Tzimisce

Let's pause briefly to remember the original CLANBOOK TZIMISCE. It had John Cobb's explicit, woodcut-like art, overly vivid fiction, pages designed to look like human skin. It was often sold shrink-wrapped and one place wouldn't let you see the back cover unless you were over 18. The book supposedly made someone's little sister vomit. It was quite an experience.With the new CLANBOOK TZIMISCE, wiser heads have, fortunately or unfortunately, prevailed. There are few grotesque descriptions and only one truly extreme drawing. (The art is mostly just Vampire: Dark Ages creepy otherwise.) No "over 18" shrink wrap here but I still would caution those younger and more sensitive people, as with anything Tzimisce. There's lots of information, especially about Tzimisce Methuselahs like Yorak and the Dracon. It suggest that the Tzimisce Antediluvian somehow now exists in all Tzimisce and can't be destroyed because he always re-emerges from the collective ooze that is this clan. There's lots about ghouls and revenants (new family, creature templates, derangements), the Children of the Dracon, non-European Tzimisce, Koldunic sorcery (new path), the Path of Metamorphosis with related mysticism and some funny stuff written in the voice of a modern Tzimisce advising an elder emerging from torpor. Still, like many new Clanbooks, this one assumes prior knowledge- here of characters like Yorak (and the Cathedral of Flesh from the TRANSYLVANIA CHRONICLES) and Dr. Totentanz (from the original CLANBOOK TZIMISCE.) Also, they've made Lambach Ruthven older and of lower generation than in other important sources. There are many standard features including a sample pack and discipline variations. Character templates include embraced revenants and followers of various Paths of Enlightenment. (Some path follower templates have typos- name of path not specified, wrong virtues.) There's a glossary to help with exotic terminology and a list of Eastern European names.

I was impressed at the sheer depth of Clanbook: Tzimsce Revised. First of all, its history is so in-depth that it arguably has as much use to players of Vampire: The Dark Ages as it does to modern Masquerade players. The Tzimisce have gone through a number of growing pains from their original inception in the 1st edition Players Guide to the Sabbat, and this book serves to deal with most of the loose ends we've seen (including issues from Dirty Secrets of the Black Hand and their "Old Clan Tzimisce" and "Souleater" problems). The templates in the back of the book give a depth to the Tzimisce that genuinely impressed me, showing a lot of work. The treatment of the Revenant families (including a new family) is fairly solid, and the Discipline variations are enough to make any Storyteller or power-gamer drool in delight.Honestly, I wish ALL of the Revised Clanbooks had been done with so much attention to detail. As with any truly great book for Vampire: The Masquerade, as many new questions are raised as old ones are answered, and the implications of information about the Tzimisce Methusalehs, and the clan founder itself, are enough to inspire a hundred plot threads. If you've been hungering for more information on the Fiends (both in and out of the Sabbat), and want something beyond the relatively sparse old Clanbook: Tzimisce, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the amount of work that went into this book.

While being one of the shortest World of Darkness books at a whopping 68 pages (72 if you count the character sheet), this book gives you every bit of knowledge you ever need about the Tzimisce. They are not so much evil as they are ammoral. Rather than bloodthirsty savages like others, the Tzi are like scientitists studying how Vampires are far different from humans and maybe the next evolutionary step. The pictures and illustrations were rather lame, as if the entire Tzimisce clan were designed by Clive Barker. Truthfully however, it is pretty cheap too ($10?). For those Storytellers looking for great villians, or players looking to release steam and be evil for once. This book is cool.

This is by far one of the most excellent clan books that white wolf has written. It gives full detail as to the Tzimisce rising up and participating in the vaulderie for the first time, the destruction of their antedelluvian(even though he ain't gone)and the sadistic trappings of their homes and unlives. If you want to make a really fleshed out charachter with an interesting hobby/discipline then the tzimisce are perfect. The book also had some very interesting artwork. Even though some would call it revolting I found it pleasing that they didn't hold back from what the Tzimisce do, they're not kine or kindred but something darker and even more twisted than you can imagine.