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World of Darkness: Dogs of War
Publisher: White Wolf
by Scott M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/01/2010 17:58:01

As with many of the core WOD supplements, 'Dogs of War' makes an effort to encompass all of the core lines while generally allowing the bulk of the narrative weight to rest in one specific vein. In this case, mortals carry the bulk of the load, but there are sufficient nuggets here for devotees of the supernatural lines to thread such characters into the military weave.

It may also go somewhat without need of stating, but 'Dogs of War' is extremely military-centric and if you (or your players) have little interest in or patience for the complexities of the military experience, there is little here that will change your mind. For those who do seek to add a flavor of contemporary military tactics to their games, this supplement more then fills that craving.

Not surprisingly, White Wolf does its usual stellar job of presentation and layout here, interspersing rules jargon with liberal doses of story hooks and nuggets of colourful prose with the always impressive array of artwork. Like many others of its ilk, 'Dogs of War' is a joy to page through and a reliable catalyst to one's own creativity.

There are some carry-overs from prior books (most noticeably 'War Against the Pure' and 'Armoury/Armoury Reloaded') in terms of merits and the mechanics for units - but never to the point where the book feels padded with content that has been seen elsewhere.

Overall, a valuable resource for anyone who has an interest in presenting storylines told from inside the military and/or stories told from the front lines.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
World of Darkness: Dogs of War
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World of Darkness: Slasher
Publisher: White Wolf
by Scott M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/23/2010 20:33:35

The entire World of Darkness line is, obviously, not wholly intended for the faint of heart. Even if a troupe wishes to gloss over some of the darkness, it is hard to work around the fact that vampire characters feed on mortal human blood, werewolf characters (almost) inevitably create swaths of violence and even 'standard' mortal characters are mired in a world which is, well, dark.

Therein, obviously, lies the appeal. The mirror that the game line holds up to the real world may be distorted and ghostly, but there is a certain escapist fantasy to be had, all the same. WOD Slasher, however, may not be for all paritcular tastes and, of all the titles, it may well skirt the closest to being in the realm of questionable taste.

Granted, human beings in the 'real world' who descend into murder rarely do so with such operatic glee, but the fact remains that this effort does deal (at least superficially) with human evil, as opposed to the sort of fantasy evil that is more apt to be found in the more overtly supernatural creatures of the night.

That having been said, and presuming that you are not apt to misinterpret the content of the book, WOD Slasher is a tremendous addition to the line, both for the purposes of crafting compelling and frightening adversaries and also for the chance to -- for a time -- drop the facade of morality (or humanity or harmony or whatnot) in favor of taking a turn 'behind the curtain.'

The slasher mechanics are well considered and, although the book leans a bit more toward Hunter in its sense of connections, the rules and characters that the new systems generate could easily filter through any of the core lines. In the usual, bankable White Wolf way, the book is exquisitely laid out and well designed, striking an excellent balance of game mechanics, (pseudo-)historical tidbits, character and small pieces of atmospheric fiction.

An excellent resource for the game and one that can be surprisingly intense but, perhaps even moreso then the rest of the line, probably not for younger and/or sensitive players.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
World of Darkness: Slasher
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World of Darkness: Book of the Dead
Publisher: White Wolf
by Scott M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/23/2010 15:47:57

Although much of the content here is admittedly Geist-centric, 'Book of the Dead' does an admirable job of extending support to devotees of the other core lines, as well as those whose interest lies with mere mortals. The various World of Darkness books are frequently at their best when they weave their fictional webs through elements of real world history and mythology, and the work here is an excellent example of that.

Particular note must be made of the art - always a highlight - but the imagery here is especially impressive and consistently evokes the feeling of what might be pressed upon your mind in a trip to the underworld. Layout, font & typeface are all up to White Wolf's usual standards and the book is both pleasing to the eye and nicely arranged for easy reference.

For someone with a neglible interest in the themes presented in Geist, this would obviously track somewhat lower but for those whose interests cross multiple product lines, there is more then enough content and inspiration here to nurture many happy storytelling sessions, if not ample happy endings to dark underworld journeys.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
World of Darkness: Book of the Dead
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Proverbial Monsters
Publisher: White Wolf
by Scott M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/23/2010 08:17:42

As a collection of monsters, this book suffers insofar as it is only as good (or bad) as its various entries. With no particular overarching theme or concept, a reader is left to cherry-pick what he likes and dismiss the remainder. That having been said, many of the concepts seem more likely to lend themselves to 'one off' storytelling games as opposed to being integrated into the a larger, ongoing campaign or narrative.

It is also worth noting that, as written, a number of these monsters are quite lethal. It may come as an unpleasant shock to a player to take a passing turn away from a chronicle's dominant storyline only to have a character abruptly killed by a 'monster of the week.' This again underlines the feel that this book is meant more as fodder for an episodic chronicle then a climactic one.

The book, like the majority of White Wolf's products, is well laid out and easily read although I did find the accompanying artwork to be, on average, a bit less intellectually suggestive then is often the case.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Proverbial Monsters
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New World of Darkness Rulebook (1st Edition)
Publisher: White Wolf
by Scott M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/17/2010 09:53:31

White Wolf has managed quite a feat with their re-vamped World of Darkness seriess, insofar as they have crafted a very flexible set of rules that can be laid over a number of parallel storylines. The core rulebook also does more then simply lay out the basics to tease you into investing in the remainder of the line; it presents a very well-rounded game world that stands on its own merits.

The rules are also, thankfully, unintrusive for the most part, and easy to learn and teach. As is emphasized a number of times, the game is designed with an eye toward cultivating a shared storytelling experience with the rules being a mechanical framework as opposed to the game devolving into a contest of min-maxing and rules cross-referencing.

As a roleplaying game, it is virtually without equal.

Perhaps even more surprisingly, as a book, the WOD rules succeed almost as well. Many of the mechanical aspects of the game are nicely illustrated with various small, story-based asides - most of which imply larger ideas and tend to inspire one's own imagination. The 'production value' of the book (specifically the art, fonts and layout) are all equally stellar. It is a great book to simply look at, and an inspiring one to wander through when you're in the process of crafting characters or adventures.

The system is sufficiently fluid that you can have the supernatural overtones dialed up or down as far as you may personally choose, and the world that is portrayed -- while potentially not one that we all might want to live in, day to day, is a fascinating one to visit.

Highly recommended.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
New World of Darkness Rulebook (1st Edition)
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