The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Another one of those KOTE books where the title is something of a misnomer. Just as Kindred of the East wasn't really about Kindred, The 1000 Hells isn't really about a 1000 hells. It isn't clear how many hells there really are in Yomi (the Asian name for the 1000 Hells), it could be more than a 1000 or there could be far less. The only thing that's certain about the Hells is that there's a lot, some of them never even seen by outsiders.

The book begins with a pretty good story about a Kuei-jin trapped in the Hell of the Seven Burning Seas, trying to find a way out. Not one of the best intro-stories ever used by White Wolf, but it sets the mood quite well. After this is the obligatory introduction chapter on How to use this book and Terminology.

The real book starts in chapter 3: The Tapestry of Yomi. This chapter describes the history of Yomi and their rulers, the Yama Kings. The Yama Kings used to be servants of the August Personade of Jade (ruler of the Asian underworld), but after discovering they could consume unlimited amounts of CORRUPTED Chi, they betrayed him, stole parts of the Yang World and created Yomi with these. The chapter tells this history with little storyhooks now and then (see the paragraph about "the joyous harvest" on page 18, for example). The chapter's remaining pages are filled with a description of the modern hells and how to get there. Both paths to Yomi described here (The Scarlet Path and the Ebon Road) are almost as dangerous and deadly as Yomi itself.

Next up are descriptions of some of the hells in Yomi. We get "full" descriptions of 9 of the Yomi hells, some of which are pretty basic (like Kakuri: the Night Realm and The Wicked city) and others are pretty gruelling (like the Hell of Burrowing Maggots and the Hell of Being Skinned Alive). All entries include some places of interest and notes on the denizens of the realm. This chapter is brimming with story ideas. All of the hells are worth visiting (storywise, that is), and trust me when I say your players will remember their trip to Yomi for years to come. And then there are the short descriptions at the end of the chapter of some more Yomi-hells. These are clearly meant as examples of what can be done when designing your own hell, or you can expand these descriptions to the full-blown stuff like in the preceding chapter. (By the way, these small descriptions include the most painfull hell in the whole book: the Heel of Eternal Castration (ouch!!!))

Chapter 5 contains descriptions of the 8 most prominent Yama Kings. Not all of them are as interesting as the next, but most of them are pretty horrific. Tou Mu, for instance, is an 18-armed, armor-clad fiend, who is the Kuei-jin worst enemy. Since they used to be the Wan Xian, servitors of the August Personade of Jade, who battled the Yama Kings whenever they could, she is repulsed by them, and therefore hasn't got any Akuma servitors, either. The most interesting Yama King, however, is the Wandering Overlord. I see something happening in a future supplement concerning him. It is the year of the reckoning, after all.

A short Paragraph about Akuma closes this chapter. It's really too short to give a really good description on who or what the Akuma are, but the Appendix (which describes the way Akuma come into service of a Yama King, and the powers they are granted therefore) makes up for this.

Chapter 6 (which is mistakenly labeled chapter 5) is about storytelling in Yomi. It gives suggestions on why you should set stories in Yomi, what kind of stories you could tell, and in what hell you should set your story. It also contains some things you should think about when creating your own hell, and your own Yama King. Since nobody is sure how many hells and Yama Kings there are, the possiblities are endless.

The last chapter (again with the wrong label) describes the differences in system when your in Yomi. The rule alterations apply mostly to Disciplines and even kindred Disciplines are included. Also, the obtaining of Chi is far more difficult in Yomi, except for Demon Chi, ofcourse.A short section on escaping from hell is followed by descriptions of some of the demons serving the Yama Kings. Overall I found these uninspiring. Most of the demons are humanoid combat-machines (except for the cool Fat-striders of the Hell of Boiling Oil). I expected more terrifying monsters with hundreds of tentacles, gaping maws and razor-sharp claws. Oh well, maybe I watch too much anime, but if you want really terrifying demons, don't look here. Your better off converting demons from other games, like Call of Cthulu or the oni from Legend of the Five Rings' Book of the Shadowlands.

The appendix on Akuma closes an overall fine book. The main gripe I have with it (besides the appaling editing: typos litter the book and stand out like sores) is usage. In order to travel to the 1000 hells, characters should have some way to survive there, options for which aren't given in the book. It's a shame to let the option of "adventuring" in Yomi go by, though, so enterprising Storytellers should and wil find a way to get by this. But, after sending the characters to one of the worlds in Yomi, it would be overkill to send them in AGAIN, even if it is a few sessions later. Yomi is cool if used in moderation, and this book gives you all you need when your troupe decides to travel there.

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

The 1000 Hells
Author: Kraig Blackwelder, Tim Clancy, Geoffrey C. Grabowski and Lindsay Woodcock with Jack Norris and Richard E. Dansky Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Line: Vampire: the Masquerade (Kindred of the East) Cost: $17.95 Page count: 120 pages ISBN: 1-56504-226-3 Capsule Review by Jorrit Polane on 06/02/99. Genre tags: Horror Anime Vampire Asian/Far_East	Another one of those KOTE books where the title is something of a misnomer. Just as Kindred of the East wasn't really about Kindred, The 1000 Hells isn't really about a 1000 hells. It isn't clear how many hells there really are in Yomi (the Asian name for the 1000 Hells), it could be more than a 1000 or there could be far less. The only thing that's certain about the Hells is that there's a lot, some of them never even seen by outsiders. The book begins with a pretty good story about a Kuei-jin trapped in the Hell of the Seven Burning Seas, trying to find a way out. Not one of the best intro-stories ever used by White Wolf, but it sets the mood quite well. After this is the obligatory introduction chapter on How to use this book and Terminology. The real book starts in chapter 3: The Tapestry of Yomi. This chapter describes the history of Yomi and their rulers, the Yama Kings. The Yama Kings used to be servants of the August Personade of Jade (ruler of the Asian underworld), but after discovering they could consume unlimited amounts of CORRUPTED Chi, they betrayed him, stole parts of the Yang World and created Yomi with these. The chapter tells this history with little storyhooks now and then (see the paragraph about "the joyous harvest" on page 18, for example). The chapter's remaining pages are filled with a description of the modern hells and how to get there. Both paths to Yomi described here (The Scarlet Path and the Ebon Road) are almost as dangerous and deadly as Yomi itself. Next up are descriptions of some of the hells in Yomi. We get "full" descriptions of 9 of the Yomi hells, some of which are pretty basic (like Kakuri: the Night Realm and The Wicked city) and others are pretty gruelling (like the Hell of Burrowing Maggots and the Hell of Being Skinned Alive). All entries include some places of interest and notes on the denizens of the realm. This chapter is brimming with story ideas. All of the hells are worth visiting (storywise, that is), and trust me when I say your players will remember their trip to Yomi for years to come. And then there are the short descriptions at the end of the chapter of some more Yomi-hells. These are clearly meant as examples of what can be done when designing your own hell, or you can expand these descriptions to the full-blown stuff like in the preceding chapter. (By the way, these small descriptions include the most painfull hell in the whole book: the Heel of Eternal Castration (ouch!!!)) Chapter 5 contains descriptions of the 8 most prominent Yama Kings. Not all of them are as interesting as the next, but most of them are pretty horrific. Tou Mu, for instance, is an 18-armed, armor-clad fiend, who is the Kuei-jin worst enemy. Since they used to be the Wan Xian, servitors of the August Personade of Jade, who battled the Yama Kings whenever they could, she is repulsed by them, and therefore hasn't got any Akuma servitors, either. The most interesting Yama King, however, is the Wandering Overlord. I see something happening in a future supplement concerning him. It is the year of the reckoning, after all. A short Paragraph about Akuma closes this chapter. It's really too short to give a really good description on who or what the Akuma are, but the Appendix (which describes the way Akuma come into service of a Yama King, and the powers they are granted therefore) makes up for this. Chapter 6 (which is mistakenly labeled chapter 5) is about storytelling in Yomi. It gives suggestions on why you should set stories in Yomi, what kind of stories you could tell, and in what hell you should set your story. It also contains some things you should think about when creating your own hell, and your own Yama King. Since nobody is sure how many hells and Yama Kings there are, the possiblities are endless. The last chapter (again with the wrong label) describes the differences in system when your in Yomi. The rule alterations apply mostly to Disciplines and even kindred Disciplines are included. Also, the obtaining of Chi is far more difficult in Yomi, except for Demon Chi, ofcourse.A short section on escaping from hell is followed by descriptions of some of the demons serving the Yama Kings. Overall I found these uninspiring. Most of the demons are humanoid combat-machines (except for the cool Fat-striders of the Hell of Boiling Oil). I expected more terrifying monsters with hundreds of tentacles, gaping maws and razor-sharp claws. Oh well, maybe I watch too much anime, but if you want really terrifying demons, don't look here. Your better off converting demons from other games, like Call of Cthulu or the oni from Legend of the Five Rings' Book of the Shadowlands. The appendix on Akuma closes an overall fine book. The main gripe I have with it (besides the appaling editing: typos litter the book and stand out like sores) is usage. In order to travel to the 1000 hells, characters should have some way to survive there, options for which aren't given in the book. It's a shame to let the option of "adventuring" in Yomi go by, though, so enterprising Storytellers should and wil find a way to get by this. But, after sending the characters to one of the worlds in Yomi, it would be overkill to send them in AGAIN, even if it is a few sessions later. Yomi is cool if used in moderation, and this book gives you all you need when your troupe decides to travel there. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)