Thoughts on the system? How many people already own it? Is there any interest in a game @ the CBG?
I've been reading over previews and rule summaries, and it looks like it could be great fun, but I want some outside opinions, as I have a tendency to buy first and listen later.
I've had only a little experience with the WoD games, but that was prior to the current edition. It looks like they've done a good job of reconciling the different systems into a single system, but that's just at first glance.
Most WoD games really require the right group and right mindset, too. At least it's my take, that if you go in expect D&D with monsters, that's all you'll get out of it.
I also find the settings and politics so complicated and detailed it's kind of hard for a new player to get into it, especially with other players already involved.
I do like the focus on storytelling and atmosphere over gamism, though.
On the flip side, the WoD combat rules break easier than D&D in the hands of dedicated powergamers. Without a focus on role-playing, politics, and the setting (the real strengths of the WoD), things can spiral out of control easily.
In the world of darkness, regardless of which stuff you use (Vampire, Mage, Werewolf, or any of the numerous smaller sub-settings), the atmosphere and dynamic character driven plot-lines are the best aspect of the world.
The rules are relatively simple and fairly realistic, but certainly not the answer to people that have become disenfranchised with the munchkinism prevalent in other games. It takes maturity and cooperation on the part of the players and the storyteller for the game to really shine, but when everything is clicking just right, the WoD is one of the best games out there.
Try playing in it first, before you consider running it. You might find that the WoD is not for you; combat heavy games are not a good fit, nor are heroic victories over the BBEG; in the WoD just getting by with your morals intact is victory.
All that aside, I ran a vampire game for about 6 years or so, and people still beg me to run it again someday. It's loads more work on the storyteller than D&D, especially when the death of a single NPC can shake the game to the core, and when combat leads to deaths from which there is no resurrection. On top of that, the players are not the movers and shakers of the world, and if they ever become powerful enough to influence the setting in such a way, writing adventures for them is all but impossible...massive corperate takeovers, government coups, and the reshaping of the world as we know it are the only kind of things that challenge characters like that...and those kind of things just don't happen everyday.
Group play is also much more difficult to encourage in the WoD. Everybody (including the players) belongs to some sort of political faction, and very rarely do they all get along swimingly. Staying loyal to your friends is not easy when your mentors and philosophical beliefs run counter to thiers. This frequently leads to one-on-one time with a player while the others sit around playing video games or shooting the breeze. You can tie things together for periods of time (common goals, allied factions, and great challenges that require teamwork for example), but its simply more effective politically to work within the system than it is to struggle against it.
I can certainly offer more insight into this subject if you want it, and I have loads of advice on how to make it work well, but expect to put in far more work in preperation for each gaming session than the session itself takes to play. In my day, I was writing about 8-12 hours per week for about 4 hours of gaming, and if I cut back, it showed. With D&D I can always throw a battle or two into the mix when my brain freezes up, and the campaign moves along without a hitch; in the WoD that is a recipe for disaster.
-Peace-
I've had a fair bit of experience with Vampire: The Masquerade and the accompanying Inquisition book that let you play totally-awesome-human-exorcist-holyfire-warriors, stuff of that type. While one ex-gamer-friend's obsession with V:tM has made it harder for me to play it, I've always loved the Inquisition add-on and wish I could play it again, but I can't find the book for it anywhere. I have looked at Mage, Werewolf, Demon, and Hunter before but haven't had a chance to use them.
Personally I agree with Soup Nazi about the strengths and weaknesses of the WoD system, but I also believe that it has the potential to fit any setting. The entire set of mechanics seems easier to use, and monsters and characters are never that hard to design. I've always wanted to take the WoD system, slap some D&D elements into it (including making some new versions of the monsters), and see what happens in a game.
Regardless, I totally recommend the Inquisition add-on to anyone who actually wants to play the "good guys" (or the Hunter thing, because I think it's similar). One of my most memorable characters was a guy named Marcus Smithson, a warrior-type human Inquisitor who carried around a special handaxe given to him, and could set it ablaze with holy fire through the use of a holy power called Via Ignis.