Remarks: Agents of S.W.I.N.G.

The sub-genre of espionage with science fiction leanings, often called “spy-fi”, had its Golden Age in the 1960s. I firmly believe that, in spite of many fine spy movies that have been made since, James Bond. The Avengers, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Get Smart, Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Danger Man, The Prisoner, and more came from this era, define this era, and work best when set in this era. That’s why so many remakes, re-imaginings, and reboots fall flat for me. It’s the politics, the social movements, the pop culture, the fashion of the era that all combine to make these things work. Everything else, even the good stuff, is just an echo.

The Supreme World Intelligence Network Group (S.W.I.N.G.) is a swinging London espionage group with roots going back to at least the Napoleonic era, and who the player character agents work for. It’s a FATE-based game, so Aspects are appropriately based on what Section you work for, your Past, your Cover, and so on. Sample characters/NPCs include thinly-veiled versions of Captain Scarlet, Jon Pertwee’s Doctor, Number 6,  and other familiar faces. There’s a sampling of villain organizations, a timeline of the swinging 60s as well, to give the gamemaster a bit of background to carve a setting from.

I dig it. As Spycraft continues to get more and more crunchy, and the Victory Games’ James Bond 007 continues to feel more arcane and convoluted to newer players, I’ve wanted a go-to spy game. This may be it. FATE is so flexible it can run anything anyway, and as I’ve already said, the 60s is THE era for this genre. Combined with other sourcebooks, like the Spycraft 1960s Sourcebook and some non-gaming materials, this really could be it. I would run it full-on psychedelic goofy, if my players would allow it. If you want to run a more serious campaign, that’s easy enough to do with a few tweaks (such as eliminating some of the fab, neat, hip, solid jargon).

PDF notes: 344 pages, but you can just print the bits you want. White background, black and white art, so it’s printer-friendly. A very good set of bookmarks.