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The opening fiction of the book, “Day Club,” is a mixed bag. It’s got some things going for it, such as the way it shows how the ghouls of different vampires interact when their masters aren’t around and the cultural dissociation that develops in an unaging being. But it feels like the author attempted to insert as many gross-out moments as he or she could fit into the four pages given to them, in order to let the reader know just how bad ghouls have it. I think they could have gone with one or two horrid moments and easily accomplished that feat, rather than going with the kitchen sink approach; a similar problems exists in the opening pages of the first chapter.
Admittedly, I was also a little put off by a scene with the protagonist recounting a date he went on; one author’s horrific sign of dissociation from reality for his protagonist is a reviewer’s typical crazy woman he went out on a date with in his early 20s.
I have to admit being surprised by the twist ending of the tale, but given the relation between vampires and ghouls I’m embarrassed that I didn’t think of it sooner.
The introduction of the book, as you might expect, gives an overview of what Ghouls contains. I found it odd that two paragraphs are devoted to explaining the World of Darkness, as though Ghouls might be someone’s first WoD book. Also, in a section entitled “Ghoul Myth and Fact,” which is said to be a “summary of the basic facts of ghouls existence,” the author appears to be working from notes from the original WoD, as according to this section drinking three times from a vampire automatically makes someone a thrall, making no mention of how it is still possible (with good dice rolls) for someone to resist the Vinculum. Being in the primer on what it is to be a ghoul this mistake stands out quite a bit.
The first chapter of the book discusses how it is a person becomes a ghoul, how disciplines work for ghouls, the way the various clans and covenants look at ghouls, and gives a look at animal ghouls, plant ghouls, and ghoul families. Consisting of 50 pages, this chapter is very, very good—except for the first 11 pages, which were so bad I had to put the book down every page or two, and seriously considered asking someone else to review the book, fearing the rest of the book would be like this.
These 11 pages, covering what it is like to become a ghoul, how disciplines work for them, and how the clans see ghouls, do have a few nice bits. Mention is made of how ghouls feel real emotions, unlike the hollow echos that vampires have–a nice idea from the rulebook that I haven’t seen addressed in any other supplement. And the threat of disease being transferred to a ghoul from a master is handled well, and little bits (such as how the temperature of a vampire’s blood is cooler than a human’s) can easily add to a chronicle’s atmosphere.
However, these neat bits are overshadowed by the bad. Some of the problems seem to come from the author’s take on the rules system behind Vampire. For example, the author suggests problems that ghouls might have with Disciplines when they first gain them, which is a nice idea, but goes on to introduce difficulties that ghouls will always have when using certain abilities, to the point that it seems like having a ghoul with Disciplines would be more of a detriment than an advantage for vampires. I kept thinking of Paranoia and the horrors PCs can inflict on themselves with their mutant powers as I read this portion of the book.
Making it even more annoying is that in some cases the author refers to using the frenzy table for certain situations where powers may unwantedly manifest, then suggests such a rule system should not be necessary, making such events up to the whim of the Storyteller, which to me would make such instances more a matter of Storyteller screwing of players than an impartial thing.
Another problem concerning Disciplines is how ghouls gain them. In the V:tR rulebook a point is made of how a vampire can’t learn non-physical Disciplines without a teacher, and at first the same is said in this section. However, statements later on suggest that ghouls can manifest any Discipline on their own, though they need to have training to refine such newfound powers, and a comment under the description of Dominate for ghouls seems to suggest ghouls can manifest full-strength Disciplines without being taught them. It’s very confusing, and to the rest of the book’s credit later sections stick with the idea that ghouls must be trained to learn non-physical disciplines.
Oh, and did you know Dominate use causes the user to develop megalomania or other insanities? Must have missed that in the core book...
The biggest problem with these pages comes from the tone of much of them. One of the things that the New WoD has been rightfully praised for is the fact that it is more of a “toolkit” game, with Storytellers being able to customize it as they see fit without worrying about contradicting later releases/metaplot/whatever. In many places this section of the book feels like it was torn out of the Game Police Bible, and I imagine a group of jackbooted thugs waiting for some player to go against what is put forth in this section. We’re told would-be ghouls “are never healthy, whole individuals,” the text going on to ignore the fact that there are those normal members of society who might be tricked or forced into the Vinculum. “All Daeva ghouls pay strict attention to their appearance,” “To be a ghoul in service to the Ventrue, one must be immaculately dressed, impeccable in manner and absolutely discreet. To be imperfect is to be inferior...No Ventrue would allow such an embarrassment.” That last one was very amusing to me, as later in the book we’re told of the Ventrue’s recruiting efforts from a group of homeless individuals. Over and over we get cookie-cutter ideas on how all the Kindred of a certain clan act or how all Kindred act toward their ghouls in certain areas, and it gets old very quickly.
Luckily, with the discussion of how ghouls are viewed by the various covenants, this problem disappears, with several different views for each faction regarding their servants. No all-encompassing statements here, the descriptions give readers ideas on how their characters might view ghouls, rather than making it feel like they must follow the One True Way for their character.
And these ideas are good throughout the section. From the Carthian Movement (where some members actually try to treat their servants as almost-equals) to the Ordo Dracul (who tend to break their ghouls into two groups—future Kindred or helpful piece of living equipment), each section is well-written, and I can see Storytellers getting a lot of new ideas for their chronicle from this section, whether it be better methods of running characters from the various factions or even creating entire chronicles based on one viewpoint of how ghouls should be treated which a particular covenant embraces. I was a little sad nothing was said of the Unbound’s view on ghouls.
Following this is coverage of ghoul bloodlines, which are ghoul families created when a ghoul successfully has a living offspring, something which happens very infrequently due to the presence of Kindred blood in the would-be parent’s body. Because of this bloodlines are very rare, with Kindred who are aware of their existence practicing various eugenics programs to keep them going. Aging far slower than a normal human (the social ramifications of which are nicely covered), bloodline members do not gain Disciplines or other ghouls powers (stunted aging, Vitae pool, etc) until they have actually tasted Kindred blood. Bloodline members are more easily made into ghouls than normal humans, and if they lose access to Kindred vitae they merely begin to age as normal again, rather than having their years catch up with them. Five families are described, consisting of:
Alley Men: A bloodline of homeless individuals originally used by a Kindred to hunt other Kindred. After their master’s demise they continued with his work, hunting demons (Kindred) and feeding on their foes to gain strength. This bloodline surprised me with how interesting it is, and I can see them being used for a change of pace for a few gaming sessions.
Angustri: A bloodline of Roma Gypsies created by an Ordo Dracul member. Aside from allowing the author to include some more sexual gross-out moments as were found in the beginning of the book, there’s not much to this bloodline to distinguish it from regular ghouls. Oh, wait, they chafe at order! And they get bored easy! I wish I was joking about those descriptions.
Crassus: Like the Alley Men, when I first started reading about the Crassus I wasn’t impressed, with their vast wealth and elitist behaviors not appealing to me. Their punchline does make them entertaining: their material wealth comes from Kindred benefactors, and the entire family is groomed to be nothing more than toys for Kindred. I can see them being easily inserted into any Storyteller’s chronicle, but there is some confusion on exactly how Kindred earn the right to access to the Crassus–the vampire who founded the line died in the first millenia, but his friends are apparently still going strong and granting access to the Crassus to others as they see fit. The idea of a group of such old and powerful vamps out and about brings back memories of all-powerful elders from V:TM, which I think V:TR has done a good job of avoiding so far. Gravenor: The mysterious family which lives deep in the swamp and keeps to itself, and owns a hog farm! Created by a Nosferatu who lies in torpor in the basement, the Gravenor are disconnected from modern society and who have the ability to detect supernatural things, which may mean they may not be as crazy as many people think. The Gravenor could easily be introduced into a chronicle, and despite their isolation their background allow for a lot of stories to be done with them by a storyteller.
Nirriti Cult: A group run by a Kindred who has the members of the cult due its (very) dirty work so it can stay pure spiritually. I’ve seen the idea enough times that it didn’t do anything for me, but your mileage might vary.
Following this is a discussion of independent ghouls. It’s an interesting section on ghouls who have no masters and their exploits to get blood, with such neat tidbits as the problem of getting blood from a vampire’s body since it doesn’t flow as a human’s would; a very nice point that I never saw addressed before. The threat of blood addiction and Vinculum to independent ghouls are basically handwaved away, which I found disappointing.
Next up is a discussion of animal ghouls. This part is well-written, with the views of the Covenants (especially the Lancea Sanctum) on the matter being well-reasoned and interesting. I was a bit surprised no mention was made of the need for most vampires to have Animalism to deal with animals, as noted in the rulebook; I guess we’re to assume having a Vinculum with an animal makes it totally tractable to a vamp. There’s also mention of how animals don’t think in human terms, a fact I only mention because later in the book one of the authors forgot that tidbit of knowledge. The section ends with a discussion of some unique animal ghouls, which left me feeling confused; how is it animals are so dang easy to create all sorts of mutant monstrosities from by doing no more than given them vitae as you normally would to a ghoul?
Finally, the subject of plant ghouls is covered. It’s pretty much up to the Storyteller’s discretion if efforts by PCs to create such things are successful, assuming PCs ever learn of their existence. Such altered plants produce lacrima, a sap which is addicting to Kindred. We’re also informed that it can be used for other things, like mystical rituals, but no game stats for these things are given anywhere in the book.
The second chapter concerns the creation of a ghoul character. New merits and derangements are included here, as well as rules on exactly how Disciplines use by ghouls differs from that of their vampire masters. One thing different from the Vampire rulebook is that here ghouls start with two points in Disciplines, to reflect characters created with the rules here are to be more experienced beings.
Some space is devoted to explain the ghoul life, combining role-playing advice with the rules system that ghouls work from, and it’s entertaining and helpful read. Even such things as the limits to enhanced vitality that come from ghouldom are covered, with explanation of how disease affects a ghoul; those thinking ghouldom is a cure to their physical ailments will be in for a shock.
Munchkins take note: ghouls of a bloodline vampire can take the bloodline-specific discipline, and there’s no mention of it going away if you get embraced by a vampire of another bloodline/clan later on, or if you get embraced by your master and only have Blood Potency of 1. You’re welcome.
The subject of ghoul bloodlines is then covered. A portion of the section is devoted to the game system for both conception and maintaining a ghoul pregnancy. On the one hand, I like this being here so that once a Storyteller decides to allow players to try and create a bloodline there is an impartial rules system for these things to occur. On the other hand I crack up every time as I read over the charts and imagine telling a player “Well, you did synchronize your attempts at conception with her ovulation cycle, but she has the Protean discipline, so you end up getting no bonus dice on this conception roll.”
Further detail is given on the five ghoul families mentioned earlier, and each family has its own unique weakness and strength, such as reduced experience costs for certain merits or a mandatory derangement. I had a few minor quibbles with these descriptions, such as the Alley Men existing in large numbers as to be found worldwide, given the problems in ghoul procreation, and the Crassus are mentioned to have some choice in who their undead masters are, which goes against their earlier portrayal as slaves without rights to those Kindred who get to own them.
The chapter rounds out with a little more on animal ghouls and lacrima, with rules given on how each clan’s plant ghouls produce a different type of lacrima. It’s interesting, but still doesn’t do enough for me to be impressed by the plant ghouls.
The third chapter of the book is devoted to storytelling ghouls. Covering such topics as the nifty things ghouls can do during the day for their masters and how to properly roleplay the Vinculum, as well as ways Storytellers can work ghouls into their campaign in ways other than having their players’ vampires using them, this section is another excellent read, even if the idea does come up at one point that all ghouls voluntarily choose their state.
The fourth chapter of the book has some ghouls a Storyteller can drop into their campaign. The problem of how to assign dots in the Retainer Merit based on how powerful a ghoul is brought up, but sadly is answered with the reader being told that no game mechanic exists to quantify it. You can tell me all the dice pool modifiers that can apply to trying to get a ghoul pregnant, you can’t set up a rules system for this?
At any rate, the ghouls are a mixed bag. Some are interesting, such as a fellow who works to get his master meals, the understanding being he gets to live for as long as he continues to succeed at his job; the author does a good job conveying the horror of this ghoul in just a few paragraphs. Some of the other ghouls aren’t as interesting, with some containing contradictions (a ghoul who is said to have never been taught Disciplines is said to have two dots in his stat block), rules errors (a character who can use Animalism to talk to animals, who apparently interpret things just as humans would, and ghouls using blood to heal being something that must be taught), and one ghoul who is a body double for a Prince who should have been identified as such in a half-dozen ways by the first person to use Auspex in his general vicinity (“Uh, Prince, why are you not only sweating actual sweat, but have an earpiece where I can hear your own voice instructing you what to say?”)
The last chapter covers creating ghoul families, formulating a background to them, their unique flaws, how they might be structured, etc. This section wasn’t as interesting to me as the previous chapters in the book, and I found myself flying through it as I read.
I would like to comment on the art of the book. Other than the cover I felt the artwork of the book was of a consistently high standard, keeping in tune with the subject material and being consistently well-done throughout.
All in all, I think Ghouls is an excellent addition to the NWOD. It gives a lot of useful advice, both rules-wise and setting-wise, and after reading it I feel very comfortable allowing my players to have ghouls in my chronicle.
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