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Changeling: The Dreaming
Changeling: The Dreaming
Just beyond the gray hills of the mundane, buried in your deepest heart, lies the key to the Dreaming. Unlock the chains and throw off the shackles.
Come hither, changelings, and join the dream-dance, lest the Winter come and the Dreaming pass into memory.
Reclaim your heritage! Let the games begin!
Changeling: the Dreaming corebook, 1st Edition
Come hither, changelings, and join the dream-dance, lest the Winter come and the Dreaming pass into memory.
Reclaim your heritage! Let the games begin!
Changeling: the Dreaming corebook, 1st Edition
293 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1995
5 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Sam Chupp
45 books32 followersSam Chupp is a rare native Atlantan. He began his writing career as an employee of White Wolf, and has since gone on to write for many other gaming companies. His latest work is "Encryptopedia," a systemless sourcebook for fantasy espionage.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 3, 2014
This RPG wake my inner child just by opening it. The most beautiful RPG ever conceived.
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September 15, 2008This book holds a lot of nostalgia for me; it takes me right back to 1995. Marketed as the last of the five White Wolf core game lines (before Hunter: The Reckoning and Mummy: The Resurrection, and [Noun: The Evocative Verb] proved them wrong, it was by far the brightest of the five lines. Many people say it is the lightest, this is misleading. It is the brightest, the most colorful and evocative. The other games like Vampire, and Wraith in particular can get bogged down in the dreary weeds of the World of Darkness; Changeling offers an alternative, a game where you play a character half mortal and half immortal fairie (a creature native to the realm of Dreams). You are literally awash in the dreaming life of mortals, their fantasies, idle fancy and darkest nightmares. This means that Changeling can be as dark as you wish it too, or as light-hearted as well. In fact, it is the only core game that has rules for playing children (and believe me after four years of playing angst-ridden Kindred or brutal Garou that was a revolutionary change).
Not everything is light, like the other WoD games there is an apocalypse built in, that involving the death of creativity in light of the cynical nature of our postmodern world. For a changeling, this means the terrifying prospect of the permanent loss of their fairie soul.
As much as I love the game in theory, it is a challenge in practice. First is the challenge of finding players and storytellers who really grok the game. Many gamers just can't wrap their mind around it. Secondly is the magic system: Hopelessly Broken. Changelings are also underpowered compared to other WoD characters, but this doesn't really matter as the game is a nightmare to crossover anyhow, as the Changeling characters exist halfway in their own separate reality of the Dreaming. As time went by, I also found the character creation to be rather restrictive, but back in 1995 it was still new and fresh.
The design of the book is top notch, particularly the first chapter where the authors take a playful break from the "opening fiction" of previous material. The artwork by Tony DiTerlizzi and others is top notch, and really helps you grasp the theme and feel of the game.
Changeling: the Dreaming is a game with few but passionate fans. I hope if you find it you enjoy it as much as I did the spring of 1995
Not everything is light, like the other WoD games there is an apocalypse built in, that involving the death of creativity in light of the cynical nature of our postmodern world. For a changeling, this means the terrifying prospect of the permanent loss of their fairie soul.
As much as I love the game in theory, it is a challenge in practice. First is the challenge of finding players and storytellers who really grok the game. Many gamers just can't wrap their mind around it. Secondly is the magic system: Hopelessly Broken. Changelings are also underpowered compared to other WoD characters, but this doesn't really matter as the game is a nightmare to crossover anyhow, as the Changeling characters exist halfway in their own separate reality of the Dreaming. As time went by, I also found the character creation to be rather restrictive, but back in 1995 it was still new and fresh.
The design of the book is top notch, particularly the first chapter where the authors take a playful break from the "opening fiction" of previous material. The artwork by Tony DiTerlizzi and others is top notch, and really helps you grasp the theme and feel of the game.
Changeling: the Dreaming is a game with few but passionate fans. I hope if you find it you enjoy it as much as I did the spring of 1995
January 17, 2019
A colorful (for this particular sourcebook is in color) addition to the World of Darkness roleplaying games, explaining how to get started playing a changeling, a child of faerie and humanity. Or how to run an interactive story filled with such characters. Not that changelings are neccessarily all children. There are adults, too, however, even the adults carry a little of wide-eyed wonder of magic and story within them.
This is your chance to recapture some of that wonder, using this book to inspire a bunch of people to play changelings or to creature one of your own.
I may sound a bit biased in favor of this particular segment of the World of Darkness because I am. There’s something about Changeling: The Dreaming, its illustrations which evoke images of Brian Froud, yet possess their own magic, the way it fuses the modern with the mythic, the quotes and story excerpts within its pages which kindle my creativity. Not that I don’t raise an eyebrow from time to time at some of the material, particularly the historical bits. Changeling still achieves its goal, inspiring reading not only to create changeling characters and story, but invoking some of the wonder these magical creatures awaken in our imagination. Several creations of mine were born after reading this for the first time, evolving into unique forms which tell stories of their own in my Works in Progress. There’s something about Changeling which puts me in a reverie. ;) For that, I give this book five stars.
This is your chance to recapture some of that wonder, using this book to inspire a bunch of people to play changelings or to creature one of your own.
I may sound a bit biased in favor of this particular segment of the World of Darkness because I am. There’s something about Changeling: The Dreaming, its illustrations which evoke images of Brian Froud, yet possess their own magic, the way it fuses the modern with the mythic, the quotes and story excerpts within its pages which kindle my creativity. Not that I don’t raise an eyebrow from time to time at some of the material, particularly the historical bits. Changeling still achieves its goal, inspiring reading not only to create changeling characters and story, but invoking some of the wonder these magical creatures awaken in our imagination. Several creations of mine were born after reading this for the first time, evolving into unique forms which tell stories of their own in my Works in Progress. There’s something about Changeling which puts me in a reverie. ;) For that, I give this book five stars.
September 5, 2022
As much as I love this game's spiritual successor, Changeling: The Lost, and as much as I *want* to like the original, I just can't get into it. It feels like the authors suffered collectively from a bit of Peter Pan Syndrome and are still a little bitter that the world didn't feel like supporting their free-spirited artistic lifestyle. I really don't agree with which things they arbitrarily decided are Banal and which ones aren't, and the Banality system in particular seems tailor-made to produce immature characters who can't commit to long-term relationships or stable employment (neither of which should be Banal IMHO). I guess the tone just isn't quite right for me, even if the illustrations are fantastic.
July 1, 2017
The fae characters were alright but not as broad as I like roleplaying 'classes' to be, I feel like games like Vampire and Mage base 'classes' call for a broader spectrum of characters. Also I'm aware I read a 2nd edition book while Vampire has like 5 editions or something, but the game mechanics here are quite awful for my taste.
December 7, 2022
Defiantly joyful conclusion to the originally-planned set of core World of Darkness games, but hampered by a poorly thought-through card-based mechanic and the absolutely risible execution of the "Banality" concept. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...
November 15, 2017
This RPG is amazing!
August 31, 2016
Well I have to admit that this is the first time I've read an RPG book through cover to cover without stopping. I was thoroughly entertained. I can't wait to inflict, I mean share, this book in my gaming group.
July 26, 2015
This is interesting book, that had lot of potential. However, it is conflicting and challenging in practice, very-easily made boring.
It also seems like propaganda against growing up.
It also seems like propaganda against growing up.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews