Werewolf: the Apocalypse

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Werewolf: the Apocalypse (or W:tA) was a roleplaying game published by White Wolf studios from 1992 to 2004. In it, players play members of the Garou, a race of wolves who, despite being almost wiped out from generations of internal struggles, have become aware that the apocalypse is approaching.

The roleplaying game could be called the "lifestyler's RPG," in that its major themes include striking a balance between one's human and animal sides, struggling to find friends and live despite a heavy secret, and searching to find a group you could call family. Of course, lifestylers don't have to deal with fending off the end of the world too often, but a game purely about introspection wouldn't sell very well.

Contents 1 System 2 Abilities 3 Breeds 4 Auspices 5 Tribes 6 Society 7 Fera 8 The Triat 8.1 The Wyrm 9 The Apocalypse 10 Spinoffs 10.1 GURPS Werewolf: the Apocalypse 10.2 Werewolf: the Wild West 10.3 Dark Ages: Werewolf 10.4 Werewolf: the Forsaken 10.5 Rage 10.6 Werewolf: the Apocalypse: Heart of Gaia 11 W:tA and furry gamers 12 See also 13 External links

[edit] System

WtA uses the Storyteller system, a d10 dicepool system. Characters are rated from 1-5 in nine stats (three each in Physical, Mental, and Social groups), spent various amounts of points among three types of abilities (Talents, Skills, and Knowledges), and could buy extra special abilities, stats, or skills with 'freebies.'

The Player's Guide added a virtually-required expansion to character creation in which characters could also take "merits" (advantages, usually social) and "flaws" (disadvantages, usually supernatural) with their freebie points.

Resolution was by rolling dice equal to a stat plus a skill, and getting a 'success' for every die that showed up higher than a target number (6 for average rolls, but ranging as high as 9 or as low as 3). Die rolls of 1 were worse than normal failures and rolls of 10 were better than normal successes. The results aren't all black and white: you can have a minor, normal, or superhuman success. This gives more freedom to the storyteller, and only him can decide the results for your character. Some rolls, like a magic-power activation, are precisely documented but what their exact effects were varied between different editions of the system (and indeed, individual groups).

W:tA, in addition to the standard stats of the Storyteller system, added two new stats specific to the Garou: Rage and Gnosis. Rage was the connection to Gaia's anger at her pain, while Gnosis was the connection to the earth and the Umbra. This gave the game the occasional nickname of "Werewolf Wizards & Warriors," since Rage and Gnosis were heavily tied to combat and mystical actions respectively, and characters who had a high score in one could rarely attain a high score in the other.

[edit] Abilities

In W:tA, all werewolves share some common powers. These include shapeshifting, regeneration (except from silver), the Delirium, and the ability to learn special abilities (known as gifts).

Shapeshifting takes five forms: Pure human (homid), slightly wolf (glabro), mixture (crinos, or wolf-man), slightly human (hispo, or dire wolf), and pure wolf (lupus). Shapeshifting normally takes time, but Rage can force an instant change from one form to another.

The Delirium is a special form of horror; humans who see werewolves are panicked, and lose some or all their memory of seeing the werewolves afterwards. However, the potency of the Delirium is based on the human's willpower; a strongwilled human will be affected less than a weakwilled human.

[edit] Breeds

All werewolves came from one of three breeds.

• Homid: This breed represents Garou born to humans. Although they were the most civilized of the three breeds, they also lost the most, and are more likely to be hunted -- unlike the lupus, the First Change of homids often happen in front of many witnesses, and frequently with the Black Spiral Dancers attending, violently tearing the homid from his or her human life.
• Lupus: This breed represents Garou born to wolves. In many ways, their life was the easiest -- by the time the lupus had made his First Change, he or she already knew how to hunt, and how to socialize in packs. It was learning how to be human that was difficult...
• Metis: Metis are malformed purebreeds, the result of a forbidden tryst between Garou (by the Litany; see Society, below). To a wolf, the metis are deformed; even the 'benign' changes (such as having horns on your head) made you stand out, and the extreme changes were damning. Choosing to be a Metis gave the character an unique insight into the Garou world, as they are often singled out for harassment. (The exception to this are the Black Furies and the Children of Gaia -- see Tribes, below.)

[edit] Auspices

If breeds are a garou's physical phenotype, auspices are a garou's spiritual archetype. There were five auspices, each somehow tied to the moon, and each with their own advantage:

• Ragabash: Born under the new moon, Ragabash are tricksters and rouges. Although their Rage was the lowest, they were also the most flexible, and many of their gifts came in handy in roleplaying situations as well as combat situations.
• Theurge: Born to the crescent moon, Theurges act as shamans, learning the ways of the Umbra (and not occasionally of human mysticism). Although closer to Gaia than the Ragabash, they are more concerned with healing her and watching for her than fighting her battles. Their gifts are the most mystic of all.
• Philodox: From the half moon come the Philodox, the judges, arbitrators, and problem-solvers. Their rage is dead center, as their role is that of balance: there is a time for war and a time for peace.
• Galliard: The Galliard come from the gibbous moon, acting as the teachers and the storytellers of the Garou race. They are full of Gaia's rage, for only they know how acutely she has suffered over the generations. Despite their rage, their gifts are actually similar to the Ragabash.
• Ahroun: Children of the full moon, the ahroun don't understand Gaia's rage... they feel it. Although they are the most powerful, with the highest Rage and extremely potent combat gifts, they are also the most straightjacketed as characters.

[edit] Tribes

In all, there were sixteen tribes: thirteen had survived for the timeline of Werewolf: the Apocalypse, while three more had been killed or subverted.

• Black Furies: They represented the interests of the Wyld, the most powerful but also most dangerous member of the Triat. They were also a feminist tribe, with one exception: Metis of any gender were accepted, as they were symbols of Garou creation.
• Bone Gnawers: Born to poor homids and to lupus whose homes were replaced by cities, Bone Gnawers represented survivors. Where Glass Walkers represented technophilia, Bone Gnawers adapted to mundane, everyday technology -- such as McDonald's.
• Bunyip: One of the Lost Tribes, the Bunyip were the Garou who inhabited Australia. They were a tribe focused on fertility and transformed themselves into marsupial wolves (thylacines). When the European Garou came to Australia, they were tricked into killing their Bunyip kin, believing they were Fera.
• Children of Gaia: Often depicted as a pacifist tribe, the Children of Gaia called for unity in the face of a common enemy. They could force peace among warring factions, and were the diplomats of the Garou race.
• Croatan: One of the Lost Tribes, the Croatan were one of the Pure Ones, or indigenous American Garou. Where the Utkena were "Older Brother" and the Wendigo were "Little Brother", the Croatan were "Middle Brother" and acted as an intermediary between the other Native American Garou. They sacrificed themselves to keep the Wyrm from taking hold in the New World when the Europeans arrived.
• Fianna: Celtic, the Fianna were the tribe most connected to things fey, and the primary Galliard tribe. They were also noted as drunkards and playboys, despite being among the best warrior (behind the Get, and on par with the Red Talons and the Wendigo).
• Get of Fenris: Nordic, the Get were a tribe composed almost purely of Ahroun who were tired of waiting and were ready to take the fight to the Wyrm directly. However, they were also hamstrung by their ties to racial supremacists, who often sued to turn the powerful force that was the Get against the 'impurer' non-Nordic Garou.
• Glass Walkers: Early-adopters to the end, Glass Walkers knew of all things technologic, and had their paws on the very pulse of human economics and society. However, they were distrusted due to their ties to the insane Weaver, the Illuminatus, and the Mafia.
• Hakken: A subtribe of the Shadow Lords, these strictly homid Garou are found in the Beast Courts of the East and can be called Shadow Lords with bushido morals.
• Red Talons: An all-lupus tribe, the Red Talons resented everything human, and sought to destroy the Wyrm ape-first. Their rage drove them to be fierce warriors; however, in resenting humans, they also resented their own natures, which weakened them.
• Shadow Lords: Once an honorable tribe of the Garou who struck in darkness, the Shadow Lords became consumed with their anger at the Silver Fangs and their lust for more and more power. They were the only tribe with two patrons (Gaia and Grandfather Thunder).
• Silent Striders: Originally Egyptian, now Roma, the Silent Striders have learned of much in their search for a home, and their ability to move from city to city and from world to world is second to none. However, they are also distrusted because it is known that many of the Silent Strider elders still practice forbidden Egyptian arts of necromancy.
• Silver Fangs: Russian, the Silver Fangs claim ancestral rulership over the Garou, but their inbreeding, political infighting, and the introduction of democratic thought have weakened their powerbase.
• Stargazers: Leaving the Garou Nation, the Stargazers and their divinations believed that the infighting among the tribes would lead to the death of Gaia, and so left the Garou Nation (and indeed, for a while, Earth itself), preferring to take the fight to the Umbra.
• Uktena: American mystics, the Uktena understand more about the ways of the spirit world than even the Stargazers, but with only grudging support from their brothers (the Wendigo), they suffered when the European Garou came to the Americas.
• Wendigo: American warriors, the Wendigo bore the brunt of European aggressions, and with that came a deep distrust for all other tribes, their blood brothers (the Uktena) included.
• White Howlers: One of the Lost Tribes, the White Howlers were related to the Picts of Scotland. They were fierce warriors who entered the Wyrm's realm in the Umbra called the Black Spiral. As such, they fell to the Wyrm and became the Black Spiral Dancers, highly mutated and corrupted Garou and one of the Garou's worst foes.

[edit] Society

At the uppermost level, Garou life is organized into tribes. However, for most Garou, these are merely "team colors," and your standard Garou does not have a say in their tribe's politics.

Tribes are composed of a number of septs, which are themselves composed of packs. Packs are groups of werewolves with something akin to a familial relationship, although (especially in modern years) blood relations are probably not present.

Garou society is governed by a group of edicts known as the Litany. Somewhat like a constitution, the Litany lays down basic conduct that all Garou must adhere to. However, especially in modern-day games, the Litany is open to interpretation.

Each pack can have its own guardian totem, and individual Garou can have their own personal totems in addition to their pack's. These totems grant special blessings, impose certain restrictions, and may teach special esoteric abilities (known as gifts) to worthy Garou. In addition, in rare cases, the Phoenix totem will accept a werewolf into what is known as a Silver Pack, a specially-conviened pack created to handle some particularly arduous or dangerous task.

Depending on the Garou in question, a garou may have a group of what might be called living "demi-werewolves," or Kinfolk. Although only 1 in 10 who have lupine blood in them will ever Change and become a full Garou, these Kinfolk (when human) are generally are told of their partial-werewolf heritage -- after all, half a Garou is better than none for those who hunt werewolves. Those lucky few Garou with extended Kinfolk families, homid or lupine, are fortunate indeed; they gain a much-desired social outlet outside of their packs.

[edit] Fera

Originally, there were a number of other races in the world, all created by Gaia for different purposes. These were collectively known as Fera -- the Changing Breeds. However, the Garou severely diminished or outright destroyed the many other breeds.

• Ajaba: Were-hyenas, the Ajaba were created to defend Africa, where no wolves lived. Destroyed by the Garou.
• Ananasi: Were-spiders, created to defend the earth from within. Secretive, but quite numerous.
• Apis: Were-bulls, the Apis were in charge of the earth and agriculture. Long dead; the last known Apis was the famed Minotaur in Greece.
• Bastet: Were-cats, the Bastet were created to be Gaia's eyes. Quite alive.
• Camazotz: Were-bats. They were created to be Gaia's voice during the night hours. Much like a night version of the Corax. However, the Shadow Lords believed that they were a clan of vampires, and wiped them out.
• Corax: Were-ravens, created to be Gaia's messengers. Quite alive.
• Garou: Werewolves. While the Garou were originally created as Gaia's claws, they have had to take up the slack created by the destruction of the other changing breeds. So today, the Garou are jack of all trades, but unfortunately for Gaia, master of none. Quite alive.
• Gurahl: Were-bears, created to heal Gaia. All but extinct.
• Kitsune: Were-foxes, created to understand magic. Quite alive. (See also kitsune.)
• Mokolé: Were-reptiles, created to serve as Gaia's memory. Quite alive in tropical regions.
• Nagah: Were-snakes, created to judge for Gaia. All but extinct.
• Nuwisha: Were-coyotes, so Gaia could laugh. Quite alive, but very secretive.
• Ratkin: Were-rats, created to cull humanity. One of the few Fera to be active in Antarctica. Quite alive.
• Rokea: Were-sharks, created to protect the seas. Quite alive.
• Zhong Lung: Were-dragons, the Eastern counterparts to the Mokolé. Quite alive.

[edit] The Triat

The Tirat is a group of three spirits which most Garou believe to be reality's greatest forces, who once kept existence functioning normally. (Some Garou believe Gaia is above the Triat, some believe her to be equal, and some believe her to be lower.) The Wyld reflects creation; the Weaver represents adaptation; and the Wyrm reflects destruction. In effect, the Triat was a macrocosm of all life: birth, growth and adaptation, and death, as it should be.

The Wyld is served most by the Black Furies. The Weaver is most venerated by the Glass Walkers. Besides the dark Black Spiral Dancers, no group in the Garou Nation openly supports the Wyrm, although some renegade groups in the Silent Striders, Stargazers, and Uktena are searching for a way to restore sanity to the Wyrm.

[edit] The Wyrm

The main enemy of the Garou is the Wyrm. The Wyrm (which is composed of three lesser aspects, the Eater of Souls, the Defiler, and the Beast of War) uses humans (via pentex), spirits (banes), and other supernaturals (vampires) in an attempt to defile reality. Not even the Garou are safe from the Wyrm's corruption: a tribe from Scotland, once known as the White Howlers, have been perverted into a twisted mockery of their former selves known as the Black Spiral Dancers. The Wyrm's ultimate goal is the creation of an Apocalypse in which all reality ceases to be.

As noted above, the Wyrm was formerly a functioning member of the Tirat. However, it was trapped in a prison (Malfeas) by the Weaver, and in its imprisonment, it went insane. Now, it cannot leave its prison directly, but it can use its many minions to cause destruction.

[edit] The Apocalypse

Most werewolves believe that the Apocalypse is game over: the Wyrm wins, the Garou loses, Gaia is killed, and eventually all of existence ceases to be. If the Garou can defeat the Wyrm, the Apocalypse will be stopped. The Children of Gaia, Get of Fenris, Red Talons, Shadow Lords, and Silver Fangs hold this belief. However, this belief is not universal.

Some factions believe that the Apocalypse is natural, and automatic -- the natural result of the actions of the Triat. After the final battle, the winners will get to decide who wins. The final battle, then, will be the chance for the nature of reality to be decided... and those Garou do not want the Wyrm to win. Most of these are members of the more mystic tribes, such as the Silent Strider, the Stargazers, and the Uktena.

Finally, others think that, while Gaia is doomed to die, there will be a chance to escape; they plan to use the Apocalypse to fight past the Wyrm and flee to a land out of reach of Wyrm, Gaia, and other Garou. Most of these pessimists are Bone Gnawers.

[edit] Spinoffs

[edit] GURPS Werewolf: the Apocalypse

GURPS Werewolf: the Apocalypse (ISBN 1-55-634276-4, shown) was an adaptation of the Werewolf game to the GURPS system. Although it had promise, the adaptation showed some critical misunderstandings of the Storyteller system (such as treating Rage and Gnosis as just special pools of 'fatigue points'). The book sold only lukewarmly, and a predicted companion was canceled after Steve Jackson Games and White Wolf had a falling out.

[edit] Werewolf: the Wild West

Werewolf: the Wild West (ISBN 1-56-504340-5) was a roleplaying game cast in Deadland's mold. Although the setting was well-received (replacing the untouchable Wyrm as the main enemy with a single exceptionally powerful but ultimately defeatable Bane), much text was copied and pasted directly out of the second edition of the original Werewolf roleplaying game. This caused the book to seem cheaper than it actually was, and ended its run prematurely. Several supplements were produced for Wild West, including a series of crossovers with Deadlands.

[edit] Dark Ages: Werewolf

Dark Ages: Werewolf (ISBN 1-58-846284-6) was the sequel to the widely successful White Wolf game, Dark Ages: Vampire. It was never received well by the fans of the original, however; it was seen as a quick attempt to cash in on the success on its predecessor. However, it has experienced a minor comeback as it is now available in PDF format.

[edit] Werewolf: the Forsaken

Werewolf: the Forsaken was a 'reimagined' version of the original game, covered in fuller detail in W:tA and furry gamers, below.

[edit] Rage

Rage was actually two different collectable card games (or CCGs) based on Werewolf, but with totally different rules. The first version (Rage: Apocalypse) was produced by White Wolf Game Studios and had five sets. The second version (Rage: Tribal War) was produced by Five Rings Publishing Group which became a division of Wizards of the Coast.

Both versions are currently out of production, but have found new life with fan made cards that White Wolf recognizes for use in tournaments. Many furry artists have worked on the fan made sets for Rage, including artists such as Dark Natasha, Roz Gibson, and Ursula Vernon. All the fan produced sets are available online from the central Rage website, River Von. Rage has also been developed for online play on the Gatling Engine.

Rage tournaments have been held at several conventions since 2004, including Further Confusion, Anthrocon, and FurFright. More tournaments are planned. See the central Rage website for a tournament schedule, of visit the discussion list at Rageinfo.

[edit] Werewolf: the Apocalypse: Heart of Gaia

Werewolf: the Apocalypse: Heart of Gaia was a short-lived attempt at producing a Werewolf video game by ASC Games. Based on the Quake II engine, the system would have been true to the Storyteller system, while simultaneously answering some of the more common complaints from the first Storyteller games, Vampire: the Masquerade: Redemption. However, ASC closed its doors, taking with it the code to Heart of Gaia. Since this time, White Wolf has not shown interest in licensing out WtA to another company.

[edit] W:tA and furry gamers

In 2005, W:tA was nominated as the 'furriest RPG in existence' by an informal study at RPGnet. Ethan Skemp, then line editor for Werewolf, replied by saying: "God damn it." He then later went on to say that Werewolf could not be a furry roleplaying game "because werewolves don't have breasts," implying he associated "furry" with furverts.

In the sequel to Werewolf, Werewolf: the Forsaken (or WtF), most of the elements that made it appealing to the furry fandom were removed. This included changing many aspects of the game; rather than fight against corporate (and mainly human) opression, the main opponents now come from the spirit world, which is described as a Darwinistic nightmare; all werewolves are derived from human stock, to focus on the "human comes to grips with monstrous urges" aspect of werewolf lore; and the focus is now local, with a more realistic (and uncertain) pack mentality.

Further, the primary non-spirit antagonists of werewolves in the new game are the Pure Tribes; wheras the player-characters are Forsaken, a minority among werewolves, the Pure Tribes did not "betray Father Wolf" in the past, and believe themselves to be the "true" werewolves. Ironically, the mother of all werewolves has condemned the Pure Tribes, with the Pure Tribes responding by no longer venerating their creator. The Pure Tribes are depicted as merciless horrors, alternating between violating their own oaths of harmony and enacting rites of gruesome penance. The archetypical Pure Tribe werewolves described in the book have such lurid titles as "Fire-Touched Deacon" and "Elder Man-Eater."

Without actual quotes and specification of the sources involved, the "WtF is less furry than WtA on purpose" statement can be dismissed as rumour. Many players, among them furries, believe that WtF was a welcome nerf of the incredibly high-violence high-drama cineastic world of WtA. That said, the great majority of WtF playing furries seems to indeed come to the conclusion that W: the Apocalypse just was a lot more fun to play than W: the Forsaken. The same has also been said countless times by non-furries - as has the opposite. Basically, WtF is a very debatable topic, and rumor freely mingles with fact in most discussions about it.

Some comparisons have been made to (Vampire: the Requiem), as the new Werewolf has a much more local focus and is geared towards personal tragedy and noble sacrifice. Ethan Skemp would later go on record as saying that it was the appeal of WtA to the furry fandom that fueled the changes in WtF. Reactions among the fans of Werewolf have been mixed; it should be noted that many non-furry Werewolf fans prefer Werewolf: The Forsaken, or consider the game equal to its predecesor.

Ironically, though the game's setting is less friendly to furry fandom, its spirit world is technically much more anthropomorphic than the previous edition; everything has a spirit, even locations, domestic appliances, and concepts like "greed" and "friendship."

[edit] See also

• Hengeyokai: Shapeshifters of the East
• Roleplaying game
• Werewolf

[edit] External links

• Werewolf on the White Wolf Wikia
• GURPS Werewolf: the Apocalypse
• PDF purchase link on DriveThruRPG
• Werewolf: the Apocalypse official site