The Nocturnal is basically a huge book of fiction with a single chapter devoted to game mechanics. It starts off with a prologue, and then goes into an introduction, then six chapters of fiction that show how Vampires and Hunters interact when they meet.
This is done through the use of journals, e-mail, notes, and other traditional means. The first Chapter shows a junkie’s encounter with a Vampire.
The second, a group of Hunters meeting with a Vampire. Suffice it to say that they jump it, it beats them pretty bad and offers them information to take down some rivals.
Chapter three provides the GM some information on things from the Vampire side. It shows a young Vampire and how it goes through its existence until it’s destroyed.
Chapter Four provides more information on the longer lived Vampires and their allies. Showcases some of the dance that goes on behind the scenes that players of the Vampire game love.
Chapter Five provides more follow up from the second Chapter as the group does some more work and tries to decide what exactly their doing. Turns out that the Vampires are of course very smart and have managed to quickly make trouble for this lot.
Chapter Six provides a different aspect of Vampire life and it concerns itself mainly with the cults that can spring up around Vampires. Unfortunately, it tires to do two things at once and ties in with Chapter Three by using the same characters.
In my opinion, these six chapters provide useful information in the forms of examples but lack any meat to actually flesh out the examples. In Chapter Six, one of the main villains, Gideon, almost seems beyond the strength of a Vampire. That’s great as far as making something new and useful to put against the players, but how exactly does he work in game terms? How would the GM recreate this individual? Don’t get me wrong. The fiction writing itself isn’t bad and would probably make a good book in and of its own terms but I’m not looking for something that’s 85% fiction and 15% game material.
It’s not until Chapter Seven that we start seeing some game mechanics put into play.
One of the more interesting possibilities raised in the book is using ghouls. Normally a Vampire can provide a ghoul with blood points that gives it augmented abilities. While it doesn’t mention if Vampires lose blood points when providing ghouls theirs, it does mention ghouled animals. This is an idea that could easily surprise most hunters who aren’t expecting any trouble for a stray. It also provides examples included the Bodyguard and the Caretaker, both concepts that can be used in many situations.
One of the biggest problems with the book outside of the fiction, is that it relies heavily on The Hunter Storytellers Companion. While it introduces many new powers, it doesn’t provide a master list. Now why provide all this fiction when the book is about using Vampires in the game? Still, Storytellers will enjoy using some of the new abilities like the ability to summon Hellfire or the ability to Warp wooden objects. Some of the rarer powers include Demon Form and Shadow Form, where the Vampire actually changes shape and ability.
Of course all of these powers would be useless without some idea on how to portray the Vampires. Here I thought the authors copped out by forcing the GMs to answer the typical writer questions of who, what, when, where, why and how. Sure, it’s always important to ask, but providing solid, detailed answers would’ve been the way to follow up those questions. It might take away a little freedom from the Storyteller, but the Storyteller might be more interested in using Vampires rather than reading fiction. Another problem that White Wolf has is maps. What does a Vampire lair look like? What are the variances like? What are their havens like?
Still, the book does provide the GM with some starting tools on how Hunters can fight and interact with Vampires and just as important to the GM, how the Vampires act and regard the Hunters. Of course, they don’t know a lot about the Hunters either. Now this is a strange thing in many aspects because the Vampires are generally much more powerful than the Hunters and should be able to drag out some basic information in terms of Creeds, abilities, and hideouts. On the other hand, since the Hunters themselves have so few definite answers, what can they really know?
Some Vampires are so bold as to even use the Hunters as minions in its own games. Most merely see them as another sort of foe and due to their age old arrogance decide to destroy them. A few paranoid ones decide to pack it up and go into hiding. They’ll outlive any threat to themselves right?
The book also provides the GM a few tips on using Vampire the Masquerade as a guideline on crafting their own creations and using some bits from the Masquerade whole cloth. The bad news though it that it doesn’t provide a lot of details on making your own vampires but rather assumes that if you need such information you’ll just pick up your VtM book.
Now do you know what the strangest thing is? No sample Vampires. Dozens and dozens of pages of fiction and not a single Vampire to use. Sure, they provide Ghouls but no Vampires? I’m sorry, but what is White Wolf thinking here?
If you thought that the slow realization that Bruce Willis had in Unbreakable was timed well and appropriate, than you’ll enjoy the slow methodology that the Hunters take in finding out about the Vampire clans and history. If you’re like me and thought that someone should’ve slapped Bruce upside the head and said, “Look, this is the deal.”, then you’re going to be reading through the fiction, scratching you’re heading going, “Man, how stupid are these Hunters.”
The book also doesn’t include enough ideas for using Vampires. How about running two campaigns? A Vampire and Hunter one on similar paths that often seem to cross but don’t until a final showdown which each player having one Vampire and one Hunter character?
The book boasts the standard two column lay out with some very good art. In the three Hunter books I’ve looked over these last few weeks, this one has the best full page illustrations breaking up the chapters. A very slick and charcoal like feel that looks like its just waiting to be painted up like the cover.
Part of my review here may be tainted a little because I do own Vampire and find the material here just obvious. Part of it may be because there is only one chapter of rules information. Part of it may be that the book needs to have a heavy revision with some more examples of actual Vampires and about three chapters less fiction.
Despite these comments though, the book is well priced and for a new GM who doesn’t own every single Hunter book and has never played Vampire, this is an essential too that’ll provide excellent examples of how to handle introducing a Vampire while showcasing their strength.
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