Roleplaying Books

I happened to find Big Eyes Small Mouth (original edition) at a used book store, and found it to be rather interesting. I had previously bought The Sailor Moon Role-playing Game and Resource Book by the same publisher (The Guardians of Order). so BESM's Tri-Stat system and general rules were quick and easy to learn, with the added benefit of being adaptable to almost any anime genre or character.

While the second edition of BESM is far more inclusive and detailed (and nearly three times larger than the original edition), the original edition is still a good match for those just beginning with role-playing games. Especially for the novice GM (GameMaster), BESM second edition contains so many rules and details that knowing how to sort through all the information presented and determine which are truly needed for a campaign and which can be set aside can be difficult. Novice GMs and younger gamers can especially benefit from the simplicity of presentation and the significantly fewer rules and details while still maintaining the creative flexibility necessary to present and participate in an original role-playing campaign. Those beginning their anime RPG experience with the original BESM sourcebook will have an easier time adapting to the second-edition sourcebook later on.

This humble little book rocked my RPG world when I picked up on a whim. I love to collect small and odd RPG's. What surprised me was how great, simple, and appealing this little book was. I eagerly awaited the other two supplements to come out, and was not disappointed. Sadly, the first edition is no longer in Print.

However, the 2nd Edition Is everything the first one was and more. It is a complete game completely to itself, with no need for any expansion. You have to love a game system where they devote roughly only 40 pages out of the nearly 300 to the rule/combat/skill system. It's just great.!!

Big Eyes, Small Mouth is probably one of the greatest RPGs of all time. I used to play AD&D but i got tired of all those source books and confusing rules. There are a few points in the book where it is a little vague, but it is extremely easy to fix that with a rule of your own. Buy it today.

I was extremely impressed with this rpg! It is deceptively fun! For those of you who like a lot of complicated rules, this game proves that complicated rules aren't always a good thing! For those of you who like few easy rules, this game is perfect! You pick the genre, ranging from ancient japan to high fantasy, to even the far future. Wonderful illustrations from rising amateurs to pros!

I originally picked up a copy of this book on a whim. It was incredibly cheap (for a commercial RPG), and almost pocket sized, negating the need to carry around huge tomes of rules and resources. And here I am, a year later, still playing this game like there's no tomorrow! The system is so basic it's genius! Although you will find expansive lists to help you design characters and settings, the rules allow you to modify to your hearts content! Finally, the most important aspect of this game is how it captures the flavour of the anime/manga genre, which many other systems cannot boast! --Cheap, easy, excellent. Buy it!

Something intriguing about getting inside a dragon's head - a black dragon's head at that. The book was engaging from beginning to end, dragons being what they are, one that wonders why the mighty dragon race needs humans for anything. While this dragon dabbles with humans, she ultimately finds them lacking, which lands her in hot water with Takhisis more than once. One of the better novels I read recently, one I'd surely recommend.

The Black Wing a book I read back in HS. Once you open to this world you can never let it go. I never wanted to stop reading. Filled with so much action and the description are phenomenol. I hope you take the cance in reading this book. Trust me you will love it

This book happened to be my introduction to the Dragonlance setting.
I've always enjoyed a story that takes the 'bad guy' point of view and Khisanth is easilly one of my favorite characters in all of Krynn's history; right alongside Heart, Aurora, Kang, and Fizban (to name just a few, in no particular order).
Kirchoff writes an intriguing story that is truly worthy of being part of Weis and Hickman's world.
It's an inspirational piece of work and must read for any Dragonlance fan.

Its too bad this couldn't have been written before the Chronicles. This book made Khisanth out to be a much worthier opponent for the Companions than the Chronicles did.

As it is, this was still a great book. Once again, the Dragonlance saga proves its ok to like the bad guys.

I began reading this book and it dragged on and on. I have read the core books, the first chronicles applying mainly to Black Wing. The book doesn't enter the deep pits of a black's dragon emotion, it doesn't display horrific scenes of the dragon destroying village after village. No, she gets to play with nyphids (pixies, sorta). As I continued reading, there was some typical dragon behavior that I crave, but more nyphids and the learning of a Taoist style of thinking, qhen.

The book is very slow moving up until around page 80, after that the pace promptly quickens and holds that speed throughtout the rest of the book. Get through the beginning of Part 1 and don't look back for the rest. This isn't my favorite dragonlance book by any means, but it does provide what all of us crave, destruction, dragons, and love.

Considering the nature of the Giavonni, this book actually makes them somewhat attractive to play. It has it's share of disgusting descriptions(the front story for example) but that is part of the point.

First of all, this sourcebook should have been identified as part of the "Black Dog" series ('Adult' rated White Wolf supplements), then I would have completely ignored it on the shelves.

Written primarily in the voice of a stereotypical mafioso Giovanni, the book is worthless as it is vulgar. The only point of value I found in the whole thing was the information on the Endless Night (why the clan is so interested in the afterlife).

This is the last of White Wolf's clanbooks for the Vampire game -- and thank heavens, because the quality has gone steadily downhill. Though this is a definate improvement over the Clanbook: Tzimisce, it's still far too vulgar and disgusting to bring into a family household. I hope that, with the release of the new edition of the game, the darkness and brooding mood will remain, but the vulgarity will be done away with.

This is either a book you'll love or hate, and I LOVED it! I noticed that a few other reviewers rated this source poorly due to the "graphic content". Well that's what the Giovanni are all about, pure unadulterated EVIL. This book contains little mini-stories, just like any other White Wolf book, and just like in all their other books the stories are related to the info and statistics contained within, and as previously stated the Giovanni are PURE EVIL, so of course the stories aren't pretty. Besides, doesn't it say "Games for mature minds" on all White Wolf books? Of course this isn't a book you'd want a little kid to read (or even a your teenager for that matter) but the game in general is not intended for young audiences. Bottom line is, if you're a storyteller that wants to include Giovanni in your campaign, or justs want more backgroud info about the World of Darkness, then this book is for you. If you want to play a Giovanni, then most diffinetly READ THIS BOOK, you've gotta realize what kind of clan you're going to be involved with, and how challenging of a roleplaying experience it will be. However if there are young role players in your group or your house hold, then for the love of god put it someplace safe, so that you can use it for a reference, but they won't be able to browse through it (I find it had to think of many things that could warp a young child more than a story about the making of a snuff film). Or...if you're just squemish or easily offended, perhaps a copy of the Salubri handbook would be a better choice for you ;)

The revised version of Clanbok: Giovanni is truly impressive. It's very well written and the graphic part is algo good. It contains a in-depht history of the Clan (since the Roman Empire, when their name wasn't Giovanni yet) like the previous version, and much information on the modern affairs. The lesser families (like the Dunsirn and the Pisanob) are explained with much more detail than it was in the previous version of this book. There's also more and new information on the Endless Night, and be prepared: it's shocking news!

It features much more interesting character templates (not just the generic "necromancer-business men" like before), including a Dunsirn and a Pisanob. The only thing that's missing is any follower from the Path (of Enlightment) of Bones, however. There are however revised rules for using Necromancy in the times of the Maelstrom, as well as new Necromancy Rituals, Pisanob Necromancy Rituals and mechanics, and a new Path for Ghilberti Necromancers. It also features rules for using Wraiths and Spectres without the need for Wraith: The Oblivion, a new Background and really interesting Merits and Flaws. All the rules also described in the MET system.

The previous book was a blast, and this one it much, MUCH better. A must buy, whether you're a Giovanni player or not. It's succesful in its task to provide in-depth and accurate information as well as picture how inhuman, dark and complex the Giovanni are.

I think M&M Second Edition is by far one of the best RPGs I have played in a long time. I run a lot of games myself for D&D 3.0-3.5, Star Wars RCR and Saga Edition (Saga being the current one), and even Stargate on occasion. But by far M&M gives anyone cracking into it the first time a awesome setting with almost no limits.

I say almost because there have to be some limits to your character's powers and abilities, otherwise the rest of the players or the game itself isn't fun any longer. But I don't have to worry about going with one of the pre-made supers in the book, or any classes. However one thing I love is there are those pre-made characters or arch-types that you can look to for inspiration or ideas. The system is so free you can take those arch-types apart and redo the stats to fit your idea as well.

For me I started playing D&D in second edition, fell in love even more in 3.0 to 3.5 editions. Been gaming ever since, and the bottom line is I have played many games, many systems, and had lots of fun. But by far this is the best RPG to be a super hero hands down.

For those of you who remember the original Marvel Super Heroes Roleplaying Game and the DC Heroes RPG, this is their progeny. Take the best elements of both systems and put them together and you have Mutants and Masterminds 2nd Edition. It is, by far, the best superhero roleplaying game I have ever played! Religiously faithful to the comics genre and ALL its myriad facets, I would dare say it has a scope as far and wide as comics itself...which means ANY genre you could name could be faciliated by this system...ANY genre. Mutants and Masterminds is simply the best out there.

I can't believe how great the Mutants & Masterminds RPG is! I have played all sorts of RPGs for ~20 years, and this one is truly special. The Freedom City sourcebook for M&M is one of the best RPG products, of any type, that I've ever owned. Great job, Steve Kenson; great job, Green Ronin!

The M&M 2nd ed. book is simply an amazing RPG. Using a point build system, it allows for complete freedom to create and customize not just your character, but also their individual powers. You can also faithfully recreate virtually any superhero or anime character if you wanted.

The "balance" in the system between powers is remarkable, considering the freedom given to character creation, and how insanely powerful some comic book villians can be.

I do have two complaints however.
All the freedom to create your character almost encourages players to make characters that try to abuse the point system, tacking on flaws to reduce power costs, while trying to circumvent the negative effect of the flaw in some way. Though the system is very good at making power flaws exactly that, there are a few small holes that, baring omnipotence on the part of the creator, are bound to crop up in any RPG.

I strongly recommend that any GMs using this system have their players flesh out their character concept BEFORE letting them see the power list or even open the book, as I find this makes for more exciting and "theme based" characters, rather then "functionality-utility-handle-any-situation" characters.

My other complaint is that an average toughness character or villian can easily roll poorly on a "toughness save" (a roll to resist damage) and be knocked out in one hit, as if they had a glass jaw. Since the system uses a d20 as the main (read: only) dice type needed, the roll obviously ranges from 1 to 20, with an equal (5%) chance to roll each number. Since degrees of success/failure on a toughness save are determined in increments of 5, a low toughness character can roll a 20 and laugh off an attack, while a much tougher character can roll a 1 and be severely hurt or knocked out by that same attack. The same holds true for attack and defense, though to a lesser extent. As a house rule, I have been experimenting with rolling 3d6 for attack and toughness rolls, giving a range of 3-18 and making the rolls more consistent (a much higher probability of getting average rolls rather then extremes).

In conclusion, I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who enjoys superhero RPGs. In 9 years of GMing I have yet to find a superhero system I like better, and I look foward to a possible future edition.

Although I'm not very fond of the d20 system, this rulebook makes a remarkable exception. The writers have wisely simplified the system, removing "hit points" and all the "levels" and "classes", what makes the game faster and gives the characters much more width.

I must admit that most of the new things this system offers, are not really new. I believe many concepts have been taken from one of the finest rule systems ever created, FATE, including the Hero Points, the easy damage track, and some details that fit very well in this version of the d20 system.

The way it deals with the powers, a typical problem in super-hero RPGs, is very good, and the book provides a huge array of powers and very well balanced through the "Power Level" of the character.

The last remarkable issue is the Superlink license, which allows anyone to publish easily, and with the authors approval, any kind of material. Great adventures and settings are available really cheap (about $5) in PDF, with a lot of quality.

Overall, a very good book with a lot of fresh ideas. Great system, great design, and great art. Only a tiny complaint, it takes a considerable effort to make the first couple of characters.

very handy for playing the game and the cover looks really good. there are extra things in it that is why it is version 3.5. the special edition part is more just the cover but is still very good

The players hand book is the most widely bought book in the dungeons and dragons gamers book set. i love that they have brought it out in the lovely leather bound book and updated some of the rules. i love haveing it in my colection plus it makes the other players in the game a little jeoules seeing it on the table. i have the whole set now of the d&d specail edtion and i love the set.

what can i say...everything about this book is great...only complaint i have is now that i have it i need to find some people to play with. BUY IT! !!

You can judge this book by it's cover. All the updates for the Player's Handbook is gathered in one place.

This book is so worth the bragging rights that come with it. It also always has this really cool crackle when you turn the pages.

Fan of this old series and was tired of the old d20 rules. These rules seem more "realistic".

So why only three stars, well first let me say that the rules and mechanics of the Alternity system are second to none and are straight forward enough to allow the GM to do what he is supposed to and tell a good story. Where this book falls down though are the specifics sections.

Alternity is a generic Sci-fi rules system which you can use to run games in the far-future (featuring spaceships, aliens, and whatnot) through to cyber-punk (near future with large corporations running the show and bionic implants enabling charcters to perform the impossible) right down to modern day (conspiracies, alien abductions, ghost, vampires etc...). So whilst the rules work for all these settings some of the specifics dont, for example the spaceship section is a waste of time if you are running a near future setting. Now this information isnt badly presented and I found it very interesting even if it wasnt going to play a part in my campaign. IMO it would have been better to leave these specifics to seperate volumes where they can be dealt with in detail.

So in conclusion, the Alternity system is good and you should play it, its a shame that this book doesnt live up to the systems potential.

As a veteran gamer who probably has more gaming material than should be healthy, I'm pleased to see TSR introduce the very promising Alternity game. This book is for gamemasters who wish to run an Alternity game and is the companion volume to the Alternity Players Handbook.

The rules are explained simply and concisely with all the tables and charts well organized and easy to find. More importantly, unlike much of the game products out there, this book is vividly written with inspiration and flair, bringing alive the technology, citizens, and cultures of the setting. All this is finished off by quality art as well. This terrific book prompted me to add the Alternity game to my gaming cabinet. If I can find any fault at all, it is that some sections like equipment and starships are a little brief - I suppose the publishers wanted to leave room for future supplements (what else is new?). A fine effort, nonetheless.

The Alternity Gamemaster Guide is one of the more solide products TSR's published recently. The Player's Handbook, however, set a high standard for Alternity - and the Gamemaster Guide falls a bit short.

That's not to say that it's bad. (Actually, it's almost as good as the Player's Handbook.) With a random star system generator, starship and vehicle components, artifact rules better than AD&D's, templates for NPCs and aliens, and the FX system, what more could you ask for? The answer is "a lot."

The FX rules are a good example of this. The system is way out of whack; for a chapter predestined to attract attention, the rules on Faith, Arcane Magic and Super Powers need serious revision. The same goes for starships; if you don't like stardrives, you're outta luck. And these are only the start of the list of bugs. The alien creation rules seem designed to spawn supermonsters (check out the Elves in the Appendix), and need a point-based system. The system generation rules also need to be defaulted off of. (According to the list, A5 and R5 environments don't exist in the universe!) No equipment creation rules? No random encounter system? In a game touted for its all-encompassing flexibility, the Alternity Gamemaster Guide is almost a fluke. Don't get me wrong; this is still a crucial book to buy. If you get it, though, get Starships (and maybe the Arms & Equipment Guide, even if you don't use Star*Drive). You'll be glad you did.

A core rulebook for TSR's new science fiction roleplaying game, the Alternity Gamemaster Guide provides ideas and essential rules for running an Alternity campaign. Alternity brings flexibility to the sci-fi gaming universe, allowing the gamemaster to create any sort of campaign, from friendly exploration and alien contacts to gritty, grim wars of vast planetary destruction.

Use of this book assumes ownership and working knowledge of the Alternity Player's Handbook. It covers the basics of running a roleplaying game for novices, Alternity's special quirks for the experienced gamemaster, adventure and campaign design, and fast-play rules for the impatient. Sections deal with details of handling character creation, personal statistics and their effects, hero careers, and non-player characters. Tips are given for designing new hero careers, alien races beyond the five provided in the Player's Handbook, and a variety of vehicles, star systems, individual planets, spacecraft, and alien artifacts. The Guide contains many short tables for effects and characteristics, and for determining species lifespans (as determined by technology level). Brief optional rules are also presented for mutants, psionics, cyborgs, artificial intelligence, and "special effects" (any magic, miracle, or superpower beyond the other rules provided).

For players' displeasure there are statistics for 15 dangerous animals from good old Terra and 20 generic alien creature types to modify for every alien need. TSR fantasy fans will find an appendix of conversion rules for bringing AD&D characters, races, equipment, and spells into an Alternity game.

For ease in using published adventures and accessories, a sample nonplayer character statistics form with explanatory notes is provided. Also included are forms for ship design, ship status, and solar system design/record. There is an index of both this book and the Player's Handbook.

Alternity Gamemaster's Guide is an essential element in what promises to be an exciting new game in the science fiction game genre.

--Sharon Daugherty for Skirmisher Online Gaming Magazine

This book is all about Devils and the Plane where they reside. I mean all about them. In my mind there are three really fantastic masterminds in Dungeons and Dragons: Dragons, Mindflayers and Devils.

If you're looking for content you can use all the time, then this isn't the best book for you. Go look at the compendiums or the Complete books. If you want villains and powers to tie together an entire campaign from level 1 into epic, than this is for you.

Included inside is a very nice tale of the creation of hell and the devils that can be easily adapted for your home brew world. Then theres feats, spells, prestige classes, descriptions of the layers and lots of new devils.

Again I must stress that the prestige classes, feats and spells are really geared towards either serving devils or fighting them. This book is a commitment to a devil themed campaign. It does so beautifully.

With the help of this book, my main villain just became a pawn in planar politics. My PCs have lots of options, on how to progress forward. I've got lots of ideas and environments for epic feeling quests before we get to the main devils. I highly reccomend it.

Well, I have to congratulate Wizards for adding another great book to the list of accessories. Our group runs several high level to epic level campaigns and this is a must for anyone who wants to involve the Blood War and the politics and intrigue of hell to your campaign. The new stats for the all the major players are here along with prominent followers and factions for each lord. There are many new feats and skills specific to just these planes as well as a few new presige classes that you can use for PC's and NPC's. The other great things is the plethora of roleplaying ideas for each of the nine hells, including cities, landmarks and many maps to really help you flush out your campaign. Things like this and other information make it a must for your collection so that when your party meets Mephistopheles, its an experience that they will never forget!

This book is a very good addition to any D&D campaign that plans on traveling to the Outer Planes, or fights extraplanar threats on a regular basis. The maps of the nine layers, and the detailed write-ups of the unique leaders of each of the layers add to it's usefulness. The extra devils are also useful to allow for rotating of devilish threats.

If you are a cruel DM (at times) then this is the book for you. Nothing like a trap door to Hell to get your adventuring party set-up for a TPK. In all seriousness, this is a great source for Devils in any DM's line-up, I am glad I picked it up.

This book gave great inside views into hell. It gave the facts on how hell lives, sleeps and breaths, along with the ArchDevils to go with it. If your planning on running a adventure in hell for a duration of time i suggest this book.

Twenty years old this year, the Forgotten Realms Gray Box is still impressive today.

On the heels of their success with Dragonlance, TSR cast about, looking for a more open-ended, less-scripted, and traditional AD&D-style campaign setting. For years, Ed Greenwood and friends had been playing his campaign world, and early Dragon magazine readers were frequently tantalized with articles such as Pages from the Mages, calendar-building, and magical treasures, all hinting at Greenwood's setting, the Forgotten Realms.

TSR released this set (and also began the excellent FR-series modules) in 1987, the last years of AD&D 1st edition. Packed with 2 books, 4 poster maps, and 2 clear hex overlays, the Gray Box is chock-full of information and adventure hooks. Of course, you'll be wanting more, but there's plenty here to get started.

CAUTION: It's been a long time since this set was in production, and the boxes were often the first to be lost. Read seller descriptions with care, as the first dozen listings for sale are typically missing books, maps and/or box. Do yourself a favor and get a complete set.


Wayne Gralian
Wayne's World of Books

A quick commentary: in my humble and deluded opinion I think the introduction of numerous supplements and add-ons dilutes the power of the imagination...

Having said that, this boxed set hit the mark with a vengeance. Not only does it leave a ton of stuff to the imagination by providing a basic fantasy framework; but the framework it does provide is just the type needed that can explode in the imagination to thousands of possibilities. Extra books and more detailed boxed sets simply draw more boundaries - even if it seems there's more material in the box it's just more boundaries and more guidelines...

This set is highly recommended and high quality!

This is it! The first Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, by Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb, whom I, like so many other fans out there, owe our thanks to for creating this wonderful, fantastic world. This first Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is the one that began the tradition of providing vital information concerning the magical world of Toril. Ranging from background history, to city and social descriptions, to important people and characters, to the respective gods and pantheons, to adventure hooks and actual adventures-like the great adventure in the ruins of Myth Drannor-included in the set, to magical items and artifacts, to new spells and monsters, to fantastic maps and transparent hex overlays, this accessory has it all and more!
For the FR enthusiast, like myself, I also strongly recommend the next, second FR Campaign Setting (Second Edition AD&D), which by the way is also in boxed set form (it will take a bit of searching, but it's well worth it), as well as the latest (so far) Third Edition D&D Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, which even though is quite expensive, is still very useful to all FR fans, in providing an update of events. In short, if you don't have it, GET IT! It is highly addictive and so worth it!

Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb-Need I say more?
This is the second Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting following in the tradition of providing vital information concerning the magical world of Toril. Ranging from background history, to city and social descriptions, to important people and characters, to the respective gods and pantheons, to adventure hooks and encounter tables, to magical items and artifacts, to new spells and monsters, to maps and specialty classes, this accessory has it all and more!
For the FR enthusiast, like myself, I also strongly recommend the previous edition, which by the way is also in boxed set form (it will take a bit of searching, but it's well worth it), as well as the Third Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, which even though is quite expensive, is still very useful to all FR fans, in providing an update of events. In short, if you don't have it, GET IT! It is so worth it!

I've like some of the FR stuff in the past, but this is the best it's ever been.

A TRUE powergamer at heart, this book blew me away because I read it past the character changes and new game material.

This book has all the characters you've read about, and they're no longer munchkins. A fairly complete history (finally!). It has all the geography instead of little bits and pieces. Complete maps. An explanation for most obscure things. Adventure hooks for almost every geographical area. God descriptions, organizations, etc... Some spells, character classes, prestidge classes (the new kits).

It truly feels alive! It's like having all the old boxed sets, the F&A series, and the FR Adventures book all rolled into one!

The best D&D product that I have bought in a loooooong time (12+ years) -- ranks up there with the 3e PHB, but without the typos (and ranger!).

I only wish they would have detailed Karatur, Maztica, and Al-Qadim in enough detail to adventure there once in a while (if they only gave as much as they did to each of the Dalelands to each of those I'd be happy: an NPC or two, a couple cities, and a couple adventure hooks as to why the PCs would go there...)

The ultimate read it but do not play it game. My friends and I are avid WOD fans, and this game (the real 1st edition has a "glow in the dark" cover) regardless of edition, was Whitewolf's red headed step child. It was the crowning achievement of (then) WOD's vision of the penultimate RPG. You play and influence not only your character, but also the "dark side" of a fellow player's character.

Each of White Wolf's games, even the little ones, like mummy or freak legion, are beautiful efforts to focus play around a single role-played theme, and the effects of the gameplay, the character creation, and even the obscure little optional rules in the index act to support and strengthen those themes. Wraith is truly a perfect example of this. The game does not simply present a depressing setting, then ask players to "get in character". The character creation process is involving and requires deep thought. The rules effects that come into play from game one act to draw the players in, and the character's emotions out. And each successive twist and turn of the game builds depth and meaning into what started out as a very gothic and thoughtful environment. In wraith, there is horror and danger in every form you can imagine, from the slow, personal draw of your own mind turned against you, to the shrieking nightmares of Oblivion's spectres, to the opressive weight of the hierarchy of Charon, to the mind numbing immensity of Oblivion itself. 31 flavors of fear, served to order. If you like horror games, this is your ticket.

Simultaneously, I wholeheartedly agree with previous reviewers in stressing Wraith's role-playing aspects. This game will actively kill hack and slash gaming, not only the characters, but the game style itself. All power, healing, existance and ability rely on you acting out the deepset needs and passions of your character. All that stuff that you make up when you generate a character that usually winds up on the third or fourth page and gets ignored by the other players is now at center stage, guaranteed vital, and everybody cares. The interpersonal interactions are pushed to the limit, crying, raging, and even falling in love are totally believable results of this masterpiece of pole playing.

Pick up your copy before it fades away forever.

While I'm fond of Dungeons and Dragons, my heart has a special place for white wolf, and if you're any kind of white wolf fan, then you would know: this game was their destiny.

Every White Wolf game is all about being miserable, even though you're an awesome demon!

Well in Wraith, despite your very cool powers, there is a part of your brain trying to turn you to Shadow, and make you a servant of Oblivion, which expands greater everyday, threatening to destroy the underworld.

it's a very dark game. intense.

To this date I still have every original paperback release of every WoD games as well as their subsiquent hard back re-releases, but in all this time only one of these games was ever able to capture my heart and stir my emotions; Wraith the Oblivion.

Unlike other games in the WoD series wraith centers around feelings and emotions. Where vampires drink blood to survive Wraiths my tangle with pathos to survive. Where Werewolves truggle against the mighty Wyrm wraiths must fight their own inner demons, less they be swept into oblivion.

Unfortunately, Wraith: The Oblivion is all but gone. The WoD's has pretty much shunned Wraith for it's core games; Vampire, Werewolf, and Mage. However wraith will always be my favorite of the series and I would strong encourage everyone who has played an WoD games to please purchase this title and give it a try.

This RPG is, quite simply, the greatest of its kind. White Wolf went out of its way and beyond the call of duty to put this gorgeous piece of work on the shelves. The fact that it's out of print is just appalling. This book is beautifully written and the art is amazing, in every sense of either word. The atmospheric darkness and overwhelming despair of the book itself is oddly uplifting compared to the forced grittiness or plagiarism of most other RPG books. The great bits of this book (and game) are the humanist bits. The fact that you're playing a character who, regardless of race, creed, whatever he/she did in their life, they are all so uniquely (well, like real people, as unique as everyone else) and subtly damned, in a way the vampires and Werewolves of the rest of the WW world can't even dream of. This game's only fault is that running it requires an incredible amount of concentration, a huge degree of single-mindedness and very good knowledge on how to set an atmosphere. If you can find a truly good storytller (like we were lucky enough to)who can give his (or in our case, her) own touch to an already spectacular world and you're willing to possibly soil yourself from fear or break down crying from a role-playing game, then this is for you. This book follows the White Wolf traditions of actually being a fun and involving (if chillingly accurate and intensely personal) read. The art is all along the high-contrast black on white lines that a book like this demands, and it works perfectly. The writing has the somber feel of being so meticulously done that the writers mustn't have gotten sleep for weeks. The continuing story of the wraith writer separating each chapter is heartfelt and remniscient of the work of Neil Gaiman, and the long passages describing every aspect of the fleshed out land of the dead are so harsh and real that this book gives new meaning to role-playing. So, basically, if you're into a game that reallly, truly is a character driven game, this is the one for you. If only it were still in print...

Being a very new roleplayer I wasn't sure what to look for. When I tried Middle earth roleplaying I found a brick wall. It was hard. So I did a little more searching and found this delightful game. Its easy and fun to do! The pictures are excellent! But there are scattered typos (but hey, who cares)You're able to play a good variety of 'Orders'(Wizards, Loremasters, minstrels, warrior, etc...)
Perhaps a bore for veteran roleplayers but still it is a good way to adventure into middle earth....

While the rulebook is very nicely presented, the game they are presenting lacks a great deal of substance. They have pledged to use only information available from the books and/or the movies in fleshing out their system, and this is where the true weakness of the system lies. This means that no material will ever cover any location not visited in the books or movie. No inns beyond the Prancing Pony or Green Dragon will be described, which means that it is entirely up to the gamemaster to invent things that happen beyond the path that the Fellowship themselves traveled. The book provides no real help in developing your own campaign settings and adventures. It is also assumed that the only magical spells available are ones actually used in the books, which is an unfortunate assumption that Gandalf never had anything else in his repertiore. While I assume the limitations on the game are the result of licensing restrictions, it causes the world to completely lack depth or any sense of wonder; everyone who read the books or saw the movie know what everyone else is capable of. My advice is to use the rule setting you prefer, find some old ICE/MERP campaign materials, and run your own Middle-Earth campaign. This book may have some value as an occasional inspiration or sourcebook, but I wouldn't count on it being very much.

I wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, while beautiful and alluring, it does not stand up to extended scrutiny. Certainly, it seems to play better than it reads. However, I simply cannot get beyond rushed playtesting problems (the Warwise edge is insanely good, Loremasters are like magicians only lame, etc), copious errata (affecting nearly aspect of character creation and most weapons), and an overly strict license that prevents it from expounding on Middle-Earth in depth. It might be inspirational, but as reference, it is hamstrung, and as a game design, it is strictly second rate. A lot of love and intelligence went into this product which unfortunately did not get developed to its potential.

The book's strongest points are its description of epic fantasy, Tolkien-style, and the flexibility of the character creation system. I think you could mine a good campaign out of this book, but I have a hard time really investing in a game that is basically broken, when better games and better ME references are out there.

The Core Rules of the Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game is an OK try at turning a series of fantasy books into a game. It has the basics down - character creation, a simple system of rules, a magic system and rules of combat.
But the background information is too simplistic. There is no way, if you wanted to make a whole story, that you could get enough details from the book. If you planned to make your own epic story you would need to use Tolkien's books for finding the ideas and giving you the knowledge to fill them out.
Also, I think the rules about mass combat, in dealing with the major battles of Middle-Earth, also seem too simplistic. This book is great in the hands of a person who already knows how to design and run a game. But a person new to roleplaying will need more help than found in this book.

This is a fabulous book. It is beautifuly laid out, the pages decored with wonderful photos from the movies. The rules are surprisingly easy to understand, largely due to their flexibility (e.g. you do not need to look up every modifier and TN [target number], you can just use the tables as sort of guidelines and trust your own judgement). I especially like the 'qualities of heroes' pages, and though it is quite difficult to get across all of these attributes they do add to the 'Tolkienesque' flavour of the game.

When I first read the Coda rules I thought that the combat would be quite tedious and dull before you memorised the rules, yet no, it flows quickly and furiously, leaving your heart pounding as if it were real! Yes, sometimes you have to look up rules, but it isn't a huge encumbrance to your enjoyment of the game.

However, the most importent attribute to the game's level of fun is the pacing. My group made the mistake of letting our charcters converse and discuss every little thing, and though this was fine at first it soon became quite dull. You've got to find a balence between dialogue and and combat/tests, and once you do the game is amazing. We played for four solid hours and it merely felt like 1 1/2 - 2 hours at the most. I have read the book six times, and this is a must-buy for any Tolkien or game fan.

[Oh, and by the way, my titles in Quenya (High Elven). 'The most beautiful and best book of all']