Product Description

Last night, right, I dreamed I was drowning in a river of blood. It was slow-moving, like, and full of bones.
I just knew it wasn't fresh, neither - it'd been pouring out of a deep gash in the land for millennia.
And then I woke up and it was back to the real river of blood, back to this place full of ghosts older'n most countries and spirits what've eaten century after century full of war. Whole country's a boneyard, mate. An' here we are pickin' our way among the bones."
- Emmy Longham, Bone Shadow

They hunted the moors and forests in the days before Caesar came, and they prowl the towns and cities even now. For millennia, supernatural creatures have walked these islands. From the Scottish Highlands to the London streets, danger waits for the unwary.

This book includes:

* A look at the United Kingdom of the World of Darkness, from the bloody secrets of its long-ago history to the most current threats lurking in London's shadows

* An elaborate treatment of the UK's werewolves, from new lodges, rituals and traditions to the strange entities that they hunt and that hunt them in turn

* Information on the concerns and key figures of Britain's vampire and mage population

For use with the World of Darkness Rulebook

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1298918 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

Gothic Terror from the Old World
White Wolf's new and revised 'World of Darkness' game line has been full of creative and useful ideas, and this first book to highlight the 'World of Darkness' beyond the US is nothing short of brilliant. The authors, mostly Brits themselves, do a wonderful job mixing the nation's rich cultural heritage, folklore and myth with thematic material, mysteries and the outright bizarre.

The first chapter gives a wonderful overview of the British Isles as they exist in the World of Darkness, paying full attention to Vampires, Mages and Werewolves (though there is a strong focus on werewolves), along with other stranger things like alien big cats, the owl man of cornwall, great lake worms, fox-spirits, djinn, ghosts and tantalizing hints of the fae. Things like the blood farm and 'the other city' of Glasgow are outright brilliant, but equally interesting are cultural changes that make British Vampires, Mages and Werewolves unique from their American counterparts. Notes are given on social changes, prominent individuals, rumors and even a few Bloodlines and Legacies, like the Pakistani Brothers of Sadr-Ud-Din and the 'chav' Tanners, though none are actually written up. As I said before, many of the writters on this book are Brits themselves, and it shows. Gone are many of the stereotypes that older books sometimes suffered from.

Like I said, this book is really aimed at the Werewolf audience (though others will get use out if it too), and the second chapter highlights this. It focuses on the Uratha of the region, even goes as far as to make write-ups for each Tribe, mentioning things like how British Bone Shadows study human ghost lore and take tokens from fallen foes, or how the British Iron Masters have adapted to the cities. Several new Lodges are written up, like the Lodge of the Howling Death, who fight the Pure to the death over territory, and the Lodge of Scavengers, who are cunning urban survivors. A small number of lesser Lodges are also mentioned, but not written up, like the Lodge of the Baital, Bone Shadows who study Asian myth. There are also a number of British Totems, Fetishes and Rites given, even some cultural notes on Klaives.

The third chapter gives some more setting information for Great Britain, including notes for American players, historical games, and bringing foreign characters into the UK. Once again, there is a strong focus on the setting for Werewolf, showing different cultural variations on typical foes such as the Beshilu (the idea of the Rat God thing is horribly creepy) and the Pure (such as inbred, aristocratic Ivory Talons who hunt two-legged prey on their estates, and Fire-Touched with a different fervor from their American brethern). Theres more ST material in the fourth chapter, which includes information on prominent NPCs and antagonists in the British Isles, and other useful crunch (like a new Cruac Ritual). All in all, theres alot of good stuff to throw at players, and for developing the United Kingdom as a unique supernatural landscape. But the creepiest stuff are the unexplained and bizarre things that have no real connection to other supernaturals. Things like the Drowned Men, who may or may not be the Fomori of Irish legend, and the hints about the Fae.

Like I said before, the authors have a deep sense of what's 'British' and really draw on alot of obscure regional folklore - like the Green Children of Woolpit, alien big cats, ghost stories, and the like. They also do a good job making mention of material from other books that can be brought in - like the Bron and Melissidae from Bloodlines: the Legendary, or the Sodality of the Tor, Daksha and Pygmalian Society from Legacies: the Sublime (and Wood's signature character Lucy Sulphate even gets mentioned). I was a little disappointed we didn't get write-ups for the Tanner or the Brothers of Sadr-Ud-Din, but theres always room for me to make up my own stuff for that. The vague hints and allusions to the Fae are also a great tie in with the forthcoming Changeling game (if the ST is so inclined that is). So yeah, this is a great book, an essential for Americans planning on running a game set in the UK. Even so, Brits will still get a kick out of many of the things in this book too.

Shadows of the UK Review
Shadows of the UK is a very good reference and over view for the UK region and London, providing a mostly werewolf centric view. The Vampires and Mages aren't featured too much. And with the inclusion of other spirits, things supernatural. It's a fairly good book if you're looking for setting materials.