The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I would like to start off by saying that I am a big fan of the Changing Breeds Series. I fell in love with Bastet the second I saw it, and have been hooked with the series ever since (Although I lost my faith a little in Nuwisha, what a terrible book).

Anyway, I have been anticipating Ratkin since it was hinted at as being the next Changing Breeds book. I have always liked the Ratkin and have used them a few times as plot devices in several campaigns. I thought their description in the Werewolf Player's Guide was appropriate and tastefully done, but I wanted more. Well, I got it.

Well, first off, the book is done like all the other Changing Breeds books. It starts with a decent comic strip, nothing new or particularly inspiring about it, though. Then it goes to an introduction that presents a lot of information which is repeated later. Then, there's the History chapter, which is told by Ratkin from different Aspects to a new "pup". It's actually a pretty good rundown, and it answers a lot of questions...but it doesn't cover modern history very much. At first I didn't know why, but then you learn it's because the Ratkin haven't yet gotten over the War of Rage. They still have a very big bone to pick with the Garou.

I'm not into spoilers, and so will not include any in this review, but before I continue with what I'm happy about, I will get my "major" complaints out of the way. Number one, I don't like the way the White Wolf World of Darkness is headed. Some people might, but I don't like this "Apocalypse is coming" attitude. This book is centered on the idea that the Apocalypse is nigh, there is no more time left, it's time to take action. It makes for interesting gaming, of course, but detracts from long-term campaigns. The only other "problem" I have with the book is that it concentrates very much on the present. Which is understandable as the Wererats are creatures of the Wyld (pure Chaos) and therefore live in a constant present.

Other than these two obviously non-objective criticisms, I absolutely love this book. The information in it is definitely extensive, and just like Bastet, really could have been it's own core book. It contains all of the information to run a Ratkin chronicle, all of the species-specific rules and an excellent storytelling chapter. The only thing it needs are some of the Gifts and rules from Werewolf, no Player's Guide required.

In conclusion, this is a book for White Wolf to be proud of. They obviously spent a lot of time and effort on it and really came out with a good product. Kudos to Brian Campbell for his definitely imaginative take on the Wererats, he only made a few changes between this book and the Player's Guide, and there was only one major discrepancy that I found. But, despite these unimportant things, this book is excellent, and is definitely worth the twenty bucks to just read! I highly recommend it to veteran White-Wolfers and newbies.

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

Ratkin
Author: Brian Campbell Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Publishing, Inc. Line: Werewolf: The Apocalypse Cost: 19.95 Page count: 140 ISBN: 1-56504-342-1 SKU: WW3080 Capsule Review by JFC Wolz on 09/02/99. Genre tags: Modern_day Horror Gothic	I would like to start off by saying that I am a big fan of the Changing Breeds Series. I fell in love with Bastet the second I saw it, and have been hooked with the series ever since (Although I lost my faith a little in Nuwisha, what a terrible book). Anyway, I have been anticipating Ratkin since it was hinted at as being the next Changing Breeds book. I have always liked the Ratkin and have used them a few times as plot devices in several campaigns. I thought their description in the Werewolf Player's Guide was appropriate and tastefully done, but I wanted more. Well, I got it. Well, first off, the book is done like all the other Changing Breeds books. It starts with a decent comic strip, nothing new or particularly inspiring about it, though. Then it goes to an introduction that presents a lot of information which is repeated later. Then, there's the History chapter, which is told by Ratkin from different Aspects to a new "pup". It's actually a pretty good rundown, and it answers a lot of questions...but it doesn't cover modern history very much. At first I didn't know why, but then you learn it's because the Ratkin haven't yet gotten over the War of Rage. They still have a very big bone to pick with the Garou. I'm not into spoilers, and so will not include any in this review, but before I continue with what I'm happy about, I will get my "major" complaints out of the way. Number one, I don't like the way the White Wolf World of Darkness is headed. Some people might, but I don't like this "Apocalypse is coming" attitude. This book is centered on the idea that the Apocalypse is nigh, there is no more time left, it's time to take action. It makes for interesting gaming, of course, but detracts from long-term campaigns. The only other "problem" I have with the book is that it concentrates very much on the present. Which is understandable as the Wererats are creatures of the Wyld (pure Chaos) and therefore live in a constant present. Other than these two obviously non-objective criticisms, I absolutely love this book. The information in it is definitely extensive, and just like Bastet, really could have been it's own core book. It contains all of the information to run a Ratkin chronicle, all of the species-specific rules and an excellent storytelling chapter. The only thing it needs are some of the Gifts and rules from Werewolf, no Player's Guide required. In conclusion, this is a book for White Wolf to be proud of. They obviously spent a lot of time and effort on it and really came out with a good product. Kudos to Brian Campbell for his definitely imaginative take on the Wererats, he only made a few changes between this book and the Player's Guide, and there was only one major discrepancy that I found. But, despite these unimportant things, this book is excellent, and is definitely worth the twenty bucks to just read! I highly recommend it to veteran White-Wolfers and newbies. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)