Werewolf: The Dark Ages

Rating:
Summary: Of Claw and Sword
Review: Dare you leave your filthy alleys and rotting cities, toss modernization behind you and visit the era when the wyrm was young and the garou mere legends? True enough, no real roleplayer needs to be told what a broadsword is, and not many would find the entire chronicles of the british islands necessary, but this book conveys an entirely new atmosphere. No longer a fugitive in a losing war and painful memory, the garou in the dark ages are the real monsters - the Bad Wolf of legends, horrors in the long nights. These are the times when a wolf can really be a wolf. However - don't mistake these times to be placid or tranquil - the young (and so far largely unknown)wyrm is growing stronger and bolder, huge monsters of old times stil wonder about, the Burning Times (the garou term for Inquisition) can return at any moment, and the abominable Leeches hold Europe by the throat. And intend to bite. You could say that this book is an interface between Vampire and Werewolf, because the Leeches recieve here a lot of attention - both in articles and in rules, and it is probably very handy reading this book along with Vampire. Being a devoted storyteller of the Apocalypse campaign, and having no vampire rulebook close by, I skipped through much of the Leechy parts, and focused on the wolf point of sight. Herein you would find the viewpoints of each of the Old World tribes along with short articles written on each (and smashing artwork - espeacially the one along the Fenrir and Fianna tribes), whole chapter devoted to history and atmosphere, new skills, gifts, rites and fetishes (sadly no new Totems), and new monsters to entertain the aggressive wolf race. Admittedly, those who know next to nothing about Vampire (like myself) miss a bit of the point, but overall this is a good book to have.

Rating:
Summary: Just Another Crossover
Review: I rarely find myself dissatisfied with a product. I'm not this time, but there are a few comments I feel should be made. First and foremost, White Wolf crossovers simply don't work. This book requires you to take Werewolf out of its normal context and place it in a world designed for Vampire.

This is not inherently a problem. Werewolf has certain perks, even in the Dark Ages. But there is no conflict. When White Wolf branches into alternate settings, there is always a unique conflict (such as the Storm Eater in Wild West). I find that oddly lacking. This book lacks the conflict in the Americas (for obvious reasons), all-powerful Wyrm spawn, and all other potential enemies. In fact, it seems more to me like a hack-and-slash version of a serious game.

What I find most distasteful is that it's a reprint of existing information. It varies only in small areas from the information in Werewolf: the Apocalypse. The Pure Ones are missing and the Glasswalkers have a period-appropriate name. But the Vampire: the Dark Ages covers this information sufficiently.

In the end, all I can say for sure is that this is a good game out of its element. If Werewolves are to be used in the Dark Ages, use them with crossover rules: there are no tribes, they're all Lupines. Keep the games true to themselves, leave them in their own time.

Rating:
Summary: Just Another Crossover
Review: I rarely find myself dissatisfied with a product. I'm not this time, but there are a few comments I feel should be made. First and foremost, White Wolf crossovers simply don't work. This book requires you to take Werewolf out of its normal context and place it in a world designed for Vampire.

This is not inherently a problem. Werewolf has certain perks, even in the Dark Ages. But there is no conflict. When White Wolf branches into alternate settings, there is always a unique conflict (such as the Storm Eater in Wild West). I find that oddly lacking. This book lacks the conflict in the Americas (for obvious reasons), all-powerful Wyrm spawn, and all other potential enemies. In fact, it seems more to me like a hack-and-slash version of a serious game.

What I find most distasteful is that it's a reprint of existing information. It varies only in small areas from the information in Werewolf: the Apocalypse. The Pure Ones are missing and the Glasswalkers have a period-appropriate name. But the Vampire: the Dark Ages covers this information sufficiently.

In the end, all I can say for sure is that this is a good game out of its element. If Werewolves are to be used in the Dark Ages, use them with crossover rules: there are no tribes, they're all Lupines. Keep the games true to themselves, leave them in their own time.

Rating:
Summary: Lacks the System
Review: I'm a GM and i've been one for about 8 months, I love Vampire: The dark ages, and this is a must if you want to run a dark ages game. The only problem is you do need Werewolf: The Apocalypse in order to use this book. Either that, or you are familiar with werewolf systems and have certain knowledge on Rolemaster. Still I strongly recommend this book for those who like White Wolf's WoD.

Rating:
Summary: Rating not Applicable
Review: Riiiiiiiight. Question: What the hell would be the purpose in buying this? There's absolutely nothing new in the material presented (in fact, there's LESS) and I don't think you really need the help to figure out how to play a game in the dark ages when u can just use the core book and adapt a few things. I suppose it has some nice features like great art and some interesting revisions of history, but is that really worth what you'd be paying for it?

Rating:
Summary: Rating not Applicable
Review: Riiiiiiiight. Question: What the hell would be the purpose in buying this? There's absolutely nothing new in the material presented (in fact, there's LESS) and I don't think you really need the help to figure out how to play a game in the dark ages when u can just use the core book and adapt a few things. I suppose it has some nice features like great art and some interesting revisions of history, but is that really worth what you'd be paying for it?

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book that you must buy
Review: This book is great. It shows you how a werewolf really is, a creature that stalks in the night without fear because it knows that no one can stand before it. The only thing that fails in the book is that there's only a few new gifts.But the rest of the book is excellent. Sorry for my horrible english

Rating:
Summary: Rockin book, a must have
Review: This book rocks. It has every thing youd need to play the Garou during the long night. One of the best books out there. My sole complaint was that there was to much about Kindred in there. That fine, even realy good if your lookin to use the danmed in your game. But I sure as Malfeas wazent!