The Inside Scoop on Gaming

What is it?

Hunter is the latest game from White Wolf, number six in the five-part "World of Darkness" series. In Hunter, players take on the role of "the imbued", humans granted power by a mysterious source and charged with freeing mankind from the ever-oppressive yoke of supernatural domination. It's not, I repeat not, "Hunters Hunted" second edition. You don't play mortals taking back the night through superior firepower. If that's what you wanted, stop reading now - this isn't the game for you.

Physical Properties . . .

The book is hardcover, and rather nice looking - there's a heavy flame motif, with assorted ammunition spiraling down into the flames, and the Hunter logo up above. It looks, simply put, like a game of mortals taking back the night through superior firepower. It's not, but that's what the cover certainly implies. On the interior - well, the pages seem sturdy, and the book doesn't creak ominously when I open it. That's a good sign. The font is readable, without any annoying symbols placed beneath the text to render it totally illegible. Plenty of illustrations of varying but overall servicable quality, most of which give the impression that this is a book about mortals taking back the night through superior firepower. It's a quite nice looking book overall, but the physical details seem to imply a free-wheeling, gun loving tone that simply isn't there.

What's it about?

It's not about normal humans taking back the night through superior firepower, that's for sure. The "imbued" are, to quote the "spirit of the game" note at the beginning, "the cosmological answer to monsters' eternal crimes and abuses." They are humans who have been chosen by the "Messengers" or "Heralds" to fight monsters, not people who've chosen the job for themselves. And yes, hunters have supernatural powers. It's certainly not Delta Green. The best analogy I can find is Soldiers of God from In Nomine.

Also, the "imbued" (silly word, by the way - would anyone really call themself that?) aren't all devoted to the total destruction of the Enemy - only one Creed views all supernaturals as deserving death, and even they will sometimes listen to reason. In general, the book implies that most hunters will judge a supernatural beastie more on what it does than what it is.

By the way, yes, I said Creed, and yes, that does mean that Hunters have "Clans", and yes, it's all a big plot to sell more sourcebooks. That's what game companies do. Vampire Clans aren't really the best analogy, though; Creeds are more like Wraith Guilds, or even Werewolf Auspices. They aren't globespanning organizations, just categories of Hunters who can do different things in different ways.

Speaking of organization, Hunters aren't, unlike the other inhabitants of the WoD, organized into one cohesive society. Yes, there is a Hunter website, but that doesn't mean the average Hunter will have heard of it. The degree of orgaization is really up to the individual storyteller - there are some sample organizations in the back, which range from interesting (The Connel Group, La Croisade de L'Enfant) to predictable (The Church of Vindicated Faith) to huh? (The Conscience of Earth). None are described in that much detail, and seem to serve mostly as examples of the types of organizations that can exist.

The Heralds are mysterious forces who never appear on screen, merely as voices in the character's heads speaking cryptically, and saying things like "HE DOES NOT LIVE" (Heralds speak in all caps for some reason,) or "INHERIT THE EARTH", or "THE OWLS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM," or "IF YOU GO TO ZHA'HA'DUM, YOU WILL DIE."

The real difference between Hunter and the other WoD games is mostly in theme, a topic that I'll give its own section later.

Mechanics

The game uses the standard Storyteller dice mechanic (roll attribute + skill ten sided dice against a difficulty from 2-10, count successes). I won't critique the system itself here, just the parts unique to Hunter.

Like the other game lines, Hunter has its own supernatural power system (edges), and it's own supernatural "juice" (conviction.) Unlike the other games, however, the power mechanic is seperated from the rest of character creation and advancement. You can't buy edges with experience - you buy them with virtue points, and virtue points only raise by trading in conviction, and conviction is only gained by following your creed. Got that? Perhaps a longer explanation is in order.

A starting character gets thre points in three possible virtues - mercy, Vision, and Zeal. This measures, I suppose, how merciful, visionary, and zealous you are. In order to gain a point in an edge, you must spend that many points of the virtue that corresponds to it. The Avenger's path, for instance, uses Zeal - to gain the first point, you spend a point of zeal. For the second level, you spend two points of zeal, and so on. There's a problem here, however. The Edges go up to five, and virtues only go up to ten. So, there's no way to get the fifth level in the Avenger's (or any other) edge, and yet the fifth level powers are listed. This is frankly bizarre - according to the rulebook, no one can ever have that fifth level in a power. There isn't even a handy note to use your own discretion. There are solutions, of course - the best I've heard is to reduce the costs for a Hunter's primary edge by one, so that in that edge alone it costs (0+1+2+3+4) instead of (1+2+3+4+5). I shouldn't have to make such a change, though.

You don't raise edges or virtues with experience points. Instead, when your Conviction total hits ten, you can cash it in for a point in a virtue. Conviction is raised by acting in character, or by gambling conviction points on one of your edges. If you win, conviction goes up, if you lose it goes down.

The edges themselves are okay - there's a strong angelic theme running through most of them, although the game never explicitly states that the Heralds are angels. The fifth levels tend to be pretty powerful, but since no one can have them, that's not likely to be a problem.

It's worth noting that the characters in Hunter are built on the same number of points that mortals in the other games are - 6/4/3 instead of 7/5/3 in attributes, etc. (That's pretty arcane unless you've played a Storyteller game before, I know - suffice it to say that vampires, etc. are treated as better that human, and Hunters apparently aren't.) In general, Joe Hunter will start out less powerful that even Joe Changeling. It's also worth noting that character creation basically has two steps - the character, and then supernatural shiny things. If you want to play a normal human, simply never imbue the character.

One other thing - there's a chapter on supernatural beasties in the back - have to have something to hunt, right? It's certainly well written, and the rules seem servicable, but I'm not sure you could run a whole campaign with the rules provided. The storyteller's screen book is supposed to have more details, and there are of course the other game lines. My advice, though? Pick up a copy of "The Bygone Bestiary" for "Mage: the Sorceror's Crusade." You'll be able to create a wide variety of foes to keep even longtime WoD players guessing.

Theme

Many people do not like the World of Darkness. I'll confess that I'm one of them, even though I've been playing Vampire nearly since first edition came out. Why? Some hate the system, and some hate the worldview. World of Darkness games are very, very subjective. There are no good guys, evil is in the eye of the beholder, mundane people are ignorant sheep, and the world rightfully belongs to the most cool. This can get more than a little grating.

Hunter is a change from all that. The book strongly implies that the Hunters are heroes, and that the monsters are, well, monsters. This has annoyed a number of Vampire players, but as a wise man once said, "Vampires effin' eat people." So do Redcaps. Boggans don't seem to attract Hunter attention - at least, mysteriously clean houses aren't listed as a sign of evil. There are numerous references to individual Hunters who go too far, but these references are usually followed by rteferences to other Hunters taking care of the problem.

Hunter also, in the Storytelling chaper, suggests downplaying the obvious conspiracy - the Heralds. Hunters retain their own free will after the imbuing, we're told. The heralds are not The Enemy. The book doesn't name names, but it's fairly clear that the Hunters weren't created by the Technocracy/the Antediluvians/the Wyrm/Oblivion or any of the other usual suspects. The Heralds are a mystery, but not quite malevolent puppetmasters.

In the end, this is a book about responsibility - people depend on the characters. You're a hero; now what does that mean? The game isn't totally black and white, but there is a sense of morality. Humans are to be protected, not sacrificed for further power. It's a refreshing addition to the World of Darkness.

Summary

I liked this book, but I can't recommend it wholeheartedly. It isn't the "shoot'em up" the cover implies, and there are some very strange flaws in the power system. The game is playable with just the main book, but I recommend some sort of "Monster Manual", and be prepared for the funkiness of the edge system.

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

Hunter: the Reckoning
Author: Lots of folks Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Game Studio Line: World of Darkness Cost: $29.95 Page count: 300 ISBN: 1-56504-735-4 SKU: WW8100 Capsule Review by Christopher B. Jackson on 11/06/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern_day Horror Conspiracy Vampire Gothic	What is it? Hunter is the latest game from White Wolf, number six in the five-part "World of Darkness" series. In Hunter, players take on the role of "the imbued", humans granted power by a mysterious source and charged with freeing mankind from the ever-oppressive yoke of supernatural domination. It's not, I repeat not, "Hunters Hunted" second edition. You don't play mortals taking back the night through superior firepower. If that's what you wanted, stop reading now - this isn't the game for you. Physical Properties . . . The book is hardcover, and rather nice looking - there's a heavy flame motif, with assorted ammunition spiraling down into the flames, and the Hunter logo up above. It looks, simply put, like a game of mortals taking back the night through superior firepower. It's not, but that's what the cover certainly implies. On the interior - well, the pages seem sturdy, and the book doesn't creak ominously when I open it. That's a good sign. The font is readable, without any annoying symbols placed beneath the text to render it totally illegible. Plenty of illustrations of varying but overall servicable quality, most of which give the impression that this is a book about mortals taking back the night through superior firepower. It's a quite nice looking book overall, but the physical details seem to imply a free-wheeling, gun loving tone that simply isn't there. What's it about? It's not about normal humans taking back the night through superior firepower, that's for sure. The "imbued" are, to quote the "spirit of the game" note at the beginning, "the cosmological answer to monsters' eternal crimes and abuses." They are humans who have been chosen by the "Messengers" or "Heralds" to fight monsters, not people who've chosen the job for themselves. And yes, hunters have supernatural powers. It's certainly not Delta Green. The best analogy I can find is Soldiers of God from In Nomine. Also, the "imbued" (silly word, by the way - would anyone really call themself that?) aren't all devoted to the total destruction of the Enemy - only one Creed views all supernaturals as deserving death, and even they will sometimes listen to reason. In general, the book implies that most hunters will judge a supernatural beastie more on what it does than what it is. By the way, yes, I said Creed, and yes, that does mean that Hunters have "Clans", and yes, it's all a big plot to sell more sourcebooks. That's what game companies do. Vampire Clans aren't really the best analogy, though; Creeds are more like Wraith Guilds, or even Werewolf Auspices. They aren't globespanning organizations, just categories of Hunters who can do different things in different ways. Speaking of organization, Hunters aren't, unlike the other inhabitants of the WoD, organized into one cohesive society. Yes, there is a Hunter website, but that doesn't mean the average Hunter will have heard of it. The degree of orgaization is really up to the individual storyteller - there are some sample organizations in the back, which range from interesting (The Connel Group, La Croisade de L'Enfant) to predictable (The Church of Vindicated Faith) to huh? (The Conscience of Earth). None are described in that much detail, and seem to serve mostly as examples of the types of organizations that can exist. The Heralds are mysterious forces who never appear on screen, merely as voices in the character's heads speaking cryptically, and saying things like "HE DOES NOT LIVE" (Heralds speak in all caps for some reason,) or "INHERIT THE EARTH", or "THE OWLS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM," or "IF YOU GO TO ZHA'HA'DUM, YOU WILL DIE." The real difference between Hunter and the other WoD games is mostly in theme, a topic that I'll give its own section later. Mechanics The game uses the standard Storyteller dice mechanic (roll attribute + skill ten sided dice against a difficulty from 2-10, count successes). I won't critique the system itself here, just the parts unique to Hunter. Like the other game lines, Hunter has its own supernatural power system (edges), and it's own supernatural "juice" (conviction.) Unlike the other games, however, the power mechanic is seperated from the rest of character creation and advancement. You can't buy edges with experience - you buy them with virtue points, and virtue points only raise by trading in conviction, and conviction is only gained by following your creed. Got that? Perhaps a longer explanation is in order. A starting character gets thre points in three possible virtues - mercy, Vision, and Zeal. This measures, I suppose, how merciful, visionary, and zealous you are. In order to gain a point in an edge, you must spend that many points of the virtue that corresponds to it. The Avenger's path, for instance, uses Zeal - to gain the first point, you spend a point of zeal. For the second level, you spend two points of zeal, and so on. There's a problem here, however. The Edges go up to five, and virtues only go up to ten. So, there's no way to get the fifth level in the Avenger's (or any other) edge, and yet the fifth level powers are listed. This is frankly bizarre - according to the rulebook, no one can ever have that fifth level in a power. There isn't even a handy note to use your own discretion. There are solutions, of course - the best I've heard is to reduce the costs for a Hunter's primary edge by one, so that in that edge alone it costs (0+1+2+3+4) instead of (1+2+3+4+5). I shouldn't have to make such a change, though. You don't raise edges or virtues with experience points. Instead, when your Conviction total hits ten, you can cash it in for a point in a virtue. Conviction is raised by acting in character, or by gambling conviction points on one of your edges. If you win, conviction goes up, if you lose it goes down. The edges themselves are okay - there's a strong angelic theme running through most of them, although the game never explicitly states that the Heralds are angels. The fifth levels tend to be pretty powerful, but since no one can have them, that's not likely to be a problem. It's worth noting that the characters in Hunter are built on the same number of points that mortals in the other games are - 6/4/3 instead of 7/5/3 in attributes, etc. (That's pretty arcane unless you've played a Storyteller game before, I know - suffice it to say that vampires, etc. are treated as better that human, and Hunters apparently aren't.) In general, Joe Hunter will start out less powerful that even Joe Changeling. It's also worth noting that character creation basically has two steps - the character, and then supernatural shiny things. If you want to play a normal human, simply never imbue the character. One other thing - there's a chapter on supernatural beasties in the back - have to have something to hunt, right? It's certainly well written, and the rules seem servicable, but I'm not sure you could run a whole campaign with the rules provided. The storyteller's screen book is supposed to have more details, and there are of course the other game lines. My advice, though? Pick up a copy of "The Bygone Bestiary" for "Mage: the Sorceror's Crusade." You'll be able to create a wide variety of foes to keep even longtime WoD players guessing. Theme Many people do not like the World of Darkness. I'll confess that I'm one of them, even though I've been playing Vampire nearly since first edition came out. Why? Some hate the system, and some hate the worldview. World of Darkness games are very, very subjective. There are no good guys, evil is in the eye of the beholder, mundane people are ignorant sheep, and the world rightfully belongs to the most cool. This can get more than a little grating. Hunter is a change from all that. The book strongly implies that the Hunters are heroes, and that the monsters are, well, monsters. This has annoyed a number of Vampire players, but as a wise man once said, "Vampires effin' eat people." So do Redcaps. Boggans don't seem to attract Hunter attention - at least, mysteriously clean houses aren't listed as a sign of evil. There are numerous references to individual Hunters who go too far, but these references are usually followed by rteferences to other Hunters taking care of the problem. Hunter also, in the Storytelling chaper, suggests downplaying the obvious conspiracy - the Heralds. Hunters retain their own free will after the imbuing, we're told. The heralds are not The Enemy. The book doesn't name names, but it's fairly clear that the Hunters weren't created by the Technocracy/the Antediluvians/the Wyrm/Oblivion or any of the other usual suspects. The Heralds are a mystery, but not quite malevolent puppetmasters. In the end, this is a book about responsibility - people depend on the characters. You're a hero; now what does that mean? The game isn't totally black and white, but there is a sense of morality. Humans are to be protected, not sacrificed for further power. It's a refreshing addition to the World of Darkness. Summary I liked this book, but I can't recommend it wholeheartedly. It isn't the "shoot'em up" the cover implies, and there are some very strange flaws in the power system. The game is playable with just the main book, but I recommend some sort of "Monster Manual", and be prepared for the funkiness of the edge system. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)

Hunter: the Reckoning