Coup D’état by Joseph Mohr is a role playing game supplement published by Old School Role Playing for use with Cepheus Engine. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
The supplement is available as a 25 page Pay What You Want PDF from DriveThruRPG. Two pages are the front and rear cover, three the front matter and three the Open Game License.
The opening paragraphs start with a definition of what a coup d’état is, followed by explaining that the characters are approached about a planet on the edge of the Sonora sector – the adventure is set in the Frontiers of Space – ruled by a military dictatorship. The employer is part of an attempt to replace the dictatorship with a democracy and needs the characters to kidnap the dictator.
The Patron has some details on the employer.
Complications has things that are not known or which could go wrong.
Gandar VI has some details on the world.
The Conspirators has the stats of the generals behind the coup.
The Plan is what the generals plan to do in order to allow the characters a chance to get near the dictator.
What Could Go Wrong? has the various potential problems.
World Map briefly covers this.
Palace Map maps out the dictator’s palace, defenders and random encounters.
The Secret Police has some details on them and a d6 table of operatives.
The Double has stats for the android body double of the dictator.
Double Cross is the chance the generals will double cross the characters.
The Kill Team has killers who will be sent after the characters in such an instance.
The Elite Palace Guards is a 3d6 table of defenders.
The Robot Kill Bot is a killer robot patrolling the palace.
SIPOL has the chances that the characters will be in trouble with the interstellar police afterwards for getting involved in a coup.
Mission Completion explains this is not easy and may have potentially fatal consequences even for success.
The final two pages of content have maps of the world and palace.
Coup D’état in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is long enough with enough different sections that these would have been useful. Navigation is okay. The text maintains a single column format and appeared to be free of errors. Bar the maps and covers, there are no illustrations. Presentation is okay.
Some of the NPCs are covered in more detail when needed, when simply two or three stats would have done. The adventure itself is a dangerous one, involving assaulting the palace of a planetary dictator – and even then, it’s perhaps easier than it should be. The reward for committing a serious criminal act on behalf of people who are not that trustworthy is also on the low side; the players would perhaps be advised to give this mission a miss. Coup D’état can be found by clicking here.
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