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White Wolf Night Edition Number 16 is a newsletter printed on newsprint and published sometime in the Spring of 2000.

Contents[]

Cover[]

News, Events and Fashion Tips from White Wolf. Free! If you think it is!

  • Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition
  • The Last Stand in the War for Reality
  • March 2000

Mage Revised Arrives[]

Plus...2000 is the Year of Revelation! And new (un)life for your favorite clans!

Howlings[]

Welcome to the first Night Edition of Tomorrow, exclusively in 3-D. Surprise! The world didn't end after all. And here at White Wolf, we have lots of plans for your future. Night Edition is where we let you in on just enough of our schemes to keep you frothing for more. But wait, don't wipe your maw yet, dear reader. Scroll down for even more....

Mage: The Ascension Revised[]

The Ascension War

There is a war.

It is a war fought for the hearts, minds and souls of humanity. It is a war of truth and belief, or faith and reality. It is not fought with swords, bombs, guns or spears; it is fought with words, ideology, thoughts and philosophy. Blood is shed, and people die.

Mages call this the Ascension War. The winners will do more than re-write history - they will write the future of humankind. The victors will lay out the map of human destiny, whether that is a descent into geocidal war, unification through technology or a celebration of individual Ascension.

Four factions battle for the right to define this truth, and the stakes are high. One faction says truth is personal, another that truth is universal. A third claims there can be no truth. And the fourth, if it could form an opinion, would claim truth is mutable.

The Reckoning

There once was a war.

The Ascension War is over, according to the victors; the Council of Nine nearly falls when a long-dead menace returns to lay waste to Concordia, and an explosion heard around the Tellurian heralds the annihilation of Doissetep and the loss of many of the Hermetics' greatest mages. These two blows weaken the Traditions greatly. Coupled with Sleeper advances in cloning, genetic engineering, neural interface technology, the recent mapping of Mars and improved treatments for AIDS and cancer, these events show the increasing acceptance of the Technocratic paradigm.

The losers have their own opinions; their magic works, new willworkers Awaken regularly (if not often), and pockets of humanity persist where the old ways still dominate. However, there's no hope for a war to return the Mythic Age now. Humanity has chosen, and its choice is to remove all responsibility from itself. Magic, mysticism and inspiration belong to those who will grasp them, but they will no longer - and never again - be tools for all humanity. The Ascension War is over.

More ominously, the mysterious appearance of a red star that shines across the Umbra with a corrupted light gives rise to speculation that darker powers still have trumps to play. Perhaps more disturbing, mysterious storms sweep the Dark Umbra, an event that has awakened several maleficent and powerful spirits of the dead. On a final note, the Union has faced and destroyed a vampire of godlike power; perhaps only one of several. The world is unraveling, and it seems that the time of Armageddon is near.

Join the Last Stand for Reality - Mage Rant Revised[]

By Jess Heinig, Mage Revised Developer

Those strong-stomached individuals who actually follow White Wolf's developmental antics have doubtless seen my name spread across all manner of territory in the past year - from Kindred of the East to Mind's Eye Theatre to Dark Ages to Mage. After nigh unto five years of Phil Brucato's work, one can only wonder what such a scattershot developer as myself would be doing trying to revise White Wolf's most complex game. Or, in simpler terms, "What the heck is the new guy doing?!?"

Mage has existed nearly as long as Vampire, so many of the reasons for Vampire's revised edition hold true for Mage as well. The book has a few typos and goofs, to be sure (how much Prime does your mage need to make a Talisman?), but it's more than that. Mage is, as befits a game about warring philosophies, heavily inundated with all manner of concepts, theories and highbrow ideas. This is great for players who want a real thinking game - but what about ideas that just aren't really in the common eye any more? What about themes and memes that have changed over the last decade? What about the new conflicts and struggles birthed by this frightening and liberating 21st Century? After all, the Technocracy has won, the Masters are gone, and Mages stand alone among Traditions in ruins. It's a new world. Mage deserves all that the dynamic, ever-chanigng world has to offer, and that's why it's time for a revised edition.

In Mage Revised, we'll sink together into the morass that is the millennialistic World of Darkness. Cults flourish, paranoia rages and conflict ensues as people become convinced that the end of the world is at hand. Mages, who've fought for so long to guide humanity to a better future, are now caught up in the attempt to make sure that humanity has a future at all. The Technocracy's orderly, rational world has made the Earth safe for people's bodies and lives, but what about their hearts, minds and souls? With silence the Masses have spoken, and they've chosen the sterile blanket of reason over change or inspiration, and that means a world of monotonous conformity. Magic is dying, smothered by people who not only don't believe in it anymore, they don't want it. At the same time, science finds itself turned inward, trapped by the boundaries that it used to define the world. The Traditions can't bring back an age of magic; they must strive for their own personal Ascension as they fight to keep alive every drop of magic in themselves. The Reckoning has come and Armageddon is near, and it looks like the end of magic will be heralded by the Masses themselves.

So what does this all mean you your games? Magic is truly a lost Art. It's harder than ever to effect change in a world that doesn't welcome innovation. Paradox is not only ever-present, but nastier then ever, and instead of lashing out randomly, it tends to take shapes that reflect the mage's workings. The whiff of Resonance follows mages everywhere, coloring their magic and alerting Sleepers to mages' unusual natures. The Traditions are on the run, but at the same time, the Technocracy is hedged in b the world that is has nurtured. In the wake of the spirit-bombs that detonated in the Underworld, the Gauntlet has become razor-edged barrier of madness, lacerating mages foolhardy enough to cross. Times are more desperate than ever!

Since the world's gotten absolutely hellish, it only makes sense that ages have a few aces left in the hole. The approach of a new age awakens mystical legends and archetypes, gifting some mages with powers not seen for thousands of years. Updated rules for Talismans and Familiars cover all sorts of magical aides and confederates, as well as cured and malefic magics. The magic system is as dynamic as ever, with mages able to build any effect you can imagine - no limits to simple spell lists here!

The new revised edition of Mage not only brings the game up to the revised Storyteller standards of Vampire, but clarifies many points from the earlier Mage books and introduces some special optional rules for the sorts of advanced play that Mage games create. Interested yet? Take a look inside....

Resonance[]

Anybody who makes a habit of roleplaying remembers their first game. You wowed as your character threw a ball of fire, leaped across a precipice or clocked the bad guys with her great sword. Remember how cool that was? Mage: The Ascension gives you the chance to experience that felling - every time you play! Here's just one example of how the game works to add dramatic flavor to your every action!

As a mage creates magical Effects, she invests them with her own will, desires and drives. The results reflect such strong emotions as the mage imprints her own vision of reality over the cosmos. Each mage has a few Resonance Traits, a set of adjectives that describe the sorts of resonance that the mage normally builds. A mage normally starts with one dot in one Resonance Trait: a Dynamic Trait, an Entropic Trait or a Static Trait. Through further actions, the mage may develop additional Traits f the different sorts, or may garner additional dots.

In the midst of trashing a startled convention of NWO Sleeper agents, Cathrine finds herself stuck in a room with a bunch of angry gun-toting guys in suits, and no obvious exit. She needs to distract them so she can incapacitate the man at the door before making her escape. Working quickly, she activates her body-frame virtual rig and grabs a program icon for a flare function. Translating the program into meatspace (the "real world"), she launces the distraction and hopes it works. The player rills Cathrine's Arete for the rather vulgar Effect and succeeds; Cathrine sucks up her Paradox and the Storyteller builds the Effect results.

Originally, Cathrine's player just wanted to blind or stun some of the agents with a flash of bright light (using Forces). However, Cathrine has the Static Resonance of Systematic at 2 dots, and the dynamic Resonance of Wild at 3 dots. Instead of simply making a bright flare, she gets a sudden surge of light that shoots out from her virtual rig, slams into the nearest agent and explodes with white-orange light. The detonating ball then sends small fragments spinning off in meandering trails that manage to hit each agent.

In the ensuing moment of chaos, Cathrine unloads the clip from her submachine gun into the doorman, kicks open the portal and makes a run for it!

Resonance is just one of the Storyteller mechanics that puts the punch back into roleplaying. Look for more ways to work reality to your character's will in Mage: The Ascension this March!

Ad for Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition[]

  • The Last Stand in the War for Reality
  • March 2000

White Wolf Game Q&A[]

Ask Me, I Know Everything by Fred.

I'm frankly sickened by this quarter's offering of questions. I thought for sure that people would be more interested in the END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT than in the absurdities of "How many blood pool can I get from my hamster?" For Pete's sake kid, put that thing down. It's a pet, and you're not a blood-sucking corpse, you're a sixth grader! Go play in the street like all the other miscreants your age.

Without further adieu, your questions....

Do vampires exude any sort of body oils? I'm not asking this because I'm some sort of [loser] but because I was wondering if they left fingerprints.[]

Despite what you might think, the walking corpses of vampires do contain liquids other than blood. Certain body tissues, such as that of the mouth, have to maintain a degree of moisture in order to retain function. Imagine trying to look out of dried-up yes. However, vampires don't exude excess oils (a waste material) just as they don't have to stop the hunt for a potty break. Fingerprints, however, would be left in loose materials like dust or flower. Of course, this is one of those decisions that is up to the Storyteller. If you want your character to leave fingerprints on victims and get pimples, by all means, go for it.

I understand that a lot of wraiths got driven out of the Shadowlands during Ends of Empire. I'm just wondering, what does this mean for Wraith: The Oblivion. Will there be any more books?[]

Good question. A lot of wraiths were forced into the Skinlands as the result of happenings in this supplement. This event had strangely similar timing to the emergence of the new hunters. As a result, there could be increased interaction between wraiths and the World of Darkness. Take a look at The Risen for Wraith for some ideas. Although the ongoing story has ended, there's plenty of intrigue and adventure left in the ruins of the Underworld as well as the World of Darkness.

I have a question, I know it will sound kind of stupid, but how do you pronounce Brujah. Me and a friend have been arguing about it. I say it is pronounced Brew-Ha, he pronounces it Brew-zha.[]

We get this one a lot. Technically, "brujah" is the Spanish word for "witch," and should be pronounced "broo-HAH." There is a similar debate with the word "Camarilla," which is also Spanish, meaning roughly, "a group of like-minded individuals." In Spanish, "ll" is pronounced like a "Y," therefore making the word 'cam-ah-REE-ya." Many Americans, however, choose to say "cam-ah-RILL-ah," just as they choose to say "broo-JZAH." And while your at it, you might think about mastering English before worrying about how to pronounce Spanish. Me and my editor argue about that all the time.

If a Ravnos creates illusionary fire, does he or she have to roll courage?[]

Only if she has one dot in Wits and Intelligence combined. The Ravnos is quite aware that the fire is an illusion created by her will and fueled by the energy of her blood. Any vampire who believes the fire to be real must make a Rötschrek roll. On the other hand, if the Ravnos just drank blood tainted with LSD....

The opinions express by Fred and questions posed in this column do not necessarily represent those of White Wolf or anybody sound of mind.

Revising the Clanbooks[]

By Justin Achilli

Clanbooks! You know I love 'em. That's why -ta daa! - I've decided to revise the series of clanbooks for 2000-2001. But why, why for God's sake why?

Easy question.

They need it. The oldest among them are woefully out of date. They were developed by four different people and lack a common direction. Some of them catered to themes the clans no longer have (Clanbook: Malkavian, anyone?). Some of them are goofy. If you vote for me, I pledge to fix all that. Actually, I'm going to do all of that regardless of whether or not you vote for me, because I'm not even running for president. Vote for Cybill Shepherd or something.

So, what are you going to see in the revised clanbooks? Glad you asked. I'll tell you, and when some loudmothed ignoramus starts blathering about how we're just reprinting the old stuff at higher price and we're sellouts and we suck, you can check that jabroni into the Smackdown Hotel with the facts.

They're All Bigger[]

One hundred and four dazzling pages, when they're not one hundred and twelve. Sixty-five thousand words apiece. All brand-freakin'-new, rewritten from the ground up. By comparison, the old clanbooks were 72 pages and 23,000 words long. Triple the content for only three bucks more ($14.95). Who's the big winner, here? You are.

The Series Has Cohesion[]

The revised clanbooks will follow hot on each other's heels. Last time, you had to wait six stinkin' years to get all your clanbooks! Well now you can have them almost all at once and all under one unity of developmental vision. (Well, Rob Hatch is handling two of them, so f you like where the revised edition took Vampire, you're in luck.)

Templates: A Many-Splendored[]

Some of those old clanbooks had ten templates that each ate up two pages. Well, the new clanbooks have eight templates that take only one page each. Those of you who like the templates (like I do - they're great for breaking stereotypes) get one more than in the late run of clanbooks. Those of you who don't like them still get sic more pages of content than in the old clanbooks (because even the books with seven templates till took 14 pages to present them).

They're Got All the Juice, Baby[]

You like antitribu? They're in here. You like secret societies and Kindred conspiracies? boo yaa. You want elder Discipline powers and unique Merits and Flaws? You got 'em. You want mysteries and histories and hidden factions and plot threads and story seeds? Well, step right up, punchy. You want boring, identical clan clones and 12-ear-old goth band quotes? I can't help you.

Oh, and before you ask, yes, the Ravnos will be having their own clanbook. They're up to something... just like the others.

2000 Is the Year of Revelations[]

To vampires, werewolves and mages, the progression of time holds only passing significance. Their hidden struggles lie beyond the knowledge of those who measure their lives in years. And yet, even the most powerful among the supernatural must beware this passage of time. Never before has the coming of an age been marked by such ominous portents.

With the change of millennium, what meticulous finally come to bear upon the World of Darkness? The Technocracy has has seized reality, and the Ascension Was has become a desperate struggle for survival. Baba Yaga is dead, and the Time of Thin Blood has come. The Eye of the Wyrm, the Red Star, burns in the Umbral sky. And from nowhere, hunters unlike any ever seen emerge. Can there be any question? The prophesies have been fulfilled. Gehenna, the Apocalypse. Call it what you will; the end times have arrived.

In the Year 2000, White Wolf releases seven supplements that reflect the changes wrought on the World of Darkness by the Year of Revelations. They include Nights of Prophecy for Vampire: The Masquerade, World of Rage for Werewolf: The Apocalypse and Hunter Apocrypha for Hunter: The Reckoning.

White Wolf's Spring 2000 Releases[]

January[]

Vampire Storytellers Handbook[]

The Vampire Storytellers Handbook is an invaluable resource. It includes myriad information, including enigmas best left out of players' hands, from creating stories to creating the casts of epic tales. This revised edition leaves no stone unturned - except those that hide secrets no mortal should know.

Stock #2304, ISBN 1-56504-264-6, $25.95 U.S.

February[]

Aberrant: Teragen[]

Cast as monsters, villains and rogues, the novas of the Teragen are hated by Project Utopia, vilified by the media, and worshipped by misfits, outcasts and rebels everywhere. Aberrant: Teragen contains the history of the movement Utopia loves to hate, and the deviant personalities that drive it, plus new powers and Teragen technology.

Stock #8520, ISBN 1-56504-683-8, $17.95 U.S.

March[]

Ananasi[]

Out of the shadows they come, scrabbling on eight million tiny legs. The werespiders get their time in the spotlight with the release of the seventh Changing Breed book. If you're looking for something deliciously... different for your next session, look no further.

Stock #3082, ISBN 1-56504-359-6, $17.95 U.S.

NightEdition16ArtistSLChrisShy

Artist Spotlight on Christopher Shy[]

Perhaps more than any other artist today, Christopher Shy has emerged from his influences to grasp a unique and intriguing personal style. Blending computer-assisted and traditional art mediums, he walks a razor's edge between postmodern and primitive themes. Arguably one of the industry's best-kept secrets, Shy's art has been featured on the cover of Sirius Comics' Empty Zone as well as White Wolf's Infernalism: The Path of Screams. Look for more Shy in Mage Revised this March.

Go online with White Wolf. Check us out at:

  • http://www.white-wolf.com;
  • alt.games.whitewolf and
  • rec.games.frp.storyteller

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