4 comments about Half-Damned: Dhampyr.

1. Ok the V:tM book Time of the Thin Blood had Dhampirs in it. They are the living offspring of a 15th generation vampire and a mortal and had some unusual powers. They seemed interesting but there was barely enough information to use them as an NPC so I eagerly ordered this book off amazon when it first popped up back in March. I got it today and well I'm sending it back because it isn't for Vampire the Masquerade at all. It is for Kindred of the East. Apparently, Kindred of the East (which is a seperate game made by the same company) can have offspring with a mortal and are also called Dhampirs and well these are the Dhampirs that this book is about. I searched the book high and low to find something that purtains to V:tM and I didn't find a thing. It says it is a sourcebook for V:tM and KotE but it is for KotE all the way. Just thought I would tell you.



2. The Kindred of the East line, unlike most of White Wolf's recent work, is still putting out a good percentage of interesting and useful supplements. Dhampyr is the next of those, detailing the mortal sons and daughters of the Kuei-jin. The book is a pretty nice combination of cultural information, spiffy powers, and the requisite Secret History.

   I was happy that the authors avoided making this just a sort of Ghouls of the East. Instead of having only bits of Disciplines scrounged from their betters, the dhampyr have a powerful little tool of their own--joss, the incredible luck that surrounds them. Not that they're going to be winning one-on-one fights with the Cathayans, but it gives them a different flavor than the wholly pathetic Western blood-slaves.

   The cultural stuff is nothing too surprising, but I didn't notice any big holes in it, either. Half-Damned also gives some history that the ancestors don't want leaked out, and of course character creation rules. The book is nothing to shake my view of the game, but it's a good supplement for an important subset of Kuei-jin society.




3. Okay, as I saw in another review, this is NOT for Vampire: the Masquerade. It's for Kindred of the East, a supplement for Vampire, but don't misunderstand, the Kuei-jin (what the Oriental "vampires" call themselves) aren't Cainites, they are a whole 'nother type of Immortals. And as a consqeuence their children (this isn't a new thing for them, like it is for the Cainites) are in a realm all their own. While they could be used to power-play, it also open a whole new realm of options for players. Half-Damned? More like Half Blessed.



4. The Kindred of the East companion roughly outlined Dhampyr for us and this book gives you all the details. They are the living children of Kuei jin(The asian vampires detailed in Kindred of the East, a sub-setting of Vampire: The Masquerade). They differ considerably from the same pronunciation different spelling Dhampir of the main Vampire: The Masquerade line, and probably should have been named something different, they don't get called Dhampyr in my game because I think using an old world European word for an old world Asian phenomenon is silly but others opinions may vary. Being the pretty rare children of animated blood sucking corpses and humans(usually the mother), they have a lot of advantages(outrageous luck, access to very low levels of the powers possessed by their inhuman parents, and a lifetime about four times that of a normal human), these of course come with some downsides(They have a wide mean/violent streak and are more prone to antisocial behavior, their luck sometimes helps them at the expense of others, they may become addicted to canabilism as a means of "cheaply" fueling their supernatural abilities, and they watch everyone else grow old and die well before they do.) The greatest problem, and the one that makes so viable for roleplaying, is that their undead parents view them as resources to be exploited at best, tools to be used and discarded at worst. They have almost no chance of living out a "normal" life because even if their bizzare luck didn't get them involved in dire situations, they would still find themselves mired in the politics of the undead. Not a book that is extremely important, it is still an entertaining and well written source of information on Half-Damned and made me want to play one or include them in my game. Four stars, 5 for being that good, minus one for just not being all that important.

5 comments about The Everlasting: Book of the Unliving.

1. The Everlasting is a great game for both beginning roleplayers and those playing since time began. There is not much you can't do with this game, and you can literally use it for many different kinds of gaming adventures from the medival dungeon crawl to a modern day war with a group of fallen angels. This game literally has everything.



2. For years the "World of Darkness" has dominated the market in terms of Urban Fantasy but Everlasting, the new contender has everything that it takes to topple that Throne, and more.
   
   I found the rule system light and flexible but still with enough meat to give you a solid idea about your character and what he can do.
   
   The system itself offers several dice and character creation systems, a card based (Tarot or other) system and also instructions for gameing without a game master.
   
   Included is also a way to directly reward or punish players for their actions and also personal Ethos, Beliefs ,Outlooks, Passions and Relations to further define the Character.
   
   The overall Background is a world in between our "normal" World, called the "Reverie"(along with several other Planes of Existance) where supernatural beings of all kind and color dwell and carry out age old conflicts among each other. What appears to us a spooky abandoned house might be a huge Victorian Manor, the palace like dwelling place of a Revenant in the Reverie, a small patch of forest to us is a primeval forest where creatures straight from a fairytale live...
   
   Each of the four foundation books provides an entirely different tone of play, with a set of supernatural creatures described in detail, magic paths and planes of existence that belong to the topic the book aims at.
   
   All the Beings from the other Foundation Books are described
   with their basic traits, enough to give the Gamemaster an idea how to describe and play those beings.
   
   The Book of the Unliving introduces you to the dark, bleak, "gothic" world of all things Undead:
   
   Vampires (Predators out for blood who can run the whole range from the beastial to the smooth and refined upper crust "party animal") and many of their "Bloodlines"
   
   Revenants (ghosts that one way or another made their way back from the afterlife by takeing over bodies, living or dead, they sustain themself by draining the life force of others, ageing mortals, withering plants...)
   
   Dead Souls (Spirits of the Dead,Ghosts) and the societies they created in the Underworld
   
   Ghuls (people that drank from an ancient elixir that provided them with both, immortality and a decaying body and/or soul, who must feed on raw flesh to keep their bodies from Degenerating) dwelling in Tunnels and Crypts, living their unlives as outcasts even among the other supernatural beings.
   
   Reanimates (Artifical Beings, crafted from Bodyparts, a fusion of dead flesh and metal, or entirely inorganic like Clay or Stone)
   
   The plane of existence described (beside the Reverie) in this Book is the Underworld, dwelling place of the Dead Souls, with its most important places, rules and basic politics.
   
   To sum it up:
   With about 20 years of role playing experience under my belt I am delighted by the style of The Everlasting. The system supports many tastes, rule and background wise, without being too thin on one and too thick on the other. I can only recommend that you give it a try with the foundation book that most suits your taste.



3. When I received this book in the mail, I was astonished. The artwork alone elevates this product above any of the new World of Darkness material. But the approach to roleplaying is genuinely innovative.
   
   The rules system is either card/tarot based or dice based (which is presented side by side rather than stuck at the back of the book like a forgotten step child).
   
   The presentation and layout is fabulous. The artwork is breathtakingly dark and atmospheric, and the setting is what I've come to expect from modern horror/fantasy: grounded in real world beliefs. As opposed to the attempts made in the new World of Darkness, it has much greater strength IMO.
   
   In addition, the messageboard at Visionary Entertainment is quite active with the publishers interacting with fans. I have since come to find out this is the way it has ALWAYS been. That kind of product support is heartfelt and always useful. This game, in it's first edition, so inspired one fan that he bought the company and has been hard at work helping produce more material.
   
   Highly recommended!



4. The Book of the Unliving, Color Edition, is, as the name implies, a revamp of an earlier book put out by Visionary Entertainment Studios.
   
   The full pictures utilize an etheral style that fully compliments the content of the book. I was especially enchanted with the pictures in the Ghul section, as they manage to be both horrifying and strangely beautiful.
   
   The content is on par, if not better, than the art. The book's set in the modern era. Magic is every where, but hidden from the eyes of mortals, save for a few Fantasts and Magicians. In this world there are the eldritch, the magical races of the world. The Book of the Unliving details the Vampires (Immortal blood-suckers that everyone should be familiar with), Ghuls (Mortals who drank Annecro and earned immortality as zombie like creatures who must feed on the flesh of dead humans or face physical and mental degeneration), Revenants (Dead souls who returned from the grave and possessed another's body), Dead Souls (Ghost's who, for whatever reason, do not rest quietly), and Re-animates (think Frankenstein's monster), as well providing barebones statistics for 10 other Eldritch (which are more thoroughly explored in the other three core books).
   
   Like the other Foundation books of the Everlasting series, the Book of the Unliving can stand on its own, having rules (With variations for freeform, dice, or card draw methods of play), advice for GMs (Or DMs, Or STs, as you prefer), supernatural powers for the various undead, information on the setting, and a flexible magic system (Fans of the Everlasting system will no doubt rejoice at the all new break down of magickal effects by category and magnitude).
   
   This is an all around excellent RPG and should be in any modern fantast fan's collection.



5. I discovered The Everlasting back when it first came out. Back then, they were great, and I was sad to see the game fold. A few years ago, the game came back, and that was joyous news, but something subtle was missing: the books were still in black and white while most of the big games had switched over to color.
   
   This is fantastic. The game is excellent, the book is beautifull, and the layout is a big improvement. Sample characters have been included and the magick rules are greatly expanded. If you like gaming, get this book. If you like mythology, get this book. If you like modern fantasy or horror, get this book. In general, get this book . . . even if you have the old black and white version, get this book!

4 comments about *OP Clanbook: Followers of Set (Rev Ed) (Vampire: The Masquerade Clanbooks).

1. This book is a cultural and historical study of one of the darkest of clans. The focus is one the culture and the mindset of the "snakes." This book discards the worn out stereotype of "Servants of Set" and gives them more depth. They are still his servants, but the are more... main stream. They still have thier dark goals, but they are protrayed with more human motivations. They are seen as religious, not mindless fanatical worshipers who cant think about anything beyond Set and snakes. Set colors everything they do, but he no longer appears to dictate everything that they do. If you read the clan novel, you will see that this clan book better describes Hesha, the previous work made it hard for me to imagine how a clan of fanatics could create such subtle schemeing sellers of secrets. This work paints a picture that makes it clear.

   The down side is that the list of disciplines is weak.




2. All I can say is way better than the origial Clan Book. This book gives a much better telling of the tenits of the Followers of Set, and a telling of there history, from a realist of the clan. It also for me answered the questions like why do the other cainites put up with the snakes. It plays more on the keeping of "dark secrets" than the first book did, takes a stance of knowlege can bring coruption, and not all favors are payable to the giver.

   I think this is good resource if you are a Story Teller, or a player intresed in running a snake, this book realy helped me get what they are all about. It also makes the snakes more playable in any game (MET or Table Top).




3. Lets face it. The previous clan books were pretty [bad], so the Revised clan books have a lot to make up for. Well this one certainly does an excellent job of making the Followers of Set actually playable. After you read this book, you will actually be able to incorporate Setites into your games without disrupting it.
   The opening fiction gives us plenty of hints that what we think about them might not be so accurate after all. And then we get the kicker. The first chapter about history is written by a skeptical Setite! Theres a heavy focus on Egypt, and it looks like the authors really did some homework here. It starts off in pre-dynastic times, with the conflict between Osiris and Set and continues throughout dynastic Egypt into the Persian invasion and Alexander's liberation of Egypt. From then on, we get some stuff on Carthage, Cleopatra, Roman north Africa, the Coptic period and Set's disappearence. Byzantine and Muslim Egypt, along with the Crusades in the Holy Land, are then explored, with lots of juicy little tidbits. It goes on to the Ottoman era and the slow spread into Europe (the "Dark Continent"). We finally get into the modern era, along with some hints at non-Egyptian Setites! And then we are left with a disturbing ending.
   The next chapter is the meat, explaining the role of the Setites, Egyptian mythology and the Pah of Typhon-Set. We learn that the Setites are not base corrupters, but religious fanatics, servants of a dark and terrible god who offers freedom and scholars who seek to preserve forbidden lore. Definately a better motivation than undead pimps and drug lords. We get some hints for "Playing a God", a revision of the Path of Typhon (and the new Path of Sutekh), cult structure and some sample temples (mainly in northern Africa). Aside from the stereotypes of other clans and supernaturals, we also get to learn that the Setites are indeed not exclusively Egyptian. Aside from the orthodox cults, other ones exist, drawing from other cultures. We learn of the Norse Setites who revere the great serpent, the African Children of Damballah, the Sabbat's Serpents of Light who follow Voodoo and Santeria, the Shaivite Daitya of India and the Tlacique, ancient Aztec, Mayan and Incan vampires who now challenge the Sabbat.
   The chapter closes out with some mechanical stuff. New knowledge called Setite Lore, which draws upon the forbidden lore from ancient Egypt, and some new discipline powers. We get higher level Serpentis powers, along with some Obfuscate, Presence and multi-discipline powers. Plus we finally get a look at the hoary magics of ancient Egypt. The Setites can boast blood magicians just as potent as the Tremere. And not only are there Egyptian blood magics, but also Hindu magics of the Daitya, voodoo and santeria magics from Serpents of Light and the sacrificial magics of Mesoamerica used by the Tlacique.
   And of course, it closes out with the standard character templates, signature characters and a Setite specific character sheets. Surprisingly, the character templates are all pretty unique and original, a rarity for a clan book. Things like prophetic artist, business man who sells cheap Egyptian-style art, psychology, techno-mystic and gladiator. Plus we get the non-standard ones: Native rights activist Tlacique, voodoo queen Serpent of Light and debunking scientist Daitya. Pretty cool actually. The signature characters include a brood of Setites who repair other's reputations, as well as the signature character Hesha Ruhadze. More interesting, for me anyway, was the Daitya "devil-Brahmin" Sundervere. From what I've been told, he's going to become a major signature character in the upcoming Victorian Era Vampire. Regardless, hes a cool character.
   Check out this book if you want to make Setites with any real depth to them. Its an excellent clan book, and well worth the buy. Afterwards, you will actually be able to run them in your chronicles. The section on Egyptian history was extremely well written, even without the Setites, plus the new non-western bloodlines like the Children of Damballah, Daita and Tlacique were all neat additions too. Check out Blood Sacrifice for more on non-western blood magicians (especially Setites).



4. I picked up CB: FoS to help round out a character I was playing in a Vampire LARP, in large part because I had never actually tried to play a real Settite before. All clans are hobbled by excessive stereotyping, but the infrequency of the minor clans and bloodlines makes such stereotypes even more difficult to break out of successfully. The Clanbook helps bust through the "traditional" view of the Followers of Set, barely even mentioning the base pandering that most people would associate with the Clan.

   The Revised V:tM books as a whole are a major improvement over the stumbling in first and second edition, and this clanbook is no exception. An updated Path, while less strenuous in it's hierarchy of sins than some, gives much more character to the Followers of Set, while a review of history and pre-history of the world through the eyes of the cult provides a depth that suits so ancient a following.

   The updating of the dogma of the Followers of Set does a great job of transforming them from a group of fundamentalists into a vital if dark religion. The style of writing also keeps the message fluid enough that one finds it hard to get locked in to a single interpretation of the message of the Followers of Set, empahiszing once again that their faith is one to be experienced, not simply one of words.

   What I would have liked to see more of:
   examples of the founding of a temple
   more on akhu and specific ritualistic practices

1 comments about The Codex of the Immortals (The Everlasting Roleplaying Game).

1. I just received my copy of the Codex the other day, and after taking the next several hours reading it, I thought I would pop on here and give a review. After following The Everlasting series for many years, I have come to think that The Everlasting is bar none the best modern day roleplaying game on the market. It is more user-friendly and allows for much more creativity and divirsity with characters and games. The Codex is the first source book to the series, and, in my humble opinion, is by far the best put together book out of all of the published Everlasting books. The artwork is magnificent, the inside information sheds some much needed light on some areas of The Everlasting, adding that little bit of help for a lot of players. I suggest to everyone who likes roleplaying to get not only this book but the four foundation books as well, as the entire series is one of the best things in the industry.

1 comments about *OP Laws of the East (Mind's Eye Theatre).

1. If you have been waiting to bring vampires from the east into your LARP, then this is the book for you. It is full of not only the rules and powers for the Kuei-Jin, but also lots of background information on the vampires from the region as well. I think that the discipline spreads are excellent, and if done properly they are about as powerful as any other starting level character. A lot of the emphasis placed on Eastern philosophy is also very cool. Enjoy!

3 comments about *OP Dharma Book: Devil Tigers (Kindred of the East).

1. This is a good book for the most part. The introductory story and much of the book focuses on explaining that the Devil Tigers are Demons or think that they are Demons. This makes for a pretty dark book. On the other hand, the thing that distinguishes them from western vampires is that they have something to do--punish the wicked. The only flaw is the pages on using Crimson rituals and artifacts in a live action game--the information appears identical to the info on how to run these artifacts in a standard game.



2. This books introduces you to the followers of the Devil Tigers Dharma. For those of you unfamiliar with the Kindred of the East system that means Clan. This guys really make look each other nasty of the World of Darkness like children. While all the other Tradition, Clan, Tribe books always have someone who assures you that they are the meanest of all the groups, they are ussually lost in their own schemes and petty politicing. That's not the point with the Devil Tigers, they have their feets firmly planted on the ground and of all the supernaturals around the World of Darkness, they have the realest agenda. Worth the reading even if you don't play on this system. Be warned though, you may not like all that you read.



3. I really like the KoE system, but unfortunately the Devil-tiger book seems to be going into a lot of what White Wolf has been doing lately - let's get more graphic and outrageous when it's not really needed, and we'll sell more stuff. I like the CONCEPT of the devil-tigers, but frankly they go into unnecessary depth. It's one thing to involve violence such as rape in a plot, and say it happened, it's another to actually go and play it out in painful detail. Hope they get better with the next one.

1 comments about Shadow War (Kindred of the East).

1. This is a very well done book about how Asian vampires fight. It explains the political/historical/religious reasons for the different rules used to conduct them. All of the background info on why these fights are handled in they way they are gives a good feel to the politics and mood of the Kuei-jin courts.

   The first section is about "twilight wars", which are very ritualized conflict between kuei-jin used to settle a dispute. The book lists several different types to twilight wars and when they are used. The main problem that I had with this section was that there are a lot of different type of twilight wars, and most of them are not given examples of how they work in more detail. The second section is about "midnight wars", which unlike the twilight wars are only completed by the destruction of one of the sides involved. Even with fight ting of this level the rules and rituals must be followed. There is also a discussion of tactics used, though anyone who has read Sun Tzu's Art of War will find it very familiar.

   The third section is about the conflicts raging between the older more traditional Kuei-jin and the newer more modern and westernized ones. It gives the rather different tactics used by both sides in this conflict.

   The fifth section is the only one that will have much use to a campaign dealing with western vampires. This section is about what the Kuei-jin are doing in the West Coast of America and Australia. It explains their organization, opposition, tactics and what they're motives are. Trust me it's interesting.

   There is also a chapter about organizations used in the fighting and notable characters. Over all this is a very good book with a lot of information about how Kuei-jin fight, but it is of very little to no use for campaigns dealing only with the childer of Cain.

2 comments about Art of Vampire: The Masquerade.

1. The Neil Gaiman stories in the start of the book were good, occasionally startling, sometimes even frightening, and with one in particular, curiously revealing.

   The two pieces of writing which attempt to justify the book, writen by Richard Dansky and Rob Hatch, are entertaining. Both were obviously asked "What is Vampire about?"; Dansky took it straight and gave a satisfying answer, Hatch ridiculed the question and thus provided an even better one. On the other hand, the clan descriptions and quotes are nothing most Vampire readers won't have seen before, and none will grab you; likewise, the Signiture Character pieces could have been left out. Instead, artists notes discussing what they were trying to capture in each picture would have been much better.

   The artwork is good, which is surely the main concern here, although some of the artwork included I felt weren't quite up to the standard of the rest (Such as Gerald Brom's Transylvania by Night, or Janet Aulisio's Milwaukee by Night; Both excellent, but both pale next to.. say, Tim Bradsteet's amazing work.) and I was horrified that Joshua Timbrooks awesome Nosfertu wasn't included.

   In short: What can I say? It's an Artbook about Vampire: The Masquerade. The artwork is very well done, and the majority of the few pieces of writing included are interesting.




2. I was disappointed by this book because a lot of the pictures in it were identical to others in other books. If your V:tM collection is small, it is a nice addition. If it is quite large, then I don't suggest bothering.

No comments about Vampire The Eternal Struggle Players Guide.

2 comments about Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom (Vampire: the Masquerade).

1. I have to admit, I was nervously looking forward to this book. WW has had a mixed history when doing "non-western" cultures (for instance, Mummy and Year of the Scarab did a good job covering Mid-Eastern culture, but then there were travesties like WoD: Gypsy). The outline that leaked out was good, and when the book final came in I was astonished. This book gives you everything you need to run an African Vampire game. Unlike Kindred of the East, which introduced a whole new supernatural being, this book focuses instead on African cainites known as Laibon. However, the spiritual and cultural beliefs of Africa have worked their own effects on the blood of Caine. The book introduces us to the Laibon's society, a series of Kingdoms ruled over by the Guruhi (one of the clans). There is no Camarilla, Sabbat or Anarchs. Either your with the Guruhi or against them. We also get to see other African "clans", like the shamanistic Shango, the mercenary Kinyonyi and the wise Akunanse. And, of course, the Setites are there as well. Each "clan" is descendant of a western Clan (look at their discipines and weakness to try and figure out if you want), but changed. The disciplines are also changed. Auspex deals more with spirits, Dur-An-Ki (Assamite Sorcery) replaces Thaumaturgy and Vicissitude is... ick. And instead of Humanity or Paths of Enlightenment, you have a whole new system more attuned to African religions.
   This aside, theres a wealth of material on African society in general. The book focuses primarily on sub-Saharan Africa (for more on North African areas like Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and such, check out Veil of Night, Cairo by Night and the Assamite and Setite Clan Books) and provides a whole IC journey across West, Cenral and East Africa. Game wise, you also get some new traits, backgrounds and even magical items. Theres also a lot of rituals for incorporating Sangoma and Inyanga, African shaman and healers, along with guidelines for storytelling both in the Ebony Kingdoms and abroad. Stats in the back are also given for a vast array of wild animals, as well as shape-shifters (were-hyenas, jackals, crocodiles, spiders, sharks, etc), nature spirits, ghosts, zombies, African mages (shaman, witch-doctors, healers, witches, priests, etc) and such.
   Over all, if you plan on using African material with vampire game, or even just running a general World of Darkness game set in Africa, you should definately check this book out. Its well worth your while. I've already run it in cross-overs with my Mummy game with good results.



2. I'm not looking to have an African story but I want to take my players there. For this sort of "vacation" into the continent, "The Ebony Kingdom" is a bit too complicated and too complex. Understanding the Kindred of the continent requires some shifting in how you understand Kindred at all. But if you and your players want to spend time (your players will need to spend hours reading and thinking before trying to create a character for this part of the world) it could be challenging and scary. It would also allow for some neat political and social commentaries. I really wish it had more sample characters included to help me figure things out a bit better -- also give storytellers who just want to visit a helping hand.