As their first supplement for every one of their game lines, White Wolf always produces a combination of a GM screen and an "overflow book" of information that they couldn't fit into the main rulebook. The Demon Storyteller's Companion would be about average for this type of thing, but there are a few elements that set it above the rest. Since the information herein is so diverse, I'll rate each section seperately.
The screen itself is four panels, and comes equipped with most of the charts GMs would find relevant for speedy play. If you've seen any of White Wolf's other GM screens, nothing here will come as a surprise to you -- there are weapons charts, healing times,
a Hierarchy of Sins for Torment checks, and so forth. Oddly, there's a chart for freebie point costs, but none for experience points. The players' side of the screen, has a collage of images from the game (the ones at the start of each chapter, to be exact). It's nice, but nothing special, and the fact that half of the pictures are in color wile the other half are in black and whote is a little annoying. The screen gets a 3 out of 5 from me.
But let's face it -- nobody's really buying this for the GM screen. Instead, you want to know what kind of juicy information is in the accompanying book. Well, for once, you won't be disappointed. Unlike most of its counterparts, the Demon Storyteller's Companion isn't just filler -- it's immensely helpful. To start off with, in the introduction, the authors give you a brief outline of the metaplot. That's right, the whole thing, from the arrival of the Fallen to the Apocalypse. Yeah, that's right -- Armageddon. Makes you wonder what they're planning for the rest of the WoD.... I give this section a 4 out of 5 just because, unlike most sourcebook introductions, it actually contains useful information.
Chapter One: Dark Gods tells us about the Earthbound, demons so powerful that they can't inhabit mortal bodies, but have to reside in specially prepared artifacts, called "reliquaries." This could have been cheesy, but the writers handle it quite well. First we get a brief history lesson, telling us just who the Earthbound are, how they escaped Hell ahead of schedule, and what they've been up to since then. Some of this stuff is pretty interesting -- the reasons why the Babel experiment failed, for example, or the fact that the Faith of the Earthbound's worshippers is actually warping them into the image of the pagan deities they claim to be. Then we get basic rules for the Earthbound: How to make a reliquary, how to enslave lesser demons, and how to use your immense reserves of Faith to enhance the range of your evocations so you can blow somebody up from the other side of the continent. Finally, we get a brief note on the Earthbounds ultimate goals. (Ruling the world, for starters.) I give this bit a 4 out of 5, mostly for flavor.
Chapter Two: The Factions is about, well, what it says. This starts off with a bit on how to integrate players of different factions into your campaign, but quickly moves on to the dirt on the factions themselves. And boy, do we get a lot of dirt. Personality sketches of the movers and shakers of each faction, spies and double agents, secret weapons, notes on using them as allies or enemies, and multiple possible futures -- there are enough campaign hooks here to keep a campaign going for [i]years.[/i] This is definately the best chapter of the book, and I'd love to know which of the authors worked on it. Personally, I'm guessing Greg Stolze. Whoever wrote it, I have no qualms about giving it a 5 out of 5.
Chapter Three: Lords of the Abyss gives us the skinny on greater demons, the nobility of Hell. And "skinny" is definitley the word. After the massive infodump of chapter two, this one seems kind of underwhelming. Sure, there's enough info to summon a demon lord to Earth, and to know what he can do when he gets there, but it doesn't quite have the flavor or fullness of the Earthbound chapter. That may be intentional, since it'll apparently be a while before the princes of Hell start showing up en masse, but it's still a little disappointing. In addition, some of the rules on greater demons possessing mortals are a little vague -- I'm pretty sure one of them can possess a mortal indefinitely if he has a high enough Faith rating, but I wish it were clearer. I give this chapter a 2 out of 5.
Chapter Four: The Spirit Realm gives a rundown on the history and nature of the Underworld. We learn that the land of the dead was apparently created by the rebel Slayers to save human souls from Oblivion. It was desingned by a demon named Charon -- not, however, the same Charon who reigned over Stygia for so many centuries. That guy was just some loser from ancient Mycenae, while this one was an honest-to-god fallen angel. Anyway, we also get information on the layout of the underworld, the Maelstrom, and the nature and powers of ghosts and undead. This chapter is largely what I expected -- the only disappointment is that we get no information on the much-hinted connection between Hell, the Labyrinth and Oblivion. I give it a 3 out of 5.
Finally, Chapter Five: Monsters gives us brief rules for imbued hunters, mages, vampires and werewolves. This is a little better that the equivalent sections in other Storyteller's Companions -- in addition to the typical stat blocks, we get advice on encounters and relations with each type of beastie, as well as info on pacts of Faith. To settle the inevitable debate: Imbued hunters and mages can be enthralled and possessed (and given the amount of Faith they have, you [i]really[/i] want one of these guys as a sidekick), ditto for ghouls but it doesn't break the blood bond, werewolves can be enthralled but not possessed, and vampires can't even be enthralled. This last is a litte odd -- V:TM characters have been selling their souls since the game came out. Why can't the Fallen get in on the fun? Despite this oversight, I think the chapter deserves a 4 out of 5.
Anyway, the D:TF Storytellers Companion is probably the best product of its kind that WWGS has yet published. The Factions chapter alone is worth the price of admission, and most of the other stuff is very useful as well. I hope the rest of the gameline will adhere to the same standards.
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