Autumn Nightmares (Changeling) [Hardcover]

This is the antagonists book for the Changeling game line. It massively expands on the various antagonist types mentioned in the Changeling corebook. Unlike many antagonist books for the World of Darkness, it does not have an additional section on things that are just weird. The reason for that is the True Fae and the hobgoblins already qualify. The book is divided into three chapters. The first covers Changeling and mortal antagonists, the second covers the True Fae, and the last chapter covers Fetches and hobgoblins. I enjoyed reading this more than the corebook because this book only had to cover one aspect in detail rather than introduce the whole setting in general, and the writing is at least as good as the corebook.

The first section begins with Changelings as antagonists for the characters. It is subdivided into three further groups, the Mad, the militias and bridge-burners, and the privateers and loyalists. Actually, the Changelings in all the groups are pretty much nuts. The Mad are just loners. There is a section on motivations and Storytelling each group, and then several pre-generated antagonists. The groups tend to emphasise and distort various aspects of normal Changeling society. There is a group so obsessed with hiding that merely knowing about it marks one for their assassins. Looked at as a whole, though, they are mostly groups that one has to either join or physically fight. The individual Mad are more diverse. Most of them are fairy-tale monster types, such as the King of Cats, the Evil Hag, and the Glutton (yes, the guy from the corebook), but unlike the group members the text suggests how characters can deal with them without conflict, at least sometimes.

The next section is on mortals. Mortals tend to get treated as combat monsters or minor extras in a lot of World of Darkness books, and this has plenty of that type, but there are also social antagonists. The interesting element is that the social antagonists are not in the ensorcelled section. Changelings associate with other Changelings, mortals are quite capable of seeing the group though not its nature, and thus quite capable of giving an entire freehold problems without realising it. And the very first example is one of a personal relationship gone sour, which could happen to anyone, supernatural or not, bringing way more attention than any group, supernatural or not wants.

The True Fae fittingly get a full chapter to describe them. In a curious way, the manner in which it explains the True Fae makes them obscure rather than less. The game mechanics and Storytelling side is very clear on explaining how to use them. There are some general personality types, new powers, abilities, weaknesses and even Merits for making True Fae characters. There are a half dozen examples of True Fae, including notes on the types of Changelings that generally come from their domains. The obscurity comes in when the book explains what Changelings have observed about their former masters. Changeling speculation includes their possible origins, their influence on the mortal world apart from abductions, their motivations for the weird way they operate, and the nature of their society in Arcadia. The chapter also has an extensive section on True Fae operating in the mortal world. The corebook only had the Banished, but this includes other types of exiles. Some are trapped, but others came with a specific purpose.

The last chapter covers first the Fetches and then the hobgoblins. As one would expect, there are pages of new powers for the Fetch and a full description of how to Storytell them. There are new milestone merits for killing one's own Fetch. There are also many optional rules for the Storyteller. The ingredient section is good for flavour in what a Fetch was made from, and also in defining trends in how Fetches behave. There are ways to make Fetches unusually powerful and unusually dangerous. It also describes Fetch children. Fetches aren't supposed to be able to have children, and if they manage it, those children are far from normal, for good or ill. For those who want to try merging with a Fetch, rules and mechanics are supplied. There are a half dozen examples of Fetches, including four for Changelings in this book or the corebook, and examples of both rogue Fetches and sympathetic ones. The hobgoblins section is one of the most straightforward in the book, and consists mostly of new creatures. Some of them are physical threats, and all will give the characters trouble.

This book is far more integrated than most in the World of Darkness line. The opening fiction gives an in-play look at the Miami Freehold. The one page fiction at the beginning of each chapter features at least one character mentioned in the text, and so vividly you could use him almost without having to stat him. The sections on Keepers and Fetches includes those of some of the Changelings in this book and in the corebook. Most of all, this book has detailed sections on using this material with other supernaturals. The first chapter mentions how any supernatural can be drawn into the Changeling's world through the use of ensorcellment pledges. The second chapter explains how the True Fae see the other supernaturals, and what rumours they have of the True Fae and the Hedge. The Fetch section includes specific game mechanics, but also an extensive section on how other supernaturals see them, how they interact with the supernaturals, and further suggestions on how the True Fae would treat the supernaturals.

Likely you have already decided whether to get the Changeling game line or not. If not, have few doubts that the quality and style of the corebook is continued in this book.

Essentially a "monster manual" for Changeling: the Lost, Autumn Nightmares resolves a lot of ambiguity that exists in the Changeling rulebook. What kinds of hobgoblins are there? How does the fetch work, exactly? How exactly does the storyteller handle the Gentry? These are examples of some of the questions I had after reading the Changeling rulebook that are answered in Autumn Nightmares. There are examples of changeling antagonists, variations on fetch mechanics/lore, a wide array of hobgoblins, and an entire chapter devoted to the Fair Folk. As always, your imagination is your best tool, but this book offers many ways to get the juices flowing. If you're stumped on how to present any of the material I mentioned above, I highly recommend this book.

My only complaint, and this is a minor one, is that the book is a bit thin at 144 pages. I would have preferred a bit more material. But it is hardcover, which I wasn't expecting.

This is the first Changeling antagonist book. It offers a few types of foils for your characters, including villainous and deranged changelings, ensorcelled mortals, fetches, True Fae, and hobs. In addition to stats, it provides excellent information and ideas for using each of these types of antagonists in your stories. The information on creating fetches and Keepers is especially helpful and inspirational if the core book left you wanting more. Having a better idea of how to deal with hobs adds some detail to your Hedgescapes, too.

Depending on the scope of your Changeling game, I'd also recommend Dancers in the Dusk, which includes "denizens of dream;" antagonists for use in dream scenes and Hedge environments. Autumn Nightmares is an indispensable resource to Changeling storytellers, but I personally refer to Dancers more often when searching for a cool pre-made antagonist. If you and your troupe are enthusiastic about Changeling, do yourself a favor and pick up both books.