in the february 1985 edition of "dragon" (issue 94), arlen walker was impressed that character background was an important part of the character creation process: "the background a player invents for his character is important in setting up the character, and ms&pe is one of the few games that acknowledges this." he also liked the combat system, with its emphasis on weapons other than firearms. "this might be considered a handicap if what you’re trying to do is role-play the a-team, but it serves as a definite advantage if you’re trying to get your players to do something besides shoot anything that moves (and many things that don’t)." walker concluded with an unequivocal recommendation: "if you’re planning on role-playing in the modern era, whether you’re interested in james bond or george smiley — or even nero wolfe —this would be an excellent system to choose. if you’re after a system which allows a great deal of freedom of action, both for referee and player, this is by far the best."