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Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic
Publisher: Queen of Swords Press
by Bill B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/27/2021 12:51:14

Unfinished Business is a collection of stotries by veteran author Catherine Lundoff. The stories are all dark fantasy, and range from steampunk to gothic horror to homages to classic horror stories from Poe and Stoker. There are twelve stories in all, some being reprints - having appeared in other antholgies - but this is typical for single author collections of short stories. All are delightfully chilling, and keep the reader wanting more. My favorite is the steampunk-themed Medium Mechanique, a tale of spirit mediums, lost loves, and unintended consequences.

Unfinished Business is a fast read; the stories are engaging and well-paced, and it's an excellent value for the price. If you are a fan of horror and unfamiliar with Ms. Lundoff's work, I highly recommend Unfinished Business as an introduction to a fine and talented author. If you enjoy this work, you should also consider checking out her novels availble on Drive Thru Fiction, not to mention other books from her small press publishing house, Queen of Swords Press.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic
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Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures
Publisher: Queen of Swords Press
by Bill B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/25/2021 22:26:02

Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures is a delightful collection of three novellas about Captain Marta Ramos - the most dangerous pirate in the Duchy of Denver - and her crew. It stands alone perfectly well, but ties in nicely with Murder on the Titania, the previous collection of stories chronicling these same airship pirates and their adventures.

The middle story of Wireless doesn't involve Captain Ramos at all - directly, anyway. It concerns a mission undertaken by Ramos's right-hand man, Simms, and the good Captain's romantic interest, Deliah. Deliah has her own objectives on this mission; she has more secrets than many nations, and she and Simms get along about as well as oil and water.

All three tales are fun to read, and this book is a page-turner. If you enjoy these stories, I urge you to also pick up a copy of Murder on the Titania for more from these intriguing characters and the author that brings them to life.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures
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Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures
Publisher: Queen of Swords Press
by Bill B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/16/2021 14:59:24

Murder on the Titania is a fast-paced steampunk adventure consisting of 5 short stories. The stories are evocative, well-paced, and fun to read; I couldn't put this book down until I finished it, and then I wanted more. (I was in luck; there is a sequel - Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures!) Murder on the Titania is an excellent example of steampunk literature from a veteran author; they've done a terrific job of creating believable characters the reader will identify with, as well as creating prose that is descriptive and evocative without going overboard. The ebook is a bit over 400 pages, but that's deceptive; the layout means each page is quite short. To give you a more clear idea of this, the print version is only 275 pages. I highly recommend Murder on the Titania and its sequel, Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures, to anyone with a taste for high adventure and a good story.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures
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Shadows of Cthulhu
Publisher: Gun Metal Games
by Bill B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/22/2011 12:46:02

I was so excited to learn that an RPG treatment of the sanity-blasting horror of H. P. Lovecraft had been made available using the True 20 rules that I went online and bought a copy within days of the discovery. Shadows of Cthulhu, designed by Russell Brown and published by Reality Deviant Publications, is a great way to introduce D&D gamers to a taste of something different without forcing them to learn an entirely new game system. In that vein its important top note that Shadows is not a complete game in itself: a copy of the Green Ronin Publishing’s True 20 Revised Rules will be required in order to play Shadows of Cthulhu.

It should come as no surprise that nearly the entire book offers a rehash of information provided in the various Call of Cthulhu-related tomes. This is precisely as it should be; one cannot assume that a person picking up this book for the first time will know everything they need to regarding the background and 1920s-era setting. I offer this as a warning to the already initiated to be patient, and to feel free to skim the background chapters at first. Where True 20 differs here is in the three character roles – Adept, Warrior and Expert – that players’ characters will adopt. It is recommended that players only choose Adept as a starting role with the consent of the Narrator or GM; frequently in this setting, the mantle of Adept is taken by either cultists or by those experienced in the ways of the Mythos. It would be commonplace for a character to grow into the role of Adept during the course of one or more campaigns, but rare that one would start out that way.

The first chapter details the ins and outs of character creation, adapting the game for the True 20 rules toolkit. Chapter two gives a general overview of all aspects of life in the 1920s, and chapter three offers advice and information for the GM on narrating Shadows of Cthulhu. Chapter four covers True 20’s rules for insanity, dealing with the inevitable plunge from reality – a plunge all too common to all investigators of the supernatural and other-worldly.

Chapter five converts the character abilities from Call of Cthulhu into the Skills, Feats and Powers lexicon of True 20. Chapter six – everyone’s favorite – is the bestiary of critters from the Cthulhu Mythos. Chapter seven – titled “Terrible Things” – details in game terms the places, books and artifacts associated with stories from the Mythos. Chapter eight discusses NPCs -- cultists, Adepts and ordinary people. Chapter nine offers the village of Dunwich and its environs as an appropriate setting for adventures. The setting for “The Dunwich Horror,” Dunwich is a mythical New England village seemingly frozen in time in the latter part of the 19th Century (or earlier), and was the site of horrific events resulting from several inhabitants’ close involvement with Things Man Was Not Meant To Know. Chapter ten closes out this book by covering in greater detail True 20’s rules to govern the use (and abuse!) of sanity in the game setting.

The art by Jason Walton is excellent. Scattered throughout the book, it is sparse enough to not overwhelm the text, but frequent enough to maintain visual interest and to help set the tone for the game. My favorite piece is a full-page illustration from page 33, depicting a town at night as mist begins to creep in. The pre-19th-Century architecture of the town indicates it is either in Europe or a very remote area of the Eastern United States. There are no monsters, or any other living beings present -- merely the suggestion, through the use of shadows and judicious placement of obscuring mist, that there may be more to the scene than meets the eye. Imagination is given free reign in this image, which is what role-playing games are all about.

A couple of very small quibbles; why is page two entirely blank? Most likely this is to facilitate printing the full-color cover page, either for the consumer directly from the PDF download, or to prep the product for eventual conversion to a commercial print run, if product sales indicate the need. Another problem is the two-column format. While standard for commercial printing, in electronic form it is a cause for aggravation as one has to scroll up and down several times to read information on a single page. This isn’t issue for those who take the time and toner to print out a hard copy of the PDF.

All in all, Shadows of Cthulhu is a welcome addition to any Lovecraft aficionado’s store of Mythos gaming lore. The 124+ pages are well worth the price of the download, even for those anachronistic types like myself who prefer a printed, bound book to caress and scan. It’s a cohesive, well planned coverage of the Cthulhu Mythos using a rules system other than Chaosium’s fine Basic Role Playing system. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that, in my role as Sales Manager for Green Ronin Publishing – publishers of the True 20 RPG – I’m somewhat less than unbiased. That in mind, True 20 is a strong tool to offer fans of 3.0 to 3.5-era D&D a solid option for using a familiar game system to play other games in diverse time periods and settings. Having such an excellent product available in support of the True 20 product line makes that part of my job a lot easier.

--Bill Bodden

This review originally appeared at FlamesRising.com



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Shadows of Cthulhu
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Kiss of the Succubus: Daeva
Publisher: White Wolf
by Bill B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/22/2011 12:40:01

More than any other vampire clan in the World of Darkness, the Daeva are all about appearances: vanity, thy name is Daeva. Of course, most vampires have to put on a good show to avoid detection, but Daeva have mastered the art like no other. In Daeva: Kiss of the Succubus White Wolf Publishing gives the kiss of life to the most outwardly self-centered of the vampire clans.

From their beginnings in ancient Sumeria, the Daeva have specialized at blending in with human society. In game terms, Gangrel may be the most overtly kick-ass clan due to their mastery of the Protean powers of shape-changing -- able to sink into any patch of earth at sunrise, or to instantly grow claws and throw down. Daeva, on the other hand, have mastery over social skills, and the most efficient character builds tend to reflect this and play to that strength. Daeva may not be quite the combat powerhouse that a Gangrel can be, but they excel at manipulating others, inspiring desire, devotion and need. On a lonely patch of country road Gangrel rule, but put that road in the middle of any city - with people around - and you'd have a tough time finding the equal of a Daeva.

A large chunk of the early book is taken up by a diary of sorts - a patchwork monologue written by a former vampire's lover. He hungers still for the lady who both victimized him and drove him to heights of ecstasy, after which she abandoned him and left town. A pathetic creature now, he bounces from job to job, his former wealth and skills (and lover) abandoned. He fears the vampires he finds easier to spot these days, yet he documents them as a means to understanding them. He hopes by solving the riddle they represent he will find this woman with which he is obsessed and fall into her arms again - even if only for the last time. As a reader I both envy and despise him; it's clear from the writing he feels the same way. Later sections are culled from the journals, letters, and notes of several Daeva. As with the other clan books, Daeva includes new Merits, Devotions and Bloodlines, plus two sample Daeva characters to whet the appetite.

Like the other clan books, Daeva: Kiss of the Succubus provides useful insight into the character of a Daeva vampire. Sensual, hedonistic and often of an artistic bent, Daeva are found wherever the any of arts flourish - music, writing, painting, sculpting and even architecture - frequently as both patrons and artists themselves. A useful discussion of in-game sexual situations is included; GMs are encouraged to choose their own path regarding whether sexual situations will be emphasized, glossed over, or something in-between. Because of their very nature, Daeva will encounter such situations in-game practically on a nightly basis; being clear regarding how much or how little the adult-aged players wish to explore this eventuality with their characters and within the framework of the game is strongly recommended.

A very clever touch consists of two Jack Chick-style tracts on life as a vampire, found by the author and included in the packet of materials sent to a collector of information regarding the clan. The first challenges Daeva to find their prey in less auspicious locales (supermarkets or all-night copy shops, for instance) rather than the local club scene, decrying the ease and certainty of club hunting as worthy mainly of last resort. The second encourages proper hunting behavior; creating desire for the vampire within the mind of the intended victim rather than ambushing a random drunk in an alley. The message is that of course twisting someone's soul is despicable, but at least it offers the prey some pleasure before the end. When a vampire stops hating that aspect of their unlife, they've become one more soulless monster.

The art in this clan book - like the others - is of varying styles, though the quality is largely first-rate. I was particularly smitten by pieces on pages 9 (a geek-Daeva, holding court with a toothy grin over her computer game-obsessed flock) and page 120 (a satisfied-looking woman leaning against her unconscious partner), though I feel I must also mention the excellent execution of the pin-up style on page 46.

Daeva: Kiss of the Succubus could easily have stooped to the lowest common denominator and wallowed in a sex-crazed orgy of blood. Instead, it takes the higher road, challenging players to consider more deeply what makes Daevas tick, and how close to their beast they wish to venture. It's well worth reading even by non-gamers for it's in-depth treatment of the psychology and grit of playing a vampire character.

--Bill Bodden

This review originally appeared on FlamesRising.com



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Kiss of the Succubus: Daeva
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Savage and Macabre: Gangrel
Publisher: White Wolf
by Bill B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/22/2011 12:02:49

In my previous review of Nosferatu: The Beast That Haunts the Blood for Vampire: the Requiem, I made the claim that Nosferatu was arguably the best clanbook of the series. I still stand by that claim, though Gangrel: Savage and Macabre is definitely a very close second.

Gangrel follows the same basic pattern as Nosferatu; a low-status vampire - probably a neonate - is recruited to write a journal on the nature of the clan, along the way interviewing a number of clan members for their thoughts and insight. In this case, the book begins with a note that the author, Alice, has apparently gone AWOL. She eventually left this journal on the chest of a dead man, and as time goes on has been taking fewer and fewer pains to cover the tracks of her kills. She seems to be slipping deeper into the arms of the beast that afflicts all vampires - the thing that stirs within them, driving their animal impulses to hunt and kill without thought or care.

As the beast gains ascendance, the human nature is subsumed, until, finally, the human exists as barely a whisper. Even other vampires agree that at that point a vampire who has succumbed to the beast must be put down for the safety of all. Except perhaps for the Ventrue, Gangrel are the most suceptible to madness that can cause vampires to go feral; fitting in this case as the Gangrel as a clan are considered closest to their beast to begin with. It’s no coincidence that much of this volume deals with the nightly struggle of each vampire with their beast. The section on the “Red Surrender” details the step-by-step decline from humanity to beast. We’re able to follow along in this journal as Alice herself wrestles with her beast constantly, and it feeds her dreams that threaten her grip on humanity and sanity as well. Alice is being followed - or perhaps preceded - by another vampire who leaves her messages, taunting her to unknown purpose.

Gangrel includes a number of engrossing pieces of fiction, each illustrating different aspects of the nature of Gangrel vampires. Several are in the form of transcribed interviews conducted by Alice; others exist as tales written down and passed on to Alice from various sources - some anonymous. Alice does a fair bit of traveling in pursuit of more exotic interview subjects - made possible by her level of mastery in the Protean discipline, allowing her to sink into any patch of soil at sunrise to sleep away the hours of deadly sunshine. Arranging those interviews in the first place requires the kind of high-level connections Alice doesn’t have; she must bargain for favors to arrange the necessary introductions, and wonders often how deep a hole she’s digging for herself.

The art in this book is uniformly solid; the standout piece of the bunch is the cover by John Van Fleet, which is repeated in expanded form on pages 108-109. The illustration by Efrem Palacios of the Unholy on page 13 is chilling, and captures her potent menace admirably. Craig Henderson also does fine work in this book on pages 110-111.

I found this volume intriguing in it’s treatment of the Kindred clan most known for kicking butt in the World of Darkness. The clan’s potent abilities are well mitigated by their sword’s-edge balancing act of keeping the beast in line. Naturally, this book also includes the expected mix of new Bloodlines, Devotions and Merits, not to mention a huge raft of plot hooks and story ideas to keep any VtR game going for months, if not years. As with the Nosferatu clanbook, the sample characters in Gangrel have depth and real character; I want my character to interact with them in-game, just to learn more about their personalities.

Gangrel: Savage and Macabre is the definitive source for running a Gangrel character in Vampire: the Requiem. Beyond that, it’s fantastic reading for any fan of vampire fiction, even if the reader has no particular interest in playing the game. At $19.99 for a print copy - less for a PDF download - it isn’t as cheap as a mass-market paperback, but is well worth the price in any case.

--Bill Bodden

This review originally appeared on FlamesRising.com.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Savage and Macabre: Gangrel
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The Beast that Haunts the Blood: Nosferatu
Publisher: White Wolf
by Bill B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/22/2011 11:56:44

I've been a recent convert to White Wolf's World of Darkness system, and have enjoyed immensely playing Vampire the Requiem. My initial character was of clan Ventrue - almost by default - but after reading through the Nosferatu clan book, I think I know what clan affiliation my next character will have.

Nosferatu describes the most repellent of the Kindred clans; the most disquieting vampires in the whole World of Darkness. No matter their sire, the vampires of this clan - Haunts, Freaks, and any number of less pleasant terms - have characteristics that set them apart from everyone else - even other Kindred. Their deformities may be physical, or they may tend toward having a powerful odor following them.

Sometimes their curse even extends to create an unsettling air that surrounds them - more a psychological effect than a physical one. Whatever their bizarre handicap, Nosferatu are shunned, not only by the humans they rely on for sustenance, but also by other Kindred, who find them too unnerving and alien to tolerate easily.

Much of the book is taken up by a series of journal-like entries of one Nosferatu - Nicodemus - traveling to other domains to interview his fellows regarding the nature of their clan and their curse. This documentation by Nicodemus is at the behest of another, more powerful member of Kindred society whom the author refers to as Master West. These entries are engaging reading, totally sucking me in any time I picked up the book, idly flipping through pages. They offer not only insight into the character of the Nosferatu, but also numerous ideas for NPCs and plot lines - enough to keep the average gaming group busy for months or even years.

The latter chapters of the book are largely concerned with matters more directly related to in-game mechanics: new Nosferatu Bloodlines, Merits and Devotions, plus a chapter covering a feature unique to the Nosferatu: Necropoli. Necropolis literally translates to 'city of the dead,' and Nosferatu necropoli are communal havens to which each Haunt may contribute Merit points. These points help to expand the Necropolis with different chambers, either communal or private. By nature of their outcast status - and more than any other Kindred clan - Nosferatu tend to band together for self-defense and even companionship. Covenant may determine social cliques and create trends in association, but Covenant makes little difference as to which of the Haunts is allowed to share lodgings in the Necropolis. To quote from Vampire: the Requiem: "Tradition holds that any Nosferatu is welcome in any warren until she provides her brethren reason to expel her." This attitude is unique among the Nosferatu; vampires are predators, and essentially compete with one another for the same food source. The Nosferatu are the only clan who tolerate each other to such a degree that they are willing to share their underground city with others of their kind.

Arguably the best of the VtR clan books, Nosferatu succeeds brilliantly in making its subject matter sympathetic as a player character option. The wide variety of strange deformities exhibited in the clan is, admittedly, a source of morbid fascination, but also the startling touches of humanity exposed as layers of fear and loathing are stripped away makes the Nosferatu seem - at times - to be far more interesting characters than their less blemished Kindred counterparts. The Nosferatu - in game terms - can easily tend towards being brutal thugs and masters at manipulating fear in others, and yet the wide variety of characters presented in this book provide countless examples of variations on this central archtype, ranging from "carbon copy" to "no resemblance at all." The sample characters provided at the back of the book practically hum with life; I want my own character to actually meet and interact with those characters in-game - they seem so well-developed and real, with genuine, complex motivations and backstories that were both blood-curdling and intriguing.

The art in this volume also has disquieting tendencies, underscoring the alien-ness of the clan as a whole. It is overall well-executed and meshes nicely with the text, and several pieces in particular caught my eye. The cover, for instance, displays an illustration of a Max Schrek-style Nosferatu, this one with milky-white eyes, a missing upper lip and paper-thin skin. This same illustration, only in a larger, expanded version, graces pages 104-105. Its re-use does not rankle at all; in fact, I was pleased to see more of the overall image revealed deep inside the book, and found the metaphor highly appropriate. The depiction of Grigor Swancott on page 34 is quite haunting and vivid; likewise, the image of the "Bandaged Man" from page 103 will stay with me for quite a while.

I've actually re-read much of this book several times since acquiring a copy. It is a testament to the depth and quality of writing that I often discover something I'd missed previously. I cannot recommend highly enough that players of Vampire the Requiem, or indeed any fans of vampires and horror should consider obtaining a copy of Nosferatu, the Beast That Haunts The Blood, even if one has no plans to use the information in game terms. It is engrossing and enjoyable to read, and at a suggested retail of $20 for a print copy, it's not going to break the bank. It is well worth the time and money to discover this book.

--Bill Bodden

This review originally appeared on FlamesRising.com.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Beast that Haunts the Blood: Nosferatu
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The Invictus
Publisher: White Wolf
by Bill B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/03/2011 01:04:37

The vampires of White Wolf’s World of Darkness are consummate predators. Predators – generally speaking – don’t often suffer the company of other predators, particularly those that compete for the same food source, and rarely willingly when it does happen. One of the few things that encourages vampires to interact with each other is affiliation within a covenant. Such affiliations tend – by the very nature of their members – to be relatively loose ties, but they are not fleeting; vampires in the World of Darkness take a very dim view of those who willingly sever their connection to their covenant-mates. In The Invictus, White Wolf takes a look at the feudalistic covenant envied by many and hated by most – even by some of those within.

Of the major covenants, the Invictus is perhaps the most often noticed. The First Estate, as they are sometimes called, recruit others by showing their power and wealth; they maintain those two attributes by creating a feudal system of governance, demanding absolute loyalty from all within the covenant. As such, the Invictus is less popular with younger vampires; feudalism isn’t a natural state for most of the modern world, and those who crossed over in more recent nights tend to have less affinity – and less patience – for the very slow rate of upward mobility to be found within the covenant’s membership. Power is concentrated at the top, among those judged worthy by virtue of having survived ages and amassed an impressive array of powers and wealth. Invictus elders like to think of their covenant as a “Meritocracy;” as long as they have control, they can believe anything they like.

The Invictus is also a covenant that encourages a larger degree of patronage than most, in a sense fostering younger Kindred until they are old enough to stand on their own, and Kindred of any clan are welcome to join. Were it not intensely frowned upon, a vampire could be fostered under mentors within the Invictus then jump to another covenant – say the Lancaea Sanctum, or even become an unbound vampire. Such a thing is severely (and sometimes fatally) discouraged. Formal to the extreme, Invictus elders know that there is proper etiquette and ritual to be observed in nearly everything; the role of Mentor is far more than symbolic, for there is much a novice Invictus must learn. Fortunately, she has an eternity spreading out ahead of her in which to acquire the knowledge she must have.

The book begins with a summary of the Covenant’s history, tracing its lineage to the nights of the Roman Empire shortly before the second century, AD. Chapter one describes how the Invictus came to power in those first nights, how they carved an empire for the Covenant after Rome’s fall, and how they – eventually – traveled to the New World and spread their influence even there. Chapter two covers etiquette, titles, and protocol within the Invictus. It explains how formality and ritual help vampires combat the ravages of time and of their Beast, forcing them to adhere to proper behavior rather than tear someone’s throat out for any insult – real or imagined. Mention of several notable Invictus Houses is also made, with explanation of what goes into founding such a House and how they function. Mention is also made of founding a dynasty – a group of Kindred who share rule of an area, cycling through torpor and waking states in turn and care for the members of the dynasty who slumber. An interesting concept for NPCs, it hardly seems fully functional for a group of PCs – though one PC from a coterie may be part of such a dynasty, generating no end of complications for his unlife.

Chapter three deals with the inner workings of The Invictus; how the covenant operates, what it collectively thinks of the other covenants, the unbound, and even less savory individuals; the roles of neonates, ancillae and elders in the covenant; guilds, Merits and the Invictus way of doing business. Commerce is important to The Invictus; it’s their lifeblood, and one of the strongest pillars supporting their power base. Threats to that power base are also discussed, primarily regarding how to deal with them in true Invictus style. Chapter Four covers Factions and Bloodlines. To think of factions within the Invictus as groups with opposing goals is not entirely accurate. The factions exist to further the ends of the covenant — maintaining a firm grip on power. To that end these groups are very likely to work together – even co-operate – to achieve this common goal. In a sense, the factions are more like service organizations or government bureaus than true factions. Membership in any of these organizations is obtained through invitation only; neonates must prove their drive and resourcefulness and must meet certain minimum requirements to even merit consideration. One of the factions – an order of Invictus Knights – exists solely as a self-sacrificing body ready to defend Invictus members to the death should they request it.

Chapter Five concerns itself with Invictus-specific Disciplines, and with Blood Oaths. Blood Oaths generally bind one Kindred to perform a service for another; generally the more specific the task, the easier to bring it to completion and be rid of it’s compulsion. Most Blood Oaths inflict a penalty – usually physical damage – on a Kindred sworn to a task who does not attempt to carry out the duty. Blood Oaths are rarely used these nights, though the threat of their execution is often enough to encourage proper behavior and due diligence. The final chapter offers a collection of ready-made Invictus NPCs for use in any campaign. These characters are suitable for use as allies, antagonists, or even just characters to flesh out a city’s roster of covenant members when the GM is pressed for time.

The Invictus is a highly useful book for those wishing to explore the ins and outs of the First Estate. It’s interesting and well-written as a casual read, but is of far more value to those with characters functioning within (or against) the covenant. At a suggested retail price of $31.99 for a print copy, it’s well worth the cost to obtain such closely guarded knowledge; it would be wise to be cautious with whom one shares its contents…

This review originally appeared on Flames Rising.com.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
The Invictus
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Zombie Influx
Publisher: Monolith Graphics
by Bill B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/24/2010 09:40:11

Zombies: the kids love ‘em. Now you can have your very own zombie film soundtrack album thanks to the good folks at Nox Arcana; their Zombie Influx album is just the ticket to put a person in a brain-chomping mood.

All kidding aside, Nox Arcana has done some great work producing albums of evocative background music suitable for gaming and often inspirational for writing – whether fiction, gaming adventures or scenarios, or what have you. With Zombie Influx, Jeff Hartz of Buzz Works and Joseph Vargo of Nox Arcana explore new musical avenues of horror.

There is a fairly solid level of cohesion at work on this album’s 19 tracks; however, many of the cuts do not necessarily evoke zombie sort of horror. Most evocative here of a mob of zombies wandering aimlessly in search of food are the tracks “Ground Zero” and “Flesh Eaters,” with a chorus of hoarse, moaning voices winding through the opening strains of both. The title cut, last on the album, seems to contain some sound sampling – from, among other sources, the film “Night of the Living Dead” if I’m not mistaken, and does so to good effect, though the choice of looping phrases to repeat them several times in quick succession is more annoying than effective here.

A number of the cuts – notably “Satellite Radiation” “Post Mortem” and “The Pain of Dying” – would be highly suitable as background for any sci-fi situation, including Space Opera. In fact, I found them reminiscent of the incidental music found in Sci-Fi televisions series like Babylon-5. Likewise the track “Armageddon” reminded me of music from John Carpenter’s feature film “Big Trouble in Little China”

There was one aspect of the album that bothered me: Several tracks – “Defcon Six,” “Warning Signs,” “The Panic Spreads” and “Ravenous” – use a voice reading an emergency broadcast-type message over the top of the melody. The voice sounds hollow and echo-y, more like some random guy in a studio rather than an official person making a statement over the airwaves. The wording of the script seems to invoke fifties emergency alert broadcasts, but the quality of the sound mixing doesn’t compliment that effect. For this reason, these cuts fall flat.

Several tracks are ones I would be happy add to mixes or playlists regardless of the situation: “Creeping Death,” “Doomsday” and “Dead Run” can all stand on their own musically without needing to exist within the framework of the overall album’s theme.

This is a solid album even if the title isn’t catchy. Most of it wouldn’t stand up to listening as other than background/mood music, though some cuts are strong enough to hold their own. A couple of tracks seem a bit too long, and a few just don’t stand up to much scrutiny. Taken as a package, this album achieves what it sets out to: being a decent soundtrack for gaming other other pursuits, and being interesting and varied at the same time. At a $10 price tag for the download, it’s a decent deal, and one I would take gladly.

This review originally appeared on Flames Rising.com



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Zombie Influx
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Invite Only
Publisher: White Wolf
by Bill B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/24/2010 09:35:54

White Wolf Publishing seems to have covered everything possible for Vampire the Requiem; it helps they had a previous edition of the RPG – Vampire the Masquerade – to hash out what players though was useful and what they didn’t want. Along comes a small tidbit like Invite Only, and I for one am left wondering “Why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?”

Written by David A. Hill Jr. and Chuck Wendig, Invite Only is a guide to parties — more specifically, parties hosted or attended by the Kindred. Besides giving the less combat-oriented Kindred something interesting to do, parties are also the focus of a lot of deals and surprises in the V:tR world. A Kindred who pays attention could learn a lot at a party – if she survives long enough to make use of this knowledge.

This 82-page electronic book includes a wealth of information on parties, from notable Kindred annual gatherings in several spots around the globe to guest lists for Kindred parties, to party types and sites by Covenant and Clan. Chapter One, “Dead Man’s Party,” covers why Kindred both love and hate parties so much, and includes rough outlines for six different clan- or covenant-based parties from Europe and the U.S. Also, there’s a section of anecdotal accounts of a different set of Kindred social events to offer ideas for more variety in types of Kindred gatherings. This Chapter describes not only the most basic questions of “what” and “when” of parties, but also the “who” in it’s coverage of guest lists, Vampire group dynamics, and the subtle messages sent by who is and – more particularly – who is not invited.

“The Hottest Spot in Town,” Chapter Two, details a number of interesting locations suitable for Kindred parties. Besides descriptions of mansions, underground cities, and nightclubs, this section also offers useful advice to Storytellers on building their own locations for their players, with numerous suggestions on how to personalize the location and it’s contents to the story, and to the characters and players themselves. This chapter is all about the “where” of the event.

“Being Talked About” is something of an event-planning primer for the Storyteller. Suggestions are offered for assigning suitable Virtues, Vices, Attributes, Skills, Merits and Disciplines to a party or gathering; more than creating a simple theme, these ideas add layers of detail and meaning that exceed the more basic concepts of Clan, Covenant and occasion. This section is the “why” of the book.

Chapter Four, “The Center of Attention,” offers a selection of five scenes that, with minimal tailoring, could easily be dropped into any Storyteller’s campaign. Several concern events happening at the party; one covers crashing a party and another deals with preventing a party from being crashed by a group of… undesirables. Small cheat sheets for each event, plus a few blank versions to enable Storytellers to crib essential notes on scenes of their own devising, are included at the end of this section.

The last chapter, “Barbed Words,” is an appendix, offering a brief set of rules for social combat. This verbal sparring allows opportunity for the less combat-oriented Kindred to grab some action – more likely on their own terms – and can offer benefits for the wise and clever, or penalties for the foolish and rash. Successful verbal or social combat offers the victor an edge for the evening in the form of a bonus to social interactions for the Vampire or another of her choice for the rest of the event. These include limiting or resisting Frenzy, providing a bonus to physical combat, and automatic bonuses to using Social Disciplines, other Social rolls, and even to resist the effects of Social Disciplines used on the Vampire by others. Offering this alternate rule set is a tremendous boon to the less physical characters, allowing them a chance to shine without necessarily having to get beat up to do it.

As is usual for White Wolf, this is first rate material. It includes a fair amount of detail for relatively short descriptions, and plenty of story hooks for Storytellers and players alike. I found Invite Only intriguing and inspiring, filling me with the desire to get my own Kindred character back in action.

Invite Only is available strictly as a downloadable PDF at this time. Should it prove highly successful one might hope that it would appear in a print edition at a later date. Regardless, the PDF is a solid value at $8.99, and can easily and seamlessly be integrated into any Requiem game.

This review originally appeared on Flames Rising.com.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Invite Only
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The Cold Ones
Publisher: Sam's Dot Publishing
by Bill B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/24/2010 09:30:23

The Cold Ones is a novelette by award winning author Elizabeth Donald. In Cold Ones, we meet Sarah Harvey, small-town bookstore owner with a secret: she’s not really a bookstore owner. It’s her cover; she’s part of a secret organization doing who knows what in this small coastal town. At least one other shop owner is another member of her team; their jobs are to keep an eye on the town and cover the rest of the team. The story begins with a scream as someone is attacked in the street by what turns out to be a quick, ferocious, zombie-like man, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, it represents only the beginnings of the trouble ahead…

The Cold Ones is a well-crafted tale; I was instantly sucked in and stayed up too late reading it. Ms. Donald does a very good job making her characters believable while avoiding most cliches found in supernatural fiction these days. This team of covert operatives is skilled and fairly bad-assed, but they are also fallible – they screw up occasionally and sometimes make poor choices.

There are a few surprises in The Cold Ones, and they serve the story well. The story’s action sequences are well-written, and the flashback incidents are full of interesting detail and fascinating creatures. Donald did her research, and it shows. To say the story is scary doesn’t really do it justice; tension builds as there are more incidents, and we come to learn an awful secret about what the team is really involved with in this town. The ending is a bit weak, but not totally predictable, nor did it change my opinion of the story overall.

The rest of this review can be read at Flames Rising.com.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
The Cold Ones
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