1 comments about Shadowrun.

1. Anyone purchasing Shadowrunner 4th Edition with intentions to GM some games with your friends shall get this GM Shield.

No comments about Feywild: A D&D Miniatures Game Expansion (D&D Miniatures Product).

2 comments about Angel Corebook Role Playing Game.

1. It might take you a while to notice that this is the "Corebook" for the "Angel" roleplaying game, because fans of the series will be taken by some of the gorgeous graphics on the opening pages and the opening chapter, which translates "Angel's Path" from the television series to the game. While what gamers find here will be compatible with the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" roleplaying game, it is clear that "Angel" has a different flavor. The evil of Los Angeles is decidedly different from what you find in Sunnydale with the Hellmouth. The basic game playing structure is the same, but the characters lean more towards humans and demons than vampires, and understandably so for anyone who watches the show.

   Chapter Two is devoted to the Chosen Champions, which lays out a list of archetypes (e.g., Psychic Supermodel, Rogue Demon Hunter), along with the Original Cast: Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn, Fred, Lorne, Doyle, Kate Lockley, Connor, and the Groosalugg. A section of Seasonal Adjustments covers the first three seasons of the series. Chapter Three, Helping the Helpless covers the game mechanics on how to roll, move, research, and fight. Chapter Four, Arcane Approaches, is all about the magical arts, teaching you how to both cast and create spells. Chapter Five, Cabals, Covens, and Agencies covers the organizations that you will encounter in L.A. Chapter Six, City of Angel lays out the haunts, sights, and suspects of the city as well (including minor allies like Anne Steel and David Nabbit). Chapter Seven, Something Wicked, presents the bad guys, organized by vamps, demons, and others (this is where you find Darla and Drusilla). Chapter Eight, Episodes, Season and Drama are guidelines for Directors on how to create storylines and run games. Chapter Nine, Blood Brothers, is a fleshed-out adventure for the "Angel Roleplaying Game," which does not involve any creating.

   The back of the book contains an Appendix that provides a guide to Angelspeak, conversion notes for other Unisystem games, a glossary, character sheets, and other game aids. By this point C. J. Carella has made it very clear that he takes both this game and the television series on which it is based as seriously as the fans, which is exactly what we want. When Carella describes Darla's character motivation as "Pure self-centered evil, return Angelus, be a good mommy (very briefly)" and Drusilla's as "Whimsical nutjob, re-unite the "family," you know he is on target. I have been picking up these Eden Studio volumes because of my devotion to these shows, but I can see where playing one of these games would be a lot of fun as well.




2. My wife and I spent the past couple months watching the first three seasons of Angel on DVD. After we got Season Three finished, I wanted more Angel stuff, so I decided to get the RPG as I like RPGs. The corebook is very good, though only covers up to season three. Hopefully they will soon do a supplemental for it, but it isn't listed on the angel rpg web site yet.

   My wife is interested in playing it with me and she is not a RPG fan, but the unisystem that the game uses is very strait forward. The book is well laid out and easy to follow.

   I love the Angel quotes that fill almost every page. If you are Weldon fan, or just enjoy Angel and like to game or would like a different take on the Angelverse then this is the book for you.

No comments about Vade Mecum: The Cthulhutech Companion.

5 comments about Clanbook: Tremere.

1. It was a great book with all kinds of good knowledge for Tremere players, and storytellers. It was the best of all the clan books, I just wished it talked more about the servants of the clan.



2. Now, dont get me wrong, I am a serious Tremmy Fan, and I was truly impressed with what it said about Clan history, facts, rumours, and the inter power games. The Tremere Code was pretty interesting too, and even the section in the back describing the councilors worked quite well . What I was truly dissappointed in however, is that The new Rituals, Paths, and variant clan concepts were lacking. Badly. In that sense, the book didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. However, as I said, it for the most part is extremely useful.



3. This clanbook rocked! A must read for any serious fan of this wonderful clan of messed up magi. (Saulot had it coming, if you ask me.)



4. I thought it was well writen book it had a lot of good info for playing what is in my humble opinion the best clan of the Kindred. It could have included more about the history of the Tremere {EG:Why Tremere chose Saulot to commit Amaranth upon}, But other then that it was a great Book and for any Serious Vampire The Masquerade player it is a must.



5. Unfortunately, this clanbook, even at the time it was published, lacked detail and was not possessed of the highest production values - as Dragon magazine once put it, White Wolf took a long time passing Apprentice rank in the Sphere of Proofreading. However, it's not entirely without interest - still, if you're looking at this in 2003, you needn't even get it a second look, your dollars should go to Blood Magic (supreme!), House of Tremere (respectable), the new clanbook (not half bad), or Blood Sacrifice (unknown to me, but not really about Tremere).

2 comments about Mage Legacies the Ancient (Mage the Awakening).

1. Long awaited since Mage: the Awakening first came out, this supplement reveals the remainder of the mysterious Legacies from the core book, along with a few others. Most of the 13 Legacies presented in this book are supposed to be ancient, as the title implies, dating back to the first civilizations that arose after the collapse of Atlantis. Their magic is primal, sometimes mirroring mortal occult practices (the Dreamspeakers draw on shamanism and indigenous beliefs, the Thrice-Great share similarities with western ritual magick, and the Thread-Cutters arose from Indo-European cultures). As you might notice, some of the Legacies are tributes to the older Mage: the Ascension game, though their Awakening incarnations are very different indeed. The book also throws some light on the Elemental Tamers, Legacies who claim to pre-date Atlantis! And there are hints of other Tamer Legacies, left intentionally vague for STs to use or ignore. As always, each Legacy gets the same basic write-up, along with the background, Attainments, plot-hooks and sample characters. In order, here are the Legacies:
   
   * Dreamspeakers - A tribute to the old Dreamspeakers from Mage: the Ascension, these Primal Thyrsus shaman speak to the Dream-born spirits of the astral realm. Certainly one of my favorite Legacies in the book. They draw on many different cultures from American Indian traditions, Aboriginal Dreamtime lore and Siberian shamanism, to Buddhist mystics, evangelical Christians and Etruscan witchcraft (which, indeed, their signature character practices). Ironically, becuase they draw on cultural magic and generally reject the Atlantis mythos, the Legacy is strongly associated with the Free Council. I found this to be a good write-up, and an interesting take on shamanism in the Awakening setting.
   
   * Elemental Masteries - Actually five seperate Legacies, each with their own seperate write-ups, the section starts with a very brief introudction explaining the background (and interconnectedness) between the Elemental Masteries. Despite what the corebook said about them using Atlantean symbolism, the five Elemental Legacies claim to pre-date Atlantis, and are often at odds with more traditional Orders because of it. However, they've been influencing Sleeper society for millennia, in various roles. For example, the Tamers of Rivers were involved in mystery and fertility cults, the Tamers of Winds served as priests and educated professionals, and the Tamers of Stone were the builders and sacred artisans. The Legacies were as follows:
   
   The Tamers of Fire are a firey and passionate Obrimos Legacy whose Attainments use Forces to create, direct and even become fire! Optional use of Mind can be used to inspire and lead others as well. The Tamers of Rivers are a Thyrsus Legacy of wandering healers, mostly associated with old fertility Goddess cults (and, indeed, most are still female). Their Attainments use Matter to create and manipulate water, with optional Life use for healing. The Tamers of Stone are a Moros Legacy of builders and architects, whose Attainments use Space for finding ideal sites for building (and optional Matter use for shaping and building things). And the Tamers of Winds are an Acanthus Legacy that focus on learning, memorization and knowledge. Their Attainments use Forces for enhancing sounds, telekenitically moving things and even flying! And they have the option of using Mind to enhance their mental facilities.
   
   Finally, there is a fifth, rare Elemental Legacy representing the element of void, ether, akasha... The Tamers of the Cave are a Mastigos Legacy that represents the "fifth element". They are noble martyrs, sacrificing themselves for the good of the all. Their Attainments are all focused around the 'etheric mirror', which they construct through the Death Arcanum. I loved the Tamer of Rivers and Tamer of Winds, but I found the Tamer of the Caves to be an especially interesting Legacy, and a novel take on the 'fifth element'. Very good stuff here.
   
   * Forge Masters - A Moros Legacy, the Forge Master represent the master smiths and artisans of ancient civilizations, which viewed creating tools (and weapons) as a magical art. Their Attainments focus on using Prime to augment their creations, and eventually create idealized objects out of thin air! This section includes some notes on the Perfected Metals of Atlantis, and a couple of new Rotes as well. Interestingly enough, although they are a Moros Legacy, the chapter hints that in some parts of the world other Paths might follow the Legacy as well!
   
   * Skald - As their name implies, members of this Acanthus Legacy are wandering bards, poets, musicians and story-tellers. After the fall of Atlantis, they charged themselves with memorizing the history and lore of various cultures. Once again, they draw on cultures as diverse as Nordic skalds, Homeric poets and Armenian gusan. The Legacy's Attainments use Mind (and, optionally, Spirit as well) to influence the way others think and act. The section also includes an optional Merit, Skald Cant, a secret language which helps memorize things and when dealing with spirits. Once again, I found this to be a very interesting and enjoyable Legacy that I could see myself playing.
   
   * Sphinxes - Another fascinating Legacy, the Sphinxes are a Mastigos Legacy associated with the Mysterium. Originating in Renaissance Spain, the Sphinxes are obsessed with uncovering the mysteries of the universe. They are all about looking for patterns and hiden meaning, researching things like chaos theory and linguists. That sort of stuff. To this end, their Attainments are all about using Fate to analyze and (at higher levels) manipulate probability, with optional Mind effects to notice hidden details. Interesting stuff, and good fluff for information on the cosmology of Awakening. Their signature character, Babel, is pretty fun too.
   
   * Thread Cutters - A Moros Legacy loosely associated with the Guardians of the Veil, the Thread-Cutters are something of a tribute to the Euthanatos Tradition from Mage: the Ascension. Again, these Mages reject alot of Atlantean tradition, instead having become strongly attached to various Indo-European traditions such as the Indians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Etruscans and Celts. They believe in serving Fate itself, whether through Creation, Preservation or Destruction, and thus are sometimes at odds with more mainstream Guardians. Indeed, some consider the Legacy Left Handed! The section includes a new Death Rote for entering the Underworld, and again, the signature character is unique and interesting. I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of this Legacy, and look forward to using it in future games.
   
   * Thrice-Great - Drawing on Hermetic ritual, this Legacy is associated with both the Obrimos Path and the Silver Ladder. Appropriately enough, they believe in using magic to bring the spirits of the Celestial Courts under humanity's control and recreating the ladder of Atlantis! Once again, this Legacy is a tribute to the Order of Hermes from Atlantis, and draws on the same sort of stuff - astrology, Gnosticism, Neo-Platonism and so forth. Their Attainments are all about using Spirit to interact with the Celestial spirits of the planets. The section also includes another new Merit, Celestial Name, which confers a bonus when interacting with Celestial spirits. Great stuff for a spirit centered chronicle!
   
   * Echo Walkers (Left Handed) - A new Left Handed Legacy, meant for Storytellers to use as antaognists, this fanatical Obrimos Legacy believes in dissecting the human soul to get a glimpse of the primordial beings that existed before humanity! Nephilim, Fomori, whatever you want to call them. The magic they use to do so is essentially the equivalent of spiritual rape, which puts them at odds with pretty much everyone else, but the Attainments they gain from their studies allow them to enhance themselves with Life, making them quite formidible! Very creepy and thematic, and it's nice to see a Left Handed Legacy that isn't Moros or Mastigos.
   
   * Logophages (Left Handed) - Although sometimes associated with the Guardians of the Veil, this second Left Handed Legacy can be followed by any Path or Order. As their name implies, the Logophages eat knowledge, stealing it from other Mages. These guys are great antagonists. Interestingly enough for players who remember the old World of Darkness, their chapter includes their own take on the story of Cain and Abel. And the signature character, Queen Scotch, is a great antaognist to throw at players. Very original stuff here.
   
   All in all, the book is excellent. I especially appreciated the fact that the Legacies in the book provided so many different takes on the history and cosmology of the Mage setting, including a fair number of Mages who don't neccessarily believe in Atlantis, or accept the common beliefs of the five Orders (the Dreamspeakers, Elemental Masteries, etc). Yet also have other Legacies that expand on the history, background and culture of Atlantis, like the Skalds and Thrice-Great. In addition, it was nice to have some examples of how culture influences magic (something that the forth-coming Magical Traditions promises to show more of). As a player who remembers Mage: the Ascension, I found the new take on some of the old material especially nice. I strongly recommend this book, in addition to other supplements such as Secrets of the Ruined Temple, Tome of the Mysteries, the Shadows of... series and the forth-coming Magical Traditions, for greatly expanding the setting of Awakening. Plus, you get to see most of the Legacies from the core book (except for the Bokor and Clavicularis, which were covered elsewhere). And, do yourself a favor and read the introductory fiction, which is a good example showing two Legacies in action.



2. This is the only legacy book for Mage the Awakening that I have bought, principally because I wanted to see how the Threadcutters and the Thrice Great were treated (these two legacies correspond to the Euthanatos and the Order of Hermes from the old Ascencion game). I was very pleased with the write-ups and I think they are even better than their predecessors. Im glad I purchased this, not sure if I'll buy another legacy book but Im really pleased with this one (although I may buy another if they decide to do a treatment on the Cult of Ecstacy).
   
   Great addition to the mage setting.

5 comments about World of Darkness: Mummy 2nd ed..

1. I found this book both fascinating and enthralling. It has great source material, new merits, flaws and generating system that allow you to create the NEAR eternal (not immortal, there is a difference) mummies. However, one thing that should absolutely be noted before purchasing the book - a warning so to speak - is that there is only one book in this series (there should have been more) and the background material covers only the Egyptian/Greek mummies, but refers to "the others" constantly. Also note, that the creation process for mummies is more grueling and there are not as many spells in their paths to work with solely on the facts in this book. You'll need to improvise if you wanna keep things fresh storytellers! Other than those warnings, this book gets 4 stars easy.



2. If you have been playing white wolf for a while and want to try a crossover game using various "species" from the main systems, consider a mummy character as the glue that holds the group together or as a means of getting the group together in the first place. Also, it is a wonderful game in its own right.



3. You wouldn't think a book about mummies, in the Vampire line, would be this interesting. And the book's slightly dated at this point. But the virtue system is far more meaningful than the vampire equivalent, and the Reborn add a fascinating element to any White Wolf game, not a B-Movie feel. In my opinion, the Reborn are virtually a *must* in Vampire and/or Mage games that delve into the origins of civilization, and while they should be rare, they're totally playable.



4. This version of the Mummy subset of the original World of Darkness is a must better rendition of this type of supernatural monster than its revision, Mummy: The Resurrection. Mummy Second Edition inproved on its precesessors by expading its scope, and showing how mummies from cultures other than Egypt can be created as characters. The mummies created using these rules are the mummies of film--the mummies created through Resurrection are reincarnations, and not as spectacular nor unique (when compare to other WoD creatures) than the mummies from this book.



5. Have to love the concept. A great alternative for those who whish to have a break from the regular Werewolf, Vampire and Mage ideas. It even incoroporates some of Wratih the Oblivion. Not a long term play however and is better suited for creating background stories or even NPC's. Needs a character sheet though. (Don't know why they would omit something so vital.)

1 comments about Mutants & Masterminds: Book Of Magic (Mutants & Masterminds).

1. As the title says, no spells folks, just a collection of magic user templates, items and gods/demons whatnot. Shows how to create mystical adventurers and plan mystical games, mainly a GM tool not bad though.

2 comments about Map Folio One (Dungeons & Dragons).

1. Jeez - if you plan adventures you plan maps. If you buy adventures you get maps. What good is this book? Okay a reference for motivation, maybe, for $2.50 - this is less than what you would expect from Dungeon magazine. I just don't get it.



2. I had envisioned a full scale set of maps like the map found in the DM's guide. Not so, these are good reference and will help PC's get a good idea of the dungeon but you cannot play on the maps themselves. I can and will use these maps, by all means buy them they are going to make a great addition to my campaings but don't expect to use then as a playing field.

1 comments about Worlds Largest City (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. The single most amazing aspect of this book is the incredible consistency with which it creates such tributes to shame on each and every page. Indeed the writing skill and style of this text is what we have come to expect from barely literate blue-green algae.
   
   In this book you will not find any world information, overarching plot lines, maps of interior spaces, logic, or reason. Things you will find include special paper designed to absorb the blood and tears of the reader, shallow and stereotypical NPC descriptions with levels chosen to be more extreme than a Mountain Dew commercial, the explicit and sadistically detailed location of every single coin and magic item in the city at all times, and monotonous page art so bleak it would scare the cast of Orwell's 1984.
   
   Editing and formatting problems serve to enhance the books profane aura. Lines of text are occasionally wrapped to the left and right of images for maximum seizure induction and grammatical errors can be found decorating the text with staggering frequency. While a few worthy pieces of art may be found by those adventurous enough to read the entire unholy tome they are on average exceedingly poor and placed in locations which I may only assume make sense in some non-euclidean alternate universe.
   
   On the plus side the book functions as a fairly effective bludgeoning weapon. Also the feeling of joy and liberation one feels when putting down the book is akin to being freed from the Spanish inquisition.