The Inside Scoop on Gaming

After the references made in the first "Kindred of the East" and the KotE Companion, you knew that this book was an inevitability. It's the third essential book for making full use of the Far East World of Darkness, and you are better of with it than without it.

What do you get? You do not get a catalogue of all 1000 hells. What you do get is an overview of the most-infamous Eastern hells, from the Hell of Being Skinned Alive to the Hell of Boiling Oil. You get the rundown on the demons who reside there, the Yama Kings they serve, and the Kuei-jin who've betrayed their station by selling out to the Yama Kings. All of this information comes with a guide to creating your own hells, and how to populate them. It's a happy book, really.

Is it useful? You bet it is. The descriptions provided will all gamers, even if they junk what's written in favor of their own ideas. The guidelines given for personalizing the generic ideas work for most folks--your mileage will vary--and the provided material allows people to get going right now. The powers of the "akuma" and the other servitors of the Yama Kings are enough to keep characters (and players) on their toes for some time to come.

What's bad? Well, the artwork isn't for everyone. Some of it is too abstract and more is too concrete. The hells, demons, and Yama Kings provided may not be enough; for a book entitled "The Thousand Hells", you'd think that you'd get lots and lots of descriptions of perilous underworlds as well as those who live (or are trapped) within them. It seems someone skimpy to me, but your mileage will vary.

The price, as usual, is a bit high for what you get. This is really a $15 book at best, and the usual suspects of inflation and paper costs feel hollow to gamers who play on the cheap. Unfortunately, I can't think of a better alternative to paper or a scheme to deflate things that the rest of the world will accept, so I'll just cope with it.

What's good? Everything dealing with the Yama Kings and the "akuma", of course. Honestly, the hells are secondary to this information; if you're doing more than playing a stereotypical Vampire game with new rules and Eastern settings, then you're spending plenty of time with the traditional foes of the Kuei-jin and those who serve them. This book gives you all of the information you need about to pull off that task. The hells matter only if your game really needs to trip on over to Yomi, and most can make do with the Yin and Yang Worlds.

The verdict? Go on and get it, but not until you've taken care of the drop-dead-important acquistions. If you're a cheap gamer, then you're best off reading the info in the shop until you can spare the cash or can convince someone to give you a free copy.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

The Thousand 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 Game Studio Line: Vampire-The Masquerade/Kindred of the East Cost: $17.95 (US) Page count: 118 pages ISBN: 1-56504-226-3 SKU: WW2902 Capsule Review by Bradford C. Walker on 07/24/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern_day Horror Conspiracy Vampire Gothic Asian/Far_East	After the references made in the first "Kindred of the East" and the KotE Companion, you knew that this book was an inevitability. It's the third essential book for making full use of the Far East World of Darkness, and you are better of with it than without it. What do you get? You do not get a catalogue of all 1000 hells. What you do get is an overview of the most-infamous Eastern hells, from the Hell of Being Skinned Alive to the Hell of Boiling Oil. You get the rundown on the demons who reside there, the Yama Kings they serve, and the Kuei-jin who've betrayed their station by selling out to the Yama Kings. All of this information comes with a guide to creating your own hells, and how to populate them. It's a happy book, really. Is it useful? You bet it is. The descriptions provided will all gamers, even if they junk what's written in favor of their own ideas. The guidelines given for personalizing the generic ideas work for most folks--your mileage will vary--and the provided material allows people to get going right now. The powers of the "akuma" and the other servitors of the Yama Kings are enough to keep characters (and players) on their toes for some time to come. What's bad? Well, the artwork isn't for everyone. Some of it is too abstract and more is too concrete. The hells, demons, and Yama Kings provided may not be enough; for a book entitled "The Thousand Hells", you'd think that you'd get lots and lots of descriptions of perilous underworlds as well as those who live (or are trapped) within them. It seems someone skimpy to me, but your mileage will vary. The price, as usual, is a bit high for what you get. This is really a $15 book at best, and the usual suspects of inflation and paper costs feel hollow to gamers who play on the cheap. Unfortunately, I can't think of a better alternative to paper or a scheme to deflate things that the rest of the world will accept, so I'll just cope with it. What's good? Everything dealing with the Yama Kings and the "akuma", of course. Honestly, the hells are secondary to this information; if you're doing more than playing a stereotypical Vampire game with new rules and Eastern settings, then you're spending plenty of time with the traditional foes of the Kuei-jin and those who serve them. This book gives you all of the information you need about to pull off that task. The hells matter only if your game really needs to trip on over to Yomi, and most can make do with the Yin and Yang Worlds. The verdict? Go on and get it, but not until you've taken care of the drop-dead-important acquistions. If you're a cheap gamer, then you're best off reading the info in the shop until you can spare the cash or can convince someone to give you a free copy. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)