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Werewolf: the Apocalypse (Limited Revised) | ||
Author: Brooks, Campbell, Heckel , Heckel, Marchinton, McFarland, McKinney, Olson & Skemp. (Developed by Ethan Skemp)
Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Line: Werewolf (d'uh) Cost: $69.95 SKU: WW 3799 Capsule Review by Alex deMorris on 12/13/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Science fiction Modern day Horror Gothic | "Half human. Half beast. Predators that stalk the deepest woods and the darkest urban alleyways. Monsters that creep up on their prey like ghosts, then explode into a fury of claws and fangs. Beats that howl under the full moon and kill those that cross the boundaries of their territory. Werewolves." At page 21 of the book, one would hope that they're reading about werewolves since the title is Werewolf: the Apocalypse. In this Limited Edition update to the Revised Storyteller System, Werewolf runs fully into the "big time," joining the pack lead by Vampire: the Masquerade and Mage: the Ascension. I must admit, upon first hearing about a revised Werewolf, I felt let down by White Wolf from the radical revision of the Mage setting (which I got in Limited Edition as well). So, I wholehearted expected this edition to flop. It's a wonderful feeling to be disappointed. Werewolf is broken down into the same tried and (White Wolf) true form of chapters one through nine, though the second edition method of breaking chapters into "books" isn't present, their feeling remains. The book follows more the Vampire guise in character selection now, no longer are all the tribes described in flowing together text, each has their own section. Auspices, too, are following in the sectional blocks. Sadly, the Breeds of werewolves flow together like Second Edition did. Abilities and Skills have taken the Revised Edition stance of opening flavor text, then dot-by-dot explanation on how they're handled in game terms. Unfortunately, this edition still harbors a plague from the first and second, the Gifts section remains the same as before. Whereas, listing the Gifts together alphabetically would have saved in the "which page is it on" dilemma (as in WotC's D&D Player's Handbook for spells), the publishers must of thought saving space rather then reprinting each gift under each Auspice, Tribe or Breed, instead they have us ruining our copies by excess page flipping. (Note to the Werewolf team: alphabetical lists for Gifts, save Alex headache.) And sadly, I was hoping for the huge multi-page battle art from Joshua Gabriel Timbrook that had existed since the first edition soft cover, for its nostalgic content, instead we get to see two werewolves battling a Wyrm creature by the famed artist. (Hmm. A thematic reference that Garou have to stand together in the end times?) As far as Revised Editions from White Wolf go, Werewolf stands now with the pack. As a stand-alone game, it still kicks ass. Style: 4 (Classy and well done)Substance: 5 (Excellent!) | |
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