My Thoughts on Werewolf: The Forsaken

(Finally, here's Part 2 of my Werewolf posts. I suggest reading them both back to back so you can better compare them. Here's the link for the last Werewolf post.)

While Werewolf: The Apocalypse ended along with the original World of Darkness (or Classic depending on who you ask) line, the monsters wouldn’t be down for long as in 2004, White Wolf Games came back with a new, rebooted version of the World of Darkness.

Gone is the “Gothic-Punk atmosphere, settling with a world more closer to ours albeit with monsters lurking in the shadows.  One of the biggest changes between gamelines is that all games share the same rules and mechanics. In the Old World of Darkness, every game had their own rules and style of playing. Not so in the New World of Darkness.  All you need to play is the WoD corebook and whatever game (i.e. supernatural beings) you want to play as.

Overall, the gamelines so far are:

• The World of Darkness (This is the book you need to play the others)
• Vampire: The Requiem
• Werewolf: The Forsaken
• Mage: The Awakening
• Promethean: The Created
• Changeling: The Lost
• Hunter: The Vigil
• Geist: The Sin-Eaters
• Mummy: The Curse
• (An untitled Demon game has been announced)

Another key difference between the Old and New WoD is that humans are much more playable in the New.  In the OWoD (except for Hunters who still have supernatural powers to combat monsters), humans were pretty much cannon fodder and wouldn’t have stood a chance against the other more powerful beings.  The World of Darkness, however, lets you play as an average human who slowly discovers the mysterious world around him or her.  The game also supplies ways to fight back such as magical objects for example.

As with all the gamelines, Werewolf: The Apocalypse was rebooted into Werewolf: The Forsaken.  Here, you play as a werewolf called a Uratha, one of the half-human, half-wolf spirit offspring of Father Wolf, formerly the most powerful hunter spirit and Luna, Spirit of the Moon.

Their backstory was that the world was once Pangaea, when the Spirit World and the Mortal World were one and the same.  Father Wolf was the spirit in charge of maintaining the peace between spirits and humans.  After a time, the Uratha, seeing that Father Wolf was growing old and weak, attacked and killed their father.  After his death, a barrier called the Gauntlet rose between the worlds, making it near impossible for humans to travel to the Spirit World and vise versa.  In maddened anguish, Luna curse her children so her sacred metal, Silver, would kill them.  Having fallen from grace, Father wolf’s killers were called by the denizens of the Spirit World “he Forsaken“. Ever since then, the Forsaken have taken their father’s place in protecting the mortal world from malevolent spirits that manage to break through the barrier.

While the Uratha don’t have much mortal oppostion, the Spirit World provides plenty of enemies out for the werewolves’ blood.  One of the three major enemy groups is actually other werewolves.  Of the eight first children of Father Wolf, only five actually rose up and killed him.  Vowing vengeance against their father’s death, the other three and their descendents called themselves the Pure, plotting against and slaying any forsaken they come across.

Another group of rouge werewolves, neither with the Forsaken or the Pure, called the Bale Hounds also terrorize all in their way as they serve spirits of pure evil whose agenda is unknown other than to spread chaos and corruption.

While the Forsaken have to be on the watch for any spirit that breaches the Gauntlet (as they could possess an unassuming human similar to Werewolf: The Apocalypse’s fomori), there are two groups of spirits named the Hosts that are a particular pain in the ass.

Once they were two of Father Wolf’s foes, the Spinner-Hag and the Plague King.  Rather than die at Father Wolf’s fangs, they both escaped by breaking down into thousands of pieces, embedding themselves into the bodies of spiders and rats in the Mortal World.

Artwork by Asanbonsam on Deviantart

The Azlu, the spider pieces of Spinner-Hag and the Beshilu, the rat pieces of the Plauge King both grow bigger and stronger by devouring others of their kind.  When they get big enough, they kill a human, skin them, and wear the skin like a suit so they can blend into human society kinda like Edgar in Men in Black.

However, despite their similar origins, the Azlu and Beshilu have very different goals.  The Azlu spin webs near the Gauntlet, making it stronger and harder to get to the Spirit World.  Meanwhile, the Beshilu gnaw away at the Gauntlet making it easier for spirits to slip through.

So as, you can see, the Forsaken have their work cut out for them.  And that’s just their own enemies.  There’s also all the other denizens of the World of Darkness to worry about.

As for the stars of the game, the Forsaken are very similar to the Garou of Werewolf: The Apocalypse.  They still have the same five forms to transform to and the same auspice positions.  The names are different though.  Like the word “Uratha”, they’re in the First Tongue, the ancient language of Pangaea.

For reference, here’s the forms and auspices side by side:

                                                                           Forms

                                                                    W:tA        W:tF   

                                                                  Homid            Hishu
                                                                  Glabro            Dalu
                                                                  Crinos            Gauru
                                                                  Hispo             Urshul
                                                                  Lupus             Urhan


                                                                         Auspices

                                                                 W:tA                W:tF

                                                                Ragabash        Irraka
                                                                Theruge           Ithaeur
                                                                Philodox          Elodoth
                                                                Galliard           Cahalith
                                                                Ahroun            Rahu


There are differences though between the Garou and Uratha.  Namely, their relationship with the Spirit World.  While the Garou were friendly with most spirits (except Wyrm-spirits), the Uratha’s relationship, at best, would be called hostile.  Due to killing Father Wolf, most spirits fear or outright hate the Forsaken.  While they can still have powers from spirit-gifts, the Forsaken really have to cajole a spirit to teach him or her a gift.

Also, all Uratha start out as humans and there’s no longer any wolf-born werewolves or deformed Metis offspring.  Taking the Metis’s place, though, is the Unihar or “Ghost-Child”.  Because of their spiritual nature, when Uratha mate, they give birth to a spirit that retreats into the Spirit World.  However, what makes them particularly scary is that none of the Uratha powers work on them.

Now, like the last post, we move onto my favorite part: the Tribes.  The big difference between the Tribes in both games is the number. While Werewolf: The Apocalypse had 13 tribes, Werewolf: The Forsaken only has 5, plus one grouping of werewolves I’ll talk about in a bit.  Another minor difference is that none of the Forsaken Tribes are of any ethnic group or nationality like the Garou tribes so you can find any tribe member anywhere in the world.  Plus, you can join any tribe you please, no longer restricted by bloodline.

Rather than a random spirit as a totem, the Forsaken follow one of the Firstborn, Father Wolf’s first children before the Uratha and powerful Wolf Spirits in their own rights.

The Five tribes are:

• Blood Talons - The fierce warriors of the Uratha, they take pride in their combat skills and only accept the strongest and toughest werewolves amongst their ranks.  Their totem is Destroyer Wolf, the most aggressive of the Firstborn and might have been the inspiration for Fenris, the giant wolf from Norse mythology.

• Bone Shadows - Mysterious and curious, the Bone Shadows dedicate themselves to   finding out the secrets of both the Mortal World and the Spirit World, passing them on to their brothers and sisters.   The Bone Shadows follow Death Wolf, the Firstborn that has been to the realm of the dead and returned with its secrets.

• Hunters in Darkness - In tune with nature, the Hunters in Darkness feel more comfortable in the wild with wolves.  Most rejecting human society, these werewolves take upon themselves to stop humans from despoiling nature.  Black Wolf is their totem, the most primal of the firstborn and protector of wolves.

• Iron Masters - Opposite of the Hunters in Darkness, the Iron Masters are more comfortable in the cities, blending in the hustle and bustle of the urban environment.  They make sure to keep up with Man’s progress lest they fall prey to more and more advance technology.  They follow Red Wolf, the Firstborn with the best adaptation skills, capable of blending in any environment or situation.

• Storm Lords - With the best leadership skills, the Storm Lords try their best to guide all Uratha.  Restoring Pangaea is their ultimate goal as they feel that the Uratha need to return to their place as the apex predators they once were.  The Storm Lords follow Winter Wolf, a harsh but strong Firstborn who despises weakness either in combat or politics.

If none of these Tribes appeal to you, there is one group of werewolves that don’t belong to any tribe, both Forsaken or Pure.

• Ghost Wolves - Kicked out of a Tribe, leaving a Tribe or not choosing to be with a Tribe at all, the Ghost Wolves are the true lone wolves of the Uratha.  They follow no tribal totem as a result.  That being said, the other Forsaken will gladly take them as allies, better they be with them rather than the Pure or Bale Hounds.

If the Tribes don’t seem diverse enough for you, there are always Lodges to join.  Lodges are subgroups of the Forsaken Tribes, following a particular ideal or goal, whether it be preserving a local culture or studying a type of spirit.   There are too many Lodges from the gameline to list here but you are free to create your own Lodge if you don‘t find one that interests you.

Now onto my thoughts in general about this game.  I read the book for Werewolf: The Forsaken not long after I finished the book for Werewolf: The Apocalypse and the one thing I noticed right off the bat that really set these two apart was the tone.  Gone was the environmental message and righteous fury of the old game and was replaced with a game that focused more on being a predator, more in tune with the wolf aspect of being a werewolf, rather than maintaining a balance between the two (although that’s still important). Rather, W:tF wants you to play as a wolf in human’s clothing rather than the other way around.

Another big difference between the games is that it’s not so black and white as W:tA.  In W:tA, it’s clear that the Garou are the good guys (albeit violent ones) and the forces of the Wyrm are clearly evil.  Here, the antagonists aren’t quite that bad.  The Pure are acting out of revenge for Father Wolf’s death and are trying to restore the world back to Pangaea much like the Storm Lords. Hell, even the Hosts are acting more out of instinct rather than any real malevolent goal.  Not the Bale Hounds, though.  They’re just assholes.

Now that I think about it, you could sum up the relations between all these factions with this inspiring little speech from Team America: World Police with the Forsaken and Pure being dicks, Hosts and spirits being pussies and the Bale Hounds and evil spirits being assholes.

One thing I hadn’t mentioned is an aspect of the game, even the New World of Darkness in general I particularly enjoy: the customization.  See all the info I just dumped on you about Werewolf: The Forsaken?  You’re more encouraged to pick and alter any element of the game as you see fit.  While in Werewolf: The Apocalypse, you can alter some rules but they wanted you to more or less to follow what was written down.  But in this game?  Feeling too surrounded and want to take an enemy group out of the game? You got it!  Want to limit how and when the werewolves transform?  Go ahead! Feeling really ambitious and want to change the origin of the Uratha? Go for it! That last one alone really blew my mind as even suggesting that the Garou might have a different creation story would have gotten you exiled, if not outright killed.

In conclusion, Both Werewolf: The Forsaken and Werewolf: The Apocalypse have been a source of inspiration and fun reading for me these past few years.  Seeing my favorite monster getting the spotlight has been a great source of joy for me.  If you feel like getting these books, especially since getting them outside of Gaming stores is quite hard as of late, you can get them all at DriveThruRPG.com in both PDF and physical copies. I’m also pleased to announced that White Wolf Games with help from Onyx Path have just released a special 20th anniversary edition of Werewolf: The Apocalypse.  You can be sure I’ll be trying to get my hands on that. When I do, I’ll let you know what I think.

But enough from me, reading these two posts back to back, which Werewolf game do you prefer?  Also, what type of werewolf would you be, with your choices of tribe, auspice and other selections?

My Thoughts on Werewolf: the Apocalypse

(This is Part 1 of a long 2-part post I have been writing on and off since early January about two tabletop RPG games, both werewolf-related and made by the same company)

For those who don’t know what Werewolf: The Apocalypse is, it’s a pen-and-paper role-playing game similar to Dungeons and Dragons.  Basically, you play by using your imagination and acting as your character while keeping track of any damage, experience points or rewards you receive.  Despite owning several RPG books, I’ve never actually played out any of the games.  As sad as that sounds, the stories for the World of Darkness books are very entertaining and (I’m assuming) fun to play out.

To understand Werewolf: The Apocalypse, you first need to know about its setting, a game line with a multitude of games making up this particular world.  Werewolf: The Apocalypse is set in what is called a “Gothic-Punk” version of our world.  “Gothic-Punk” that while everything is the same as we know it, the buildings are in worse shape (and there are more gargoyles and gothic architecture), it rains more, the rich are richer and the poor are poorer, more murder, rapes and thefts.  Just imagine every bad thing in our society today but make it worse.  On top of that, monsters of myth and legend exist amongst us in secret, with their own agendas.  And, as a cherry on top, the world’s on the verge of ending.  Welcome to the World of Darkness.

The World of Darkness games from 1991 to 2004 were made up of (along with a bunch of smaller spin-offs) :

• Vampire: The Masquerade
• Werewolf: The Apocalypse
• Mage: The Ascension
• Wraith: The Oblivion
• Changeling: The Dreaming
• Hunter: The Reckoning
• Mummy: The Resurrection
• Demon: The Fallen
• Orpheus

• Kindred of the East 

As you can see, each game focuses on a different race of supernatural beings, with their own storyline, powers and villains.  I’m going to talk about Werewolf, seeing how it’s the one I know the most about and what got me interested in the WoD games in the first place.

In WtA, you play as a werewolf, or as they call themselves, a “Garou” (which is the French word for “wolf“).  Rather than being mindless monsters, as you see on movies, they are the soldiers and protectors of Gaia, the personification of the Earth and in later games, Life itself.  Who are they protecting the earth from? 

The Wyrm!

While Gaia represents the Earth and Life, the Wyrm represents Death, Decay, and Corruption.  In WtA, the Wyrm is pretty much responsible for every awful thing in our world.  Murder?  The Wyrm’s fault.  Racism?  Blame The Wyrm.  Drug and Alcohol Addiction?  The Wyrm.  Destruction of the Environment?  The Wrym.  Real Estate Scams?  The Wyrm, dammit!

Well, to be truthful, the Wyrm isn’t the direct cause of these things, however, it feeds on and grows more powerful on the negative, destructive emotions of human beings as they perform these acts so it does what it can to manipulate us.  Unfortunately, it has some powerful allies in the form of a mega-corporation called Pentex, which in addition to a love of making money anyway they can, the higher-ups directly answer to the Wyrm and have a sick joy of spreading misery around. 

Being as Wrym-corrupted as they are, Pentex’s products, I might also add, have the tendency of leaving you possessed by a demonic Wyrm-spirit called a bane.  Rather than just giving you the Linda Blair treatment, being possessed by a bane actually mutates you in usually some God-awful manner.  Say you switch to a new beer, which is made by a brewery owned by a company owned by Pentex.  Not only will you become hopelessly addicted to the beer, by the end of the year, you’ll probably have sprouted a new set of arms, fangs, and a third eye that can see through walls.  Congratulations, you’ve now become a formori, a monster solider for the Wyrm.

I think this sums it up pretty nicely.

 “But Jacob, isn’t this game about werewolves?”  I know, I’ve rambled long enough about the damn Wyrm but it‘s hard to talk about WtA without mentioning the ridiculous lengths the Wyrm goes to to fuck up existence.  However, now that I’ve talked about the setting and what you’re up against, I need to talk about the stars of the game.

You start your character off as a newly initiated Garou, who, for the most part, have their own society and rules, outside of human observation.  Also, in the game, it is impossible to be transformed into a werewolf by a bite or scratch.  You either have werewolf genetics in your bloodline or you don’t.  Even then, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be a Garou. There are three breeds you can pick from:

• Homid - You were born as a human being  (The most common breed of Garou)

• Lupus - You were born as a wolf either in the wild or captivity

• Metis - You were born a deformed offspring of a Garou  (Now here’s where it gets complicated.  Due to the spiritual nature of the Garou, mating with another Garou is a type of incest, even if your mate is from another country and have no family ties whatsoever.  Because it’s considered inbreeding, the offspring of two Garou is always born with some defect, either physical or mental)

Now that you have a breed, you now pick an auspice, which determines your role in Garou society.  How this is determined is by which phase of the moon you were born under.  There are five auspices in total:

• Ragabash - Born under a new moon, you’re a trickster or spy  (it’s kind of vague what the ragabash is supposed to do, but the book says that his or her role is to constantly question everything usually, but not always, in a non-serious behavior.  Also, they have the most stealth powers, making them excellent spies.)

• Theruge - Born under a crescent moon, you’re a shaman or magician-type  (Theruges are the ones who are most comfortable communing and working with spirits)

• Philodox - Born under a half moon, you’re a judge or mediator (Philodoxes are the ones to settle disputes between Garou and are usually the ones picked as leaders of packs, seeing as they’re supposed to make good decisions.)

• Galliard - Born under a gibbous moon, you’re a storyteller (Although it sounds odd to be a storytelling werewolf, most of Garou history is oral, passed down from galliard to galliard, making them responsible for keeping their history alive and well known amongst the Garou.  Plus, they are usually the ones making rousing speeches before and during battle)

• Ahroun - Born under a full moon, you are a warrior (Pretty straight forward as Ahrouns are usually the ones itching for a fight and are always the first into battle)

Being a Garou means you have the ability to see spirits and go into the Spirit World, known as the Umbra to the Garou.  When I say spirits, I don’t mean ghosts.  Rather, they speak with spirits in a animistic way as in that every thing in existence has a spirit or soul.  The trees, rocks, water, animals, even modern devices such as cars and guns all have spirits in the World of Darkness.  Because of this close relationship between the Garou and spirits, the Garou are able to learn “Gifts”, certain powers they can perform due to a favor or reward from a spirit.  However, the majority of gifts are breed-, auspice-, or tribe-specific, which are usually passed down between certain members.

Another interesting part of being one of the Garou is the forms they can shapeshift into.  Unlike most books and movies, werewolves can turn into four different forms (five if you count their original form, human or wolf)

(artwork by jiggsokeken at DeviantArt)

• Homid - Your basic human form.  Unlike most legends, there is no way to identify that you are a werewolf and silver does not harm you in this form.

• Glabro - This is your human form if you grew another foot, got hairier, gained a good amount of muscle and grew fangs and claws.  The glabro form is similar in appearance to the Lon Chaney Jr. Wolf Man or the werewolves in the film Skin walkers .

• Crinos - This form is the most feared and powerful as you transform into a hulking wolf monster about 8 to 9 feet tall on average.  Crinos form is the form most Garou will take in battle as it is the most strongest and durable.

• Hispo - This form is in the shape of an enormous dire wolf out of prehistoric times.  It is usually used for faster travel while maintaining claws and fangs that can tear most men to pieces.  In fact, the jaws in this form are supposed to be even bigger than the Crinos‘ jaws!   

• Lupus - A basic everyday wolf (Well, only if you live in an area where wolves are plentiful).  For some werewolves, this is their original form.

Now comes the most interesting aspect of character creation (to me at least): picking a tribe.  Tribes are a specific group of werewolves usually representing either a country or a certain philosophy.  Usually if your Garou bloodline stems from a certain tribe, that’s the tribe you go with.  However, you’re free to pick whatever tribe suits you.  Also, each tribe has a totem, a powerful spirit that guides the tribe.  There are (technically) 13 tribes:

• Black Furies - An all-female tribe originating out of Greece with Pegasus as their totem.  Black Furies tend to display aspects of the Amazon warrior of Greek Myth and tend to shun modern society, preferring the wild.

• Bone Gnawers - An urban tribe usually made up of the homeless or downtrodden with Rat as their totem.  Although often ignored or even scorned by other tribes, the Bone Gnawers tend to be the word on the street, keeping a close watch on Wyrm-activity as most would never think of the bag lady as being capable of transforming into a werewolf.

• Children of Gaia - The Children of Gaia are usually the peacekeepers of the Garou with the Unicorn as their totem.  This tribe usually tries its best to maintain a balance between the Garou and the rest of the world, usually being typecasted as the hippies of the Garou.

(The reason for the horns is because he's a metis)

• Fianna -  Even though auspice usually determines your role, members of this tribe originating from Ireland tend to be the strongest lore keepers, regardless of auspice.  Their totem is the stag.  Also, apparently due to their Irishness or rather their ancestors being Celtic, they tend to be the best with communicating with the Fae (Fairies, elves, trolls, etc.)

• Get of Fenris - This tribe, originating from Scandinavia with Viking ancestors, end up being the fiercest warriors of the Garou tribes, easily going into a blood-soaked frenzy during battle.  Their totem is Fenris, the giant, savage wolf from Norse Myth.  As a result of their brutish nature, most Get of Fenris have trouble seeing eye-to-eye with other tribes.

• Glass Walkers - Another Urban tribe with the cockroach as their totem.  While the Bone Gnawers make up the lower classes in the city, the Glass Walkers are of the upper classes or at least, the best with technological knowledge.  The Glass Walkers’s job is to keep up with human progress, making them the best with current technology and like Bone Gnawers, are the best at urban combat.

• Red Talons - A tribe made up of all-Lupus Garou with , for some reason, the Griffin as their totem ( a half-lion, half-eagle monster).  The Red Talons, being born from wolves, are the tribe that hates Humanity the most, blaming them rather than the Wyrm for the problems with the environment and Man’s sour relationship with wolves.

• Shadow Lords - A proud tribe with Eastern European origins with Grandfather Thunder as their totem (a powerful storm spirit).  The Shadow Lords usually regard themselves as the rightful rulers of the Garou being one of the better organized and powerful tribes.  However, they have a reputation as schemers and back-stabbers which isn’t entirely unfounded.

• Silent Striders - A tribe originating from Egypt with Owl as their totem.  These nomadic Garou usually serve as messengers for the Garou Nation as they’re constantly on the move.  They’re also the tribe that has the closest relations with the dead, being able to speak with ghosts more easily than the other tribes.

• Silver Fangs -  If any of the tribes could claim leadership of the Garou, it’s the Silver Fangs.  Originating from Russia and with the Falcon as their totem, this tribe was once the royalty of the werewolves, however, they’ve fallen on hard times.  Like most royalties, they tended to breed within the family and as a result, most Silver Fangs have started to develop mental illnesses. 

• Stargazers - A tribe originated from Eastern Asia, the Stargazers live up to their name being the most inquisitive of the Garou tribes with the Chimera as their totem. (Not the Greek mythological beast but a powerful spirit whose form is always changing).  Their task is to battle the Wyrm in the places know no one would think to look such as high mountaintops or beneath the water.  Somewhat stereotypically, they also have their own form of martial arts. 

• Uktena - One of the Native American tribes, the Uktena represent the southern Indian tribes of the U.S. with a Uktena as their totem.  (A uktena is a water spirit with a cougar’s body, a deer’s antlers, and a fish’s tail)  The Uktena tribe has great knowledge of dark occult magics and are most familiar with how the Wrym works.  However, they are also a very secretive tribe and don’t like to share. 

• Wendigo - The other Native American tribe, The Wendigo are made up of northern Indian tribes with another Native American spirit as their totem, the Wendigo. (A very angry cannibalistic snow spirit)  While the Wendigo are tasked with protecting their northern homelands and are fierce warriors, they have a very, very strong grudge against anyone not Native American.

Once you’re settled, for the rest of the game is your character taking part in the Garou Nation’s battle against the Wrym and his minions and defending Gaia.  Like actual Native American tribes, your first big act as an established Garou gets you a “deed name” like “Wrym-slayer” or “Runs-through-Shadows.”

As for what I think of the game, as the title of the post has been claiming, I find it very entertaining and has been a great source of creative inspiration for me in the past few years even though I‘ve never played an actual session of the game. 

While the most frequent complaint I’ve seen on the internet about Werewolf: the Apocalypse is that the game is too preachy about the environment, it’s actually one of the reasons why I like it.  I think part of the reason is because it fills me with nostalgic memories of other pro-environmental media from my childhood like Ferngully: The Last Rainforest and Captain Planet and the Planeteers.  (I don’t know about you but during the late 80’s/early 90’s, I noticed there seemed to be an influx of environmentally-conscious programs)

And most importantly, it features one of my favorite monsters, werewolves, in the hero role rather than as a mindless beast killing innocent people. Instead, you get to kill not-so-innocent Wrym-monsters that kill or corrupt innocent people.  It seems like it would be a good game to vent out frustrations with.

Sadly though, all good things must come to an end as Werewolf: The Apocalypse was canceled along with the rest of the World of Darkness games on 2004.

But like a phoenix out of the ashes, the New World of Darkness gameline was created along with a new werewolf game…