The South, Vol. 4 Book

Extraordinarily useful material. As a singular tool for the construction of a city, it is indispensable. Its use is not limited to Vampire, either; the information contained herein could be easily carried into other NWoD settings or games completely outside the WW line. Yes, it's that good.

Why is it so good? In large part, because it's long on ideas, inspirations and flavor. Most sourcebooks focus on NPCs, gear, abilities and the like. Those things tend to be exciting because they are new, not always because they are interesting or compelling. "Damnation City" does it's share of 'here's a new thing', but it never fails to be interesting. The book offers it's methodology first, then gives examples after the fact. There's a flow chart for nearly every concept in the book. Introduce idea -> incorporate structure -> finalize -> example. However potent, awe-inspiring and creative the examples are (Ten Princes, anyone? F*CK yes), they are still examples. It works tremendously well. The idea of 'here's how you create a thing, let us offer some guidance and inspiration' is often confused with 'here's a thing'. They are not the same. While the former is much more work, it is much more rewarding to all participants.

The layout also leaves something to be desired. The book is set up with reference in mind, so nearly all of the concepts it introduces are mentioned or referenced before being explained. While distracting to contend with, this approach facilitates ease of use after the fact. After all, once you've read the material, it's much easier to have the relevant information grouped together instead of having to search for each point chapter by chapter. For those of us accustomed to having a new concept explained when it's first mentioned... we're SOL. At times it may feel overwhelming, but it's worth it in the long run.

My only real gripe with the book is a lack of editing. At times, the thought or message being presented is maddeningly unclear. Not because the concept itself is vague (though at times, this will certainly be the case); but rather because the prose that presents the idea is cluttered. This work is rich in concepts and dense with useful, thought provoking material. Navigating those ideas is challenge enough. But having to decipher a sentence before you can even get to the thing you want to learn is just plain frustrating.

For all of that, this is still one of the best resources for gaming that I've ever read. If you are planning on running a game that spends the bulk of its time in one city/community, I cannot recommend "Damnation City" highly enough.