Customer Reviews

Changeling: The Dreaming

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Some call it 'fluff', some scoff at the idea of playing a faerie; however, a look deeper into the heart of the book will reveal the Changelings have as much to fear about the Endless Winter as the other supernaturals of Gehenna, the Apocalypse, the Oblivion and the Ascension War. There is a constant battle between fantasy and reality, not only are Changelings caught in the middle they are expected to fight on either side. Second edition is truly a 'glamorous' work of art, with its artwork, cultural setting, clearer rules and WW system. It can be much more challenging to run a crossover chronicle with the other WoD games but it can be very rewarding. Changeling offers an outlet of pure creativity, however this does not always equate to silliness, for the themes of Changeling can be as subtle and dark as any of those in Vampire. I may be incredibly biased, but Changeling is by far my favorite game in the WW series, for its creative outlet and strong ties to history and mythology as well as continued White Wolf quality.

Changeling is a great game that is based on fairy tales from around the world. You play one type of Fae or another (anything from a globe-trotting Eshu to a blood-thirsty Redcap). It's hard to make these characters bland and the flightly nature of the Changeling world allows for endless possibilities as long as your GM is flexible. This is not a game for GMs who like to have all their ducks in a row, nor is it a game for people who only like high powered campaigns. It is ideal however, for the low powered player who likes lots of character development. Also, the nature of Changelings makes it very easy for the campaign to stay upbeat if that is your choice. However, Changelings can have all sorts of interactions with other supernaturals, giving the campaign a chance to get dark if that is your desire. The book itself is in full color, and has the most beautiful art work of any Whitewolf book I've seen (the whole Changeling series of books is well done). I can see how Changeling's reputation for being a girls' game is true but guys, if you like character development, you should give this one a try!

Changeling is one of the most innovative rpg`s I have ever seen. But as in most of the White Wolf games the organization of the book is terrible you have to flip over pages to find the exact thing that you are looking for, but after some time you can get used to the book. The idea of playing faeries in world of darkness is a most challenging and enjoyable one. And the way that WW puts the elements of traditional faerie tales into their gloomy world is very successful. (`a faerie dies when someone sayas that she oes not believe in faeries` makes sense in the changeling the dreaming) If you are tired of dungeons and dragons style of fantasy and if you are not obsessively inlove with the darkness of vampire the masquarade, changeling is a good rpg for you. For those who think that changeling is not going along well with the other world of darkness games, because it is too "light" should consider that nothing can be more frightening or more beautiful than our dreams.

For all of those who are tired of the angst of Vampires, give Changeling a chance! Yes, they are "sad" creatures, forever forbidden from their home, doomed to dwell in a world that threatens to murder their souls on a daily basis, but at least they aren't completely immersed in their own misery! I've tried Vampire, read Mage, thumbed through Werewolf, and the only one that truly captivates me is Changeling. If you're looking for diverse characters, entertaining stories, and infinite possibilities, look no further than Changeling: The Dreaming.

I first got into Changeling when a friend of mine loaned me the book. It is the best Role-Playing game I've ever experienced. It is such a refreshing break from the hack'n'slash of D&D, and the storyline is one of the most unique I've ever seen. I'd reccomend this book to anyone who likes RPGs, storytelling, and imagination.

What can I say, I really love this game. The setting is execlent, and it's (gasp) a semi-positive game out of White Wolf. The problem is this game is really not for everybody. My girlfriend hates the game saying it is a game of "Let's Play Pretend, that we are Playing Pretend." Which is an accurate description of the game in a negitive view point. I just like it because I like fantasy, but am really sick of the AD&D version of fantasy, and was looking for something different. So if you like different give the game a try, but trust me, it is not for everybody.

Changeling is, to be frank, amazing. This game makes the best use of mythology in the modern world of any of the games I have ever seen. Far more mature and subtle than Shadowrun and it's ilk, and without the self-obsessed melodramatic angst of many of WW's other games, Changeling is a game that brings up issues of present vs past, of dreams vs reality, of mythology and tradition vs new creativity and trends. With this game you are free to do anything from a Campbellian quest to kill the dragon to speculation on the way that capitalism and creativity shape the way we think - or don't think. It is, quite simply, the best of White Wolf's productions.

Yes, we also play changeling in France. And although the first edition has been translated a few years ago, we prefer this one.

Changeling is a great game. I love the seelie/unseelie division which is not a manichean good/bad division. I love the way faeries are somewhat alien to this world and nevertheless part of it.

I love the fight against banality : it's the fight of my life!!

I'm an avid White Wolf player, going on 5 years now. By far, Changeling is my favorite. The others are good, yes, but they're not as free as changeling. Freedom to experiment is ALWAYS a big plus for us GMs. One of the the parts of this game most used by my groups (I have several groups who come to me to be the GM) is the Chimera Companion. I've had players who've had a blue dragon afraid of mice, a living feather duster, a piece of tofu fluent in English, Spanish, French, Latin, Portugese, Chinese, and German, and even someone who used the Brooklyn-accented, trod-guide owl example in the book. I require them to balance their merits and flaws, but most of them did that on their own before I told them. The Cantrips are a hoot (I had one innovative player hopscotch a group of 3 redcaps through the ceiling to knock 'em out), and the system is easy to adjust to from Werewolf and all the others. Check it out!

Angst is nice, but face it, do you really need Jyhad politics and the Technocracy and god knows what all of the major antagonists in the White Wolf games shoving it down your throat? Changeling is a bit 'lighter' than that, and it's rather refreshing to have a character with some hope. I reccomend this to anyone. Even the players who want to bemoan their existance need but play sluagh.