Well, I became intrigued with all things Mexican after the Shadows of Mexico book. I started to read about the country's history, including the Pre-Columbian one, and follow current developments with increased curiosity and sympathy. And I watch Mexican themed movies with particular attention which was not there before.

I even wrote a Vampire short story set in Mexico, only for the desk drawer, of course, and in my German mother tongue, but you can easily see that this special WoD supplement stirred up quite something in me.

I like to say that if I became a translator today, that's totally WW's fault (and in a good way, of course). If you can pinpoint examples such as "obfuscate" becoming common parlance to the average native English speaker, imagine what wonders a book like Tales from the 13th Precinct (one of the most thorough examinations of a single topic I've seen in both WoD iterations) does for someone who speaks English as a second language and has never left his home country.

And we're just talking about a job's jargon. What about all the historical supplements, the books about Machiavellian organizational structures (of course we're talking Vampire here), the folklore of a number of places I'd never get into contact with in games such as Werewolf and Changeling, and the examination of death and philosophy in Wraith and Geist? That's just priceless.

All of it may contain less than factual information just for the sake of game entertainment, but the insights are still educational by themselves. I've worked on the educational system for 5 years and one of the things I've learned is that the person who considers him- or herself an educator and stick too much to facts is missing the point; education is about stirring the thirst to acquire knowledge, not about handing said knowledge.

Phew, rant over.

Making alternate changers for Forsaken is a long-standing goal of mine, but ultimately almost as exhausting as teaching sections of biology lab.  Look up several different iterations of Sumerian, pick one that sounds appropriate or interesting, run backward through Grimm's Law... repeat.

I have a very deep appreciation for the amount of First Tongue that has been produced thus far.  I feel like I lose a pound per phrase.

I have WoD to blame for the increase in my vocabulary. I started playing Masquerade when I was 12. I'm 20 now and any time I use the word "Obfuscate" or "Celerity" in a paper I always get it back with those choice words circled and a red "Great word" next to it.

Thank you, White Wolf.

I've learned transcription from non-Roman languages for Armory Reloaded, so as to give the actual Burmese names where possible. An interesting task, given that most "transcriptions" just translate from a Burmese font into English.

Of course, having a patient partner who happens to be a highly talented linguist makes learning such things fun.

To this day whenever I say obfuscate, which I do more then I should, one of my best friends always has to give out a small squeal. She has a degree in creative writing and I have one in English but I doubt the word would have been as meaningful to us if it was not for White Wolf.

Heck, I think the chaotic mishmash of multiculturalism in some of the books also nudged me into my current field, anthropology, and another friend of mine into history. Should probably thank you guys in my thesis. ^_^

My interest in both Egyptology and the modern Middle East was mostly due to Mummy: the Resurrection.

If you need a topic to discuss, I'd love to know more about Geist and why it is only getting one unofficial supplement.  The core book is incredible so I'd love to see more.

Thomas

I can't believe you didn't add Bag of Bones to the Geist reading list.

Hey there Ethan.

Wasn't sure where else I could ask you this - the Biting Grotesquerie's description says to see the box for its stats. But there is none! Any chance that this could get errataified?

Oh yes! & I'd never heard of the exact bits of Nordic mythology that Dansky used in Corax. Or indeed much at all of the stuff he peppered that book with (besides England being doomed if the ravens left the Towers, of course).

Actually, we are paying you for edutainment.  I'm not kidding.  The stuff that sounds fake and ill considered is annoying to alot of us.  The better the educational content (on any level) the better the game is appreciated.

Jerusalem by Night is a better game supplement than the Weinberg and Rein*Hagen collaboration diary.  A sloppy and lazily done work is usually just not intelligently done and is of poor quality.  Quality in a product is the result of education, even if the education is a strong apprenticeship in a craft or art.

Of course there's always the argument that anthrax is a disease of remarkable killing quality -- and it took no education whatsoever to evolve.  Similarly speaking, humans without education of any sort can be great at murder and pissing on things.  Great fun too!

Still, I prefer well written books.  Are White Wolf employee not being paid enough?