The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Let me start this off by saying that I felt disappointed by the Book of the Wyrm 1st Edtion. I thought that the presentation of banes and Pentex was horrid. The Wyrm had been turned from something frightening and horrible to a sad, pathetic joke. The book served to do nothing other than cheapen Werewolf. That said, the Book of the Wyrm 2nd Edition was a near work of art. Easily one of the best Werewolf books ever, it clearly laid out a believable and usable opposition for the Garou. It looked at the subtlety of the Wyrm, because that is the way that the Wyrm is winning its war. The Book of the Weaver lies somewhere in between those books. It has many strengths but also many crippling weaknesses.

The opening story is quite good indeed. Not using the disappointing and annoying cartoon format, the prose is good and the story is compelling and sets up the book remarkably well. I highly enjoyed it.

The introduction bit in the book provides a brief lexicon as usual, but it also has a "Word of Explanation," where White Wolf says that while Werewolf and this book in particular seem to often be a condemnation of science and technology, that is not the intent. They simply focus on the negative aspects of all things, this is the World of Darkness after all. Sadly, that idea doesn't seem to really come through anywhere else. The rest of the book seems to be very much a condemnation of science, sadly.

The history chapter is nearly as good as the one from Book of the Wyrm 2nd, explaining the cosmology behind the Weaver's fall, and how and why she is so interested in humanity. The Weaver wants to rediscover her original purpose, that's why she pushed science forward so strongly, so that she can understand her own web and regain her sanity. Definitely the best overall section of the book, the chapter goes on to describe the three "Seeds" that the Weaver gave to humanity: Dogma, Science, and Technology. The look at how the Weaver thinks as well as how she relates to the Wyrm is well-done and effective. The chapter also discusses the Weaver in the Umbra, and how she relates to mages (and the power of Naming) as well as the Changing Breeds. The Glass Walkers get a larger section, as is fitting, and in combination with the rest of the chapter, it makes it clear that they are on a "woven web to hell." Their total embracing of the Weaver is leading them to a fall. Throughout ! ! history, the Bone Gnawers have been left to "clean up" the messes left behind by the Glass Walkers, but they will not be able to save the tribe in the future.

The next chapter is one of goodies, all sorts of technology and devices are described. The distinction between mundane tech, technomagick, and WeaverTech is looked at briefly, if not entirely satisfactory, but this is a Werewolf product, not a Mage book, so I wasn't looking for great treatises. Some of the items presented are really nicely done, others not so, but nothing is done poorly. Some of the devices in the book are brilliant ideas, wonders of inspiration. There is hardware, software (yes, software), wetware (drugs and engineered bacteria and virii), and some unknown thing dubbed The Antichrist Serum.

Chapter three is Grandmother Spider's Brood, and it is a mixed bag. It is here that the flaws of the book show through. The included spirits are as good as spirits are usually in Werewolf, some are better than others. The brief section on the Ananasi is well done, making me even more anxious for the breedbook. "Weaver fomori" are also introduced, called drones, and they are done with style as well. Things start to go sour with Shinzui Industries, however. Effectively described as the "Weaver's Pentex," Shinzui evidences a distinct lack of depth. With Pentex and its subsidiaries as well as the Syndicate in the World of Darkness, we already have more than enough Big Evil Corporations.

I would have been more pleased to see Shinzui portrayed as a benevolent aspect of the Weaver, or least a mixed organization. It would have been a perfect opportunity to show just how the Weaver can be both good and bad at the same time. The Technocracy section is okay, if not amazingly noteworthy for anything other than stating again that neither Pentex nor the Technocractic Union is in bed with the other. They are independent forces, although they do have intermittent ties.

It's the DNA section that is the saddest part of the book, primarily because of the dichotomy between the material presented in it. One the one hand some of the most endearing and exciting characters in the World of Darkness are described, and on the other hand, DNA itself is largely a 2-dimensional antagonist. It's distinct lack of knowledge is showcased quite well, but the plan to purify the human gene pool and make it static is ludicrous. We are given great characters who apparently work towards an insane goal. I can see some of DNA having that goal, even the leadership, but having it be the driving goal behind the company is laughable.

Admittedly, the company actually believes that it is doing a great service to humanity, but scientists of the caliber described should realize that such a state would not be good. A static gene pool is a dead gene pool. The company is given a beautiful history, and the notes on how to run a DNA chronicle are nice and well done, but the basic idea of the company is just damned silly. The best idea is to simply toss that out the window. DNA is a company that wants to help humanity, and a portion of its research is directed toward the Garou, who it sees as genetic flaws, a disease that should be cured just like AIDS. Makes for a much better game, I think.

The following chapter is about using the Weaver in a chronicle, either as the focus or an aspect. The Glass Walkers are discusses again, as is the Weaver's role in history and how to use vampires and mages in a game. Some ideas on alternate chronicles are tossed out as well. The standard fare for a storytelling chapter. The history bits in particular have some very interesting ideas, and the story seeds are good as well. The book then finishes out with a list of new spirit charms.

Overall, I thought that the Book of the Weaver was good. Very one-sided at times, but good. I just wish that more Werewolf books would portray the opposition to the Garou in a slightly more positive light, especially in "objective" storyteller resources.

And one last note: the art in Book of the Weaver ranges from good to superb. There are some truly great pictures in this book, like the vat on page 62 or the Garou on page 95. The man who illustrated chapter one needs a great deal more work in White Wolf books. And finally, the cover was nearly sublime. I don't think that I have ever liked a White Wolf cover more, other than the solid-pattern basebooks (for which the black pleather of Vampire Revised Limited Edition cannot be beaten). Even if you don't like the material, at least look at the art.

Role-playing artwork needs more exposure, I think.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Book of the Weaver
Author: Sue Armstrong, Deena McKinney, Ethan Skemp, Sven Skoog Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Game Studio Line: Werewolf: the Apocalypse Cost: $17.95 Page count: 126 Capsule Review by Derek Guder on 05/07/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Modern_day Gothic	Let me start this off by saying that I felt disappointed by the Book of the Wyrm 1st Edtion. I thought that the presentation of banes and Pentex was horrid. The Wyrm had been turned from something frightening and horrible to a sad, pathetic joke. The book served to do nothing other than cheapen Werewolf. That said, the Book of the Wyrm 2nd Edition was a near work of art. Easily one of the best Werewolf books ever, it clearly laid out a believable and usable opposition for the Garou. It looked at the subtlety of the Wyrm, because that is the way that the Wyrm is winning its war. The Book of the Weaver lies somewhere in between those books. It has many strengths but also many crippling weaknesses. The opening story is quite good indeed. Not using the disappointing and annoying cartoon format, the prose is good and the story is compelling and sets up the book remarkably well. I highly enjoyed it. The introduction bit in the book provides a brief lexicon as usual, but it also has a "Word of Explanation," where White Wolf says that while Werewolf and this book in particular seem to often be a condemnation of science and technology, that is not the intent. They simply focus on the negative aspects of all things, this is the World of Darkness after all. Sadly, that idea doesn't seem to really come through anywhere else. The rest of the book seems to be very much a condemnation of science, sadly. The history chapter is nearly as good as the one from Book of the Wyrm 2nd, explaining the cosmology behind the Weaver's fall, and how and why she is so interested in humanity. The Weaver wants to rediscover her original purpose, that's why she pushed science forward so strongly, so that she can understand her own web and regain her sanity. Definitely the best overall section of the book, the chapter goes on to describe the three "Seeds" that the Weaver gave to humanity: Dogma, Science, and Technology. The look at how the Weaver thinks as well as how she relates to the Wyrm is well-done and effective. The chapter also discusses the Weaver in the Umbra, and how she relates to mages (and the power of Naming) as well as the Changing Breeds. The Glass Walkers get a larger section, as is fitting, and in combination with the rest of the chapter, it makes it clear that they are on a "woven web to hell." Their total embracing of the Weaver is leading them to a fall. Throughout ! ! history, the Bone Gnawers have been left to "clean up" the messes left behind by the Glass Walkers, but they will not be able to save the tribe in the future. The next chapter is one of goodies, all sorts of technology and devices are described. The distinction between mundane tech, technomagick, and WeaverTech is looked at briefly, if not entirely satisfactory, but this is a Werewolf product, not a Mage book, so I wasn't looking for great treatises. Some of the items presented are really nicely done, others not so, but nothing is done poorly. Some of the devices in the book are brilliant ideas, wonders of inspiration. There is hardware, software (yes, software), wetware (drugs and engineered bacteria and virii), and some unknown thing dubbed The Antichrist Serum. Chapter three is Grandmother Spider's Brood, and it is a mixed bag. It is here that the flaws of the book show through. The included spirits are as good as spirits are usually in Werewolf, some are better than others. The brief section on the Ananasi is well done, making me even more anxious for the breedbook. "Weaver fomori" are also introduced, called drones, and they are done with style as well. Things start to go sour with Shinzui Industries, however. Effectively described as the "Weaver's Pentex," Shinzui evidences a distinct lack of depth. With Pentex and its subsidiaries as well as the Syndicate in the World of Darkness, we already have more than enough Big Evil Corporations. I would have been more pleased to see Shinzui portrayed as a benevolent aspect of the Weaver, or least a mixed organization. It would have been a perfect opportunity to show just how the Weaver can be both good and bad at the same time. The Technocracy section is okay, if not amazingly noteworthy for anything other than stating again that neither Pentex nor the Technocractic Union is in bed with the other. They are independent forces, although they do have intermittent ties. It's the DNA section that is the saddest part of the book, primarily because of the dichotomy between the material presented in it. One the one hand some of the most endearing and exciting characters in the World of Darkness are described, and on the other hand, DNA itself is largely a 2-dimensional antagonist. It's distinct lack of knowledge is showcased quite well, but the plan to purify the human gene pool and make it static is ludicrous. We are given great characters who apparently work towards an insane goal. I can see some of DNA having that goal, even the leadership, but having it be the driving goal behind the company is laughable. Admittedly, the company actually believes that it is doing a great service to humanity, but scientists of the caliber described should realize that such a state would not be good. A static gene pool is a dead gene pool. The company is given a beautiful history, and the notes on how to run a DNA chronicle are nice and well done, but the basic idea of the company is just damned silly. The best idea is to simply toss that out the window. DNA is a company that wants to help humanity, and a portion of its research is directed toward the Garou, who it sees as genetic flaws, a disease that should be cured just like AIDS. Makes for a much better game, I think. The following chapter is about using the Weaver in a chronicle, either as the focus or an aspect. The Glass Walkers are discusses again, as is the Weaver's role in history and how to use vampires and mages in a game. Some ideas on alternate chronicles are tossed out as well. The standard fare for a storytelling chapter. The history bits in particular have some very interesting ideas, and the story seeds are good as well. The book then finishes out with a list of new spirit charms. Overall, I thought that the Book of the Weaver was good. Very one-sided at times, but good. I just wish that more Werewolf books would portray the opposition to the Garou in a slightly more positive light, especially in "objective" storyteller resources. And one last note: the art in Book of the Weaver ranges from good to superb. There are some truly great pictures in this book, like the vat on page 62 or the Garou on page 95. The man who illustrated chapter one needs a great deal more work in White Wolf books. And finally, the cover was nearly sublime. I don't think that I have ever liked a White Wolf cover more, other than the solid-pattern basebooks (for which the black pleather of Vampire Revised Limited Edition cannot be beaten). Even if you don't like the material, at least look at the art. Role-playing artwork needs more exposure, I think. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)