Introduction
So here it is, my review of Hellcats and Hockeysticks. It was somewhat inevitable I have a look at this as I am in the process of writing a game that imposes an all female characters restriction and Hellcats and Hockeysticks is another game that does this by virtue of its St Trinians like setting. What stood out about Hellcats and Hockeysticks above all other all girl RPGs was its faithful genre emulation combined with a wacky creativity that as my readers should know is really to my taste.

Anyway let's get started on this little madam...

Background
St Ersian's is, like St Trinian's, a fee paying public school with a really bad reputation. Unlike St Trinians however hints are made at a darker supernatural connection in order to justify the rules for Magic and Mad Science.

Amusingly St Ersian's only exchange program is with Japan (who apparently think they're sending their daughters to a quaint English Public School) meaning one of the "Cliques", which I will come, to later gives you a choice between a Samurai or Ninja upbringing!

St Ersian's is supposed to be the Headmistress' (the hilarious term for GM) personal sandbox so background details are left relatively sketchy. There is no dedicated background chapter and the background is scattered throughout the book.

Seeing as this is supposed to be a 'create your own' game this is understandable. After all while one Headmistress may want to play "straight St Trinian's" another may find the gonzo elements to their liking (ME!)  Some may say a bit more of a sketchy modifiable background may have been helpful but I'm not overly familiar with St Trinian's and can easily rustle something up from what's available so it really shouldn't be much of a problem. If you really are stuck wiki it you lazy bugger!

Anyhow what there is of background is flexible enough to adapt to the Headmistress's own perversions... I mean preferences. If you really need more you should put the effort in and do a bit of your own research.

Background: 7/10

Mechanics
The game mechanics are amongst the most basic I've seen and as a GM who tends to run games for noobs that can only be a good thing.

The system is based on skills codified in terms of school subjects ranging from 1-5. This gives the Character Sheet something of a Report Card aesthetic. If there is a LARP conversion in the works this may be worth playing on.

Unless it's something really specialised like flying a plane, stabilising a nuclear reactor or piloting the TARDIS (hey it could happen) everyone gets 1d6 basic for each action plus their skill if they have one. The target number is variable dependent on the Headmistress set difficulty level.

Willpower can be spent to give you bonus dice but that comes with its own risks as when you're running low you're distracted and when you're out you go into a typical teenage girl sulk ("don't want to play with the stupid Zombies.")

In addition you can sacrifice 3 dice to lower the target number by 1 which becomes necessary when the target number is 7 or 8 because the Headmistress thinks you are taking the piss!

It's a solid set of base mechanics fleshed out with rules for madcap chases, weird shit and combat in a separate chapter.

Character creation is likewise simple with 9 Cliques based on a combination of Schoolgirl archetypes with, again, the batshit insane. If you do want to play a "straighter" game Goths, Scientists and Ninja Exchange Students are still useful as their skill set has over applications other than the wacky stuff in the advanced rules. Samurai I'm not so sure about. Their strength seems to be very combat-orientated and in a milder mannered game without so much violence they may struggle a bit. Their ability to get pissy when someone insults their honour may well not be enough.

There is also the Best Friend- Rival system that was inspired by Panty Explosion and fits in really well with teenage girls bitching at each other.

In an unusual twist hints are made that it is really the PCs not the Headmistress who should be determining plot. I'm doing something similar with Courtesans only, unlike Courtesans, Hellcats and Hockeysticks allows you to play with a conventional "adventure" too. This concept may strike a few as a bit "Story Game" but is perfectly in keeping with the genre. After all the Headmistress is so booze sodden she can't be expected to do everything for her girls!

The mechanics aren't perfect, no set of mechanics are. I have my suggestions I made in a blog article but apart from those I pretty much play Rules as Written which is unusual for a dedicated tinkerer at me.

Mechanics: 9/10

Atmosphere
Ersian's really captures the anarchic spirit of its inspirational analogue. It's violent, bitchy, unruly but NEVER murderous or TOO criminal. It is impossible to kill an NPC because you're a teenage girl, a pretty messed up one but you don't stoop to outright murder! The NPCs have the same restriction giving them something of a Bond villain quality. When they do beat you they lock you up in easily escapable dungeons and if they ever do get round to unspeakable torture it's more likely to involve feather dusters, forcing you into a tutu or playing James Blunt on repeat! THE HORROR!

This will frustrate many roleplayers ingratiated as they are with the "kill them and take their" stuff mentality but if St Ersian's girls really did go around killing people all credibility of the School's survival would go out of the window. Mind you this is a British setting so murder would only get you 5 years and that's if the Police can actually find their arse with both hands for once!

The Atmosphere is nigh on perfect for the genre it emulates. I was worried about the integration of the gonzo stuff like the Ninjas and Magic but if the St Trinian's creators ever did the Fantastical it would look like Hellcats and Hockeysticks.

Atmosphere: 10/10

Artwork
"Indy" games get a lot of stick for their artwork. It's only natural seeing as they're on a budget and have to employ the cheapest people. However I find that some of these cheaper artists are in fact a lot better at fitting the theme of the book than more expensive types who, while they blow you away with their awesome, may not quite fit with your silly little comedy game.

With the exception of the cover the artwork is basic black and white in a cartoony style reminiscent of Postmortem regulars Raven or Darkzel. This fits perfectly with the source material and the feel of the game.

What doesn't fit so well is the full colour photo cover complete with model in full sexy schoolgirl get up. It conveys a wholly different tone from the interior art that is not so much cartoon fun as come hither for sexy schoolgirl hijinks. I suppose it sells books but seeing as all sexual content is innuendo (as it bloody well should be in a St Trinian's game) it can be a bit misleading.

Overall the artwork is solidly within the realms of the genre with the exception of the cover which is a little misleading.

Interior Art: 8/10
Cover: 6/10  

Conclusion
Hellcats and Hockeysticks is a great pick up and play game that, while it can be run traditionally, puts the focus on the players to determine most of the plot giving the Headmistress time to relax with more booze.

It's both a nice "filler game" and has the potential for an extended Campaign: Something which I have strived for in my own comedy RPG works.

There is some reliance on genre familiarity but complete noobs won't be too confused as the setting, while weird, is also quite familiar.

Finally I must give Mr Peregrine kudos for his Afterward which neatly fends off any accusations of sexism or male fantasy indulgence. This is a game about empowered young women finding their place in the world. Pretty batshit crazy young women but still empowered.

Overall it's a fun read, simple to play, effort light to run and above all a great emulation of the anarchic schoolgirl of St Trinians with a bit of gonzo weirdness thrown in for good measure.

Style: 10/10
Substance: 8/10
Overall: 9/10

Great review, Ian! Sounds like an entertaining game.

What are the supernatural elements like?

The mechanics are nicely intergrated into the skill set.

With Magic effects vary from your classic bewitched stuff to summoning demons and throwing lightning around.

With explosive creation you can potentially build a small nuke capable of leveling the school but you have to start with a little flash bomb and work your way up. The bigger you make your bomb the more, and harder tests you make. If you ever fail a test the bomb goes off in your face. Nobody dies in H&H but they do get very big boo boos!

Mad Science is kind of cool in that the more laws of phsycis you break the harder it gets until you have an army of hyper inteligent telekinetic super zombies (which is nearly impossible thank God)

Hrm...St. Trinian's with powerz? And rules bits from PE? This has potential.

So does Courtesans.

Thanks!

Yeah I love the way various kinds of PE are the combat stats.

Makes more sense than having Melee, Brawl and Firearms on Schoolgirl Character Sheet.

Nice of you to say that about Courtesans.

I am working my way through reviewing other all female RPGs including *shudder* Maid as a build up to the release.