I am VERY glad i got this for free (thank you Rpg.net!). I know White Wolf has been in a fit of compliation fever, and the splatbooks would get hit eventually....but dear me, for a first showing as far as a combined tradbook.....Mage makes a poor showing.
The first book in this collection, TB:Sons of Ether.....is all dressed up and has nowhere to go. Written as an introductory issue to Paradigama, the SoE "scientific" journal, it's supposed to be an intro to new members of the traditions...Anyways, in my chronicle, the SoE player read the TB...and basically came up with "We're weird. We have ray guns...we're chauvanistic. What else?" There's SO much potential here....but it just...falls flat. And well, take a look at the templates..."Awakend Creation" my arse!
Next on the list....TB:Virtual Adepts.....well....there's a touch more substance than TB:sons of ether....you have more of an idea on how to play a VAdept....if you want to play an arrogant bastard hacker. Fortunatly, that's what my player wanted to do..and the book helped. Some of the templates, specifically the Chaotician and the Musician, are pretty keen. Not good....but DEFINATLY not as bad as TB:SoE
AHHHH finally....if you buy this book, buy it for TB:Order of Hermes. This and TB:Euthanatos are the best of the best.
TB:OoH provides insight into mystic history, NINE subgroups of the order, all of which are intersting enough to almost be traditions in their own right, dispelling of the OoH=wand waving wanker myth, the return of Ball of Abyssal Flame, and more just plain cool stuff than you can wave a stick at.
Overall, only buy this book if you're A)a completist. or B)Need TB:Order of hermes (and who dosen't?) a bit of imagination can do the Adepts and the sons a LOT more justice.
overall, the presentation bothered me ((OoH science??)) and the one thing that keeps me from saying it's absolute trash is TB:Order of Hermes
Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 3 (Average)
