I'll start by saying that I never bought any of the original tradition books, but then,
the Tao teaches:
. . . the sage,
in harmony with the Tao,
needs no comparisons,
and when he makes them, knows
that comparisons are judgements,
and just as relative to he who makes them,
and to the situation,
as they are to that on which
the judgement has been made.
However students who are wise enough to recognize their unreadiness for this lack of comparison should read the review by Amado Guzman.
TB:ABR, like a great many White Wolf books, follows a story, with the "crunchy bits" tucked into sidebars. The Tao Te Ching claims that "With wise administrators, all can exist in unity, each with the other," and author Malcolm Sheppard proves himself to be among the wisest of administrators.
The prologue pulls us into the story of Smoke Tiger and Peter, two Akashics just trying to do what they think is right. The introduction provides the all-important Lexicon, which the careful reader may find themselves referencing every time they forget what Sam Chien means. This really adds to the flavor, but sometimes it would have been nice if Sheppard had just called a spade a fricking shovel.
Chapter One: Heaven and Earth
without looking, the sage sees all,
and by working without self-advancing thought,
he discovers the wholeness of the Tao.
Sheppard takes the reader on a trip through the Akashic Record. Dragons of the East fleshes out the WoD's Asia from the Mage's perspective, so don't expect a lot of help with that here. This is a history of the Akashic Brotherhood, not the history of Asia, though there is some solid information about the old intra-tradition rivalries, which, in typical White Wolf fashion, blend into historical conflicts between nations. We also get the rivalry between the Brothers and the Euthanatos (or, as they are referred to throughout this book, the Chakravanti). If you've ever read any "History of the Traditions" from any other Mage book, you'll recognize a few of the major events, such as the Grand Convocation, making token appearances.
We also get some information on how the Brothers mix with world religion. All your favorites from Eastern Religion 101 are here: Buddhism, Taoism, Jainism, and more. These are more-or-less reverse-engineered from the religion section in Dragons of the East, but the specific nature of the interplay between the religions and the Akashic outlook is much appreciated.
Finally, the section on the other supernatural "critters" gives all the other things in the WoD. Including the Brothers' outlook on the soon-to-be-released Mummies makes for a nice little teaser. Also, since the Akashic party line states that all creatures may work towards Samadhi (remember the Lexicon?), their outlook on some of the -ahem- less humane groups may be a bit more accepting than the average magus.
Chapter Two: The Way and the Law
Though the words of the sage are simple,
and his actions easily performed,
they are few among many,
who can speak or act as a sage.
We are first presented with the details of the major/canonical Factions of the Brotherhood. The Shi-Ren are well-to-do Legalists. The Li-Hai are Mohist revolutionaries. The Kannagara are the shaven monastics, who spend much of their time cloistered away with their brethren. Jnani are inaccessible hermits, mysterious wanderers and possibly assassins. Last, but not least, the Vajrapani are Kung-Fu fighters. A short mention is also given to the Wu Lung, but enough has already been said of them in the Revised Storyteller's Companion and Dragons of the East. Oh, and the Factions are further sub-divided into Organizations, if you ever wanted to hone your Brother's description even further.
We are also given the Tradition's names for generic Mage terms and the Spheres. These are great if you want to really add some flavor to your next play session. Just make sure that your storyteller knows what you mean when you ask if its okay to learn that third dot in Lokhadhatu.
Finally the chapter fleshes out Do, the Akashic Record, and other foci for the Brothers. Revised edition Do deserves a bit of a special mention in this review, because it is very complex, compared to other skills, requiring the student to have a certain number of dots spread throughout the eight "limbs" of Do before a new rank can be bought. This provides a "crunchy" way to show that Do is a way of life, not just a way of kicking butt. After all, "[Violence] is against the natural way, and damages both others' and one's own true self." Still, some Storytellers may just decide that they can do without the additional bookkeeping, and leave Revised Do practice unfettered by "dots."
Chapter Three: Sages and Warriors
Though the sage knows himself
he makes no show of it
Sheppard presents us with statistics for two of the characters from the story told in his book, and an Akashic cabal known as Midnight Ocean, but the big story here is the character templates. Warriors and monks make their appearances, but we are also shown ideas for Lama-esque reincarnated religious leader-teenagers, lawyers, Latino dancers, and Western theologians. There's definitely enough here to spawn a few good characters, and the templates are given in both standard Mage and Mind's Eye Theater format.
Lastly, a little epilogue ties the story up in the standard "The story is only beginning" White Wolf fashion, and gives a nice reference section which strongly recommends the Tao Te Ching, among other things.
The artwork is either greyscale watercolor or comic book and usually connects well to the surrounding text. The observant student will glean some useful information about Akashic techniques from a few of the pieces, including the little-mentioned Do technique that allows a Brother to practice high kicks while wearing a thong. Also, White Wolf's editors finally come through--TB:ABR is as clean as White Wolf gets. Style takes 9.5 shuriken, with the extra .5 as incentive for the editors to keep up the good work.
The usefulness of this book is directly proportional to your desire to play a Brother. Your mileage may vary. If you already own Dragons of the East, you couldn't ask for anything more from this book. If you don't, the numerous "For more information on the [blank] see Dragons of the East" may be a touch annoying. Substance earns a solid 8 shuriken from me.
All this, and not one mention of motorcycle maintenance.
Mad props to Stan Rosenthal for translating the Tao Te Ching.
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