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This review originally appeared in Alarums & Excursions (http://thestarport.com/xeno/aande.html)

After hearing many good things about it, especially from A&Ers, I went out and purchased GURPS Voodoo, only the 3rd GURPS supplement I own (the other two are Religion and Bunnies & Burrows, both of which I recommend). Subtitled The Shadow War, Voodoo is a modern-day campaign setting focused on voodoo magic, spirits, and the conspiracies that are really controlling the nation and perpetuating urban blight, the drug trade, and anything else you want to throw in. As I have grown tired of such conspiratorial themes, I did not get much value from this first half of the book.

Voodoo discusses the various factions, secret societies, mystical organizations, and history (mundane and mystical) of the world. There are campaign ideas and adventure seeds, but no fleshed out adventures and very few NPCs. As a source for ideas, this is fine, but it falls short as a campaign sourcebook.

The magic system is the real reason why I bought the book and the reason, I think, it has gotten so much praise. Even without using the campaign setting, the magic system could be ported to any campaign with mystical powers.

Voodoo introduces a new advantage, Initiation. There are ten levels of initiation from slightly sensitive to spirits (5 pts.) to Buddha-esque enlightenment (450 pts.). In addition to granting some special abilities, Initiation also increasing magical ability. There are other advantages, like Spirit Warrior and Faith Healing, that are only available to Initiates of a minimum level.

Spell casting is controlled by the Ritual Magic skill. Spells are organized in paths: Dreams, Health, Luck, Protection, and Spirit. Each path is a separate skill defaulting to the Ritual Magic skill, but each spell within the path is a skill that defaults to the overall path skill. The telescoping skill tree allows any character with Ritual Magic to cast any spell, but needs lengthy rituals, charms, and other components to pull it off. Masters of magic and high-ranking initiates can cast spells with few of these limitations.

The toughest part of creating any magic system is capturing the right feel, and Voodoo does an excellent job. The balance of ritual magic vs. spontaneous magic handled elegantly. The selection of spells, like Evil Eye, Night Terrors, and Raise Zombie, and the use of charms, mystic drawings (vevers) capture the flavor of voodoo magic beautifully.

GURPS Voodoo is a great resource for any GM running a conspiracy, pulp, or alternative fantasy game who wants to add voodooesque elements into the game.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

GURPS Voodoo
Author: C.J. Carella Category: game Company/Publisher: SJGames Line: GURPS Cost: $19.95 Page count: 128 ISBN: 1-55634-300-0 SKU: SJG6071 Capsule Review by Patrick Riley on 07/03/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern day Conspiracy	This review originally appeared in Alarums & Excursions (http://thestarport.com/xeno/aande.html) After hearing many good things about it, especially from A&Ers, I went out and purchased GURPS Voodoo, only the 3rd GURPS supplement I own (the other two are Religion and Bunnies & Burrows, both of which I recommend). Subtitled The Shadow War, Voodoo is a modern-day campaign setting focused on voodoo magic, spirits, and the conspiracies that are really controlling the nation and perpetuating urban blight, the drug trade, and anything else you want to throw in. As I have grown tired of such conspiratorial themes, I did not get much value from this first half of the book. Voodoo discusses the various factions, secret societies, mystical organizations, and history (mundane and mystical) of the world. There are campaign ideas and adventure seeds, but no fleshed out adventures and very few NPCs. As a source for ideas, this is fine, but it falls short as a campaign sourcebook. The magic system is the real reason why I bought the book and the reason, I think, it has gotten so much praise. Even without using the campaign setting, the magic system could be ported to any campaign with mystical powers. Voodoo introduces a new advantage, Initiation. There are ten levels of initiation from slightly sensitive to spirits (5 pts.) to Buddha-esque enlightenment (450 pts.). In addition to granting some special abilities, Initiation also increasing magical ability. There are other advantages, like Spirit Warrior and Faith Healing, that are only available to Initiates of a minimum level. Spell casting is controlled by the Ritual Magic skill. Spells are organized in paths: Dreams, Health, Luck, Protection, and Spirit. Each path is a separate skill defaulting to the Ritual Magic skill, but each spell within the path is a skill that defaults to the overall path skill. The telescoping skill tree allows any character with Ritual Magic to cast any spell, but needs lengthy rituals, charms, and other components to pull it off. Masters of magic and high-ranking initiates can cast spells with few of these limitations. The toughest part of creating any magic system is capturing the right feel, and Voodoo does an excellent job. The balance of ritual magic vs. spontaneous magic handled elegantly. The selection of spells, like Evil Eye, Night Terrors, and Raise Zombie, and the use of charms, mystic drawings (vevers) capture the flavor of voodoo magic beautifully. GURPS Voodoo is a great resource for any GM running a conspiracy, pulp, or alternative fantasy game who wants to add voodooesque elements into the game. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)