Orpheus: Crusade of Ashes [Paperback]

Kraig Blackwelder (Author), Tim Dedopulos (Author), Jacob Docherty (Contributor), Leonard Gentile (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Orpheus | Publication Date: September 22, 2003

The Eve of Twilight
An invisible crusade is underway, and Orpheus Group is haunted by its past. Organization members are on the run from a mysterious adversary that commands Spectres, and from mercenaries with the powers of the dead. With their old lives shattered and the authorities in pursuit, can the characters survive what lies next? Pray they do, because the alternative offers no hope of salvation - not even in death.
Dead Men Running
Crusade of Ashes offers Storytellers and players alike more information on the continually evolving world of Orpheus. In this first supplement, the world changes... and not for the better. Complementing discussion and rules for surviving existence as fugitives are new enemies, new dangers and new rules for artifact creation, as well as a unique addition to the Storyteller system: crucible-oriented Merits and Flaws.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: White Wolf Publishing (September 22, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588466019
• ISBN-13: 978-1588466013
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,810,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'll tell you now, there's some truth to Jack Nicholson's character in The Shining, so it's probably a good thing that I'm really not a tetchy, alcoholic git. I haven't slept with any ghosts yet either, but hey, never say never. I'm English - with a selection of crunchy European bits - but I've been wandering the world for a few years, for a variety of reasons. At the moment, I'm back living in London.

I suspect I'd feel blind if my intuition ever turned off, and I pride myself on remaining open-minded and kind despite everything. I do have a dark streak - I think it's a fairly common side effect of being reasonably intelligent and well informed - but it's well under control, and there isn't a malicious bone in my body. Which is nice.

When I'm not writing, I like to keep myself amused by exploring, reading, swimming, spending time with friends, watching movies and gigs, gazing at the stars/stormy seas/fires/woodlands/ancient places/&c, and occasionally hacking up the odd pixellated monster or some such. I know Net Fu.

I tend to have all sorts of random questions on my mind. Today, these include:
- Why doesn't Dubai build an underground city complex, given the summer heat out there, and the fact they're building just about everything else? Or if not an Underside, then how about a new Wonder of the World designed to last five thousand years -- a Colossus, say, or a mighty Labyrinth?
- If reincarnation were true, would we need to live our lives in sequential order, or could souls hop around in time?
- How did Staff Sergeant Max Fightmaster get such an insanely butch name, and can he live up to it?
- What sort of society would live in a wondrous crystal city powered by the sacrifice of unwilling victims?

In general, I'm interested in just about everything, with the possible exceptions of celebrities and car engines. I've been lucky enough to have some rather strange experiences over the years, which I cherish. Perhaps it's something to do with being a lapsed Anthropologist.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great part two, October 25, 2003

By 

"cahillk4" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Orpheus: Crusade of Ashes (Paperback)

Cliche though it may be, Crusade of Ashes really does start with a bang and doesn't let up, all the way to its end. Like the corebook, Orpheus manages to cover all the bases, giving so many opportunites for story hooks that you actually feel more liberated than constrained by the recommended storyline.
This is very much like an Orpheus Players' Guide with Merits/Flaws, rules on Artifact creation and help on how to play an Orpheus operative on the run, except that it also provides new Antagonists, Allies, and story development. The new Spectre types presented, especially the "Friendly Angels" are spectacularly chilling.
The only problem I had with it is that it stopped too soon, much like only getting to see the first half-hour of a truly great movie. I can't wait to see where Orpheus leads.