5 comments about Hengeyokai: Shapeshifters of the East.

1. I have to admit that the whole Kindred of the East project has done little to excite me. But this book changed my views on the concept. By moving the changing breeds of Werewolf: The Apocalypse to the new battlegrounds of Asia, it adds a whole new level to the ususal " Stranger in a strange land " feel of Werewolf. The Kitsune (werefoxes) are easily one of the cooler species of shapeshifter (apart from the Garou themselves, of course). But the main reason I bought this book was for more details on the Hakken Garou. Anyone who's read the Shadowlords Tribebook already knows about the Garou of the East. These guys are samurai with fur and fangs, and you can't get more badass than that! Hengeyokai is more than just Werebeasts in a different land: its a whole other culture, with its own rules and values. This book is a great addition to the Werewolf line, and is reccomended for either Asia-based campaigns, or adding some spice to your current chronicle.



2. With Shapeshifters of the East I found a great read and a ton of possibilities for new characters. I mean the Kumo and the Same-Bito..whoo hooo. BUT, damn that Treefrog font they used for the paragraph titles and such, drove my eyes -crazy-, small complaint but worth the groan.



3. What can I say? This is a big must-have for ANY player, it has tons of nifty little fetishes (Of the item variety) and tons of other cool crap. I mean, what can beat people who turn into dragons? Huh?



4. This supplement to Werewolf: The Apocalypse is absolutely the best book in the series, if only because the elusive Kitsune are given the full coverage of a Breed Book. The other breeds appear, with a twist making them very different from their Western relatives. It's a perfect setting for mixing shifter types what would automatically attack each other in a traditional werewolf game. Take your gaijin Garou to Tokyo, or your Japanese Kitsune to San Fransisco...



5. Hengeyokai is an expansion to Werewolf the apocalypse. Hengeyokai is two books in one, first on the ways and culture of the eastern changing breeds. (werewolves, wereravens, weresharks, weredragons, wererats, weretigers, werespiders, and weresnakes) along with new merits, flaws, gifts, auspices (oriental auspices - leaf, steel, lantern, etc..) along with how to combine a western based game into an eastern campaign... or the other way around. The second half of the book is all about the Kitsune, or werefoxes. The mystery makers of gaia. They do not cause the delerium, they have nine tails, and their gifts of paper folding are unique to them. The reason that the two books are combined in one is simple: you can play a Hengeyokai without knowing anything about Kitsune, but you can't play a Kitsune without knowing about Hengeyokai! Two books in one is an excelent deal and a wonderful suprise to those who don't know.

5 comments about Exalted 2nd Storytellers Companion (Exalted).

1. this book gives a quick rundown of the five basic exalt types just like in the core book... but with some new info and a great many charms for each. not only that, but each section includes some premade character stat to use as npcs (at least one for each caste of each exalt type). storytellers rejoyce!
   
   oh yeah, and the end portion has some neat stuff for what is the 'mass battle' of social combat... and if you are not tracking with what that means, then you must not have the core book yet; in which case i have only one recommendation:
   
   GET THEM BOTH!!! you can get a good deal here! buy the core and this suppliment, and begin storytelling with a lot of neat tools to start with! oh yeah, and look forward to the 'book of sorcery wonders of the lost age' and add it to you 'tool box'... i can't wait for mine!
   
   till next...



2. If you were a Storyteller for the 1st edtition of Exalted, you may well wonder if it's worth getting this book. Let's face it, the 1st edition Storyteller's Companion was a mishmash of stuff that was largely superseded and made obsolete by later supplements.
   
   Well, that's not the case this time. The whole Exalted 2nd Edition line looks like it's being planned out very carefully, and there's not going to be any slap-dashery like before. This Storyteller's Companion is very focused on providing a ST with everything needed to prepare a huge variety of NPC Exalts of all types, and it succeeds admirably. It provides several character templates which you can turn into a fleshed-out NPC in minutes, and also includes quick descriptions of many of those Exalteds' Charms. At the end of each section is a description of their typical troops, for Mass Combat encounters. And each chapter also contains some secrets not revealed in the core book.
   
   The final chapter is the Mandate of Heaven rules, which amounts to a strategic mini-game you can use to model the effects your players are having on the nations they live in. [...]these in much detail yet, but they look good for players who decide to take over the world, or at least their corner of it.
   
   The only things missing are a chapter on the Fair Folk--not Exalts, I know, but equivalent, power-wise--and Demons (including Exalts who've sold their souls to Malfeas). And a chapter on Mortals, particularly Heroic Mortals and Thaumaturges, would have been nice. But it seems silly to quibble over something that has so much gaming goodness packed into it. Five stars, easy.



3. For the most part, this book is nothing but lists of charms. Normally that'd be a great thing (especially since all the books aren't out yet) but the description and layout is so poor that its not worth it. The Abyssal section does nothing more than print out a name and tells you to refer to the equivalent Solar Charm. Better to bide your time for the specific source book you are interested in.



4. its okay.nothen very cool about it or in it,except for the part on the minor gods and some cool artifacts at the very back of the book. it mainly sums up all the core books and gives them a slight refresh to the new rules. i gues if you want to take all you old rules and charms to the new rules its usefull.if your like me and take the rules with a grain of salt,then its just somethen nice to fill that collection and bookcase.
   have fun.



5. hos is a great Supplement for new ST it a good book for fun He he heeeee

2 comments about The Blessed Isle (The Compass Of Celestial Directions, Volume 1).

1. I find the material in here greatly surpasses the original Realm material in the first edition "Exalted: the Dragon-Blooded". Foe me, the Realm is a much more real, living, breathing place. Between this and "Manual of Exalted Power, the Dragon-Blooded", we much more of Dragon-Blooded and Realm society. I even have some sympathy for the Dragon-Blooded, in that they are acting in accord with deep-seated beliefs in what they believe to be the best interest of all Creation.



2. A book with lots of useful information, of which about two thirds can be found in a more generalized form in the Dragon-Blooded book, or even the Core book. We do get a lot more detail about certain locations, and the description of the Imperial Mountain was particularly intriguing. My game will have to visit the lost capital of Meru now.
   
   In general, I'd recommend this book if your campaign is going to the Blessed Isle for a long time (read: focused on it), and then only for Storytellers, as any necessary info for playing a Dynast or Lookshy PC can be gleaned from the Dragon-blooded book.
   
   JT

4 comments about Dark Ages Mage (Vampire: The Dark Ages).

1. As a fan of mage the ascension, i bought this book hoping to get some more insight into the DA magical societies. This, of course, was in the book, but it also flips everything on its head. while the magic system is similar, the 9 spheres have been done away with in favor of a 4 pillar system which is more taylored to each society. THis, i actually like for the setting. On the othe hand they trampled all over one of the most interesting groups off the age, The Order of Hermes. While they are still depicted as powerful, and organized, their house system is nearly ignored. (check out Ars magica for more Order of Hermes data) ALso, the book tries to promote interfellowship cabals, which is absolutely absurd in an era where most mages would sooner kill a rival mage than work with him for the most part. Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade makes it very clear that such cabals almost NEVER happened until the uniting of the Traditions, and the writers expect us to believe they already worked together happy and together 2-300 years previous? Please...

   Not to say the book is bad, because for the most part it is rather good. For Storytelling material it is bad, but as setting information and rules it is excellent.

   Oh, on a final note, i only gave it 3 stars because White wolf decided not to put any rules in it outside of magic rules simply to sell more copies of Dark Ages: Vampire. It desserves 4 in its own right.




2. Dark Ages Mage, or DAMage, is not a game for everyone. And before I get started, I want to make sure everyone knows: you need to have the Dark Ages Vampire core book to play it.

   DAMage is not for me. Why? I'm a fan of the Mage: The Ascension game line, and my thoughts start from there. Your mileage may vary.

   The game defines magic separately for each group. It defines four "pillars" for each group, each with five ranks. These serve (supposedly) to measure what a Mage can and cannot do. Like any good game mechanic?

   A lot of people didn't like the ambiguity inherent in M:tA's description of spheres. If that's you, avoid DAMage like the plague-- DAMage mechanics for Magic are described totally from the in-character point-of-view of the individual paradigm. As a way to understand what each kind of magic can really do, or settle disputes about whether a given Mage has the right knowledge to attempt a casting, they're completely unplayable.

   They are, however, creative, even sometimes inspiring. If they were presented as magical theory, rather than a game mechanic, they'd be alright.

   They'll also be good for selling supplements. The pillars demand exhaustive lists of "rotes," concrete definitions of individual powers, to be playable, and STs and players will find themselves obliged to go buy the "tradition book" for all the groups they intend to portray.

   Another thing that bugged people about Mage: The Ascension, was that the sphere system seems "homogenous." That is, the progression in various abilities is pretty arbitrary, and if it's seen as universal among all kinds of will-workers, it intrudes on the in-character integrity of that paradigm.

   I think that's a reasonable objection-- the Mage line's approach to Magic is it's own scenario, and though people claim you can do "any kind" of magic with it, that's not entirely true.

   And, I think this helps us see why DAMage was developed along these lines. People wanted each paradigm to make sense "unto itself." Unfortunately, they chose to carry baggage from M:tA over. (Why? In an attempt to sell copy to Mage players.)

   Wary of alienating Mage players, they retained an analog to a "sphere system," and gave lip-service to the "dynamic" quality of magic as found in Mage. And the result is something that is a glorified freestyle role-playing of magic, based on flavor text, or, with the eventual publication of massive rote lists, will really boil down to spell lists.

   What people don't realize is that M:tA's sphere system was *born* out of a desire for a playable compromise between the reliable klunkiness of spell-lists, and the flexibility, but potential twinkery, of free-form role-play. It's imperfect, but, taken as what it is, it's also superb.

   DAMage could have used M:tA's finely-tuned compromise. Instead it tried to reinvent the wheel, moving in both directions, failing to do either justice. DAMage could have been Mage: the Ascension with really cool, useful material on RPing in the Dark Ages setting.

   And by the way. The presentation of the setting is rather lackluster, in DAMage. Possibly this is because they expect you go out and pay more money for Dark Ages Vampire. But if you're an Order of Hermes fan, for example, prepare to be disappointed. (Moreover, personally, my mind boggles at the authors' encouragement to send Muslim sorcerers off with their Christian cabalmates to kill Muslims in the Crusades.)

   Alternatives better than DAMage include Mage: the Sorcerer's Crusade, Mage: the Ascension, or Sorcerer, each already in White Wolf mechanics, and adaptable to the Dark Ages setting (DAMage expects you to have other books too!) If you're a vampire player, particularly, I would think Sorcerer would be the way to go. There're also Ars Magica and D&D. And GURPS puts out great supplements, including on the Middle Ages. Which, if you want setting and flavor, are far superior.




3. I must admit, I was waiting impatiently for this book more than even the new Dark Ages: Vampire that preceded it (and is necessary in order to make full use of Dark Ages: Mage). I love Mage: The Ascension, especially it's new incarnation in the Revised Edition of that game. This game however is not Mage: The Ascension.

   The similarities are obvious and yes, it is the World of Darkness set back into the Dark Medieval, but the truth of the matter is that this is not the same game as it's predecessors, Mage: The Ascension or Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade. There is no War for Reality, there is no competition. There is only magic. The opening chapter on medieval superstition gives a blanket feel of ambiguity to everything in the age and I think this is where the real strength of this game shines.

   This book is not intended for first-time roleplayers. This book is advanced in every respect of the word. As a Storyteller for Dark Ages, having the rules to create and use Mage NPC's in my chronicles is outstanding and the rules for their creation, advancement, societies, everything... is right here. However, I was disappointed by the fact that although this game (and although it requires the use of Dark Ages: Vampire to use it, it -is- a separate and dinstinct game unto itself if allowed) has rules to actually play Mages, I can't say it's that easy. But then again, it obviously isn't supposed to be simple, after all these are willworkers, people whose expectations charge reality and force it to change. It's just not cut and dry.

   The character creation is easy. The rules for advancement, simple enough. Unfortunately, it's the ambiguity of each of the pillars that catches me off guard, because, although we are playing these mages and their mindset is critical to their play, having the levels of power measured by interpretation is asking for complications. However, I believe now, after having re-read this book two times + since purchasing it, that it is SUPPOSED to be ambiguous and inexact, facilitating the person to person interpretation that was the rule of the day. After all, if someone easily adhere to exacting rules in the Dark Medieval, they were not Mages. Mages break the rules in every way, shape, and fashion and don't apologize for it; rather they take their success to mean that are due even more power. Enter hubris.

   All in all, this is a great book and more visually stunning that I first imagined it would be. The spine, once again, is not attached to the book itself, but I'm beginning to suspect it's not supposed to. I gave this game 4 stars (instead of 3) because of the innate potential of such a game and the Dark Ages line. However, if you're are die hard fan of the Sphere system, I heartily recommend The Sorcerer's Crusade instead. This game is darker, more brutal, and more ambigious. These can be good things in the hands of the right people, but not for everyone.




4. Listen to me! I have been involved in almost all that the WOD has to offer, and I ended up running Dark Ages due to the superior game mechaniacs and game setting. I have also been involved in Mage: The Anscension very much too...and I got to say that the fools from above (those that ranked it 3 or less) do not know what they are talking about. There is nothing wrong w/ the magic systems or game mechanics in this game. For one thing, they are alot simpler (yes it is still up to your imagination and alot of judgement calls by you or your ST into whether this power is dot 1 or 5...) since the modern day counterpart is a headache when it comes to the magic mechanics, due to the complexity of it (which results in nothingness). The game works off your ability to alter Creation. All you need is an imagination, the appropriate Pillar (uncompressed modern day Sphere of power, some similar but is MUCH MORE powerful and is more specialized), and the right level of understanding (which is how many dots you have...). You can do anything as long as you have the right amount of understanding...The casting rolls are simple w/ you rolling, and looking @ the charts for size and duration (depended on how many successes you have), and your damage (depended on successes). It is a beautifully written book, w/ simple rules...so BUY THIS BOOK!

No comments about Classic Battletech Jihad Hot Spots: 3072 (Classic Battletech).

No comments about Pathfinder #13 Second Darkness: Shadow In The Sky (Pathfinder Adventure Path).

5 comments about Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven : Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

1. Loaded with valuable information, quest summaries, strategy tips; this guide is a must for the serious Might and Magic VI gamer.



2. This guide offers some help but dost tell you where to go or what to do, some quests that you get are too tough for your party to handle. The monsters that you run into are way too many for your party to take on in real time combat for example it does not tell you about ambushes when you open chests like the ones in the Temple of Baa.The guide does offer some help in spells,weapons,armour,skills and monsters but that about it,it does not tell you what party to take. If you want a book with maps and some help buy it, but it will not walk you through the game, you will have to run and shoot alot in the dungeons.This book does guide you through quests but it does not tell you about what monsters are there waiting for your party. I bought it for the maps and locations of dungeons,fountains,towns and items in the dungeons.It tells you where to go in the dungeons to get what you whant.This book is addictive so get ready to use it alot happy adventuring.



3. This is a so-so strategy guide. I'll take it chapter by chapter: Chapter 1: A good description of the history of Might and Magic, but you can't really go wrong with that. Chapter 2: A great instruction on how to build a good party. Chapter 3: An excellent and accurate description of every monster in the game, save for a few bosses (they're more fun to figure out, anyways) Chapter 4: A good description of all spells in the game, with some screenshot graphics thrown in. Chapter 5: Not too useful. This item guide shows you the exact same thing as you can see on the screen. Chapter 6: You can't really complain about this chapter, it tells you all about the skills well. Chapter 7: A pretty pointless chapter, you can find out all the information by talking to npc's. Chapter 8: Informative information about all types of locations in the game. Unfortunately, it does not tell you about where on the grid each location is, only what grid it is on. Chapter 9: A good description of the main part of the game. It spoils very little. Unfortunately, it does not tell you about where you will get ambushed along the way. Chapter 10: It shows you about all that is possible about the promotion quests, and the seer. Chapter 11: Not quite detailed enough. However, it provides adequate information about the minor quests that will be your lifeblood until you get fairly far. Appendix: The territorial maps are fairly good. However, they don't tell you where shops are, nor do they say where important houses are (it can be very frustrating spending hours looking for the bone-buyer in Free Haven) Overall, this book had guided me to where I am now, midway through the control center, without making it too easy for me or spoiling it, but still helping me and preventing me from getting stuck. Thanks for reading.



4. I found it rather useful. Mostly I referred to the maps, and in several cases, was able to locate a section of dungeon I'd missed behind secret doors or stuff like that... The minor quest section could've stood a little more detail, and as mentioned the item and NPC sections were totally inane, but other than that I had little to complain about. As for plot spoilers -- if you don't resort to the book until you're truly stumped, you shouldn't be getting plot spoilers, because it's a pretty linear game, so a clue for a section of the game you're in doesn't mention stuff from somewhere in the future. At least that was my experience, FWIW, YMMV.



5. If you are stuck halfway through the game or at the beginning, this guide gives you just enough info to have fun. You still get to figure out how certain things work, but this guide can give you a great head start. It doesn't give too much away (unless you read ahead) but it gives you ways to get things (spells, weapons, training) you might never have gotten before. The equipment descriptions can save you from having to pay to get them identified. Also, the "Minor Quests" section isn't teally detailed, but the book would weigh 50 lbs. if it did! Everything you could ever need for Major Quests is here and you get an additional edge on your enemies. At $15.99, this book is a great addition to your game.

3 comments about The Keeper's Companion: Blasphemous Knowledge, Forbidden Secrets: A Core Book for Keepers, Vol. 1 (Call of Cthulhu Horror Roleplaying, #2388).

1. One of the very nice things about the Call of Cthulhu role playing game from Chaosium is that they rarely publish pure junk or something that doesn't have something useful within its pages, somewhere. The Keeper's Companion is just one of those books, yes, it contains material from the main rules and Cthulhu Now, but expands upon it, it is also laid out in a clear fashion that makes finding things easy. The first section, "Good Cthulhu Hunting", is mainly sage advice for players and written with tongue firmly in cheek, but also makes a good deal of sense as a sort of `Dos and Don'ts' section. It is followed by a section for Keepers, a sort of thirteen ways to improve your game. Again, common sense advice for the foolish GM who might have let his investigators keep the repeating laser cannon they found in the last adventure.

   Call of Cthulhu is best played, not people who know the genre cold, but rather by novices who understand the mechanics, not the genre. Lovecraft's world is a mundane one, intruded upon by the not-so-mundane, whether it be something relatively minor as an encounter with a solitary Deep One or a sanity-blasting encounter with Yog-Sothoth, the all-in-one god, it is the character's imperiled peace of mind which will be steadily chipped away by the stuff of nightmares and that which mankind is best to ought not know. Players kept in the dark, fed only what they need or discover on their own, are the best players of all.

   There follows the advice section, pages on books of the occult, most or all are actual books, some of which can be found on Amazon, but that you would be better of not reading. Exciting sounding tomes like `The Book of the Dead' or the `Golden Bough' are deadly dull and won't do anything except upset your parents and Tipper Gore. However, it is a nice lexicon for GMs who may want to throw non-Mythos books at their players from time to time. Following that is a handy little section on languages, real and Mythos-related, and their origins. It also includes some badly drawn examples of things like Mi-Go runes and R'lyeh glyphs.

   The next section is an expanded and detailed listing of those oh-so-wonderful mind melting pages of actual Mythos tomes- those great books that burn through your sanity, but also give you spells your characters can use. It also adds a few new spells and creatures taken from additional stories written by other authors. Next up is Arcane Antiquities, which is basically magic items and happily it bears little or no resemblance to the back of the AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide. Magic items in Call of Cthulhu are extremely rare. There are a couple of mirrors, a dagger, a ring, and a few other odd devices, so don't expect any +4 swords of dimensional shambler slaying.

   Let's face it, cults make life interesting. Even in real life cults provide annual entertainment with their suicidal comet worshiping antics. In Call of Cthulhu they are a somewhat less self-destructive and instead are bent on summon up some moldering nightmare to screw with mankind's mojo. Cultists are great fun, both for Keppers and player alike. As bad as it was, the guys resurrecting Imhotep in the The Mummy Returns were great, if comical and somewhat inept, examples of cultists. Cultists can come in any flavor and hardly need to be justified since they're nuts.

   Forensics has always been a hobby of mine. One of the aspects of Call of Cthulhu I have always admired is their inclusion of real world details to really give Keepers and players a sense of how it all works. While Cthulhu Now pretty much gives anyone a brief history of forensics, from the first documented coroner inquests in England right up to DNA evidence- it's all here as well in easy to read and understand terms, complete with bibliography. From the ways people die to firearms and drugs, it's all distilled down into a handy reference.

   From the mundane we arrive at Alien Races, a collection of beings and their origins from Deep Ones to the fungi from Yuggoth to the Voormis of the Hyperborea, this section gives the reader a little more detail than the standard entries in the creatures section in the main rule book. Next is Mysterious Places and includes Atlantis (bleah!), Hyperborea, unknown Kadath, Lemuria (also bleah!), unfortunately, they only give us a scant three paragraphs on R'lyeh, the sunken city and tomb of Great Cthulhu. Finally, the last section is on Skills, adds some new ones and explains all in great detail.

   All in all a welcome addition to my growing Call of Cthulhu collection, a game that I have played for nearly twenty years. I miss the late eighties/early nineties covers and don't much care for the cover art. However, this is a good addition for Keepers who may want to add a little more detail to their campaigns. Like most of Chaosium's publications, it is well researched and exceptionally well written while being very readable, fun and occasionally funny. It may lack detail in some places, and this is probably it's only real flaw- the alien creatures and places section could have had a little more meat in them, but other than that it's a solid addition...




2. I got this as a gift for my son-in-law. I have no knowledge of the book itself other than the person for whom it was purchased seems to like it very much. For me it served its purpose very well.



3. Very good source of information. Contains detailed information about occult and Mythos books, artifacts, forensic medicine and more. There are also some alternate rules that look interesting (I haven't tried them yet). This book is not a "must have" but I think you will not regret if you buy it - contains lots of new details that make every game more interesting.

3 comments about Alien Anthology (Star Wars Roleplaying Game).

1. Wizards of the Coast has gotten a lot of bad flak for their take on the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. I, for one, have been very pleased with most of the books so far. Alien Anthology is no exception. This book contains full-color illustrations and information necessary to run many of your favorite Star Wars aliens as characters including Duros, Zabrak and Gand. It also includes information on other alien creatures such as Banthas and Womp Rats.

   You also get creatures rules/classes, new prestige classes, Challenge Codes for multiple creatures and a table listing the ages for all the aliens (similar to that in the Core Rulebook).

   All-in-all a very useful book for any Star Wars gamer.




2. If I could describe the Alien Anthology in one word, it would be "utilitarian." Granted, there is a whole lot of information here about a wide range of races, most of which are suitable as PCs. There is also a nice section on creatures and creature creation which encompasses about 1/3 of the book (actually, I found this to be the most useful part).

   However, I walked away from this book feeling decidedly unimpressed. Perhaps it was the artwork and layout. The book is so neat and "clean" that it's practically sterile, and comes off feeling quite bland and uninspired. You definitely don't see the level of quality that was heaped on similar products such as the Dark Side Sourcebook or the Revised Rulebook.

   Furthermore, I was hoping to see much more attention devoted to species-specific feats, equipment, and prestige classes. There just isn't much of that to be found here.

   In short, it's my opinion that any potential buyer will be best off waiting for the release of the Ultimate Alien Anthology. The Ultimate book supposedly won't have any creatures, which may still prompt you to buy the original, but it promises to have a much more comprehensive list of races, gear, feats, and prestige classes.

   At first I was tempted to rate this book at a 2, but I'm going to give it a 3 because of the excellent creature section and because there actually is a lot of information to be found here. This book is definitely the 1987 Honda Civic of Wizard's Star Wars line- it gets you where you need to go, but it does so with a minimum of style and flair.




3. I own a copy of this... and i own a copy of the Ultimate Alien Anthology. I can say that despite popular opinion... the smaller Alien Anthology is still something i use quite often. Why?

   Alien Anthology has several species that you could use, more than enough for any campaign that i would write. Granted i do like the larger selection the Ultimate Alien Anthology offers, the smaller version has more than enough for me and more than I'll probably ever use. It also has creatures, non playable species that the Ultimate Alien Anthology doesn't have. It also has guidelines on how to create your own creature and descriptions of creature skills and feats. Granted the Ultimate Alien Anthology has 180 species, pretige clases, new skills and feats, it doens't have predators, herd animals, vermin and scavangers.

   Don't misunderstand, the Ultimate AA is a very very good resource for any GM, right up there with the Arms and Equipment Guide. The Ultimate AA lists out the species like they do in the book, with personality desriptions, sample names, adventurer types and whether or not Force users exist among the species, which the Alien Anthology doesn't. But if you are running an adventure and need a preditorial cat, the Ultimate Alien anthology will tell you how to hunt one, which speices hunt them, which prestige class to get to tame then, feed them, hunt them, breed them... but won't tell you a thing actually telling you what a preditorial cat is. It has speices ranging from the Space Slug to the Vornskr. And there aren't any repeats either... those mentioned in the RCR are not in the AA, creatures mentioned in the Power of the Jedi, Darkside, NJO or other source books are not in the Alien anthology. So is it still worth getting? Yes. I use it more often than my Ultimate Alien anthology because it is smaller, easier to navigate, easier to read, has more variety (not just playable species) and still a large selection of playable species.

   If you are a GM you should own this and the Ultimate Alien Anthology. It maybe a marketing ploy, but it is still a vital piece of my campaign writing.

5 comments about Dark Ages Vampire (Vampire: The Dark Ages).

1. From the get go, White Wolf shows why they are on top of this industry with their intial revamp of the Dark Ags line. DA: Vampire hammers a home run with the artistic layouts and eye catching images found within. New and interesting spins are offered that were either barely touched on in the original incarnation or non existant to begin with. Some rules are updated and others expanded upon (like Mortis and the Road paths).

   However, what keeps this book from being a 5 star knock out is it's stunning lack of future premonitions that were prevalent in the earlier edition. Leaving some of those key elements up to the previous book to cover was bad form on the writers part and it's exclusion kills much of the depth the original DA book had.

   Ending summary:

   The good: New information and new spins on the clans, roads, and disciplines. Compelling artwork and layouts.

   The bad: The way the previous book was largely written off. Key elements from the old book would have enhanced this DA product immensely. It wouldn't have hurt to have some definative "set in stone" issues resolved like the origins of the Tremere (hinted at being servants to the Tzmisce) and the final fate of the Cappadocians. While White Wolf is known for their contradictory storylines and comments within their own books, at least previous books took a stance. The notable lack thereof in this one is fairly glaring.

   All in all though, a top notch book. A definate replacement to it's predessesor. Just don't throw the old book away as the two can work well together in a main book/companion type of role.




2. A stand alone game, this setting (medieval) offers limitless possibilities of role playing vampires in a setting uniquely suited to the genre of horror and the supernatural. Of all the White Wolf historical settings this is the most researched, the most playable and the best in terms of mood and themes. Imagine playing an immortal vampire who begins his existance into the world of the damned in the age lit by fire to progress to the modern nights of neon and electricity.



3. This book is a wonderful introduction to the revised Dark Ages line. I approach every single book less like a player and more like an afficionado of the World of Darkness product line. I like the background and "fluff" more than the mechanics and how it applies to the roleplaying. In this regard, the book is rich in information about each of the clans and how they fit into Medieval times. The art work is visually appealing, which is something I cannot say about some of the clanbooks. If you acquire this book and like it, I would recommend collecting the follow-up volumes 'Guide to the Low Clans' & 'Guide to the High Clans', each of which "flesh-out" each clan and their identity during that period of time.

   If you were looking for a review on the mechanics and how this applies to roleplaying, et cetera ad infinitum ... I apologize because I only look that over for ideas I can use in an entirely different genre of game play ;)

   But from what I did look over, it is well written and easy enough to understand for someone who isn't a bonafide roleplayer (let alone a diehard gamer).




4. As usual, another good reviewed core rules book with plenty historical background, new roads and beautiful illustrations. The only flaw is the Salubri's absence.



5. White Wolf took their highly popular Vampire The Masquerade game and gave it a new twist. Unlike our current time, where no-one believes in monsters and vampires, and they get to skate on by, a lot of the time, this book sets the players in a situation where that is not the case.
   
   In the Dark Ages of human history, people actively did try and seek out vampires or other monsters, and destroy them.