VtM - WhiteWolf: Genealogy

VtM - Review: Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy
Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy
WW 2106 $19.95
Written by Bruce Baugh, Chris Bjork, John Goff,
Alan I. Kravit, Robin D. Laws, and James Moore
● Review by Eric Christian Berg (15 Feb 2000)
Review by Eric Christian Berg (15 Feb 2000)
I've been waiting a long while for this book. Not because I'm a big Tremere fan, but because I'm a big
Samedi fan and I was informed that there was more than just 'stupid Tremere tricks' in here. Well, as it
happens, I was disappointed with the reason I wanted the book in the first place but pleasantly surprised
with the bits I thought I could do without. As usual, I'll give the chapter by chapter rundown of what's
there and how I feel about it. I'm also going to rate sections, just because the material in this book jumps
around a lot in quality. One initial observation: The artwork is minimal and there is no fiction other than
the introductory piece. This is a good thing in my opinion. More of what I bought the book for, less
'filler'.
The little piece of starting fiction is amusing. It gives a general idea of how the Tremere manipulate
vampiric affairs and how they use the flexibility of their arts to greatest advantage, though the bit itself
wasn't particularly well written or inspirational. The Introduction is everything we've come to expect of
such. It gives a run down of the subject and how the authors intend to approach it, then a few short blurbs
on the practitioners and how they view themselves and their art. The obligatory disclaimer is included
and it ends with a glossary which is incomplete (three quarters of a page of blank space wasted and only
one of several voudou terms is defined). Rating: 3
Chapter One is the history of blood magic, from Caine on to the modern nights. Much of it is more vague
than I would have liked but it is comprehensive and gives a good feel for the development of the
discipline of Thaumaturgy and the roots of the other vampiric 'Traditions'. Of particular interest is how
the Tremere leveraged their power to keep from being destroyed, using the flexibility of their arts to
make up for their lack of numbers and age. One thing which did annoy me was the added 'crossover'
detail that the Tremere lost their magic on transformation and had to reinvent themselves as
Thaumaturgists from scratch. This is not only a needless crossover, but it stresses the True Magic v
Hedge Magic distinction which I've never felt was a line that could be drawn in character. But that's a
personal gripe, in my history, I ignore it and I feel the Tremere make a lot more sense. Rating: 3
Chapter Two delves first into Hermetic theory, with stress on the means by which the Tremere use their
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