1 comments about *OP Werewolf Chronicle 1 (Werewolf - the Apocalypse , Vol 1).

1. Rite of Passage is a great book for starting out a character and a pack. It give you info on how to get started and then an adventure to carry you through. Valkenburg Foundation is interesting if only for the nefarious skin-dancer Samuel Haight. An interesting read and it seems to have the makings of a classic adventure.

1 comments about *OP Werewolf Chronicle 2 (Werewolf - the Apocalypse , Vol 2).

1. Ways of the Wolf is a must for storyteller's who want to know how the lupus (wolves) think and feel. If you have Red Talons this is a must...and of course if anyone plays a lupus. It also includes various info on wildlife and the wilderness so if your game is set in the mountains or woods this book is handy. Pentex: Monkeywrench didn't impress me very much but it has it's moments. The props in the back of the book are great and you find out neat stuff like there's a Giovanni vampire in the upper ranks of Pentex. Truth be told though...if this book was sold separately I never would have bought it. This set is worth it just for the first book but the chronicles would have been better organized if the first had Rites of Passage and Ways of the Wolf and the second had Valkenburg Foundation and Pentex: Monkeywrench, but I'll bet they sold better this way. ((Those folks at White Wolf need our money friends.))

1 comments about Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide.

1. The core book for playing Mummies was excellent, so its hard to believe that there was anything they needed to improove upon. Nonetheless, they did. And it is all the better for it. This book expands on what was written, giving all sorts of details for fleshing out the Egyptian Amenti, as well as non-Egyptian Mummies. The book starts out with two chapters of fiction, giving players a better chance at understanding how to portray an Egyptian Mummy.
   The next chapter gives some more juicy stuff for fleshing out the various splats and factions in Mummy. All of the Amenti splats (including the Udja-sen) are fleshed out, giving us their beliefs, practices, factions, weaknesses and strengths. Following that, we get some other minor factions for Mummies to join, from the mystics of the Unbound Scroll to the Spiders of the Sands, who seek to expand the Web of Faith. While not as big as, say, the Cult of Isis or the Eset-a, these factions are still pretty cool.
   The following chapter is very similar, exploring the two non-Egyptian Mummies, the Capacocha (South American) and Wu T'ian (Chinese). After getting through the basics of what these non-Egyptian Mummies can, and can't, do, we are presented with two-page splats for both of them (four suyu for the Capacocha, and two incarnations for the Wu T'ian), followed by some expanded info on all of the splats, much in the manner of the Amenti splats in the previous chapter. Theres some pretty juicy things hinted at in this chapter as well, including the possibility of "Other" Mummies, such as bog mummies or the ice man.
   The next chapter is more mechanical, giving us expansions of the backgrounds from the core book, and examples of how they can be reworked for Amenti, Capacocha and Wu T'ian. Theres also some stuff on concepts, nature and demeanor, a new background, aspects of rebirth, a new ability (Martial arts) and tons of new merits and flaws. Most are Amenti specific, but can work for others, while a good number are tied to other cultures. Unfortunately, they aren't grouped in any particular way. While we can figure out that things like "Andean Native" or "were-llama" are probably Capacocha traits, it wouldn't hurt to tell us that anyway. Finally, the chapter closes with new Hekau. Four are presented for the Capacocha (one for each suyu), while two are presented for Wu T'ian (yin and yang; one for each incarnation).
   This ties in nicely with the next chapter, the legendary Greater Hekau. First it explains how the advanced Hekau work, and then we are presented with some examples. All of the Amenti Hekau are given several spells, going from level 6 to level 8. The next chapter gives some more stuff for running Mummies, talking about major themes such as faith, passion, duality and death. The concept of balance is explored, along with each of the Amenti splats. Even some stuff for the Wu T'ian and Capacocha is in this chapter. The chapter closes with a word on cross-over, which, conveniently enough, ties in with the next chapter.
   Surprisingly, Chapter Seven handles cross-overs pretty well. We are told, in plain English, that Mummies don't know the various factions in the World of Darkness, which makes cross-overs that much more believable. We then get some brief notes for cross-over with Vampire (including Kindred of the East and Wu T'ian cross-overs), Werewolf, Mage, Hunter, Wraith and Changeling. Next we get details on the Cults of Life (the Children of Osiris, Cult of Isis, Ashukhi Corporation). Two new Cults of Life are given: the vampire bedouins of the Disciples of Anubis (from Cairo by Night) and the Islamic monster slayers of the Ikhwan al-Safa (presented in the Year of the Hunter). Some notes on personalized cults are also presented, as well as four "Heralds of Ma'at", examples of Mummy ideals.
   The final chapter is kind of short, but pretty decent anyway. It gives some examples of "magical treasures" for Mummies. While stuff is given for Amenti, Capacocha and Wu T'ian, it seems like more items were given for Capacocha than any other groups. Some pretty interesting ideas, but nothing really jumped out at me. Nonetheless, it could be a useful chapter. All in all, though, the MPG is well worth the buy. It really lets you add some depth to any Mummy character you could want to run.

2 comments about Introduction to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Game (Ad&D Audio).

1. This is the boxed set for anyone interested in the wonderful world of roleplaying games set in a fantasy background. It includes all that a group of people would need for several series of adventures through dungeons solving puzzles and fighting off hordes of monsters. If you are interested in the world of AD&D games this is the first one to get.



2. The first time I played AD&D I played this game with some freinds. I then wanted to purchase it myself but instead got the Players Handbook and DM's guide. I was lost. There were way to many rules and tables and when I played I got really bored. Then I found out about this game and ordered it. Boy did it help me alot, now I am back on track (somewhat) and having so much fun playing the AD&D game. This game also includes everything you will need to play it and some things that you can keep using after. It includes dice, plastic figures, a map of the adventures, and the small rule books you need to get started.

No comments about Spycraft: Game Control Screen and Agent Record Sheet Pack.

No comments about Ruins Of The Dragon Lord: Complete Campaigns D20 System (D20).

No comments about The Quintessential Fighter II: Advanced Tactics (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying).

5 comments about Cyberpirates: A Shadowrun Sourcebook.

1. One of the more interesting alternatives to a standard Shadowrun campaign. Included are all sorts of options to allow you to run various forms of pirate campaigns, or, for the truly twisted GMs out there; this allows you to put runners in over their heads when playing with the big boys of the SR universe.

   A must have for any campaign that will deal with major globe hopping or is set near the water. Other important books in such a campaign are: Rigger2 and Target: Smuggler's Havens. Both also located on this site.




2. I've waited for this kind of book for a long while and I can honestly say that this sourcebook rules! I've never seen anything much like it and I can honestly say that this book renews my faith in Shadowrun



3. I really enjoyed this book. It was so cool, and I have read it cover to cover at least five times, never once being bored by it. Now I read the authors' comments, and... man. If what was published rocked, then their original version must hvae just been... too much for words alone. I love this book, and I loved Target: Smuggler's Havens. BTW, Chris, I hope you don't feel offended by this, but I was pretty upset when Jon Szeto introduced stats for a UCAS sub after a friend and I worked on and off for several months in much more detail on our own version of the UCAS's SSN program. (I spend my free time filling in the cracks of the military alternate setting). Still, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to more products.



4. An interesting book and a good read. My only annoyance (and I've noticed this in the other recent books) is that the 'conspiracies' of Shadowrun have taken a much larger role in the game. Whereas before they were background fluff and could be ignored now they are as obvious as a bat to the head. 'Secrets' scream at you from every page and if you counted up the pages discussing them you would now understand why so much of the original text was cut. It's incredibly annoying unless you really love that aspect of SR.

   Get it for the excellent ideas and game mechanics. Don't get it for the background material. I can only hope the authors release the cut material on the web (how bout' it chummer?)

   And FASA, for the love of god drop this lame new comic-book style direction. Get rid of the immortal elves, passe evil AIs and omniscient dragons from the past.




5. When I bought this book, I would have been satisfied if it had been half as good as it is. It helped me form the first game I ever GMd and everyone who played liked it. I greatly enjoyed and took advantage of the tone settings and motivations for the characters. My only complaint would be the lack of much new equipment and the haziness of the sensor rules (I think my next purchase will be Rigger II). I am sorry that the authors feel as if it was mangled by the editors, but I liked it anyway.

4 comments about Storm Knights (Torg, the Possibility Wars).

1. There is only one reason that I kept reading this damned book... A gaming buddy of mine wants to run a TORG game; I stated that the genre just wasn't for me, but he advised that I might get into the spirit of it if I read the first novel...

   The book's literary style was one that I tend to dislike anyway. Emotion was conveyed by reciting the melodramatic reactions of the characters and by excessive use of adjectives. The characters seemed flat and stereotyped. The book had everything from the priest calling to God wondering if God has abandoned him, to the child genius scientist. Not only the characters were stereotyped; the tone of each scene was melodramatic. "He would make her death a slow one, that he promised his far-away master." And chapter 53 is the funniest thing I've read in a long time (That's the chapter which begins "Deep within Illmound Keep ... the Gaunt man sat upon his throne of bones" and ends "'For those are the souls that shall be ours!'") The sexist tendency to give long descriptions of female's appearance was apparent in several places. "She had been in the Senate for as long as Decker could remember, and she had to be in her fifties, but she was still a fine figure of a woman. Decker could only imagine what she must have been like in her younger days. Her raven-black hair was styled short and had only a hint of gray, and her clothes were nothing but conservative, but on Conners the effect was striking." "Bryce studied the woman closely, noting a dusky creaminess to her skin that hinted at a Mediterranean heritage despite her name. Her eyebrows were straight and dark, over a high-bridged nose. She had a strong, square chin under a wide, full-lipped mouth. She had the figure and muscle tone of someone who worked to keep themself in good physical shape." (Note also the mixing of case -- the singular 'she' 'someone' tries to keep 'themself' fit -- this is just one example of bad copy-editing through the whole book.) The sci fi was presented as a list of technology. It was not science fiction, but weird science. No effort was made to offer an explanation of how, for example, Ms. Mara's trans-cosm telescope was supposed to function. Some of the slang, I will grant, was quaint. "'Giga-rad,' Mara exclaimed to the empty street. 'It worked. I'm here.'" I never really liked stories/worlds in which there is such distance between "heroes" and "regular folk." The dang thing reads like a bad roleplaying game. "... A few more stabs would bring it down." Um, why are even bladed weapons assumed to do only _concussion_ hits? Worst of all, the book implied some very nasty things about Homo Sapiens Neanderthallensis. "They became brutal, bestial, more Neanderthal than homo sapiens." Dang it all, whatever scraps of decency there are in humanity clearly come from our Neanderthall ancestry, as the Cro magnons were just aggressive jerks.

   I was more excited about the genre before reading this book... Now it feels, at best, sort of kitsch like Xena:Warrior Princess.




2. Well, this book IS a bad role-playing game. The novel itsel, quite plainly, is a pain to read. There is only one reason why you should buy this book - and the two sequels. They are the introduction to the TORG role playing game by Westend Games. TORG, to be quite honest, is a great game, but unfortunately the designers expect everybody to have read the novels. You can play the game without having read these books, of course, but they really help you figuring out what's going on.
   Fans of the RPG should get them, others - avoid!



3. This book was a great start to what i thought was an awesome trilogy, and it opened the way perfectly to start the RPG in any way you like. It was introduced to me by my old roommate and he was only able to find the first book i liked it so much i went on a search to find the rest. I found all the Torg novels and the rest of the original trilogy and never did i regret it, and niether did my roommate and our friends we all loved them.



4. I read this book more than 10 years ago in its French version and could definitely not decide who was to blame: the writers (and to think they were two involved in this [sigh]) or the translator.
   
   I've recently launched a new Torg campaign and got the original book, which unfortunately confirmed my worst fears. I'd say that I agree with most of what Scott David Gray wrote about the book itself and, to be honest, these general comments apply to many RPG "novels". But, keeping in mind the purpose which drives any roleplayer into this (getting a bit of background, i.e.), you should be able to overcome the poor literary style, cheesy names (e.g. Scythak) and dialogs ("No, my pet, not yet")that plague the whole series. Being a Torg fan for years, I've personally altered several names and tailored the official Torg timeline and characters to my roleplaying needs.
   To quote but an example of the many discrepancies you will find in the book: "And there an almost-Allosaurus flapped its great wings and swooped toward the ground". Being a sort of Tyrannosaurus Rex, I would've never imagined an Allosaurus "flapping" anything, even less wings! This could have been easily checked in any good encyclopedia. Page 12, in my French version, still bears the mark of my fury. I should probably add that the pages of my version are more than roughly glued to the cover and keep coming off in the worst imaginable situations... Whatever. One star for the style and another because it's a useful introduction to the game.
   
   To sum it all up: great concepts but awkward style throughout the game material. Heed Nils Jeppe's advice: Torg gamers, read it, fantasy fans, choose J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Goodkind, Michael Moorcock et al. instead.

2 comments about Mutants & Masterminds: Foes Of Freedom (Mutants & Masterminds).

1. I feel a bit torn in writing this review. On the one had, it is a noticeable comedown in quality from Green Ronin's awesome "Freedom City" sourcebook. On the other, it is just as much an improvement over the drekful "Crooks!" sourcebook.
   
   In "Freedom City," a number of super villains are profiled with full write up and game statistics; others are mentioned and given a few sentences in description. "Foes of Freedom" seeks to cover those characters, and provide a few (a very few) more. Each entry has character background, statistics, information on how the GM can use the villain, and some suggestions for possible crimes around which adventures can be made.
   
   This is the same format as "Crooks!" but "Foes" is easily the superior book. The artwork is far better (though not as good as in "Freedom City," the biographies are more succinct, and while the villains themselves are in general hardly original, they successfully compliment the Freedom City campaign tenor.
   
   The flaws, however, are not hard to miss. At 96 pages, it's awfully short. The section on Blackstone Penitentiary is fairly good, but much too brief (five pages.) A number of entries (I counted four) do not have a picture to go along with them; considering that this is for a comic book RPG, and that comics are visual in nature, this oversight is bothersome. Meanwhile, some artwork is superfluous, showing us characters depicted elsewhere in the book, or of dubious utility like the apartment map on page 30.
   
   The addition of the villainous group Labrynth is unnecessary; the Labrynth is another super secretive string-pulling bunch of evil powerbrokers in a campaign world that already has organizations like SHADOW, Overthrow, and more mundane organized crime families. The entry on the Foundry organization doesn't supply much useful information, but rather dwells on some uninteresting robot statistics instead.
   
   Though I've spent most of this review talking about the flaws of the book, it is still a fairly serviceable addition to the Mutant and Masterminds product line. If you can find a copy at a reasonable price (no easy feat, considering it's $24.00 price tag) then pick up a copy. Otherwise, don't sweat it.



2. The Amazon release information says that this book was released 2007-01-12. That is not correct. This is a 1st edition sourcebook, released back in 2004.