No comments about Darklands: A Lone Wolf RPG Supplement (Lone Wolf).

1 comments about *OP Tribebook: Silver Fangs Rev (Werewolf the Apocalypse).

1. It is known that the tribebooks feature a story throughout the first coule of chapters. For most of these, the story often gets in the way of the information. However, in this tribebook the story reads like a novel, as King Albrecht is talked to by a group of Russian Fangs. In fact, this is the prequel to the last Werewolf novel, Last Battle. It also has all the neat new gifts and fetishes that Werewolf fans want in their tribebooks.
   
   Highly recommended.

No comments about *OP MET: Book of the Wyrm (Mind's Eye Theatre).

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.))

2 comments about Tribebook: Red Talons.

1. Red Talons. You may not think they're the best tribe in the World of Darkness given to you by White Wolf, but this book shows the Garou through the Talons' eyes- and how extreme they are when it comes to dealing with humans- they spoke out against stopping the Impergium! The Tribebook is very well done, giving you what you'd expect in any tribebook- gifts, rites, camps in the tribe, a history of it, etc. This book goes beyond what would normally be expected- I found myself loving the Red Talons by the time I was finished, and the book made it a lot easier for me to 'think' and mentally 'see' how I would roleplay as a Lupus of any breed, besides. Definitely a must-have, even if you're not fond of the Talons initially. You'll wind up loving them.



2. The authors of this tribebook did what they could for this tribebook. However, the tribe by its nature limited what could be done for the book. The history of the tribe is limited, and the archetypes are uninspiring. It does a good job relating what it is like to be a lupus, but that's its only real credit, asides from the typical "crunchy bits".

1 comments about *OP Rage Across Appalachia (Werewolf).

1. I enjoyed this supplement as I live in the area. I specifically enjoyed the segment dealing with my Alma Mater's community of Berea, KY. The book managed to catch the flavor of several communities in Eastern KY, Eastern TN, and the surrounding area. The mountain communities have rich traditions which would appeal to many of the changing breed, kith, and some Mage Traditions. What I did not like were some of the insinuations that the area's pre-dispositon for "inbreeding" would make it perfect for a BSD hive. Oh well, I guess a few stereotypes are necessary.

No comments about Stargazers Tribebook.

1 comments about *OP Tribebook: Silent Striders Rev (Werewolf the Apocalypse).

1. This book covers the wandering Silent Strider Tribe, exiled from Egypt by Sutekh's curse. The book jumps right away into the Tribe's history, starting along the Nile and the steppes of Central Asia. Alot of information is given on Egypt, the battle between Sutekh and Osiris, and the Tribe's eventual curse and exile. Mention of important historical events is made, such as the rise of Christianity and Islam, the Crusades, the Ottoman Empire, the Gulf War, construction of the Aswan Dam and so forth, as the Tribe spread through the Middle East, Africa and India seeking a new home. Theres also a lot of metaplot stuff (Beast Courts of Asia, Black Tooth, the Ahadi, the Red Star and Ravanna's awakening) and even sensitive political issues affecting the Striders (Islamic fundamentalism, the Intifada, 11-9, genocide against the Rroma, etc).

   Chapter two covers the beliefs and practices of the Striders, including views on the Litany, Auspice roles, stereotypes of other Tribes and Fera (their relationships with the Bastet, Mokole, Mummies and Setites are all quite interesting) and so forth. Stuff on breeds and kinfolk is discussed, such as their human kin (ranging from Bedouin and Tuareg nomads, Ethiopians, Rroma, Jews, nomadic Native American Nations and so forth) and wolf kin (the wolves of Ethiopia, Central Asia and even the plains of North America). In addition, theres mention of all the Camps, including a new look at the Daggers of the Night (vampire killers) and the Eaters of the Dead. Then theres a look at Strider lands, not just Egypt and the Middle East, but also the Garou caste system in India, the Ahadi of Africa and much more. Plus a nice sidebar on vampire hunting.

   The following chapter covers all manner of crunchy stuff, like fleshing out Backgrounds, appearence and Egyptian names, new Gifts, Rites, Fetishes and Talens, Totems like Crocodile and Scarab, Camp specific goodies and even a new Merit and a new Flaw. Some of this stuff comes from the old Tribe Book, but lots of new stuff is presented as well. The book then closes out with the five pre-generator characters (stuff like "the vampire hunter" and "child of Anubis"), plus some characters of note such as Wepauwet, Vik Stryker (who fell in battle with a Setite cult but went out in a blaze of glory), Black Shuck (very cool character), Walks-with-Might and the signature character Memphi Faster-Than-Death. Nothing too new or surprising here, but still cool. Ultimately I found this an enjoyable book. The IC stuff I've found to be a little more useful than the crunchy bits thus far, but it still is a wonderful resource for Werewolf games. Its especially nice if you're using Rage Across Egypt, playing the Ahadi, running a Mummy crossover or have an interest in the Middle East, Egypt, Africa and/or India in the World of Darkness setting. Check it out.

1 comments about Frontier Secrets: A Storyteller Sourcebook for Werewolf: The Wild West (Werewolf: The Apocalypse Companions).

1. The Storyteller screen conveniently puts most of the frequently referenced charts and tables at the ST's fingertips, while providing plenty of room to hide dice rolls and ST notes. Frontier Secrets gives additional gifts, ideas about antagonists (information about Wild West Fomori), and plenty of other surprises for both players and storytellers. All in all, a great "supplement" for anyone running (or even playing) in a Werewolf Wild West game... even more so for the book than for the screen.

5 comments about *OP Croatan Song (Werewolf: The Apocalypse).

1. Finally a book devoted to the Croatan! The tales of the brave who sacraficed themselves to the Eater-of-Souls. This book gives detailed, informative descriptions about the tribe, history, and present (if there is one). Basically required for anyone that is truly interested in the STORY of Werewolf, not just the hack-and-slash that so many make it.

   Very well written. Adds an great new avenues to both Werewolf history, and the White-Wolf universe in general.

   Find out; was their sacrifice worth it?




2. Croatan song is an expansion to werewolf the apocalypse. This book contains detailed informatin on how to create and play a Croatan AND Kinfolk characters. It also contains a format for how to create new monsters. This book is a great source of information of the fictional croatan's history, as well as the non-fictional people of north america (navajo, hopi, apache, cherokee, gwich'in, and many, many more) Even if you just want new abilities, rites, gifts, fetishes (magical items), totems -including the lost totem of turtle... this book is for you! This book contained much more information than I had expected, a pleasant surprise.



3. As both a player and ST for Werewolf: the Apoclaypse, I've always had a bias towards the Pure Ones, so I was quite pleased when this book was released. In addition to finally providing information on the Croatan, it also gives an overview of the Pure Lands in general before the coming of the European Garou. The book opens with fiction about the Three Brothers (Uktena, Croatan and Wendigo), as well as an introduction telling of the theme, mood and setting.

   The book then goes on to chronicle the history of the Pure Lands, telling of the Pure One's arrival, the Mound Builder civilization, the arrival of the Europeans and ultimately the fall of the Croatan. It also gives some small histories from both the Uktena and the Wendigo, telling of bane-binding, contacts with the Europeans and so forth. Chapter Two covers the lands and peoples, listing several examples of Croatan Caerns in the Mississippi and along the east coast, Uktena Caerns in the Southwest, California, Southeast and California, and Wendigo Caerns in the far north, Great Plains, Northwest Coast and Northeast. It briefly mentions the Corax, Gurahl, Nuwisha and Bastet, alongside spirits and some differences in settings (like no written languages or metal tools), plus info for some pre-Columbian chronicles. The neatest part though was an examination of kinfolk for all three Tribes. The Croatan claim the Lene Lenape, Iroquois, Mound Builders and so forth, while the Uktena claim the Comanche, Kiowa, Anasazi, Pueblos, Osage, Miwok, Apache, Navajo, Seminole and other southern Nations and the Wendigo claim the Inuit, Algonquians, Iroquois, Tsimshian, Lakota, Cheyenne, Pawnee, Haida, Arapaho and other northern Nations. Theres nothing here you couldn't get out of a good ethnography or history book, but its nice to have if you know next to nothing on Native cultures but still want to add depth to a character.

   After this, there is an extensive look at storytelling, giving some basic info for major time frames such as the Great Migration, First Contact, the Wild West and even modern times, plus a look at past lives, multi-generational games and so forth. Information on basic stuff like other Tribes (mainly Get, Stargazers, Fianna and Talons), the Pure Lands gauntlet, systems for fighting and major spiritual themes are all adressed. This stuff I feel is good for almost any historical game. Theres also a look at monsters like cannibal heads, witches, horned water snakes and the little people. The next chapter covers the rules changes, like Willpower for all the Tribes, new and changed Abilities and Backgrounds, Merits and Flaws, Fetishes and Talens, and Gift changes. In addition to some new Rites and new Gifts for the Wendigo and Uktena, theres also a complete list of Gifts for the Croatan. There are also guidelines at the back for creating and running Kinfolk characters, which is really nice to see for a change of pace.

   Ultimately this is a wonderful book. I've seen some comments that this book is too Native-centric, but as it is focused on pre-Columbian settings I feel that is quite appropriate. I was also pleased to see the use of Nation in lieu of tribe to refer to Native groups, and the occaisonal use of proper names (Dine instead of Navajo, for example, or Hasinai instead of Caddo). It really struck me that the authors were trying to be respectful of RL Native cultures. My only real gripe was that it stops at the Mexican border, leaving out the Aztecs, Maya and other Native Americans in Mexico and further south. Still, if you want a book that will help with a historical setting (like the Wild West, or even pre-Columbian times), or want more information on the Croatan, this is the book to get.




4. If you are looking for a straight forward account of the Croatan, the Uktena, and the Wendigo, look elsewhere. The book is beautifully written in a story telling fashion that calls to mind sitting around a fire and listening to you elders talks. Given the setting, the way the book is constructed is perfect. But you have to patience with it because it will take you a while to digest what is inside and figure out how to use it. Yes, you could just set a story before Columbus but you could also use it to add atmosphere and information to any Werewolf story you are running.



5. This book is a great werewolf reference although some of the information is a little off. for instance there are a great many metal tools that have been found in north america. the oldest copper axe here dates to 6600 years old and is of exemplary quality suggestiong that metalurgy began in north america at least 7000 years ago! The Etowah mounds in Georgia and the Cahokia mounds in ohio have both yielded furnaces used to smelt metal, mostly copper but possibly iron ore as well, more research is required. This is a great book but i suggest you go out and do some additional research on your own. I reccomend 'the southeastern indians' by charles hudson. Knights of Spain; Warriors of the Sun by the same author is another great book that details the expedition of Hernando De Soto and would make a great story for a game- with some poiniant pollitical and historical undertones- enjoy!