Customer Reviews

Dirty Secrets of the Black Hand

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The book gives brand news informations about the True Black Hand, things that all good storyteller should know to make his chronicles even better. The concept of the sect in itself and his hiearchy are really great and it's a real pleasure to add it to current plots. However, as with some other supplements, White Wolf made really, really stupid mistakes; create new clans with non-vampiric disciplines that makes you cry or laugh, but not include them... A great book, but as always, the storyteller will have to take the best and let some stuff down.

A truly fantastic book, that adds incredible depth to the original WOD. But i warn you that this book is for the storyteller and should not be read by players or at least the unexperienced player. The secrets of the sect and how they use the world as pawns, gives the storyteller a new mystery for the players to unfold. But again it is not for players to read. Players that read this book may be unable to distinguish between what they know and what their characters know. The secrets in this book will only be known by a very small group of vampires and unless you have a very brave and creative storyteller, your character is not one of them. But by now your curiosity is probably overwhelming so go ahead and learn all you can, but remember you were warned.

This is a review mostly in response to the single star review from "A Customer", titled "Just something for everyone to remember", and those who think like him. The problem with that review is that many of the WoD books are more presented as options then as cannon. Many times one book will seem to contradict or override another, but most of the time it is simply a matter of giving the storyteller more options for how they want to run their own game.

There is no real official cannon for the WoD, it's more like leggos. Build the game out of what you like, and if you like intrigue and hidden organizations; Long term goals and hidden bases; New world order conspiracy level organizations, then this book is for you. It's got a lot of interesting information that you are free to use in your game or discard as you like, that's what's great about the WoD.

Well, apparently, this is just one of those books White Wolf puts out every so often to just piss StoryTellers off. Not only does it completely change the feel of the WoD and the Sabbat, it also tries (Not very well) to tie in to Wraith : the Oblivion. HOW many 'True Black Hand's are there going to be? And what the hell was the writer THINKING when he gave Vampires the True Magick Sphere of Time as a Discipline? The idea of the True Brujah was an interesting one, but... TEMPORIS? And WHAT is this about Vampires living in the Shadowlands? Sounds like White Wolf took all the insane ideas, and threw them into one big book of madness. It's a great book to pick and choose from, but whatever you do, don't take it as complete gospel. You'll just ruin your games.

This arrived in a short amount of time and in good condition. I bought this for my fiance and he refers to it often.

Before this book my characters could never be anything other than a assamite in the black hand games of the sabbat but intrigued and drawn in further and further into the realm of masquarades most cruel and unusual cloacked division of the sabbat and there strange rituals take you above and beyond being the ultimate evil assamite ever... it takes you into realms you could never imagine....read it ....but only with the lights on

Dirty Secrets is one of the best support books yet put out. It takes the general city-based scope of most Vampire Campaigns and shoots it out of the water: providing an ancient, world-spanning conspiracy that Storytellers can use to torment their players for years in the future. I'd advise against it if you like to run a smaller-scale set of stories, True Hand Characters are generally much older and more powerful than V:tm characters. that would be my only significant criticism that the Templates in the back are a bit "overstocked" -- there are way too many 7th & 8th gen templates, almost none of 9/10, making the characters in the back suitable more for "deus ex machina" characters and "evil nemeses", rather than standards for PCs.

I thought the way they tied in the shadowlands in was excellent and was very usefull in the chronicle that I have been ruuning. The use of the new background, disciplines and abilities, made this book a must for me. I have been running a vamire chronicle from the dark ages into the Giovanni Chronicles and then into present day leaving my vampire's with little challenge from the undead society. This book brought new twist into this already dark world and in my opion brought it one step closer to a complete alternate reality. The black hand makes the perfect enemy and the perfect "allie". I recomend this book to anyone who is looking to add a new shadow to their world of darkness.

Simply one of the best sourcebooks around. It details the Black Hand, the sect within the sabbat we all know and love. They are not what they seem with new bloodlines and a lot of surprises. Highly recomended

The Sabbat actually works to protect humanity? Sabbat paths that restrict frenzy and condone clear thought and logic? A great addition to the White Wolf family. The True Brujah, previously a myth in white wolf history, add an element of tragedy to the White Wolf scene previously exhibitied by the Salubri and perhaps the Cappadocians. The tie-ins to other WoD games is unique, logical and interesting. I give this book an A+ :)