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Rage Across the Heavens is the Werewolf: the Apocalypse entry into the Year of the Reckoning metaplot and storyline. Rabid haters of the metaplot may not like the book simply because of that, but I have a feeling that most of the critics would be much more appreciative than they would think, but likewise, the fans of the metaplot may not find Rage Across the Heavens to be quite what they expected. Instead of giving a detailed and specific unfolding of events beyond the players' control, like Time of Thin Blood did (although that is not always a bad thing), this book puts everything squarely into the laps of our heroes. Fitting enough, considering how Werewolf: the Apocalypse is much more a game about the heroic deeds of the characters than Vampire: the Masquerade is.

Unfortunately, that same attitude requires the book to take a rather waffling stance, since it needs to be generic and yielding to any storyteller's personal tastes. On the whole, Rage Across the Heavens does a pretty good job of that, surprisingly enough. And for those wishing to side-step the prickly pear of and issue that the metaplot has grown into, the metaplot only really "takes up" about 20 pages, so the rest of the nearly 200 page volume is general use information, although the Red Star, revealed as Anthelios, is mentioned frequently.

Star Light, Star Bright

This is the opening story for the book, and I liked it quite a bit. It was more a smattering of many different views and scenes than it was a single tale, and I liked the way in which is slowly revealed many different sides and views of the two main subjects of the book, the metis-born cub and the Red Star. From the visions of an elder Garou to the discussion between a Glass Walker and a leech, we get snippets of information, all telling us that something big will happen, and that nearly everyone is very worried about just what that "something" will entail.

Introduction: Darkening Skies

This is the obligatory theme and mood discussion section of White Wolf books, and while it is not quite as useful as some others, like the one in Time of Thin Blood, neither is it completely worthless. The lexicon is also here, although it makes little sense without reading the rest of the book. There is also a page full of further references for those interested in astronomy and astrology, and it seems reasonably comprehensive, although I don't recognize any of the titles personally.

Chapter One: Dance of the Celestines

This is where the meat of the book is, as far as I am concerned. This is what I bought the book for, and its near 50 pages contain the kind of information that Werewolf: the Apocalypse should have had from the beginning: pure cultural information. I've always thought that there was never enough pure cultural information on the Garou, like how one tribe might perform a Rite differently from another tribe, or how they might view Umbral hierarchies as differing from another tribe's conclusions, but alas, most of the information in print is on new combat maneuvers, new monsters, or new Gifts. Enough Gifts already, give me some cultural meat. And they did.

While this chapter is not everything I would wish for, it is a very nice read indeed. It has scads of information on all of the planetary Incarna, from Katanka-Sonnak, who the Wendigo revere as the Wind-rider, Incarna of Helios, all the way out to Meros, who the Silent Striders know as the Incarna of Pluto. The authors of the book give us beautiful descriptions of realms as well as compelling looks at psychology, motivation and personality for each Incarna. While not incredibly detailed, there is enough mentioned that I would feel confident running a game with only a few notes and a nice idea of what I want to do.

The failings of the chapter, however, lie in its brevity and method. The entire chapter is narrated by one character or another, and at times that is very nice, but at other times very, very annoying. We supposedly follow a group of Garou heroes as they are lead by a blind Theurge from Incarna to Incarna, looking for an answer to their question of how to defeat Anthelios. This creates a certain focus for the information presented, although not all of it is only related to the Red Star. The other main problem was that I would have liked more legendry and oral history. We are given 13 great characters (the Incarna), and we put them upon a beautiful stage (the night sky), but it seems that someone forgot the script at home, so we get not even the barest of tales about what this Incarna did at that time to this person, and that is what I think should be at the heart of Werewolf: the Apocalypse.

The chapter gives a great deal of information (and gives some insight into tribal culture), but despite the fact that it mentions that each Incarna is known by different names to different tribes (and likely in different aspects), we get very little information on what those gods do. It would be like picking up a volume on Greek mythology and getting a long description of Zeus and his powers, habits and inclinations, but no examples of them. It rips the heart and the soul out of the tales, the sheer heart-moving inspiration. I'm not saying that chapter was bad, and I don't expect the authors to come up with a complete and intricate mythos, but some tales would have been nice, even if only a handful per Incarna.

The neatest thing in the chapter was Rorg, the Many-Taloned Hunter, Incarna of the asteroid belt. He is a god filled with pain and rage, because his physical body has long since been destroyed. All of the Incarna were very interesting, in fact, but Rorg was unexpected and quite new.

Chapter Two: Speaking the Language of the Stars

This chapter delves further into astrology, giving a briefest history and an outline of some astrological practices. The astrological significances and correspondences of the Garou zodiac (all 13 Incarna) are given in a nice, detailed format, including their effect on those Garou born under their sign, despite Auspice. The correspondences are especially useful, giving Virtue and Vices associated with the Incarna as well as alternate names (linking them to human mythology) and associations with colors, Tarot cards, tribes, Auspices, and elements. After that are a few "forgotten" signs and celestial beings, like Yaraan-Doo, the Dying One (the Southern Cross), who commemorates the destruction of the Bunyip or Yakecen, the Fallen Singer, a black hole said to be the manifestation of a servant of the Wyrm. The chapter also looks at other elements of Garou astrology, from planet placement to Wyld, Weaver and Wyrm signs. There are sidebars on the cultural differences in astrology from tribe to tribe (but only in the broadest sense) as well as how the various Changing Breeds interact with the planetary Incarna. The chapter closes out with a look at Chinese astrology and a description of that, as well as some other Aetherial objects, like comets and distant stars. A very interesting and informative chapter indeed, this runs Chapter 1 a close second for best part of the book.

Chapter Three: Storytelling: Omens, Signs and Portents

This chapter turns towards prophecies and other methods of dramatic mystical foreshadowing. There is a reprint of the Prophecy of the Phoenix, complete with annotated comments by a Silver Fang Apocalypse scholar. About as good as the version of the Book of Nod included in Time of Thin Blood (that is to say, good but not ground-breaking, nothing staggeringly new), it was a good and though-provoking read. We are also treated to fragments of several other prophecies about the end-times, and they are gleefully contradictory, especially about the nature of the metis-born cub.

Their contradicting nature is something I think is essential to prophecy, and I'm glad that White Wolf has finally gotten to printing something along those lines, we need more of that (especially in Vampire: the Masquerade). One of the prophecies deals neither with Anthelios nor with the metis-born cub, but with the "Children of the Wyrm" and seems to tempt us with hints as to what Hunter: the Reckoning may be about.

The chapter closes with a few pages on how to use prophecy, and the different methods of scrying the future and spilling the plot to the players. It mentions some important things to remember when writing your own prophecy, but I did not find it that helpful, but I've been told I have a knack for creating indecipherable prophecies and visions on the fly (and my players often grumble about that).

Chapter Four: Anthelios Raging: A Story of the Last Days

This is the metaplot chapter, and the next 20 pages are devoted to a discussion of running the story in which the players discover or are given the care of a metis-born cub, and must navigate politics and fangs toward what they think is the correct destiny for the child. The cub has been born of two metis parents, and that double violation of both the Litany and the supposed sterility of the metis has the entire Garou nation up in a tiff, and a big tiff indeed. It seems like the entire nation has polarized one way or another about the issue, some thinking that the child is effectively the antichrist of the Apocalypse while others see the baby as a sign of salvation and hope. The chapter concerns itself with detailing the various factions involved and their motivations and plans instead of presenting a detailed outline of how the adventure should pan out.

In some ways, this works beautifully, enabling a wider range of groups to use the adventure, but in some ways it seems hamstrung by its lack of detail, and is often forced to waffle back and forth on what various factions might do. A significant amount of space is also devoted to what the Incarna think of the metis-born cub, as it is strongly encouraged that the players seek council in the heavens from a planetary Incarna. On the whole, I was actually amazed by how well this chapter worked out. There is no definite plot laid out for you, but there was enough information and enough though-provoking sidebars that building a chronicle would not be so hard. It also had the habit that whenever I would start to wonder "What if..." the authors would mention that thought in the next few paragraphs. That shows that they were at least as imaginative as I, and that they put a great deal of thought into the book, thinking about the different directions that the adventure may be taken in.

The story, overall, works quite well, but only goes as far as the amount of work that the storyteller puts into it. The only assumptions the story makes are that the pack gets the cub in one manner or another and that they eventually travel to the Aetherial Realm to get some advice and counsel from the Incarna there. That is a rather loose set-up for an adventure, and as such, it is versatile and flexible, but it also suffers from its lack of detail. There is no information on the parents of the cub and very little on the cub itself. Everything is left up to the storyteller to decide. The only details in the entire adventure are the motivations of the factions and in the NPCs in the Appendix.

Chapter Five: Heavenly Laws

This is the "goodies" section of the book, and it is actually quite thick. There is a new knowledge, a few Rites, and a slew of planetary Gifts taught by each Incarna. Sadly, most of them are rather... bland and boring, but them again, I never really did much care for Gift lists, most leave me cold. There are a few interesting exceptions, but most of them are pretty tame. There are also a slew of merits and flaws, enough for anyone to find their fill. Most of them are revised versions of the old planetary merits and flaws from the Werewolf Player's Guide, although there are new ones specifically derived from the planetary Incarna, as well as a few Aetherial merits and flaws. The fetishes and talens are also quite good and all are reasonable and actually interesting, unlike some fetishes that are slipped into the books.

Appendix: Those Who Walk Among the Stars

The appendix includes every member (all six of them) of the Sept of Stars, the sept contained completely within the Aetherial Realm, as well as the other important figures of the Anthelios Rising story, the leaders of the six major factions interested in the metis-born cub.

Overal and in Summary

Overall, the book is very, very good. Rage Across the Heavens is, in fact, one of the best Werewolf: the Apocalypse books I own, definitely a must-have after books like Axis Mundi and Umbra: the Velvet Shadow. It's well-written overall, the lay-out is good, and the art is excellent overall. The most memorable pieces are some of Prescott's work in Chapter Four, some really nicely done and creative work. Ron Spencer does his usual fare and Rebecca Guay does the excellent full page splashes. Leif Jones contributed some extraordinary work completely out of his usual style, and I found it a nice change.

My judgement? Buy the book if you have any interest in either the Umbra or in Garou culture, Rage Across the Heavens will definitely help fill out the holes.

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

Rage Across the Heavens
Author: Jackie Cassada and Nicky Rea Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Game Studio Line: Werewolf: the Apocalypse Cost: $19.95 Page count: 144 ISBN: 1-56504-309-X SKU: WW 3110 Capsule Review by Derek Guder on 09/10/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Horror Gothic	Rage Across the Heavens is the Werewolf: the Apocalypse entry into the Year of the Reckoning metaplot and storyline. Rabid haters of the metaplot may not like the book simply because of that, but I have a feeling that most of the critics would be much more appreciative than they would think, but likewise, the fans of the metaplot may not find Rage Across the Heavens to be quite what they expected. Instead of giving a detailed and specific unfolding of events beyond the players' control, like Time of Thin Blood did (although that is not always a bad thing), this book puts everything squarely into the laps of our heroes. Fitting enough, considering how Werewolf: the Apocalypse is much more a game about the heroic deeds of the characters than Vampire: the Masquerade is. Unfortunately, that same attitude requires the book to take a rather waffling stance, since it needs to be generic and yielding to any storyteller's personal tastes. On the whole, Rage Across the Heavens does a pretty good job of that, surprisingly enough. And for those wishing to side-step the prickly pear of and issue that the metaplot has grown into, the metaplot only really "takes up" about 20 pages, so the rest of the nearly 200 page volume is general use information, although the Red Star, revealed as Anthelios, is mentioned frequently. Star Light, Star Bright This is the opening story for the book, and I liked it quite a bit. It was more a smattering of many different views and scenes than it was a single tale, and I liked the way in which is slowly revealed many different sides and views of the two main subjects of the book, the metis-born cub and the Red Star. From the visions of an elder Garou to the discussion between a Glass Walker and a leech, we get snippets of information, all telling us that something big will happen, and that nearly everyone is very worried about just what that "something" will entail. Introduction: Darkening Skies This is the obligatory theme and mood discussion section of White Wolf books, and while it is not quite as useful as some others, like the one in Time of Thin Blood, neither is it completely worthless. The lexicon is also here, although it makes little sense without reading the rest of the book. There is also a page full of further references for those interested in astronomy and astrology, and it seems reasonably comprehensive, although I don't recognize any of the titles personally. Chapter One: Dance of the Celestines This is where the meat of the book is, as far as I am concerned. This is what I bought the book for, and its near 50 pages contain the kind of information that Werewolf: the Apocalypse should have had from the beginning: pure cultural information. I've always thought that there was never enough pure cultural information on the Garou, like how one tribe might perform a Rite differently from another tribe, or how they might view Umbral hierarchies as differing from another tribe's conclusions, but alas, most of the information in print is on new combat maneuvers, new monsters, or new Gifts. Enough Gifts already, give me some cultural meat. And they did. While this chapter is not everything I would wish for, it is a very nice read indeed. It has scads of information on all of the planetary Incarna, from Katanka-Sonnak, who the Wendigo revere as the Wind-rider, Incarna of Helios, all the way out to Meros, who the Silent Striders know as the Incarna of Pluto. The authors of the book give us beautiful descriptions of realms as well as compelling looks at psychology, motivation and personality for each Incarna. While not incredibly detailed, there is enough mentioned that I would feel confident running a game with only a few notes and a nice idea of what I want to do. The failings of the chapter, however, lie in its brevity and method. The entire chapter is narrated by one character or another, and at times that is very nice, but at other times very, very annoying. We supposedly follow a group of Garou heroes as they are lead by a blind Theurge from Incarna to Incarna, looking for an answer to their question of how to defeat Anthelios. This creates a certain focus for the information presented, although not all of it is only related to the Red Star. The other main problem was that I would have liked more legendry and oral history. We are given 13 great characters (the Incarna), and we put them upon a beautiful stage (the night sky), but it seems that someone forgot the script at home, so we get not even the barest of tales about what this Incarna did at that time to this person, and that is what I think should be at the heart of Werewolf: the Apocalypse. The chapter gives a great deal of information (and gives some insight into tribal culture), but despite the fact that it mentions that each Incarna is known by different names to different tribes (and likely in different aspects), we get very little information on what those gods do. It would be like picking up a volume on Greek mythology and getting a long description of Zeus and his powers, habits and inclinations, but no examples of them. It rips the heart and the soul out of the tales, the sheer heart-moving inspiration. I'm not saying that chapter was bad, and I don't expect the authors to come up with a complete and intricate mythos, but some tales would have been nice, even if only a handful per Incarna. The neatest thing in the chapter was Rorg, the Many-Taloned Hunter, Incarna of the asteroid belt. He is a god filled with pain and rage, because his physical body has long since been destroyed. All of the Incarna were very interesting, in fact, but Rorg was unexpected and quite new. Chapter Two: Speaking the Language of the Stars This chapter delves further into astrology, giving a briefest history and an outline of some astrological practices. The astrological significances and correspondences of the Garou zodiac (all 13 Incarna) are given in a nice, detailed format, including their effect on those Garou born under their sign, despite Auspice. The correspondences are especially useful, giving Virtue and Vices associated with the Incarna as well as alternate names (linking them to human mythology) and associations with colors, Tarot cards, tribes, Auspices, and elements. After that are a few "forgotten" signs and celestial beings, like Yaraan-Doo, the Dying One (the Southern Cross), who commemorates the destruction of the Bunyip or Yakecen, the Fallen Singer, a black hole said to be the manifestation of a servant of the Wyrm. The chapter also looks at other elements of Garou astrology, from planet placement to Wyld, Weaver and Wyrm signs. There are sidebars on the cultural differences in astrology from tribe to tribe (but only in the broadest sense) as well as how the various Changing Breeds interact with the planetary Incarna. The chapter closes out with a look at Chinese astrology and a description of that, as well as some other Aetherial objects, like comets and distant stars. A very interesting and informative chapter indeed, this runs Chapter 1 a close second for best part of the book. Chapter Three: Storytelling: Omens, Signs and Portents This chapter turns towards prophecies and other methods of dramatic mystical foreshadowing. There is a reprint of the Prophecy of the Phoenix, complete with annotated comments by a Silver Fang Apocalypse scholar. About as good as the version of the Book of Nod included in Time of Thin Blood (that is to say, good but not ground-breaking, nothing staggeringly new), it was a good and though-provoking read. We are also treated to fragments of several other prophecies about the end-times, and they are gleefully contradictory, especially about the nature of the metis-born cub. Their contradicting nature is something I think is essential to prophecy, and I'm glad that White Wolf has finally gotten to printing something along those lines, we need more of that (especially in Vampire: the Masquerade). One of the prophecies deals neither with Anthelios nor with the metis-born cub, but with the "Children of the Wyrm" and seems to tempt us with hints as to what Hunter: the Reckoning may be about. The chapter closes with a few pages on how to use prophecy, and the different methods of scrying the future and spilling the plot to the players. It mentions some important things to remember when writing your own prophecy, but I did not find it that helpful, but I've been told I have a knack for creating indecipherable prophecies and visions on the fly (and my players often grumble about that). Chapter Four: Anthelios Raging: A Story of the Last Days This is the metaplot chapter, and the next 20 pages are devoted to a discussion of running the story in which the players discover or are given the care of a metis-born cub, and must navigate politics and fangs toward what they think is the correct destiny for the child. The cub has been born of two metis parents, and that double violation of both the Litany and the supposed sterility of the metis has the entire Garou nation up in a tiff, and a big tiff indeed. It seems like the entire nation has polarized one way or another about the issue, some thinking that the child is effectively the antichrist of the Apocalypse while others see the baby as a sign of salvation and hope. The chapter concerns itself with detailing the various factions involved and their motivations and plans instead of presenting a detailed outline of how the adventure should pan out. In some ways, this works beautifully, enabling a wider range of groups to use the adventure, but in some ways it seems hamstrung by its lack of detail, and is often forced to waffle back and forth on what various factions might do. A significant amount of space is also devoted to what the Incarna think of the metis-born cub, as it is strongly encouraged that the players seek council in the heavens from a planetary Incarna. On the whole, I was actually amazed by how well this chapter worked out. There is no definite plot laid out for you, but there was enough information and enough though-provoking sidebars that building a chronicle would not be so hard. It also had the habit that whenever I would start to wonder "What if..." the authors would mention that thought in the next few paragraphs. That shows that they were at least as imaginative as I, and that they put a great deal of thought into the book, thinking about the different directions that the adventure may be taken in. The story, overall, works quite well, but only goes as far as the amount of work that the storyteller puts into it. The only assumptions the story makes are that the pack gets the cub in one manner or another and that they eventually travel to the Aetherial Realm to get some advice and counsel from the Incarna there. That is a rather loose set-up for an adventure, and as such, it is versatile and flexible, but it also suffers from its lack of detail. There is no information on the parents of the cub and very little on the cub itself. Everything is left up to the storyteller to decide. The only details in the entire adventure are the motivations of the factions and in the NPCs in the Appendix. Chapter Five: Heavenly Laws This is the "goodies" section of the book, and it is actually quite thick. There is a new knowledge, a few Rites, and a slew of planetary Gifts taught by each Incarna. Sadly, most of them are rather... bland and boring, but them again, I never really did much care for Gift lists, most leave me cold. There are a few interesting exceptions, but most of them are pretty tame. There are also a slew of merits and flaws, enough for anyone to find their fill. Most of them are revised versions of the old planetary merits and flaws from the Werewolf Player's Guide, although there are new ones specifically derived from the planetary Incarna, as well as a few Aetherial merits and flaws. The fetishes and talens are also quite good and all are reasonable and actually interesting, unlike some fetishes that are slipped into the books. Appendix: Those Who Walk Among the Stars The appendix includes every member (all six of them) of the Sept of Stars, the sept contained completely within the Aetherial Realm, as well as the other important figures of the Anthelios Rising story, the leaders of the six major factions interested in the metis-born cub. Overal and in Summary Overall, the book is very, very good. Rage Across the Heavens is, in fact, one of the best Werewolf: the Apocalypse books I own, definitely a must-have after books like Axis Mundi and Umbra: the Velvet Shadow. It's well-written overall, the lay-out is good, and the art is excellent overall. The most memorable pieces are some of Prescott's work in Chapter Four, some really nicely done and creative work. Ron Spencer does his usual fare and Rebecca Guay does the excellent full page splashes. Leif Jones contributed some extraordinary work completely out of his usual style, and I found it a nice change. My judgement? Buy the book if you have any interest in either the Umbra or in Garou culture, Rage Across the Heavens will definitely help fill out the holes. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)