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The concept of satyrs in role-playing has rarely been approached seriously, for a variety of reasons. For one, satyrs are hard to take seriously by their very nature -- a bunch of skirt-chasing, chest-beating goatmen on steroids, satyrs seem woefully stereotyped. For another, satyrs deal with things like sex and romance, rarely the appeal of an all-male role-playing group. Then there's the confusion as to where exactly satyrs fit. Are they sylvan beings? Are they faeries? Are they beast men from Greek myth?

The Satyr Kithbook for Changeling deals with all these issues to some degree, some more successfully than others.

Satyrs, according to the Kithbook, are definitely faeries. The concept of faeries is decidedly medieval, yet satyrs are definitely classical. The Kithbook picks a side and sticks with it: all the Greek gods were faeries too. This solution is a viable one, but it's not completely convincing. Still, it helps tie the Classical satyr with the Medieval satyr, so it's not too hard to swallow.

The Kithbook draws on the few stories from Greek myth about satyrs and ties them all together, an admirable job (I was suspicious about the Syrinx story and investigated, and sure enough, there it was, told slightly different but with the same outcome). As always, White Wolf did its homework.

As faeries, satyrs are lusty, passionate beings who love to party and have lots of sex. This aspect has made satyrs more than a little undesirable in many role-playing games, but again the Kithbook is up to the task. Seelie satyrs are continually experimenting sexually, while Unseelie satyrs prefer to delve into the S&M side of things. And yet, despite speaking very plainly about the sexual side of satyrs, there is not an archtype provided to be "that kind" of satyr.

The book leaves you with the impression that satyrs are part peasant, with all the lusty things that made for pasotral poetry, and part classical Greek, scholarly and thoughtful, loving nature and their bodies with open minds. Part Olympic hopeful, part party-boy, the concept of the satyr makes them sound like a sidekick for a more serious-minded type. They play, they dance, they do many things, but leading doesn't seem to be one of them. Satyrs also have Passions, emphasizing the various aspects of what makes a satyr tick (romance, sex, music, athletics, poetry, debate, and brewing).

The Kithbook also isn't afraid to focus on the nature of satyrs being part-goat. Some satyrs can smell like goats (which is a really hampers one's ability to seduce), satyrs who get older are called "grumps," and they can have an intimidating stance that shows all faeries this goat is willing to butt heads. Satyrs, they explain, are half-shifted between goat and human. There are some aspects they haven't focused on (like a goat's vocarious appetite, their incredible sure-footedness, and their ability to consume everything and anything) but these are forgivable.

The only other flaw in the book is the artwork. The authors don't seem to be afraid of printing four-letter words but nudity is notably edited out. Paul Phillips occassionally has a problem with proportion (the picture on page 44 is embarassingly out of whack) and this is distracting when the subjects involved are an already hard-to-visualize goat/human mix.

I'm happy to say my character, Talien Radisgad, would find a home in this satyr world, a grump steeped in Banality with a passion for Debate.

Overall, the Kithbook is an excellent first foray (whom I kidding, the ONLY FORAY) into the world of the satyr. Any player who wishes to experiment with his fun-loving wild side would do well to invest in this book (a paltry $15.00 USD, which is cheap these days).

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Kithbook: Satyrs<
Author: Angel McCOy Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Cost: $15.00 Page count: 72 ISBN: 1-56504-728-1 Capsule Review by Michael Tresca on 05/31/98. Genre tags: none	The concept of satyrs in role-playing has rarely been approached seriously, for a variety of reasons. For one, satyrs are hard to take seriously by their very nature -- a bunch of skirt-chasing, chest-beating goatmen on steroids, satyrs seem woefully stereotyped. For another, satyrs deal with things like sex and romance, rarely the appeal of an all-male role-playing group. Then there's the confusion as to where exactly satyrs fit. Are they sylvan beings? Are they faeries? Are they beast men from Greek myth? The Satyr Kithbook for Changeling deals with all these issues to some degree, some more successfully than others. Satyrs, according to the Kithbook, are definitely faeries. The concept of faeries is decidedly medieval, yet satyrs are definitely classical. The Kithbook picks a side and sticks with it: all the Greek gods were faeries too. This solution is a viable one, but it's not completely convincing. Still, it helps tie the Classical satyr with the Medieval satyr, so it's not too hard to swallow. The Kithbook draws on the few stories from Greek myth about satyrs and ties them all together, an admirable job (I was suspicious about the Syrinx story and investigated, and sure enough, there it was, told slightly different but with the same outcome). As always, White Wolf did its homework. As faeries, satyrs are lusty, passionate beings who love to party and have lots of sex. This aspect has made satyrs more than a little undesirable in many role-playing games, but again the Kithbook is up to the task. Seelie satyrs are continually experimenting sexually, while Unseelie satyrs prefer to delve into the S&M side of things. And yet, despite speaking very plainly about the sexual side of satyrs, there is not an archtype provided to be "that kind" of satyr. The book leaves you with the impression that satyrs are part peasant, with all the lusty things that made for pasotral poetry, and part classical Greek, scholarly and thoughtful, loving nature and their bodies with open minds. Part Olympic hopeful, part party-boy, the concept of the satyr makes them sound like a sidekick for a more serious-minded type. They play, they dance, they do many things, but leading doesn't seem to be one of them. Satyrs also have Passions, emphasizing the various aspects of what makes a satyr tick (romance, sex, music, athletics, poetry, debate, and brewing). The Kithbook also isn't afraid to focus on the nature of satyrs being part-goat. Some satyrs can smell like goats (which is a really hampers one's ability to seduce), satyrs who get older are called "grumps," and they can have an intimidating stance that shows all faeries this goat is willing to butt heads. Satyrs, they explain, are half-shifted between goat and human. There are some aspects they haven't focused on (like a goat's vocarious appetite, their incredible sure-footedness, and their ability to consume everything and anything) but these are forgivable. The only other flaw in the book is the artwork. The authors don't seem to be afraid of printing four-letter words but nudity is notably edited out. Paul Phillips occassionally has a problem with proportion (the picture on page 44 is embarassingly out of whack) and this is distracting when the subjects involved are an already hard-to-visualize goat/human mix. I'm happy to say my character, Talien Radisgad, would find a home in this satyr world, a grump steeped in Banality with a passion for Debate. Overall, the Kithbook is an excellent first foray (whom I kidding, the ONLY FORAY) into the world of the satyr. Any player who wishes to experiment with his fun-loving wild side would do well to invest in this book (a paltry $15.00 USD, which is cheap these days). Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Kithbook: Satyrs<