"It's their world… We just live here"

This sourcebook deals with the Ascended, a bunch of former animals in total control of the contemporary world. They are the superspies and conspiracies of Feng Shui - the domain of James Bond, ninjas and big guns. In my opinion, the Ascended are the most versatile faction in the Secret War - indeed, this book includes guidelines to portraying them as good guys (after all, don't you like the world you live in?).

Feng Shui's supplements have not been up to the level of the rulebook, which has earned it's classic status many times over. For some reason, all FS supplements seem to follow the "grab-bag" method of designing game supplements. This means that they've got a bunch of stuff tied loosely together, all usable separately of each other. Most of the time, some of the stuff misses it's mark completely, being out of line with the rest of the stuff. Feng Shui, on the other hand, was completely in line with itself. Nothing really standed out as inappropriate (well, maybe the Masked Avengers did) - versatility didn't mean a grab-bag. As it is, the supplements just haven't been designed as well.

Style

The frontcover is disappointing. It does kinda fit into the actiongenre, and it's not too bad once you've got used to it, but it's still blank and unanimated. The back cover, on the other hand, is sweet. The layout is engaging, the colors are wonderful, the copy is mostly good. It's unfortunate that the two covers have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

There are far too few illustrations and their quality varies. Some of them are just bad, some very appropriate, some really nice. Yes, this is a common problem with RPG illustrations, but what's going to change if we don't whine about it? Overall, the illustrations still do score slightly above average.

Text is also of varied quality. I understand that there are many authors to the book, but their styles should be either more alike or more distinct. As they stand, they're frustratingly shifting tone from chapter to chapter. There is a welcome amount of humour, some of it rather amusing, but some feels pasted-on. Still, considering the game in question, I'd rather have average humour than boring text.

Layout is pretty much the same as in the main rulebook. It works, even if the crosshair-motif is cheesy. The layout does manage to repair the damage done by lack of illustrations. Overall, the book is pretty attractive to leaf through, which is a merit of good layout.

Basic stuff

First off, the book makes some references to other products in the line. I highly object to this. While it is kind of nice to be able to cross-utilise your books, each book should stand on it's own feet, not settling into furthering material in other books. Seal of the Wheel makes references at least to Golden Comeback (a companion volume which I don't have) and Back for Seconds (a scenario collection).

There is quite a lot of in-character narrative and fiction. While not of high quality (compare: Dream Pod 9, Pagan Publishing ), it does function well. For a popular comparison, I'd say it's of lower quality than the bulk of White Wolf's fiction, but does it's job better. An insider's view into the dealings of the Ascended is relayed to the reader.

The book revolves around presenting the facets that make up the Ascended: the transformed animal families, their human agents, their important feng shui sites, their plans and VIPs. Most of the individual pieces make little reference to each other, which adds to the undesired grab-bag nature of the book. Then again, it's easy to pick out a puzzle piece or two and use 'em as they come in your game, without having to really worry about all the affiliated groups (common problem with, say, Vampire: the Masquearade). I'm covering the featured things below.

In addition to the grab-bag stuff, there is suitably-detailed history, some campaign ideas and adequate tips into running Ascended adventures in any of the Feng Shui eras of play (69, 1850, contemporary, 2056).

The book rounds out with an adventure, which really doesn't belong here. It makes next to no use of the book, it has no plot, it is linear, there are way too few roleplaying opportunities and only one or two Good Ideas - not enough to justify the wasted eleven pages. The only positive thing is the comeback of Maureen Wei, an NPC from the scenario collection Marked for Death. Because prior knowledge of her is in no way required, this is a nice surprise for veterans of Marked for Death.

Detailed stuff

So what sorts of things are up for grabs?

Archetypes

Of interest to any Feng Shui gamer are the new archetypes: Bodyguard, Bounty Hunter, Lodge Survivor, Pledged Agent, Smuggler and Two-fisted Archeologist. These are all nice, but I feel that Lodge Survivor and Pledged Agent are needless: existing archetypes would've covered them nicely. But hey, it's just two pages and they do give me new ideas for characters.

Transformed Animal packages

Not surprisingly, we get new transformed animal packages: Chameleon (nice), Crane (about time), Jackal (likewise), Magpie (…really), Mole (come on) and Toad (well, yeah). I somehow feel that Magpie and Mole characters would be too goofy for my games, but I guess someone's into them, too. Then again, they only take up half a page, so who's complaining?

Fu path

There is one new fu path, that of the Raging Bear. I'm not a systems monkey, so I'd be hard-pressed to tell you if it's any good or not. Sounds like fun, anyway. Considering the grab-bag nature of the book, at least two paths would've been nice.

Gadgets

There is a bunch of new, mostly highly restricted equipment. They are not very inventive: combat drugs, sorcery and arcanotech -revealing shades and the like. We've seen this stuff dozens of times in other games. This is the one section of the grab-bag that I really feel unnecessary. It's still likely to be featured in my games, but it's nothing I wouldn't've made up on my own. Feels like factory product.

Of special note, however, are the Brains In Jars. This is very true to the goofier side of Feng Shui, and I absolutely love this stuff. I'm willing to give pardon to much of the book's flaws in favor of the Brains In Hars. Go get yours today!

Groups

The meat of the book discusses the primary families that make up the Ascended. Refreshingly, not all Fists of the Bear are transformed bears - the Ascended may and do shift between groups. All families are described in form, reputation and function. All have their place in the Secret War outlined. There are examples of their agents and movers and shakers.

The full list of the families discussed and their primary funtions:

Web of the Spider: covert manipulation, lies

Shell of the Tortoise: defense

Fist of the Bear: mayhem, as they put it

Soul of the Dragon: internal policy

Sting of the Scorpion: the Unspoken Name's (the Ascended's Big Boss) secret police

Hunger of the Jackal: nasty, wet stuff

Fang of the Snake: generic ninja business

Other groups handled include the human operatives - the Pledged - and the conspiracies wielded by the Ascended to rule the world.

VIPs

The Ascended's Very Important Persons get quite a page-count. Mr. X, the Unspoken Name, the Web Master and so on all get stats, fiction vignettes, plot seeds and generally everything but the one thing I really wanted: illustrations. I generally dislike NPC collections, but Feng Shui's characters tend to be so varied that some of them always appeal to me. Then again, some of these are so damn cheesy that I just couldn't use them in a game. Frustration central.

Feng shui sites

I love descriptions of imaginative fengs shui sites. This book has plenty, and only one of them is too cheesy for use (the gun-cathedral). The rest are guaranteed to feature in my games, even if not all of them are that brilliant: the Zodiac martial arts academies (quick'n'dirty kung fu coupled with brainwashing students into serving the Wheel), Area 51 (kinda boring), the iceberg fortress, the Hong Kong movie studio (using real demons for FX), the resting zones in the Netherworld, the country club island (complete with manhunts) and the fountain of youth.

In closing

Overall, this is a nice book. You don't need it, but if you're into the Ascended, like me, or just want more ammunition to keep your games from stagnating, it's safe to pick up. The grab-bag nature suits my playing style (I have about two dozen games, all played alternately), but if I was running Feng Shui as my primary game, I would've wanted a more unified package: something to really sink your teeth into. But maybe that sort of thing doesn't really fit Feng Shui's light-hearted approach.

Seal of the Wheel: The Ascended sourcebook