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It's got to be said that this is probably the rpg books I've been waiting longest for (it bears noting that a Camarilla book was one of the books advertised in the back of the first edition of Vampire: the Masquerade).

While not quite worth an eight year wait, it is a good sourcebook for info on the Camarilla.

I think my complaint with the book is that some of it seems old hat. The descriptions of the history of and positions within the Camarilla are all seem like stuff we've seen before.

Of course, there is a fair amount of new & interesting things. The Gangrel, ferexample, have decided to leave the Camarilla. There's a quick note that the Daughters of Cacophany have removed their male members (Ouch. That just came out wrong).

The book does contain a lot of interesting info. There's info on Free Gargoyles & Lasombra antitribu (not surprising, considering the author). The Character Creation chapter seems fairly superfluous aside from the new Merits & flaws, which fulfill their duty (making new characters more interesting) wonderfully.

The chapter on advanced disciplines is a joy, particularly for Tremere players. There's a panapoly of new paths to use, and a few tres sexy rituals.

And then, it gets great. The chapter on Tactics & systems is a nice intro to a night in the life of the Camarilla, covering Blood Hunts, Justice in teh Camarilla, Conclaves, and The Red List.

The chapter on Building a city would be indispensible to most storytellers (cheap shot deleted). It gives them advice on how to construct a city, how to decide who controls what, and all that fun stuff. There's a bunch of templates for various people within the city (need a Tremere Interrogator? Here ya go! Prince? Why, we've got one in back!).

Then the storytelling chapter offers some good hints and guidelines, including the little tidbit "The Camarilla aren't the good guys", which can't be repeated often enough.

The book isn't perfect, not by a long shot. Some of the art is bad (the Caitiff clan picture just doesn't make me feel good), and one lovely piece is marred by a duplicated text books. But all in all, this is a good book, and one that (all together now) beginning GM's will likely find indispensible.

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

The Guide to the Camarilla
Author: Richard Dansky, Et Al Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Game Studios Cost: $29.95 US Page count: 232 ISBN: 1-56504-261-1 Capsule Review by Justin Mohareb on 02/12/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern_day Horror Espionage Conspiracy Vampire Gothic	It's got to be said that this is probably the rpg books I've been waiting longest for (it bears noting that a Camarilla book was one of the books advertised in the back of the first edition of Vampire: the Masquerade). While not quite worth an eight year wait, it is a good sourcebook for info on the Camarilla. I think my complaint with the book is that some of it seems old hat. The descriptions of the history of and positions within the Camarilla are all seem like stuff we've seen before. Of course, there is a fair amount of new & interesting things. The Gangrel, ferexample, have decided to leave the Camarilla. There's a quick note that the Daughters of Cacophany have removed their male members (Ouch. That just came out wrong). The book does contain a lot of interesting info. There's info on Free Gargoyles & Lasombra antitribu (not surprising, considering the author). The Character Creation chapter seems fairly superfluous aside from the new Merits & flaws, which fulfill their duty (making new characters more interesting) wonderfully. The chapter on advanced disciplines is a joy, particularly for Tremere players. There's a panapoly of new paths to use, and a few tres sexy rituals. And then, it gets great. The chapter on Tactics & systems is a nice intro to a night in the life of the Camarilla, covering Blood Hunts, Justice in teh Camarilla, Conclaves, and The Red List. The chapter on Building a city would be indispensible to most storytellers (cheap shot deleted). It gives them advice on how to construct a city, how to decide who controls what, and all that fun stuff. There's a bunch of templates for various people within the city (need a Tremere Interrogator? Here ya go! Prince? Why, we've got one in back!). Then the storytelling chapter offers some good hints and guidelines, including the little tidbit "The Camarilla aren't the good guys", which can't be repeated often enough. The book isn't perfect, not by a long shot. Some of the art is bad (the Caitiff clan picture just doesn't make me feel good), and one lovely piece is marred by a duplicated text books. But all in all, this is a good book, and one that (all together now) beginning GM's will likely find indispensible. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Guide to the Camarilla