I enjoyed reading this story, and I would definitely use this in one of my games. It is rare for me to use a prepared story as it is written, normally preferring to chop bits out or add bits in to fit "my style" of playing. This story would need no such modification.

I really appreciated the focus on normal people in normal situations. Mage can be about very magical, wondrous topics, but there really needs to be room for personal and relatable stories we can all identify with. This story provides exactly that. The characters are all believable, the situation does not break suspension of disbelief (I know...this is Mage, but some scenarios can be pretty "out there"), and it can be used to remind players about consequences of their characters' actions.

On another note, I am also creating some Community Content for Mage. I bought this to get another author's take on structuring a Mage story and its many components. I was not disappointed in this aspect, either. Surely, this will serve as a bit of inspiration. Satisfying stories do not always need complex plots, impossible mystery, and so on. This product proves a simple story with heart is still a very good story.

I don't read or play very much Wraith, as much as I love the entire concept of the game. Perhaps I have not gotten into the game too deply because...it is so alien. Perhaps seems too disconnected from the rest of the World of Darkness.

The simple idea conveyed in this small supplement really brings Wraith back "home" to relevance in the Lands of the Living. Whether the idea is used in the Great War setting or any other area of conflict, it brings a powerful theme and relevance to Wraith. It isn't a lot of material, but it presents a solid idea that could "connect" the Wraith game with people/places players like myself can identify with.

I will start with saying this is certainly worth the modest price. Even if someone just mines it for bits and pieces, a buck and a half is worth the ideas and ready-to-use storyteller characters.

It is just a one-page jumpstart, as advertised. In that one page, the author manages to inject a bit of background, mystery, AND a couple of directions to create a story from. The details behind the phenomenon are vague, but I believe a decent one-page jump-start should be. A rough idea to inspire other storytellers to develop. Personally, I sometimes find that initial spark to be the most difficult, so I could benefit from jump-start ideas.

The real bonus and value to buying this is in the storyteller characters. There are at least a half-dozen fully detailed characters related to the story ideas. Even if you don't want to use the one-shot idea, you essentially have another half-dozen seeds for antagonists.

My only real issue with this is the characters. Individually, they are interesting and very usable for a variety of stories and roles. However, to be included with the one-shot and implied to be connected, I would have preferred to read more about how the characters are connected to each other. How those relationships could become story elements would have been more interesting than diving into the deep history of the individual.

Top Tier, professional, and engaging!

This book is everything a "By Night" title should be. He gave us history, the feeling of really being in Rio, interesting characters, and plenty of reason to use the book. I don't want to give away any spoilers (I know some of us buy these things to read more than just play), but I will say that I was left wanting more. Not because it was incomplete or because there were missing pieces, but because I want to know what happens next. And that is the whole point of doing a setting book well.

Some specific parts immediately come to mind, which made it feel unique:

The Carnival and social pieces (normally I don't like all of the "social combat" rules, but these were done well especially because it feels so...natural for the setting)

Octavia (her name is almost too "on the nose", but she was a fun character to read about)

The extensive coterie/relationship charts ("Wait...that character is allied with her AND him?" Very useful to have for really getting to know what's going on before running a game in that city)

It really sets a standard to which my future projects will be measured against.

This book, primarily about a single character and his activity in the region, is a fun read. The author presented a web of usable personalities and motives which could be easily adaptable to our games. The presentation, layout, and uses of the game rules were all used very well. I might place more importance than others on layout. Perhaps it is superficial of me, but I like to feel like I am reading a Mage (or whatever other game when referring to other documents) supplement. This didn't disappoint.

The specific thing I liked about this short book was that all of the information was relevant to the characters and events. Yes, "flavor text" is great, but is a distraction when it isn't relevant. Same goes for entries like new powers, new items (Artifacts, etc), and other extensions of rules mechanics. This book made use of everything the author put into it.

The only thing I didn't care for really only comes down to how we all play the game differently and enjoy different aspects of it. The characters involved seemed a little too powerful or heavy-handed. They could work as masterminds for a larger chronicle based upon the actions of the Doctor and his associates, but the book just scratched the surface for potential stories like that. Similarly, if scaled down, I could see them as being very fun elements for characters to directly interact with. I really love crossovers, but in this case I would likely adapt this book to just slightly reduce the amount of "heavy hitters" from each of the supernaturals present.

Overall: fun ideas, absolutely could see using it in my games, but would reduce the power levels of provided characters

Certainly an amazing book. I could rave on for paragraphs and repeat (and agree with) all of the praise, but I will keep to one thing I find very important. All of us use the various supplement books' ideas and make stories of our own; we don't shackle ourselves to every little word. This book exceeded my expectations by actually going an extra step and giving us so many different ways of using the ideas presented in the book. The authors don't simply say, "Things happen, this is the result." No...this book tells us, "Things happen, and here are a bunch of really intersting things that might happen tomorrow. AND here are tips for making even more unique outcomes." In addition, everything is written in a way that those of us who enjoy "following the metaplot" can still easily twist a few of the book's events, making our own versions without "breaking" the presentation of the metaplot.

While the scope of this book is far too great to be commonly repeated, the type of information it gives us about the setting and the manner in which it is presented...is the new standard to which all other books will be compared. Can i give this 6 stars?

I love toolkit books like this. Short, sweet, to the point, without need for tons of flowery exposition.

I found this short book to be quite helpful. Too often, I personally get a little bogged down by all of the metaphysical elements of Wraith. Granted, these elements are what makes the game more interesting, but in the end, it is about our characters.

This book is a refreshing gathering of examples and inspiration. Ideas that might be used to inspire my next character, the next antagonist, or even a full blown storyline. After all...the passions behind why anyone becomes a wraith is what drives the whole game.

I particularly like the introduction. Sure, we can all sit and brainstorm how a character died and how it affects them. But...having a bit of a "cheatsheet" of origins as they relate to the game can save a few minutes when preparing the next game session or story arc.