White Wolf is releasing a , for only $99.99.

I shouldn't pretend to be shocked, it contains most of the core materials from the original V:tM books, with color plates. Printed to number ordered, so if this interests you then order it between now and 8 July 2011.

System wise, I liked the older system much better than the current Storyteller. Not the settings - the new settings, clans, etc. are just fine - but the old system was more versatile, due to having two possible variables. Difficulty and number of successes - difficulty gives an approximation of how hard to do something is, the number of successes indicating how lengthy a process, or how many stages are required. The current edition locks difficulty, leaving only number of successes.

The Auld Grump

*EDIT* As a side note - White Wolf published a translation guide for V:tM to V:tR this year... it is possible, though not likely, that they are testing the waters....

Wow I remember when this first came out...seems like forever ago. I will be interested to see where this goes.

I've always been a great fan of the storyteller system, been playing since 1994...
But I never made the step to the new system...

One of the nice things about White Wolf is that they still support their earlier editions by making them available as pdfs on RPGnow and the like. Good customer support there, WoTC just terminates their product lines and then they're gone, forever!

And the Anniversary Edition is going to be available through Print on Demand.

The Auld Grump

On that note I have to ask - is WW as strong/stronger than what they were at the start of the Century?


Lord Abaddon of Wormwood

Hmm, I don't remember ordering the thing, but nevertheless it arrived in the mail today, after being sent to the wrong address.

Very nicely bound. Two bound in ribbon bookmarks, long enough that each can be used to mark two locations, at least sometimes.

Most of the illustrations have been changed, the book is in color this time. Sadly, I liked the older illos better. (Not enough Bradstreet, in my opinion.) On the other hand, no nudity this time around. So it is a little safer to leave around.

Minor changes - the animal features that a Gangrel gets for Frenzy are now temporary. Much less crippling. Actual resolution system is that from Revised.

Over all, not bad, probably not a hundred bucks worth of good. I was probably very tired when I ordered this.

The Auld Grump

Playing in two different WW World of Darkness game/campaigns, both Live Action RolePlaying [non-tabletop]: Vampire the Masquerade (using "Mind's Eye Theatre" set of books) and Mage:The Awakening [of which I am on the Plot Team as a StoryTeller - yes, I said 'team' because we operate with a college campus group and have 15-25 people playing at one time]. There is also another campagin which I am not involved in: Geist. The campaigns basically rotate on a weekly basis, with the Mage on alternate weeks. (There had been a Werewolf:Apoclypse campaign last year which ended, thus making room for the Geist campaign.)

We've had years and years of Vampire Masquerade continuously over the years (I've been involved with them for the last 5 (6?) years. Two weeks ago we wrapped up an almost 3-year campaign set in an alternate timeline where Las Vegas had been subjected to two dirty-nuke suitcase bombs back in the early '80s; New Las Vegas was built just to the east in the biggst FEMA scam ever (vampires are nothing but exquisitely resourceful and influencial!). My character, Dr. Weston Frederick Jarvik, a modern transplanted Bostonian blue-blood, rose from being a Ventrue neonate to become Prince of the City - and not only survived the campaign despite several attempts at abduction, destruction and cross-purpose manipulation, but got his dead wife back (which he had killed in backstory in a failed attempt to Embrace her; she being a Wraith Retainer to him), both became human and Immortal, and not only understands Enochian (the ancient 1st language of the vampires) but still has his full complement of vampric powers to that date (including Aegis!). (Course he had sold his soul to an Infernal along the way to get his beloved wife back - but they're happy!) I call this a WIN! ... This weekend we kick off a brand new campaign with a New Haven CT setting with all the players having new characters - mine is a Toreador born in 1650 France, currently travelling since Hurricane Katrina wiped out his New Orleans Haven in 2005 (thank goodness for minions!). The change in campaigns was orchestrated to alleviate the consternation of the younger/newer players of being totally 'outclassed' by far more experienced characters. The other players do not have a problem with this as we had a good run and we do want to keep the game fun for all.)

Elseways, they are considering next term beginning a SCION campaign (Children of the Pantheon Gods) - which I am told is different from the other WW game systems in that is is not based on th estandard World of Darkness. (I'm taking their word at this as I hasve not yet grabbed a copy to look at it ... yet.)

So, is WW 'alive' and thriving? We're playing the bejesus out of the various games here in the Midwest. And books are being bought by new players... You judge.

I think that, at its best, the (older) Storyteller system can be dang near invisible. Flexible without being overly vague, and unless the GM plays with the numbers much of the resolution can be done without the mechanics being discussed.

The newer system does not appear to have that quality.

Possibly the most transparent system that I have ever played with. (Plus, you can take the numbers from Warhammer 40 and translate them to Storyteller without changing any of the actual numbers....)

The Auld Grump - BS 5 = Firearms 5....