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What is it?

“Tribe 8 2nd Edition Players Handbook (T8-2)” is both an upgrade of the Silhouette and OGL rules for Tribe 8 as well as a new look at the setting. Tribe 8 is a post apocalyptic horror game where the apocalypse was more spiritual than physical. It is set during a time just after humanity has been freed from its demon like slavers, The Z’bri, by eight god like creatures called Fatimas who guide humanity by dividing them into eight tribes. Tribe 8 2nd edition moves the time line forward and humanity has freed themselves from the Fatimas and destroyed most of the remaining Z’bri.

Those who are mostly interested in the differences between the two editions should skip down to extra stuff.

What is inside?

The “Tribe 8 2nd Edition Players Handbook” is less a player’s handbook and more an introduction to the setting. There are some rules in the book and you will need either “Core Rules” from Dream Pod 9 or d20 Modern as T8-2 is OGL compatible.

Chapter 1: Introduction

This is a short introduction to the game giving you a basic idea of what the setting is and how it has changed since the first edition. It than gives you some quick start information on how to start a game including: object of the game, default and advanced PCs, default and advanced antagonists, themes, recommended Silcore genre effects and new Tribe 8 specific genre effects.

Chapter 2: History

This gives a quick history of Tribe 8 from the time of the apocalypse to the 2nd Liberation and the creation of “The Nation.” Unlike most of T8-2 the history is written in first person narrative by different individuals of the setting recreating the feel of the original Tribe 8 books. It is a joy to read and keeps a lot of the mystery that was a staple of Tribe 8.

Starting with the history section one can find side bars detailing many of the items discussed in the chapters. These sections are written in both first person and standard descriptive and some of them answer questions that had been kept a secret in the original setting. Other side bars will give “hooks and tips” for adventures in Tribe 8.

Chapter 3: The Nation of the Fall

In the first edition of Tribe 8 the Eighth Tribe were outcasts of the seven tribes of the Fatimas. The Eighth Tribe has managed to rise up and free themselves from the degradation of the Fatimas and destroyed the Z’bri. They have now set up a new civilization in the city of Capal and they call it “The Nation.”

This chapter described the new social structure of Tribe 8 under the leadership of the Eighth Tribe. Everyone has a place in the new setting including tribals (those that serve the Fatimas), Keepers (those who use technology from long ago), squats (tribes of people who were never lead by the Fatimas) and serfs (former slaves of the Z’bri).

Also one can find information on family structure, the economy, politics, religion, and descriptions of the various forms of dreaming (magic).

Chapter 4: The Outlands

During the time of Fatimal rule all the Tribes were kept inside the city of Vimary. The tribes were never supposed to leave the city, never to explore the outside, or The Outlands.

This chapter describes the general area around the cities if Vimary and Capal. It has everything from descriptions of the wilderness, the great Boarhead Confederacy of squats, keepers, and Z’bri. It also includes other cities such as Hattan and the enemy nation of the Oneida.

Chapter 5: Capal, City of Days

The city of Capal use to be controlled by the demonic Z’bri. After the city of Vimary was destroyed, the tribals, lead by the Eighth Tribe, left and attacked the city of Capal killing most of the Z’bri and freeing the serfs who lived there. They have now cleared the city of the Z’bri taint and made it the new home of “The Nation.”

The chapter goes into many of the locations found in Capal and how they intersect. There is also further information of the social structure of Capal and where people live according to caste.

Chapter 6: Character Creation in Tribe 8

Character Creation gives specific detail on how to make a character in Tribe 8. It starts with quick start rules allowing you to skip spending points. Instead you assign stat and skill levels that have been predetermined at the “Adventurous” power level.

Next is a section called “Background” that breaks up many of the PC types and gives a brief description of that type along with a set of perks and flaws that are worth five characters points (normally free to the player unless the GM/Weaver decides otherwise). The “Background” types are: Eighth Tribe Member/High Tribal, Low Tribal, Keeper, Squat, and Serf.

Next is a concept which gives suggestions on what stats and skills to take for a specific occupation including: warrior, hunter, healer, dreamer, ritualist, trader, politician, police, refugee, scholar, craftsman, and spy.

Finally is information on stats, skills, and perks and flaws. There are a few new skills, perks, and flaws along with a couple revisions to fit the setting. One major variant is the two new sets of secondary stats including: spiritual stats (stats that are used in the dreaming) and socio-political stats (stats that are used in social combat).

Chapter 7: Rules

This chapter presents new Tribe 8 specific Silcore rules. We get some new rules on complexity along with weapons, items, and armor lists. The weapons and armor do have complexity ratings that can give a bonus or minus as per normal complexity rules in Silcore.

We also have drugs, combat maneuvers, mass combat, and social combat that uses the new secondary social stats presented in chapter 6.

Chapter 8: The Spiritual World of Tribe 8

The “River of Dreams” is central to the setting of Tribe 8 and this chapter describes what it is and how it is important. There are also rules on entering the River of Dream and acting in it using your character’s spirit stats.

Next, is new rules for: Synthesis (power to alter the physical realm which is used mostly by Tribals), Sundering (a more violent form of Synthesis which is used by the Z’bri, serfs, and the Oneida), and Technosmithing ( a form of Synthesis used by the Keeper to help power ancient artifacts). Some new rules have been presented to include Complexity which determines who you can affect (self, other, item, area) and the threshold determines the difficulty of the alteration (augment, alter, transform). All the powers of the dreaming from past books have been collected here.

We then get a few rules on ritual magic, spirits, and creating magic items.

Chapter 9: Weaving Tribe 8

Weaver is the Tribe 8 term for Gamemaster so this chapter deals with running a game. The advice is standard with information on finding players, themes, atmosphere, and plot.

There is some advice on using PC Guides (Guides are mystical people who held many secrets) and Tribe 8 has adopted the Dream Pod 9 chess system for NPCs which assign each NPC a chess piece to determine the importance in the game. However, there are not any NPCs presented in this book.

Chapter 10: The Story of the Eighth Tribe (metaplot)

The Tribe 8 metaplot has been one of the driving forces of the game since its conception. The setting drastically changes over time and this chapter gives you an entire summary of the entire metaplot. There is also some rules and suggestions on how to use the metaplot in your came with ideas on how to alter it.

Chapter 11: Tribe 8 Beastiery

Appendix: Modern OGL Conversion Rules

This section presents the majority of the OGL information. It starts with a revision to character creation adding the “background” step that is similar to the Silcore equivalent. There are also some conversion notes on how to use Synthesis magic.

Finally we get some notes on converting from Tribe 8 1st edition including the changes since the time of Vimary, an appendix of real world names for location in Tribe 8 (Capal = Quebec City, Vimary = Montreal) and two ugly character sheets.

What do I think of the book?

Overall, I liked the book a lot despite some serious editing gaffs. I have been playing Tribe 8 since the first edition and quickly lost interest in the game due to the metaplot, the over abundance of NPCs and lack of solid information in the books. T8-2 clears up a lot of the problems I had. It removed a lot of the flavor text but doesn’t cut it out completely. It was a good balance between narrative and descriptive text. The summary of the metaplot and answers to most of the mysteries was also helpful to keep the GM/Weaver from guessing.

T8-2 didn’t just fix the first edition but truly re-envisioned the setting so if you did not care for the original setting you might want to give the second edition another look. I love the new setting just as much as the original. However, a map of Capal instead of Vimary would have been nice. It really opens the setting up to allow the players to play anything and the Weavers to explore the setting even further.

The Silcore rules are also a nice improvement and really manage to bend Silcore to the setting. We also have some creative uses of complexity which had been lacking in other books and a streamlined version of magic/dreaming.

The two things lacking in the new book are illustrations and OGL material. The book uses the standard Tribe 8 layout which is very dark and tribal but it recycles a lot of the artwork from previous books making it difficult to envision a new world. The OGL material is sufficient but not motivated. There are couple new feats, stats for monsters, and conversion notes for synthesis. I would have liked to have seen 1 or 2 advanced classes and perhaps a couple more feats.

Who should buy the book?

Anyone who enjoyed the first edition should definitely give the book a read. Even if you don’t like the new setting it presents plenty of answers to old questions and lots of streamlined rules to incorporate into your game or if you want to play the game using d20 Modern.

Anyone who is looking for a dark game because Tribe 8 is arguably the darkest game out there. T8-2 is not as dark as the first edition but it is close.

Anyone who is looking for a fantasy setting for Silcore. Silcore is supported well by its other games Heavy Gear, Jovian Chronicles, and Gear Krieg which all have a lot of technology and mecha robots. Tribe 8 presents a much more low tech game with rules for magic.

Extra Stuff:

The Major changes between the two additions:

- No NPC stats, but the addition of the chess symbols for NPCs is added.
- Complexity rules for equipment.
- Rules for stating everything including Z’bri and Fatimas.
- Character Generation for guides, tribals, serfs, squats and keepers
- new stats and rules for social combat.
- More descriptive text, less narrative.
- Answers and summary of the metaplot, guides, hearthstones ex.
- New setting, post-liberation Capal.

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