Mastering the Vault

Game: Mastering the Vault
Publisher: Ronin Arts
Series: Whispering Vault
Reviewer: Wyrdmaster
Review Dated: 23rd, June 2003
Reviewer’s Rating: 7/10   [ Good ]
Total Score: 7
Average Score: 7.00

The title is self-explanatory; Mastering the Vault is a Gamesmaster supplement for the Whispering Vault.

The series of Whispering Vault PDFs being published by Philip J Reed and Christopher Shy aren’t cheap and so the $5 price tag is as eye-catching as it is curious. The catch? Mastering the Vault is only 25 pages long. Further more, if you’ve read Dangerous Prey then you’ll recognise some of the comments on the Unbidden and the plot ideas in the section advising the GM on the power of symbolism.

So, has the unthinkable happened? Is there a weak Whispering Vault product? The answer is – no, certainly not. The supplement has valuable advice for GMs new to the Whispering Vault and for those with practise in it. The supplement also contains what might possibly be the single most tempting set of rules for any Whispering Vault aficionados – Unbidden player characters.

The advice kicks off with an intelligent discussion about mood and atmosphere. It’s written by Nigel Findley and that’s a name which appears on D&D books, Vampire, GURPS, Shadowrun, Mage and Earthdawn. That’s a wide range of respected games with a widely divergent atmosphere set. There are an awful lot of authors who aren’t qualified to write a chapter on how to set the best atmosphere for the Whispering Vault. Nigel Findley isn’t one of them. There’s some interesting comments in here. Avoid Deus Ex Machina. I’ve seen less intelligent RPG articles make the same claim and which do not explain what “Deux Ex Machina” means. I think all Whispering Vault players will know the god from the machine and the coincidental plot correction it often manifests as – but all that’s explained anyway. I think it’s a classic example of how the Whispering Vault pitches itself at the intelligent, more adventurous gamer and does so without getting caught up in its own glory. There’s also the point that the Stalkers are the Deus Ex Machina, they are the uber-powerful plot device which turns up to save the day. This chapter is divided into two main areas, the atmosphere to aim for and techniques that can be used to achieve it.

There’s a four-page timeline for the Whispering Vault. Well, it’s for this Realm of Flesh. It begins at 6538BC, concludes at 2004AD and summarises key events, from a Stalker’s point of view, in that Chronosphere. A timeline is a little out of the blue, it’s not something I’d expect from the free wheeling, invent your own, do it your way ethos of the Whispering Vault. Whispering Vault supplements also tend to remind GMs that they should take and leave what they want. I suspect I’ll be leaving this – except to plunder it for plot ideas and use it as an easy reference for future Vault canon.

There’s a sample Hunt in Mastering the Vault, a pre-written adventure about an Unbidden in a nursery school. Icky. As Mastering the Vault points out Stalkers aren’t concerned with “Good” and “Evil”. These are human concepts. Stalkers simply seek to Bind the Unbidden because they’re Wrong. An Unbidden doesn’t have to be the sort of monster from this pre-written adventure (which I’ll keep spoiler free) and might well have “good” intensions.

The short supplement concludes with rules for having an Unbidden as a PC. Except… there are no rules as such. There’s just a discussion on how to handle this and what such Unbidden might be like. The important thing, though, is the official nod from the product that Unbidden characters are possible and can be considered. In Mortal Magic, another Whispering Vault supplement, where the rules for mortal magic (as you’d guessed) are presented we’re encouraged not to use mortal mages as PCs and if we must only to use them sparingly. The contrast is worth noting; the product line is serious about protecting the atmosphere of the game and smacking down silly ideas. This two-page finale to Mastering the Vault lifts a lid on a whole new range of Whispering Vault games. It’s not for everyone though and it’ll be one of those take ‘em or leave ‘em decisions faced by the GM for everything found in a Whispering Vault supplement.

If you’re confident with your Whispering Vault GMing techniques and watching the purse strings then Mastering the Vault may not leap off the electronic shelf with the same must-have vigour as its fellow supplements. Mastering the Vault is a top class supplement and a useful addition to anyone’s library.