The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Before it was released, I hadn't heard that "Aberrant" was even coming out. Having looked over "Aeon" (and later "Trinity") and finding them totally uninteresting, I wasn't paying attention to the release schedules of any products even remotely related to it. Now, keep in mind that over time, I've grown less and less enamoured of White Wolf's product lines.

All too often White Wolf products seem quickly hashed together for a nothing more than a simple cash influx. The editing has been sloppy (those XXPageXX's can proliferate like rabbits), concepts would be forgotten (such as the New World Order and the Syndicate in "Mage: The Ascension" being *social* sciences, not a hard sciences), and the overall power-level would seem to spiral upwards to reflect not a dramatic capstone to a plotline (such as "Chaos Factor") but more to cater to the whims of the neo-Powergamer (such as the current "Red Star" plotline). I stopped buying most of these products several years ago and trusted to my own skills as a Storyteller to outfit and develop my worlds. However, I would often find that events at conventions were being geared so much to the official cannon of the White Wolf plot-line-du-jour, that involvement was nearly impossible.

This said, I have to congratulate White Wolf Games on a phenomenal and refreshingly dynamic product.

"Aberrant" contains a very dynamic world where personal ethics and choices take the center stage alongside dynamic battles ala the very best of Superhero comic books. The Storyteller system has been re-tooled (yet again) to produce an even slicker and more rapid-fire resolution to combat and Ability contests while maintaining a focus on the more human aspects of the characters. In fact, the character generation section of the rules emphasizes just this in a way that none of the World of Darkness games before it has done. You develop a person first; the powers and post-power life comes later.

Yes, I know that all the WoD games have said to do this, but this is the first time that the rules not only emphasized it, but have made it effectively mandatory. You only get so many points to develop yourself in the initial stages and only after you've finished the basic person are you given points to go into powers and further Nova (the name for "Supers" in this Universe) adjustments.

The world of the Novas as presented is dynamic, multi-layered and rich (as most of White Wolf's offerings tend to be). With a Powers system that seems to finally meet those rigorous standards, it's easily one of the best Supers games ever developed. The power level isn't on a par with playing Superman or Thor, but it isn't supposed to be. For the best comparison, it's like combining "Wildcards" with Marvel's old "New Universe".

There are only a few failing points or stumbling blocks for newcomers to Storyteller. First off, I love the opening of the rules. White Wolf's authors start you off with press releases, news clippings, official dossiers and reports, a comic book and several other bits and pieces that reflect life in this new world. I LOVED it!

Content over number-cruching ... about a hundred pages worth!

The only downfall to this, is that gamers coming from other venues might be a bit taken aback when they don't find a table of contents until 100 pages into the book. It took me awhile to find what I was looking for, but only a few seconds to realize how they'd approached it. While not much of a problem, it is a minor flaw that could get in the way of new gamers enjoying "Aberrant".

My biggest gripe is -again- the lack of Merits and Flaws in the basic rules. I would gladly pay the extra 5 bucks for these. You see, for all the gushing I just did for how White Wolf was pushing creating a character over a set of statistics, I find it odd that they don't include these tried-and-true elements that really allow a player to shine when it comes to tailoring who they are. For example, having a character who has a nasty reputation can really be a hinderance; so can being myopic or manic-depressive. (All these come from examples I was creating a few days ago).

And yes, I can (and did) create my characters with these flaws as I saw fit. However, how do you balance them? Without the game mechanic of points, it's very difficult to do so. What if I want my character to have a subtle benefit such as exceptional night vision or discerning spatial awareness. Not enough to warrant a Quantum Power but enough that it might have some minor game effects...

Yes, White Wolf ... gamers need Merits and Flaws in the basic rules and they'll be willing to pay for them.

Finally, there are some areas that need development. While it doesn't bother a Storyteller like myself, I know quite a few who would like to actually see some character rosters for prominant NPCs such as The Fireman. No, we don't need another "Inside the Dark Recesses of Utopia" type of sourcebook. Just about EVERY gamer can come up with that on their own. But some rules on creating high-tech gadgets would be nice. So would a prominant NPCs book.

Still, there should have been at least a bit more of that in the core rules...

In summation, the work that White Wolf has done with "Aberrant" is truly inspiring. I don't intend to utilize "Trinity" at all; to me, it's like the "Weird" Al Yankovic album "Polka Party" ... what were the creator's thinking? However, "Aberrant" is quite the contrary. It sings. It dances. It blows up REAL good!

But, above all that, it simply is excellent world-creation combined with a slick system that appeals to a gamer tired of spandex and trite cliches.

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

Aberrant
Author: numerous - including Robert Hatch Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Games Line: Aberrant Cost: $29.95 Page count: 286 ISBN: 1-56504-625-0 SKU: WW8550 Capsule Review by David J Rust on 08/24/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Modern_day Espionage Conspiracy Superhero	Before it was released, I hadn't heard that "Aberrant" was even coming out. Having looked over "Aeon" (and later "Trinity") and finding them totally uninteresting, I wasn't paying attention to the release schedules of any products even remotely related to it. Now, keep in mind that over time, I've grown less and less enamoured of White Wolf's product lines. All too often White Wolf products seem quickly hashed together for a nothing more than a simple cash influx. The editing has been sloppy (those XXPageXX's can proliferate like rabbits), concepts would be forgotten (such as the New World Order and the Syndicate in "Mage: The Ascension" being social sciences, not a hard sciences), and the overall power-level would seem to spiral upwards to reflect not a dramatic capstone to a plotline (such as "Chaos Factor") but more to cater to the whims of the neo-Powergamer (such as the current "Red Star" plotline). I stopped buying most of these products several years ago and trusted to my own skills as a Storyteller to outfit and develop my worlds. However, I would often find that events at conventions were being geared so much to the official cannon of the White Wolf plot-line-du-jour, that involvement was nearly impossible. This said, I have to congratulate White Wolf Games on a phenomenal and refreshingly dynamic product. "Aberrant" contains a very dynamic world where personal ethics and choices take the center stage alongside dynamic battles ala the very best of Superhero comic books. The Storyteller system has been re-tooled (yet again) to produce an even slicker and more rapid-fire resolution to combat and Ability contests while maintaining a focus on the more human aspects of the characters. In fact, the character generation section of the rules emphasizes just this in a way that none of the World of Darkness games before it has done. You develop a person first; the powers and post-power life comes later. Yes, I know that all the WoD games have said to do this, but this is the first time that the rules not only emphasized it, but have made it effectively mandatory. You only get so many points to develop yourself in the initial stages and only after you've finished the basic person are you given points to go into powers and further Nova (the name for "Supers" in this Universe) adjustments. The world of the Novas as presented is dynamic, multi-layered and rich (as most of White Wolf's offerings tend to be). With a Powers system that seems to finally meet those rigorous standards, it's easily one of the best Supers games ever developed. The power level isn't on a par with playing Superman or Thor, but it isn't supposed to be. For the best comparison, it's like combining "Wildcards" with Marvel's old "New Universe". There are only a few failing points or stumbling blocks for newcomers to Storyteller. First off, I love the opening of the rules. White Wolf's authors start you off with press releases, news clippings, official dossiers and reports, a comic book and several other bits and pieces that reflect life in this new world. I LOVED it! Content over number-cruching ... about a hundred pages worth! The only downfall to this, is that gamers coming from other venues might be a bit taken aback when they don't find a table of contents until 100 pages into the book. It took me awhile to find what I was looking for, but only a few seconds to realize how they'd approached it. While not much of a problem, it is a minor flaw that could get in the way of new gamers enjoying "Aberrant". My biggest gripe is -again- the lack of Merits and Flaws in the basic rules. I would gladly pay the extra 5 bucks for these. You see, for all the gushing I just did for how White Wolf was pushing creating a character over a set of statistics, I find it odd that they don't include these tried-and-true elements that really allow a player to shine when it comes to tailoring who they are. For example, having a character who has a nasty reputation can really be a hinderance; so can being myopic or manic-depressive. (All these come from examples I was creating a few days ago). And yes, I can (and did) create my characters with these flaws as I saw fit. However, how do you balance them? Without the game mechanic of points, it's very difficult to do so. What if I want my character to have a subtle benefit such as exceptional night vision or discerning spatial awareness. Not enough to warrant a Quantum Power but enough that it might have some minor game effects... Yes, White Wolf ... gamers need Merits and Flaws in the basic rules and they'll be willing to pay for them. Finally, there are some areas that need development. While it doesn't bother a Storyteller like myself, I know quite a few who would like to actually see some character rosters for prominant NPCs such as The Fireman. No, we don't need another "Inside the Dark Recesses of Utopia" type of sourcebook. Just about EVERY gamer can come up with that on their own. But some rules on creating high-tech gadgets would be nice. So would a prominant NPCs book. Still, there should have been at least a bit more of that in the core rules... In summation, the work that White Wolf has done with "Aberrant" is truly inspiring. I don't intend to utilize "Trinity" at all; to me, it's like the "Weird" Al Yankovic album "Polka Party" ... what were the creator's thinking? However, "Aberrant" is quite the contrary. It sings. It dances. It blows up REAL good! But, above all that, it simply is excellent world-creation combined with a slick system that appeals to a gamer tired of spandex and trite cliches. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)