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Denizens of the Dreaming is the most recent of the Changeling line, and as such is the supplement where a review is most needed. It is published under the ArtHaus imprint, which means the production values are not high. But the fans of the system are certainly grateful to have the game supported by any means possible, even ArtHaus.

Denizens falls under the group of Changeling books that introduces new elements to the game's society, joining Inanimae: the Secret Way and Land of Eight Million Dreams. As an ArtHaus production, the cover doesn't seem to be of the same stock as normal White Wolf productions, though the paper quality seems to be normal. It is worth noting that the cover picture is actually misprinted--the top of it goes over into what is normally a black/grey border around the cover pictures of most Changeling books. It's a nitpick, but it would be nice to have the only piece of color art in the book placed properly...

The art throughout is done by Melissa Uran and John Poreda, whose styles are not complimentary, but I feel are used to good effect. The book is in black-and-white, and the font size is on the large side. (Whether or not that's good is subjective.) The opening story is done in an interesting fashion, being presented on a "parchment" type background. It's slightly strange to read, but looks quite nice. There seems to be much less blank space at the page bottoms than in Pour L'Amour et Liberte (another ArtHaus supplement, and one of Changeling's best), a marked improvement in the line. It's also intriguing that the character sheet in the back is only one page, whereas the detailed sheets in Kithbooks generally run 4 pages, and the core rulebook is 2.

Denizens of the Dreaming is broken up into a prelude, an introduction, five chapters, and an appendix. The prelude is a piece of fiction, whose odd format I mentioned earlier. It's still a good read and conveys a lot of the darker tone that the game is moving toward with books like Denizens and Pour L'Amour et Liberte.

The Introduction contains the sentence: "Endless Winter has arrived." That's a depressing way to put it, and it's basically not entirely true. Changeling is indeed nearing its destined apocalypse, just like every other White Wolf game, but it's too much to say if the Autumnal winds are blowing cold, or if Winter has truly arrived. In any case, as there are a number of books still on the schedule, we can really only assume that Winter's not exactly here yet, but the times ahead sure aren't Summer...

The Introduction also contains the obligatory "using this book" section, a glossary, and a brief bit on Denizens, who are generally born from darker dreams than the Kithain (faeries for the uninitiated), and known as Dark-Kin, or Adhene. The terms are more or less interchangable.

Chapter One: Things Fall Apart is the history chapter, and it is short but informative. Most interesting are a section on the Tessarakonta, or the War of Trees (a conflict of old between the more civilized Tuatha de Danaan, with the Kithain as their soldiers, and the more vaguely Lovecraftian Fomorians, their armies led by the Adhene), and the events of Time of Thin Blood, which unleashed the forces allowing Denizens to return to this world in July 1999. All in all, a good history, with the added bonus that it doesn't ramble.

Chapter Two: The Winds of Change is the basic information on the part Denizens play in the Dreaming, with updates for the wonderful sourcebook Dreams & Nightmares. It contains interesting changes from that earlier work, as well as some new areas, with special emphasis on those that Denizens inhabit. Basic information on entering the Autumn World is provided as well, with an interesting set of ways to bring Dark-kin to the waking world, such as possession, sleepwalking, and a simple phantom form. Another good chapter, with plenty of information and ideas for how to use the Denizens.

The goods are delivered in Chapter Three: The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. (Long-winded as it is, I love the title.) It is here that we are introduced to the varieties of Dark-kin. The chapter quickly introduces the reader to the concepts of Aria, which replace Courts. The Dioniae Aria seems to to roughly correspond to the basic concept of the id: satisfy the needs, and damn the consequences. It is the most primal of the states of Denizens. The Araminae tends to be the human side, matching up with the idea of the ego: a moderation between basic needs and the higher ideals, in a rational state of mind. Apolliae follows as the "higher self" and the psychological comparison, though not exact, with the superego can be seen. The Denizens are somewhat more fluid with regard to Aria than Kithain are with the Seelie and Unseelie courts.

The seven Adhene (used here as a term for the seven "races" of Denizens) are a widely mixed group. The Acheri is an Indian bringer of corruption and plague, and serves as one of the truly dark examples of Denizens. The Aonides are basically muses, Glamour-addicts and often utterly selfish in the pursuit of seeing creativity. Fir-bholg are the strangest of the lot, a race of warriors, with their own sense of nobility and an alien outlook, bringing chaos wherever they go. The Fuath are a sort of wild, primal group, with all the varied aspects of beings of nature from nurturing to bloodthirsty. Keremet are truly interesting: Enchanted mortals brought into the Dreaming at the moment of death. Keremet are, thus, a VERY different group from most Denizens. The Moirae, based on the three-natured Fates of Greek myth, each have a different Maiden, Mother, and Crone aspect tied to an Aria: a Crone might be Dioniae, and a hunter of the unjust, or the Mother the Apolliae, a near angel of light. Finally are the Naraka, a violent Indian Adhene of many-armed warriors, who lost their memories in the horrors described in Time of Thin Blood.

I see Denizens as taking a positive route for the game: the Indian (Acheri and Naraka) and Greek (Aonides and Moirae) Adhene take on a tone that differs from the largely Celtic flavor of much of the game, though the Fir-bholg and Fuath are notably Celtic in inspiration.

Chapter Four: Building the Perfect Beast contains instructions on building a Dark-kin character. The new "... Lore" abilities seem pointless in a game where Lore is an ability that can be taken with a variety of specialties to begin with. The Merits here help a Denizen survive in the Autumn World, and the Flaws are evocative of the sort of beings they truly are. The background Destiny is interesting, especially given how RPGs generally have a great deal of free will involved implicitly. Then...then come the new Arts.

The first of three new Arts is Autumn Way, a grab bag of abilities to help Denizens get along in the World of Darkness. Insufflation (complex possession) allows for a physical form to be taken not unlike Calling Upon the Wyrd. Manifestation allows much the same, only without a human host. Zeitgeist gives some knowledge about the Autumn World, though it's debatable whether this causes more or less interesting RP situations. Dagda's Boon allows Denizens to walk the Silver Path, the Trods that they are cursed to avoid. This seems...well, antithetical to the fact of the safety of the Trods for the Kithain. Finally, Reality's Horror makes the target think that chimerical reality, thrust at him, is real. As I said, it's a grab bag, and though interesting, it should be a more cohesive set of Cantrips.

Discord is the combat Art for Changeling. Just in case you're not creative enough with Pyretics, I suppose. House of Mirrors is a decent level, giving the illusion of multiples of the target. Hermes's Fleetness simply gives bonuses to Dodge rolls. Armilustra allows weapons to do aggravated damage, a right usually reserved to cold iron. Whirling Dervish makes it easier to hit certain opponents. Life and Limb allows "better" hits for a higher overall damage. Discord is an Art that seems slightly out of place in Changeling, as most Arts have multiple uses.

Oneiromancy is the third and last art, dealing with the border between dream and reality. Oneirodynia sends basic dreams to a target. Oneirocritia allows the caster to read the dreams of a target, though not always cohesively. Oneirataxia makes the target's dreams intrude on his waking life, in the form of chimera that only he can see. Syncope allows the caster to enter a dream, interacting in it. Expiation literally turns the target into a chimera for a short period of time, and people forget about him. I feel that Oneiromancy is the strongest of this book's Arts, but also the most versatile and interesting.

Chapter Five: By The Silver Banned contains advice on Denizens Chronicles, and the Augmen for Denizens (powers enhancing as the character goes farther into the Dreaming). This chapter could've been enhanced greatly by adding a good bit more information on using Denizens in a normal Changeling chronicles. It also gives information on the Fomorian Courts in just barely enough detail that the ancient enemies of the Tuatha de Danaan are interesting but mysterious. A good chapter, if flawed for not including info on running Kithain campaigns using Denizens.

Appendix: A Nightmare Gallery introduces new Denizens characters, and related characters, as well as a description of the weird Aslynthi, a spider-like culture, and the Triumph Casque of Sorrows, a weapon straight from Celtic myth of great power. Not thorough, but a good feel of what's there. The book concludes with a character sheet that's one-sided, but still the standard expected. Printing on this could've been better.

Denizens of the Dreaming is a very good book, and if any of the Adhene within interest you, it's more than worth picking up. I could've used more thoughts on integrating the Denizens with the well-detailed Kithain society, but that's easily forgivable. It provides an interesting new group of races to spice up and change the flavor of any Changeling chronicle quite dramatically, though Storytellers may wish to limit or exclude Adhene PCs, depending on the chronicle's theme and mood. Still, it's a great buy for fans of the game.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Denizens of the Dreaming
Author: Christopher Howard Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Line: Changeling: The Dreaming Cost: $15.00 US Page count: 96 ISBN: 1-56504-734-6 SKU: WW7310 Capsule Review by Wayne S. Rossi on 08/04/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern day Gothic	Denizens of the Dreaming is the most recent of the Changeling line, and as such is the supplement where a review is most needed. It is published under the ArtHaus imprint, which means the production values are not high. But the fans of the system are certainly grateful to have the game supported by any means possible, even ArtHaus. Denizens falls under the group of Changeling books that introduces new elements to the game's society, joining Inanimae: the Secret Way and Land of Eight Million Dreams. As an ArtHaus production, the cover doesn't seem to be of the same stock as normal White Wolf productions, though the paper quality seems to be normal. It is worth noting that the cover picture is actually misprinted--the top of it goes over into what is normally a black/grey border around the cover pictures of most Changeling books. It's a nitpick, but it would be nice to have the only piece of color art in the book placed properly... The art throughout is done by Melissa Uran and John Poreda, whose styles are not complimentary, but I feel are used to good effect. The book is in black-and-white, and the font size is on the large side. (Whether or not that's good is subjective.) The opening story is done in an interesting fashion, being presented on a "parchment" type background. It's slightly strange to read, but looks quite nice. There seems to be much less blank space at the page bottoms than in Pour L'Amour et Liberte (another ArtHaus supplement, and one of Changeling's best), a marked improvement in the line. It's also intriguing that the character sheet in the back is only one page, whereas the detailed sheets in Kithbooks generally run 4 pages, and the core rulebook is 2. Denizens of the Dreaming is broken up into a prelude, an introduction, five chapters, and an appendix. The prelude is a piece of fiction, whose odd format I mentioned earlier. It's still a good read and conveys a lot of the darker tone that the game is moving toward with books like Denizens and Pour L'Amour et Liberte. The Introduction contains the sentence: "Endless Winter has arrived." That's a depressing way to put it, and it's basically not entirely true. Changeling is indeed nearing its destined apocalypse, just like every other White Wolf game, but it's too much to say if the Autumnal winds are blowing cold, or if Winter has truly arrived. In any case, as there are a number of books still on the schedule, we can really only assume that Winter's not exactly here yet, but the times ahead sure aren't Summer... The Introduction also contains the obligatory "using this book" section, a glossary, and a brief bit on Denizens, who are generally born from darker dreams than the Kithain (faeries for the uninitiated), and known as Dark-Kin, or Adhene. The terms are more or less interchangable. Chapter One: Things Fall Apart is the history chapter, and it is short but informative. Most interesting are a section on the Tessarakonta, or the War of Trees (a conflict of old between the more civilized Tuatha de Danaan, with the Kithain as their soldiers, and the more vaguely Lovecraftian Fomorians, their armies led by the Adhene), and the events of Time of Thin Blood, which unleashed the forces allowing Denizens to return to this world in July 1999. All in all, a good history, with the added bonus that it doesn't ramble. Chapter Two: The Winds of Change is the basic information on the part Denizens play in the Dreaming, with updates for the wonderful sourcebook Dreams & Nightmares. It contains interesting changes from that earlier work, as well as some new areas, with special emphasis on those that Denizens inhabit. Basic information on entering the Autumn World is provided as well, with an interesting set of ways to bring Dark-kin to the waking world, such as possession, sleepwalking, and a simple phantom form. Another good chapter, with plenty of information and ideas for how to use the Denizens. The goods are delivered in Chapter Three: The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. (Long-winded as it is, I love the title.) It is here that we are introduced to the varieties of Dark-kin. The chapter quickly introduces the reader to the concepts of Aria, which replace Courts. The Dioniae Aria seems to to roughly correspond to the basic concept of the id: satisfy the needs, and damn the consequences. It is the most primal of the states of Denizens. The Araminae tends to be the human side, matching up with the idea of the ego: a moderation between basic needs and the higher ideals, in a rational state of mind. Apolliae follows as the "higher self" and the psychological comparison, though not exact, with the superego can be seen. The Denizens are somewhat more fluid with regard to Aria than Kithain are with the Seelie and Unseelie courts. The seven Adhene (used here as a term for the seven "races" of Denizens) are a widely mixed group. The Acheri is an Indian bringer of corruption and plague, and serves as one of the truly dark examples of Denizens. The Aonides are basically muses, Glamour-addicts and often utterly selfish in the pursuit of seeing creativity. Fir-bholg are the strangest of the lot, a race of warriors, with their own sense of nobility and an alien outlook, bringing chaos wherever they go. The Fuath are a sort of wild, primal group, with all the varied aspects of beings of nature from nurturing to bloodthirsty. Keremet are truly interesting: Enchanted mortals brought into the Dreaming at the moment of death. Keremet are, thus, a VERY different group from most Denizens. The Moirae, based on the three-natured Fates of Greek myth, each have a different Maiden, Mother, and Crone aspect tied to an Aria: a Crone might be Dioniae, and a hunter of the unjust, or the Mother the Apolliae, a near angel of light. Finally are the Naraka, a violent Indian Adhene of many-armed warriors, who lost their memories in the horrors described in Time of Thin Blood. I see Denizens as taking a positive route for the game: the Indian (Acheri and Naraka) and Greek (Aonides and Moirae) Adhene take on a tone that differs from the largely Celtic flavor of much of the game, though the Fir-bholg and Fuath are notably Celtic in inspiration. Chapter Four: Building the Perfect Beast contains instructions on building a Dark-kin character. The new "... Lore" abilities seem pointless in a game where Lore is an ability that can be taken with a variety of specialties to begin with. The Merits here help a Denizen survive in the Autumn World, and the Flaws are evocative of the sort of beings they truly are. The background Destiny is interesting, especially given how RPGs generally have a great deal of free will involved implicitly. Then...then come the new Arts. The first of three new Arts is Autumn Way, a grab bag of abilities to help Denizens get along in the World of Darkness. Insufflation (complex possession) allows for a physical form to be taken not unlike Calling Upon the Wyrd. Manifestation allows much the same, only without a human host. Zeitgeist gives some knowledge about the Autumn World, though it's debatable whether this causes more or less interesting RP situations. Dagda's Boon allows Denizens to walk the Silver Path, the Trods that they are cursed to avoid. This seems...well, antithetical to the fact of the safety of the Trods for the Kithain. Finally, Reality's Horror makes the target think that chimerical reality, thrust at him, is real. As I said, it's a grab bag, and though interesting, it should be a more cohesive set of Cantrips. Discord is the combat Art for Changeling. Just in case you're not creative enough with Pyretics, I suppose. House of Mirrors is a decent level, giving the illusion of multiples of the target. Hermes's Fleetness simply gives bonuses to Dodge rolls. Armilustra allows weapons to do aggravated damage, a right usually reserved to cold iron. Whirling Dervish makes it easier to hit certain opponents. Life and Limb allows "better" hits for a higher overall damage. Discord is an Art that seems slightly out of place in Changeling, as most Arts have multiple uses. Oneiromancy is the third and last art, dealing with the border between dream and reality. Oneirodynia sends basic dreams to a target. Oneirocritia allows the caster to read the dreams of a target, though not always cohesively. Oneirataxia makes the target's dreams intrude on his waking life, in the form of chimera that only he can see. Syncope allows the caster to enter a dream, interacting in it. Expiation literally turns the target into a chimera for a short period of time, and people forget about him. I feel that Oneiromancy is the strongest of this book's Arts, but also the most versatile and interesting. Chapter Five: By The Silver Banned contains advice on Denizens Chronicles, and the Augmen for Denizens (powers enhancing as the character goes farther into the Dreaming). This chapter could've been enhanced greatly by adding a good bit more information on using Denizens in a normal Changeling chronicles. It also gives information on the Fomorian Courts in just barely enough detail that the ancient enemies of the Tuatha de Danaan are interesting but mysterious. A good chapter, if flawed for not including info on running Kithain campaigns using Denizens. Appendix: A Nightmare Gallery introduces new Denizens characters, and related characters, as well as a description of the weird Aslynthi, a spider-like culture, and the Triumph Casque of Sorrows, a weapon straight from Celtic myth of great power. Not thorough, but a good feel of what's there. The book concludes with a character sheet that's one-sided, but still the standard expected. Printing on this could've been better. Denizens of the Dreaming is a very good book, and if any of the Adhene within interest you, it's more than worth picking up. I could've used more thoughts on integrating the Denizens with the well-detailed Kithain society, but that's easily forgivable. It provides an interesting new group of races to spice up and change the flavor of any Changeling chronicle quite dramatically, though Storytellers may wish to limit or exclude Adhene PCs, depending on the chronicle's theme and mood. Still, it's a great buy for fans of the game. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)