User blog:SensibleCenobite/Product Review: The 1000 Hells.

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'''WARNING: Suitable for all Acolytes and Mages. This is just fiction, duh. NOT FOR SLEEPERS. If my blog offends you at any point, you have the option to not read it. MONITOR YOUR SLEEPERS.'''

This should be a nice addition to the campaign Stranger Things. I don't know if the crew should repeatedly go there from what the book is saying. However, a few well placed trips with A LOT of harassment in the Middle Kingdom by agents of [insert Yama King name(s) here] would be perfect. If we decide to instigate the Sixth Age for some Chronicle in the future, we'll have insanely tough NPCs to throw at the Coterie.

My fellow Chantry members [Ryanchaddock], StrangerThings and I would love your input for the Campaign. If you've ran a Kindred of the East campaign before or want to learn something new, please add you input in the comments below.

The 1000 Hells: Pg 2 says I can do a review, thank you very much White Wolf.

Minor Credits: His Majesty Mr. Russel Hammond for protecting my freedom of speech all the way from Brazil, StrangerThings for the Kindred of the East campaign, Ebakunin for working diligently everyday of the year it seems, our newest Chantry member Ryanchaddock, FANDOM, and lastly my Chantry for liking my chromatic orbs.

The 1000 Hells: Credits: Written by: Kraig Blackwelder, Tim Clancy, Geoffrey C.; Grabowski and Lindsay Woodcock, with Jack Norris and Richard E. Dansky; Development by: Richard E. Dansky; Additional Development by: Jess Heinig; Editing by: Cynthia Summers; Art Direction by: Rich Thomas; Art by: Mike Danza, Guy Davis, Melissa Uran; Front Cover Art: George Pratt; Front & Back Cover Design: Aileen E. Miles; Layout and typesetting by: Aileen E. Miles

Special thanks to: Phil, Ian, Katie, Larry, Jane, Cary, Allison, Jeff and everyone else who left this place a little too soon. Thanks, guys, for everything. You gave the rest of us more than you knew.

'''WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT. IF YOU ARE NOT A STORY TELLER THIS COULD RUIN SOME IMPORTANT SECRETS FOR YOU.'''

TheBeardedDragon's overall opinion of The 1000 Hells: AA++, This is a great addition to World of Darkness: Hong Kong for any Coterie to role play months to years on end. Anyone who already loves FICTION about Hell is in for a treat. I know I do. I got it off of DriveThruRpg.com during the Dungeon Master's sale in the package bundle for cheap.

Chapter 1: Descent of a soul: a Cautionary tale pg 4: A great story to set the mood for Yomi Wan, or The 1000 Hells. It's about someone escaping from Yomi Wan and his future trip back. I would of course have preferred a comic, manga, or story board, but the story was good none the less. Maybe fantasy is better than reality [thinking vs looking]?

Chapter 2: Introduction pg 8: Just that, the do's and don't on how to use the book and proper terminology while one reads the book.

Chapter 3: The tapestry of Yomi pg 12: This chapter starts with a nice story like chapter 1. It's short, but sweet [I like Ananasi even the vile Kumo [you're lower than rat excrement]]. It follows up with the history before and after the Yama Kings and what inspired them to become Yama Kings in the first place. Next it discusses how Yomi grows slowly over time and what caused huge chunks of it to come into existence all at once [Astral winds, Dragon, Shiva, nuclear missiles]. Honestly it sounds like Yomi is a bad acid trip waiting to happen and that's how it's physically perceived by most residents. Nothing seems to mesh well since it was Frankenstein together from Yang, Yin, and the Middle Kingdom. Yomi Wan is connected to all three worlds at once and has access to them by taking the Scarlet Path [there will be blood], Ebony Road, weak spots in the Wall, and Rituals. For all you naughty Shadowrunners and/or technophiles, this book has all the modern Hells you could dream of.

Chapter 4: The map of damnation: geography pg 26: With Domain names like The Hell of Burrowing Maggots and The Hell of Burning Oil, you know you're in for a "great" time. I honestly would rather go to Dungeons and Dragons Hell any day of the week after looking at these locations. I've had good relations with the Pit Fiends for most of my life. Nearly ALL "visitors" to Yomi Wan seem to check in and not check out. If you're lucky, you get to do infinity labor in salt mines with open whip wounds or hide like a rabbit from Rakshas. Jeez Sensible what happens if you're unlucky? That's a tough call...[pondering]...[processing]...[this is difficult]... Does it matter? My favorite Yama King is Yen Lo (First of the Fallen). He was balanced and actually worked for Heaven before he was betrayed by the other Yama Kings. Since Yen Lo is dead, I would pick the Wondering Overlord, if he's even a Yama King at all. He seems balanced and apathetic toward his "job".

Chapter 5a: The face of Yomi: the Yama Kings pg 46: Goes over the current happenings of the Yama Kings, their long term agendas, relations with other Yama Kings, and what they do on a day to day basis with their servitors. They have some "weaknesses", but they are essentially "god like" in Yomi. They seem to have some summoning sickness in the Middle Kingdom, but don't let your Players delude themselves into thinking they'll beat the system by taking one down. Maybe let them do that for funny role playing consequences. They beat one, but the damage done to take it down creates another of equal value to rule in it's stead :).

Chapter 5b: Storytelling in Yomi pg 64: How to describe Yomi without under or over playing it, which is easy to do from what they say. The chapter goes over various plot hooks on how why Characters would "want" to go there in the first place. Once the Coterie gets there, if they manage to "talk" to someone, it will be madness, gibberish, treacherous, and inefficient overall. Who would go to Yomi for tea and conversation anyway? I hear there is a lot of that going on already in the Middle Kingdom. If you can't get the Players convinced they "need" to go to Yomi for fun dialogue, you can bring it to them in the Middle Kingdom. White Wolf was kind enough to give us great outlines on making up our on Domains, Yama Kings, and repercussions from visiting Yomi Wan.

Chapter 7: Systems of Yomi pg 80: Goes over various abilities and rule systems that are affected by Yomi Wan. Most are not in the Characters' favor. It sounds like finding non Tainted Chi and especially fresh Vitae are neigh impossible. Characters better stock up on supplies before they THINK going to Yomi is a "good" idea. It also gives Players some suggestions on getting out of Yomi by using the native residents [bribery, threats, trades]. It ends with some challenging NPCs for the Characters to grapple with. Have fun with those creatures of the night!

Good is such a general word. It's like fun, which has lengthy definition in the dictionary.

Appendix: akuma: the devil-eaten pg 102: This appendix covers the proper Akuma that have sold their souls to Yama Kings, not political outcasts. Selling you soul to Yama Kings is done in multiple ways, but most dealings with them end in their favor. They let you think you're getting the better end of the bargain... up front. You have a few hundred or thousands years. They have infinity to make you suffer. Do the math.

Final Grades and Opinions:

Reading [Was the book a fun read]: AAA+++, Yes this was a great read. I've always loved literature centered around Hell and this one didn't disappoint.

Writing [Spelling errors, typography, Cohesion]: A+, I believe I saw two words without a space between them, but the rest seemed solid. They had two chapter fives for some reason. The typesetting, color schemes, print size, and set ups were great in this title. All the chapters flowed well from start to finish.

Characters [Amount, quality, context, immersion]: AAA+++, The Yama Kings and all beings associated with them are memorable to say the least.

Locations [Amount, quality, context, immersion]: AAA+++, Yomi has excellent Domains for all the Yama Kings. None of your Players will like them, but you'll be laughing wickedly the whole time.

Artwork [Context immersion, quality, length spent staring at pictures]: A+, The 1000 Hells didn't have a Manga/Comic/Story board, so that's a minor ding for me. The quality was much better than World of Darkness: Hong Kong, but not as good as a lot of core books I've read from White Wolf. The immersion and time spent looking at pictures is what bumped this back to an A+.

Cultural Accuracy [Vocabulary, culture, events, religion, context]: A+, I'm not familiar with Asian Hell, so I'm shooting in the dark on this one. It definitely felt Asian though, so take that with a grain a salt please. One thing that sets Yomi apart from Malfeas is how East and West view problem solving. For the East, problems stem from within and each person needs to meditate, get their ki in line, perform katas, and so on. The West tends to view problems externally and solve them with medicine, cures, pray, machines, yadda yadda. Lastly, Yomi is both Yin and Yang while Malfeas is just Yang.

Triangles are immutable. Hallelujah, Hail Cthulhu, Praise Evolution,

TheBeardedDragon