The Inside Scoop on Gaming

There is no escape from the World of Darkness, not even on the water.

This book has plenty of information for all five existing games in the World of Darkness--fans of "Hunter" will have to cope--and how to get them involved in maritime scenarios. Some of the efforts work better than others, but the overall product is competant enough for me. Your mileage will vary.

The Vampire section seemed weakest to me. The addition of the Aquatic Gangrel struck me as rather wonky, and as redundant to the mainline of the clan. The attempts to put other clans on or near the water are good efforts, but in the end I just don't see Vampire as a game that gets any further at sea than the beaches of the world. I can't fault them for trying, though.

The Werewolf section didn't surprise me. The weresharks and their take on Gaian cosmology didn't seem odd, other than the new words for old characters, or their take on the Umbra. The inclusion of the Kraken as foul beasties didn't surprise me either. That's not to say that I disliked it, but neither did I like it; it fell into that gray area between "Bad" and "Good". The Pentex connection also falls into this area- it's useful, but nothing that I haven't seen elsewhere.

The Mage section is what I liked most. The Technocracy and the Nine Traditions--especially the Etherites and the Void-Boys--go at it like cats and dogs, but just about everyone has a piece of the action. The Progenitors work with Pentex, giving the possibility of a crossover some basis, but otherwise it's not prone to involvement with other supernatural- unless it's desired. The Hermetics have a floating chantry, the Dreamspeakers play with the native spirits, and the Verbena have a presence along the coasts. The Nephandi, as with the Deep Umbra, are the true masters of this domain.

The Wraith section has all of the ghost ship stuff that you've ever wanted. This is positively wonderful, due to the weird mixture of high-tech vessels (as Wraith fleets go) with their guns and the old style of pirate-age swashbuckling. There's plenty of fun to be had with leading (or repelling) a boarding party across the deck of an old aircraft carrier while wielding a relic saber. There's also plenty of horror to be found in haunted ship stories, so this is the best part of the book- regardless of my preferences.

The most disappointing is the Changeling section. The seas still hold a magical wonder for many, be that pleasant enchantment or terrible dread, but all we get are a couple of kith and a few new toys. The rest is all about getting land-based kith on the water so they'd get involved in the fighting below the waves. There could've been so much more, but it wasn't there. *shrug* Sometimes you lose, I guess.

You don't need this book, unless you're going on the water a lot and you need a hand. You can get by without it, but there's a lot worse out there for your money than this. That's my mixed review.

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

World of Darkness: Blood-Dimmed Tides
Author: A ravenous horde of contributors. Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Game Studio Line: World of Darkness Cost: $17.95 Page count: 128 pages ISBN: 1-56504-354-5 SKU: WW3350 Capsule Review by Bradford C. Walker on 07/29/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Modern_day Horror Conspiracy Vampire Gothic	There is no escape from the World of Darkness, not even on the water. This book has plenty of information for all five existing games in the World of Darkness--fans of "Hunter" will have to cope--and how to get them involved in maritime scenarios. Some of the efforts work better than others, but the overall product is competant enough for me. Your mileage will vary. The Vampire section seemed weakest to me. The addition of the Aquatic Gangrel struck me as rather wonky, and as redundant to the mainline of the clan. The attempts to put other clans on or near the water are good efforts, but in the end I just don't see Vampire as a game that gets any further at sea than the beaches of the world. I can't fault them for trying, though. The Werewolf section didn't surprise me. The weresharks and their take on Gaian cosmology didn't seem odd, other than the new words for old characters, or their take on the Umbra. The inclusion of the Kraken as foul beasties didn't surprise me either. That's not to say that I disliked it, but neither did I like it; it fell into that gray area between "Bad" and "Good". The Pentex connection also falls into this area- it's useful, but nothing that I haven't seen elsewhere. The Mage section is what I liked most. The Technocracy and the Nine Traditions--especially the Etherites and the Void-Boys--go at it like cats and dogs, but just about everyone has a piece of the action. The Progenitors work with Pentex, giving the possibility of a crossover some basis, but otherwise it's not prone to involvement with other supernatural- unless it's desired. The Hermetics have a floating chantry, the Dreamspeakers play with the native spirits, and the Verbena have a presence along the coasts. The Nephandi, as with the Deep Umbra, are the true masters of this domain. The Wraith section has all of the ghost ship stuff that you've ever wanted. This is positively wonderful, due to the weird mixture of high-tech vessels (as Wraith fleets go) with their guns and the old style of pirate-age swashbuckling. There's plenty of fun to be had with leading (or repelling) a boarding party across the deck of an old aircraft carrier while wielding a relic saber. There's also plenty of horror to be found in haunted ship stories, so this is the best part of the book- regardless of my preferences. The most disappointing is the Changeling section. The seas still hold a magical wonder for many, be that pleasant enchantment or terrible dread, but all we get are a couple of kith and a few new toys. The rest is all about getting land-based kith on the water so they'd get involved in the fighting below the waves. There could've been so much more, but it wasn't there. shrug Sometimes you lose, I guess. You don't need this book, unless you're going on the water a lot and you need a hand. You can get by without it, but there's a lot worse out there for your money than this. That's my mixed review. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)

World of Darkness: Blood-Dimmed Tides