The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The 'default' setting for Vampire: the Masquerade is within the Camarilla, a loose alliance of seven vampiric clans and hangers-on. Clanbooks and citybooks have provided plenty of information on some of the people who make up the Camarilla, but up till now there's been very little information on how the Camarilla actually _functions_ as a whole. A book on the Camarilla was long overdue, and at long last it's here.

So, how good is it? Very good indeed. It describes how the Camarilla works, how it views humans, what's involved in a Conclave, and why elders are such unpleasant creatures. If you've ever wondered how to get rid of a Prince you didn't like, this book will tell you how it's done. If you've ever wondered about the Lasombra antitribu of the Camarilla, that's here too. Besides telling you about what the Camarilla is like, GttC also has plenty of useful advice on _running_ a Camarilla game.

As with the 3rd Edition rulebook, the World of Darkness has changed somewhat in the last few years. The biggest change by far is that most of the Gangrel have left the Camarilla after their Justicar discovered something nasty. Fortunately, if this hurts continuity in your game there's nothing in the rest of the book to stop you from saying "that never happened", or "that hasn't happened just yet".

There aren't a lot of rules in this book, but those that are are mostly good. The Lasombra antitribu, Gargoyles and Caitiff are detailed; for elders, there are Disciplines for levels 6-9. (Level 10 Disciplines have been removed, so players will no longer be able to look up just what an Antediluvian is capable of. Hurrah.) A couple of new Thaumaturgy paths, and quite a few new Secondary Abilities, Merits and Flaws appropriate to Camarilla characters.

There were one or two things I found annoying. Several of the listed Merits "double up" on things already covered by Backgrounds, for instance the 7 point Merit: Primogen. If a character wants the status and privileges of a member of the primogen... isn't that already covered very nicely by the Background: Status 4? Using two different systems to represent the same thing in one game is unnecessary and likely to confuse players - particularly when their costs don't even match. A lot of the Flaws listed are variations on the one theme (you have a bad reputation), and could be rolled into one variable-level Flaw without losing anything much.

The writing style was clear and interesting throughout, and the opening vignette gives a very clear picture of how the Camarilla relates to humans. Artwork ranged from forgettable to good.

All in all, if you're planning a Camarilla game I highly recommend this book. Even if you're focusing on the Sabbat or the independent clans, this book will come in handy when treading on Camarilla turf.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Guide to the Camarilla
Author: Richard Dansky et al. Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Line: Vampire: the Masquerade Cost: $25.95 Page count: 232 ISBN: 1-56504-261-1 SKU: WW2302 Capsule Review by Geoffrey Brent on 09/02/99. Genre tags: Modern_day Horror Conspiracy Vampire Gothic	The 'default' setting for Vampire: the Masquerade is within the Camarilla, a loose alliance of seven vampiric clans and hangers-on. Clanbooks and citybooks have provided plenty of information on some of the people who make up the Camarilla, but up till now there's been very little information on how the Camarilla actually _functions_ as a whole. A book on the Camarilla was long overdue, and at long last it's here. So, how good is it? Very good indeed. It describes how the Camarilla works, how it views humans, what's involved in a Conclave, and why elders are such unpleasant creatures. If you've ever wondered how to get rid of a Prince you didn't like, this book will tell you how it's done. If you've ever wondered about the Lasombra antitribu of the Camarilla, that's here too. Besides telling you about what the Camarilla is like, GttC also has plenty of useful advice on _running_ a Camarilla game. As with the 3rd Edition rulebook, the World of Darkness has changed somewhat in the last few years. The biggest change by far is that most of the Gangrel have left the Camarilla after their Justicar discovered something nasty. Fortunately, if this hurts continuity in your game there's nothing in the rest of the book to stop you from saying "that never happened", or "that hasn't happened just yet". There aren't a lot of rules in this book, but those that are are mostly good. The Lasombra antitribu, Gargoyles and Caitiff are detailed; for elders, there are Disciplines for levels 6-9. (Level 10 Disciplines have been removed, so players will no longer be able to look up just what an Antediluvian is capable of. Hurrah.) A couple of new Thaumaturgy paths, and quite a few new Secondary Abilities, Merits and Flaws appropriate to Camarilla characters. There were one or two things I found annoying. Several of the listed Merits "double up" on things already covered by Backgrounds, for instance the 7 point Merit: Primogen. If a character wants the status and privileges of a member of the primogen... isn't that already covered very nicely by the Background: Status 4? Using two different systems to represent the same thing in one game is unnecessary and likely to confuse players - particularly when their costs don't even match. A lot of the Flaws listed are variations on the one theme (you have a bad reputation), and could be rolled into one variable-level Flaw without losing anything much. The writing style was clear and interesting throughout, and the opening vignette gives a very clear picture of how the Camarilla relates to humans. Artwork ranged from forgettable to good. All in all, if you're planning a Camarilla game I highly recommend this book. Even if you're focusing on the Sabbat or the independent clans, this book will come in handy when treading on Camarilla turf. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Guide to the Camarilla