If you ever wondered where the Hollow One splatbook went, look here.
No, that's not all that's in this book, but it's the most significant part and that counts for a lot. You do get a lot about Orphans, about being a street-level mage, about running street-level Mage campaigns, and a grabbag of stuff that tries to make the rest look better than it is.
Chapter One is all about being a mage on the streets. A lot of this is retread material from "Destiny's Price", but this time's it's bent towards the view of an Orphan or a Hollow One who's come down to the streets in order to escape the Ascension War. Most of the advice is the sort of common sense stuff that you'd expect to find, but it bears noting that most of you who read this never lived on the street. The rules are different, but not as much as you might think. (Folks who recently played "Kingpin" would feel right at home with this book.) I liked this part, if only because the stupid people need this sort of thing.
Chapter Two is the Hollow One splatbook. It's about the same as the other Second Edition splats, so this chapter is not a waste of time and resources. The roots of the Hollow Craft get proper attention, as do the diversity of styles in the practices of its members. I did find it odd that the default is Wiccan-style witchcraft, but that's only because the Verbena have that niche covered so well. The big link is the gothic outlook, and the sensibilities that go along with that belief. I find this chapter interesting, if only because the veil behind which the Hollwers hid is now removed.
Chapter Three has Crashspace, which is a club-like setting (and its surrounding) reminiscent of Vampire's old Succubus Club in Chicago. It's got mages running the show, mages opposing the show, and mages who just like to watch. It's open for you to explore, and you can't go wrong by giving this chapter a read-through. It's the weakest part of the book, but only because this really should've been a separate product- like the Succubus Club.
Chapter Four has all of the template, notables, and the like that you've come to expect from a book like this. The templates have all of the expected stuff (single mom, orphan kid), and a few that you didn't (Wall Street Wizard). The notables include Jen Rollins, again, but this time the picture is much better than the one in "Hidden Lore"; she's not one to antagonize.
Chapter Five has the storytelling stuff. Again, a lot of the advice is more of the usual stuff from White Wolf. More on mood, theme, the street, and how to use it in your games. Some of it you'll want to read, and the rest will bore you silly. The page about how bad it sucks to be homeless, however, is a very nice reality check for those clueless souls who didn't get it the first dozen times.
The appendix has the fun stuff. Cool and useful rotes, including one to keep you clean, sit alongside a list of really useful secondary sources. Here is where the best World of Darkness movies, as of the book's publication, get their due. I agree that all WoD gamers should see "Dark City", "The Crow" (Repeat after me: "There was no sequel."), and "The Craft". (Add "The Matrix" to that list.) I'm not sure about the rest, but that's quite fine with me.
If you dig street-level gaming, Orphans, or Hollow Ones then get it. Otherwise, skip it.
Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
