Kithbook: Trolls had a great beginning. The short story showing the mythic origins of troll frailty was wonderful. It explained how they became so oathbound, and it did so in an appropriate manner. It showed just how passionate and romantic they really are, and how often their passions are denied. The Code of Dagda was a great piece of badly-needed material, and the troll slant on history is valuable- except for the creation stories.
Yep, that's right. I said "stories" and that's exactly what is printed. They have four variations: Traditional, Danaist Egalitarian and Athenian. Each faction has adhearants, with attendant discord amongst the troll race. This I dislike; Changeling, while a mythic game, has a clear-cut mythology. This kind of mystery better belongs to Mage or Vampire; it has no place in Changeling.
The history chapter has two stories, one in a sidebar, that further showcase troll ethics and virtues. (These are "Red Rory and Moira of the Mountain" and "Torvald and Bohr.") They repeat the themes of duty, honor and loyalty at all costs- the core of all trolls, Seelie and Unseelie alike- and those costs can be terrible indeed. They also show how powerful trolls are, and how they live within the Dreaming. This contrasts the tragedy of recent history, especially the Accordance War, where the troll-led commoners lost to the returning sidhe despite the best of plans and preparations and survivors continue to have their honor questioned by self-righteous sidhe.
The society chapter is more useful. It deals with the troll approach to courtly love (they don't), oathbreaking (they don't), courtesy (very) and the courts (loyalist). The troll approach to warfare is very old-school; they demand the right to challenge oppossing trolls to single-combat, then go after sidhe and *then* other fae. (Sun Tzu would not approve.) Then it goes on to troll perceptions of other kith. Most of them are the same, regardless of Court, and if you've read the rulebook then you already know the opinions commonly held by trolls. After this are the Gallain, then the Prodigals and finally troll societies. The societies are interesting, but there isn't much meat to them.
The final two chapters have the legends and heroes amongst trolls, then the game-oriented section of material. The templates aren't that great, save the Eco-terrorist. The Merits and Flaws are useful, if expected, and the same is true of the troll-sized weapons. The treasures, however, are noteworthy. The Shields of Virtue are wondeful, as they tie into the backstory and weave troll ethics into its effects. The Highland Blade is scary, and the Brooch of the True Suitor is intriguing. All neat and all worth using in your own games.
I feel disappointed, because there wasn't enough meat. Yet, this is better than most of White Wolf's clan/tribe/etc. series. As with any of them, I recommend it if you play these characters. Otherwise, skip it.
Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)
