The Inside Scoop on Gaming

When Tribe 8 first came out, I looked at it and I was intrigued. The art was exciting and the setting seemed very interesting. Then I saw the price tag. It went back to the shelf. I would likely have never picked it up with my girlfriend hadn't bought it for my birthday that summer, but I've steered clear of the supplements since then because of their phenomenal and often outrageous pricing. It is really sad that I had to sit out of such a great game because it simple cost too much. I finally did get some of the supplements (Vimary and Horrors of the Z'Bri in particular), however, when I returned Hunter: the Reckoning and Dark Town to the store I bought them from, so it didn't feel like I was spending real money. There is still something wrong, however, when returning two basic books (one of them an over-priced hardcover) only gets me to somewhat slim (at least in comparison) supplements.

Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the books, however, far from it.

the volume

At $23, I would have expected something along the lines of 175 to 200 pages, lots of artwork, and lots of rules. Something that is either a basic book of its own or almost a splinter line (something like Kindred of the East, which cost $25 and was hardcover). Instead, I got a 14 page book with little art and lots of words. Some people would consider the art-to-text trade off a good thing, and it can be, but I still miss my pretty pictures.

On the subject of length, however, I feel it important to point out the lengths and prices of two other books I bought at about the same time. Legions of the Empire from Holistic Design and Lawyers, Guns, and Money from Atlas Games. Both books were 125 pages long and rang in at $19.95. Why is it that Vimary is so much more expensive then the other two? While the book does have a higher text content and uses a smaller font, so the word count may be much closer than it would otherwise seem to be, I still cannot shake the feeling that I'm being gouged roughly, and that Dream Pod 9 is laughing. Not a very pleasant feeling.

The book follows the standard layout set forth in Tribe 8. Lots of text, few, tiny (and some even recycled) pictures. The numerous maps are well done, although Dream Pod 9's like for using numbers and a map key isn't quite to my tastes. The pattern of columns and main text continues, to great effectiveness, although I still want more information, but I'm greedy that way.

My biggest problem with the layout, however, is that it was poorly set-up in character. The book starts out with a brief (and intermittently sparse) tour of the Fatimas and their lands. Then it stops with yet another tribal turning fallen out of questions left unanswered. The book then turns to a Z'bri torturing tribals for information about their lands, dragging the details out of them through mind control and domination techniques that are strongly reminiscent of anime (as is the Z'bri chapter - I came away from Vimary even more convinced about the anime nature of Tribe 8, beyond even the artwork). This tour of Vimary ends as well, only to be taken up in the memoirs of a Magdalite diplomat to the demonic Z'bri, describing their lands and customs. This reminded me even more strongly of the anime medium, and I was pleased to see its simple adult nature (not pornographic, just mature). Without resorting to shock or splatter, it still manages to simply be mature, not even making a big deal of that either. This section was also the most workable of all the chapters, the in character vessel manages to carry the text reasonably well, unlike the previous chapters.

the content itself

Vimary is damned packed. There is detail on how the Fatimas interact, who lives where, who does what, what kind of monster lives under that rock over there. And it's all good, for the most part. There aren't really any parts that are bad, beyond being forced to work under the stereotypes of the tribes. There is a wealth of information here, and it really does help to bring the feeling of Tribe 8 across, making the island Vimary more of a vibrant world than something in a book.

The book starts off as a look at the Fatimas and their tribes, and then it rapidly moves into a grand tour of the lands of Vimary, tribal and not. The "cities" of Bazaar, Westholme, Sanctuary, Mortuary; they all get a nicely detailed description and a nicely done map. The entirety of Vimary actually gets a map. Every settlement gets at least some mention and all areas get a nicely drawn map. I especially liked the information on the Discarded Lands and the Rust Wastes.

The Z'bri information is great as well, but I have to say that I think the entirety of it should have been dropped from the book and put into Horrors of the Z'bri. It simply doesn't belong here, it ruins the atmosphere. Tribe 8 has a strong feeling of mystery at times, and much of Vimary seems to be hacking at that feeling with a rusty machete. There are revelations about the Z'bri, Joshua and the Rust Wastes that just come way to fast. There is no time to savor the taste. It's like spending a day preparing a nice, juicy steak, and them eating the whole thing in one bite. Where's the fun in that? I'm doubtful as to how far out Dream Pod 9 could stretch the whole Joshuan plotline if they don't want to start repeating themselves and get boring.

After the Z'bri section is a large collection of the NPCs that have major impact on the setting. Most of them were referenced as being of central importance earlier in the setting chapter. Like most Dream Pod 9 characters, most of them are actually pretty interesting. I didn't find myself seized with a need to skim the section, which is usually saying a lot for a collection of NPCs.

The book closes with a chapter on Weaving Aides, and a surprisingly useful chapter as well. Aside from such essential information on tribal duties and government (which should have been in the basic book), there is also some nice hints on how to run various kinds of games, from which settings and NPCs and groups to use for different moods and themes, to where to take those ideas. Very useful for Weaving a Tribe 8 cycle indeed. Dream Pod 9 is also nice enough to summarize the events of their metaplot to date, but as only one adventure of it had seen print at this time, there was little information.

So do I recommend it?

Yes, but not unreservedly. It is a great book, but it is not without its flaws (in character writing, pacing, art). I would also consider it essential for a rich Tribe 8 campaign (unless you simply want to do the work yourself), but I cannot say that I am completely pleased with my investment. It has lots of crunchy bits, but it could have been spiced better.

Hell, it really makes me want to play Tribe 8. I really can't say that any book that makes me want to use it is bad.

Derek Guder
Kintaro Oe
kabael
the McGuffin Group

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Vimary
Author: Joshua Mosqueira Asheim and Lucian Soulban Category: game Company/Publisher: Dream Pod 9 Line: Tribe 8 Cost: $22.95 Page count: 142 ISBN: 1-896776-41-8 SKU: DP9-803 Capsule Review by Derek Guder on 11/29/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Horror Anime Post-apocalypse	When Tribe 8 first came out, I looked at it and I was intrigued. The art was exciting and the setting seemed very interesting. Then I saw the price tag. It went back to the shelf. I would likely have never picked it up with my girlfriend hadn't bought it for my birthday that summer, but I've steered clear of the supplements since then because of their phenomenal and often outrageous pricing. It is really sad that I had to sit out of such a great game because it simple cost too much. I finally did get some of the supplements (Vimary and Horrors of the Z'Bri in particular), however, when I returned Hunter: the Reckoning and Dark Town to the store I bought them from, so it didn't feel like I was spending real money. There is still something wrong, however, when returning two basic books (one of them an over-priced hardcover) only gets me to somewhat slim (at least in comparison) supplements. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the books, however, far from it. the volume At $23, I would have expected something along the lines of 175 to 200 pages, lots of artwork, and lots of rules. Something that is either a basic book of its own or almost a splinter line (something like Kindred of the East, which cost $25 and was hardcover). Instead, I got a 14 page book with little art and lots of words. Some people would consider the art-to-text trade off a good thing, and it can be, but I still miss my pretty pictures. On the subject of length, however, I feel it important to point out the lengths and prices of two other books I bought at about the same time. Legions of the Empire from Holistic Design and Lawyers, Guns, and Money from Atlas Games. Both books were 125 pages long and rang in at $19.95. Why is it that Vimary is so much more expensive then the other two? While the book does have a higher text content and uses a smaller font, so the word count may be much closer than it would otherwise seem to be, I still cannot shake the feeling that I'm being gouged roughly, and that Dream Pod 9 is laughing. Not a very pleasant feeling. The book follows the standard layout set forth in Tribe 8. Lots of text, few, tiny (and some even recycled) pictures. The numerous maps are well done, although Dream Pod 9's like for using numbers and a map key isn't quite to my tastes. The pattern of columns and main text continues, to great effectiveness, although I still want more information, but I'm greedy that way. My biggest problem with the layout, however, is that it was poorly set-up in character. The book starts out with a brief (and intermittently sparse) tour of the Fatimas and their lands. Then it stops with yet another tribal turning fallen out of questions left unanswered. The book then turns to a Z'bri torturing tribals for information about their lands, dragging the details out of them through mind control and domination techniques that are strongly reminiscent of anime (as is the Z'bri chapter - I came away from Vimary even more convinced about the anime nature of Tribe 8, beyond even the artwork). This tour of Vimary ends as well, only to be taken up in the memoirs of a Magdalite diplomat to the demonic Z'bri, describing their lands and customs. This reminded me even more strongly of the anime medium, and I was pleased to see its simple adult nature (not pornographic, just mature). Without resorting to shock or splatter, it still manages to simply be mature, not even making a big deal of that either. This section was also the most workable of all the chapters, the in character vessel manages to carry the text reasonably well, unlike the previous chapters. the content itself Vimary is damned packed. There is detail on how the Fatimas interact, who lives where, who does what, what kind of monster lives under that rock over there. And it's all good, for the most part. There aren't really any parts that are bad, beyond being forced to work under the stereotypes of the tribes. There is a wealth of information here, and it really does help to bring the feeling of Tribe 8 across, making the island Vimary more of a vibrant world than something in a book. The book starts off as a look at the Fatimas and their tribes, and then it rapidly moves into a grand tour of the lands of Vimary, tribal and not. The "cities" of Bazaar, Westholme, Sanctuary, Mortuary; they all get a nicely detailed description and a nicely done map. The entirety of Vimary actually gets a map. Every settlement gets at least some mention and all areas get a nicely drawn map. I especially liked the information on the Discarded Lands and the Rust Wastes. The Z'bri information is great as well, but I have to say that I think the entirety of it should have been dropped from the book and put into Horrors of the Z'bri. It simply doesn't belong here, it ruins the atmosphere. Tribe 8 has a strong feeling of mystery at times, and much of Vimary seems to be hacking at that feeling with a rusty machete. There are revelations about the Z'bri, Joshua and the Rust Wastes that just come way to fast. There is no time to savor the taste. It's like spending a day preparing a nice, juicy steak, and them eating the whole thing in one bite. Where's the fun in that? I'm doubtful as to how far out Dream Pod 9 could stretch the whole Joshuan plotline if they don't want to start repeating themselves and get boring. After the Z'bri section is a large collection of the NPCs that have major impact on the setting. Most of them were referenced as being of central importance earlier in the setting chapter. Like most Dream Pod 9 characters, most of them are actually pretty interesting. I didn't find myself seized with a need to skim the section, which is usually saying a lot for a collection of NPCs. The book closes with a chapter on Weaving Aides, and a surprisingly useful chapter as well. Aside from such essential information on tribal duties and government (which should have been in the basic book), there is also some nice hints on how to run various kinds of games, from which settings and NPCs and groups to use for different moods and themes, to where to take those ideas. Very useful for Weaving a Tribe 8 cycle indeed. Dream Pod 9 is also nice enough to summarize the events of their metaplot to date, but as only one adventure of it had seen print at this time, there was little information. So do I recommend it? Yes, but not unreservedly. It is a great book, but it is not without its flaws (in character writing, pacing, art). I would also consider it essential for a rich Tribe 8 campaign (unless you simply want to do the work yourself), but I cannot say that I am completely pleased with my investment. It has lots of crunchy bits, but it could have been spiced better. Hell, it really makes me want to play Tribe 8. I really can't say that any book that makes me want to use it is bad. Derek Guder Kintaro Oe kabael the McGuffin Group Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)