I've campaigned the Dark Age RPG from the time it has been on the shelves to a level of satisfaction and enjoyment that I couldn't find in modern gameplay. The added bonus of a pseudo-fantasy setting with swords, knights and courtly intrigue sets off the series of game books as unique in the world of Vampire.
However, when I opened the supplement Under a Black Cross, I found it was like going on a ride through a historical rollercoaster. Creative license must be rampant with the authors as they bend the reader through misdirections, redundancies and contradictions. The whole atmosphere of the book is lost on the shoddy style way the authors attempt to stick in as much information as they can without achieving a true flow to the writing. The effect was almost as if after-thoughts were hastily patched into paragraphs.
The historical inaccuracies not only unconfuses the reader but makes game players cross their eyes as storylines they've worked on with a certain situation are now incorrect. I won't even attempt to try and compare true history with the book; there is no comparison. It is as if the authors forgot to attend their history classes in school.
The esthetics of Under a Black Cross left me both thrilled and heavily disappointed. The cover is average in artwork and the design is typical. If they were attempting to achieve an understated look for their new Dark Ages line, they've managed it wonderfully. I won't go as far as to say the exterior of the book is boring; but I come very close.
The interior illustrations range from disgusting to jaw-dropping fantastic. If you can choke past the heavy ink spill art of Mike Chaney, get past the gorgeous but sadly archetypal redundant art of Kieran Yanner and skim to the end of the book, you will be greeted by a name I've never heard of; D.M. Foster.
I have never seen such gorgeous character portraiture as Foster's work in anything White Wolf has published (that I've seen). The characters are detailed, full of expression and dare I say; life. This is not a cookie-cutter effort in these portraits. I skimmed the web and various other illustrator boards looking for a trace of DM Foster's work to no avail, but I hope White Wolf uses Foster more often. As a player I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to see real faces with real "souls" staring back at me in black and white.
As a whole, the supplement of Under a Black Cross is possibly worth the 18.00 (with tax) I spent. It is adequate as just that; a supplement and as long as storytellers don't attempt to build onto their chronicles basing this book as the main objective, it should provide some fresh air to a lagging campaign... Or not.
If anything, buy it for the artwork of DM Foster and Kieran Yanner. They far outshine anything else in the entire book.
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