User blog:SensibleCenobite/Product Review: World of Darkness: Demon Hunter X.

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StrangerThings, this is a perfect match for The 1000 Hells. Strike Force Zero agents remind me of Shadowrunners and the Shih are worthy solo opponents. I've got a lot of plot hooks forming in my mind I'll write them down in the comments below. If anyone in the Chantry has run a Session or Chronicle from World of Darkness: Demon Hunter X please let us know about it in the comments below.

World of Darkness: Demon Hunter X: Pg 10 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, IanWatson for creating the wiki, StrangerThings for the Kindred of the East Chronicle, the top contributors for the week [Ryanchaddock, Ebakunin, Spatsa, Doug.ferr], FANDOM, and lastly my Chantry for liking the chromatic orbs.

World of Darkness: Demon Hunter X: Credits: Author: Jim Moore, Developer: Robert Hatch, Editor: Allison Sturms, Art Director: Lawrence Snelly, Layout and Typesetting: Conan H. Venus, Comic Book Art and Lettering: Leif Jones, Interior Art: Matthew Clark, Guy Davis, Darren Frydendall, Fred Harper, Vince Locke, Matt Roach, Steve Prescott, Melissa Uran, Front Cover, Art: Duncan Fregredo, Back Cover Art: Matthew Clark, Front and Back Cover Design: Conan H.Venus

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

TheBeardedDragon's overall opinion of World of Darkness: Demon Hunter X: AAAA++++, A great title to compliment any White Wolf Chronicle taking place in and around Asian.

Demon Hunter Crossing pg 1: Finally Kindred of the East, a comic to start off a fun title. In eight pages of comic I felt up to date as I did reading roughly two hundred pages. The art work itself is very sharp and detailed. The story is excellent and I'll let you check that out for your self. Hint: It involves a demon }:).

Introduction pg 12: Discusses the theme, the mood, how to role play mortals, and how to use the book.

Chapter One: The Shih pg 18: Starts with a three thousand year old history about Yi and how he took down the Shen empire. Discusses what lead up to his becoming the first Shih and how Yi cursed the Kuei-Jin with sunlight. Goes up until modern day with the Shih still training in traditional methods and living a life of solitary survival. Most Shih lost their loved ones to some creature of the night and seek revenge against "unbalanced" Shen. However, in their quest for vengeance they inevitably become the monster they hated so much.

Chapter Two: Strike Force Zero pg 32: Their story begins with Geichin Okamoto abduction by Tengu during his ninja clan's survival test. This incident scarred him for life and influenced his future decisions to build one of the wealthiest businesses on the planet. The business is a front for their covert opts team Strike Force Zero, who infiltrate organizations to "solve problems". Strike Force Zero is composed of misfits with an ability to think out side the box and cope with the horrors of the super natural. However, even with eccentricity, training, and advanced weapons, agents still need emotion control devices and other cybernetic implants to beat the odds. While the Shih have to worry about becoming the Demon themselves, Strike Force Zero members don't even know what they don't even know. They seem a lot happier than the Shih even though their turn over rate is extremely high. Ignorance is bliss now isn't it?

Chapter Three: Character Creation pg 44: Goes over the character creation process which is different for Shih and Strike Force Zero members. There are a few new Attributes and a rehash of all the old ones that needed tweaking. The difference between the Shih and Magi is their source of power. The Shih use their internal Chi to fuel their Qiao and Mo Chi Kung Foo abilities where as Magi use external ambient forces to weave Spells. I feel like Shih can keep up with the Keui-Jin and Hengeyokai which was a major complaint with all my Players not wanting to play mortals.

Strike Force Zero has a few nifty trick up it's sleeves in the form of Numina, Cyberware, and Wetware. White Wolf gives us four sub categories of Numina to choose from: Cyber-Psi, Necro-Psi, Telekinesis, and Cyberkinesis. Have you ever wanted a grenade launcher installed in your foot? How about a hidden compartment in your thigh? How about eyes that pop out and record your enemies? No problem my friends, Strike Force Zero has all your Shadowrunning needs accounted for! For the low low price of your Humanity you can become a "blind" cyber zombie butt kicking for justice!

Chapter Four: Storytelling pg 78: Let's Story Tellers in on a huge secret concerning Strike Force Zero and Geichin Okamoto. Does a brief overview of the three major Asian underworld organizations: Triads, Yakuza, and Tongs. I didn't know that the Tongs were more like street gangs. I thought they were more organized like the Mafia, Triads, and Yakuza. Seamlessly introduces Horror and Terror effects into the core rules. I like how Terror is handled with subtlety, suspense, and inward paranoia and Horror is the Characters' flight or fight response [which might mean throwing a team mate in the way of a Yama King]. Gives us a lengthy list of suggested Anime flicks to watch and finishes up with plot hooks for the Shih and Strike Force Zero. The secret is really good, so be sure to buy the book and check it out.

Appendix pg 96: Finishes up the book with famous Shih and Strike Force Zero agents. White Wolf drops some nice Shih magic items on us that would make any creature of the night weary to confront a novice. Strike Force Zero has standard issue pistols called Strikers which are biologically linked to their owner. Each agent is equipped with a plethora of ammunition to take down threats no matter what the situation brings to bear. They remind me of smart link capable guns/goggles in Shadowrun [helps with trajectory, shows remaining ammo in HUD, mental commands to unload clip, and one end user allowed to fire it].

Final Grades and Opinions:

Reading [Was the book a fun read]: AAA+++, I like Shadowrun a lot and this is about as close to that as White Wolf has ever gotten. I read this one fairly swiftly and never felt bored.

Writing [Spelling errors, typography, Cohesion]: AAA+++, I didn't notice obvious spelling errors and it flowed well the whole time.

Characters [Amount, quality, context, immersion]: AAA+++, The pre made characters and the legendary characters seem very Kung Fu and Anime like. I liked the roughness of the Shih and Strike Force Zero is a good back drop to run a group of odd ball mortals.

Locations [Amount, quality, context, immersion]: A-, Demon Hunter X focuses on the Shih which are solitary wanderers and Strike Force Zero which are located in one main building. I'm not upset by any means, but this title was lacking in specific locations. It made up for that by explaining how theses entities interact politically around Gaia.

Artwork [Context immersion, quality, length spent staring at pictures]: AAAAA+++++, This one had a sharper art than the last few titles. The manga gave Demon Hunter X a AAAAA+++++ which definitely immersed me into Kindred of the East. I spent quite a bit of time looking at these photos.

Cultural Accuracy [Vocabulary, culture, events, religion, context]: AAA+++, Everything seemed to be based off of Anime shows which are made in Japan, so... they should have a good grasp of Asian culture.

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

TheBeardedDragon