The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Usually, the books that come along with the GM screen are either mediocre or near offensive. I usually don't bother buying them at all, although I've picked up a few here and there. I have the Vampire, Mage, Wraith, and Changeling screens and books, and I have to say that only the Vampire one was really all that useful, and that was solely because of the information on the 3 bloodlines in it. The rest of the book was rather superfluous skills and guns. Frontier Secrets for Werewolf: the Wild West is quite different.

Actually useful, this book startled me. While the Vampire screen had its moments, Frontier Secrets was a superbly done and enthralling work. Truly a must for any Werewolf: the Wild West game. Sadly, I got my copy used, so I cannot say how good the screen itself was.

A scant 61 pages, Frontier Secrets still managed to cram four information-packed chapters in. The first is short, a list of new Gifts and totems for the Savage West. Included are among the best Gifts in all of Werewolf canon, like the Silent Striders' Faceless Stranger. Also included is Owl, the totem that managed to slip out of the base Wild West book.

The second chapter deals with the three most common changing breeds in the West; the Corax, Nuwisha and Pumonca. Each section is quite well done, and the art is good as well. While there were no amazing revelations, none were expected, since I had already read all of those Breedbooks.

It is the third chapter, antagonists, that really makes Frontier Secrets. Talking about vampires, mages, wraiths and changelings in the context of a Wild West game, it gives the best in-character crossover information I have seen since the Gangrel Clanbook ("Tribe Ragabash…"). Talking about the Clans called "Dark Riders", "Wormies" and "Dark Prowlers," the crossover bits do a really nice job of showing how the Garou interact with the vampires on the frontier, and just what they think they know about them. The Mage section is okay, although it gives some very interesting bits of information about the Ghost Dance movement, hinting at what was going on behind the scenes. The Wraith and Changeling sections were largely pedestrian in comparison to the previous two, but interesting none the less.

The crowning jewel of the book, however is the Enlightened Society of the Weeping Moon. Combine Sherlock Holmes, Lovecraft, Victorian science, and a genuine desire to help humanity ! and you get a feel for these villains. There is a great deal of information about the structure of the Society (it's based around a perversion of Auspices), how one advances through it, the beliefs of the Society, even just how it gets its fingers into a city's power structure. The book has two hedge paths (with appropriately creepy "foci"), but the best part of it is the list of major texts found within the Society. Great for either plot hooks or simply mood, the information on the books is priceless. There is also a believable history and a section on the people of note. The Enlightened Society is what Pentex and the Technocracy wish they could be.

The final chapter is simply odds and ends. Charts on guns and rules clarifications. The best part of the chapter, however, is the much more detailed timeline, including information on supernaturals. The rise and fall of the Enlightened Society is shown, as is the birth and defeat of the Storm-Eater. In the "Destiny of the West," how the Storm-Eater was defeated is explained, as is the cost the Garou had to pay.

Overall, Frontier Secrets definitely worth the $15 for both it and the screen. It was worth the cost just for the information vampires, the Society, and the Storm-Eater.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Frontier Secrets
Author: Phil Brucato, Richard Dansky, Rober Hatch, and Ian Lemke Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Game Studio Line: Werewolf: the Wild West Cost: $15 Page count: 61 Capsule Review by Derek Guder on 04/20/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical Horror Old_West	Usually, the books that come along with the GM screen are either mediocre or near offensive. I usually don't bother buying them at all, although I've picked up a few here and there. I have the Vampire, Mage, Wraith, and Changeling screens and books, and I have to say that only the Vampire one was really all that useful, and that was solely because of the information on the 3 bloodlines in it. The rest of the book was rather superfluous skills and guns. Frontier Secrets for Werewolf: the Wild West is quite different. Actually useful, this book startled me. While the Vampire screen had its moments, Frontier Secrets was a superbly done and enthralling work. Truly a must for any Werewolf: the Wild West game. Sadly, I got my copy used, so I cannot say how good the screen itself was. A scant 61 pages, Frontier Secrets still managed to cram four information-packed chapters in. The first is short, a list of new Gifts and totems for the Savage West. Included are among the best Gifts in all of Werewolf canon, like the Silent Striders' Faceless Stranger. Also included is Owl, the totem that managed to slip out of the base Wild West book. The second chapter deals with the three most common changing breeds in the West; the Corax, Nuwisha and Pumonca. Each section is quite well done, and the art is good as well. While there were no amazing revelations, none were expected, since I had already read all of those Breedbooks. It is the third chapter, antagonists, that really makes Frontier Secrets. Talking about vampires, mages, wraiths and changelings in the context of a Wild West game, it gives the best in-character crossover information I have seen since the Gangrel Clanbook ("Tribe Ragabash…"). Talking about the Clans called "Dark Riders", "Wormies" and "Dark Prowlers," the crossover bits do a really nice job of showing how the Garou interact with the vampires on the frontier, and just what they think they know about them. The Mage section is okay, although it gives some very interesting bits of information about the Ghost Dance movement, hinting at what was going on behind the scenes. The Wraith and Changeling sections were largely pedestrian in comparison to the previous two, but interesting none the less. The crowning jewel of the book, however is the Enlightened Society of the Weeping Moon. Combine Sherlock Holmes, Lovecraft, Victorian science, and a genuine desire to help humanity ! and you get a feel for these villains. There is a great deal of information about the structure of the Society (it's based around a perversion of Auspices), how one advances through it, the beliefs of the Society, even just how it gets its fingers into a city's power structure. The book has two hedge paths (with appropriately creepy "foci"), but the best part of it is the list of major texts found within the Society. Great for either plot hooks or simply mood, the information on the books is priceless. There is also a believable history and a section on the people of note. The Enlightened Society is what Pentex and the Technocracy wish they could be. The final chapter is simply odds and ends. Charts on guns and rules clarifications. The best part of the chapter, however, is the much more detailed timeline, including information on supernaturals. The rise and fall of the Enlightened Society is shown, as is the birth and defeat of the Storm-Eater. In the "Destiny of the West," how the Storm-Eater was defeated is explained, as is the cost the Garou had to pay. Overall, Frontier Secrets definitely worth the $15 for both it and the screen. It was worth the cost just for the information vampires, the Society, and the Storm-Eater. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)