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Back in November 1997, I reviewed the first edition of "WitchCraft" and gave it top marks. Sadly the game did not flourish and it quietly disappeared. I'm happy to say that in 1999, the game is back. The game was picked up by Eden Studios who commissioned a second edition.

My original review complimented the game on its fairly stream-lined system and the campaign setting. While neither the system or setting were exactly ground-breaking, both were well done and managed to outshine the other games in the "modern day with horror and magic" genre. Though I give the second edition slightly lower marks, "WitchCraft" is still an outstanding game.

What initially caught my attention with "WitchCraft" is the campaign setting. The world is slowly going to Hell and most people - while not admitting to the possibility of ghosts, demons and other things that go bump in the night - have become more fearful and superstitious. The handful of mortals capable of controlling magic are trying to stave off the decline of humanity in what is called "The Reckoning." Is this a new idea or one unique to "WitchCraft"? Heck no, other games are out there that deal with the same sort of theme. "WitchCraft" comes off ahead of the rest in having a believable mixture of the real world and fiction.

The other part of the game that caught my attention is that the PCs are involved in trying to stop the Reckoning from taking place. And they have a chance of succeeding! This isn't a losing fight for the characters and that fact injects a healthy dose of optimism for both the characters and the players. No need to dwell on the "Beast within" or the hopelessness of fighting all the fiends from hell at once. The characters actually stand a chance of turning back the tide of despair and evil. This lack of angst-ridden characters is a refreshing change in the typical "dark campaign" setting. The best example that I can compare the game to is the "Hellblazer" comic book. Everything may be dark and gritty and God knows the characters are going to bleed a lot…but they can also stand their own ground and make a difference.

So what does the second edition bring you? The book actually takes the effort to list main changes between editions on page 14. These include "Invocation casting rules, the initial character points and the Quality, Drawback and skill lists" plus other minor changes (like the typos!). I only wish that other companies did the same thing.

The basic game mechanics are simple. Roll a d10, add the attribute or skill the GM deems applicable and then he adds or subtracts modifiers. If the rsult is a 9 or higher the action succeeds.

Characters come in four flavors: The Gifted (those who can cast magic), Lesser Gifted (tougher to cast magic), Mundane (no magic) and the Bast (a feline race). Depending on the type of magic the character uses he can then join an Association. Each Association is a group of like-minded individuals with their own quirks and goals. The game introduces 6 Associations with more to follow in additional books.

So why the degraded evaluation values? For the Substance value this 2nd edition doesn't feel like a 2nd edition…its more like a reprint of the first with minor changes. Given the potential richness of the world I was hoping to see an evolution or even expansion of the campaign setting. Its almost as if the world had been judged to be "good enough" by the editors and little was done to improve it. Game systems that have an integrated campaign world, like Vampire for example, should improve and expand on the campaign world with each edition. At the very least the world should evolve more. Ditto for the character Associations which help form the core of the setting and differentiate characters.

Style also loses a point for the manner of presentation. The new layout in a graphic novel size gives the illusion of more pages that aren't actually present. At Gencon I asked Eden Studios about the new format and was told that it was both cheaper and more popular with the fans. I have to question the issue of price…at $28 for a paperback the savings to the customer seem dubious. The question of popularity of the new graphic novel dimensions for gaming products I leave up to the gaming public. Other companies are exploring this new size and I'm curious to see what people want. I was also not thrilled with the use of a near-illegible font for the flavor fiction and seeing recycled art.

Despite the slightly lower rating I give the second edition I still think this game is head and shoulders above the other games in this genre. It may not be original or unique, but the world it presents and the character options available to players makes this game stand out.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)