Full disclosure: I participated in some of the beta testing and editing of the book.

I had a blast with Power Outage. A good game that really lets your player's creativity fly. In my game, we had an outlaw with robotic handcuffs, a mail runner for the underworld, and a sweet hearted giraffe for a team. We may have been an unlikely set of compatriots, but I can hardly remember having more fun in an RPG.

The game is simply, but solidly designed. Things are crunchy enough that a new player gets to learn a few basic ideas of dice rolling, but keeps things simple enough to avoid overwheling new players. Getting to select your moves and then establish and describe all of that move's flavor is an absolute blast. I immediately saw vivid pictures of my character out on the battlefield, and I bet new players will feel just the same. That wasn't just the game's version of a knight: I was my own unique class and character based entirely on my own idea. Something no one else will play in exactly the same way. And, best of all, he went from idea to character in all of five minutes.

The world is punfilled, but there is an undercurrent of severity for game masters to unpack for their slightly older children. Think a good 80s kid's movie, where the more aware of the world you are, the more the movie resonates. Same here--if you want. If you're not feeling clever or light-hearted, the starter scenario will do a lot to get you in the mindset. It's good fun, and designed smartly to introduce players to the basic mechanics and puzzles. This scenario may target youngsters, mostly, but the group of 30 somethings I played with still enjoyed every second.

Overall, I have a hard time imaginging anyone not having a gloriously fun romp in Power Outage. Bebarce provides a lot of solid advice for new game masters (or game masters playing with inexperienced players for the first time).