I am really struggling with this book.

Nephandi are potentially the ultimate antagonists of not only Mage but the WoD as a whole. They have always existed as a sinister promise of unapologetic villains fully conscious of their atrocities because of their fundamental belief that the ultimate power over reality is manifested in the ability to destroy it. Not simply worshippers of demons or the beings of the outer void, but calling upon them to use them as tools in their ultimate assault on the Tellurian's very existence.

Mostly that is what they have not been portrayed as in the past. Rather they often appeared a strange blend of rejected torture porn movie scripts mixed with the edgy esthetics of industrial power noise, or as gibbering servants of demonic powers.

I have always missed something deeper. A metaphysical framework that explains why the Nephandi truly embrace destruction to that degree and why they believe in what they do. This book finally offers some insight into that ... and then it truly misses the mark.

In the past - particularly in Path of Screams and Dead Magic - there was always a strong implication that the metaphysical roots of the Nephandi lie in ancient Mesopotamia where some felt the notion of primordial chaos beckon to them, and while priests were looking for messages from the gods in the stars, they looked for answers in the much vaster void between them.

Now Nephandi metaphysics are suddenly based essentially on the kabbalistic equivalent of black magic. How did that happen? How did they develop that paradigm? In the day and age where Path of Screams is set, I would have settled for a Jewish version of Infernalists seeking power by taking "the left hand path" of a mystic tradition they grew up with, but not as the exemplars of destruction beyond mere evil that they should be. The Nephandi also existed back in those days, but were a largely obscure sect steeped in dark mystery, mostly sneering at the Infernalists for their naivite. By the 21st century they have seemingly all signed on for "evil kabbalism" being the ultimate truth behind the universe's unmaking. We don't get to know how and why that happened because this book does not include a history section which would tell us how that paradigm developed.

Rather it spends a lot of time - and space - to repeatedly explain the psychological mechanisms of abuse and deliver personal commentary of the author that will probably not age very well.

It does - however - provide some very interesting abstractions of the Nephandi paradigm that gave me a lot of food for thought on how to construct the belief system of such an extreme villain for my games, but that requires a lot of reading between the lines. If the whole chapter would have explained it in terms of the Black Diamond or the Primordial Chaos or the Dark Godhead instead of a specific existing mystical tradition, I would have appreciated it so much more.

I liked the new factions and could quickly imagine how someone could be drawn to either and start their descent. Even the old factions were re-written in a way that made them appear somewhat less silly or self-defeating. Many of the rotes and character traits give a useful isight into how Nephandi function "mechanically". I don't have a problem with the character traits being given stats, and I don't see it as an invitation to make Nephandi player characters (nobody in their right mind ever should) but as guideline for the storyteller on how to construct an NPC. Granted, you don't need to know points costs for character creation then and it was unnecessary to include them and thereby start such a controversy in the first place. Just as unnecessary as deciding that the Nephandi are now "evil kabbalists".

I had hoped for more. The book offers much that finally makes the Nephandi more than simply the Mage version of Werewolf's diverse Wyrm servitors. It got close but then tripped over its own feet on the race to the finish line.

My first encounter with Mage was reading the 1st edition's player's guide "The Book of Shadows" on a lazy afternoon at a friend's place. I remember telling my friend "I'm willing to run a game as soon as the Technocracy become a playable faction, they are the only ones who at least have a chance to make sense in this world"

I kept my promise when Guide to the Technocracy came out and I have been running games with Union protagonists for many years since. After the Revised Convention Books and M20 this was a book I truly looked forward to and backed it right away.

So far I have not yet received the final copy, but I have read through most of the pre-release PDF that backers got. This copy still has a number of editorial flaws which I hope will not still be in the final edition, but in general it seems to me like a very fitting re-orientation of the Technocratic Union for the 21st century.

The presentation is part in character and part pure game information, and they flow nicely together. Often the crossover line between one and the other is not handled too well in WoD publications, but this book does a good job. The themes of the "reloaded" Technocracy feel real in the world of today. Here we have an organisation - while still powerful - that had to let go of its aspirations for total control. Many of their grand plans have turned against them, and in the face of failure they have to also admit that the world hasn't become better because of them; that in their single-minded pursuit of "winning" they have completely lost sight of the ideals which were supposed to give them true purpose.

Yet, the "reloaded" Technocracy is still an organisation of global totalitarianism. In its reformed, more diverse and egalitarian approach even more than before. For this Technocracy it finally doesn't count anymore which ethnicity, gender or nationality you were born with. All those attributes are ultimately meaningless and have to be overcome for the greater good. As long as you can play your part in the project of creating a unified global humanity you're welcome.

In their own way they are as sinister as ever though, but now their tactics are no longer about dragging deviants into windowless rooms and brainwashing them. Today's Technocracy does its work by rallying the idealists of this world for the last stand against complete collapse and completely immerse them in this gritty campaign to create an utopia against all odds.

My main criticism against this book is that it lacks a bit in historical context. Of course, seasoned Mage fans will know much about the backstory of how they came to be like they are, but I would imagine that a first time Storyteller who wants to understand who the Technocracy are and why they are like that will be left with too many questions. Devoting too much on the same history would of course also have disappointed the long-term fans who wanted to read mostly new stuff. The writers had to walk a narrow line there but even as an old Mage player I found they went a bit too much on one side.

Also, I hope that the final version contains more example Procedures, because nothing helps both players and storytellers understand the complications of playing this game like practical examples.