The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Well, before I begin, I have to say that I am reviewing the Limited Edition of the Guide to the Camarilla, with its nice (fake) leather-bound cover, all black finish, and silver lettering, so my copy is a beautiful peace of work. My girlfriend bought the Limited Editions for me on Valentine's Day, so I'm a happy man.

So, on the to review.

First, my general impression: From black cover to black cover, the book is nicely laid out on a flip-through. The pictures-to-text ratio is about the same as was in Vampire Revised, and I have to say it was pleasant. Most of the art was of good quality and set reasonably thematically. There were some superb pieces and some less so, but nothing actually bad. Side-bars were frequent and informative, well-placed and appropriate. Each time I closed my copy, I got the nice flash of silver from my edged pages (from the Limited Edition). Certainly heart-warming to any truly dedicated gamer to hold such a beautiful piece of work.

Now, on to the content itself, where the true quality of the book shows through.

The intro story was interesting, and somewhat informative. It certainly sets the mood nicely, and works even better when contrasted with its mate in the Sabbat Guide.

The first chapter (after the obligatory Introduction and Lexicon of White Wolf books - which didn't seem as useless as many "What you are holding in your hands" bits) delves right into the organization of the Camarilla. There is a brief history which is quite good, although I've always wanted more myself. Following is a look at each of the six Traditions of the Camarilla, and a look at how they are interpreted and enforced. There are nice long descriptions of each of the Camarilla "offices," both within a city and across the sect. Duties, responsibilities and political powers are clearly delineated for everything from a member of the Inner Circle down to the Whip of each primogen. Definitely an excellent chapter in all aspects. White Wolf has not published such a precise and useful look at the Camarilla positions of power before.

The next chapter is a look at the clans (and bloodlines) that make up the Camarilla. We get information on the organization and behavior of each of the remaining six clans in the Camarilla. Yup, that's six clans. The Gangrel have "officially" left the Camarilla. Many of the clan still remain, but they have abdicated their right to equal power, relative to the other clans. Other greedy Kindred are already starting to move in and close the power vacuum left by the departing nomads, and that might cause the rest of the clan to leave as well. In addition, we have nice (if brief) information on the other members of the Camarilla. How do Camarilla Daughters of Cacophony behave? What role do the Samedi in the Camarilla fill? Are there any Assamites in the Camarilla? Just what do the Setites want to do with the Camarilla, at least as members? Has any Giovanni ever survived an attempted defection from his family to the Camarilla? Not only that, but there are well-done write-ups (in the standard two-page format) for the Caitiff, Gargoyles, and Lasombra antitribu. The last section, especially, raises some interesting questions about the future.

After that is another character creation section. It seems somewhat superfluous, but then I realized how useful multiple books can be when trying to get a gaming group to make characters. There are also some new archetypes, Abilities, and plenty of new merits and flaws. Some are really interesting, like "Invisible Diablerie" or "Additional Clan Discipline", though many also need strict Storyteller control.

Following that is a nice section on both new disciplines and new versions of high-level disciplines. The idea of high-level Celerity, Fortitude and Potence powers from Vampire: the Dark Ages is introduced into the modern setting, as are the multi-discipline powers, although there are only a few examples. There are several new Thaumaturgy paths, including the Green Path, the Path of Technomancy, Spirit Manipulation, and Thaumaturgical Countermagic. All the new paths and the revisions of the old ones are great except for Countermagic. For some bizarre reason, Coutnermagic is considered an independent discipline from Thaumaturgy, and not a path. That I have to say I don't like, and will ignore in my own games. The rituals provided are excellent as well. A nice chapter for neat powers indeed, with the single exception of Thaumaturgical Countermagic, although the sheer coolness of Spirit Manipulation (which is expressly not Spirit Thaumaturgy from earlier books) makes up for that slip.

The next chapter is on exactly how the Camarilla is run from night to night. Information on the courts that princes hold is given, as is how feeding is regulated, justice is dispensed and Conclaves are run. The chapter is not flashy or amazing, it is simply so useful that I am struck that White Wolf never published this before. This is the chapter that every Storyteller will be referring to constantly when he describes the game to his players. What does the Elysium look like? How does the Prince dispense justice? How do you get a Justicar to come by and take a look-see? That's what this chapter is about.

Building the city is the focus of the next chapter, and it details guidelines on designing cities, as the name would suggest. I have to say that aside form the Lasombra antitribu section and the Inconnu section later on, this is really the only part of the book that actually made me stop and ponder the way I had run the game. Ideas about Elysiums and how to run cities were flooding into my head during this part of the book, and it is truly a must-read for any Vampire Storyteller.

The Storytelling Chapter is the "standard fare" for its ilk, in so much as what it speak of. But, as with the rest of the book, the writing and quality of material made it superior to previous work. Not remarkable, nor ground-shaking, the section was still peppered with brilliant ideas and superb notions that make a campaign take the step from good to great.

Finally, the Allies, Enemies, and Others section rounds out the book, detailing the Anarchs, Elders, Inconnu, and ghouls. The Anarch section, while small for such a topic, is vastly superior to the previous material (see the horrendous The Anarch's Cookbook) and seemed fitting in the Camarilla book, for they do work well as the disaffected youth of the sect, rebelling primarily against the Elders within the Camarilla. The Elder section is another must-read, especially for those without access to Elysium. It is basically the same information packaged clearly and concisely, taking up much less space and hitting harder. If any player is using an Elder character, this section is very helpful, it is not useful only to Storytellers. The Inconnu section, while still not revealing the "true" nature of that sect, gave enough information to competently and thematically introduce Inconnu methuselahs into a Vampire game. Finally, the bit on the ghouls was mood-inspiring, if not truly introducing new information, considering that I also have Ghouls: Fatal Addiction. Again though, another nice section.

All around, the Guide to the Camarilla is really a basic book for any Vampire: the Masquerade game. No other book has so clearly laid the sect out and looked at it piece by piece. The sections on Conclaves, Elders, and and Inconnu were priceless on their own. Definitely worth the money, the book does not disappoint in really any way.

My advice (in case you didn't pick up on it yet)? Go buy it now! And really, buy the Limited Editions if you can bring yourself to. The cover art for the Camarilla Guide really is one of the worst things about the book. The Sabbat Guide is better, though.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Guide to the Camarilla
Author: Richard Dansky (and others) Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Game Studio Cost: $20 (IIRC) Page count: 232 Capsule Review by Derek Guder on 02/17/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern_day Horror Conspiracy Gothic	Well, before I begin, I have to say that I am reviewing the Limited Edition of the Guide to the Camarilla, with its nice (fake) leather-bound cover, all black finish, and silver lettering, so my copy is a beautiful peace of work. My girlfriend bought the Limited Editions for me on Valentine's Day, so I'm a happy man. So, on the to review. First, my general impression: From black cover to black cover, the book is nicely laid out on a flip-through. The pictures-to-text ratio is about the same as was in Vampire Revised, and I have to say it was pleasant. Most of the art was of good quality and set reasonably thematically. There were some superb pieces and some less so, but nothing actually bad. Side-bars were frequent and informative, well-placed and appropriate. Each time I closed my copy, I got the nice flash of silver from my edged pages (from the Limited Edition). Certainly heart-warming to any truly dedicated gamer to hold such a beautiful piece of work. Now, on to the content itself, where the true quality of the book shows through. The intro story was interesting, and somewhat informative. It certainly sets the mood nicely, and works even better when contrasted with its mate in the Sabbat Guide. The first chapter (after the obligatory Introduction and Lexicon of White Wolf books - which didn't seem as useless as many "What you are holding in your hands" bits) delves right into the organization of the Camarilla. There is a brief history which is quite good, although I've always wanted more myself. Following is a look at each of the six Traditions of the Camarilla, and a look at how they are interpreted and enforced. There are nice long descriptions of each of the Camarilla "offices," both within a city and across the sect. Duties, responsibilities and political powers are clearly delineated for everything from a member of the Inner Circle down to the Whip of each primogen. Definitely an excellent chapter in all aspects. White Wolf has not published such a precise and useful look at the Camarilla positions of power before. The next chapter is a look at the clans (and bloodlines) that make up the Camarilla. We get information on the organization and behavior of each of the remaining six clans in the Camarilla. Yup, that's six clans. The Gangrel have "officially" left the Camarilla. Many of the clan still remain, but they have abdicated their right to equal power, relative to the other clans. Other greedy Kindred are already starting to move in and close the power vacuum left by the departing nomads, and that might cause the rest of the clan to leave as well. In addition, we have nice (if brief) information on the other members of the Camarilla. How do Camarilla Daughters of Cacophony behave? What role do the Samedi in the Camarilla fill? Are there any Assamites in the Camarilla? Just what do the Setites want to do with the Camarilla, at least as members? Has any Giovanni ever survived an attempted defection from his family to the Camarilla? Not only that, but there are well-done write-ups (in the standard two-page format) for the Caitiff, Gargoyles, and Lasombra antitribu. The last section, especially, raises some interesting questions about the future. After that is another character creation section. It seems somewhat superfluous, but then I realized how useful multiple books can be when trying to get a gaming group to make characters. There are also some new archetypes, Abilities, and plenty of new merits and flaws. Some are really interesting, like "Invisible Diablerie" or "Additional Clan Discipline", though many also need strict Storyteller control. Following that is a nice section on both new disciplines and new versions of high-level disciplines. The idea of high-level Celerity, Fortitude and Potence powers from Vampire: the Dark Ages is introduced into the modern setting, as are the multi-discipline powers, although there are only a few examples. There are several new Thaumaturgy paths, including the Green Path, the Path of Technomancy, Spirit Manipulation, and Thaumaturgical Countermagic. All the new paths and the revisions of the old ones are great except for Countermagic. For some bizarre reason, Coutnermagic is considered an independent discipline from Thaumaturgy, and not a path. That I have to say I don't like, and will ignore in my own games. The rituals provided are excellent as well. A nice chapter for neat powers indeed, with the single exception of Thaumaturgical Countermagic, although the sheer coolness of Spirit Manipulation (which is expressly not Spirit Thaumaturgy from earlier books) makes up for that slip. The next chapter is on exactly how the Camarilla is run from night to night. Information on the courts that princes hold is given, as is how feeding is regulated, justice is dispensed and Conclaves are run. The chapter is not flashy or amazing, it is simply so useful that I am struck that White Wolf never published this before. This is the chapter that every Storyteller will be referring to constantly when he describes the game to his players. What does the Elysium look like? How does the Prince dispense justice? How do you get a Justicar to come by and take a look-see? That's what this chapter is about. Building the city is the focus of the next chapter, and it details guidelines on designing cities, as the name would suggest. I have to say that aside form the Lasombra antitribu section and the Inconnu section later on, this is really the only part of the book that actually made me stop and ponder the way I had run the game. Ideas about Elysiums and how to run cities were flooding into my head during this part of the book, and it is truly a must-read for any Vampire Storyteller. The Storytelling Chapter is the "standard fare" for its ilk, in so much as what it speak of. But, as with the rest of the book, the writing and quality of material made it superior to previous work. Not remarkable, nor ground-shaking, the section was still peppered with brilliant ideas and superb notions that make a campaign take the step from good to great. Finally, the Allies, Enemies, and Others section rounds out the book, detailing the Anarchs, Elders, Inconnu, and ghouls. The Anarch section, while small for such a topic, is vastly superior to the previous material (see the horrendous The Anarch's Cookbook) and seemed fitting in the Camarilla book, for they do work well as the disaffected youth of the sect, rebelling primarily against the Elders within the Camarilla. The Elder section is another must-read, especially for those without access to Elysium. It is basically the same information packaged clearly and concisely, taking up much less space and hitting harder. If any player is using an Elder character, this section is very helpful, it is not useful only to Storytellers. The Inconnu section, while still not revealing the "true" nature of that sect, gave enough information to competently and thematically introduce Inconnu methuselahs into a Vampire game. Finally, the bit on the ghouls was mood-inspiring, if not truly introducing new information, considering that I also have Ghouls: Fatal Addiction. Again though, another nice section. All around, the Guide to the Camarilla is really a basic book for any Vampire: the Masquerade game. No other book has so clearly laid the sect out and looked at it piece by piece. The sections on Conclaves, Elders, and and Inconnu were priceless on their own. Definitely worth the money, the book does not disappoint in really any way. My advice (in case you didn't pick up on it yet)? Go buy it now! And really, buy the Limited Editions if you can bring yourself to. The cover art for the Camarilla Guide really is one of the worst things about the book. The Sabbat Guide is better, though. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)