The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Okay - I admit it freely, I love Changeling. The problem is I -hate- feudalism. Oh not on any high moral grounds of democracy and liberty - but just because I've had quite enough of knights in plate armor rescuing princess with foul mouths. To me Changeling has always been about a more subtle magic - things that peek at you from the corner of your eyes. A knight in plate doesn't quite capture that feel...

So, as part of their Year of the Reckoning line White Wolf has brought us this fine product - Fools Luck. This book does what The Book of House and The Shining Host did for nobles and sidhe, with one small difference: it does it better.

In most ways this sourcebook is set up like all Changeling (and most WW) sourcebooks. It starts with a story (though I actually liked this story...) and then moves on into sections on history, followed by current day issues, and game mechanics in later chapters. The book is black and white (oh silence, color was nice but we won't die without it), and is 127 pages long.

The history section does a good deal of justice to the commoners, showing their greatness and their failings with equal hands - and gives so much material for high Remembrance characters to draw from that it absolutely amazes me. The authors also played on "the banality of history" with a -much- lighter hand then most CtD books to this point have. For example, when the talk about the Renaissance they do not focus so much on the "Oh it was scientific and banal and evil" kick the way the sidhe books do. Rather they talk about the wonder and magic of every age - giving the history a much greater sense of realism and balance then the previous books.

The best thing about this history section, however, is the detailed accounts of the Accordance War, the treaties following it, and the difficulties since it was concluded. There is finally a more or less cohesive account of what happened, giving dates, places, and the outcomes of specific battles in a way that was often glossed over before. Also, showing how the first war went allows a great deal of insight into how a second war might go.

And yes, for those of you that are following the metaplot started in Kingdom of Willows, there is information on that, and on the commoners reactions to it. However, it is done in a nicely balanced way that allows you to use it if you want, but to ignore it if you would rather not take that rout, or plan one of your own. I was glad to see that the "Reckoning" material was kept to a minimum, because that maximized the general impact of this book.

Also, for the first time we get accounts of kingdoms other than America and Great Britain. Short segments are given to France, Spain, Germany - etc. Not a great deal of detail, but enough to run with.

The next section, "Natural Orders" is one that I was fairly impressed with, though not completely overjoyed about. It focuses on the interplay between commoner freedom and noble politics - as well as the brilliantly done love/hate relationship between commoners and sidhe. It gives details about the Parliament of Dreams (long, long overdue) and about various movements and societies of commoners, and how they relate to the nobles. This section follows the rest of the book in being far more balanced then most CtD products - showing the pros and cons of both sides. (I do whish they had trashed feudalism a bit more though...)

Next on the agenda is a section with new merits, flaws, backgrounds, and arts for commoners. I found it well done, but rather sparse.

A section on running commoner campaigns is up to bat immediately after, and while I found it well written and with many good ideas and story fragments, for me it was largely preaching to the chorus...

Possibly the best section of the whole book is the Names, Places, and Faces Chapter. Given over to NPCs and motleys, commoner holds and causes this section more than any other really brings out what it is to be a commoner in the modern world. If you want to make commoners more than just brownosed sidhe kissers I would highly recommend getting the book just for this chapter.

The ever-present templates chapter (example characters complete with stats) was a huge surprise to me - because unlike just about every WW template ever done, I like these. All of them. They are just delightful, and the art that goes along with them is the best I have ever seen for a template. Also - in an amazing feat the numbers on the character sheets actually -fit the rules-. Wow. I'm impressed guys.

The Appendix is also a treat, giving us two new Kith. I have to admit that I am a rabid collector of alternate kiths, just because the more we have the better the variety of the fae from myth and folklore can be presented. Spriggans and Pixies get added to the list of fae so far - and I must say I just adore both of them.

I think it is obvious by now that I adore this book, so I will close with this. While not perfect, Fool's Luck is one of the best books for CtD yet, and is absolutely necessary if you want to run a commoner campaign. Check it out now.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Fools Luck: The Way of the Commoner
Author: Buck Marchinton and Deena McKinney Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Cost: $17.95 Page count: 127 ISBN: 781565047150 Capsule Review by Brand (Ambros) Robins on 01/22/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern_day	Okay - I admit it freely, I love Changeling. The problem is I -hate- feudalism. Oh not on any high moral grounds of democracy and liberty - but just because I've had quite enough of knights in plate armor rescuing princess with foul mouths. To me Changeling has always been about a more subtle magic - things that peek at you from the corner of your eyes. A knight in plate doesn't quite capture that feel... So, as part of their Year of the Reckoning line White Wolf has brought us this fine product - Fools Luck. This book does what The Book of House and The Shining Host did for nobles and sidhe, with one small difference: it does it better. In most ways this sourcebook is set up like all Changeling (and most WW) sourcebooks. It starts with a story (though I actually liked this story...) and then moves on into sections on history, followed by current day issues, and game mechanics in later chapters. The book is black and white (oh silence, color was nice but we won't die without it), and is 127 pages long. The history section does a good deal of justice to the commoners, showing their greatness and their failings with equal hands - and gives so much material for high Remembrance characters to draw from that it absolutely amazes me. The authors also played on "the banality of history" with a -much- lighter hand then most CtD books to this point have. For example, when the talk about the Renaissance they do not focus so much on the "Oh it was scientific and banal and evil" kick the way the sidhe books do. Rather they talk about the wonder and magic of every age - giving the history a much greater sense of realism and balance then the previous books. The best thing about this history section, however, is the detailed accounts of the Accordance War, the treaties following it, and the difficulties since it was concluded. There is finally a more or less cohesive account of what happened, giving dates, places, and the outcomes of specific battles in a way that was often glossed over before. Also, showing how the first war went allows a great deal of insight into how a second war might go. And yes, for those of you that are following the metaplot started in Kingdom of Willows, there is information on that, and on the commoners reactions to it. However, it is done in a nicely balanced way that allows you to use it if you want, but to ignore it if you would rather not take that rout, or plan one of your own. I was glad to see that the "Reckoning" material was kept to a minimum, because that maximized the general impact of this book. Also, for the first time we get accounts of kingdoms other than America and Great Britain. Short segments are given to France, Spain, Germany - etc. Not a great deal of detail, but enough to run with. The next section, "Natural Orders" is one that I was fairly impressed with, though not completely overjoyed about. It focuses on the interplay between commoner freedom and noble politics - as well as the brilliantly done love/hate relationship between commoners and sidhe. It gives details about the Parliament of Dreams (long, long overdue) and about various movements and societies of commoners, and how they relate to the nobles. This section follows the rest of the book in being far more balanced then most CtD products - showing the pros and cons of both sides. (I do whish they had trashed feudalism a bit more though...) Next on the agenda is a section with new merits, flaws, backgrounds, and arts for commoners. I found it well done, but rather sparse. A section on running commoner campaigns is up to bat immediately after, and while I found it well written and with many good ideas and story fragments, for me it was largely preaching to the chorus... Possibly the best section of the whole book is the Names, Places, and Faces Chapter. Given over to NPCs and motleys, commoner holds and causes this section more than any other really brings out what it is to be a commoner in the modern world. If you want to make commoners more than just brownosed sidhe kissers I would highly recommend getting the book just for this chapter. The ever-present templates chapter (example characters complete with stats) was a huge surprise to me - because unlike just about every WW template ever done, I like these. All of them. They are just delightful, and the art that goes along with them is the best I have ever seen for a template. Also - in an amazing feat the numbers on the character sheets actually -fit the rules-. Wow. I'm impressed guys. The Appendix is also a treat, giving us two new Kith. I have to admit that I am a rabid collector of alternate kiths, just because the more we have the better the variety of the fae from myth and folklore can be presented. Spriggans and Pixies get added to the list of fae so far - and I must say I just adore both of them. I think it is obvious by now that I adore this book, so I will close with this. While not perfect, Fool's Luck is one of the best books for CtD yet, and is absolutely necessary if you want to run a commoner campaign. Check it out now. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Fools Luck: The Way of the Commoner