Product Review

What’s It About: The fibre of this fabric...

This sourcebook is all about the modern-day secret masters of the world. The Ascended are the power behind the throne… wait - better make that thrones. They are the secret society, which control the secret society, which control us. We live in their world, by their rules, because they let us. This book tells you how they got their power, what they do with it and how they intend to keep it.

The Look: Does this book make me look fat?

The book’s cover looks good. In fact I like it. It’s simple with bold colours and the artwork is pretty good. I like the message it gives as well. The guy clearly has you in his sights, there is no escape. He’s confident of this, in fact he’s already phoned his superiors and told them you are on your way. The Ascended symbol behind him is good as well. Depending how much you want to read into it, you could say they are behind his actions, backing him up, probably on the other end of the phone saying "excellent" in a very Mr Burns kind of way. Well done to Tony Moseley (the artist).

The interior artwork is on the whole not bad. I really like some of the pictures, and most of them help work with the general theme of the book. A few of the pictures however aren’t as good as perhaps they could have been. Some of them seem a little rushed and ill fitting to the book.

I think Richard Pace has done both a good and bad job on the archetype pictures. I’m not at all keen on the really dark images, which look less like deep mood filled pieces and more like the ‘+ Black’ button on a photocopier has been held down. But, the more sketchy ones look good and the Lodge Survivor picture in particular is very appropriate and well drawn. Different styles for different tastes I suppose.

I think some more specific pictures would have been well worth it as well. More pictures of the various NPC’s would have been nice and some of the locations could have been improved by a picture or two as well. Take ‘The Country Club’ for instance – one overhead picture of the whole place would have been far better than the lengthy description we get in the book.

The Content: Between the sheets, where the real action takes place.

Seal of the Wheel aims to give you a run down of the Ascended and their general organisation. Of all the factions in the Feng Shui setting I think the Ascended are one of the most usable. Firstly are the big boys in the present day juncture, which is often the most well used. Secondly, their greyness leaves them open to a lot of interpretation - they are neither good (sure they kill and maim with the best of them) or bad (the world we live in isn’t so bad is it?) – so are they a potential ally for the players? Or just another cupboard in which to keep your mooks? The choice is yours.

The book includes background info for the 1850 and current juncture as well as some history for the Ascended themselves. We are also given a rundown on their organisation and the different families that make up this worldwide super power. There is a good selection of well thought out NPC’s from various levels and alignments within the Ascended’s ranks, some of whom I have used in my own campaigns with great success.

The Ascended would of course be out in the cold (no doubt on all fours) if it weren’t for their command of a great many Feng Shui sites which keep the Chi flow in their favour. A few of the more important/interesting ones are described here with all the usual action movie flair for fighting and scenery damaging ideas that make Feng Shui what it is.

We also have the section which some gamers consider the most important. The new character and ‘actual’ game stuff. As I mentioned in the art section there are new archetypes (six to be precise), new Transformed Animal Packages, a new Fu Path, a stash of new equipment and weapons and a healthy dose (perhaps not so healthy for the players…) of GM specific info on the Ascended’s various projects and strategies.

Finally we have an adventure, which is simply completed by “£$%& &^£%£ $&*£” - strange, my keyboard won’t seem to let me type anything about it. I wonder if Logitech are anything to do with… no, of course not - let’s not be silly.

Final Thoughts: Last words are for fools who haven't said enough… so here goes.

If you run games in the present day setting then it would probably be worth your while getting this book as you will frequently encounter the Ascended on many levels. If you like the Feng Shui storyline then the GM ideas section at the back on Ascended strategies and plans give a real insight into how the game could progress. The new character stuff isn’t bad and I know that as far as my group goes the more character choices they have the happier they are (throw in some drink, pizza and chocolate and they’re anyone's).

So if your after a new supplement and this is on the shelf I’d recommend you have a flick through. After the Golden Comeback Player’s Sourcebook this is probably the one I use the most and it's been, in part, responsible for some quality gaming sessions in the past.

In the darkest shadows live the Ascended. If you think your players are brave - brave spelt s t u p i d - enough to try and shine a torch on them, this book will help you work out the damage.

Reviewed By Jon Simpson