Inanimae: The Secret Way Sourcebook for Changeling: The Dreaming | ||||||||
Rob Barret, Roger Gaudreau, Stephan Herman, R.S. Martin and Angel McCoy | ||||||||
White Wolf, 120 pages | ||||||||
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A review by Don Bassingthwaite
Inanimae presents a new series of inhabitants of the magical world
of the Dreaming, the fae spirits that inhabit elemental and inanimate objects.
Like changelings, these spirits survived the long banality of the Shattering
by linking themselves to physical objects. Unlike changelings, however, these
host objects are inanimate -- stones, trees, streams, breezes, and
flames. They also took to these host objects far earlier than changelings
did, with the result that the Inanimae have their own mythic history and
legendary customs quite separate from those of the Kithain. Just as the
Kithain are now enjoying a renaissance with the return of the Sidhe, the
Inanimae are also awakening from their long slumbers and returning to the
world. Just as the Sidhe are discovering, however, it is a world much altered.
Aside from the obvious changes of technology and the spread of Banality,
the reawakened Inanimae face a change unknown to the Kithain. Where once
the vast majority of Inanimae lived free and natural lives, the spread
of civilization has resulted in a new multitude of Inanimae returning to
consciousness and discovering that their host materials have been captured
by humanity and worked into a new shape. Such worked Inanimae are called
Krofted. Within Inanimae society the division between Krofted and natural
(or gladelings) is as sharp as between Seelie and Unseelie Kithain and
generates as much tension and distrust.
This is clearly a detail-oriented book and the work that has been put into
developing the Inanimae as a "culture" (not an entirely accurate term as
each group of Inanimae has its own culture as well) is impressive. The
book is filled with marvelous snippets that really bring the inhabitants
of the Great Slow Empires to life -- a sidebar story, for instance, tells
the tale of a Sidhe lord, newly returned to Earth, and his confrontation
with an Inanimae who remembers what the Sidhe's previous incarnation did
before the Shattering. The Inanimae, it seems, have long memories.
Rules
are given which allow players to create all manners of Inanimae characters:
ponderous Glomes (earth-based), flighty Parosemes (air-based), peaceful
Ondines (water-based), shunned Solimonds (fire-based), or mysterious
Mannikins (the leaders of the Krofted, inhabiting puppets and
mannequins). As with the descriptions of Inanimae culture, these rules are
very well worked out and satisfyingly complete. Forget any of the various
sourcebooks that add on "oh, by the way, here's how you can play one of
these critters." Inanimae gives you the works and explains how
Inanimae can be worked into existing Changeling chronicles.
In fact, this is one of the most all around satisfying sourcebook products
I've ever seen. It's complete in every way, from base concept to fine
details to integration with the parent game setting. It's well-illustrated
and very well-written. There are five authors credited -- kudos to
Rob Barret, Roger Gaudreau, Stephan Herman, R.S. Martin, and Angel McCoy -- and
yet the flow of text is so smooth that it feels like it was written by
one. Probably what's most astonishing is that this isn't a necessary game
book. You could play Changeling quite happily without it and
in my experience that's the type of expansion accessory that most often tends
to be shabby, knocked together, and a complete waste of money.
Inanimae is not one of those products!
This is a beautiful, charming
book and using it will add a rich dimension to your chronicle. The material
could also be adapted to give a little twist to
Werewolf: The Apocalypse or Mage: The Ascension
games -- although Inanimae makes only a brief (but amusing) mention
of Garou and mage interactions with Inanimae, I think there are some
intriguing possibilities here. I really hope that Inanimae sells the
way it deserves to -- it's just great.
Don Bassingthwaite is the author of Such Pain (HarperPrism), Breathe Deeply (White Wolf), and Pomegranates Full and Fine (White Wolf), tie-in novels to White Wolf's World of Darkness role-playing games. He can't remember when he started reading science fiction, but has been gaming since high school (and, boy, is his dice arm tired!). |
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