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When I heard about this book, I was at first somewhat skeptical. I already had Children of the Inquisition and Kindred's Most Wanted, I was worried that Children of the Night would just be a re-hash of the old material. It wasn't.

Children of the Night is not simply old NPCs given a new book to sell, it is a collection of characters, both new and old, from the setting. I have to warn you though, I was expecting a book of "Movers and Shakers of Kindred society," but that's not what the book is. While it does contain many of the more important figures in undead society (like the Seraphim of the Black Hand and the Justicars of the Camarilla), not everyone presented is of either great importance of renown. While not necessarily bad, it was not what I was expecting and so somewhat disappointing. I hear that every character in the book does have an intended use later on, however, so I may just be jumping to conclusions.

The format of the book was quite nice, with one chapter each on the Sabbat, Camarilla, and Independents (after an introduction by Justin Achilli on why the new book was done and on how to create an elder character). Individual character entries start off with the history and story of the character, and then move into a reasonably comprehensive list of traits. Aside from a few mistakes here and there (there is no Death and the Soul Path rating for Unre, and both Karsh and Jalan-Aajav are on the Path of the Feral Heart with Self-Control 5, to mention a few) the characters are well done.

The sections are, for the most part, short, sweet, and well done. With a few exceptions (Unre's history is terribly unclear on chronology, very hard to decipher) most of the characters are interesting and hint at Larger Things. Art, other than the full-page pictures done by Leif Jones (not his best stuff. I found them extremely lacking), was all provided by the great Christopher Shy in small 1/6th-page head-shots.

While the art was definitely not up to Shy's usual standard, some of it was quite good. I think that there should have been more discussion between Shy and the authors of the characters though, because while some illustrations fit perfectly and serve only to enhance the character (like Justicars Maris Streck and Lucinde), some really did not fit at all (the Sabbat Inquisitor Mercy). The proliferation of facial tattoos was annoying sometimes, but not nearly as bad as I had expected from the reaction the book received on the net. For the most part, the art was good, if not exceptional.

So just who is in the book? Well, to make a quick note of some of the more striking characters, Jalan-Aaljav and Karsh are interesting, especially in relation to each other. Unre, the Keeper of Golgotha has many, many interesting tidbits in her section, although the part mentioning how long she was behind the Shroud with the other Harbingers (third paragraph in) is terribly unclear. It mentions two centuries to "fall into madness" and three centuries of watching the Giovanni destroy the Cappadocians. Is that 200 years before the Giovanni purge and then watching for 300 years while the clan is slaughtered, or is it something else?

I'm all for mystery, but sometimes obscure writing makes more for annoyance than mystery. All of the Black Hand Seraphim are beautifully done, and all provide loads of plot ideas. Tariq the Silent is a surprise for those who read Kindred's Most Wanted. Francisco Dominga de Polonia is a Lasombra Embraced with a horrid sunburn. The Cardinal of Canada is an idealistic Sabbat member with some interesting plans. The new information on Archbishop Moncada is as interesting as ever. Cicatriz, the Bishop of Tijuana holds some hints to Gehenna and the Time of Thin Blood. And you can't forget the Marilyn Manson paradoy, Jayne Jonestown.

On the Camarilla side, the Malkavian Justicar, Maris Streck is very, very well crafted, exactly how a Malkavian Justicar would be. Madame Guil, the Toreador Justicar has a story full of interesting and surprising twists. Francisco DiPadua, the Right Hand of the Camarilla, is another nicely done NPC. Ilyana Ravidovich holds some interesting information concerning Baba Yaga, the Nosferatu Methuselah. Giangaleazzo, the Traitor Prince of Milan gets a bit in the book. An Abomination is even done up in the book, Pariah, a former Silver Fang Embraced by a Ventrue. While not over-done, I didn't see much need for Pariah, myself. Cesar Holfield is a 15th generation Caitiff with the "mark of the moon" upon him, despite his not being the "last daughter of Eve." Wrestling fans, fear not, El Diablo Verde is indeed in the book, and he sure ain't no jobber.

For the independents, we get Brunhilde, the leader of the Valkyries. Ambrogino Giovanni, a necromancer who seems to have discovered the "incident" between Enoch and Stygia by witnessing the Maelstrom it generated and interrogating wraiths he caught later. The information he has could prove to be very interesting. Ah-Ashrad, Amr of Clan Assamite, and ur-Shulgi, his truly ancient sire, are also mentioned, and ur-Shulgi does not bode well for the clan at all. Xaviar, the former Gangrel Justicar that prompted his clan's departure from the Camarilla is there. Qufuram-Heru, Champion of Set, is also included, and I found him to be a very interesting Methuselah, lots of possibilities there. Three Inconnu are described: Rebekah, Monitoy of Chicago; Mahatma, Monitor of Istanbul; and Dondinni, Monitor of Genoa. All of them have some very interesting bits of information in their histories. Even Dracula, the independent Tzimisce is given stats and space in Children of the Night, and I like this entry better than his older ones.

Overall, the book answers some questions and raises others. Is Unre the Cappadocian signature character Constancia? Is Ambrogino Giovanni really a Giovanni? What information does Cicatriz have that make shim so interesting in California? What are the Keui-jin doing on the West Coast anyway? It is a good book, and a great resource for someone running a world-spanning or large-scale Vampire chronicle. While of less use to more local-level games, it is still a good resource.

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

Children of the Night
Author: Dierd're Brooks, Richard Dansky, Greg Fountain, Robert Hatch, Jess Heinig, Stephe Herman, Mark Moore, Clayton Oliver, Sven Skoog, Lucien Soulban, Cynthia Summers, Stewart Weick, and Fred Yelk Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Game Studio Line: Vampire: the Masquerade Cost: $14.95 Page count: 101 Capsule Review by Derek Guder on 05/13/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern_day Horror Conspiracy Vampire Gothic	When I heard about this book, I was at first somewhat skeptical. I already had Children of the Inquisition and Kindred's Most Wanted, I was worried that Children of the Night would just be a re-hash of the old material. It wasn't. Children of the Night is not simply old NPCs given a new book to sell, it is a collection of characters, both new and old, from the setting. I have to warn you though, I was expecting a book of "Movers and Shakers of Kindred society," but that's not what the book is. While it does contain many of the more important figures in undead society (like the Seraphim of the Black Hand and the Justicars of the Camarilla), not everyone presented is of either great importance of renown. While not necessarily bad, it was not what I was expecting and so somewhat disappointing. I hear that every character in the book does have an intended use later on, however, so I may just be jumping to conclusions. The format of the book was quite nice, with one chapter each on the Sabbat, Camarilla, and Independents (after an introduction by Justin Achilli on why the new book was done and on how to create an elder character). Individual character entries start off with the history and story of the character, and then move into a reasonably comprehensive list of traits. Aside from a few mistakes here and there (there is no Death and the Soul Path rating for Unre, and both Karsh and Jalan-Aajav are on the Path of the Feral Heart with Self-Control 5, to mention a few) the characters are well done. The sections are, for the most part, short, sweet, and well done. With a few exceptions (Unre's history is terribly unclear on chronology, very hard to decipher) most of the characters are interesting and hint at Larger Things. Art, other than the full-page pictures done by Leif Jones (not his best stuff. I found them extremely lacking), was all provided by the great Christopher Shy in small 1/6th-page head-shots. While the art was definitely not up to Shy's usual standard, some of it was quite good. I think that there should have been more discussion between Shy and the authors of the characters though, because while some illustrations fit perfectly and serve only to enhance the character (like Justicars Maris Streck and Lucinde), some really did not fit at all (the Sabbat Inquisitor Mercy). The proliferation of facial tattoos was annoying sometimes, but not nearly as bad as I had expected from the reaction the book received on the net. For the most part, the art was good, if not exceptional. So just who is in the book? Well, to make a quick note of some of the more striking characters, Jalan-Aaljav and Karsh are interesting, especially in relation to each other. Unre, the Keeper of Golgotha has many, many interesting tidbits in her section, although the part mentioning how long she was behind the Shroud with the other Harbingers (third paragraph in) is terribly unclear. It mentions two centuries to "fall into madness" and three centuries of watching the Giovanni destroy the Cappadocians. Is that 200 years before the Giovanni purge and then watching for 300 years while the clan is slaughtered, or is it something else? I'm all for mystery, but sometimes obscure writing makes more for annoyance than mystery. All of the Black Hand Seraphim are beautifully done, and all provide loads of plot ideas. Tariq the Silent is a surprise for those who read Kindred's Most Wanted. Francisco Dominga de Polonia is a Lasombra Embraced with a horrid sunburn. The Cardinal of Canada is an idealistic Sabbat member with some interesting plans. The new information on Archbishop Moncada is as interesting as ever. Cicatriz, the Bishop of Tijuana holds some hints to Gehenna and the Time of Thin Blood. And you can't forget the Marilyn Manson paradoy, Jayne Jonestown. On the Camarilla side, the Malkavian Justicar, Maris Streck is very, very well crafted, exactly how a Malkavian Justicar would be. Madame Guil, the Toreador Justicar has a story full of interesting and surprising twists. Francisco DiPadua, the Right Hand of the Camarilla, is another nicely done NPC. Ilyana Ravidovich holds some interesting information concerning Baba Yaga, the Nosferatu Methuselah. Giangaleazzo, the Traitor Prince of Milan gets a bit in the book. An Abomination is even done up in the book, Pariah, a former Silver Fang Embraced by a Ventrue. While not over-done, I didn't see much need for Pariah, myself. Cesar Holfield is a 15th generation Caitiff with the "mark of the moon" upon him, despite his not being the "last daughter of Eve." Wrestling fans, fear not, El Diablo Verde is indeed in the book, and he sure ain't no jobber. For the independents, we get Brunhilde, the leader of the Valkyries. Ambrogino Giovanni, a necromancer who seems to have discovered the "incident" between Enoch and Stygia by witnessing the Maelstrom it generated and interrogating wraiths he caught later. The information he has could prove to be very interesting. Ah-Ashrad, Amr of Clan Assamite, and ur-Shulgi, his truly ancient sire, are also mentioned, and ur-Shulgi does not bode well for the clan at all. Xaviar, the former Gangrel Justicar that prompted his clan's departure from the Camarilla is there. Qufuram-Heru, Champion of Set, is also included, and I found him to be a very interesting Methuselah, lots of possibilities there. Three Inconnu are described: Rebekah, Monitoy of Chicago; Mahatma, Monitor of Istanbul; and Dondinni, Monitor of Genoa. All of them have some very interesting bits of information in their histories. Even Dracula, the independent Tzimisce is given stats and space in Children of the Night, and I like this entry better than his older ones. Overall, the book answers some questions and raises others. Is Unre the Cappadocian signature character Constancia? Is Ambrogino Giovanni really a Giovanni? What information does Cicatriz have that make shim so interesting in California? What are the Keui-jin doing on the West Coast anyway? It is a good book, and a great resource for someone running a world-spanning or large-scale Vampire chronicle. While of less use to more local-level games, it is still a good resource. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)