It's nice to see that some fan writers have given mortals equal time, and almost equal footing, with the supernaturals. Your chronicle might end up containing a normal person who's more than just meat.
Blackened - The Darkened Souls (Version 2)
By Keith S Kaczmarek
When a mortal finds a way to come to grips with the Darkness inside him, to merge his Shadow with his Psyche, he becomes one of the Blackened. Examples given in the text are "The Crow, Batman: The Dark Knight, Wolverine of the X-Men, Darth Vader, Raistlin of the Black Robes, The Princess Bride's Wesley [!], Xena: Warrior Princess [!!], and many others." Each has a passionate Derangement(s) in the pursuit of which they can expend points of Dark (harnessed madness), allowing them to perform superhuman feats.
The author says that the Blackened work best as NPCs. I would heartily concur, especially because I think that most of the characters listed above (with the possible exceptions of the Crow and Raistlin) haven't conquered their Shadows; they struggle with them constantly, which is what makes the characters engaging. A character who has no Humanity to lose, whose psyche is without turmoil, is not a fun character to play; he becomes one-dimensional. The creators of the World of Darkness recognized this, and integrated the inner struggle into every game.
Concept: 1/2 World of Darkness: 1 Background: 1/2 Integration: 1/2 Stand-alone: 1/2
Demon Knight.- The Sacrifice
By J.A. Stuart
Based faithfully on the movie of the same name, with some take-it-or-leave-it elaboration to make it easier to play. See the movie, decide if you want such a character in your chronicle, and trust this supplement to deliver it to you well. The "Collector" characters are based on the rules of the Daemon supplement. If used as a stand-alone, this would probably turn out to be a single-player chronicle.
Concept: 1 1/2 World of Darkness: 1/2 Background: 1 Integration: 1 1/2 Stand-alone:1/2
Freak: The Scene
By Marc Schier with Drew Edwards
A round-up of the mortals of the real Gothic Punk world, including the various kinds of skinheads, punks, drag queens, goths, etc. Definitely a good tool if you're trying to adhere to the Gothic Punk description of the World of Darkness, and playing one of these characters in a chronicle might be interesting, if only for the realworld contrast with the fantastic. A standalone chronicle? Why bother? Just go downtown on Saturday night.
Concept: 1 World of Darkness: 2 Background: 1 Integration: 1 1/2 Stand-alone: 0
Church Knights: The Cainite Crusade
By Jamie Seidel
This supplements brings the Militant Orders - the Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights - together in a modern crusade against vampires (and other supernaturals if they get in the way). Unlike the Society of Leopold or other vampire hunters, these Knights are powered by True Faith, which gives them divine powers with which to fight their battles.
This is an amazingly complete supplement, practically ready for game play. And yet, I question the appropriateness of such pure, steadfast individuals as PCs. Certainly, the author states that his intention was to allow players a chance to play the other side, but how realistic is that in the World of Darkness? This supplement has no place for humor (the Church Knights are a sober bunch), nor is there really room for great roleplaying, the core of which is internal conflict (which the standard games serve up in spades); how much internal conflict is possible when all that you all derives from your fanatically strong Faith?
I almost wish these Church Knights had been designed foremost as NPCs; the presence of the true believer fighting against the Kindred might prove cause for an Embraced PCs internal struggle. These same caveats apply to the additional Hospitaller and Teutonic Knight supplements by the same author.
Concept: 1 World of Darkness: 2 Background: 2 Integration: 0 Stand-alone: 1
The Drorenkinder
By Mitchell Kelly
Need some more hunters for your chronicle? How about the Children of Thor, an anti-vampire Nazi organization still operating in secrecy? This supplement explains how the Camarilla helped defeat Hitler to defend the Masquerade; this Nazi faction was formed in retaliation, and has put vampires on its hit list (with the Jews demoted to number two). Too hate-filled for PC characters, the Drorenkinder would make effective adversaries ones that would stop at no despicable act to accomplish their goals.
Concept: 1 World of Darkness: 2 Background: 1 1/2 Integration: 1 1/2 Stand-alone: 0
Cuacuahtzin: The Eagle Knights
By Alejandro Melchor
The Cuacuahtzin are an order of Aztec knights which has been fighting a guerilla war against vampires since the kindred-led European conquest of Mexico. Drawing powers from the Four Ways and the Movement of the sun, they have dedicated themselves to the extermination of all vampires, and any other evil or interfering supernaturals.
Because the Cuacuahtzin are the "knights errant" of Mexico, theyre obviously appropriate only in chronicles set in that area (barring exceptional circumstances), and their crusade against supernaturals limits PCs to a hunters-only chronicle. But the background is adequate for any Storyteller to use them without extensive reading in central American history.
Concept: 1 World of Darkness: 1 Background: 1 Integration: 1 Stand-alone: 1/2
Gitan
By Remy Thorne and Lydia Sko
A sketch of gypsies in the World of Darkness. I call it a sketch, because there's a lengthy fiction preamble, followed by some hedge magic abilities the gypsies have. That's it. It sets the mood well, but doesn't really give enough detail about gypsy life to do more than whet the appetite.
Concept: 1 1/2 World of Darkness: 1 1/2 Background: 1/2 Integration: 1 Standalone: 0
Illuminati: The Conspiracy
By Stephen Esdale
Yes, there are secret societies, and all are dedicated to wresting power from the supernaturals and placing it where it belongs with the conspiracy, naturally. The initial concept is good, and the detail is voluminous, so how did this all get buggered up? Answers:
1) Substitute names are used for all of the standard conspiracies (the Bavarian Illuminati becomes the "Global Elite," etc.). This removes it one step from every conspiracy theory you know.
2) Through a Pax Concordat, the six main secret societies have joined forces, effectively making them all arms of the same conspiracy, with the same rank system in each society (stolen from chess, no less). It mirrors the structure of Vampire. The Masquerade too closely.
My advice? Use this supplement for background and some ideas. Then go out, research your own favorite conspiratorial organization (the aforementioned Illuminati, Area 51, the Thule Society, the International Bankers, the New World Order [whatever that's supposed to be] and write your own rules.
Concept: 1/2 World of Darkness: 1 1/2 Background: 1 Integration: 1/2 Stand-alone: 1
The Knights Templar
By John Snead and Sarah Link
This supplement came out before the official one. According to the authors, they offered it to White Wolf and were rejected with, I think, good reason.
These Templars are the underground continuation of the original order, complete with their original stated purpose: to guard travelers. Yup. That's what they do. Guard travelers, and guard roads (or other means of conveyance). Dedicated Templars must give up all contact with their former lives, fake their deaths, and live in extreme secrecy, knowing next to nothing about their own organization - to guard travelers and roads. (Something tells me there has to be a support group for disillusioned ex-Templars somewhere.)
Concept: 1/2 World of Darkness: 1/2 Background: 1 Integration: 0 Stand-alone: 1/2
More Homegrown: The Proliferation
Part 2: Immortals, Superheroes, & Dragons
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