Goto [ Index ]

Project Twilight

Project Twilight was second book in the "Year of the Hunter" series that were released in year 1995. Officially book is for 2nd edition Werewolf: the Apocalypse, but practically it is so generic, that Project Twilight can be easily used in every possible World of Darkness game (Changeling and Mummy will possibly be the hardest ones). But what is Project Twilight actually about? Well...

What we get here is government funded top-secret agency Special Affairs Department (from here forth, SAD), which investigates paranormal activities and tries to collect enough solid evidence to gain enlightenment about creatures which stalk in the night. Unfortunately, nearly every bit of information that SAD has collected has been interpreted wrong, and for nearly every two steps that SAD has taken they have walked one step back. Some unnatural groups have also infiltrated SAD so well; that they practically can use it for their own purposes and ends.

Project Twilight starts with short story named Alley Tag, where agent Vanessa Pratt tries to solve murder where supernatural is suspected to take part. Story is normal White Wolf quality, which can be good or bad thing depending from who you ask. Anyway, that story captures rather well mood of Project Twilight and is decent starter for book. After foregoing short story we get to Introduction, where they basically tell about Project Twilight moods and themes, and how this book should be used. Actually nothing really new, and everybody who has played his fair share of White Wolfs games already know what to except from this part of the book.

Surprisingly, after introduction book goes straight into character creation, which is discussed in Chapter One: Whoever Hunts Monsters. There isn't actually much anything new here, and chapter follows normal mortal character creation rules. Of course there is some new backgrounds, which are useful for government related adventures. There are also some new merits and flaws, equipment, four psychic numinas and one hedge magick path that players can buy for their characters. These numinas and hedge magick paths have been probably introduced earlier before in Sorcerer, but I don't say anything as I don't own that book personally. But if you count numinas out, created SAD agents so weak and mortal as normal mortal characters tend to be, not superpowered He-Mans which appear in Hunter: the Reckoning.

Then book goes for Chapter Two: FBI Special Affairs Department (SAD). Here we are told about SADs history, organisation, factions and facts that they know about supernatural. History is rather short but gives good overview. It also shows how difficult it is for government to successfully get any proof about supernatural, and how easily things can go wrong. Although things are actually looking far more better for SAD now than before (they have even got funding from senator who wants SAD to rescue his daughter from werewolves), department is quickly sliding into internal chaos, as there is three competing factions. First of them is the Minutemen, all-white, all-male, ultra-conservative, reactionary cabal somewhat in the mold of Ku Klux Klan, which is lead by SADs security chief Martin Fiske. Then there is liberal group called The Underground, which wants to get more scientific approach (i.e. more facts, less shooting) to SADs operations. Finally, there are also mysterious Wire Heads, which aren't actually faction, but two mind-controlled agents, which names aren't told, but second one of them has infiltrated Minutemen. There isn't enough information to draw straight conclusions about factions, but enough to stir Storytellers imagination, and that is good thing, really good thing.

Chapter two also tells about facts that SAD knows about supernatural. SAD has mostly information about vampires, but not many hard facts about garous (they even assume that there is only three tribes), mages, wraiths or changelings. Here you can also see that Project Twilight was made in time when crossovers were more usual in World of Darkness, as different clans, traditions and tribes are used with their own names. Most of time when SAD speaks about vampires, it speaks about Brujahs, which SAD believes to be Marxist vampires. They also believe that all garous are most definitely indian blood, and take huge part in different political indian groups. After short analyse of different supernaturals, we see SADs Top 10 Wanted list. Every list inductee has image, short description and why SAD wants so badly to caught subject. Unfortunately, most of the list inductees are vampires and werewolves and it shows, that writer hasn't spend enough time to flesh them out. After top10 list we will get floorplans of SADs headquarters and list of most important persons in SADs payroll.

Following chapters Chapter Three: National Security Agency (NSA) and Chapter Four: Other Agencies are both quite small chapters, which just introduce some basic facts about other intelligence organisations, their relations to supernatural and important persons. There isn't much to say about these two chapters, but NSA has some competing internal factions just like SAD has, which are mostly free of supernatural influence. Most important of them are The Guardian Know, group of Technocracy wannabes, The Neo-Luddites, small group of agents who believe that technology does more damage to humankind than good, and The Goddam' Magpeyes, group of highest caliber hackers. CIA has just loony named Bob Schnoblin, who ironically has most correct information about supernatural.

Then we go for Chapter Five: Storytelling, where we are just told some basic tips for running government based chronicle and tells SADs darkest secrets, like true agendas of SADs leaders, internal factions mysterious sponsors, and the true puppet masters who control SAD from the shadows. I don't actually want to spoil this chapter to everybody, but I just say that SAD is deeper in the shit that it never understands. After Storytelling chapter we get introductory adventure in Chapter Six: The St. Claire Contract, which just feels to be out of place. Not because adventure would be bad, but there are only fifty-nine pages of true information in this book, and twenty pages that adventure has taken could have made book even better. But the adventure is there and we must bear it. Adventure is decent, even if cliched, X-Files styled case where player characters must investigate series of kidnappings. After adventure, book just closes with Appendix: Junior G-Men, which is basically just two character templates for Storytellers use.

Project Twilight is surprisingly good and useful book for World of Darkness. Although there isn't so much material that I would have hoped for, book is really worth its price, especially if your characters actually want play rather weak and defenless hunters, who don't know actually anything about what is going on. Of course book is quite small, if you compare it to other brilliant government / supernatural / conspiracy books that there is in the market, like Conspiracy X and Delta Green, but it works nearly perfectly in the role that White Wolf has assigned for it. Small sourcebook, which can give rather good alternative for normal chronicles, and gives enough information about SAD to stir Storytellers imagination, but leaves enough space for your own visions and plans. Unfortunately Project Twilight has been out of print for over seven years, so finding this sourcebook can be rather difficult, but should be possible by searching around Internet.

Style: 4 (meaty)
Substance: 4 (meaty)