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Demon Translation Guide $4.99
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Demon Translation Guide
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Demon Translation Guide
Publisher: Onyx Path Publishing
by Anton G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/31/2021 17:21:21

EDIT (October 2019): After some reflection, I feel it necessary to amend that this review came from a place of frustration and disappointment. I stand by what I said (though I was wrong about the Lores, their entries DO include the relevant dice pools), but it's also fair to say I was rather hyperbolic. I still think that the supplement should have been given more attention, but I understand that the book had only one writer, and that OP is still growing as a company. That said, wouldn't mind seeing some updates to this product, if that's possible.

If you're a die-hard fan of Demon: the Fallen like I am, and practically had a heart attack when you saw that this was getting made, then let my words spare you the coronary: this thing's a bust. What we have here is a valiant, but ultimately slap-dash attempt to construct a translation guide that instead comes across as an incredibly one-sided and imbalanaced. It pains me to write this, as there are some solid things going on in the book, and some neat ideas in play, but Onyx Path simply didn't put in the effort necessary to make this what it needed to be. There is a lot to say, but I'll keep my critique to three main points.

  1. Poor organization: The TG attempts to give fluid rules for porting characters between systems, but unfortunately ends up creating a slurry of information, where Descent info blends together with Fallen info, making it hard to keep the two separarate. In addition, there are some strange redundancies with some things, particularly Merits (Pacts are still listed as a Merit, but that Merit has been replaced by the Thrall Merit, which is itself difficult to find). Further, none of the Lores have explicitly spelled-out dice pools, and attempting to decipher which Attributes and Skills are needed for each is tedious and inefficient. Overall, the book shoud have been organized with greater distinction.

  2. A lot of missing data: the TG covers character conversion and basic powers, but says nothing about some of the most critical systems from the old game, such as empowering Thralls, rituals from the old Player's Guide, or rules for exorcism and the devouring of demons by their peers post mortem. These missing pieces of info make attempting to run D:tF with the new rules incredibly frustrating, as players have fewer rescources to give their characters, and STs will be left struggling to help their players complete common demon-related tasks.

  3. The Apocalyptic Powers: possibly the most infurating part of the whole book, instead of going through the Demon Player's Guide and methodically converting each power for the sake of clarity and conciseness, and perhaps altering or trimming some away to keep things clean and efficient, OP instead opted to simply convert some powers and treat the rest as rebranded versions of powers from D:tD. This causes a host of redundancies as well as some bizarre alterations to the designs of some powers that in no way mirrors their orginal function or intent, and can potentially derail a character concept. This is the most egregious sin, for not only does it make porting a character over incredibly messy, but it undermines Fallen in favor of keeping Descent at the fore, and makes it seem as though OP is putting Fallen in the backseat in favor of highlighting Descent.

In conclusion, the Demon Translation Guide is a competent work, and the rule conversions therein are a fitting update for bringing Fallen into the CoD system, but its glaring flaws and poor organization make it difficult to use at best, and an absolute nightmare at worst. I leave here an open statement to the staff at Onyx Path:

Dear Mss. and Messrs.,

I understand that creating works like this is a monumental undertaking, and your efforts must not be overlooked, but if you want to create something that fans will appreciate, and more importantly buy, you must ensure that the necessary effort is put into it. If this means putting more writers on the project, prolonging development, or even making a Kickstarter page for it, then do it, because I guarantee that a legion of loyal patrons and fans like myself are ready and willing to contribute to see the game we love so much be reborn, and you will enjoy both critical praise and financial success in the long-run.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
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Demon Translation Guide
Publisher: Onyx Path Publishing
by Adolfo D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/13/2021 03:04:14

A totaly must have if you, like me, didn't liked the whole technology thing from the God Machine Chronicle. My complaints are two: The translation guide from Vampire the Masquerade to Vampire Requiem where better organized.

THEY DON'T HAVE CONVERTED CHARACTER SHEET to use The Fallen on the Descent system. So you will need to print The Descent sheet and improvise.

Update:

Unfortunately, after re-reading Demon the Fallen on the old world of darkness and then trying to run a game using this one, I found myself frustrated and having to carry 3 books in my hands: The core of demon, this and then the demon the descent. And not only that, but the organization here is terrible and many mechanics are missing explanation. They didn't even tell how to convert the fact that in apocalyptic form a demon can absorb lethal damage as bashing and I had to come up with a way based on what I know from playing Vampire the Requiem. Temporary/Permanent Torment and Faith? They converted it as breaking points and some sort of power attribute that completely destroys the original way it was conceived on the first book and again, I had to come up with a way to fill the gap and bring those things back.

If you want to run a demon the fallen game, this book will offer you a shortcut, but keep in mind that you'll need to do some heavy lifting to make it work.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
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