Chainsaw Hobbit
2012-08-16, 12:03 PM
NOTE: I will be reviewing the PDF, as that it what I have access to. If you want a review of the physical book, look elsewhere.
I saw those things again.
Outside my window last night, I saw thing holding on to the edge of the house.
I think they were laughing.
I told Mom and dad about it.
Mom just told me that all kids see monsters Because our brains don't know any better, or something.
I started crying because I know that should be true, but these monsters Are different.
But dad just looked at me and then he hugged me, and he went upstairs to his office.
And what really Scares me is that I think he knows I'm right.
I think he remembers.
I think he used to see them, too.
He just doesn't know how to tell me.
That is the blurb on the back of World of Darkness: Innocents (http://www.rpgnow.com/product/55727/World-of-Darkness%3A-Innocents) (henceforth referred to as WoDI). WoDI is a stand-alone horror roleplaying game where the players take on the roles of children, facing supernatural horrors that adults can no longer see. It uses a simple dice-pool mechanic, making it easy to pick up for newcomers.
If you have spent a good amount of time in the roleplaying community, this may sound vaguely familiar. This is because there is a roleplaying game called Little Fears that has a VERY similar concept, and even somewhat similar mechanics. Little Fears came before WoDI, but in my opinion, it isn't as interesting or well-executed. While the concept of WoDI may not be original, it improves on an existing model.
Upon opening WoDI, the first thing I was struck with was how nice it looks. I am a fan of other World of Darkness roleplaying games such as Hunter: the Vigil and Changeling: the Lost, but even amongst those, this book is one of the nicest. The cover is evocative, the art is mostly great, and the design is superb. I think the game would actually look LESS nice if it were not in greyscale, as the lack of colour really helps to drive home the mood.
The next thing I saw was how great the writing is. It can be scary, stirring, and when it tires, funny. The mechanics, however, are not so polished. They work fine, and can even be interesting and innovative, but there is one glaring flaw: children are not differentiated enough from adults. The difference is almost entirely fluff, and the actual mechanical differences mostly manifest as different ranges of options, rather than numerical inferiority.
Like many World of Darkness books, WoDI sometimes seems to pad itself. It really could be shorter. Its nice to have detailed descriptions of how every mechanic impacts characters, and lots of flavour blurbs, but some of it feels like it isn't doesn't add much to the game. The extra fluff makes the book more fun to read, but harder to reference.
Overall, I would give WoDI a 4/5 for substance and a 5/5 for style. Its well fleshed-out, poetically written, nicely crafted, and visually superb. Its shining merits are tarnished, however, by some unnecessary padding and flawed mechanics, as well as the occasional piece of lackluster art.
I saw those things again.
Outside my window last night, I saw thing holding on to the edge of the house.
I think they were laughing.
I told Mom and dad about it.
Mom just told me that all kids see monsters Because our brains don't know any better, or something.
I started crying because I know that should be true, but these monsters Are different.
But dad just looked at me and then he hugged me, and he went upstairs to his office.
And what really Scares me is that I think he knows I'm right.
I think he remembers.
I think he used to see them, too.
He just doesn't know how to tell me.
That is the blurb on the back of World of Darkness: Innocents (http://www.rpgnow.com/product/55727/World-of-Darkness%3A-Innocents) (henceforth referred to as WoDI). WoDI is a stand-alone horror roleplaying game where the players take on the roles of children, facing supernatural horrors that adults can no longer see. It uses a simple dice-pool mechanic, making it easy to pick up for newcomers.
If you have spent a good amount of time in the roleplaying community, this may sound vaguely familiar. This is because there is a roleplaying game called Little Fears that has a VERY similar concept, and even somewhat similar mechanics. Little Fears came before WoDI, but in my opinion, it isn't as interesting or well-executed. While the concept of WoDI may not be original, it improves on an existing model.
Upon opening WoDI, the first thing I was struck with was how nice it looks. I am a fan of other World of Darkness roleplaying games such as Hunter: the Vigil and Changeling: the Lost, but even amongst those, this book is one of the nicest. The cover is evocative, the art is mostly great, and the design is superb. I think the game would actually look LESS nice if it were not in greyscale, as the lack of colour really helps to drive home the mood.
The next thing I saw was how great the writing is. It can be scary, stirring, and when it tires, funny. The mechanics, however, are not so polished. They work fine, and can even be interesting and innovative, but there is one glaring flaw: children are not differentiated enough from adults. The difference is almost entirely fluff, and the actual mechanical differences mostly manifest as different ranges of options, rather than numerical inferiority.
Like many World of Darkness books, WoDI sometimes seems to pad itself. It really could be shorter. Its nice to have detailed descriptions of how every mechanic impacts characters, and lots of flavour blurbs, but some of it feels like it isn't doesn't add much to the game. The extra fluff makes the book more fun to read, but harder to reference.
Overall, I would give WoDI a 4/5 for substance and a 5/5 for style. Its well fleshed-out, poetically written, nicely crafted, and visually superb. Its shining merits are tarnished, however, by some unnecessary padding and flawed mechanics, as well as the occasional piece of lackluster art.