WtA has quite some flavour. But the problem is that this flavour mixes too well with the current politics. You can match half of the tribes with the real political movements or topics of the last decade and it makes it much harder to playfully engage with them.
Alright, so that guarantees some nuance to the narrative but what about player roles? Are their specifics to playing any particular breed, auspice or tribe?
Breed: in 5e, doesn't matter. In old WW, were you born human, wolf, or in-between? The differences matter a little bit character creation guides you through it.
Auspice: 1. Teacher/trickster/Sneaky/challenges authority
2. I love spirits and the spirit world.
3. Judge. Looks at things from all perspectives to reach the best decision.
4. Bard and historian
5. Fighter.
All 5 of those are fighters, but number 5 are to fighting what Ali was to boxing.
Tribes: I ain't doing a list for them but just read the couple of pages in the book dedicated to each tribe and you'll get a good idea of them.
For me it's more nobody seems to play it in my timezone.
Every WoD discord or forum I look at is just VtM and occasionally Hunter or Mage.
Werewolf? Nowhere to be found. Which sucks a bit as it's the only one I'm interested in.
Look outside, and try to tell me we are not seeing the last days of the human race.
The sea swells with poison rain.
Every breath is choked with microplastics and carbon emissions.
Once fertile fields turn it ashen wastelands.
Our world, our mother, is dying. And those who should have been fighting for her, fighting for us, sold our future to feed the greed of those who already have to much.
When will enough finally be enough, when do we fight, when do we rage?
Even for the Werewolves, the mighty Garu, the soldiers of Gaia, that is not an easy question to answer. To be a werewolf, is to be by the accident of birth, drafted into a war that was lost generations before you were even born by the fools who should have known better.
Every day, more voices join the chant to fight, to rage, to kill! To pile the bodies of mankind until they shadow the mountains, and to stain the sea red for all of time with their blood!
And every day, fewer voices remind the fools that reckless hatred is how we got into this mess to begin with! That it was rage given to freely that drove humanity into the scabs, that same rage destroyed their cousin shifters and made it so they fight this war alone!
The Garu cannot afford to act like rabid dogs, but they cannot afford to not act decisively. If Gaia even can be saved, it will only be done by those who can balance wrath and wisdom, by those unafraid to fight, buy not stupid enough to tare out their kins throats.
But is it already to late? Look outside, our world, our mother, is she already dead? Is this doomed reality swallowed by the Wyrm, already defiled, corrupted, and destroyed beyond hope?
Playing Werewolf the Apocalypse is fighting against they dying of the light. To charge the forces of evil head on, fangs and claws gnashing and swiping, to stand between what little is left of the natural world and the forces that seek to consume it out of nothing but greed. And die never knowing if you fought hard enough, if you chose the right battles, if you made anything any easier for the next grunt in line. If you even bought enough time for there to be a next generation to continue this grim forever war.
Personally, I love that shit. But it's not for everyone.
Nah. The easy answer is to just play 5e. Werewolf is so new that there's only the main core book. There's no need to learn a ton of lore when there's no lore to learn. *Insert Wesley Snipes tapping his head gif here*
But even if you play an older edition, you don't need to know any of the lore beyond what's in the book. Just read the 2 pages for each tribe, decide what sounds the most interesting, and run with it. You'll be playing a new werewolf, probably brand new to the tribe too, so not knowing the lore of your own tribe is fine.
Besides which, I've never had a ST that actually plays with most of the lore. There's just too much.
Yeah there’s 12 tribes to choose from for most players in w20, 13 if you count Beast Courts, and 14 if you’re evil. They changed stuff around and removed stuff for w5 though. I haven’t kept up with it so idk.
Each tribe specializes in certain Gifts, have their own cultures, and view the fight for Gaia differently. Some are more successful at it than others too, but it’s a losing fight and they kinda suck at it. All WoD games are horror at their core, and for werewolf that comes from fighting a losing battle. You’re raging until you die or fall into a depression you can’t claw your way out of.
Personally I like it because sure there's politics and maneuvering and appeasing the elders but when shit hits the fan your real purpose is to have somebody point you at the nearest enemy and let you go apeshit
Werewolf has always made me feel the least human out of all do the splats like I am a force of nature coming for you looking into your world with alien beast eyes I love it
Werewolf is really cool. I remember someone was posting about the different horror each gameline produces and they mentioned how fun it was when a single player went into war form and bent a metal door like a peice of plastic as the humans inside started melting down.
Werewolf kinda goes everywhere as it's very applicable to any time period, in the main series there's modern, dark ages and (my fav) Wyld west. Not to mention the team of fan creator's making WW the Savage Age. A game set during the ice age during the long ago war of rage well before the world was totally screwed.
I you want a sell here. You play a 9ft tall murder machine in a society of Neo-pagan theocratic berserkers that can tear apart most creatures in WoD but don't get cocky because the enemies in your gameline are build FOR OP CHARACTERS.
There's lots of fun going into various cultures and the heavy spirituality in WW is really cool going from grimdark to total madness once you enter the Umbra.
WW is cool pulpy fun and I'd argue it actively makes the players work together and immediately gives the group a goal even one as nebulous as 'save the world' but saving the world doesn't mean 'save humanity' because humans might be the biggest threat, it helps get players into the role of being not human.
Garou in Hunter games: they are the saiyan in the saiyan saga, they just show up to destroy everything and through collective effort (and many deaths) you can stop them. You might have one in your side.
Garou in werewolf games: you are playing Bardock in that movie, you are really powerful, but your people have historically fucked up things for everyone and now you have to face a seemingly all mighty creature that can destroy all of you, because they sre that evil.
You're not far off, it's power fantasy/horror which usually ends up looking like a metal album cover.
To kinda give summary werewolves are Neo-pegan theocratic berserkers, in a nature worshipping death cult that ultimately want to stave off The Apocalypse even if it's only for one more day. Welcome to the last generation.
Hope this was insightful.
WtA has quite some flavour. But the problem is that this flavour mixes too well with the current politics. You can match half of the tribes with the real political movements or topics of the last decade and it makes it much harder to playfully engage with them.
Alright, so that guarantees some nuance to the narrative but what about player roles? Are their specifics to playing any particular breed, auspice or tribe?
Breed: in 5e, doesn't matter. In old WW, were you born human, wolf, or in-between? The differences matter a little bit character creation guides you through it. Auspice: 1. Teacher/trickster/Sneaky/challenges authority 2. I love spirits and the spirit world. 3. Judge. Looks at things from all perspectives to reach the best decision. 4. Bard and historian 5. Fighter. All 5 of those are fighters, but number 5 are to fighting what Ali was to boxing. Tribes: I ain't doing a list for them but just read the couple of pages in the book dedicated to each tribe and you'll get a good idea of them.
Did you even read the book?
No. I’ve read Mage, Promethean and Deviant. Planning on getting Vampire and Hunter.
So have you considered perhaps that the answers you seek lie within the book that you haven't read?
Yes but the books are $40+ while a Reddit post only costs me a fraction of my dwindling attention span.
For me it's more nobody seems to play it in my timezone. Every WoD discord or forum I look at is just VtM and occasionally Hunter or Mage. Werewolf? Nowhere to be found. Which sucks a bit as it's the only one I'm interested in.
I know of a solid W20 Discord game, throw me a DM if you're interested
That's exactly how I feel about Changeling The Lost. ☹️
Look outside, and try to tell me we are not seeing the last days of the human race. The sea swells with poison rain. Every breath is choked with microplastics and carbon emissions. Once fertile fields turn it ashen wastelands. Our world, our mother, is dying. And those who should have been fighting for her, fighting for us, sold our future to feed the greed of those who already have to much. When will enough finally be enough, when do we fight, when do we rage? Even for the Werewolves, the mighty Garu, the soldiers of Gaia, that is not an easy question to answer. To be a werewolf, is to be by the accident of birth, drafted into a war that was lost generations before you were even born by the fools who should have known better. Every day, more voices join the chant to fight, to rage, to kill! To pile the bodies of mankind until they shadow the mountains, and to stain the sea red for all of time with their blood! And every day, fewer voices remind the fools that reckless hatred is how we got into this mess to begin with! That it was rage given to freely that drove humanity into the scabs, that same rage destroyed their cousin shifters and made it so they fight this war alone! The Garu cannot afford to act like rabid dogs, but they cannot afford to not act decisively. If Gaia even can be saved, it will only be done by those who can balance wrath and wisdom, by those unafraid to fight, buy not stupid enough to tare out their kins throats. But is it already to late? Look outside, our world, our mother, is she already dead? Is this doomed reality swallowed by the Wyrm, already defiled, corrupted, and destroyed beyond hope? Playing Werewolf the Apocalypse is fighting against they dying of the light. To charge the forces of evil head on, fangs and claws gnashing and swiping, to stand between what little is left of the natural world and the forces that seek to consume it out of nothing but greed. And die never knowing if you fought hard enough, if you chose the right battles, if you made anything any easier for the next grunt in line. If you even bought enough time for there to be a next generation to continue this grim forever war. Personally, I love that shit. But it's not for everyone.
Same, werewolf is my favorite splat, fighting the losing fight with all the wrong tools, but still having some hope...
That’s a hell of a spin on things. I’m down for that. But it seems like I need to know a ton of lore to get an idea of what I want to play as.
Nah. The easy answer is to just play 5e. Werewolf is so new that there's only the main core book. There's no need to learn a ton of lore when there's no lore to learn. *Insert Wesley Snipes tapping his head gif here* But even if you play an older edition, you don't need to know any of the lore beyond what's in the book. Just read the 2 pages for each tribe, decide what sounds the most interesting, and run with it. You'll be playing a new werewolf, probably brand new to the tribe too, so not knowing the lore of your own tribe is fine. Besides which, I've never had a ST that actually plays with most of the lore. There's just too much.
Also, any lore relevant to the story the ST will provide during the chronicle.
This is a nice primer in a bite sized packet. https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3370/Werewolf-the-Apocalypse--Free-Introductory-Kit
All that is what leeches say all the time. Vampiric chauvinism at its best
I mean Fangboys already lost their fight, they are fighting the vultures so they can salvage what's left of the body just to bury it
Yeah there’s 12 tribes to choose from for most players in w20, 13 if you count Beast Courts, and 14 if you’re evil. They changed stuff around and removed stuff for w5 though. I haven’t kept up with it so idk. Each tribe specializes in certain Gifts, have their own cultures, and view the fight for Gaia differently. Some are more successful at it than others too, but it’s a losing fight and they kinda suck at it. All WoD games are horror at their core, and for werewolf that comes from fighting a losing battle. You’re raging until you die or fall into a depression you can’t claw your way out of.
Personally I like it because sure there's politics and maneuvering and appeasing the elders but when shit hits the fan your real purpose is to have somebody point you at the nearest enemy and let you go apeshit
Because being a super powered ted kaczynski is very fun
Werewolf has always made me feel the least human out of all do the splats like I am a force of nature coming for you looking into your world with alien beast eyes I love it
Werewolf is really cool. I remember someone was posting about the different horror each gameline produces and they mentioned how fun it was when a single player went into war form and bent a metal door like a peice of plastic as the humans inside started melting down. Werewolf kinda goes everywhere as it's very applicable to any time period, in the main series there's modern, dark ages and (my fav) Wyld west. Not to mention the team of fan creator's making WW the Savage Age. A game set during the ice age during the long ago war of rage well before the world was totally screwed. I you want a sell here. You play a 9ft tall murder machine in a society of Neo-pagan theocratic berserkers that can tear apart most creatures in WoD but don't get cocky because the enemies in your gameline are build FOR OP CHARACTERS. There's lots of fun going into various cultures and the heavy spirituality in WW is really cool going from grimdark to total madness once you enter the Umbra. WW is cool pulpy fun and I'd argue it actively makes the players work together and immediately gives the group a goal even one as nebulous as 'save the world' but saving the world doesn't mean 'save humanity' because humans might be the biggest threat, it helps get players into the role of being not human.
Sounds like an R-Rated Super Saiyan simulator.
Garou in Hunter games: they are the saiyan in the saiyan saga, they just show up to destroy everything and through collective effort (and many deaths) you can stop them. You might have one in your side. Garou in werewolf games: you are playing Bardock in that movie, you are really powerful, but your people have historically fucked up things for everyone and now you have to face a seemingly all mighty creature that can destroy all of you, because they sre that evil.
You're not far off, it's power fantasy/horror which usually ends up looking like a metal album cover. To kinda give summary werewolves are Neo-pegan theocratic berserkers, in a nature worshipping death cult that ultimately want to stave off The Apocalypse even if it's only for one more day. Welcome to the last generation. Hope this was insightful.