Changeling: the Lost [Hardcover]

Matt McFarland (Author), Chuck Wendig (Author), Travis Stout (Author), Jess Hartley (Author), Ethan Skemp (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 16, 2007

"The latest addition to the World of Darkness. Taken from your home, transformed by the power of Faerie, kept as the Others' slave or pet - but you never forgot where you came from. Now you have found your way back through the Thorns, to a home that is no longer yours. You are Lost. Find yourself."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: White Wolf Publishing (August 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588465276
• ISBN-13: 978-1588465276
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars finally, someone does fae right, October 26, 2007

By 

A. Bowen "wynter_z" (Ga USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Changeling: the Lost (Hardcover)

Probably the most striking difference between the old Changeling and the new Changeling is the shift away from the Shakespearian concepts of faeries. There is no banality, chimeral reality and glorification of child-like behavior. In striping away those overly romanticized notions we get Changelings that are rooted in folklore with all it's twisted darkness. Infact, from a philosophical perspective, this game is exactly the opposite of Dreaming: The "villains" (True Fae) appear very much like Dreaming Changelings in that they are selfish, self-absorbed monsters lacking in empathy and having no ability to see things from anyone's perspective but their own. Talk about a gutsy change.

This game is not about recapturing an unattainable childhood that never was; it's about growing up and realizing that life without empathy and self-sacrifice is empty and horrifying. It's about overcoming things forced on you in life, and choosing not to repeat those mistakes when you have power. It's about real forgiveness and growth as a person.

You are actually playing a Changeling this time around, not a fairy in a human body. You are former human who now has half a fae soul and half a human soul, and you probably look radically different from your former self. Because time between the Fae dimension (Arcadia) and Earth isn't stable, you could have emerged years, or mere seconds after you were abducted. You might even have arrived *before* you were abducted (oh, the headaches).

Building your character is incredibly flexible. You pick a Seeming based on six fairy tale archetypes: Beasts (animal creatures), Darklings (Spooky, slithery dark things), Elementals (aspects of natural forces), Wizened (crones, little old men and such), Fairest (fairy tales princes/princess, beautiful witches), and Ogres (powerful and violent monsters). From here you select one of the many kiths that focus your characters traits and abilities. This allows you to play almost any type of fairy tale creature regardless of culture. Winter Masques (Changeling: the Lost) offers even more choices.

Changeling "magic" is very Faustian in nature. Changelings make contracts and pledges to gain power, complete with obligations, loop holes and catches. This is an interesting and different take on fairy magic that reflects folklore far more than any system I have seen. As you can imagine, it creates a lot of social politicking that should please Vampire fans.

As a whole this module is a very focused with lots of potential hooks for the GM. If you're sick of D&D's elves/fae and want a system that really captures the essence of all things fae, Changeling is what you want.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars World of Darkness.... This game lives up to the banner title, August 21, 2007

By 

John E. Bouchard (Merrimack, NH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Changeling: the Lost (Hardcover)

I have been playing Werewolf: The Forsaken for about a year now. Werewolf has been an awesome ride, but after reading the first 50 pages of Changeling: The Lost, I am stunned on how cool this read is. I have a notebook next to me jotting ideas down for my next chronicle. This book is becoming my new muse. I see my gamers getting into this.

When I heard there was going to be another Changeling game. I wasn't pleased. The first one, Changeling the Dreaming, was not a horror game, it was a fantasy game wrapped in a modern era. Changeling: The Lost has some fantasy elements, but its a horror and suspense game living up to the banner of "A World of Darkness".

BTW the primer story in the beginning really freaked my wife out. That's always a good sign. She's a bigtime horror nut and it takes alot to get her creeped out.

Good Job White Wolf. Keep it coming.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding game, August 25, 2007

By 

Christian D. WIlson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Changeling: the Lost (Hardcover)

I can't say enough good things about this book. It is wistful and moody, lovely and brooding. I held some reservations about Changeling belonging in the new World of Darkness. My favorite line to date has been Werewolf:The Forsaken, an all around outstanding game, but Changeling kills anything I've ever read from White Wolf before, including their critically acclaimed, poorly selling Promethean, a stellar setting in it's own right.

This book is tremendous. That said, while it IS a dark game, do not invest if you want splatter. While horror can and should factor in we are looking at a lot less Clive Barker and a lot more M. Night Shayamalan.You play a person taken to Faerie, an indescribaly idyllic looking place, and tortured and abused relentlessly. Upon your escape you find that your life has been stolen. The Others (the ones that took you) have replaced you with some THING that is living your life. And killing it and taking your life back isn't usually a reasonable option, for many good reasons.

It's a twisted and thorny journey through the old fairy tales that makes one examine the things they value in their lives, and what would happen if you were remade into something alien and bizarre, forever denied what was rightfully yours.