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Introduction
Hello Ladies and gentlemen. The verdict is in and it’s a healthy 3/5. You’ll learn more about the rating system later unless you want to skip down to the end of the review now. (Actually, not possible at the moment since I'm doing this in sections.)
Ordo Dracul is a covenant book for Vampire: The Requiem that’s meant to enlighten us as to why the Order of the Dragon (and indeed Dracula’s lasting philosophies) are viewed as an integral part of Kindred society. Relying heavily upon Rites of the Dragon, Ordo Dracul is meant to expand upon quite possibly the most popular covenant of the new game. The book covers all of this of course, but it also shows us why Kindred from the other covenants are largely superstitious when it comes to what the Order of the Dragon stands for. Kindred – as with mortals – largely fear what they don’t understand. When the other covenants (who're largely unfamiliar with the Dragons) hear about how these Kindred can actually stand against some of the universal curses that cripple all Kindred, they don’t know what to think. This heightened mystique suits the members of the Ordo Dracul fine. While one branch of their number is charged with more political concerns, many of them would rather just move on with their experiments, helping the covenant to become an embodiment of a classic secret society. The book is portrayed in a very tense cloak & dagger flavor, no doubt to highlight the Covenant’s Neo Victorian style. On one hand, the Ordo Dracul is very much shown as a fantastically large and diverse secret society that would fit snugly into any Victorian game for the World of Darkness, complete with gentlemen’s clubs where the chaps come to talk shop and bullshit about their latest achievements, yet on the other hand, there’s an undoubtedly unifying arterial heartbeat that not only gives life to the Covenant at large, but also gives a driving purpose –though that purpose is as much about unquenched vengeance as much as it is transcendence. In the eyes of many Dragons, learning the Coils – and partially defeating the curses they have – is as much about transcendence as it is sticking their middle finger up for God to see and take note of. This defiance runs deep within the Covenant, though not so deep as to cripple it.
Despite what some people have said about this book, it does cover transcendence, just not in a way we’d expect. The Great Work as its called, often times comes off as a more of a philosophical prospect that's nearly as indefinable as the roads that leads to it, but the entire concept still works wonders to solidify the Order's diverse membership, at least on a more local level.
For the most part, Dracula' defiance of God has permeated the individual Rites of the Ordo Dracul. Multiple sects exist in various places in American & Europe that view Dracula's writings in different lights. These factions have more or less all warmed to the fact that through change, God is challenged; through the Coils, he is defied. I'm ok with this, even though I really wasn't expecting the existence of God to be a given. I will say these views tie the Covenant together on a spiritual level, and the common goal of ascendancy serves to reinforce the overall feeling of working for a unified purpose even if the Great Work is a highly personal Endeavour.
With such a diverse group of Kindred all trying to achieve the same thing through their own personal purviews, it may be difficult for the reader to grasp how these Kindred actually stick together. Indeed, how doesn’t' a gathering of such Kindred just go their own ways or tear each other apart due to crossed wires? Through a series of induction rituals, status gathering and bravado, that' how. Eventually, up-and-coming Kindred will secure mentors. Through this union of mentor and student, a bond of trust is formed. As the Covenant has an elaborate structure of status and accomplishment, a chain of students and mentors is formed up through the ranks. Where a mentor might have a student under him, he may well be a student to someone himself, who could even be under someone else. This secular bond holds the covenant together on a local level and sometimes on a more regional stage as well.
There are some facets of the book I don't like. For instance, for a covenant that relies heavily on results and proof, why do almost all Dragons put so much faith in the tarot card system at the entry level for new inductees? I like its inclusion on some level, but to claim that almost all members put at least some stock in this personality test simply doesn't work fro me. Also, in one section, we're told that after a certain war, the entire European 'branch’ of the Ordo Dracul goes back to being a secret society among Kindred society while the Dragons of America stay out in the open. The problem with this is that the author(s) doesn't take any steps to truly back this statement up, much less turn it into a Storyteller's tool. Some of the bloodlines aren't all that useable, and the Allies and Antagonists section has some cock-ups that should've been thought about before they ever saw print. Despite these shortcomings though, I still believe the book is very good and is a worthy book of the Requiem game line.
What This Book Really Does
Ordo Dracul gives an in-depth look at what the Order of the Dragon has grown into in the absence of Dracula and his brides. The Rites of the Dragon by Greg Stolze influences the book heavily and as such, you'll find plenty mention of it here, so I'd suggest buying that book as well. I personally rate Rites of the Dragon with a strong 4/5, if you’re wondering. The structure of the Ordo Dracul is laid bare for us in the book and indeed, at least half the book is dedicated to the delving into its unique setup.
Since the Ordo Dracul is largely based on the work of Dracula (and to a lesser extent, his bridges now in torpor, dead, or rumored to be running about), you won't find hardly any flexibility in the status and rank system that plays such a integral part of the Covenant, but since the status and rank system is so large, finding a place to roost shouldn't be hard for any players.
The Order itself is presented to us as a secretive society-turned-covenant complete with colorful titles that serve as a measure of station, respect, and even a partial language of sorts for when members are in danger. I find the title section refreshing but cumbersome to read as it's quite in-depth – so much so that it confused even some of the writers of the book as many of the titles in the book are wrong judging by the translation guide we're given.
There's a healthy variety of factions within the covenant that I'll break down later on for your benefit. These factions came about due to differing interpretations of the Rites of Dracula to more regional concerns like warring with the Circle of the Crone. The authors even added an Asian faction and I for one am happy about; its tenets seemingly go against the mainstream thinking of the Covenant but nonetheless, they still manage to grasp the essence of the Ordo Dracul.
The history of the Ordo Dracul is a bit vague. I suspect this is on purpose so that Storytellers can add their own ideas to the mix if the need arises. One of the major turning points for the European side of the Covenant was WWII. After the war, it’s said that the European branch of the covenant went underground, once again becoming the secret society it was in the Victorian Era. While I find this a grand notion, we're not given much else on the issue. Since the New World branches seem to have stayed in the open – and since the book is actually written for a 'known' covenant – I can only assume that this statement may have slipped under radar or is a plot of sorts for a future book.
Fleshing out the book are the bloodlines, powers, allies and antagonists. I'm both impressed and depressed by the bloodlines and their powers, mainly because many players simply won't consider using them for one reason or another -and let's be honest, bloodlines should be usable mostly by players and to a lesser degree by Storytellers alone. The Allies and Antagonists section finishes off the book. There are some great concepts there, but be warned, more than one of these concepts need 'revising' before they should be considered for use.
Who’s Buying?
This book is part of a series of book which I'm going to call Essentials. Since we're in the first edition phase of Requiem, this book falls into the category of the Essentials –for Storytellers anyway. It's a great tool that's meant to flesh out the core facets of the Ordo Dracul, and that it does. Storytellers planning on running with the Dragons in their games need to pick up this book, simple as. The book is written in an easily digestible style too, so players won't have a problem thumbing through it and picking up tips and tricks for making a Dragon character. I'll go so far as to say that I'm going to make my players read some sections of this book before they play a Dragon so they can get into the flow. Even though I'd like to see the book gives us more toolbox options, I still stand firm and say it's a purchase worth making for both Storytellers and players. I'd buy it again, given the chance and need.
Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers!
Introductory Fiction: Dragon Fire
Dragon’s Fire is a piece of fiction that's a bit hard to grasp, metaphorically speaking. This is because it makes full use of the lexicon in the book and it's a lesson for Dragons who don't pull their weight or put a level of trust in those that they're supposed to. Do me a favor and skip it for now. Don't read it until you're at least halfway through the book. By that time, you'll understand what's going on here and what’s to learn from it. Ideally, I would've liked to see this fiction at the back of the book as epilogue of sorts. I liked the touch the authors used when referring to the mysterious feel of things and the reasons why they happen; indeed, the Dragon's Tail is long and twisted -and not above curling back on itself should it feel like it. A word of warning to those people who have color perception difficulties; the fiction is set on a rough texture paper that's pink with light red type.
Introduction Proper
The Introduction to Ordo Dracul is rock solid but worn on the edges. The mood and theme covered here are fantastic reads that serve to set the stage for the rest of the book's more exploratory side. The Introduction is tantalizing without grabbing your balls and making you squeal. A lot of books that broach new ground like this book try to cram too much information into the Introduction section; receiving an info dump within the first coupe of pages can ruin a book. The regular bases are covered here with an added rank and title section that's used throughout the book to uncover how powerful a Kindred is as well as what his level of status is.
For theme we have discovery and skepticism. This truly works for the Ordo Dracul in all kinds of gloriously hip ways. Leaning heavily upon Victorianism, this Covenant's write-up has a mixture of bold English determination with a pseudo-scientific eye for research and discernment that's woven into the very fabric of the Covenant at hand. I honestly don't think the Ordo Dracul could've been presented in any other light –and if it was, the Covenant wouldn't have been done justice.
A mood of unsettling fear of the unknown mixed with mad scientific livelihood makes this book rock. The fact that any method can and does receive recognition as long as it produces results is a masterstroke. To bring any kind of regular science or untested crazy scientific ideal to the table and use them to achieve the desired results kicks almighty ass folks. We're talking about anything derived from the spiritual movement in England from the Victorian Era to some Dr. Frankenstein shiznit and the like. I'm getting all tingly just typing about it. The fear of the unknown injects a degree of giddy expectancy into members of the Covenant and since many of them have conquered some of their fears through the Coils using these methods, jumping in the deep end is a testament to the resolve of the Ordo Dracul as a whole.
The Rank and Title section – while enlightening – leaves something to be desired. The idea is great, don't get me wrong. Making a verbal version of the old secret handshake routine of shadowy organizations is a must here, but unfortunately, there are multiple instances within the very explanation process of the titles where the translation system falls on its face due to improper use. Mistakes will happen at the end of the day however, so oh well. For a real mind bender, read the title of the person on the back cover of the book and then read what he's saying.
The Lexicon of the Ordo Dracul needed to be bigger. Even going by the fact that almost every term takes up 2-5 lines lends credit to this fact. I feel that while most of the important terms were covered, the major terms like the names of the major faction or sect could've been added as well. Space problems were likely to blame here, if anything.
Chapter One: A History of the Ordo Dracul
Chapter one is a short chapter, coming in at just nine pages. But oh my, what a grand nine pages they are. First and foremost, we're told that the further from the present we go into the history of the Ordo Dracul, the less verifiable the truth becomes. I can't stress how important a Storyteller's tool this is. This paves the way for anything we do as Storytellers and lets us have as much impact upon the history of the Ordo Dracul as we want to. And the statement above helps to reinforce the fact that these games are made for us to mold. This history chapter expands a lot on the Rites of the Dragon. You can read about the brides here and we’re given theories about what happened to them as well as where they are now. I will say that in some cases, their own history may not bold well for the Covenant as time wears on. Whenever the founding leaders of a covenant are rumored to be dead or have deserted their institution, what manner of foreshadowing shall we believe it to be?
You can also find multiple theories about Dracula and rumors of him having a clan. A lot of theory is found here from the brides being the beginning of his secret clan to him not really having a clan at all. Mindful readers will realize that this section is actually a toolkit section meant to give them a variety of possible conclusions to come to. Hurrah.
Dragon History
This history of the Ordo Dracul is tricky at best and a bunch of different tales and stories at worst. This is on purpose of course, as having Dracula travel a lot in the early nights gives the authors a lot of room to work with. The time Dracula spent with the Circle of the Crone is expanded on a bit here, and it seems his time with them had a definite influence on the Ordo Dracul back in the early days of the Covenant's history. Rumors abound of mentor witches teaching their students Cruac alongside the Coils for more than a century. What ultimately comes of this, you might ask? It's left up to you to deicide. I will mention that one of the factions of the Ordo Dracul that resides in Eastern Europe actually hunts the Circle of the Crone in their domains. Maybe the two are related, maybe not. The point is, we're given options and the history's left open. Those two parts are integral to a good write-up.
Four events shaped the history of the Ordo Dracul. After Dracul laid out the plans for his covenant, he slipped into torpor. This situation left three women with three very different views on things in charge of the new branches of the Ordo Dracul. Dracula was the only person that tied them together -after he went to sleep, they scarcely knew what to do with themselves. In the early nights, the Ordo Dracul went through a dark age for around 300 years as it tried in vein to come together with some sort of unified purpose. Eventually, with the advent of the early Victorian Era, the Dragons found themselves in the midst of a scientific revolution. The Dragons became organized and the Covenant began the long road of formalizing themselves with the rest of Kindred society in most civilized nations. Little did they know that Bram Stoker's book was about to be published. The Victorian Era brought a river of ideas and theories that flooded out in the open that inspired any scientist who thought himself worth his weight in sand to begin experiments that –at best – could be considered farcical. The fact that many of the would-be Einsteins carried out their experiments on themselves as much as others showed a level of dedication (and dare I say, desperation) unheard of in previous recent times. The fact of the matter was, this happened on a massive scale; in some cases this vigor carried over into the other areas of society which created a fan base of sorts around various occult 'findings', thus the massive influx of many secret societies. The idea of being a secret society came as second nature to the Ordo Dracul and many members no doubt sought out mortal sects to see if they were onto anything useful in the Kindred's pursuit of the Great Work. This decision by the Ordo Dracul served to cement the Covenant into a unified presence –even if it was a secret one.
The Book
Bram Stoker's novel was a shock for almost all Kindred society. Hardly anyone would've thought that knowledge of their existence would become so widely known. In fact, many Kindred's perceptions on the subject were actually skewed due to the nature of the writing of the book. Many Kindred naturally assumed that Stoker was influenced by Kindred in one way or another. Even greater was the surprise that the vast majority of humanity cast the notion of the vampire directly into the realms of fantasy after reading the fiction. By some miraculous feat, the Masquerade became more secure than it ever had before. Of course, this didn't stop some individuals who – for whatever reason – bore a grudge from using the convenient 'vampire' hoax as a scapegoat for their own problems. The solidification of the Masquerade also didn't stop other covenants from looking directly at the Ordo Dracul and demanding an immediate explanation – an explanation I might add that largely consisted of shrugged shoulders and worried glances at the door. This reason above many others served as a catalyst that drove the Ordo Dracul deeper into their secretive ways, though for the most part, they still stayed visible for another century or so.
A Wyrm’s Trickery?
I’d like to pause here to give the reader another theory that the book doesn't hint at. What if Dracula himself actually talked to Bram Stoker? What if he orchestrated the whole thing and actually viewed the entire situation as nothing more or less than an experiment to judge humanity's reaction to his kind? Sure, some of it would still be made up; Dracula himself might've penned some of it. Did he know enough about the budding civilized world to believe that such a book would actually reinforce the fact that vampires were nothing more than a myth? Who knows? Such an experiment would be rated among the heights of the greatest achievements by any Dragon were it to work; the fact that the book served to push the myth of the vampire to the back of peoples' minds Through showing them that vampires exist in a fantasy setting would be one glorious mind fuck. And the person who did it, well … would you say his experiment failed, if it was one to begin with? By the end of the Victorian Era the Ordo Dracul was thriving. Their customs and traditions paved the way for them as a covenant to be reckoned with –through their Coils did they gain the powers to back up that claim. Far from understanding the Covenant more, the other covenants – who used to view the Ordo Dracul as a mishmash of crack-potted philosophies and new kids on the block – began to see proof that these new Kindred meant business. They could break some of the curses of the undead form and that more than anything got the backs up of the others –especially the Lancea Sanctum (personal opinion, think about it though). As new technology and advances in medicine and science were being elevated by society, so to were the Dragons forging their own paths through the darkness that had shrouded the entirety of the Kindred population for millennia. They were making a stand against God's own work and they were doing it through every means they could get their hands on. They would not be denied no matter the cost, even if it meant their very unlives. This, ladies and gentlemen, was the true Covenant of the times.
The Tail, Cut
But even they – the Great Order of the Dragon – could fall, and fall they did along with many of the other covenants during the World Wars. World War II crippled the European Dragons –a wound they still haven't recovered from even in these modern nights. The Ordo Dracul put a lot of stock in Wyrm Nests all around Eastern Europe. These Wyrm Nests, or, places of raw natural power of the world, came together at junctions due to various happenstances. When the Germans rolled over Europe, untold amounts of knowledge, places, and powerful members were lost forever to the Order along with these places of import. Add to this the fact that Hitler outlawed freemasonry, and the Order was in trouble. After heavy losses on all fronts, the European Order receded into their secretive ways once again while their American cousins stayed in the open as a full-fledged covenant. If you're wondering how the European branched of the Ordo Dracul actually continued to work under the noses of other Kindred, - even taking members from them – don't worry, you're not the only one. Sadly, this massive underground movement isn't explained any further in the book. Ordo Dracul is mostly written with the Ordo Dracul as a covenant out in the open and taking on the world through mad scientific skills, so I can only guess that the information within applies largely to the more visible of the Covenant. This might be a glaring inconsistency or a ploy for a book later on; we’ll see.
Chapter Two: Unlife in the Ordo Dracul
This is easily the best chapter in the book. If you want to know why and how the Ordo Dracul does what it does, read this chapter and soak it up. If it was a woman on the roll, I’d pay double for the time, ok? Unlife in the Ordo Dracul helps the reader understand why the Order exists. It starts by telling the reader the most important things Dragons keep in mind in their nightly unlife, such as why perception, change and the constant study of both is such an integral part of their society. A quote if I may; “Change without purpose is chaos, and chaos is the woodland of the Beast.” The allure of the entire Covenant is tied up in that quote. If you plain on playing a Dragon in a game, live and breath this shit -hell, staple it to your head so when you feel the pain, you’re reminded of how to play a Dragon.
Ascendance and Morality
The subject of ascendance – despite what various other reviews have mentioned about it – is covered in this book. The Great Work as it’s called describes nothing more or less than the process that Dragons go through to reach ascendance. The last piece of the puzzle isn’t in the box though, because it’s such a highly personal role-playing mechanic; trying to put a label on personal ascendance would do it an injustice because its just as malleable as the roads that potentially lead to it. Pay attention to the Methodology section. It’s small (only a page or so), but it’s vitally important when trying to understand why the methods Dragons use are so diverse but still accepted. This harks back to the Victorian roots when the Covenant regrouped and explored tons of different theories and never actually stopped the practice. In these pursuits, a Kindred’s Morality and ethics really do change, and it’s often a change for the worse, though it’s not viewed as such, per se. It seems that sacrifice is part and parcel of the greater individual mindset of Dragons, especially those upon the path of the Great Work.
Wrym Nests
One of the major avenues Dragons use in their research and development of Coils are Wyrm’s Nests. Wyrm Nests are fonts of power (Loci in Werewolf: The Forsaken, at least most of the time). Dragons can use these nests for a wide variety of reasons, be they powerful bargaining chips with other supernatural beings or places of mediation where Dragons can learn certain Coils more easily due to the nature of the essence these places provide. A place where blood was splattered everywhere due to a battle or accident could lower a dragon’s difficulty in learning the Coil of Blood. The most interesting part of the Wyrm Nest section is how the Ordo Dracul categorizes them. The Dragons can only use certain types of Nests, most of which are emotionally charged rather than spiritually orientated, and most tend to be places where bad things have happened. Some Nests are classified as very dangerous while others are noted as being haunted. I will mention something that my eye caught here that I think you should know about. In this section, it says that Wyrm Nests that give off the feeling of life, vibrancy or benign feelings slip below the Dragons’ notice. It strikes me as a bit odd because I would’ve thought that a covenant who seeks to throw open the doors of death and ascend to some divine state would seek out vibrant and dynamic nests to better understand why their bodies work against such power. I personally think the author was saving some nests for Mage players. Bastard. :P Also on the subject of Wyrm Nests, there’s a section on the Underworld. Why – on page 46 – does it state that such nests actually help when using disciplines when near a Nest that has a gate to the Underworld? I can come up with plenty of ideas of course, but each one is crazier than the last. I wouldn’t have such a problem with this if we were told why Kindred using Dominate have an easier time around these Nests (even when the ‘gateway’ isn’t open) or even given a hint on the subject. Follow-up on these statements is a must, folks. It says that some haunted Nests may be powerful enough to have gateways into ‘the Underworld’. Even if these gateways aren’t open, they still let Kindred have an easier time using certain Disciplines. I’m actually quite fascinated by this, but the author fails to tell us why any of this is really possible, much less plausible. Developed further, this is an excellent necromantic joygasm just waiting to quiver me bones. Oh yeah, and how would vampires get there? Do these gates to the Underworld just open up? Can Kindred just walk on through? Can whatever’s in there just walk on out? Can nasties open the gateway from the other side? …Ok, I’ll stop. Promise.
Coils
Onto the Coils! First, you can’t diablerize someone for their Coils. This is important, as Coils aren’t Disciplines. Coils are developed through various methods by rigorous training and research where a Kindred prepares herself and forces her body to change. This is as much to do with control over their blood as it is to do with the power of will. In other words, it’s not easy to develop Coils; once you learn them, they’re always on (unless they’re a changeable or mutable one). Saying that, many Kindred look favorably upon Disciplines as they help in the preparation process where the Great Work is concerned. I like this idea because even though Coils are viewed as more important tools to the Dragons than Disciplines, they still acknowledge the usefulness of Disciplines. Some of the trials to learn Coils are truly great as well. They show just how much toil Dragons are willing to put themselves through in order to learn the secrets to breaking the curses that bound them.
A Large Covenant
On the subject of size, I believe the size of the Ordo Dracul’s structure to be large, perhaps too large for any regular cities. With three main branches tied together inside the Order, without one of these branches (the Axe, Dying Light, or Mysteries), the structure would hobble alone as if a cripple. Even having two or three members of each branch won’t solve the problem because there are a lot of titles of import within the Order that - when unfulfilled – will hamper the local Covenant in varying degrees (usually quite badly), depending on which titles are absent. In a way, this is the exact problem the Ordo Dracul came across during its dark ages in history; when the Sworn don’t work together, their overall strength is greatly diminished. This situation would indicate that many Dragons travel much more than previously thought. Being seekers of mystery and explorers to boot, they travel for a great many things. If they had solid relations with the neighboring city, they might actually travel in patterns throughout the year. Being seekers of mystery and explorers to boot, they’d travel for a great many things and may even travel in circuits sometimes to do follow-ups on some individual Lesser Works.
The Sworn
The Sworn of the Dragon is split into three branches; the Sworn of the Axe, the Sworn of the Dying Light and the Sworn of Mysteries. Through Dracula’s own mandate did these branches of the Ordo Dracul come to hoary life, and with out his work so long ago, they’d fall. Dracula wove each branch of his covenant into the other –in essence, he bound their fates together so that without each other, none of them could work on their own for any great length of time. True, each branch of Sworn has its own titles, duties, and dealings, but each branch also performs an integral part of the Covenant that – when not present – hinders the remaining groups involved and could even break the Academy of a city wide open. The setup of the Sworn is sound (even if one of their number needs more development). Each group takes care of a part of the bigger picture that is the local ‘Academy’ or coven, if you will, and since each is a master in their own areas, power struggles aren’t so vicious as they may be elsewhere with other covenants, unless the line is blurred about who’s duty it is to actually cover some facet of the larger Requiem. I’ll show you below.
One of the greatest indirect advantages for other covenants is that the various Sworn Branches usually fight over who’s authority takes precedence. If an Academy (albeit a large one due to the nature of the Order) was to find itself on harmonious terms with itself for any length of time, it would surely be a powerful force to reckon with, no matter the city it were to occupy.
The Sworn of the Axe
The Sworn of the Axe acts as a stopgap against those things that would hurt the Covenant and its members. For instance, if an Academy was attacked, it would be the duty of all Axe Sworn to join the fray and protect the other Dragons – even if it means putting their life on the line. They are charged with the Ordo Dracul’s protection, security and defense. They view these charges with a certain pleasure more often than not. Woes betide the Kindred who makes an enemy of an Axe Sworn; they tend to have a vengeance streak a mile wide and aren’t just inducted into their station due to their physical brawn. Many of them are skilled tacticians that study entire covenants within a city to find weaknesses and strengths. Their more common duties could be guarding Wyrm Nests, important figures and convoys, but more times than not, these duties are for the newly inducted who need to prove their worth. Though not really expounded on very much in the book, I can certainly see their jobs extending into hit squads, counter intelligence and spy games within other covenants. The Axe-Sworn section is written well but it needs a bit more inspirational writing to really get readers to look past the badass stereotype that may stick out.
The Sworn of the Undying Light
Judges, Pathway Blazers and Coil Masters, the Sworn of the Undying Light are the heart of the Ordo Dracul. First and foremost, the Undying Light presides over arguments within the Covenant. The Sworn of the Undying Light dictate when someone is right or wrong with a particular grievance within the Ordo Dracul and after they’re done with the matter, the case is considered closed; if someone has a problem with that, they better make their explanation phenomenally good. The Majority of the Great Work comes from the Sworn of the Undying Light. From being expected to make new headway into the Great Work to learning the mythical 4th Coils, these Sworn have a lot to do. Though only marginally hinted at, it was these Sworn who likely blazed a great many paths into the Victorian times to bring the Covenant to new heights of enlightenment. Because of their charge, the Sworn of the Undying Light are the Kindred who keep tabs on all the different paths the Dragons seek to learn and study. If a Dragon becomes a supplicant to those beings deemed supernatural and who seek to subvert the Dragon through his body, mind, or soul, that Dragon responsible for such transgressions will be punished, and the judges don’t hesitate with the order. I think the Undying-Sworn are the best write-up here. They’ve been fleshed out and the descriptions of their various duties are covered well. You get a real feel for this expansive group and I think the ability to portray that is essential. Good job.
The Sworn of Mysteries
The Mystery-Sworn are savvy political analysts, Leaders of the Future and Seers of the Unknown. When Dracula set out the rules of the Covenant, he placed the Mystery Sworn in charge of leading the Ordo Dracul into the future, to pilot a course among the stars and keep the prodigal ship afloat despite its failings. The Mystery Sworn complete the triangle of the Order’s true power structure and in a way, they’re the true leaders of the Covenant because their work keeps the Ordo Dracul safe in the social arena of sharks (when they do their job, that is). The Sworn of Mysteries aren’t all about social plotting of course, but they tend to be the front line, socially. Through their work does the Covenant move forward and stay cohesive within the local political setup of Kindred. Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but ah, we’re sort of missing some vital information here. Remember when I said the European branch of the Order mostly went underground and considers itself as not actually existing? This would have been a really good (I would consider it a mandatory) place to tell the reader how these guys actually work in Europe. When I say they’re charged with the social arena, I don’t mean that the Mystery Sworn are basically PR guys for the Covenant; it’s just that their pursuits – that being leading the Ordo Dracul into the future – leads them into that direction which is explained in the book. But since we’re not given any real info about how the Mystery-Sworn go about this –to say nothing of how they work their magic in the Old World where they mostly ‘don’t exist’, we’re left with a sort of generic explanation of their duties which doesn’t sit well with me.
Unfortunately, that generic explanation continues with the Mystery-Sworn’s other important duty. The Sworn of Mysteries are seers. Through a complicated mindset, they enter torpor to try to divine mystical information supposedly locked there. They believe that the greater Kindred subconscious (when those Kindred are in torpor) is locked there and for the Mystery Sworn to be able to unlock such a powerful resource, well, it would surely help in their charge. Sadly, this isn’t explained in any detail either. There’s tremendous potential here folks. If you’ve read Rites of the Dragon, you would know that Dracula was actually going to enter torpor voluntarily to glean its secrets directly. This plotline alone when linked to Sworn of Mysteries could’ve rocked this section. The tarot system that’s found elsewhere could be toned down a little and be used exclusively by the Mystery Sworn to discern the future of the people of the Covenant and manipulate those people – even if they’re Sworn Dragons – onto greater achievements, acting as a kind of helpful watcher – or when looked at from the flipside – a wrathful demon if they find the Dragon to be unworthy. There’s so much that could be done with the Mystery Sworn, but alas, we’re not even really inspired by the text to think about other ways to really use them. Inspirational writing is a key factor to making a book like this read well because you have a limited space to work with. Why does that matter? Because you can only hint at the larger facts of the Covenant in question and you have to make the most of what you write. I’m just not feeling the same vibe here as I do with the other Sworn.
Roughing It
Now that you know a little bit about each branch of the Sworn, you can see how difficult it could be to have an Ordo Dracul presence in all but the largest cities. Take into consideration that – with each of these branches – there are multiple titles and ranks for each. With all of these branches, the only way to move up the ladder within the Order is to have those above you basically say you’re good enough (or pull some classic vamp politik, but even then, see my next point). What if those Dragons above you aren’t high enough themselves to grant that permission? What if all the Sworn of Mysteries in a particular Academy die? Who would carry on plotting the Covenant’s course in that city? As you can see, the Ordo Dracul’s strength (its three heads, if you will) is also its greatest weakness. I advise Storytellers to think about the size of their chronicles if they add the Ordo Dracul to the mix and maybe limit player’s interactions with the covenant to only one branch unless they’re actually playing a character within the Ordo Dracul.
Regional Rites
The Ordo Dracul is a diverse lot. Kindred from all over the world are in the Covenant, but this begs the question that if covenants in general aren’t connected on a global scale, how do all these Kindred follow the dictations of Dracula with any degree of accuracy or respect to the core ‘cause’? The overly simplistic answer is, “They don’t.” Regional interpretations have taken root and become quite popular. From the Damascene Rite in Paris that puts obedience above most regular duties to the Wallachian Rite in London that seeks to uphold the Rites of the Dragon the most, these Rites are all over the planet, but only a few of them are actually recognized by the Covenant as an entity (Note that the cities named are only a couple of places where these Rites likely exist). What Rite an Academy follows is up to the Dragons that populate that region unless the decision was made before a particular Dragon’s time. This brings up a very important question about how covenants first begin in cities. If an Ordo Dracul Academy is started up in Memphis, Tenn, who would start the Academy up? More importantly, how many Dragons would start up the Academy? One Kindred alone isn’t enough. If Dragons from surrounding cities decide to move to the new place for to vie for power, what kind of tension would this create in the city they’re leaving? If there’s an established structure where they’re currently occupying, would such a move not cripple the already weakened Covenant?
We’re not given any of that information of course (or guidelines on how to go about such a move), but I still believe the Rites are a step in the right – and necessary – direction. They bring a different point of view to the Covenant which serves to keep the Ordo Dracul – as a whole – on its collective toes.
I’d like to bring up Dracula’s homeland for a minute in relation to these Rites because while the Rites themselves are presented in a semi-uniformed way, they still act like bitter rivals when it suits them. For years, multiple Rites have fought each other to take over Dracula’s homeland in the hope that by sheer landownership, their particular view on things would be absolute. This is a rather ludicrous notion of course, but nothing other than a hard lesson will come of it. Another question comes to mind. How do all these Kindred know each other from different Rites in the Old World if they’re not supposed to exist? If they’re fighting each other, how do they know each other to begin with? …now you see my former point on those Sworn of Mysteries, eh?
Clan Membership
About three pages of the book are dedicated to showing how the various clans may work within the Ordo Dracul. While some of this section is pretty easy to figure out, it still serves as a refresher of sorts. The section also tells us why the clans may join the Order. This is a great resource, maybe not for people already familiar with the game, but for new people who are just getting a feel for the Covenant. A point that needs stressing sometimes, I think.
Covenant Views
The Covenant Views section is stellar for mostly all readers. It doesn’t just cover what the Ordo Dracul thinks of the other covenants, this section also shows us what the other covenants think of the Order. Don’t make the mistake in thinking that this is a vague section meant to fill some word count, either. If a Storyteller’s going to build a city where the Ordo Dracul is present, I highly advise them to read this section to soak up the views presented.
We’re not just presented with various views here though, and I’m glad for that. The author has taken a step back and thought about this area in a more of a universal light, showing us what could happen in various situations. This kind of writing is great because by presenting this information, new readers can get a feel for just what can happen with the covenants. Reading the introduction paragraph here, I find myself smiling because it confirms one of my earlier theories. A quote, if I may; “Young Dragons who have formed a particular idea of what it means to be ‘Carthian’ or ‘Acolyte’ are encourage to take correspondence from Dragons dwelling in other areas (or, if they are particularly brave travel to meet them) and see how a change of venue and history warps the ideal.” This confirms to me that travel in general is viewed positively within the Ordo Dracul for those who wish to chance it. Oh, and if you’re looking through the book for this section and you can’t seem to find it, pay attention the bottom of the pages. You’ll eventually see covenant symbols depicting the pages that house the covenants’ materials.
Wrapping up the chapter is a continuation of views both on the other smaller covenants and the other supernatural beings of the night. Pay particular attention to the Ghost section, as it speaks more on why vampires who become servants to ghosts or Demons have short life spans within the Ordo Dracul.
Chapter Three: Ordo Dracul and the Danse Macabre
Besides the lame mention of the Discipline Potence (on page 103, which is used in Vampire: The Masquerade, not Requiem), this chapter is ok with the exception of the tarot card business.
The Paths of Fate
Chapter Three covers the humdrum of the Order, its guts and organs if you will, in relation to how the Ordo Dracul functions. This is a chapter of contrasts to me, because I really don’t see the need for some of it. The Paths of Fate are described as personality tests, quasi-psychological or spiritual endeavors and even psycho-spiritual gauges of Kindred. We’re to believe that most of the covenant uses tarot cards to determine the fate of its members and these tests with tarot cards (playing up the Virtue and Vice angle) are a kind of window to a Kindred’s preordained path in life. Now, I’ll come out and say I personally feel this section could’ve been use more constructively. As is, I’ll never use it. Why? Because I can’t bring myself to believe that the majority of the Ordo Dracul – a covenant built on proof of tested theory, be it from the supernatural, spiritual, or otherwise – puts a substantial amount of belief (enough to implement such tests on a broad scale, ) in such an unverifiable and ultimately unprovable series of trials. The idea behind the tests is great – to be able to effectively utilize one’s inner self is a good gaming concept and I’m not advocating dumping it, but it’s a very personal matter, knowing one’s Virtue and Vice (and I don’t think many people actually know themselves that well) and I fear that through these tests - by walking the Paths of Fate, the personal nature of the character’s Virtue and Vice is lost. These tests are meant to glean one’s very inner soul and we’re meant to believe that many Kindred in the Order put so much stock into this system that they let a Kindred’s fate card actually dictate interaction with that particular Kindred. Can some good role-play come of the inclusion of this system into the game? Yeah, I’m sure it could, but I’m not personally prepared to use it as a normal part of the Covenant by any means. It’s a great idea, but such a large scale belief in such a system – especially in this covenant – simply doesn’t work for me.
The Hierarchy
The Ordo Dracul has a rigid hierarchy. Multiple positions and titles mixed within three different branches of the Covenant can be really confusing. Now imagine that some Dragons can be Sworn or Unworn –meaning that some Dragons have sworn an oath to one of those main branches and some haven’t. Those Kindred who don’t swear an oath are always of lower rank and stature than the Sworn who – by rights of oath – are above the Unsworn. It sounds a bit complicated, but it really fits the Mentor-Protégé setup well. Add to that the fact that orders can and do get contradicted – with the added choice to ignored one order in favor of a more appeasing one – and we have a steaming pile of plot hooks just waiting to get stuck into us. The main problem I see with such a well rounded and built up structure of social, scholastic and militarily-minded values is that some cities simply won’t be able to cater to such an elaborate system. London, New York, Paris – these cities are great for the Ordo Dracul, but unless the Covenant runs a city, the structure isn’t going to stand on it’s own with any degree of astuteness. Eventually titles will overlap because there just isn’t enough people to fill the vital roles that they system needs to work which will cause untold hassle out-of-game, where the ST will have to make snap decisions about particular rulings. And that complicates an already extensive system, even if it does rock in theory.
Obedience and Disobedience
Obedience and disobedience are often very subjective when it comes time to playing your hand within the Ordo Dracul. Do you do what a high ranking Unsworn asks or do you do what a low ranking Sworn says? By Order law, the Sworn trumps the Unsworn no matter their status, however, the Unsworn could be 200 years older than the Sworn; by denying his ‘request’, you may find yourself in a world of hurt. So, for Storytellers who’re planning on using the Ordo Dracul in their chronicles, they had better do a little planning beforehand and work out just what titles and ranks are filled. If the city isn’t quite large and can’t support such a structure, the Storyteller may want to overlap some titles or create a two-city compromise where part of the local Ordo Dracul is in one city while the other part is in the secondary city.
On the subject of disobedience, as with any rigid structure like this, some members are appointed to police or judge the rest –not so much in a Big Brother fashion, but in more of a judicial way. There aren’t really cops in the Ordo Dracul per se (unless you try to leave the Order); instead, current members assume the role of a Judge on a panel of sorts made up of various members of different rank. When a complaint or challenge is raised, these members come together to sort the situation out. Given that certain specifically undead-challenged rules apply to some of these meetings (like coming to a Hearing at 12:00 noon), Dragons are encouraged to not waste the Covenant’s time with small arguments that are better settled in private. It’s a judicial system with balls; I like it.
Cheery Pie
Chapter Three also has a special piece of pie in it that I’d like to see in every covenant book that’s made. The author explains the status system from within the Covenant’s point of view. From telling us what each dot of Status really means to what duties and expectations go along with them, this section is a fantastic resource that’s useable by any Storyteller or player. The author explains the benefits of each level as well; it’s a great addition for potential Dragon players seeking to play their parts within a covenant game properly. As if that wasn’t enough, we’re even given goals and opportunities for most levels of status as well so unsure players are covered every step of the way. Great work.
Chapter Four: Factions and Bloodlines
Chapter Four consists of four major sections which are Schools of Methodology, Transcendental Camps, Example Factions, and Bloodlines. The key to being able to understand the Ordo Dracul is understanding how and why they do what they do. We’ve covered the ‘why’ –the Great Work is the grand road a Dragon can start down. How, then, do Kindred from all over the planet (under the banner of the Ordo Dracul) actually go about the great Work and stay unified while they’re doing it? Well, the truth is only certain Rites are really unified. There are numerous smaller Rites all over the world that aren’t widely known about, but the pursuits of the Dragons is the real bond that makes the Covenant what it is on a regional level, if not a global one.
Schools of Methodology
The roads that lead to the Great Work are vast and plentiful. Ordo Dracul (the book) covers a small amount of potential schools, but they’re potent nonetheless. Alchemy, various pseudo sciences, mesmerism and parapsychology, theosophy and pseudo psychology, and even ritual invocation and spiritualism are covered. We’re given breakdowns on basic theory as well as the in-game tools needed for the trades of each school. Tips abound for playing each one within the Ordo Dracul as well. Few other parts of the book are as helpful to players as this section. Dragons don’t just engage in these activities to say they have or to fill out an empty spot in their status (though that can come into it sometimes); the members of the Order of the Dragon use these studies as means to an end (or beginning, as they would have it). Dragons feel they can accomplish the Great Work by learning the secrets of the world with new insight to the science of man, mind, body and soul. I love this section, and I believe it’s well written and very useful to both Storytellers and players alike. If you need help when trying to visualize how an individual Dragon might go about his work, look no further. This type of writing needs to be made mandatory in the books because it’s not only helpful, it’s useful.
Transcendental Camps
The transcendental camps of the Ordo Dracul, while not official organizations by and by, nonetheless serve as a group of lenses for outsiders to gain perspective when trying to classify Dragons. While these camps could be semi-official organizations within the Covenant (which could be another way to bring multiple cities tighter), they’re mostly viewed as non-official classifications of what most Dragons believe their own personal transcendental ideals to be. Certainly, the few groups shown here aren’t all that the Ordo Dracul holds within its ranks, but these shown do provide the reader with a touch of the diverse. I have to admit, this section is quite enlightening. I like the fact that this section is in Chapter Four as well, as it gives us a chance to form our own views on what potential camps might form in our games surrounding thing the Great Work. From the Angelics who believe transcendence is to be sought through the assimilation of knowledge to become semi-divine creatures to the Arahats, who have a karmic view of reincarnations that some readers will relate to the Kindred of the East From V:TM, the Ordo Dracul’s roads to ascension are mysterious and sometimes even frightening.
Example Factions
The example factions of the Ordo Dracul are – for me – a let down. When I run across a section in a book labeled ‘Example Factions’, I assume a couple of things about the upcoming section. I assume that the section is for Storyteller and/or players’ use in my game, if I like the material within. I assume that the example factions are going to have some defining qualities that will jump out at me as a reader and make me want to play a member of those factions. I also assume that I would get some help on making my own factions (be that how to build one), how we can use these factions in-game or how to properly portray them. Sadly, such assumptions were clearly wrong in two cases here. To give you an idea, I can’t actually think of one player among my friends (spanning 6 countries) who would want to be a part of these factions. You should take that as it’s meant; a personal observation from a reviewer.
I’m going to detail why, as ultimately, this section was the deciding reason on why this book was rated as a 3/5. I’m going to briefly cover each faction and give my thoughts on them. If you’d rather get on with the review with the Bloodlines, skip this section. The three sample factions are The Impaled, The Sworn of the Locust, and the Sworn of the Ladder. The concepts behind these factions are quite fascinating and two of them (the Locusts and the Ladder) actually cover some ideals that have been thrown around various forums here and there over the years. The context they’re displayed in isn’t good enough for me to really use. As a Storyteller, I want to see factions that are at least partially usable (because I know that no company can please every desire of mine) and have the ability to really entice people to play them, even if they do delve into the darker side of Kindred nature. That’s the major point of all these games, folks. Even if you’re playing a vampire who diablerizes humans (Sworn of Locusts), unless its core material is presented properly and is well written (containing the properties of an explanatory and beneficial nature), people just aren’t going to warm to the idea. It doesn’t help when the writer exclaims that only a very few people have ever joined such an organization (Sworn of the Ladder). A quote; “It’s thought that, tonight, the youngest Kindred among the Ladder-Sworn is just under 300 years old.” Come on guys. What’s that all about anyway?
The Impaled
As bad as that introduction sounds, the section is still ‘ok’ (ok = not quite good enough, but could be a hell of a lot worse, in case you’re wondering). The reason for the ‘Ok’ is because of The Impaled. These people are nuts …in a good way. The ideal behind The Impaled started off as sort of a philosophical metaphor used to describe the way some Dragons should learn, to literally inject or impale knowledge upon themselves. As the centuries went on, a particular way of thinking surfaced that asked the fundamental question, “What knowledge can be gleaned from the victim’s perspective?” The added point of view that states that by impaling yourself, you’re able to experience something that not even Dracula experienced, many Dragons found it a heady brew. That’s right, these guys impale themselves to gain a side of twisted knowledge that could help them in their Lesser and Great Work. I like the Impaled because it’s not overboard with secrecy and they have a feel to them that makes you almost marvel at the lengths they’re willing to go through to gather a unique insight into their own Requiems. I would’ve liked to see the angle of penance played up here some a bit more, but alas. By guilt or penance, past transgressions could be relieved in a way, giving the Kindred a means to atone. This might have created some Lancea Sanctum contacts for the covenant where there are hardly any otherwise, but as it’s written, the movement really got started after exposure to the self mutilation practices of the Circle of the Crone. Either way can work really, since on one hand, the Ordo Dracul assumes the existence of God, but yet seeks to defy him as well. An interesting read, the Impaled.
The Sworn of the Locust
The Sworn of the Locust, while presented well, just don’t make the grade for me. At first, the few members of the Locusts were some Kindred who followed one of the brides of Dracula around. They were drawn to her because of a hatred of all things moral (which Mara had). They never really became a society as such because the bride never really led them to any real goals. Later on, another Kindred came along and convinced some of the wayward members that God was false or that he didn’t’ care. Either way, morality didn’t really matter, and was to be looked down upon in the pursuit of the Great Work. This lead to diablerie, and soon they figured out a way to sort of diablerize humans, trapping their souls and using their information when needed or useful. Unfortunately, I don’t like any of it, and I wouldn’t find a player who’d want to become one. Their history isn’t all that well thought out, and they’re a secret society within a secretive society. This format rarely works and it doesn’t work here, for me anyway. I think that in order to find anyone to play a Locust-Sworn, their philosophy will have to be better explained and expanded. For an example faction to use in game, this faction’s not very attractive to play and will take a rather experienced player to do anything with a concept formed from them.
The Sworn of the Ladder
The Ladder-Sworn, like the Locust-Sworn, were brought about because of one of Dracula’s brides. Like the Locust-Sworn, the Ladder-Sworn are a secret society within a secretive society, and just like the Locust-Sworn, when trying to fit the Ladder-Sworn into a game, you need to use a hammer –though for vastly different reasons. The history of the Ladder-Sworn is fine. The faction’s detailed and ties them into the Ordo Dracul in some way, at least. The bride responsible for this secret society believed that God’s forgiveness was paramount for success of the Great Work. By good and moral acts, Kindred should be able to keep their sanity. That’s right, sanity. There’s a peculiar quote on page 141 that I want to share with you on the subject of Anoushka, the bride of Dracula who started the Ladder-Sworn. P. 141, Ordo Dracul: “While no Ladder documents record the truth of Anoushka’s ultimate fate, they agree (some say they are hysterically, even suspiciously insistent) that she didn’t fall prey to the insanity that pursued all of Dracula’s progeny.”
In the quote, ‘they’ are the Ladder Sworn. We’ll get to why they many think she’s still around in a minute. I’m interested in the last part. What insanity that pursues all of Dracula’s Children? I realize this could be in reference to the general weight that torpor can put on Kindred, but this quote expressly states that an insanity of sorts seeks out Dracula’s progeny. It’s the first I’ve heard of it, and this is probably the last time we’ll hear of it, as really I think its just a ‘fluff comment’, if you will, that’s not really meant to be taken literally.
The Ladder-Sworn are supposedly drawn to the political arena due to their moral code, but honestly, I don’t see this actually extending beyond the rare in-house debate about where to next influence the Covenant simply due to the fact that beyond casual covenant interaction, their mindset is actually to influence as much as they can to change the entire system of Kindred society. With such a moral scale, to uphold, they find it extremely hard to keep on track in the World of Darkness. The Ladder-Sworn are said to be old, so old in fact that the youngest member is said to be just less than 300 years old. I really don’t see the need to put this in a game. This is supposed to be an example faction that we could use. As written, I would use them once, as (unfortunately), almost no Kindred that old will have the same kind of moral scruples. That’s besides the fact that most player characters aren’t going to be 300 and have a Blood Potency of 5 or 6. The fact that the Ladder-Sworn really doesn’t trust lower level inductees only aggravates this fact further. To put this into perspective, to join these guys, you have to become part of their little secret society without even knowing what it’s about, or even its name. Oh, and you have to swear an oath under pain of final death, too. Great one. Unless I work to change this rather drastically, no player who comes to my table will even think about it. Furthermore, any npc that tries to bring a player into the society will be looked upon as a right smarmy bastard. We’re not given any hints or tips on how to play any Ladder-Sworn either.
At the end of the presentation of the Ladder-Sworn, we have some hints at what happened to Anoushka, namely, who she became. It’s heavily hinted at (and they’re even measured up against one another) that she’s our new cool bitch, the Unholy. Uh huh. Yeah. Doesn’t work for me; I’ll have her in torpor or in meditation somewhere, thanks.
Now, you have to look at this from the author’s points of view as well. There not just giving us example factions for the sake of it; they’re also trying to teach us a bit about the history of the covenant and how a loss of focus can really cost Kindred a lot –not only in terms of their Humanity, but also their sanity. That’s fine. I like that kind of thinking and I think its great, but I also think that – as an author – the writer could make these factions much more playable. They’re secret, no problem. Players love secret, they drink it, live it and smoke the shit all the time. Just because the factions are meant to give us a look into the sordid branches of how the covenant’s philosophies can co askew, so to should we be able to play those factions as players (to be able to experience the covenant all the more). I’m not saying that – as written – you can’t do this, however, the factions don’t lean toward trying to actually give an ST any real help to get players jived up about playing a member in said factions.
Bloodlines
Note; I won’t review powers here, just bloodlines. Their Disciplines, if any, will come later.
Many of the bloodlines in this are directly tied into the history of the covenant, if not the covenant itself. They represent the ups and downs the covenant has dealt with over time since its inception and they represent various qualities of the Ordo Dracul.
My one concern with the bloodlines in the book is that some of them feel as though they’re overly stereotypical –to the point of being too narrow-minded in their fields to play. I think there needs to be some inspirational writing here where the reader can get a feel for different character concepts that could be useful. I don’t mind using bloodlines as representations of turns in history and the like, but there’s nothing wrong with a bit more help (for new readers especially) that points readers in potential directions for in-game usage. I think that by using some of this ‘flexible’ writing within bloodlines, new readers (and us ole’ hounds) will be able to more easily grasp the concepts being conveyed, even if they’re heavily archetypical of a particular vampiric concept –breaking away from those may well prove to be a great roleplaying experience.
On the Ordo Dracul bloodlines in general, I feel that some of them should’ve been close to ‘card carrying members’ that haven’t had a horridly rough time. The bloodlines presented here aren’t exactly the most playable (or shall I say, useable, from a player’s perspective) group of bloodlines. Through sound potential character generation doth a good bloodline rock. Ultimately, I think the book could’ve used a couple of bloodlines that made people really say, “Holy shit ST, I want be one of those!”, not due to popularity or cool-ass powers, but because of some next level conceptual writing. You want people to play a hag, give people a bitchin' reason to play a hag; if we just hear about how ugly they are and how many of them don't like the Ordo Dracul without a piece on how to roll out some neat concepts using that bloodline, many people won't bother.
Azerkatil
Clan: Nosferatu Historical Time and Place: 1400-1500s, Turkey Concepts: Failed assassins and enforcers Disciplines: Nightmare, Obfuscate, Vigor and Suikast. The Azerkatil are a Nosferatu bloodline made for the express purpose of killing the demon, Dracula. The good ole’ assassin without a job shtick, is it? Don’t be so hasty. Dracul actually facilitated the creation of these guys on his travels to Invictus lands during his first nights. Rumors of the undead Dragon flew through the area and an undead Sultan apparently forced every clan to give members over for experimentation to create a bloodline with murderous intent with the purpose of killing Dracula. Bloodline after bloodline was created and destroyed until the right qualities were found to please the dreaded Sultan.
Eventually, the Azerkatil realized that Dracula was just a regular vampire who started would soon start up a covenant. He went into torpor soon after starting the Ordo Dracul. Add the fact that the Sultan who sent them on their mission soon fell into torpor, and many of the Azerkatil became part of a disillusioned bloodline without a purpose. I personally don’t think they should be in this book (though, contrarily, they’d be hard to fit elsewhere besides maybe Bloodlines: The Hidden). The Azerkatil aren’t really a part of the Covenant at large (nor are many of the other bloodlines, come to think of it) as they were only accepted into the Ordo Dracul on a semi-regional level. The Dragons who accepted them just sort of ignored the history of the bloodline, I guess, even though the Azerkatil attacked the Ordo Dracul many times. For a weakness, I can only guess as to why they’ve been given ‘inhuman green eyes’. They have a hard enough time being of Nosferatu blood and suffering from that weakness. They also have a problem Embracing, having to spend 2 willpower to Embrace a new vampire. They also have even greater social skill penalties than a regular Nosferatu.
Check the quote that talks about women being members; “They may change the perception of the bloodline from a directionless family of failed assassins to a tradition of devoted and deadly archons in service to local Princes, like swords of Damocles.” Ok. So, we have a bunch of assassins-turned-enforcers who are said to help Princes. Any Prince who decides to hire the uber green-eyed Nosferatu should get his just desert, I say. If this bloodline was built less like cold-faced Assamites of old and more like energetic Axe-Sworn bloodthirsty devils, eager to prove themselves, I suppose I’d like them. As it is, they were built to convey a concept of the Ordo Dracul (being how truly screwed up its history is) rather than a good playable bloodline. Still, with a bit of tweaking, this bloodline can be put to good use, IF Storytellers are mindful and don’t let players get axe happy too often. I just wonder how well the court of the Sultan actually just handed over multiple Embraced vampires. I mean, the process by which the Azerkatil were created means that there were a bunch of Potency 6 Kindred about. I can hardly see them putting up with such demands for a sustained level of 20 years.
Dragolescu
Clan: Ventrue Historical Time and Place: 1800’s, England Concepts: Ghost Hunter, Haunt Architect Disciplines: Animalism, Dominate, Resilience, and Essentiaphagia.
Ah, the Dragolescu. Now here’s a bloodline with clout. You see, this is the kind of writing I’ve been talking about. You can have the most fucked up history there is for a bloodline but if the bloodline itself is made useful or really playable in some fashion, you’ll have all kinds of players jumping at the chance to danse, and so it is with the Dragolescu. Hey, their progenitor looked at Hitler as a kind of hero ok, but these guys made an impact on the Ordo Dracul that still reverberates into the modern nights with indelible credit to their reputations (even if some of it’s actually bad).
The Dragolescu is a bloodline whose members found a way to eat the souls of the dead and in some cases, even assume their powers. The members of this bloodline were very important in the Ordo Dracul’s history, and indeed, much of the Covenant as a whole still uses the knowledge they discovered to this night. The history of the Dragolescu isn’t completely shrouded in mystery or complicated, but it has a feel of the mystique that draws you in while you’re reading. The progenitor of the bloodline was a very distant descendant of Dracula himself who fled his homelands for better fortunes abroad. He eventually met a Ventrue who Embraced him. Ioan Dragolescu (last name was taken from watching sports on TV, the author says) was obsessed with blood and the feeding condition of Kindred. He eventually delved into diablerie and found his answers. By feeding off the dead (wraiths) – who can’t die again – Kindred can supplement their feeding. His experiments over the years after that laid the ground work for much of what the Ordo Dracul knows about ghosts and Haunts to this night, but there was a heavy price. Here was a man obsessed with the dead (and his followers were behind him, for the most part). So much so, that when Hitler started his march across Europe, Ioan was enticed by all the dead souls being created. He saw Hitler as the new ‘Dragon’. When Hitler died, ole’ Ioan went bonkers and tried a ritual so desperate, so powerful, that it brought about his destruction by the greater Kindred populace of London. How’s that for history?
This bloodline is very useful for just about any game and will likely appeal to a lot of players, even if the author likes to think I’m a pinko. Oh, and their weakness is rough. Due to their unique understanding of the soul, (which weighs on their minds) they can only regain willpower through their Virtues and Vices.
Libitinarius
Clan: Mekhet Historical Time and Place: Late 1800’s and much earlier Concepts: Undertaker, Disturbed Surgeon! Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Resilience, and Mortualia.
The Libitinarius (say that one 5 times fast, bucko) bloodline is a great read. Cloaked in secret funeral rites and ritual enactments, the Morticians ply their trade to any who will call upon their services. Their shtick? The Libitinarius have found a way to ease Kindred stress where torpor is concerned. The history of the bloodline is actually the matter of much debate – more than one Kindred has tried to debunk their claims. The Libitinarius actually started off after a Kindred accidentally screwed up a simple funeral rite meant for his sire. The tale states that the urn that the young vampire broke actually suffused him with deadly energy of a sort and changed his blood. Within a century, the Kindred started a bloodline. Some Kindred refuse to believe this nonsense of course, but no one has been able to prove the bloodline wrong, yet. The actual origins are rooted in a mortal cult of sorts that was comprised of various scholastic people being paid to give private funeral ceremonies where Latin was sung and the dad were honoured. Eventually Kindred of various covenants took notice and then the aforementioned accident happened.
Part of the reason I like the Morticians so much is because they’re written to be extremely knowledgeable in one of the most harrowing areas that all Kindred eventually have to meet. Besides the fact that the Libitinarius are a very useful bloodline, they’re also very playable. Their history relates back much further in time and honestly, you could have a massive amount of variants of the bloodline that could work just as well as the next. That’s actually written straight into the write-up as well. Each way a Mortician decides to work is different but he still gets the job done. Talk about the essence of the Ordo Dracul. Yes, they could keep the Invictus covenant happy as pigs in mud, but their souls are undeniably part and parcel of the Order. My hat’s off to Will for a truly outstanding bloodline.
Moroi
Clan: Nosferatu AND Gangrel Historical Time and Place: 16th Century and afterward Concepts: Hidden Killers, Fugitive Hunters Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Resilience, Vigor
Understanding the Moroi is a difficult task. I don’t see the need for another killer bloodline. The bloody history of the covenant is represented well enough through the Azerkatil, however, there’s still something to be said about the simple brutality of the Moroi that calls to me as a Storyteller. Saying that, the Moroi make a piss-poor player bloodline. The history of the Moroi is pretty much non-existent. They made some kind of deal with Dracula, they sat in the shadows for around 300 years and then introduced themselves as Dracula’s allies and they’d serve the Ordo Dracul if they could. During that long time, they figured they didn’t need to help the covenant because it wasn’t very organized. I have to ask myself what makes them care now. I mean, we’re talking about a bunch of Kindred with the talented flair of a pack of silverback gorillas.
The Moroi can take stock from both the Gangrel and the Nosferatu clans (suggestions on working out Discipline sets are within the write-up, so don’t worry). There are various explanations for this which is good, but really, why did a lot of them just say, “Ok, time to go help the Ordo Dracul”? I don’t like it when I’m presented with this kind of writing. We’re given nothing to really evoke the mystery necessary to fill the gap which is essential here. Instead, we’re told the Ordo Dracul (referred to as a whole) hunted down most of the Moroi and gave them ultimatums. Ok, why? Again, if some piece of information was deposited our way as to why this might’ve happened, I could see why we would be told this, but we’re left hanging. I want possibilities! I want to know if they get kicks from killing! I want to be given examples on how to use the bloodline and how to really portray them! Instead, I’m told the Ordo Dracul basically treated them like monkeys. The Ordo Dracul gave them a place to stay; the Order civilized them; the Order even has some coteries doing nothing but securing meals for this bloodline.
There’s so much potential here, but it’s really buried. I hate to say it, but the Moroi are portrayed as playable monsters that the Order keeps on a leash until they’re called for-then they’re let loosed like dogs of war. Oh, and if you want to know about their mentality a bit more, check their picture on page 161-162 and watch Blade 2. The picture even looks exactly like the main antagonist, split chin and all.
Tismanu
Clan: Mekhet Historical Time and Place: Before Dracula’s time; Eastern Europe Concepts: Covenant Councillor, Sanctified Spy Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Majesty, Eupraxia.
Old School Orthodox Christian Monks with the power of the Damned and the protection of the Ordo Dracul. These ‘Dragon Monks’ were around before Dracula’s rise to power as a mortal. The Tismanu are a somewhat simplistic bloodline. They tend to actually associate with the Ordo Dracul instead of really being an integral part of it. What really ties them in, you ask? Dracula. It seems as though Dracula’s appreciation of regular clergy didn’t die with him, and he enjoyed the Tismanu’s company while still awake as an Undead. It’s also revealed that – while Dracula was mortal – he may well have conversed with the Tismanu, even if he didn’t know their true nature. Even little tidbits like that make a good background for a bloodline. It doesn’t sound like much, but it gives weight to various possibilities, and possibilities are good.
The nature of the Tismanu is very easy to grasp. Quite frankly, it’s a dangerous world out there and if they can provide safe haven for Kindred and ease the pains of a Requiem, they will. They’re about as close to good natured vampires as you can get. In a way, I see their partnership with the Ordo Dracul as a mirror to what some of them might’ve done for Dracula himself. The Ordo Dracul, like Dracula, isn’t really religious, but nonetheless, the Tismanu are there to ease tensions and calm people down. If you’re having trouble picturing one of these guys, think back to the last time you watched Bram Stokers’ Dracula. Do you remember those old priests in the beginning and later on in the movie? Embrace their ass and make them think soothing thoughts about Kindred and you have the Tismanu. You won’t find many of them as they tend to only be in mentor-student relationships. That’s ok though, I see the bloodline as a quaint one, and will likely use them to some degree. The weakness of the Tismanu is harsh. Unless they sleep in a special haven, the start getting mad and edgy. Who wants some mad priest skillz gettin’ pious on that ass?
Vedma
Clan: Gangrel (or themselves, as they tell it). Historical Time and Place: Ancient times; Eastern Europe Concepts: Old Crones, Forest Witches Disciplines: Animalism, Protean, Resilience and Zagovny. And so we come to the creepy bloodline. When making bloodlines, we should always take into consideration a couple of factors, especially if it’s a bloodline that’s as old as this one claims to be. Something has to entice other kindred to them in order to propagate the bloodline. It doesn’t matter how cool your powers are or what you do with goats. Also, if the bloodline has anything to do with a covenant (and its presented in that Covenant book), I want to know why it’s in that book. I want to know why they’re connected is to that covenant. If I’m told that the vast majority of that bloodline doesn’t give a toss about the covenant, those few members better have a good explanation to being within the covenant. And I want to see that explanation cemented into a kind of ideal that’s congruent with the general feel of the book. Even if those reasons are only hinted at, I’m happy, but I want to see options and possibilities as to why they have anything to do with said covenant from the bloodline’s side of it.
Ok, now that I have that out of my system, I can tell you about the Vedma (hopefully). The Vedma are a bloodline that claims ancient status among Kindred society (as much as they actually have any part in that society). They also claim their powers are from an age of considerably more potent vampires and they’re one of the few groups to have actually held onto their heritage. Indeed, they even claim that the Gangrel are an offshoot of them, not the other way around.
The Vedma are mostly a bloodline of witches (usually nicknamed warlocks, though hardly any are male) who tend to Embrace old people (ugh). Few things will kill a bloodline faster (for me) than that, but I move on. They don’t like society, but they don’t like to live alone. They’re a naturalistic bloodline that weathers the centuries as they come. They don’t like change and rarely take any students. They don’t really bother to learn any Coils and they stay on the edges of the Covenant at the best of times. …Blah! How’d they come into contact with the covenant? I couldn’t tell you. They’ve been there since time out of mind, they’re part of Slavic legend, and this is supposed to mean they’re part and parcel of the history of the Covenant. The truth is they’ve likely been put in the book because they’re the only ones who show off a bit of real Slavic legend. Don’t get me wrong, I like the bloodline, but it needs work. Not to make it fit in with the Ordo Dracul more in current times, but rather in the historical area. They’ve been described as the grandmothers of the Covenant, but I see no ties to the Covenant to help solidify that statement. Hints, subtly clocked sentences, hoary secrets –give me more!
Now, let’s talk about that picture. Look at page 172. You’ll see a hottie there and she’s supposed to be a Vedma. It’s too bad it’s an utterly fucked misinterpretation of the bloodline. The Vedma aren’t beautiful, they don’t like cities, they’re almost never young, and pearly white teeth they don’t have! The horrid appearance you get from this bloodline is almost ghoulish, so watch out.
Chapter Five: Coils and Miscellanea of the Blood
Chapter Five expands on old Coils as well as giving us an assortment of new ones as well. In some cases, these new Coils aren’t really attributed to anybody, but rather, they’re views as rarely practiced or known about. The other Coils are those developed by various factions that were spoken about earlier. We even get a taste of the night-mythical 4th tiers of the Coils.
This chapter begins with Coils and guidelines for making new ones. I don’t like around half of this section (or maybe a little more than that) because I think it needs a total rewrite to be a resource of any valuable type in our games. The section where we’re given guidelines on how to build our own Coils is ok, but the authors often contradict warnings found in this section where the Coils where the Coils for the book were concerned, so be mindful.
After the Coils, Disciplines are given for the various bloodlines in the book. For the most part, the Disciplines are great. I have reservations about some of them, however, I can really only complain about one. This section highlights a problem with the font that’s used for the book where the headings are concerned. There are no dots where the titles of the Disciplines names are. For example, a level three power of a Discipline would have three dotes beside it. Unfortunately, all of the Disciplines have this problem. I heard the developer, Will Hindmarch, was none to happy when he found out. Devotions are up next. I was pleasantly surprised to see that we didn’t have that many devotions in the book. The Devotions we’re shown are quite well thought out, however, on page 199, the devotion ‘Compel Spirit’ is missing its ‘Action’ stat, I believe. Merits and Blood Alchemy can be found at the end of the chapter. The merits are ok but are quite Ordo Dracul-specific (what do you expect). More than one person has raised some concerns about the experience point costs of some of the rituals. They’re ok though, but nothing to write home about. As far the Blood Alchemy system, well I wouldn’t want to spoil it, now would I?
Coils
Coil of Flesh
The Coil of Flesh is portrayed as a Coil that awakens some of the dormant life force in the undead body so that – when Vitae is spent – various functions of life can be mimicked. I like this idea. I’ve seen no less than ten different fan-made Flesh Coils on various forums, true, but the theory of something along the lines of making the body better is a sound one. The concept is popular because it fits the Ordo Dracul to a ‘T’. If any Coil can be considered to embody the philosophy of the Great Work, surely some sort of Flesh Coils is in order. Sadly, I don’t like this Coil of Flesh any better than the rest I’ve seen. There are some good ideas, but I don’t think the Coil was really developed properly; if any Coil needed to be made an example to go by, it was this one.
Coil of the Soul
The Coil of the Soul is a Coil that details how a Kindred can help herself sociologically and psychologically in her Requiem. The write up of the Coil suggests that since moral values change so quickly in the modern nights, finding teachers for lesser known Coils (such as the Soul) has been difficult. Personally, I believe the name should be changed to Coil of the Mind or Will. The powers here deal with the mind of and its powers of mental fortitude. I see nothing that affects a soul of a vampire – much less is there any explanation about the soul of a vampire to have a Coil here as basis for as such.
4th Tiers
I like the powers of the 4th tiers except for 4th power of the Coil of the Soul. It allows the Beast to come out and commit one heinous act and in return, the Beast hides the action from the Kindred in question. She has no memory of anything that happened and can’t be made to roll a degeneration check, but get this; if she hears about what happened in some way (almost always applicable) she has to make the degeneration check then and there.
1. Would testing such a power mean you fail every time? You have to know if it worked or not and when people tell you what happened (so you know if it worked) would you not fail?
2. If the Beast hides the action so well from the Kindred to the point that the kindred remembers nothing, then why does the Kindred in question have to roll later? Would the Kindred not just deny such a thing, or does the Beast smile and hold his hands up?
3. What happens if someone lies to the Kindred when in fact, something else happened? Maybe the Kindred wants to lie to protect some devious action they pulled off while the Kindred with the power was going mad –this needs more explanation.
4. Again, as with the second tier of the Coil of the ‘Soul’, why would a player really risk a derangement and a possible loss of Humanity and social interaction to see if this power works? It’s fine for us to say that some Kindred have risked their lives for the Great work, but will players do it? Like I say, the rest of the powers are sound, but this doesn’t work for me.
Anoushka’s Ladder
Anoushka’s Ladder is a Coil made to subvert the curses rather than break them. By God’s forgiveness is this power supposed to work. In reality, Kindred just have to retain a massive amount of Humanity. For the first ‘rung’ (tier), a Kindred has to have a Humanity of 8. The second level requires that the Kindred have a Humanity of 9 and yes, the 3rd level requires a Humanity of 10. Uh huh. Like this will get used in a game. I don’t really feel the need to explain the powers here, as I think it’s pointless at this stage from a player and Storyteller’s perspective. It’s a waste of a potentially very powerful basis for an ideal.
The Way of the Locust
Now this is the Coil of the Soul. Remember how I said the Locust-Sworn found a way to diablerize humans? Well, that’s what we have here. You suck souls, cage them, and more or less sap their punk mortal asses for a limited time. After that, the soul eventually escapes. I have to say though, there’s one part here that almost makes me want to spew up half-eaten fingers at the book.
Quote, Ordo Dracul; “As long as the Locust has a captured human soul within herself, she gains the benefits of all the tiers she knows from the following list;”
No costs or anything, just abuse that soul all night long. If you have all the tiers, you can use them automatically. And to think they hunted ole’ Dragolescu down. I think there’s only one type of player who would want to play one of these utter bastards and it’s the kind of player that tries to ruin games at every opportunity for their own benefit. Oh yeah, and there’s no automatic Humanity loss here. I can understand how the Dragolescu get around that little hiccup (because the writer took the time to think about how to get around it), but here, well, you pass your degeneration roll for the kill and away you go! ~blank stare~
Disciplines
Essentiaphagia
From perceiving ghosts and haunts to becoming a ghost’s anchor and sapping its powers, this Discipline is extremely powerful. Essentiaphagia was made by Ioan Dragolescu. In most cases, such in-depth Disciplines make me wince. As a Storyteller, this kind of Discipline means a good deal of explanation to potential players. Thankfully, the writer added some fiction writing to the beginning of the individual powers which virtually eliminates the aforementioned problem. I suggest that no new players be allowed to use this power because they may well get too caught up in using it instead of playing the game.
Eupraxia
The power of the Tismanu is religiously flavored, but a little too stereotypical. Following in line with the mindset of the bloodline, this Discipline is meant mostly for healing and helping other Kindred. This is a very useful power and not overly powerful, but it’s a bit predictable Discipline for religious Kindred.
Mortualia
The powers of the Libitinarius deal with different torpor effects. While being a somewhat narrowly focused Discipline, Mortualia is still fantastic. The Libitinarius are in high demand for a reason, but since their powers can actually be learned by other Kindred, secrecy is a top priority of the Morticians. This is a well rounded Discipline, even if its focus is somewhat limited.
Suikast
Suikast is the Discipline of the Dragonslayers – the Azerkatil. Suikast has no real focus. It’s an ‘aid in killing’ Discipline for the most part and even though it’s a somewhat ok Discipline for me, I’m not overly impressed with it. Also, the acid blood business is getting old.
Zagovny
The ancient power of the Vedma rocks. It’s flexible, spooky and hard to counter. Overall, kickass. I just wouldn’t want to be a 200 year old leather handbag to use it. :D (Put that brick down, Will!)
Appendix: Allies and Antagonists
I like and loathe this section as well. There are some great concepts here, but there are also some hopelessly typical ones as well. Unfortunately, layout problems and misinterpretations mar the section, so presentational quality isn’t the best.
• Page 216 – Character splat of man but two pictures of women.
• Page 219 – Character splat of the lowly Sworn of the Axe. Massive fat guy with Dexterity of 2 and Brawl of 3 (showy fucking kicks, no less). Oh, and he knows Kung Fu as well. This is a high school bully template gone crazy. Who put this in the book anyway? Sorry but even the writer knew this (or a developer…) and an optional background was added to explain the Discipline spread. It’s a bad choice for a template and the picture is straight out of a DnD troll book.
• Page 220-221 – Character splat of Elder Sworn of the Axe. Why, I didn’t know Nosferatu men worse lip stick. I also didn’t know you could buy Way of the Locust 2 as a merit. :D
• Page 222 – Elder Sworn of Mysteries splat. Great stuff; nice feel, and evokes an eerie mood with the great picture. Concept rocks, but I call bullshit on her Disciplines. She has Anoushka’s Ladder AND Way of the Locust. Ok, so let’s recap. She’s been a part of BOTH of the most secretive Dragon societies (utterly different views on things as well as how to achieve goals, btw) and has learned some of both their powers. Blah blah blah. Her Humanity level caps this monologue off nicely.
Summary
I like Ordo Dracul. The book covers a lot of ground that really needed to be opened up and expanded upon in order for the majority of players to get a real feel for how to conceptualize the Ordo Dracul. Saying that, I feel that much of this book was written for more general usage in America rather than in Europe, much less the rest of the world (Kudos to the Asian connection, though). This is further backed by the explanations (or more precisely, the lack thereof) in the book about why certain practices are taken into consideration. The fact that those concepts aren’t built on (sometimes, not at all) shows that writers have to continue to remain vigilant when making broad sweeping statements about a covenant in general when it potentially affects half of that covenant (and especially the other writers’ works in the book). As mentioned, there are other small problems here and there with the content of the book, but there’s nothing that could drag the book from a 3/5 to a 2/5 for me except maybe the misunderstanding with the titles throughout the book.
The book has a lot of room for expansion and refinement –as a Storyteller, I feel that I want to start right away. Also, too often the book refers to the covenant as a whole (reactionary conversations, mostly) where many times, the various Rites within the Ordo Dracul would react very differently to outer stimuli. I think reminding readers of this fact would’ve gone a long way into hammering home the ideal that while the Ordo Dracul is a covenant that spans the world, its various branches are wildly different.
It’s not a fantastic book, but it’s no pile of crap, either.
Ratings
As was stated previously, this book has been rated as a healthy 3/5. This rating is an average taken from the sections below. Ok, here’s the list explaining the numbers.
• 5/5 – Outstanding. Hardly a fault anywhere and the book rocks socks off.
• 4/5 – Exceptional. A dislike here or there, but otherwise very impressive.
• 3/5 – Good. A serious dislike somewhere, but otherwise a sound and enjoyable book.
• 2/5 – Average. There are some flaws here that need to be sorted out before the book moves up on the scale, and if given the chance, I might not buy it again.
• 1/1 – Poor. The book is plain old screwed. If I can’t sell it to some poor sap, I’m burning it.
Looks
This book is quite good for looks. The cover isn’t to my liking (or too many others, for that matter), but it’s by no means mediocre work. The inside pink paper of the intro fiction doesn’t measure up either, but oh well. The art inside the book is very good in most places, with a couple of let-downs in the Appendix. Remember that crazy picture in the main Vampire core book with the whit glowing lady? Don’t worry, that trend isn’t continued here. The back advert pages are for Mage: The Awakening and for the Camarilla. I rate the art a Strong 3 out of 5.
Innovativeness
There are plenty of innovative uses for this book. The writers injected plenty of ideas for gaming in their writing, but I don’t think some places were treated the same as others. Not much to say here except for the fact that it’s a covenant book, so what do you expect? Of course it’s going to have cool new shit in it. Strong 3 out of 5.
Substance and Style
Style of presentation for Ordo Dracul hasn’t changed much from Lancea Sanctum all that much. Some areas are expanded while others have been reduced. Overall, the writing flows quite well from one chapter to the next, so the boys working on it didn’t mess up there (considering who wrote the book, I expected mind reading between themselves, damn it). The set up is pretty standard with nothing really new sticking out –mini fiction intros to Discipline powers here and the title section notwithstanding that is.
Substance was ok in most places but I was let down by the lack of links to various writing within the book to the Ordo Dracul. The Sworn of Mysteries could’ve been written much better and if used properly, they could’ve explained some of how the covenant works under cover in European branches. Straight 3 out of 5.
Usability
Just about anyone can use this book. It doesn’t matter if you’re just a reading consumer or a picky player, you can find something written for you in Ordo Dracul. There are some sections of the book that wouldn’t work for many people (those tending to help Storytellers the most), but that fact doesn’t hamper the book in any real way. You can use this book to help build any kind of Dragon chronicle or to round out the views of the Ordo Dracul as seen by other covenants. I will also mention here that some of the bloodlines can fit rather nicely into other covenants, so if you’d like to uproot some of them, go right ahead. I wish we would’ve had a section on various routes Storytellers can take to start up new Academies, but we don’t really get any help in that respect. This is rather important due to the size of the structure of the Ordo Dracul. Still, there’s plenty of fruit to squeeze. 4 out of 5.
Some Additional Credits
Developer: Will Hindmarch with Justin Achilli
Editor: Scribendi Editorial Services (gods bless them)
Artists: Alex Maleev (front cover), Daren Bader, Aleksi Briclot, Jason Engle, Matt Hughes, Tomasz Jedruszek, Vince Locke, Jean-Sebastien Rossbach, Cyril Van Der Haegen, and Cathy Wilkins.
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