You've seen this on the shelves. It's a combination of GM screen and overflow book, and it's usually overpriced for what you get. This one puts a crack or two into that mold, but it fails to break it.
The GM screen is the usual four-panel affair we've come to expect from White Wolf. It's functional, pretty, and has more than enough info on the GM's side. The layout isn't spot-on, like DP9's are, but most of you folks can get by just fine. It's enough to recognize, at a glance, that this chart is for firearms and that chart is for Sphere effects; it cuts down on page-flipping, and that's enough for most.
The overflow book is the pleasant surprise. First is the honesty of the compliers; they admit up-front that it's an overflow book and they don't bother to excuse or defend it. Second is that a lot of the data in the book is very useful. The rotes are creative, useful, and very good for showing players how to get a lot of mileage out of low-level Spheres. (I'm fond of "Consuming Thought"; the irony of that comment is not lost on me.) The sample Chantry, and the city (Seattle) where it resides is well done considering the space allotted.
The best, however, is all about the Ascension War and the factions that fight it. The book tells, in objective voice, just what the deal is about the Nine Traditions, The Union, the Hollow Ones, and all else. The short article on sexual politics is most useful, as it shows that racism and sexism are not mearly mundane things. I loved this aspect of the book.
What's not so good? The price is just a hair too high. I could see this as, at most, a $12 book/screen combo. I suppose that the rise of paper prices and general inflation play a part, but I got a lot more out of DP9 versions of this sort of product than I did from "Hidden Lore". That said, you can do a lot worse than White Wolf. The fact that this is an overflow book is a mark against it, for the ideal is that there is no overflow.
But if that's all I can find, then it's not that bad. It doesn't hurt that, unlike some companies, this is a truly optional purchase. You can get by just fine without it if you desire; few players will whine if you don't have it. Get it if you want one, otherwise skip it.
Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
