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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Orpheus, 2 Feb 2004
Another set of World of Darkness rules! If anyone was hoping for Wraith 3rd Edition, they are going to be disappointed, but how does this stand up on its own? Players are assumed to work for a shadowy company who employ ghosts and psychic projectors who can contact the spirit world. The ghost characters don't appear to be directly related to the wraiths in the older WoD line, hence your old Wraith Guildbooks and supplements aren't "canon", (though i'm sure you could use them, although I'm not sure how this would effect game balance). This is a limited 6 book game, designed to act as a "movie" outline. This book provides the games system and rules, but not much background, although events in Wraith, such as the 6th Maelstrom are cryptically referred to. Later supplements seem to offer more background and "revelations", but not having read them, I can't comment. My main criticisms are:- i) Do we need to buy yet another set of WoD rules? I make this the 13th time I have paid for essentially the same system, not even counting buying updates of the older rules, such as VtM 3rd edition. I would prefer Orpheus was a core supplement like "Kindred of the East" or "Mummy". In that the WoD as we know it is about to end in the "Time of Judgement" line, could it be argued that it is a bit late to be cashing in on the current WoD setting again? ii)Long term WoD fans would probably prefer this to be an update on the Wraith setting (although later supplements may reveal all, such as what is the effect of ghosts no longer being based in the shadowlands, why ghosts can't have died more than 3 years ago, ie why you can't use your old Wraith characters, etc). I may be being unfair, as "Ends of Empire" (which I haven't read) may have explained all this. In that EoE is now very hard to get hold of, a recap in Orpheus would have been nice! For real WoD completists, how about an explanation on how new Keui-jin in Kindred of the East can still be created, when I thought Eastern vampires had to die, go to the shadowlands or whatever, and then come back to earth through force of will. Shouldn't they just discorporate, turn into Spectres etc in the maelstrom? However, this offers lots of creepy fun, as usual, and offers another mature alternative to hack and slash roleplaying, definitely aimed at adult and mature gamers. The tone seems to be more on action and mystery solving, pitched somehere between the X-files and "The 6th Sense", rather than exploring death, grieving and rememberance as in Wraith. (ie less poetic, but much less depressing!). Also more accessible to WoD newbies rather than long term obsessives?
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by Kraig Blackwelder
by White Wolf
by Terry Pratchett
