Ringing in the new year by finally catching up on some old reviews!
Panopticon (Posthuman Studios) is the first of possibly several in a series of catch-all books cover parts of the Eclipse Phase setting that can't quite warrant their own book and don't fit into the theme of other planned books. The three topics that are detailed here are: surveillance/sousveillance, space habitats, and uplifts. The book itself is gorgeous as is the norm for the Eclipse Phase line. The books are worth it for the art (especially check out the O'Neill cylinder for the Habitats chapter opener p 52-53!). It also has the nifty ribbon bookmark which has become common in the Eclipse Phase books. The binding does seem rather fragile though. During the first read through it was already starting to crack and looked dangerously close to losing some pages. Panopticon is the first self published (think that is the correct term at least) Eclipse Phase book after going through some troubles with previous publishers so the binding may just be growing pains related to that.
Onto the book itself! The first section on surveillance (watching from above) and sousveillance (watching from below) deals with the effects of ubiquitous tracking and observation that comes with a high tech society who are always plugged and have easy access to a variety of forms of monitoring. Simply put due to the ability to watch everyone does setting up a society that can literally watch the watchers in many cases. Naturally the resultant outlook on privacy changes greatly with such a plugged in society. This section felt the least useful from a new setting information perspective. The concept of sousveillance was new and not one covered heavily in the core book so that is useful. Also useful is how people go about thwarting it. Overall the discussions just felt a bit wordy as if it could have been written more concisely. Specific details on how surveillance devices work, etc are also described and that will be more useful to players who need new ways to spy on other people.
The habitats section provides a good overview of the different types of habitats. Arguably this might be the most straightforwardly useful portion of the book as some of these habitat types are not exactly familiar to the average layman. There is also detail on the life in a habitat including hazards to spice things up if need be. Finally a close look at the various system/subsystems that make the habitats run. This section can be a bit dry as a lot of the information is very technical. However, it's highly likely that at some point someone will need to break into or disrupt a habitat and this will certainly supply the gamemaster with a wide variety of ways to allow the players to do exactly that. (And coincidentally be able to use all those wonderful surveillance techniques from the previous chapter to make it a challenge for the players at the same time!)
The final chapter is on uplifts. This is the chapter that might interest players the most as it lays the groundwork for a bunch of new morphs. It lays out the history of the uplift process as well as how exactly the process works. The various types of uplifts are covered in detail as well expanding up what the core book has. The variety here is impressive although personally I have to admit that I wish a neo-elphenant had survived so we could get stats on that. The diversity here is impressive. Fickle players looking for an interesting uplift should be able to find something that tickles their tastes. Finally the chapter takes a look at the very diverse groups who revolve around uplifts and their rights. Uplifts may be one of the most divisive issues within the Eclipse Phase world and with that comes a colorful array of organizations that players can get entangled with.
The finally chapter provides mechanical information that has been presented earlier in the book. Loads of new morphs and tons of surveillance devices abound. Players and gamemasters alike should find all sorts of fun things to play with.
Final thoughts: This book did not match up to Sunward or Gatecrashing for me but still a good buy. If uplifts feature greatly in your Eclipse Phase campaign I would argue that this book becomes a must as the information here is extensive and the additional cast of uplifts who enter the fray are great. The Eclipse Phase line sets the bar high everytime and this is no exception.
Available in print* and PDF.
Links: Amazon, DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight, also available as a bit torrent for free since all Eclipse Phase products are Creative Commons licensed
Up next: Charnel Houses of Europe: The Shoah (Wraith: The Oblivion)
Friday, December 30, 2011
Changeling: The Lost
Changeling: The Lost (White Wolf) is the new World of Darkness' take on Changeling. If you're familiar with Changeling: The Dreaming this is quite a different feel although if you're at all familiar with the tone of the new World of Darkness this should not be terribly surprising. The book itself is very attractive with one of the better covers of the new core books. Binding is good (something that can be iffy on White Wolf books at times) and art is a good representative of the feel that the book itself invokes.
Changelings represent people who've been abducted by the True Fae at some point in the past and have spent time in Faerie (referred to also as Arcadia). Eventually they manage to escape their abductors and find their way back through the Hedge (the barrier between our world and Arcadia). However rarely do they find happiness when they return. In their place a simulacrum called a Fetch has replaced them so no one is even aware they are gone. Worse they have been changed by Arcadia becoming half-Fae taking on aspects of whatever their masters had them represent or do in that realm. Having fought their way home they now find that it is not really home anymore. This is the lot of The Lost.
This fairly evocative set-up lays out the theme and feel of the whole book. Sort of a sad, behind the scenes despair of a non-homecoming and a struggle to keep going from there. This theme is very strongly reinforced throughout the book that happiness is a struggle for the changelings. Between battling the loss of their old homes, the mental and spiritual damage caused by the True Fae, and the changes to their very beings Changelings face a myriad of challenges to coping with everyday life. This bleakness saturates the writing almost overmuch as in some cases it's hard to see why most changelings haven't outright committed suicide in face of such negative circumstances. There is little to no hope presented. While this holds to the outlook of the World of Darkness as a bleak and depressing place this felt a bit overdone. Hunter: The Vigil gave a better hope at least winning some small battles even if the larger war might never be won. It felt like Changeling lacked even that small hope.
Changelings aren't left entirely defenseless. They do have a system of courts that provide varying levels of structure and support to local freeholds (freeholds being the name given to a local society of Changelings). Their true form is also hidden from mortal eyes by the Mask hiding their true mien allowing them to walk amongst the regular human throng. Changelings also have access to powers called Contracts giving them an edge over the normal mortal. These power stems from their Fae roots. Where their former Fae masters or powerful Changelings have negotiated certain responses from a concept in Arcadia allowing them to manipulate that concept in our world. They also have the ability to create exacting Pledges which are binding promises with consequences, durations, etc all determinable allowing for interesting roleplay especially for devious players or storytellers.
Characters themselves have a Seeming which represents what they did in Arcadia. So a Changeling who acted as his master's hunting hound might have a Beast Seeming. Narrowly defining the Seemings can be done by selecting a Kith which indicates a more specific aptitude. Most characters will also select a Court. These Courts represent the political/idealogical outlook of character. In the core book the four courts represent the seasons. It is entirely possible to have a courtless Changeling but they tend to be mistrusted by those who are aligned and also limits their access to some Contracts.
Changeling caters well to a variety of play types although for once it feels that players who enjoying politicking, negotiations, and more socially aspected games may find more to enjoy in this then other World of Darkness games. Given the ever-shifting nature of the freehold courts and the general paranoia of Changelings and the overpowering scary of the True Fae direct combat seems less likely an option in many cases. Interestingly the True Fae could be used a big bad for nearly any World of Darkness campaign (especially cross-overs) as they represent a threat to all creatures that reside on Earth. The True Fae would surely be interested as much in a vampire or werewolf (at least for curiosity's sake) as a regular human. Some broad campaign ideas could be developed there!
Final thoughts: if you're looking for a dynamic but bleak game with a touch of madness thrown in this may be your game. If you want to expand your World of Darkness collection you definitely want to pick this up. If you are looking to play Fae-touched superheroes you're going to be disappointed or spending a lot of time rejiggering the system to your tastes.
Available in print* and pdf.
Links: DriveThruRPG, Amazon, Noble Knight
Next Up: Panopticon (Eclipse Phase)
Changelings represent people who've been abducted by the True Fae at some point in the past and have spent time in Faerie (referred to also as Arcadia). Eventually they manage to escape their abductors and find their way back through the Hedge (the barrier between our world and Arcadia). However rarely do they find happiness when they return. In their place a simulacrum called a Fetch has replaced them so no one is even aware they are gone. Worse they have been changed by Arcadia becoming half-Fae taking on aspects of whatever their masters had them represent or do in that realm. Having fought their way home they now find that it is not really home anymore. This is the lot of The Lost.
This fairly evocative set-up lays out the theme and feel of the whole book. Sort of a sad, behind the scenes despair of a non-homecoming and a struggle to keep going from there. This theme is very strongly reinforced throughout the book that happiness is a struggle for the changelings. Between battling the loss of their old homes, the mental and spiritual damage caused by the True Fae, and the changes to their very beings Changelings face a myriad of challenges to coping with everyday life. This bleakness saturates the writing almost overmuch as in some cases it's hard to see why most changelings haven't outright committed suicide in face of such negative circumstances. There is little to no hope presented. While this holds to the outlook of the World of Darkness as a bleak and depressing place this felt a bit overdone. Hunter: The Vigil gave a better hope at least winning some small battles even if the larger war might never be won. It felt like Changeling lacked even that small hope.
Changelings aren't left entirely defenseless. They do have a system of courts that provide varying levels of structure and support to local freeholds (freeholds being the name given to a local society of Changelings). Their true form is also hidden from mortal eyes by the Mask hiding their true mien allowing them to walk amongst the regular human throng. Changelings also have access to powers called Contracts giving them an edge over the normal mortal. These power stems from their Fae roots. Where their former Fae masters or powerful Changelings have negotiated certain responses from a concept in Arcadia allowing them to manipulate that concept in our world. They also have the ability to create exacting Pledges which are binding promises with consequences, durations, etc all determinable allowing for interesting roleplay especially for devious players or storytellers.
Characters themselves have a Seeming which represents what they did in Arcadia. So a Changeling who acted as his master's hunting hound might have a Beast Seeming. Narrowly defining the Seemings can be done by selecting a Kith which indicates a more specific aptitude. Most characters will also select a Court. These Courts represent the political/idealogical outlook of character. In the core book the four courts represent the seasons. It is entirely possible to have a courtless Changeling but they tend to be mistrusted by those who are aligned and also limits their access to some Contracts.
Changeling caters well to a variety of play types although for once it feels that players who enjoying politicking, negotiations, and more socially aspected games may find more to enjoy in this then other World of Darkness games. Given the ever-shifting nature of the freehold courts and the general paranoia of Changelings and the overpowering scary of the True Fae direct combat seems less likely an option in many cases. Interestingly the True Fae could be used a big bad for nearly any World of Darkness campaign (especially cross-overs) as they represent a threat to all creatures that reside on Earth. The True Fae would surely be interested as much in a vampire or werewolf (at least for curiosity's sake) as a regular human. Some broad campaign ideas could be developed there!
Final thoughts: if you're looking for a dynamic but bleak game with a touch of madness thrown in this may be your game. If you want to expand your World of Darkness collection you definitely want to pick this up. If you are looking to play Fae-touched superheroes you're going to be disappointed or spending a lot of time rejiggering the system to your tastes.
Available in print* and pdf.
Links: DriveThruRPG, Amazon, Noble Knight
Next Up: Panopticon (Eclipse Phase)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)