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"Hunter: the Reckoning is about normal people confronted with a hellish world." The world is full of monsters, most of which have learned very well to hide themselves from human eyes. Now something is helping the humans to fight back. It's "imbuing" them with special gifts and abilities, and pushing them to protect humanity from the monsters in the night. These people are called hunters, and they term the unknown creatures or powers that created them "Messengers." It's a paranoid game of the underdog trying desperately to fight the big bad monsters with any weapon at hand. It's a fantastic concept, and one that I was looking forward to.

Aesthetics

The book is big and hard-covered, with a bright fiery cover. The internal artwork and layout beautifully convey the grays and blacks of a dirty, dangerous world. The artwork ranges from absolutely drop-dead gorgeous to ugly and pointless.

The writing, however, has more problems than I'm used to seeing in recent White Wolf products. There are a number of typos of the can't-be-caught-by-a-spellchecker variety. There are some noticeable grammar problems here and there. And the wording is just plain unclear and confusing in a lot of places. I've certainly seen much worse - but usually from smaller-press companies.

Mechanics and System

The system is a modified Storyteller system. Which is to say that it's the same system used for all of the other White Wolf World of Darkness games, but with some tweaks and fixes to make it better, and a few mechanics tailored specifically for Hunters. You'll find most of the usual suspects on the character sheet: Nature, Demeanor and Concept to help you get a handle on your character's personality; basic Attributes; Abilities; Backgrounds; Willpower; Health.

Then there's "Creed," which dictates the hunter's general approach to hunting. Does he prefer to kill all monsters? Does he see something worth redeeming in some of them? Is he willing to give his life to save others? I don't like the concept of a Creed - it turns emotions and ideals into character classes, without even bringing nifty background and setting to the game. However, the concept was well-executed, and the write-up turns Creeds into something reasonable.

Edges are the spiffy powers that hunters get. The powers themselves are interesting and inspiring. There are neat ideas here which suggest great plots and scenes. There is one odd mechanical detail, however, which bugs me. The scale of costs for edges makes it impossible for characters to actually buy level 5 edges, yet those edges are detailed and interesting. Why do this? What's the point? It's like holding out a shiny thing and then pulling it back suddenly, saying delightedly, "oops! You can't have that!" If it's supposed to be particularly difficult to get level 5 edges, there are better ways to make it so. If they're supposed to be too powerful for player characters, and only NPCs should wield them, then why not just detail them in the Storyteller material and not fit them into the edge mechanic presented to players at all?

Last but not least, there's "Conviction." Conviction pretty much powers all of a hunter's unusual abilities. This is one of those great concepts not so wonderfully executed - I start to worry about any single mechanic which requires an eight-and-a-half page write-up in a book with pages this large. I can't help but feel that this could have been simpler.

"Normal People"

Let's go back to that quote for a moment: "Hunter: the Reckoning is about normal people confronted with a hellish world..."

It's a fantastic concept: how do the humans react when they realize what's all around them? What do they do? How do they cope?

Problem #1: What's the difference between hunters and any of the other White Wolf supernaturals out there? Hunters are humans who are "imbued" and do amazing things with powers they call "edges." Vampires are humans who are "Embraced" and do amazing things with powers they call "Disciplines." Where's the difference? When it comes down to it, hunters are just as supernatural as the rest of 'em (and just as human).

Answer to Problem #1: Well, okay, people like to play with spiffy powers. I can hardly argue with that! And I can see the wisdom in the argument that hunters need spiffy powers to be able to deal with the monsters out there, or they'd all be dead. And at least most of the spiffy powers are about dealing with the supernatural in one way or another, and aren't as powerful as what the other supernaturals get. So, I'm willing to discount problem #1 as not really being a problem. However...

Problem #2: Take a brief look through the game glossary, in which various terms and bits of in-game slang are defined. Some imply that the hunters view normal humans in fairly uncomplimentary terms, and that un-imbued humans lack any ability or will to fight against the supernatural whatsoever. This impression is borne up in some other parts of the book. Talk about giving humanity the shaft! Hunter honestly does more to turn "normal humans" into unthinking, pathetic sheep than any other White Wolf game does.

Answer to Problem #2: Ignore these parts of the game. Sure, let a few hunters gripe about how humans are sheep. Let a couple of them believe that hunters are the only ones willing to stand up for themselves. And then show them that they're wrong. Let the occasional normal human (and I definitely don't mean imbued hunter here) do something heroic. Show the hunters that they aren't that different from humans after all.

Honestly, most of Hunter is written as though this particular problem didn't exist - most of the writers seemed to have a clue that perhaps calling hunters normal humans and then having them sitting up above humanity undercuts the whole professed theme of the game. When it comes down to it, this is a game about normal humans trying to fight back, because that's the way most of the book is written. You just have to be willing to ignore the slight case of schizophrenia the book has developed.

What a Game Would Be Like

It's always helpful to know what a game would be like before you buy it, so that you'll know whether it suits your style. First, characters aren't likely to live a long time. Hunters have gained a supernatural edge, but in general they're still outclassed by the monsters they fight. If you like to play the same character for three or four years in a row, this probably isn't the game for you.

The book does need a thorough read-through before you start - this is no quick-start game. You can't read through the obviously necessary rules and then pick up the details bit by bit; it isn't organized that way. You need to be willing to read through most of the book before you start. Luckily the majority of it is pretty interesting, so this isn't a bad thing.

This is a game of paranoia, danger, and fighting against impossible odds. This is not a happy game. This is not a fluffy game. This is definitely not a game of superheroes battling evil.

For GMs

There is one thing that I was very impressed with in this book: the information presented for Storytellers is very detailed, very helpful, and very complete. I would recommend this for any beginning Storyteller (or even a GM of a different game) who needs a better handle on how to run a game. There's plenty of material on what roleplaying is like, what Storytelling is like, how to handle various aspects of the game, how to make the World of Darkness "new" again to experienced players, varying your stories, engineering tone and atmosphere, and so on.

When it comes down to it this is a good game, and one that I like. Unfortunately it's a good game that could have been amazing, and that's disappointing. Some of the concepts (such as Creeds and Conviction) don't entirely ring true. The book is a bit disorganized and schizophrenic - it seems to lack an overarching guiding hand. This could be because the book had three developers and ten designers. While many of the names on these lists are ones that I respect and admire for their good work, I think that a book could not help but become a little schizophrenic under these circumstances.

On the other hand, most of the writing is pretty spot-on, and there are parts I'm very impressed with. The information for Storytellers alone makes this book worth purchasing, and the in-character material paints an intriguing world.

Hunter: the Reckoning
Hunter: the Reckoning Playtest Review by Heather Grove on 14/04/01 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average) A fantastic concept that could have been executed better. Product: Hunter: the Reckoning Author: 15 authors Category: RPG Company/Publisher: White Wolf Line: Hunter: the Reckoning Cost: 29.95 Page count: 301 Year published: 1999 ISBN: 1-56504-735-4 SKU: WW8100 Playtest Review by Heather Grove on 14/04/01 Genre tags: Modern day Horror Conspiracy	"Hunter: the Reckoning is about normal people confronted with a hellish world." The world is full of monsters, most of which have learned very well to hide themselves from human eyes. Now something is helping the humans to fight back. It's "imbuing" them with special gifts and abilities, and pushing them to protect humanity from the monsters in the night. These people are called hunters, and they term the unknown creatures or powers that created them "Messengers." It's a paranoid game of the underdog trying desperately to fight the big bad monsters with any weapon at hand. It's a fantastic concept, and one that I was looking forward to. Aesthetics The book is big and hard-covered, with a bright fiery cover. The internal artwork and layout beautifully convey the grays and blacks of a dirty, dangerous world. The artwork ranges from absolutely drop-dead gorgeous to ugly and pointless. The writing, however, has more problems than I'm used to seeing in recent White Wolf products. There are a number of typos of the can't-be-caught-by-a-spellchecker variety. There are some noticeable grammar problems here and there. And the wording is just plain unclear and confusing in a lot of places. I've certainly seen much worse - but usually from smaller-press companies. Mechanics and System The system is a modified Storyteller system. Which is to say that it's the same system used for all of the other White Wolf World of Darkness games, but with some tweaks and fixes to make it better, and a few mechanics tailored specifically for Hunters. You'll find most of the usual suspects on the character sheet: Nature, Demeanor and Concept to help you get a handle on your character's personality; basic Attributes; Abilities; Backgrounds; Willpower; Health. Then there's "Creed," which dictates the hunter's general approach to hunting. Does he prefer to kill all monsters? Does he see something worth redeeming in some of them? Is he willing to give his life to save others? I don't like the concept of a Creed - it turns emotions and ideals into character classes, without even bringing nifty background and setting to the game. However, the concept was well-executed, and the write-up turns Creeds into something reasonable. Edges are the spiffy powers that hunters get. The powers themselves are interesting and inspiring. There are neat ideas here which suggest great plots and scenes. There is one odd mechanical detail, however, which bugs me. The scale of costs for edges makes it impossible for characters to actually buy level 5 edges, yet those edges are detailed and interesting. Why do this? What's the point? It's like holding out a shiny thing and then pulling it back suddenly, saying delightedly, "oops! You can't have that!" If it's supposed to be particularly difficult to get level 5 edges, there are better ways to make it so. If they're supposed to be too powerful for player characters, and only NPCs should wield them, then why not just detail them in the Storyteller material and not fit them into the edge mechanic presented to players at all? Last but not least, there's "Conviction." Conviction pretty much powers all of a hunter's unusual abilities. This is one of those great concepts not so wonderfully executed - I start to worry about any single mechanic which requires an eight-and-a-half page write-up in a book with pages this large. I can't help but feel that this could have been simpler. "Normal People" Let's go back to that quote for a moment: "Hunter: the Reckoning is about normal people confronted with a hellish world..." It's a fantastic concept: how do the humans react when they realize what's all around them? What do they do? How do they cope? Problem #1: What's the difference between hunters and any of the other White Wolf supernaturals out there? Hunters are humans who are "imbued" and do amazing things with powers they call "edges." Vampires are humans who are "Embraced" and do amazing things with powers they call "Disciplines." Where's the difference? When it comes down to it, hunters are just as supernatural as the rest of 'em (and just as human). Answer to Problem #1: Well, okay, people like to play with spiffy powers. I can hardly argue with that! And I can see the wisdom in the argument that hunters need spiffy powers to be able to deal with the monsters out there, or they'd all be dead. And at least most of the spiffy powers are about dealing with the supernatural in one way or another, and aren't as powerful as what the other supernaturals get. So, I'm willing to discount problem #1 as not really being a problem. However... Problem #2: Take a brief look through the game glossary, in which various terms and bits of in-game slang are defined. Some imply that the hunters view normal humans in fairly uncomplimentary terms, and that un-imbued humans lack any ability or will to fight against the supernatural whatsoever. This impression is borne up in some other parts of the book. Talk about giving humanity the shaft! Hunter honestly does more to turn "normal humans" into unthinking, pathetic sheep than any other White Wolf game does. Answer to Problem #2: Ignore these parts of the game. Sure, let a few hunters gripe about how humans are sheep. Let a couple of them believe that hunters are the only ones willing to stand up for themselves. And then show them that they're wrong. Let the occasional normal human (and I definitely don't mean imbued hunter here) do something heroic. Show the hunters that they aren't that different from humans after all. Honestly, most of Hunter is written as though this particular problem didn't exist - most of the writers seemed to have a clue that perhaps calling hunters normal humans and then having them sitting up above humanity undercuts the whole professed theme of the game. When it comes down to it, this is a game about normal humans trying to fight back, because that's the way most of the book is written. You just have to be willing to ignore the slight case of schizophrenia the book has developed. What a Game Would Be Like It's always helpful to know what a game would be like before you buy it, so that you'll know whether it suits your style. First, characters aren't likely to live a long time. Hunters have gained a supernatural edge, but in general they're still outclassed by the monsters they fight. If you like to play the same character for three or four years in a row, this probably isn't the game for you. The book does need a thorough read-through before you start - this is no quick-start game. You can't read through the obviously necessary rules and then pick up the details bit by bit; it isn't organized that way. You need to be willing to read through most of the book before you start. Luckily the majority of it is pretty interesting, so this isn't a bad thing. This is a game of paranoia, danger, and fighting against impossible odds. This is not a happy game. This is not a fluffy game. This is definitely not a game of superheroes battling evil. For GMs There is one thing that I was very impressed with in this book: the information presented for Storytellers is very detailed, very helpful, and very complete. I would recommend this for any beginning Storyteller (or even a GM of a different game) who needs a better handle on how to run a game. There's plenty of material on what roleplaying is like, what Storytelling is like, how to handle various aspects of the game, how to make the World of Darkness "new" again to experienced players, varying your stories, engineering tone and atmosphere, and so on. When it comes down to it this is a good game, and one that I like. Unfortunately it's a good game that could have been amazing, and that's disappointing. Some of the concepts (such as Creeds and Conviction) don't entirely ring true. The book is a bit disorganized and schizophrenic - it seems to lack an overarching guiding hand. This could be because the book had three developers and ten designers. While many of the names on these lists are ones that I respect and admire for their good work, I think that a book could not help but become a little schizophrenic under these circumstances. On the other hand, most of the writing is pretty spot-on, and there are parts I'm very impressed with. The information for Storytellers alone makes this book worth purchasing, and the in-character material paints an intriguing world.