The World of Darkness
by White Wolf Game Studio

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Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of The World of Darkness

Book Review: Revised and looking damn good...
Summary: 5 Stars

The World of Darkness core book is the main system book, detailing the world, the system, and the main population of the World of Darkness - the Mortals. Things in here will look very familiar to long time fans of the WoD; a world in darkness, gothic-punk, hidden conspiracies, things not being as they seem, the supernatural menace etc. So far, it's fairly typical fare, and doesn't give much reason to own the book if you already have all the old WoD books. But this, in my opinion, is only a surface similarity. Let me get this clear, it is similar to the old World of Darkness, it is similar to the Storyteller system...but this isn't a mere update, this isn't a simple revision. This is an overhaul. Ending the old line gave White Wolf the opportunity to start at the beginning, keep some of the things they liked, and completely change things they didn't. The book itself is very stylish, cover to cover, it's a work of art in itself, with a glossy front cover, and incredible artwork, as you would expect from a White Wolf publication. The stories inside are very well done, and the information is portrayed neatly. As far as the system is concerned, there is much here that old WoD players will recognise, but there are still many changes, mainly used to streamline the rules, making it so that when they come into play, they are over with quickly, bringing the focus back to where it should be, playing the game. And i think making the main book concentrate on mortals is a stroke of genius. It brings to mind the fact that although there are super powers at work in the WoD, the world is primarilly made up of normal, human, mortal masses.

I might have given this book 4 stars on it's own, because although it is an astounding fount of information, there are still many common threads that run between this book and the previous WoD incarnations. But I upped it to 5 because of it's potential. With what's changed, to the system and the world, I can't wait to see what White Wolf do with the upcoming Vampire, Werewolf and Mage sourcebooks, as well as any other expansion books. It's a revolution in the Storytelling system, it's not a simple update at all, it opens up whole worlds of possibility now that White Wolf have more or less restarted after the old WoD became too cluttered with metaplot. If you have the old systems, and you like the old systems, then I suppose you could do away with buying this book. But for new and old gamers alike, I would advise buying this book. It has so much potential, and so many possibilities, and new players will be able to slip into it no problem. Even the old players that like the old system may like to get this simply because I believe the rules make a great deal more sense. In summation...only if you're a dyed in the wool old skool WoD player would I advise against this book, as there are quite a few changes...but if you're a role-player, old or new, buy this book, and have fun...

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