New Orleans by Night (Vampire)

Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but could have been better.
Review: Released back in 1995, this was White Wolf's first attempt at utilizing the City of New Orleans into Vampire the Masquerade. Despite its age, it is still a good book with nice set of gaming information and an interesting little pre-made story. However, it could have been a whole lot more. Maybe that is why a new version of it has been made.

There were many things I enjoyed in this book. I had to remind myself that this was an old book which was released before many of the other Vampire supplements hit the shelves. The characters were all interesting; there were even ones from other White Wolf games. There were Mages, Werewolves and other changing breeds, and witch hunters. What I enjoyed the most were the bits of information regarding a Son of Ether, his daughter the Tremere, and the Prince. The pre-made story was made for Vampire characters and campaigns, but with slight modifications can be used by Mage and Hunter characters. New Orleans is a large and shadowy place with both a festive feel as well as an aura of darkness; White Wolf had a lot of ground to cover in this early supplement and did a fairly good job.

Despite the good points, there were many areas in the book that needed improvements. The history of the city did not include information on the early settlers and colonists. Many of these colonists were shady characters who were exposed to diseases and hardships. Actual cases of murder and strange activities involving vampire-like crimes have occurred in the city for years, but the author did not attempt to integrate them or mention many of them in the book. The French Quarter and various parts of the city are believed to be haunted by wraiths. There was no mention of significant wraiths in the city. A city like New Orleans really should have a Tremere as the prince but they are pitifully weak for some reason in a city teeming with occult lore and practices. The Followers of Set described in the book really were Serpents of the Light of the Sabbat. One of the greatest omissions was information on Count Saint Germaine. The character was described in the 1st edition Tremere clanbook and was reported to have stayed in the city by the locals, yet he was not mentioned in the book. White Wolf really should have integrated more real-life fact and folklore into the book.

The book could have been better, but it really wasn't that bad. It was enjoyable to read and the cross-over opportunities were numerous. Storytellers should be able to pick up the book and run some fun games. However, some quick research on actual myths and folklore regarding the city's occult beliefs would enhance the game many folds.