Rating: 
Summary: Botched
Review: One of the single worst things to be published in recent history by White Wolf. While the changes set down in Dark Ages: Mage completely ignored the time lines in the other mage series, it was atleast contained within the mage line. Demon the fallen on the other hand went further, it ignored the fact that demons have been used in every game, and those demons were not only better than the 'fallen' version, they are completely incompatable. The changes put in this book sent the cosmology of other games into a tailspin, and not for the better. This was a badly done, and worse, unneccesary book.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy it, Read it, LOVE IT!
Review: This book is a MUST HAVE for any demon or World of Darkness player. the section of the Helaku (Slayers) is worth the price of the book alone. Signifigant details on the creation of Haven (the underworld), and possible connections to werewolf in the form of Ziana Seraph of the Cycle (who became the World Tree)... hmmm Gaia maybe?
BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Plunging into new levels of evil
Review: This book is magnificent, very reminiscent of the old White Wolf games back when first edition Vampire the Masquerade was the bombshell of the RPG world! It treats the concept of demons as Player Characters (PC's) with great tact and careful analysis. This is White Wolf at its most primal, its most controversial yet.Enjoy and dont leave it laying around the coffee table. Its a beautiful book.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant intellectually, a bit short on thinking-through
Review: This book/game is, indeed, brilliant: the amount of thought put into the history is astounding, especially given the weight and heartfeltedness of the thoughts put forth. The authors go to great (and appreciated) lengths to parallel and sometimes flesh out the Bible's history, and players and readers will certainly feel inspired by the emotional depth and power.
That said, some of the game mechanics are disappointing. Compared, for example, to the other World of Darkness creatures like werewolves and vampires, demons are puny, weak little creatures. Some of you are out there saying, "Yeah, that's the point! They spent a thousand years in the abyss, of course they're weak!"....but these demons are weak to the point of being borderline human, and rich as the history is, the incongruity of demons and impotence is disappointing enough to make gameplay feel wrong (lackluster?).
In many respects, the book feels unfinished. Examples given at the beginning of the book for demonic abilities are not reflected or explained in the later rules, thus giving readers a taste of very interesting powers that, sadly, aren't acquirable. Roleplayers used to playing Mage will also feel hamstrung by the powers in Demon, which often have essentially the same function only on a much smaller scale, and are infinitely harder to invoke. Where vampires have bloodpool, demons have Faith--faith, however, is much harder to come by, and the maximum pool of it is a fourth as large to start off.
All in all, if you're going to buy this book, buy it with the intention of fleshing out the rules and the practical aspects on your own. The history they prepare is more than worth the cover charge, but the game mechanics are disappointing and not as awe-inspiring as they ought to be, given that one is playing a divine being.
When compared to another game like Steve Jackson Games' In Nomine, one finds that, again, the background is better, but its implementation is much worse. I recommend buying these two in tandem, mostly to offset the weaknesses of the Demon book.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful game and must have for any White Wolf fan
Review: This game was very well thought out, and the stories were very well written. Demons make excellent additions to the world of darkness. Yes demons have been mentioned in White Wolfs WoD books before, White Wolf was disapointingly vague on detailing demons. The new take on demons while definately different than what White Wolf did with them before, gives demons a lot more depth. The book also gives an all new layer of depth to the over all history of the WoD role playing world, making it very useful even if you aren't planning on having Demon PCs. The only flaw of this book, which unforunately White Wolf often does was a few rules which were poorly worded, this is certainly not enough to subtract from the over all score of the book.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful game and must have for any White Wolf fan
Review: This game was very well thought out, and the stories were very well written. Demons make excellent additions to the world of darkness. Yes demons have been mentioned in White Wolfs WoD books before, White Wolf was disapointingly vague on detailing demons. The new take on demons while definately different than what White Wolf did with them before, gives demons a lot more depth. The book also gives an all new layer of depth to the over all history of the WoD role playing world, making it very useful even if you aren't planning on having Demon PCs. The only flaw of this book, which unforunately White Wolf often does was a few rules which were poorly worded, this is certainly not enough to subtract from the over all score of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely not to be missed, but read before buying
Review: Weaving a world and concepts from legend, lies, lore, mistakes, and religion, the creators for the Demon setting have produced a game definitely playable on its own. In a way, preferably so. I love the subtle approach of Demon compared to the other settings for the World of Darkness; the existence of the other denizens (vampires, werewolves, and the like) takes a backseat rather than something hastily added ("Oh, by the way, there are other creatures out there. Like vampires. Here are thes stats.) This approach is well-suited for a game where ancient beings whose eyes saw (and made) the beginning of time are portrayed by players. To combine them with the other games, well... turns it into camp (Buffy, anyone?) rather than a more serious exploration of the oldest things of "evil." However, don't be deceived: the concepts for the majority of the World of Darkness (tm) games are pretty much the same. Players portray a character from a particular genre, a sub-type (Clan, Tribe, etc., or in this case, House), and have powers whose starting limits are based on the subtype. So in other words, well-written but nothing really new except setting. Makes me think about Mark Rein-Hagen's original approach for Wraith, before when it was called Demon...
Rating:
Summary: Not Just for Upsetting Grandma
Review: Well written, with an intriguing, "believeable" (for a fictional world) concept. Christian mythology is handled with dignity and respect, though devout Christians would probably disagree. As per usual White Wolf fare, it is well-written, well-illustrated, and designed so that the possibilites for game themes are endless, from the descent into mindless evil, to a Dogma-esque search for forgiveness. Fans of hack-n-slash games and aspiring politicos alike will find a home in Demon, and I look foreward to future releases for this title.
Rating:
Summary: One of White Wolf's Best RPG's
Review: What can be added to what others have written? Its well written, well researched and fun to play. It combines the best elements of Vampire, the esoteric nature of Mage and the sheer brutality of Werewolf with a little bit of Mummy thrown in for good measure. This is going to be one of WW's most successful games.
Rating:
Summary: A very different darkness...
Review: White wolf has done an excelent job in expanding the World of Darkness yet again and I can not say that I am not pleased. The book itself is quite informative, with a good majoritry of it filled with history and other helpful information that makes the game relatively easy for anyone to get into. The Backstory is quite complete yet it leaves enough unsaid as to leave the reader with some questions. The only disapointment is in the game mechanics, but this is easily overlooked since ROLE PLAYING takes precadence over combat which is different than some of the other games whit wolf has pushed out. You will spend more time speaking through the character than acting through him; a good change in my book. I definatly recomend that you at least give it a good look.
|
