2 comments about Mage Banishers (Mage the Awakening).

1. The Internet carries porn, so it should be banned. Video games are often violent, so they should all be banned. Computers are used for both, so they must be banned. The printed word can carry blasphemy, so all books must burn. Fire can burn people, too, and since it was the first technology, not only it but all advances beyond hunter-gathering must go. There are people who believe some or all of this, and some of them are willing to kill to enforce it. In the World of Darkness, Banishers know that magic can be used for evil, so it too must be totally destroyed, along with its practitioners.
   
   The book begins with a character given a choice: Awaken as a Banisher, or remain ignorant of depths of the World of Darkness. The introduction sets out the theme and mood of the book: "violent ignorance". It blends well with the first section of the first chapter, which explains the varying theories on the origins of Banishers, the competing ideas on their motives as it were. It starts with the sublime, that Banishers see far more of the nature of the world than most mages and it breaks their minds, down to the prosaic: they reject the structure of mage society for reasons that seem as petty as the elements they object too. That illustrates an element of justified mage paranoia: not all Banishers immediately become magic-powered serial killers, some stay in the Orders until the pressure of mage life becomes too much, and instead of just abandoning the politics of a city, they seek to destroy all the other mages.
   
   The second half of the first chapter and all of the second chapter is on the means Banishers have access to. They cover the mechanical elements of creating uniquely Banisher characters, from merits to spells and rotes to Banisher magical equipment. It may seem odd that characters opposed to magical learning create rather a lot of rotes. Most Banishers still don't have many rotes, but a Banisher who survives to reach Mastery of an Arcanum then spends a lot of time making combat rotes. The third chapter is on Banisher suspects. A common complaint about White Wolf is that they don't do Monster Manual type stuff. There are nine different Banisher organisations in here, ranging from cults with global cell structures to unique and individual groups. The reasons for the many characters becoming Banishers and how they operate is widely varied.
   
   The fourth and last chapter is Storytelling, giving Banishers the opportunity to commit their crimes. The book as a whole is explicitly written mostly for Storytellers, but this chapter provides details on portraying Banisher characters that includes a section specifically on dealing with Banisher PCs. Finally, if you were expecting the Timori to appear in a specific form, you were right. They are what I consider the most diabolical of Left-Handed Legacies.
   
   This is a bleak book. Banishers are broken, and they want to crack the rest of the world to fit their shattered viewpoints. It's well written and really good reading, though. The only complaint I have is that the artwork actively detracts from the rest of the book. I should have taken a star off for that, but didn't, as I sincerely recommend everything else in this book to Mage gamers.



2. The first thing any prospective purchaser needs to be aware is that this is an antagonists book. This is important because it is not necessary that this be the case: Banisher's have a compelling hook that can make for good play, at least on paper. The character who is tainted by the darkness but will fight against it until he is the only taint that remains before ending himself has all the elements necessary for fun tragedy. However, if that is what you're looking to do, this book will provide only the bare minimum of support, and while that may be a disappointment to some, it was the right choice for the book for two reasons.
   
   First, Mage has a historical issue of its antagonists being cooler than its protagonists, so that needs to be avoided in general. Even more: the 'Hunter' corebook will be out after this, and heroic Banishers would tread on that space of play pretty thoroughly.
   
   Second, and more importantly, the authors have a strong sense for a thematic core for the Banishers, and they embrace it. At heart, the banishers are broken, deeply and profoundly broken, and while there are a myriad of ways for this to be expressed, they share that central note.
   
   All of which comes back to the fact that this is an antagonists book, first and foremost. There is a bit of mechanical support for Banisher magic, but it's just a few new widgets, no great change from the baseline. There's also some new ancient history, but it's suspect and fuzzy. The heart of it really seems to be the array of NPC Banishers for use in your game, and excepting the odd parody of Scientology, they all seem to step right out of different flavors of horror movie, often with a slasher or splatterpunk kind of feel.
   
   As with all WoD books, it's sprinkled with fiction and art. The fiction is better than average, the Art is a bit more uneven.
   
   All in all, this is a good book. Well executed, and tightly adhering to a specific vision for what the Banishers are in play, while leaving flexibility for what they are in cosmology and still giving enough tools to not totally abandon divergence. However, I think that same central strength of vision makes it something that is likely to be very useful or not useful at all in a given game. If you want to hit the horror notes with serial killer cannibalistic crazy Banishers then this book gives you all the tools you want. If your game is not as slanted towards horror, then there's less of use here.

5 comments about *OP Kindred of the East (For Vampire, the Masquerade).

1. I think this is the best book that White Wolf has published so far. If you have any interest in "vampires" from Asia, this is the book to get, followed by The 1000 Hells. Even if you never actually play an eastern vampire, this book is a great read.



2. Gorgeous artwork. Fantastic new world. Great reinterpretations of things. Wonderful use of mixing history with the World of Darkness. They promised to deliver a vampire alien to the kindred of Caine, and they succeeded; the setting is exotic, interesting, and definitely recommended. I especially liked their take on lycanthropes. I didn't like the lack of information on India, which would have been a great setting and prime conflict ground with British vampires. The Russia/Mongolia/China boundaries could have been interesting as well. It's impossible to play without the original Vampire book, which irks me; a completely new setting could use a reexplanation, I think. Lastly, the nature/demeanor/dharma split isn't quite clear. It's obvious that some traits are connected to and sympathetic with others, but what this sympathy does in terms of the game is never well-explained.



3. I love this book even though I'm more of a Mage type player. I have played and ST'ed all but Wraith and this BUT! it would definately be my next choice.

   I think the KotE are some of the most defined characters a player can make. That said, the KotE are also some of the more complicated to play because the book KotE is not a stand alone game. It was produced to add more flair and versatility to VtM.

   There were only a few questions I had. Agravated damage was never covered.. or not that I saw. I read about them being able to do it with several of their powers but I could only find 2 ways that they could soak it. the lvl 2 or 3 bone shentai and the demon shentai with the armor. ohh well something else to e-mail WW about.

   Definatly a game for intermediant to advanced players. I'm not sure if I would suggest it as a starter though.




4. Hey, this book is pretty awesome. The art work is amazing, the concept is very intriguing, and the entire idea of a race of vampires in no way relate to the curse of caine is wonderful. But, my only problem is, i can't figure out the dang thing! I love the fact that there is more to worry about than blood, health, and willpower; but i can't figure out what the heck you do with the rest of it! P'o? Hun? Yin Chi? Yang Chi? Gee, one day i will figure it out, and then i will have a good ol' time. But until then, i'm gonna play with my new fav (Vampire: The Dark Ages) until the great day when the epiphany hits me, and it is all made clear.



5. This book is simply amazing.
   Even if you don't like vampires or the entire White Wolf line of monster rpg's this is a very interesting book. The subject matter is unique and it isn't just European vampires transplanted to Asia.
   Before this book came out I was skeptical that W.W. would do Asian "vampires" justice but they exceeded my wildest expectations.
   It mostly focuses on N-E cultures (China/Japan/Korea) but there is even a bit on Malaysian "vampires".
   W.W. has even done an excellent job of putting out supplements for the game.

5 comments about Mage Tome of Watchtowers (Mage).

1. This is essentially Mage the Awakening's answer to the question of "Where are my Path books?" It goes over the Paths, what their Supernal realms are like, sample sanctums, sample nimbii, their roles (generally) in each Order, and their relations (again, generally) to other Paths.
   
   Some people have a pretty big problem with this book's views on the Paths, that they're too stereotypical, which I agree with to a degree.... which is why I gave this only four stars instead of five. I also dropped the rating down one because the Legacies in the book aren't really that great- the Stormweavers or whatever the name of the Acanthus Legacy is comes to mind.
   
   Overall, though, I'd suggest this book, and if you were to buy supplements for Mage in order, this would be second after Sanctum and Sigil (absoultely essential.)



2. A very uneven book with each section written by a different person and of different quality and format. The Mastigos and Moros are very good, the Obrimos is alright, and the Thyrsus and Acanthus sections are lackluster. These better ones do an excellent job of giving cultural grounding for the Path, describing the Supernal Realm and its effects, and offering interesting practices and traditions. The worst offer only cliches, unbalanced effects, and limiting interpretations that offer more of a charicature than a creatively fleshed out portrait of the Path.



3. The purpose of this book is to expand on the descriptions of the Paths in the Mage: the Awakening rulebook. It gives their histories, expands their character concepts and oblations, and generally explains their outlook on life, their Supernal Realms, and other Mages. The history sections look at the real world and what areas would have been appropriate for the influence of a particular Path, or would have been a real setback for that Path. They are sometimes quite imaginative in how they fit things in, and make use of some intriguing real world examples, such as King Solomon's reputation for binding demons. The Acanthus and Mastigos chapters were the best for me. They really give one a deep feeling for what it can be like to be a Mage on one of these Paths, and they gave a lot of options and ideas for Mages that might depart quite a lot from the standard images of these Paths. The Moros and Obrimos are good and quite useful but not inspiring. In the Moros chapter, they were described as spending a lot of time thinking about how events shape the sympathy between the material world and Stygia, which did not make that much sense and really differentiated them from the other Paths. That said, it did describe how and why Moros Mages want to return to Stygia, whereas Mastigos for instance never want to return to Pandemonium and are extremely wary of its inhabitants. In the Obrimos section, there just wasn't enough information to see how an atheist, or even anyone not obsessively devout, would Awaken on that Path, or how they would follow it. That is somewhat surprising, as at one point it says that even the devout actually have their faith somewhat shaken by Awakening on this Path. Overall, well according to another reviewer each chapter was written by a different author, and they all made false assumptions about how and about what the others would right. It is amusing and doesn't hurt, but it doesn't add much either. On the editing, it is like the editing for every other World of Darkness book: hopeless. There are wrong words, missing words, hanging sentences and basic bad grammar.
   
   Then we come to the Thyrsus chapter. Here the writer just lost the plot. All the other chapters expand on the views and character ranges of their Paths. The Thyrsus here are actually even more one-dimensional than they are in the Mage rulebook. The best way to encapsulate it is to picture the 19 th Century attitude to women: incapable of logic or reason, creatures of impulse without thought. The Realm of the Primal Wild is not one of nature, it is one of predation, and somehow it supposedly turns those who Awaken to its Watchtower into beasts. NOT people that behave like animals. By that, I mean animals do not behave like that in relation to others of their type. This is the human fantasy of bestiality: to be free of all the constructs of human society, the social standards, the ethics, the morality, the capacity for pity, all the things that keep us from hurting and killing other human beings. The Mage presented in this chapter has nothing to do with any type of real-world Shaman that I have heard of. None of the Thyrsus characters presented in the Mage rulebook, the free demo, the two Legacy books, or Chicago act like this, except the Nemean of Boston, who is deliberately letting his Wisdom fall, and the cannibal from the demo. The cannibal is specifically used as an example of a deeply corrupted Mage, but apart from the flesh-eating, in this chapter he's pretty standard.
   
   I almost forgot about the Legacies. That says something in itself, as Legacies are one of my favourite things in Mage. The Mastigos Legacy seems quite noble and good, but way too restrictive of membership. The Moros Legacy is great but seriously Left-Handed. The Acanthus Legacy has attaintments too powerful and too vague, and the Obrimos Legacy is nothing special. The Thyrsus Legacy is only great in sort of summarising just how bad and useless the description of the Thyrsus is.
   
   For serious role-players, this is a great book. More casual types probably won't find much to interest them, there are few merits and no spells, and the Legacies are either too vague or too restricted. The example characters aren't good examples and the wrong types were chosen to be fully statted out. Finally, the Thyrsus chapter is a total write-off. This only gets three stars.



4. All the pentacle paths of the Mage the Awakening game are here: Obrimos, Thyrsus, Acanthus, Moros and Mastigos. Each of the supernal watchtowers are described along with their corresponding supernal Realms. Each path is given decent treatment and details the common practices, outlooks and perceptions of these mages. I use it regularly when I storytell my Mage games and have lent it to my players to detail and flesh out their characters. Also includes sample rotes and other pertinent rules, sample nimbi, magical tools and practices for the various magical paths and how each of the mage Orders views them.
   
   A very useful reference and players guide book to Mage!



5. Overall, Tome of the Watchtowers is a very good expansion on the basic concept of a Path and how they affect the magic of those who walk it. I was particularly interested in a broader range of examples for what a Nimbus could be. That said, I do agree with other reviewers who say that the material is 'uneven': each of the five sections were, in fact, written by five different people. While there are useful ideas in all five sections, the noticeable variances in terms of how much of what kind of material is present detracts from my enjoyment of the book. Still, I have my copy, and it does contain a wealth of ideas for characters and plots, so I do recommend it as one of the first supplements a new Mage player/Storyteller should pick up beyond the core rulebook.

5 comments about Bloodlines: The Hidden (Vampire: The Requiem).

1. I've got to admit, I was blown away by the Bloodlines book. While White Wolf spoke about streamlining its titles and trying to stay away from too many Vampire clans (or bloodlines), they released this. I was hopeful though and was not disappointed.
   The book covers 12 different bloodlines from the 5 original clans from the Vampire: The Requiem corebook (needed if you buy this book). Each bloodline gains a second weakness from the original clan when joining the bloodline and some, but not all, have new disciplines. Each bloodline is interesting and not overly powerful. They all have their own histories and unique quirks about them that make them all that more appealing. Such as the Qedeshah which believe it is their duty to sire more vampires which puts them at odds with the local princes. However, their discipline allows for sanctuaries, protection, and such, that also makes them sought after by princes.
   All in all I'm very happy with the book and look forward to the next release, Bloodlines: The Legendary, which I will hope rivals, if not surpasses this quality book.



2. I will say this much, when the new World of Darkness hit the shelves, I was quite the skeptic. I didn't like the system rules, the layout, the look, the feel, nor the fact that 13 clans of vampires were reduced to a measly FIVE! But then I explored more. When I saw Bloodlines: The Hidden, along with a few other source books, namely the VII book, Ordo Dracul, and Lancea Sanctum, I was hooked. Bloodlines: The Legendary expands out and gives you the possibility to run games using the "bloodlines" as they are meant to be, off shoots from specific clans, or it gives you the freedom to run them as actual clans. In particular, the Bohagande are one of my favorite bloodlines. They are bred from Gangrel blood and the story behind them is just amazing. Each story is in depth and most of the bloodlines have all new disciplines to mess people up with. The Khabit have Obetenebration, which I am very happy to see back in the mix from the old World of Darkness that followed Caine, Lilith, and The Crone. This is a great addition to the collection of new WoD, regardless of what most people would say. White Wolf may come out with a new source book every month or so, but they know how to market and they know how to get you. That's not bad business, it's excellent marketing. If you need or want anything for your game, get this book. Personally, I can't wait until Bloodlines: The Legendary comes out. If it's even half as good as this one it will be worth it.



3. I have been consistently impressed with the new "World of Darkness" setting, especially with its customizability. A series of "Bloodlines" books seemed like the perfect solution to the otherwise unimpressive and thin selection of Clans in "Vampire: The Requiem." Unfortunately, "Bloodlines: The Hidden" can be divided into two general groups: the first is a series of repulsive, nauseating Bloodlines (The Anvari, The Gethsemani, The Morotrophians, and The Nahualli), each more unpleasant and disgusting than the last; the second is a series of unimaginative and unoriginal lineages (The Alucinor, The Nelapsi, The Qedeshah and the Bohagande).
   
   There are a few Bloodlines worthy of note:
   
   -The "Rakshasa" are a breed of ill-tempered Nosferatu warriors from India; characterized as demons in the subcontinent, they value hard work and discipline in all areas of...er...un-life.
   -The "Oberlochs" are a line of insular Gangrels tied to a particular mortal family, who challenge Werewolves for dominion over the wilderness; unfortunately, they age physically like normal human beings.
   -The "Architects of the Monolith" are a genuinely fascinating and original Ventrue Bloodline, a Victorian-style secret society whose mystical, architectural rites give them power over cities.
   
   Other tribes, such as the Bohagande and the Khaibit, are interesting and seem like they might be fun to play; however they are too derivative of concepts from "Vampire: The Masquerade" (The Ravnos, and the Assamites & Lasombra respectively), without retaining what made the original models so intriguing.
   
   Overall, the book is a mixed bag. Were all the Bloodlines as compelling as the three I have described above, the book could easily have earned 5 Stars. What few gems it contains however cannot justify it's price, and I would recommend this as a "must-have" only to die-hard players and readers. Let us hope that subsequent entries in the "Bloodlines" series will be more original and less grotesque.



4. Well Whitewolf disappointed me in Bloodlines:The Legendary, which didn't present anything too legendary (see my other review of that title for the real legendary bloodlines). However this book is the better of the two. A few of the Bloodlines are a little rediculous like the Alucinor(dream Vampires)and the Qedeshah(female vampires who almost seem like healers) he rest of the book is golden. Among my top ten favorite Bloodlines this book offers four of them.
   
   The Bohagande: Gangrel who have the ability to basically ruin the luck of those who run a foul of them. They have a native american spin put on them. I like them because honestly the Gangrel and the Nosferatu seem to get the short end of the stick on bloodlines and well, just reading about these Gangrel intrigued me and gave me ALOT of ideas for my chronicles.
   
   Morotrophians: The best way to think of these Nosferatu is like a whole group of qwack surgeons, Doctors, nurses aides, Orderlies, and prison guards. They like the whole idea of being in control of the power structure of whatever area these Haunts haunt (haha, pun intended, unfortunetly. Once again these guys gave me some great ideas, and there disciplines also are very unique. While useless out in the open, but behind closed doors these disciplines can be very dangerous. While perhaps not the best character for a player, the Morotrphians to make wonderful allies or antagonists.
   
   Oberlochs: Not much to say for them. However I will let the reader use there imagination and say some words, just combine them, and here are the words: Hill Billy, Deliverence, Vampire, Gangrel, Mid-west.
   The funny thing about Oberlochs is that they seem to know more about Were-wolves then they do about vampires......
   
   Rakshasa: Where as the Burakumin are japanese Nosferatu, these haunts are Indian. I like these guys because they put a more global touch on vampire. They are basically deal brokers, and warriors. Who really don't belong to any covenent due to there strange and foregin ways.
   
   All in all Bloodlines:The Hidden is an excellent book, plenty of ideas for allies, antagonists, and players! the only thing that stops the book from getting a 5 is the lack of balance of making bloodlines equal (as in the total number) in the book



5. I think it's reasonable for there to be some confusion among players and storytellers about what is the purpose of BLOODLINES: THE HIDDEN. Some will see it as a player's aid, with additional character types and powers. Some will see it as a storyteller's aid, with additional bad guys to choose from. The problem I have with BLOODLINES is that it breaks the setting. A vampire belonging to a Bloodline should be an unusual thing. It should be even more rare for a vampire to join a bloodline, since even a large city has at most twenty or so vampires and they cannot (or with great difficulty) travel between cities. So how are all these bloodlines going to appear in your story? If the players want to join a bloodline, they know ahead of time that it will be unlikely within the story, so they probably will choose one at character generation. Then, you have the problem of how all these rare breeds of vampire happened to show up at the same time.
   
   All of this can be handled with some setting tweaks; I personally go with every vampire having a bloodline, so they are not rare, but it doesn't get expressed unless the player wants to join. Still, a player might not want to buy this book if the storyteller doesn't want bloodlines for all.
   
   In the end, I view BLOODLINES as more of a collection of story hooks rather than character options.Each bloodline has a unique story, another creepy look into life after death. I enjoyed reading the vampire bios, but I would not have felt I received enough value if I paid the sticker price. The bloodlines here are as follows:
   -Alucinor (Mekhet) have the power over dreams
   -Anvari (Daeva) the power to induce a drugged state in others
   -Architects of the Monolith (Ventrue) power over cities; insane
   -Bohagande (Gangrel) power to steal good luck and bestow bad
   -Gethsemani (Nosferatu) power to induce stigmata, yielding powerful blood
   -Khabit (Mekhet) power over shadows
   -Morotrophians (Nosferatu) power over the institutions they lock themselves
   into
   -Nahualli (Ventrue) power over the beast
   -Nelapsi (Daeva) nice devotions, but require 1 vitae PER BP to rise each day!
   -Oberlochs (Gangrel) they age as normal humans but don't die
   -Quedeshah (Mekhet) women only vampires who use their bodies to heal
   -Rakshasa (Nosferatu) Indian vampires, with some interesting discussion on the organization of vampires in India.

5 comments about WoD Tales from the 13th Precinct (World of Darkness (White Wolf Hardcover)).

1. Great stuff. No supernaturals overwhelming the precinct. Most of them are just humans, but many of them have glimpses of the supernatural. Excellent material about how the police works, blending everything with the supernatural in a consistent way. The mood is great also.



2. This book is nice and inspiring if you want to run a campaign with police in USA. I'm not from US so it gave me a lot of information. It covered police training, the different departments of law enforcement, had system and rules for CSI things, some police equipment.
   
   It has a ready to use police station with npc's and such. The NPC's are ok, but not great. The story ideas in the books are not worth anything. I give it 4 because the NPC's deserve a 4, and the story ideas deserves a 1, the rest of the book deserves a 5



3. This overall was a pretty good book and like most World of Darkness material put out by White Wolf it was packed with Information and Ideas.What I liked most about this book is the "Sample" Precinct that takes up about 1/3 if not more of this book. They have put a lot into the NPC characters, which are ready for use upon opening the book.
   The book itself is not essential to have for a WOD game, but is filled with a lot of practical real life applications of Law Enforcement, which DM's and Players either abuse or fail to put in. Anyone whom has played WOD has either been or had someone in their party that practices reckless abandon and can kill whomever they want, even police. Now one thing which I think needs to be said, and lets give our "boys in blue" some credit. If you kill a Cop you become a "Cop Killer" in the eyes of all other Law Enforcement and you have just signed your name up for a Lawful Version of a Lynch Mob, this book addresses this beautifully.
   I would recommend this book if you want your players to remember that they still are vulnerable even with all there supernatural powers, and to give a much more Real feel to Law Enforcement in your game.
   I also enjoyed the Merits; especially one, which specifically is meant for those, characters who want to be cops and the Status/Connections that go with it.



4. This book provides all the facts you need. Although it does get a bit bogged down in the fine details it is perfect for any Police related character or story you might need expert advice on.



5. There aren't many products that I would recommend as essential for every game, but TALES FROM THE 13TH PRECINCT is one of them. Vampires, werewolves, mages, and (especially) mortals break a lot of laws in the course of a game. Sometimes it's breaking and entering, sometimes assault and battery, sometimes even murder (and almost always some gun law violations). The World of Darkness is a world of shadows, and a realistic police presence is necessary to keep PCs operating in the shadows. Absent men with guns keeping order, supernatural games can devolve into superpower games, with no check and balance on player actions.
   
   Besides serving as a restraint on the excess of supernatural games, the police force is an excellent way to introduce mortals to the World of Darkness. It is in the job description for law enforcement to stick their noses into dark corners and investigate strange noises, with enough backup and equipment to have a chance of surviving, but not so much that you're not afraid of what you might find.
   
   The content of 13TH PRECINCT is presented in the context of an individual police precinct, set in a non-descript midsize city. Chapter 1 covers the building itself, how it is organized, and details that a visitor might notice. Chapter 2 covers the law enforcement officers themselves; how they train, what jobs they do, the proper protocol for responding to calls and the paperwork afterwards, as well as detective work, evidence handling, and questioing suspects. This chapter is essential for presenting a competent front when a storyteller has the police riding the PCs; otherwise, it looks arbitrary and unfair to when you insist later that the policemen read the PCs their Miranda rights afterall when it comes up in court.
   
   Chapter 3 is a biography of many of the important NPCs in the 13th precinct. One is a werewolf, one is a psychopath, and one is undead. The rest have their own secrets too. What these characters lack in universality they make up in portability; just drop a ready-made NPC when you need a cop, detective, or janitor cultist. The fourth chapter contains story seeds; I thought it original to include two perspectives, one from the PCs as police or an alternative if the PCs are on the same side as the perpetrators.
   
   A mini-chronicle is included, where the PCs have to investigate a series of occult crimes leading to a spirit possession, while remaining on the right side of the law. Nothing too original.
   
   Overall, a very useful book to have when your players' characters break the law, or need its help. It also is a great setting for mortal characters to be introduced to the World of Darkness.

5 comments about Ordo Dracul (Vampire: The Requiem).

1. The Ordo Dracul book was a great read all around. Gave you a look into those that search for the "Great Works" and life beyond vampirism.
   
   With the new Coils and secretive subsect "Sworns" and new bloodlines, it is a great book. Definately a good read for those just interested in the covenent or wanting to play a Dragon character.



2. I just recieved this book in the mail today and it is everything the other reviews have said. Just excellenct. The history, the bloodlines, the new coils, all of it.



3. Ordo Dracul provides a detailed presentation of the Covenant of the same name. The Ordo Dracul is similar to a cross between hermetic mages, philosophers, researchers, and Masons all rolled together into one large organization focused on understanding and mastering the vampiric condition. An overview of the history of the Covenant, its beliefs, traditions, factions, government, and other similar information is provided. New Bloodlines, Disciplines, Devotions, and Coils are logically connected to new and existing groups within the Covenant.
   
   The best thing this product has going for it is that the Ordo is interesting. The internal government is unique and fun, the actual ways Covenant members go about studying vampirism are clever (and at times unusual, embracing weird and ancient science), and the factions lurking on the periphery are such that many players will find something of interest. On the downside, the focus on the extremely inhuman deeds that Dragons regularly perform may turn some players off to the product and otherwise shift a campaign's focus away from Humanity and on to vampiric society and science. This isn't a bad thing necessarily, but the Covenant does tend towards murder (in order to engage in social science) and extreme self mutilation (in order to create a new mental state).



4. It was inspiring to read and gave me a better view of the Ordo Dracul. It had just enough history and enough about the current workings of the covernant. It really made me want to tell a story with the Ordo Dracul as a main covernant.



5. ORDO DRACUL is a sourcebook for the roleplaying game VAMPIRE: THE REQUIEM by White Wolf. It is meant for both players and storytellers, to provide information on the vampire covenant and occult society, the Ordo Dracul (or Order of the Dragon). The covenant is one of the most important groupings in VAMPIRE: THE REQUIEM, because membership reflects a philosophical choice by the characters rather than the vagaries of circumstance. The Ordo Dracul is probably the most secretive of the five major covenants, using its occult teachings to actually remake the vampiric physiology. Although this is a relatively small and recently-formed covenant, it has a lot of secrets. ORDO DRACUL reveals those secrets to both storytellers and players.
   
   ORDO DRACUL, like all White Wolf books, begins with introductory fiction to help set the mood. Like the other covenant books, the intro fiction is printed on distinctive paper, separate from the rest of the book. I wouldn't say that the intro fiction of ORDO DRACUL adds a lot to this book, but it is good in its own regard. The following chapters, like the other covenant books, describe the history of the covenant, night-to-night activity within the covenant, relations between covenant memebers, factions, bloodlines, disciplines, special abilities, and sample characters.
   
   The history of the covenant is short, as befits its relatively recent nature; although the reader picks up much more history in chapters on other subjects. This can be irritating when you need to find some critical bit of historical info but can't remember in which section it was related. There is some historical and fictional information on Vlad Dracul, and then some history of his three brides and their establishment of the covenant in the Victorian period as a real force. And above all, the overriding belief in the power of change.
   
   the chapter on night-to-night unlife is large, and deals with many different topics. The philosophy of the covenant is discussed: change, when it is useful and when it isn't, and the pursuit of the Great Work. Wyrm's nests are discussed, as well as the uses and identification methods used to catalog them. The idea of Coils of the Dragon is discussed, what they mean, how the covenant views them, and how to achieve them (or fake having them). There is a lot of information on the Ordo Dracul as a secret society; the positions, factions, competing lodges. There are titles, ranks, codes, and oaths as any good secret society should. There is also information on the dealings of the Ordo Dracul with other covenants and even other supernatural creatures.
   
   The chapter on relationships details the duties and privileges of the Ordo Dracul ranks (as indicated by Status and Coil dots). Probably the most interesting part of this chapter is exploring the prospective student's virtues and vices with Tarot cards. Each card represents a binary choice, and the choice differentiates between one virtue and another, or one vice or another. The Course of Darkness tests are quite interesting, because the choice is only between one vice or another.
   
   The chapter on factions and bloodlines is longer than that in LANCEA SANCTUM. The bloodlines have some unique aspects, like power over ghosts, but they stand out because of the amount of flavor text with each group. What I really like about the BLOODLINES books was not their direct applicability but the ability to serve as plot ideas, and the bloodlines in ORDO DRACUL serve that purpose well. There are also two factions of particular interest; the Sworn of the Locust and the Ladder (followers of Mara and Anoushka). One is based on the purging of morality, while the other seeks its greatest potential. Both are considered heresies to be stamped out. The bloodline disciplines are listed in the next chapter, along with the apocryphal coils of Anoushka's Ladder and the Way of the Locust. There are also many devotions based on a coil + a discipline, which can have unique results. Finally, there is a chapter on pre-generated characters, including "fake" Draculas.
   
   I thought that ORDO DRACUL is a great sourcebook, with information that is necessary for characters planning to be members of the Order. There is plenty of secret society stuff that will make roleplaying a dragon very interesting. It isn't as useful, though, as books on the Lancea Sanctum or the Invictus because the covenant is small and secretive, which means that it has less potential to be part of the background unless players want to actively investigate it.

No comments about Urban Legends (World of Darkness).

2 comments about Promethean Strange Alchemies (The World of Darkness).

1. These Promethean books are well written and very mature. They seem to be the darkest books in the World of Darkness. While I greatly enjoyed reading them, I have to wonder who is playing this game? You can make a real powerhouse character, one that few if any of the other supernatural beings could take down, but the downsides of being so hated and having such a miserable existence seems to out weight any benefit. The opening story is about one of the "beautiful" Prometheans who wants love so much from the object of her affection, kissing and hitting are the same thing to her. I can't imagine role-playing that out with my friends. This is certainly not a game for children and even some adults will find it too intense. But if you like it the main Promethean book, give Strange Alchemies a try.



2. For players and storytellers of Promethean: The Created, White Wolf's most underrated World of Darkness series, Strange Alchemies is a must-have if you want or need new Bestowments and Transmutations, a deeper look at the Lineages and Refinements, plus essays from various developers on things from Human Experience (Living and doing things as a human) to discovering the world around them for the Player Characters. Considering that Promethean was a limited series of only five books (The core book and four supplements), Strange Alchemies should definitely round out your P:tC collection.

2 comments about Asylum (World of Darkness).

1. It's a book,I kinda liked it. That's why I got it...I would do it again.



2. There's some great stuff in this book, no mistake, lots and lots of ideas for stories, some of them more detailed than the usual White Wolf vagaries. But White Wolf, as usual, overdoes it on the atmospherics and underdoes it on the crunch. They just don't seem to get that what we want in a book about asylums is a book that will cut down on the prep time for running a chronicle in an asylum. A good map, for example, is a pretty key, labor-intensive part of running an authoritative chronicle. But this book lacks one.
   
   There's page after page on the fictional Bishopsgate Asylum, for example. And, while a lot of it is great hooks and playing material, some are just ideas for stories, and most would take a decent amount of time to develop. But that's fine--any decent ST will end up customizing a lot, anyhow. I got some really good ideas for my campaign here.
   
   But what's less fine is the lack of a map for Bishopsgate! I mean, you know that in the end it's going to come down to a running gunfight, or fleeing from a Gauru patient undergoing her first change, or a game of cat and mouse with a vamp...then what? I have to scribble out a map in on graph paper? If I pay $27 for the book, I don't want to have to do that stuff myself. I can come up with atomspheric stuff like crazy; it takes me forever to come up with a good map. That's the part good writers ought to do as a matter of course, and good editors ought to insist on.
   
   On the WW forums, the designer says:
   
   "Truth be told, we elected not to include detailed floor plans because asylum floor plans are readily abundant with a Google search."
   
   In other words, sort through all junk on Google: we were too lazy to do it. Sure there's some good stuff on there, but it all needs work, and most of it is unusable, or from 1800s asylum that would need to be updated to modern day, or it only includes the first floor, or it's a completely unreadable scan from an ancient piece of microfilm, etc.
   
   A little less atmospheric fiction and a little more actual useful content, next time, please. The lack of the sort of crunch that actually cuts down on ST prep-time is something consistently lacking in this sort of WW supplement. For me, this lack cuts a whole star off the rating. Too bad, because the rest of the book is quite good.

3 comments about Werewolf the Rage (PG) (Werewolf: The Forsaken).

1. One thing that amazes me is the quality of supplements for Werewolf: the Forsaken. Pretty much everything released thus far has added depth and value to my games, and this one is no exception. Billed as the 'player's guide' for Werewolf, this book delivers exactly what it promises. The first part of the book goes into detail about each of the five Tribes of the Moon, exploring their individual culture, history, Auspice roles, and views on Renown, Harmony and Primal-Urge, as well as giving some sample story hooks. It has everything from mention of Blood Talon warriors who rode with the Mongols, to the roles assigned to Bone Shadow Irraka, to the Iron Master tradition of wearing decorations in their fur. And so much more. This is all stuff that expands upon and compliments what was written in the core book. Theres also a section on Ghost Wolves, explaining how and why Uratha choose the path, what their lives are like, and most intriguingly, options for STs to create a new 'sixth Tribe', with a few sample 'Tribes' included for good measure. Of course, as with everything else in the nWoD, this is all purely optional and STs can feel free to use or discard it as they see fit.
   
   The next chapter is named Meat, appropriately enough, and contains just that. It's full of optional new Merits, Flaws, Gifts, Rites, Fetishes and Talens. Tooth and Claw, a new Fighting Style Merit, is introduced, and each Tribe gets a new Gift list, as well as suggestions for further Gifts (though it's recommended the ST be careful to keep things balanced). I found the Weakness and Information Gifts especially intriguing, but theres almost a dozen to choose from! Theres also examination of Harmony and, most importantly, pack structure, including new rules for using pack tactics! The final chapter, named Bones, goes into more detail on setting. A major portion of it deals with Protectorates, alliances between packs, and large scale interaction between local Uratha. This sort of stuff will doubtless be useful for Forsaken LARPs, but equally interesting was the examination of Uratha culture across the globe. Both the culture and regional problems are shown, along with several very different sample NPCs. How do the Uratha of the Middle East and North Africa view Islam? What strange cults threaten those in the Mediterranean? How much influence comes from the tribal animistic beliefs of Africa? And what are the Pure up to in Asia? All these are answered in this last section.
   
   All in all, this is an excellent book. The sections on Tribe and global culture are excellent for adding some new dimension to characters, while the information on setting is useful for any large scale game. And, needless to say, the new mechanics are invaluable as well. Especially the stuff about packs. And, like I said, pretty much everything published so far has been a great resource. I find much of the information from this book going hand in hand with other resources, like Shadows of the UK and Lodges: the Splintered, adding more regional detail and variation to the setting. Whether you want to run a game in the wastes of the Sahara, or the slums of Rio, or the good old U-S-of-A, you'll find this book incredingly useful. I strongly recommend this as a resource for both players and STs.



2. I received the book within days of the purchase and in tip top condition. I wouldn't hesitate to make a purchase from them again.



3. Just like it says this book is the players guide to W:tF. It has loads of info on the tribes of the moon and several new gift lists and rites. One section I found interesting talks about alliances between packs and goes into detail about how wan why they are made. Over all it gave me a bunch of ideas for my chronical. I recomend this to anyone playing Werewolf.