Wraith's first edition (rightfully) attracted many flames for its poor writing and design. It had plenty of flaws, most of which received proper attention with the second edition. One book survived that revision, and to this date it remains available and in print. That book is the Wraith Player's Guide, and it is the exception that proved the rule about Wraith's first edition products.
This is a wonderful piece of work, from the meaty text to the tasteful artwork. Even the cover, which could've resembled cast-offs from a Gwar stage show, is well done. There is no artwork by SCAR Studios or John Cobb, so there's nothing to distract the reader's eye and draw him out of the book's ambience. Everything works to create and sustain the mood that the designers intend for Wraith; the usual lack of color interior pieces is a big strength to any Wraith book, but here it really shines.
The opening story works. Part of this is due to it being the only fiction in the book, and the rest is due to the skill and brevity involved. The rest of the game-related stuff isn't anything unusual; there's Merits and Flaws, new Arcanos and alternate powers, clairified powers and expanded powers. The essays hit and miss, but all of them are worth reading.
What really makes this book shine is all of the material about the rest of the Underworld, from expanded descriptions of Stygian society to overviews on the other deadlands in the World of Darkness. They answer a lot of questions that the original rulebook left open, which set the stage for the various Dark Kingdom books. (Only one exists, but the rest ought to come forth sooner and later.)
Do you need this book? Not really. You can get by without it, especially if your rulebook is a Second Edition version. Hope for a second edition of this book, but until then you can get by with this version.
Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
