Well, after hearing so much about this game I picked it up a few months ago. Then, after hearing so much preaching about it, and the inevitable WoD comparisons, I thought I'd post a review that was at least intelligible, if not _marginally_ open-minded. :-)
DISCLAIMER
Yes, I'm going to compare WitchCraft and the World of Darkness, but that does make sense since both are modern horror games with many similarities. Sorry, but that's the way the world works.
WHAT IT IS
WitchCraft is a game where you play either a human, one of the Gifted (a mage), or one of the Bast (werecats) in a world of "Magic and Dark Secrets".
GENERAL ISSUES
The book costs $35, even though I could lose it in a shoebox. That's okay for me, since I'm in the UK and thus paid twenty-odd pounds for it, but for its size it's still steep. I guess this ties in with the recent arguments over content and profit, but I still thought I'd mention it.
Secondly, the editor (Jurkat) has presumably overlooked _all_ the hyphens in the book, as the book suffers from a case of the "--"s. The double-hyphens should be changed to single dashes, and this is something which stabs at me every time I see it.
Thirdly, the Setting "chapter" is only 18 of those diddy little pages. Enough? Hell no!
COVER
This is a very attractive and very appealing little book that measures about 9.5" x 7.5". The cover art is a splendid picture of a witch holding an ancient magical tome, drawn by George Vasilakos. The size is cute, but it seems like it's just a way to increase the page count without actually giving us any material (which is something the book is wonderful at).
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
This section basically just tells you that this "second edition" doesn't actually have very much new material. Perhaps it should just have been called a "second printing" instead? "Second edition" implies, at least to me, new material and rewrites. Instead the changes are apparently so few that they could be slotted into the "Mystery Codex" supplement without much trouble (unless that was nother ploy to bump up the page count).
There's a section here on pronouns and gender, which I find patronising and just more useless "filler" material. We don't need to know that all the odd chapters have been written using "he", and that all the even ones use "she". Couldn't you have just varied pronouns and not mentioned it at all? It reeks of being overly PC, and just seems completely pointless.
Thirdly, there's a bit about the author, which I see as irrelevent, too. I don't care about where the author lives or how many cats he has, I care about the game and how good it is. If the game had been good, I could've easily ignored this, but since there's virtually no substance in the book at all I'm forced to notice the filler and pick up on that.
A final nit-picky point is the measurements section. Now, all the conversions are said to be estimated, so why include them in the first place? Just give measurements in metres and let the PCs/GM play with the conversions. Conversions aren't even necessary, as they just take more time. One thing that continually serves to annoy me is the fact that they say metres and yards are the same. I know they're very similar, and the figures have been rounded, but if you're going to include yards don't include metres. If you use both, just get it right. Ten yards are equal to nine metres.
ART
The art ranges from the satisfactory to the very good, but most of it is generally unevocative, even if it is good. The illustrations are mainly of supernatural beings, but very little is actually happening in any of them. It looks like all the vampires and witches werejust posing for the artists. They are nowhere near as involving as they should be. The art doesn't seem to have much to do with the setting or the mood (unless you count all the black). If you compare this to a game like Wraith: The Oblivion, in which every page seeps with mood, you will see just how bland the art seems in comparison.
LAYOUT
Sometimes the layout is too plain, and too black, but it is quite aesthetically pleasing in a goth-cum-minimalist way. Unfortunately, the minimalist aspect makes the layout not very evocative either.
FICTION
This is okay to good for the most part. It's not terrific, but it's standard fare for RPGs. The "What is Roleplaying?" section is also pretty standard -- but it doesn't explain it as well as, say, Unknown Armies.
CHAPTER 2: SETTING
As previously stated, this is only 18 stamp-sized pages, which offends me. A _setting_ should actually have something for a game to be _set_ into. Just giving us our world with next to no changes is not really a setting. The world of WC is nothing new or innovative, and is, in fact, very basic. There's also a section that explains, upfront, that all the world's religions are basically hokum. That I don't like. I can see this causing problems for the more religious gamers out there. Also, it takes much of the conflict and mystery out of the game -- which is stupid for a game that professes to be "A Game of Magic and Dark Secrets". Call me crazy, but I don't like games about "Dark Secrets" where they say: This is the Truth, this is not. I like _secrecy_. I like grey areas and paranoia for my games of "Dark Secrets". It _does_ make sense. And dark doesn't just mean you can make the book mostly black, either.
The Time of Reckoning: Hmm... I'm sure we've all heard this in RPGs before, but I like the "End id Nigh" stuff, so I don't mind. However, one of the things people mention is how hopeful this game is compared to the WoD. The hopeful bit I can't see. To begin with, the future of the line is preset (it's called Armagedden, so you go figure), and players don't have much they can do to save the world. How do you defeat the equivalent of Outer Gods? That's not the book's fault of course.
CHAPTER 3: ROLES
This chapter's all about characters. There's nothing amazing or even marginally exciting here, but maybe that's just because I'm so jaded.
The Covenants: These are the splats. They are nowhere near as developed as Mage's Traditions and are a bit flavourless. There's nothing inspiring here.
Roles: These, too, are uninspiring. The Bast are okay, but, again, not very developed. The Covenants aren't very captivating, and the whole thing seems very bog-standard. It's good enough to suffice, but not good enough to get me wanting to play the game.
CHAPTER 4: RULES
The basic resolution system is Attribute Skill D10. This isn't original, but it is simple (until you get to combat, see below).
One of my biggest problems with the system is that too many different types of dice are needed for combat. Comabat doesn't feel like part of the system, and requires too much multiplication (although numbers are given if you don't want to roll all those dice). One thing I've learned as a GM is that players don't like multiplying during a game, as it slows things down and detracts from the setting. There's also a stigma attached to RPGs that need calculators, so they're a big no-no.
The system is supposed to be simple, but when you get too combat it becomes too drawn out. Damage should be resolved like normal actions are, as it makes everything feel more integrated amd takes less time. Using lots of different types of dice works for games like Deadlands, where the system uses all those dice anyway for normal actions, but when it comes to using those dice just for combat it makes combat feel detached from the system.
Perhaps you could add the Success Level of the hit roll to the weapon's damage rating? That would be much quicker, and it would fit the rest of the system more. It also stops players from rooting around for different die types and calculators.
I also don't like the rules for extended, resisted actions. The rules involve treating each roll separately, and whoever gets, for example, the best out of three, wins. So, if two people were having a painting competition, for example, with whoever gets the best out of three winning, if PC one rolled 17, then 10, then 10 again, and PC two rolled 5, 11 and 12, PC two would win, with PC one's 17 from the first round making no difference (even though she rolled, overall, 37, whilst PC two only rolled 28 in total). Surely that should have some effect on the results.
To top it all, there are far too many tables to consult (more fillers, anyone?). Tables for open-ended rolls, for fear check results, for outcomes, for modifiers, for combat, for targeting, for damage, for armour, etc. Can't a failed fear check just result in fear, with really bad results giving the PC a permanent phobia or dementia, or whatever? Do we really need to know whether they wet their pants or scream like a little girl? Can't we just leave the specifics up to the PC or GM, or, God help us, roleplaying? As for the degree of success, can't you just say that every x amount over the target number counts as an extra degree of success? It's easier than making endless tables.
Some tables are acceotible, but filling the book with endless charts and numbers reduces roleplaying and promotes number-crunching. There are also damage capacities and armour values for "common objects" (since when were ferroconcrete walls and steel walls "common objects"), which could easily be handled by way of exended rolls or GM adjudication. Where's the table for how heavy my period is this month? How about how much wieght I put on for eating this crisp? The hymen penetration chart? And they had to round off the conversions?
Attributes: Alarmingly, there are no social Attributes. Am I to assume that all social rolls are based on Intelligence? I really dislike this aspect of the system. The multi-type dice thing I can ignore, but this I can't. Did Carella just overlook social actions for combat and fear checks (which recieve far too much attention and space). Sure, some intelligent people might be better at being manipulative than others, but are all unintelligent people therefore uncharismatic and unmanipulative? It would be nice to have a trait such as Charm, Manipulation, Empathy, Presence, or what-have-you, but there isn't. Maybe that's something _else_ which Carella should add to his ever-expanding list of revisions for the third edition.
The system also includes rules for diceless RPing (again, not amazingly innovative, but I wasn't expecting that). Just compare x to y.
Experience costs may be a bit on the cheap side, but without playtesting it for a while I can't be sure whether this is slight or destructive (mind you, I'm very strict with XP). The optional XP rules are nice touch, although GM adjudication usually serves the same function.
Overall, 37 pages make up the rules section. That's twice the space allotted for the "Setting" chapter, which should say it all.
CHAPTER 5: ASSOCIATIONS covers the Covenants in more depth (when I say depth, I mean the depth of a puddle). However, I can't see why the write-ups in the Roles chapter aren't here instead -- it saves time for the reader. Also, I think this chapter should have come before the Roles and Rules chapters.
One thing I don't like here is one of the sections on "(Covenant x) Stories" says that stories regarding the Wicce "should" contain x, y or z -- as if using my creativity is wrong. This is a small thing, I know, but to me it grates.
The write-ups for each Covenant are relatively good, although I'm not driven to play any. The Covenants all seem too "nice" and reek of New Age Mysticism. I expected something darker from a modern horror game.
CHAPTER 6: METAPHYSICS details the powers of the Gifted. These are relatively good, but rather restrictive for magic. That sort of defeats the purpose for me. Furthermore, nothing really stands out, much like the rest of the book. One issue is the use of names for some powers. All powers for the Sight (ESP) begin with Mind- (Mindspeak, Mindfire, etc) and all Necromancy powers with Death (Death Vessel, Death Speech, etc). This seems like an excuse for not being able to come up with good names for the powers, and it doesn't make the game seem any better.
CHAPTER 7: SUPERNATURAL
Some of this information has already been stated (if worded differently) in the Setting chapter. The "History" section is actually only five paragraphs (!!!) and, again, just restates information given elsewhere in the book. Some history, you might think (and you'd be right).
This chapter introduces many Lovecraftian threats, but doesn't go very far to individualise them (what a surprise there!). Also, it s here that the reader will find a picture (pg. 257) that is reminiscent of Disney's "Gargoyles", which is a good indication of the thought that has gone into the book.
The first monsters dealt with are spirits, which are your basic ephemeral beings -- yet again, nothing very compelling here. However, the Wildlings are quite interesting (ooh, reanimated roadkill!). Then we come to the undead: the Relentless Dead and (gasp) Vampyres. (Note the "y" and run screaming from the onslaught of New Age crap.) The Relentless Crow are reminiscent of the Crow and Jason Vorhees. These creatures are incredibly hard to destroy, however, so I wouldn't suggest allowing your players to play one. They are quite good, though. Vampyres, however... Ick!
Remember I said the game was too "nice" for a game that claims to be "A Game of Magic and Dark Secrets"? Well, here's where it gets nasty (just, not in a good way). Vampyres suffer more from New Age fever than any other element in this book. Don't even look at them. They will offend thy virgin eyes! The spelling alone is enough to make me vomit, and they don't burn in sunlight or even drink blood. Furthermore, they're more like the psychic-vampires of modern trends amongst those people who tend to think they actually are vampires. I know that the vampires I want are Hollywood's version, but most people prefer them that way. And the final hit to the heart is that they aren't turned into vampires, they choose to become vampires in a manner very similar to Kindred of the East. (Okay, so most older vampire stories had them rejecting the Cycle of Life and Death like these vampyres do, but it just takes a lot of horror out of things.)
Angels and demons are also described here, and, you may notice, the picture of the Angel Galael is recycled from the start of the very same chapter. I hate that. I wouldn't mind so much if it had been recycled in another book, but in the same chapter? It's either very sloppy layout work or extreme stinginess. Perhaps this is a reflection of Eden's budget -- but in that case you'd think they wouldn't have gone for the style-over-substance format of the book.
Next come the Mad Gods -- which I like, even though they are just Lovecraftian menaces with a different name. Then there are various human puppets and infernalists, and the chapter finishes with the global conspiracy: the Combine. This is the best section of the book, but some areas are still pretty flavourless.
CHAPTER 8: CHRONICLING is a chapter that is, regrettably, too short. This chapter discusses the power level of characters and games, along with very short sections on setting, NPCs, story plot and mood, etc. A few story ideas are also given, but we only get three. At the end is the Appendix, which includes a glossary (which should ideally be at the front), a chargen summary and a list of Qualities and Drawbacks. Then we get a nicely detailed Index and four character sheets (Gifted, Lesser Gifted, Mundane and Bast), three of which are superfluous (and probably just filler again).
Overall, the game is okay, but the lack of sufficient setting information, and the overemphasis of rollplaying, lets it down. The addition of the Mad Gods and the Combine seem tagged on, as if to give the "Dark Secrets" part of the sub-title. To me, this game isn't what it purports to be. It should be called "A Game of Magic and Urban Fantasy". Not much about the setting is very dark or secretive. The book is very beautiful, but the size suggests that they couldn't make the right page count, so shrunk the book to reach it.
There's nothing new or terribly interesting in this game that hasn't been dealt with better (and cheaper) in another. WC offers nothing new to the RPG market, and is a waste of good rainforests that could be used to make more Unknown Armies supplements for me!
MY ADVICE
Buy Mage: The Ascension (and possible its Sorcerer Revised supplement). The setting is much more substantial, whilst allowing games to portray a plethora of themes, moods and subjects. You'll also get your money's worth, as the core book only costs $29.95 -- which gives you $5.05 for enough firewood to burn WitchCraft. Did I say that? Oops!
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