Jess Hartley

The Rose Bride's Plight is the second Storyteller Adventure System supplement for Changeling: the Lost. I really wanted to love this book more than I did. It has some great points such as new rules systems, a great supporting cast of storyteller characters and a fine narrative flow that offers many variable scenes depending on what decisions and actions your players take. The scene cards and flowchart greatly reduce prep time and help you think on your feet. The stakes are high, as two Courts are on the verge of a war which the characters can either strive to prevent or even exacerbate it if suits their purposes. There's not a lot of bloodshed unless you go looking for it, but there certainly will be if the characters fail to prevent the war between this particular freehold's Spring and Winter Courts. I appreciate the excellent design and flow of information which makes it easy to read and find what you are after on the fly.

Disappointing thing is that the plot reveal is a bit too easy, being derived from one of the greatest love stories of all time of which the typical Changeling fan would be expected to have familiarity. Plus the scenes are littered with clues which I would eliminate or put up barriers if running the game. You never can be sure; I have had some pretty thick players who need to be bashed over the head with a plot-by-four. The other letdown is the complete lack of original artwork aside from the cover. All of it is good, but all of it has been published elsewhere. The same was true for the first Changeling SAS, The Fear-Maker's Promise, but there was less of it in a shorter publication so it didn’t seem jarring.

The Rose Bride's Plight is filled with little gems and it remains an interesting story despite its familiar tropes; well worth the purchase if you crave a Changeling game with a lot of political maneuvering, a flashy cast and a love story to boost.… (más)

Goblin Markets brings some needed detail to an important setting of Changeling: the Lost. In previous Changeling books goblin markets were described in a handful of pages, enough for a Storyteller to wing it with a little imagination; but here they are given their due diligence and come to the forefront of interesting spaces to visit in the Hedge.

Finally we have rules on becoming market merchant, typical standards of behavior, how (and what) to buy and sell and a host of plot hooks. There are enough colorful market examples that you will find at least two or three you will want to adapt for your chronicle. If there in one quibble it would be that only two sample scenarios are provided, but being preceded with a short chapter on how to run market stories and a few sample storyteller characters it is something I can forgive. Perhaps someday there will be a SAS companion product. It was also very nice to see so much original artwork in such a short ebook-only publication.

The writing and production quality lives up to Changeling's high benchmark.… (más)

This is a novel based on White Wolf's Exalted rpg. The third in a series of 6 (currently) books.

The land is ruled by the Dragon-Blooded, picked by the Elemental Dragons, earth, air, water and fire. The Dragon-Blooded, in an age past, slew and threw down the previous rulers, the Solar Exalted, those Chosen by the Sun. As the years have past, when new Solars are chosen the Dragon-Blooded are called to hunt down and distroy the newly chosen before they can truely come into their powers. Lately the Dragon-Blooded have lost their queen and have been less effective at the destruction of the Anthema aka the Chosen.

There are many powers and powerful beings in the world. The Fair Folk have incredible powers over reality, the Dragon-Blooded have some mastery over the element which they are affiliated with. The Abyssals are powerful lords of the dark and dark arts. The Solars and Lunars also are thrown into the mix.

These are the stories of the Solars trying to learn where they fit, and how to deal with their new powers. They try to avenge wrongs and injustice in the land where many believe they are evil and should be destroyed.… (más)