Hunter: The Reckoning

Hunter: The Reckoning

by Bruce Baugh, Geoff Grabowski, Angel McCoy

For centuries, supernatural powers have reigned, warring among themselves, culling the human herds and lashing out from the shadows. The creatures of the night have held court since before the dawn of history. Nothing lasts forever. From the throng of humanity, individuals emerge who know the truth. They know monsters exist. Enough is enough. The forces of darkness must pay their due. The time of retribution is at hand.

Hunter: The Reckoning is the sixth Storyteller game released for the modern World of Darkness. This lavishly illustrated hardcover book presents all the rules and background information needed to finally bring mankind's fight to the supernatural. This game is not a Hunter's Hunted second edition. These are all-new character types with their own agendas for the world... and the monsters that inhabit it.

Genres: Role Playing Games, Gaming, World Of Darkness, Horror, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Reference

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 20, 1999

Reviews

[Frank Jarome · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite games. I know it's often maligned, but I had more fun with this than 85% off all the other games I've ever played. A terrific game of personal horror and descents into madness...

[Andres Felipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buena implementación de reglas. Se puede complementar muy bien con la quinta edición de este juego de rol.

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sourcebook for the World of Darkness which shows how to create a human character whom is compelled to hunt down the other beings described in other sourcebooks. More than likely, that human will be killed by them. This book also shows how to run a roleplaying game where such humans are the players, ordinary people who became imbued, well aware of the monsters all around them, and given powers to do something about them.

It doesn’t seem like these humans get enough. Their edges are outclassed by the creatures that hunt them, yet they are the perfect characters to explore the darkness in the world of darkness, the monsters lurking everywhere, and no one to believe them. Everyone thinks they’re crazy. I’ve played this particular game before and bought the sourcebook because I really enjoyed it. The Storyteller had a very interesting idea for getting a bunch of humans together, roleplaying out their ‘awakening’, and how a monster used their state to try to achieve his own goals. Conflict is ready and waiting for any player characters in this particular part of the World of Darkness. Information about the monsters and the messengers is a bit vague and unsatisfactory. It’s up to Storytellers to fill in the gaps, come up with the backstory. I’d be very tempted to use the Golden Rule, which allows Storytellers to reinterpret and throw out whatever they wish for their chronicle. This, however, a very interesting concept, accompanied by a rules and a framework for a chronicle or a one-shot. Those who enjoy the World of Darkness and would like to see or interact with another perspective of it will find this book worth picking up.

[Beau Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never had the opportunity to play the game, but I loved reading the background material.

I really enjoyed the spin this game gave to the whole horror RPG genre. There's always a witness to any fight. Every battle has collateral damage. And the police don't take kindly to vigilantes, no matter how pure their motives. Especially not heavily armed vigilantes who just killed somebody.

Now add into this mix that normal people have to work for a living, have bills to pay and DON'T have access to super-secret, well stocked weapon stores.

[Michael Champion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good game setting in the world of darkness series, especially if you like the prospect of being a normal(ish) human against all the (usually) vastly more powerful evil(some) things that go bump in the night.

[Michał Przestrzelski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Przeczytałem ten podręcznik już po lekturze 5. edycji i muszę przyznać, że jestem rozczarowany. O ile przy wampirze wyżej cenię sobie świat przedstawiony, to tu podobają mi się tylko nieliczne motywy. Taką przewagą jest moim zdaniem brak tych wszystkich organizacji łowców wymyślonych przez Renegadów, tutaj to potwory kontrolują rządy, policję i w ogóle społeczeństwo, a ich ludzcy przeciwnicy mają generalnie przechlapane. No właśnie, nie do końca. Żeby im to zrekompensować, autorzy dali łowcom szereg supermocy, które czynią z nich samych istoty nadnaturalne. Cały podręcznik przedstawia wizję horroru z superbohaterami. Wizje taką jeszcze wzmacniają ilustracje. Nie podoba mi się to. Zdecydowanie bardziej wolę tych spokojnych nerdów z 5. edycji, z wszystkimi wadami tego systemu. Jednym z aspektów, w którym to się sprowadza, jest wprowadzenie żywych trupów. Generalnie istoty ze Świata Mroku są inteligentne, a tutaj, jako najczęstszych przeciwników dla łowców, dostajemy mniej lub bardziej bezmyślne worki do bicia. Same moce nie wyglądają na przemyślane, sporo się dubluje między różnymi edge'ami. Samo wykrywanie potworów jest możliwe na kilka różnych sposobów – umiejętność awarness, wydanie punktu conviction i niektóre edge. Przede wszystkim nie podoba mi się kosmologia – ci nadnaturalni kurierzy, którzy nagle wybudzają ludzi w sobie znanych celach. Wizja czasów ostatecznych to moim zdaniem najgorszy motyw obecny w starym Świecie Mroku.

Przeczytam jeszcze pewnie inne książki z serii, które kupiłem w zestawie, ale raczej zagram w piątą edycję. Coś na pewno można stąd zapożyczyć, zwłaszcza że otoczka fabularna miejscami trzyma poziom.

[Emy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jon's Breakfast reading book choice for me last week - not a game I felt the need to make a character for but interesting none the less.