by two or more. Some examples are given.
Create Your Operative! involves choosing a Breed, choosing a Specialisation, which is a General Move the Operative gets a bonus for, choosing a Gadget and choosing a Codename. The Breeds are all listed, and each has its own Special Move, which otherwise work like normal moves. There are several sample Gadgets and some descriptions for snake appearances.
Gamemastering B.O.A. gives a general overview of the GM’s role, which is standard, and a 2d6 table of quick missions.
Sample Mission: Tony’s Anniversary Gift is an adventure.
Expanding Your Scope has some ideas for expanding the game beyond what’s provided.
B.O.A. in Review
The PDF is bookmarked with the major and minor sections linked. The Contents covers the major sections. Navigation is decent. The text maintains a single column format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a number of colour and black and white illustrations. Presentation is okay.
The text is also sprinkled with boxes of facts about snakes, and the tone of the game, and some details on a snake advocacy organisation, makes it clear that the author likes snakes. The game itself is simple and rules light, with a fair amount of narrative built in, and should be easy enough to learn. It’s a decent little game for a one-shot, and as mentioned it could be developed further. B.O.A. can be found by clicking here.
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