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A most impressive addition to the core rulebooks for the 'new' WOD, even though it represents perhaps more of a departure from the classic Werewolf lore than, say, Vampire does. This is largely mandated by the nature of werewolf lore - as the book itself takes pains to bring forward, 'werewolf as ravening beast' does not make for the best of roleplaying experiences. Much is also added into the mythos with regard to the spirit world, but it never feels forced or tacked on. Instead, the additions feel organic and well considered in the context of the overall approach. If you have played any of the other new lines, much here will be familiar (mechanically) and the learning curve, for the most part, is not excessively steep. White Wolf also meets its usual high standards with regard to art, layout and quality of writing. A solid entry in the line, if perhaps not quite so striking as some of the other basic books.
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A solid effort and, like the other books released under the 'Night Horrors' banner, this one produces a considerable array of potential villains for relatively easy inclusion into any WOD campaign. Although the focus is - obviously - on those whose passion is for the Werewolf subline, many of the entries could be applied to other WOD lines, if you were so inclined. The last chapter, focusing primarily on the Idigam, is simultaneously the best and worst aspect of the book. It is great to see rules for such prodigiously powerful and chronicle altering creatures, and yet the mere act of giving them rules seems almost counter-intuitive to their potential. Overall though, the book is a worthy addition but bear in mind that it is, at heart, a collection of pre-made characters with built in story hooks - not an expansion to the world itself.
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An impressive installment which does an excellent job of fleshing out each of the core tribes. The mixture of lore, story hooks, game mechanics and lodges is extremely well balanced and, with each tribe (excepting the 'tribeless' ghost wolves) getting equal time, all followers of the line should find something of relevance. Also, havign a different writer work on each chapter of the book works very well, as it gives each tribe write up a slightly different feel, which is as it should be. The art is a bit hit and miss, this time around, but that is the only mild disappointment to be had, here. A top level addition to the line, and definitely worth picking up.
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An impressive addition to the line, dealing primarily with the myriad array of foes with which werewolves may be faced. The book strikes a very good balance between game mechanics and storytelling demands, providing much in the way of resources. The topics covered include the shadow/spirits, hosts (including a trio of 'new' breeds) and ancient horrors, which may or may not be comparable to the eldest of ancient Gods. In reaching the end of the book, you will have a much better feel for what werewolves may have cause to fear. From a reader's perspective, the book is appealing to page through, the layout and format intuitive with a logical progression and the accompanying artwork evocative and appropriate to the subject matter. Good work all around.
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Although the book does not exactly re-invent the wheel or throw the core gameplay into a new tangent, 'The Rage' does offer a lot of quality material to chew on. While some of it (particularly in the opening chapter) may seem a bit familiar, there are plenty of nuggets of inventive goodness to be found throughout. Also, as might be expected from the line, the layout of the text and the supporting artwork is evocative of the themes at play and always impressive. A solid addition to the line, but not necessarily one that will come to define your Werewolf gaming experience.
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Another strong addition to the Werwolf line, this time offering a multitude of 'alternate takes' on the lore and myths of werewolves in the World of Darkness. As with comparable books from the other lines, much of what is offered here may be mixed, matched, used or disposed with at will. For those who are interested in twisting the mythos as presented in the core book, however, there is much here to tickle the fancy. The last chapter (focusing on the Bale Hounds) is a bit more rules heavy and, in some respect, more applicable to the game as it stands, requiring less in the way of alterations to the mythology as presented in the core rules. Still and all, there is much here to chew on and much to enjoy.
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A most excellent addition and resource to the Werewolf line from White Wolf. The game mechanics are ample and a great deal of flesh and detail to any sort of territory that you may wish to create. Story hooks and narrative tips are likewise well rounded, and the book concludes with a selection of ready to use territories, which is both convenient for future gaming and helpful to see how the mechanics can be translated to the table. Given the strength of the territorial themes in the line, this is a book totally at home with its core rules.
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A decent little call-out to Iceland; somewhat roughly written but it is a free download, after all. Fondly recalls earlier books (Shadows of Mexico & Shadows of the UK) and the underlying idea is good. It would be nice to see the 'Shadows of .. ' line continue. Shadows of Europe or Shadows of Canada would be nifty .. or a 'Shadows of World' type of anthology could throw some light into less likely settings like, well, Iceland. Still and all, for a free download, this is an interesting, but rough, read.
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Yes, it is largely an April Fool's Day joke and yes, in a practical sense, there probably isn't a lot of legitimate game play here - but the PDF is extremely funny and definitely worth a look on that level alone. The rules (or system hacks, if you prefer) are mostly wildly over the top, but if you wanted to take a respite from the (relatively) serious tone of the World of Darkness line, you could do worse than cut loose with a few deady lesbian, katana wielding stripper schoolgirls.
Life is much too short to forsake the chance for sublime lunacy, at least once in a while.
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A very impressive piece of work, giving access to characters with the innate ability to transform into animals, who are not Werewolves. It is, although, perhaps a pity that this book was preceeded to the market by 'Skinchasers,' as the two do dovetail a bit in mechanics, if not in narrative focus.
I'm not wholly certain that even the narrative focus makes a suitable demand for both; it almost seems as if the two products could somehow have been merged.
That does not take anything away from the quality that is well evidenced here, however. The selection of animals (and the detail that each is given) and the game-mechanics of the transforming gimmick are expertly done and there is ample meat here to keep players who are looking for a character option away from the core WOD lines busy.
This release totally nails the non-Werewolf transforming human/animal dynamic - an excellent addition to any WOD gamer's library.
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Another impressive product from White Wolf, easily on a par (in terms of art, layout and design) with their best works. It is also a very well realized gaming supplement which offers a robust package of pre-created demons, a solid mechanical basis upon which to forge your own and a suprisingly clever, well designed system to create characters who are possessed.
If you're looking to add a demon touch to your World of Darkness, this book is definitely everything you need.
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Although the core mechanics of the World of Darkness line are (mercifully) transparent and mutable, 'WOD: Mirrors' takes the flexibility of the system to its furthest extremes. In short, almost any sort of addition or replacement to the core mechanics that you may ever (as a player or a storyteller) have wanted to see changed is probably covered somewhere in this book.
It is a fine reminder of just how much manipulation the basic mechanics can take.
Everyone will respond to different aspects of what is offered here and for the most part, readers & gamers can cherry pick the adaptions they like and ignore (or further alter) those they fine disagreeable. The book is somewhat lighter on expanding the narrative universe, however. There is some attention paid to possible alternate realities, but this section of the book feels a bit less enthusiastic then the straight mechanical alterations.
Still and all, there is much to think about here and much to test out around a gaming table.
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A beautiful book to read through (lovely, evocative artwork with well laid out text) and also one which offers a lot of rich ground to explore. Admittedly, the book is focused on the terrors of madness and the medical 'care' to which people are subject too, and if you have no particular interest in exploring this facet of the World of Darkness, then this book is clearly not for you.
If you are interested in this sort of thing, however, 'WOD: Asylum' offers a wealth of concepts and story ideas, a very well considered and crafted setting and a(n) (un)healthy selection of 'mechanical' additions for the core rules. Highly recommended.
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A great deal of effort has been put into this latest interation of the concept to make the game somewhat playable, over a longer term arc then has usually been the case, in past incarnations of Paranoia.
Unfortunately, the cost of such an enterprise has been a subtle erosion of the admittedly manic but also undeniably cheerful humour of earlier Paranoia rule books. There is an effort made here to be inclusive to the more obviously off-the-wall feel of 'shoot first, shoot second and shoot last' feeling of earlier products, but at heart, Paranoia as presented here is bound by (slightly) more practical rules.
Coming in as someone who had fond remembrances of being able to take a break from 'serious' RPGs in favor of a few crazed sessions of Paranoia, I must admit that I do find the shift in tone to be a trifle disappointing.
However, the broad strokes of humour remain and the notion of being able to maintain a set of characters over a (slightly) longer term story arc does present some interesting possibilites. Unfortuantely, the rules are not quite so seamless as those found in some other RPGs, but the book's heart is in the right place overall, and there is plenty of value here to be minded, regardless of whether your preferences fall on the spectrum of 'plausible' Paranoia of 'crazed' Paranoia.
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This is, in some respects, a tricky book to tackle. On the one hand, the later third of the book - dealing with vampire specific monsters (the Strix, Dampyr, Draugr & Larvae) is a veritable gold mine of delight. The systems and narrative support for each of these offers lot of value to ongoing Vampire games and is a very worthwhile addition to the line.
The middle third of the book, however, is somewhat less weighty. Although it purports to deal with 'vampire type' creatures using (for convenience sake) the 'Vampire' rules, many of the entries feel extraneous. I suspect, in point of fact, that most would feel more at home in other game lines entirely.
As such, if you do run/play any of the other White Wolf lines, much of this book's middle section may feel more valuable but speaking from a strictly 'Vampire' point of view, much of it seems .. unnecessary. Some of these creatures are interesting and some, encountered sparingly, may even make for a nice change of pace in a 'Vampire' game, but the selling point of this book lies in the final third, not the second.
In terms of layout, design, accessibility, writing & art, all of White Wolf's traditionally high standards are hewn too nicely. It is a gorgeous book to look at and an intriguing one to read. Bear simply in mind that as a companion to 'Vampire' games, 1/3 of the book is extremely valuable and 1/3 is of middling worth. (The first 1/3 is the introduction & set-up for what follows)
(5 stars for the last third, 3 for the second third .. so an overall average of 4 stars given)
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