Courtesy of White Wolf Publishing, Under the Black Cross is the most recent chronicle book to have been released for Vampire: The Dark Ages (now days re christened Dark Ages: Vampire). Both conceptually and chronologically, the chronicle takes place in between the two editions of the line.
The action is spurred by the rivalry between two of Europe's most prominent 'young elders', the Ventrue Lord Jurgen and the Tzimisce Voivode Vladimir Rustovich. It begins circa 1210 and presented in three semi autonomous chapters, spanning the length of almost twenty years and three different settings. The common ground of all three is Jurgen's effort to expand his territory into traditional Tzimisce lands, an effort that swiftly devolves from intrigue to all out war. The player characters can take part in the world-shaking events that move the game line out of the 'Long Night' and into its current 'War of Princes' foundation. Epic is the word that describes the plot's overarching feel, if not the individual chapters.
The book is divided into six parts. We first get the Introduction, followed by the three aforementioned chapters (Shadows at Court, Ashes of Outremer, A Call to Arms), then a section about the story's characters and finally a brief Appendix. The division works well for the most part, though I'm of the opinion that the brief Appendix could have been included in the introduction. The plot itself doesn't narrate the entire conflict; its three stories are snapshots of the clash's chief moments. It's also as linear as the vast majority of 'adventure' books, so no surprises on that count.
Introduction
The opening chapter presents a summary of the three stories, the usual White Wolf entries about theme and mood, a brief word on the protagonists and the setting. About fifteen pages long, this chapter is packed with information. We get a look on the city of Magdeburg (Shadows at court), Acre (Ashes of Outremer) and Transylvania (A call to arms); along with bits on other aspects of significance to the plot, such as the knightly Teutonic Order and the Fifth Crusade. The focus is squarely on vampires and their role throughout the setting and its timeline, which can be either a good or a bad thing depending on how your tastes run with respect to pseudo-historical games. If you're looking for a matter-of-factly recount, you will be more or less disappointed. On the other hand, the information and story seeds are more than enough to kick-start a Dark Ages game to last months.
Shadows at Court
As is the case with the two following chapters, the first story is preceded by entries on individual theme and mood, the basic plot, ways to get the characters involved and a who's who of the non-player characters. Broken down into 'Acts' (like the rest of the chronicle) Shadows at Court is the stage for Jurgen's 1211 declaration of intent to usurp Transylvania from Tzimisce hands; and of the first reactions within his own court. A goodly number of vampire dignitaries from all over Europe are there to witness the event and when a certain item goes missing, the court is cast in disarray. The player characters, for one reason or another, are brought to the fore as the people who ought to unravel the theft's mystery and gain an assortment of allies and enemies in the process. It's a classic tale of vampire politics and scheming, a good stepping-stone for things to come and a definite mood setter for the chronicle. Complaints? Again, this depends heavily on what you expect out of an 'adventure' book. The plot is linear with the player characters being able to affect not _what_ happens next, but instead _how_ it happens. Obviously, the Storyteller can alter the tide of events for his individual game, but the road as presented is narrow. Note, that this holds not only for Shadows, but for the two subsequent chapters as well.
Ashes of Outremer
In the second story, the Jurgen/Rustovich war for influence spills over to the Crusader Kingdom, following the Fifth Crusade. We get a look at the politics of the Holy Land and the city of Acre, where the first surprise lays. Though intrigue remains the meal of the day, a more spiritual mood is cast over the chronicle as the story seed of a True Cross fragment is introduced. This precious artifact had been resting in Acre, making the city inaccessible vampires prior to most of the plot. Prior, as in the course of the story the fragment is lost and the player characters are tasked with retrieving it. All in all, I found this chapter more enjoyable than Shadows, offering a wider variety of ways for the characters to get involved; ranging from knightly games, to gratuitous scheming, contact with the unfamiliar Muslim vampires and to investigative work as they hunt for the Cross.
A Call to Arms
The final story is set back in Europe, where after nearly fifteen years of build up, the war headed by the two vampire-generals is at a pivotal point. Following a decree by Hungary's mortal king that debilitates Jurgen's long term plans, the plot centers on the Ventrue's last stand against Rustovich. Shorter than the two previous stories, this is where the player characters will witness and participate in large-scale battles. The conclusion left me with mixed feelings. Characters that are painted as fanatics throughout the storyline, take pause just a step from the abyss and 'assess the situation', instead of plunging in head first, as would be the most realistic outcome.
On the whole, if you have a flair for epic, you'll probably be thrilled by A Call to Arms. In case you don't, you'll likely despise it. Personally, I was skeptical when reading the chapter. However, after running the story for my troupe and witnessing their raving reactions, I have to say that even if vampire war in-the-dozens isn't your thing, it's worth a try at least once, if for no other reason than to provide contrast for the rest of your chronicle.
Dramatic Personae & Appendix
Here we get the profiles of non-player characters from all three stories, divided by Clan. The focus is on their background and the role each plays in the storyline, with some having an accompanying drawing, full character sheet and future fate. The spotlight is on the Ventrue and Tzimisce; still, everyone who's anyone is adequately detailed. The backgrounds and motivations are both plausible and well written, and all in all this is my favorite chapter of the entire book. It also includes a small section of generic templates for minor characters (such as Teutonic knights, various Gangrel beasts and Tzimisce ghouls).
The final part of the book deals with three things. More ways to introduce the player characters into the story, story ideas to enrich the chronicle and story hooks for future adventures. Quite helpful and makes a worthy addition to the book, with one exception. It's debatable whether the chronicle can be played with the characters allying with either of the vampire warlords, as the book suggests. Should the player characters be portrayed as agents of the Tzimisce Voivode, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain suspension of disbelief when the storyline has them scoring victory after victory for Lord Jurgen, instead of somehow sabotaging him.
In summary, Under the Black Cross can be a worthy addition to your collection. It's certainly a cut above the bulk of 'adventure' books going around and carries enough weight to support a long-term chronicle. Even though it doesn't manage to avoid the usual pitfalls of such supplements, its wealth of information makes tailoring the story closer to the preferences of your troupe a relatively easy task.
Go to forum!
(Due to spamming, old forum discussions are no linked.)