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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.

The Glyphstone
2012-08-16, 08:52 PM
How could you say it compares to the other notable little-kids-supernatural-horror game on the market, Monsters And Other Childish Things?

Chainsaw Hobbit
2012-08-16, 10:04 PM
How could you say it compares to the other notable little-kids-supernatural-horror game on the market, Monsters And Other Childish Things?

NOTE: I will be treating Little Fears as two separate games, since the Original Edition and Nightmare Edition are very different from eachother.


* * *

World of Darkness: Innocents is a toolbox. It presents a (very nice) set of mechanics, lots of story ideas, art, and short stories, and then lets the GM use all that to construct a campaign. Its less of a "game" in itself, and more of a construction kit, much like D&D. I think WoDI is the best option because of its open-ended nature, its mostly great rules set, and the fact that it oozes creepy, bitter-sweet atmosphere.


* * *

Grimm is probably the lightest and most forgiving of the competing games. There is very little chance that the characters will die or be permanently screwed up, and the horror is toned down to the point where it could be played simply as quirky fantasy.

Artistically, is probably the most immediately evocative and recognisable, but that does not mean its art is best. It has more colour and immediate flavour, but does not possess the subtlety of its competitors.

The kids featured in Grimm are very much larger than life. There are divided in to classes, called "archetypes", which each represent a stereotype. Each one is basically a canned character. I suppose this could work for new or casual role-players, but I find it restrictive and creatively stifling.

This being said, Grimm is still a solid choice. It looks nice, plays quickly, is easy to pick up, and has an interesting enough setting.


* * *

The original edition of Little Fears is probably the darkest and most horror-oriented. It is also my least favourite. Everything is over-the-top. The setting is very fleshed out to the point of being cramped. The writing seems to misunderstand the mentality of children on a fundamental level, breaking the immersion.

The art is strictly average, the writing is a bit dry, and the setting is inconsistent and overdone. Redeeming qualities include some interesting setting features scattered throughout the drivel, and decently east to pick up rules.


* * *

Little Fears Nightmare Edition is the flawed - but far superior - second edition of Little Fears. It becomes more scary by toning down the horror to a stomach-able level, and getting fresh new art that is usually quite nice to look at.

The setting is now much more refined and puts far less focus on child molestation, but one would still be advised to watch out for clowns in any context. The system is functional but not particularly memorable. Everything is perfectly serviceable but not particularly exiting or engaging.

The new setting and art style bring to mind a mix of Silent Hill and Tim Burton, only starring children.

The Glyphstone
2012-08-16, 10:20 PM
By 'other' I meant 'third' - I'd never heard of Grimm, so apparently there are 4 games out there with a principal focus on little children and monsters.

Chainsaw Hobbit
2012-08-16, 10:25 PM
By 'other' I meant 'third' - I'd never heard of Grimm, so apparently there are 4 games out there with a principal focus on little children and monsters.

Third? Please explain.

Grimm is indeed about children fighting supernatural monsters. It has a sort of dark faerie tales theme, but isn't particularly true to any folklore.

Its pretty good. Actually, its kind of hard to compare it to WoDI, because Grimm is much more heroic. The characters have a lower mortality rate, and are able to effectively fight monsters. Its not really even pure horror, although it can get dark.

Think Coraline.

erikun
2012-08-16, 10:47 PM
How well does the game mesh with general WoD material? I realise that they are two different systems with likely different focuses. (I doubt we'd be seeing 5-Strength children swinging around shotguns.) However: could you use stats and equipment from general WoD in WoD:I, or are there some fundamental differences - 5 Strength not meaning the same thing, different attributes - that would make this incompatable?

Loki_42
2012-08-16, 10:53 PM
Third? Please explain.

I'm fairly sure he means the game "Monsters and Other Childish Things", which would be a fourth variant on the supernatural horror with children theme.

Chainsaw Hobbit
2012-08-16, 11:11 PM
How well does the game mesh with general WoD material? I realise that they are two different systems with likely different focuses. (I doubt we'd be seeing 5-Strength children swinging around shotguns.) However: could you use stats and equipment from general WoD in WoD:I, or are there some fundamental differences - 5 Strength not meaning the same thing, different attributes - that would make this incompatable?
It meshes reasonably well. The fact that stats mean different things is annoying, but considering how granular the WoD stats already are, I can't imagine a perfectly meshing game having nearly enough detail.

The way I would do it is multiply adult stats by 2.5. I know that's rough, but 2 would be too low and 3 would be too high.

The mechanics, however, are pretty much the same. Things are just rescaled.


I'm fairly sure he means the game "Monsters and Other Childish Things", which would be a fourth variant on the supernatural horror with children theme.
I don't consider Monsters and Other Childish Things to be horror. Its ... somthing else. Awesome, but not horror.