The world is grim and forbidding... far more so than even the typical WoD setting, but without the flagrant overstatement occasionally found in Vampire or Werewolf. The backdrop is absolutely perfect for the story... Imagine the frustration, pain, and tragedy of being able to see and feel and hear the world you left behind... but being unable to move or manipulate that world. Imagine seeing your ex-wife grow old and die... or feeling the impotent rage of watching the bastard who raped and murdered you stalking his next target. Calling the setting "gothic" is a horrible injustice; it is akin to dismissing Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy as "a story about elves."

The emphasis is overwhelmingly on role-playing; combat junkies and munchkins need not apply. Although physical conflict and neat toys and powers have their place in the sepulchral setting of Wraith, the game is such that your character won't even SURVIVE for long without thoroughly roleplaying the Passions and beliefs that fuel her post-mortem existence. Emotions run high; it's not unusual for one or more players to end up in tears during a gaming session. I have even seen a real-life romance blossom from the results of in-character roleplaying. The triumphs and defeats, joys and sorrows, of the characters are raw and clear by their players.

In short, this game is absolutely wonderful- even for people new to the "World of Darkness" or who are not normally interested in "gothic horror." If you enjoy roleplaying with a heavy emphasis


Bleak and brilliant...   July 28, 2001
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I am somewhat of an avid gamer, and recently a friend offered to lend me the Wraith core rulebook and the sourcebook for the Wraith "campaign" setting "The Great War", which chronicles the Wraith world throughout the first World War... And man, I've gotta tell you, I was blown away. If you want politics, go with V:TM. If you want pure fantasy, go with Changeling. If you want hack and slash, go with Werewolf or Mage. If you want Lovecraftian noirish game, play Hunter, or Call of Cthulu. If you want a pretty well rounded medieval game, follow the path of AD&D. But if you want a game built almost entirely on the role-playing aspects, on emotions and tapping into one's deepest desires and passions, flea while you still can to White Wolf's Wraith: The Oblivion. It is amazing. Enter a world where souls are the most cherished possession, and at the same time the most devalued object ever known(souls can be made into anything from money to ashtrays), where the heaven and hells of every religion seem everything but real, but can be found only a boatride away. Imagine this world where the only thing keeping you from perpetual non-existence is a want, a need, a love so strong that it anchors you from the very maw of omnipresent oblivion itself, waiting at the brink of the underworld. Waiting to devour you. Waiting for you to "abandon all hope". This is the struggle of you and that love, and what you will do to maintain it. This is your journey beyond life, and the battle for your existence. This is your hopes and dreams and the corrosive decay of nothingness and despair. Play this game, and do everything you've ever dreamed, but whatever you do, don't let go... Because the end is the end is the...______________


How many Fetters does Wraith have?   November 4, 2001
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Argued to be the best storyteller game produced by White Wolf, Wraith, ironically, is also the first to die. Far different than any of the other storyteller games, Wraith was focused much more on emotions, or at least the focus was more apparent, which was probably where it fell short in many players' eyes. Many players of more action-packed games like Werewolf or Mage, including myself at first, scoffed and said, "Ghosts, pfft, how exciting can that be?" The answer is that it can be very exciting, but in a very different way than most are used to. Like Kevin Smith's "Clerks," it was adored by many because of how different and cerebral it was, and hated for the same reasons. If you are a fan of things that are less action based and more focused on thinking, cooperation, and emotion, I suggest you look around the internet and local hobby shops for a copy of this great game. With each new Fetter it gains, Wraith is one step further from Oblivion.


White wolf needs more games like this all-accessible tragedy   February 7, 2004
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This RPG is, quite simply, the greatest of its kind. White Wolf went out of its way and beyond the call of duty to put this gorgeous piece of work on the shelves. The fact that it's out of print is just appalling. This book is beautifully written and the art is amazing, in every sense of either word. The atmospheric darkness and overwhelming despair of the book itself is oddly uplifting compared to the forced grittiness or plagiarism of most other RPG books. The great bits of this book (and game) are the humanist bits. The fact that you're playing a character who, regardless of race, creed, whatever he/she did in their life, they are all so uniquely (well, like real people, as unique as everyone else) and subtly damned, in a way the vampires and Werewolves of the rest of the WW world can't even dream of. This game's only fault is that running it requires an incredible amount of concentration, a huge degree of single-mindedness and very good knowledge on how to set an atmosphere. If you can find a truly good storytller (like we were lucky enough to)who can give his (or in our case, her) own touch to an already spectacular world and you're willing to possibly soil yourself from fear or break down crying from a role-playing game, then this is for you. This book follows the White Wolf traditions of actually being a fun and involving (if chillingly accurate and intensely personal) read. The art is all along the high-contrast black on white lines that a book like this demands, and it works perfectly. The writing has the somber feel of being so meticulously done that the writers mustn't have gotten sleep for weeks. The continuing story of the wraith writer separating each chapter is heartfelt and remniscient of the work of Neil Gaiman, and the long passages describing every aspect of the fleshed out land of the dead are so harsh and real that this book gives new meaning to role-playing. So, basically, if you're into a game that reallly, truly is a character driven game, this is the one for you. If only it were still in print...


Engaging background in a well developed system   September 30, 1999
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This book is nothing short of brilliant. The mechanics of actual gameplay itself are remarkably easy to come to grips with. This system allows for a depth of Character creation that I personally see as one of the more appealing aspects of the system. The publishers have also gone to town with the artwork in the book also, creating a marvellous ambience through out the entire book. My one dissapointment is that in some ways the more advanced technical aspects of the game are a little hard to remember, but then it wouldnt be called "advanced" if it wasn't atleast a little challenging. This system has replay value that is off the scale. Definitely good value for money. A word of warning though, if you are subject to severe depression, or simply get depressed easily, then i'd advise you to steer clear of the book, unless you enjoy being in that state of mind for prolonged periods of time.