Introduction
Okay, I have to admit, following a certain product in this line, I am seriously disappointed with the T8 gameline. I don't care how unpopular it makes me, I think that just because T8 is new and does some different things does not excuse poor planning and serious continuity flaws.
Tribe 8: Conquest Line
The
Conquest volume should have improved the gameline following the few let downs of
Children of Prophecy. Unfortunately, it compounds problems by accentuating all that is flawed with
Tribe 8.
The Products
Warrior Unbound - 4/10 Conquest: Part I
A bad beginning to the gameline, this cycle is full of holes. NPCs make uncharacteristic decisions and actions, One character is changed completely without any justification as to why. A location dramatically sprouts several skyscrapers without explanation. The River of Dreams Section almost blatantly rips off White Wolf's Umbra, changing the dynamics of the spirit realm that was once an original concept. And for some inexplicable reason a section is called "Superego, Ego and Id" without containing anything that seems to pertain to these psychological terms. Also, don't get me started on the poor hatchet job on a famous "string" analogy.
Word of the Fates - 7/10
One of the few gems of this line, details the Evans, Magdalites and Yagans in some detail similar to Word of the Pillars while avoiding the mistakes the previous book made. Also manages to keep the ambiguity that made the initial game so good. I especially enjoyed the fact that it attempts various styles as opposed to simple "Dark Fantasy".
Broken Pact - 9.5/10 Conquest: Part II
Woohoo! This is possibly the best cycle book EVER! It has a beautifully concise summary of the storyline to date, provides the GM with a remarkable amount of freedom to run the metaplot in the manner is should be. A metaplot. Well written, well thought out and simply amazing. Two thumbs up!
Vimary Burns – 6.5/10 Conquest: Part III
I wanted to give this book a 7. It was well written, if somewhat questionable in its quality. The story was very engaging and inspiring. Again, this is how metaplots should be done. It is let down by a weak game section and some uncertain NPC statistics. If it had been possible 15 pages longer with just game details about the Firmament and all even a timeline of events, I think it would have been better.
Harvest of Thorns - 4/10
I am probably being pretty harsh on this book, but the stories were simply boring. Evocative, well written, but simply ramble about NPCs. There was not enough sufficient Game info for a cycle, and T8 has more than enough NPCs to have more thrust in. Also, the rather blatant Shakespearean elements and tales made this feel more like a well written Fanfic than a legitimate game supplement. Poor form.
Word of the Dancers - 3/10
Okay, to be honest if it weren't for the quality of the fiction I would have given this a 2/10. Unlike the previous Word books which showed the tribes to be multifaceted, this book which covers the Dahlians and Agnites degenerates the two tribes to nothing more than Splats that wouldn't look too out of place in a White Wolf book. Considering that this is a pretty big book, it contains more flaws than Warrior Unbound. Dahlians keep mentioning that they want to "make a profit", "line their pockets" and "fill their coffers" - hang on, Vimary has no monetary structure, so why are the Dahlians using these terms? The Agnite section keeps harkening us back to "Lord of the Flies" while ignoring any decent noble side to them - apparently they are either brats, victims or monsters. Where are the true heroes? Agnes suddenly is two beings that need to "combine" for her to grow. But wait a minute, in Trial by Fire we are told that it is the tear of Mary that causes her to grow up. Much like Warrior Unbound, this book uses rather populist philosophical theory and psychology to look "credible." Yet the worst thing is the use of a child's rape to show how the Agnites lack any morality. This was just sick, the scene is written in very manipulative language, yet fails to consider the greater consequences. I could go on for a while here, but I think I get the message across. Add to this a certain shift in the feeling of the setting - a morbidity that is incongruent with the rest of the series - I felt that this was the worst of the series to date.
Verdict
To be honest, after reading Word of the Dancers I was prepared to throw in the towel on Tribe 8. But with Revanche and Adrift on the River of Dreams soon to be released, there may be hope for the series. Simply put, DP9 seems to feel that they should be making T8 "darker". Also a fixation on pregen adventures for the metaplot when they should be giving GMs more freedom makes this series frustrating at times. When it works, the game line is very good - one of the best in fact. But when it fails, they seem to go all out.
My suggestion to weavers and players for this series, buy Broken Pact (You can use the summary to run your own version of Warrior Unbound), Word of the Fates (It is quite good and very useful) and I guess Vimary Burns (Although only because of the changes it brings to the setting. Trust me, it's very cataclysmic.) Harvest of Thorns is alright, but not really worth the purchase and Word of the Dancers is simply disappointing on so many levels its sad.
A very poor volume that has seriously let an otherwise great game down through simply poor continuity and bad judgement in regards to Warrior Unbound and Word of the Dancers. A shame.
Go to forum!
(Due to spamming, old forum discussions are no linked.)