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'Goblin Markets' continues the reputation for high quality that White Wolf has begun in their PDF range. Whilst this is too small to be a sourcebook (but perhaps act as a chapter or two in a book) this suits PDF publishing perfectly.
The Goblin Markets are places where illicit materials of all types are available, and the gamut of Court reactions to attending and trading at the markets are well presented. Furthermore, the markets are well developed micro-communities which share a set of Laws covering both vendor and buyer (but with the usual 'caveat emptor' one would expect when dealing with faeries). It expands the idea that each market is a unique location with its own thematic elements, style and mood - and the book does offer a range of examples to kickstart your imagination. These examples are all very different in feel, and it is obvious that the writers have worked hard to convey a level of depth and individuality to each setting.
The next section deals primarily with the types of goods able to be purchased or bartered for, and the warehouse of material transcends the purely physical. The section on indulging in Vices was particularly innovative, and can set the scene for some excellent role-playing moments (especially if temptation is a theme for the night's play).
Lastly, there is the expected Storyteller section which is good value. There are some sample 'ready-to-run' scenes and some example NPCs that can be dropped into any chronicle. There are also rules for those wishing to run a chronicle with PCs as Market Folk.
Overall, I'd highly recommend this to any Changeling Storyteller (Dreaming or Lost alike) and eagerly look forward to more product support for this limited line.
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Scenes of the Embrace isn't a title that I find particularly useful at all. The product sets out an anthology of fourteen scenes (two per sin), which has an Embrace as the centre piece. Whilst it mit work for some groups, I simply can't see any character in either of my two gaming groups following along with some of the actions.
The sevens could be best used as story hooks or as drivers for NPCs, but I don't see any worth from a PC angle.
Also, there is a Covenant Reaction to each type of Embrace that is a simple two-line statement about how the Covenant as a whole (that right - the homogenous mass effect again) would react to the actions in the scene. They are deplorably shallow and almost completely useless; in fact they feel as though they have been hastily tacked on. Are the Carthian Movement honestly that dull? If the Covenant can be summed up by the reactions in most of the scenes, I don't see why anyone would play them. This homogenization of the Covenants makes no real sense and very few of the suggested reactions easily translate into engaging role-playing.
To be honest, I'd be investing in a copy of 'The Last Supper' instead which offers far richer, and well-thought-out material covering scenes for the Embrace.
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Call me a sucker for apocalyptic settings, but this one was an easy sell for me. Admittedly, with a name like ‘Summerland’ I thought it was an urban faerie setting (anything to supplement my Changeling books); but the truth didn’t disappoint. The setting is our world, after The Event caused the entire planet to be covered with a primordial forest overnight. Those that didn’t die as trees burst through buildings and vegetation obliterated roads, destroyed power and telephone lines woke up to a drastically altered landscape. Then a siren song from the forest, known only as The Call, reached out to eighty percent of the survivors. Those ensnared by The Call forget ties of family and friendship – only the forest matters, and they wander into the Deeps and most are never seen again. Some, like the Lost, forget themselves and wander aimlessly – bequeathed only a few moments of occasional lucidity. Others, like the Wild, forsake their humanity and become little more than clever animals - feral humans that stalk the Sea of Leaves.
Even now, the Call is strongest at night and those who slumber outside of the Communities will sleepwalk into the forest. As such, most travel is restricted to half a day from a community at most.
The Characters
You are a Drifter, a simple term for a complex character. You are almost completely immune to the Call, able to sleep under the boughs of the forest and travel as you will. However, the source of this immunity is a Trauma suffered during The Event – a psychological scarring so deep that it sets you apart from other humans. It is a dark pain that makes it difficult to connect with others, making you unable to be a part of a Community except for the briefest of times. During the course of the game, you are encouraged to flesh out the Trauma and eventually resolve it. Only by resolving your Trauma can you ever be accepted into a Community – but in doing so, you make yourself susceptible to The Call. It is a trade-off that can act as a catalyst to wallow deeper in self-regret and despair and actively resist any type of emotional healing. This redemption tale is the heart of the game.
The System
Summerland uses four stats (Body, Finesse, Mind & Empathy) in a points-buy system to act as the framework for characters. Each stat is given a Tag (one stat must have a negative Tag; and your highest stat has two Tags). A Tag is a descriptor which tells you something about the character – for example a PC with a high Mind might have the Tag ‘Insightful’; or someone might Tag their Empathy score with ‘Emotionally Isolated’. There is no list of Tags – players simply make up their own in an attempt to describe their character. All tags are given a numerical value too.
The only other traits are Trauma, which charts how emotionally injured a character is; and Stress, which shows how much emotional strain a character is under. Both of these traits can fluctuate (especially Stress) depending on the characters actions and the needs of the scene.
The dice rolling is based on adding the two most appropriate stats and an appropriate tag to generate a score. Depending on the difficulty of the task, the player needs to roll under this value on between two and four d6. For example, a routine task might call for two dice; whereas an almost impossible one would require you to roll under the score on four dice – a much harder proposition.
One of the most insightful descriptions in this book was that of the core philosophical concept – Intent. Ever action must have a stated intent; and a roll is only ever called for if success and failure of the attempt to invoke the intent represent two different outcomes. Conflicts arose when two individuals (or groups) have mutually exclusive Intents. This is a fundamental ideal that is built into most RPGs, but I have never seen it so succinctly or intelligently discussed – it has made me look at my storytelling in a very different light and I’ll be quizzing players on their ‘Intent’ in more games from now on. If you buy the book for nothing else, this is worth a read.
There are only two issues I have with the system. Firstly, there is the rule that if the score generated for difficulty is more than the maximum one can roll on the allotted dice, then the action automatically succeeds. I would have liked to see a possibility of failure built into every roll. Secondly, there is no system for character advancement. I’m not sure if this is the inherently narrative nature of the system, or if campaigns are not meant to last long enough that major changes in character aren’t noticeable. In truth, I think that this is very much in theme with the setting – that the PCs are ordinary folk and that the game is not heroic in nature. It firmly places the resolution of your Trauma as the reward, not the accumulation of experience points. Also, given how gritty and dark the setting is, I’d call survival a reward for most games.
The game
The book weighs in at only 178 pages, but everything you need is here. There is a good discussion on the role of the Narrator, the involvement of players in deciding the major themes of the game and plenty of inspiration in terms of references to other media and in the plot hooks seeded throughout the book.
The section on The Sea of Leaves, as the forest is known is excellent. There is enough information that you have a good grasp on the world, but there is simply so much ‘white space’ (as I’d call it) that you can scribble in your own ideas and make the game your own. The cause of The Event is deliberately left out, and Narrators are encouraged to offer their own explanations – if any. The way that the forest has twisted the world and the animals is chilling. There are zones within the forest designated by how strong the Call is, and animals range from those in our world through to slightly more intelligent – the bear that ambles through the forest clad in a ragged blanket, the crow that spells words out in twigs, the wolf that tries to move its mouth in a (failed) imitation of speech as Drifters converse by the firelight – all are presented with plenty of inspiration to make your players edgy. There is a discussion on the possibility of the existence of ghosts and forest spirits, but this is extremely vague – with the idea that Narrators can chose how much horror or faerie tale they want in their game.
The discussion on The Lost and The Wild is well-presented and there are again plenty of examples to fire the imagination and guide how Narrators want to portray these NPCs and how the residents of this world view them. Finally, there are a selection of NPC Drifters, and some sample Communities to jump-start your campaign.
The game does deal with some mature issues, so it won’t be for everyone. Some of the practices in the Communities are repulsive, but act as ways of showing what happens to humans when all government and rules are removed and small groups need to forge their own safety, survival and rituals.
Overall, I think this book is a must-have for those interested in post-apocalyptic or horror games – it has a number of insights into gaming worth reading; a host of adaptable, unique ideas; a fantastic well-developed setting and a simple, narratively-driven system.
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I have always had a love/hate relationship with Rifts. It represents a truly remarkable setting with enough elements to keep players returning to it for years (and still not exhaust the possibilities) married to probably one of the worst systems ever designed.
The Rifts setting is a post-apocalyptic Earth, ravaged by the arrival of Rifts, or tears in the fabric of reality which allow Dimensional Beings to intrude on Earth. Magic has returned in many wondrous and strange ways, giving you a chance to explore a post-apocalyptic/fantasy/sic-fi setting that easily incorporates elements of horror, high adventure and even Western genres. Whilst this might seem a little over the top, Rifts pulls it off with style. Even the prevailing propaganda-driven Coalition government, backed up by a military clad in death imagery is finely executed and integrated with a believable rationale for existing.
The big let down is a cumbersome, rules-heavy system that bogs every action down in multiple rolls and throws the concept of game balance out the window. A GM needs to be incredibly vigilant in this game to decide how to handle the insanely disparate power levels within a party, let alone when they begin adventuring.
Also, the GM and players need to be aware of the power creep that is evident in the supplements. As the publications were rolled out, there were a host of new OCCs and RCCs (think character classes) that ranged from the mundane to godlike in terms of the influence they can wield in a game. Likewise, the equipment suffered a similar power creep, that isn't always welcome.
On the positive, Rifts will allow you to mesh any genres together, and there will be a setting book for absolutely any taste in your group - but sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing. On the negative, you have an unbalanced, unwieldy system that is every power-gamers fantasy.
The choice is up to you, but I'd buy Rifts just for the ideas.
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I was hoping for something a little more fleshed out than this, given the high quality of the free materials I have previously seen from White Wolf. I feel that Geist has been let down a little.
'Dem Bones' provides an overview of an NPC who is gambling with a purpose. It is interesting, but to make it a worthwhile investment for your players, it will be completely up to you to build a story around the NPC to engage the PCs.
If you are stuck for interesting ideas for NPCs then it might be for you, but I didn't see too much to latch on to with this product.
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A lot harder to fit into Shadowrun Fourth Edition, 'Shadows of the Underworld' is set against the presidential elections made famous for the inclusion of everyone's favorite dragon, Dunkelzahn.
The concept is really quite solid - take a large attention-grabbing event, and then explore it from the Shadowrunners perspective. Wlst the rest of North America looks on, ther is work aplenty for SIN-less of all walks of life.
Shadowlands postings open the book and succinctly sum up the major issues and candidates (I'd highly recommend photocopying these two pages as player handouts), and the rest of the layout should be comforting and familiar to veteran Shadowrun players.
The modules are all of decent quality and it is clear that FASA wanted different moods, themes and goals for each one, but with the over-arching plot of the political race in the background. You could use these as 'side-runs' to remind the players of the larger events, or simply play them one after the other - they can work equally well with either application.
The only downside is that they are very firmly tethered to what is now part of Shadowrun history - if you wanted to set them in the current timeline, you'll need to do some Legwork to put some new faces into the Presidential race. The concepts are good, and the sotrylines are solid, so it will be worth the trouble.
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'Signs of the Moon' is destined to become one of the most dog-eared (no pun intended) books at your table as it clearly offers something for everyone.
Each of the Signs is given it's own chapter, which includes inventive props in the form of diaries, archeological translations, mission logs and files and other miscelanea to make the book more readable and capture as many different viewpoints as possible - tying in the with theme of different personalities and archetypes.
There are the standard host of new talens, gifts, Lodges and example NPCs, but most of these concepts can find a home in your chronicle. Highly reminiscent of the oWoD 'Book of Auspices' (which did Apocalypse a very good turn) this challenges and encourages Storytellers and players to move beyond the stereotypes and question the game and how it applies to their character - as an individual.
I'm going to need to re-read this a couple of times to digest it, but I have a feeling that this, like 'Auspices' is something I'll get value from for years - especially the final chapter, which is govern over to very practical storytelling advice (something White Wolf has always had a good handle on).
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Your reaction to 'No Quarter' is solely dependent on why you think it could be useful. If you are a miniatures player foremost, you'll find the standard array of new miniatures releases, new rules, scenarios and discussion on tactics and army composition to be informative and useful.
Whilst there is a decent amount of tacit information that you glean and extrapolate if you play the 'Iron Kingdoms' RPG, the role-playing line is under supported in the magazine. Whilst you can rely on one article per month, the quality of said article varies wildly. If you are purchasing this to fill the complete void of current product support for the RPG, then be very choosy about which issue you pick up.
If you play both sides of the coin, you'll find something useful every month.
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This marks the triumphant return of 'Dragon Warriors' to the marketplace. In the 1980s, this RPG was published as a series of novel-sized rulebooks that have now become almost impossible to locate; so this reprinting is welcomed heartily.
The 'Dragon Warriors' RPG is a well-conceived game that meets all of your stock-standard fantasy needs. The classes are what you'd come to expect, but are all written with a clean, smooth set of rules that ensures that the core concept of the class shines through.
The mechanics of the game are easily learned, especially if you have ever played D&D, and don't try to be too complex. It was very nice to see that the explanatory comic was included, giving you examples of how the game mechanics translated to actions.
The Introductory Book provides you with enough information to describe the world, play the game, and includes an enjoyable 'first adventure' in the back. The world is derived from the British Isles during the High Middle Ages with the obvious magical and fantastical elements incorporated. As such, there are plenty of 'touchstones' to familiarize new players with the setting.
Purchase this one, and run it for a few sessions - although I'd recommend bookmarking the full rulebook to make it easier to find when you return - and you will.
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'Coyote Falls' is one of the more intelligent, deeply engaging SAS modules. At the heart of the entire module is a moral choice for the characters that, if played superficially, won't make too much of an impact. In the hands of an ST willing to evoke the setting and the characters (and there is plenty of advice in this product on how to do that) there are some critical role-playing moments here that can influence the PCs many sessions afer this game is finished.
The NPCs are kept to a minimum, and the clarity of expression in the story benefits. There are plenty of hooks, depending on whether this is the next installment in your existing chronicle, or whether you want to run it as an intro adventure for Forsaken.
It is easily converted to 'Werewolf: the Apocalypse' (which is how I'll use it) and the concepts of Forsaken don't get in the way of a good tale.
The spirits and spirit world get some attention in the module too, and these provide excellent examples that you can reuse in similar locations for other games in your chronicle.
Overall, the mood and theme are conveyed in a meaningful manner, the NPCs useful and consistent, and the story hinged on an original concept that will intrigue investigative players.
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Want to run a different Shadowrun game or revitalise your existing game? This is the supplement for you. It offers a few short 'missions' where the characters begin as (or infiltrate if you have existing characters) DocWagon or Lone Star employees. As such, it allows the GM to shift gear and let the players explore the Shadowrun world from a very different perspective with different priorities and responsibilities.
Whilst originally written for SR2, it is easily converted to later editions (I'm using it with fourth edition). Stats can be changed with little fuss - it is the ideas from this book that you want.
So, if you are looking for a different challenge or viewpoint, grab this one, chummer.
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I purchased this issue for one article alone - the one on Toreador Blood Cults. It was quite informative, offering the rationale for cultivating one of these cults (apart from the obvious), giving a few practical ideas and lots of hooks for adding one of these cults to your existing chronicle.
I wasn't disappointed and have kept the article on hand whilst designing my current chronicle.
The other articles are worth a read, but this one was the most useful for my needs.
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Third and Fourth Edition of L5R herald a return to the 'Roll & Keep' system that is long overdue after the debacle that was D20 L5R.
The system is excellent in conveying the flavour of the setting - one of heroism and epic deeds and is well-married to a rich, deep setting. The setting - a quasi-historical fantasy Japan - that offers a myriad of role-playing styles and opportunities. You want a game focused on ninja assassinations? Fine. How about a high-intrigue court game with an intense social setting? Done. How about a tragic game of honour, loss and epic battle? Check.
This is not 'AD&D with katanas'. It is a game where the social setting, etiquette, customs and culture come to the fore and the 'kewl powers' take a definite backseat. It is a setting where your characters see definite advancement and it is not always measured in dice and stats.
I'd recommend two other items to go with this purchase - the free module 'Legacy of Disaster' to get you started, and the novels. Whilst the latter are not brilliantly written (very standard gaming novel fare), but they do evoke the setting and advance the timeline very well.
On this note, the backstory is quite well-developed and tied to the events in the card game's continuity, but don't let this discourage you - it makes for entertaining reading and you can ignore almost all of it in any campaign.
In short, if you are after a fantasy game with a little more substance and a very different feel, this will fit the bill.
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'The Giovanni Chronicles' does offer what the cover boasts - a mature game. There are a range of issues that are dealt with in this title that might not suit everyone's tastes, so I'd strongly recommend a lot of planning by a storyteller and using it with a group that you know well. The vignettes are extremely well-devised, the NPCs engaging and thought-provoking and the basic plot allows characters to be a part of Cainite history, whilst also being a strong story. Make sure that you buy this well in advance of running it, though - you need to seriously think about how you're going to use this, how you'll portray this many NPCs in a memorable way and how you'll approach the 'mature' concepts in the book too.
If you do, it will offer probably one of the best roleplaying experiences of any system.
Note: The content missing mentioned by the previous reviewer can be found as an addendum to the first edition of Clanbook: Settite (the one with the female vampire with the red-lensed glasses).
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If you are running 'Vampire: the Masquerade', this is the book for your players. I've used this often by giving it to newer players and letting them explore the book at their own pace. It has a lot of the information from the main rulebook, without the rules getting in the way.
It gives a comprehensive overview of Kindred society, the Traditions, the Court positions and their history. At $2.99 a copy, I'd recommend that everyone at your table buy a copy - no matter how much they might think they know about Vampire. Every time I read this it reminds me of something that has slipped my mind.
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