Book of Vile Darkness (Dungeons & Dragons Supplement)

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Summary: Interesting, but how much will ever get used in-game?
Review: The book is an interesting read, but I'm curious to know how many DMs will actually use more than a small element here or there in their adventures. We have had rules for drugs and torture that we just made up for some years now and the rules in the book aren't going to replace them. Of more interest to me was the return of the actual lords and rulers of Hell and the Abyss including new character classes as their disciples and followers. Some of these are fantastic and can be added without much difficulty to most campaigns without unbalancing them too badly (IMO ;-)).

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Summary: May or may not be useful
Review: The book is full of interesting ideas but unless you are willing to bring a level of gore into your game not allot of them can be used. I like the book but my DM doesn't care for the Gore aspect of it so he will not use the material from the book.

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Summary: Releasing this was a bad move
Review: This alongside the other rulebooks on store shelves makes parents more concerned with D&D than ever before. It's hard enough to defend rpgs without giving critics extra fuel. Are parents going to say yes you can go play D&D as long as the DM is not using the book of vile darkness or are they going to say don't go back to that bookstore, I don't want you playing that game anymore. Great job, Monte; the damage is done. Forget censorship, instead think before you release sick stuff.

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Summary: Just what it claims to be
Review: This book is just what Wizards claims it is. Monte Cook has brought in another winner with this one. The book is inventive, useful, well-organized and mature. The book pushes the limits and defines what it means to do so, but none of the material presented is gratuitous for mature adult DM's with playing groups willing to explore gritty roleplaying against truly depraved foes.

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Summary: Review by DM of 17 years
Review: Not for the Kiddies.
This book marks a return to the old order of D&D that we haven't seen since the first edition game. Which lost the edge in the early 90's to appease parent groups concerened with "Devil Worship" and other such nastines that were shown in the original game. I have seen much like the book states that there are polar opposites with the reviews of this item just as is the book conquers good and evil in black and white terms. This book is not meant to be the end all be all of what evil is or isn't. It is a guide book for making really evil creatures and villains for your characters to come up against in a fantasy world. Fantasy, not reality folks is the key word here. Fantasy worlds are often very black and white places unlike the real world, which is shades of gray. I find this book to be a great work and source for DMs wishing to darken their campaigns, to let their PCs shine even brighter when confronted by overwhelming darkness the likes of which they haven't seen in awhile. The kids who grew up on D&D are grown now, and the days of having to watch what you print in a sourcebook are at an end. It's about time. Now you can run PCs the likes of Conan, Howard Carter, Tarzan, and Kull again, up against the Demons and Devils of old instead of some watered down creature with a silly name.

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Summary: About Time
Review: During the mid-80s/early-90s crash of TSR, Inc., the point in time that DND needed to stretch its legs and make forward bounds, we, the gamers, saw a rapid decline in quality and a rapid increase in perceived morality. This "perceived morality" brought about by the changing of the brass at TSR, inc. very nearly destroyed a game that has finally come into it's own. There is really nothing "vile" about this book, only a return to some of the things that make DND a great game to play. You need really good bad guys to challenge the really good good guys! A lot of hype was built into this supplement to the world's most popular role playing game. This so called hype is the name of the book and what it implies. The book is all about villians and creative ways for the Dungeon Master to portray them. A very handy item indeed but really not all that necessary if the DM is worth his salt. I am greateful to see a return of the "archvillians" of old. We can call them Demons or Devils but they are really just antagonists for the DM to use. Most of the objections and praises read elsewhere in reviews of this book are all valid to an extent, depending on the point of view you take and if you don't read between the lines and make it something it is not. I recommend this book to all who play the game. Use what you like and discard the rest. That really is the key to this book and the subject matter that it portrays. Your villans in a game can be bad or realllly bad! Enjoy! And keep in mind that DND is only a game, the bad guys are just like the good guys, make-believe, but all in all, it is a very fun game to play!

Rating:
Summary: BVD-ok but not great
Review: I purchased the BVD in hopes that the long avoided evil aspects of D&D would finally be appoched. However most of the book is filled with somewhat interesting magical items, prestigue classes, and powerful monsters. This is not a great buy.

Rating:
Summary: Evil Unfolds
Review: This book is worth the Money! it provides as an invaluable resource for extended campaigning, Monte Cook has pushed the boundaries that no one has dared push in years. this book contains black magic, cults, drug trafficing, and loads more to explore the dark side of fantasy worlds. How can Righteous heroes define themselves unless they defeat the secrtets within "The Book of Vile Darkness"

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Summary: Quite Possibly the Best D&D Accessory Ever
Review: First off, I would like to say that this book really is malevolent enough to deserve the "mature content." Most books only scratch the surface as far as evil goes. However, slavery was only briefly mentioned and being a necrophiliac became an actual feat! Not what I would have done, but still eerily interesting.
I also thought the prestige classes were awesome beyond belief. The Cancer Mage was my absolute favorite, Vermin Lord close second, Thrall of Juiblex in third place. Almost every demon prince and archdevil had their own prestige class. One thing I was disappointed about was the limited amount of vile gods(favorites Rallaster and The Xammux). Some of the feats(like Dark Speech) beat the pants off even the best Player's Handbook ones, and besides, the new corrupt spells and magic items were great. Maybe the most impressive part of the book was the insanely excellent artwork. ...! All in all, worth the money a hundred times over.

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Summary: Very fresh ideas
Review: The book is not as bad as the title suggests, however, it adds a richness to the game that is a nice twist!