Werewolf: the Forsaken (2nd ed.)

'Werewolf' has traditionally been one of the more popular non-vampire gamelines in both WoDs, and it also has a reputation, perhaps more than any other, for being mired in controversy. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the old World of Darkness version, "Werewolf: the Apocalypse", was an eco-terrorist RPG that had heavy-handed anarcho-primitivist themes, and dealt with certain real-world races and ethnicities in an inflammatory manner. Also, uh, ****. Yep. It says a lot about the politics of W:tA that several player-character "good guy" factions were able to be repurposed as the principal villains of the sequel game while changing very little about their belief systems.

So, because the game system was a bit of a dog's breakfast anyway (pun intended) and I was born too late to have any first-hand experience with it (the old World of Darkness had long since been replaced by the new World of Darkness by the time I started playing RPGs), I will be using the newer version, "Werewolf: the Forsaken". Specifically, the second edition of it, which sought to address the thematic flaws of the first version. From hereon out it will be referred to as W:tF, which many players have observed is an apt abbreviation, since there are a lot of setting elements here which make new players want to ask "WTF?!"

So, what's it about? That's a complex question to answer. Yes, it's a game about werewolves who do werewolf things, like, uh, turning into wolves, and dying when they get shot with a silver bullet. But it also adds a lot onto that and focuses heavily on animistic beliefs and the concept of a "spirit world", where every element, place, animal, substance, emotion, etc., has a spiritual counterpart, with an entire mystical ecology and hierarchy of spirits that lurk in a parallel dimension known as the "Shadow realm". The spirits of the shadow realm and the things and people of the world of flesh both influence one another. Changes made on one side will affect the other. And these spirits (which are often intelligent enough to be considered sentient, but have extremely alien mindsets) can sometimes break through the metaphyscial barrier known as "the Gauntlet", and cross into the living world. Usually they're invisible and intangible while doing so, but they can affect things, and possess objects, animals, and people. Preventing this from happening, and also preventing the living world from causing disharmony and ruin to the Shadow, is the sworn duty of those werewolves who call themselves "The Forsaken", done out of reverence to Luna, the spirit of the moon and the most powerful spirit known to exist, as well as to carry on the duty of their mythical progenitor, 'Father Wolf'.

In this setting, werewolves are mostly born rather than made, being descendants of other werewolves. One of the things that sets W:tF 2nd edition apart from previous editions, both the first iteration of W:tF and W:tA, is that the traditional idea of lycanthropy resulting from being bitten by a werewolf CAN happen, although it's not the source of most werewolves and occurs at random. Unlike the typical myths, the werewolf transformation is mostly voluntary and can be triggered at any time, including during the day. It also has three intermediate forms instead of just one. Besides the standard human form, and the form of a normal wolf, werewolves can also assume the form of an unnaturally savage bear-sized "dire wolf", and a "wolf-man" form which is mostly human with the addition of sharp teeth, clawed fingernails, and wolf-like eyes and ears. Finally there is the most feared and iconic form, the 'Gauru' man-wolf form, a huge, monstrous semi-humanoid with the head of a wolf like the typical werewolf of modern horror movies.

In all forms (including human), werewolves benefit from a powerful regeneration ability, making them quite hard to kill with gunfire, knives, etc. Whereas vampires (per "Vampire: the Requiem") are resistant to **** because they're undead and don't much care about getting holes in their vital organs, werewolves feel just as much pain and suffer just as much harm as a human (or wolf) would from being shot... it's just that they'll quickly regenerate that damage. So really, the fact that they still feel pain from being shot is all the more reason not to shoot them, since they'll just be that much more pissed off at whoever pulled the trigger.

The werewolves of W:tF are metaphysical hybrids, part human and part wolf-spirit, which allows them to enter the spirit world and interact with spirits on their own terms. They have legitimate and even heroic goals (the Forsaken ones, anyway - the antagonist werewolf faction, "The Pure", not so much) but they are also volatile, monstrous and savage by their very nature. They are always at risk of the dreaded state of "**** rage". Different werewolves have this form of lunatic (pun very much intended) madness triggered in different ways, but it can be frighteningly easy for them to fall into it, and when they do, they go on a murderous, cannibalistic rampage. No one is safe from a werewolf in **** rage. Not innocent bystanders. Not their packmates (unless they, too, get pulled into **** rage along with them). Not their closest friends. Not their parents, siblings, or even their own children.

Although the moon is central to the identity of W:tF werewolves, it is not only the full moon that matters. The Forsaken are divided into "auspices" based upon which phase the moon was in when they first changed, which grant them special abilities and affect (or are determined by - there are a LOT of 'chicken or the egg' situations in W:tF) their personality. In addition to auspice, they are loosely organized into five "tribes", which impart on them a belief system, as well as a favored type of prey which they hunt to uphold the oath of the moon. Unlike other WoD games, these are philosophies rather than actual political organizations; the first loyalty of werewolves is to their pack. A pack is a group of werewolves (and, sometimes, their 'wolf-blooded' kinfolk, a sort of midpoint between human and werewolf) bound to one another as a combination found family and political unit which claims a particular place as their territory. Their goal is to hunt and destroy spirits which violate the natural order by invading the living world, along with other half-spirit abominations known as 'Hosts'... and, sometimes, humans who cause havoc to the spirit world. Not to mention hostile werewolves known as the Pure, although that's generally more a case of the Pure hunting them than vice-versa.

Posting this by request after leaving it unpublished for over a month. I haven't been sure what I wanted to do in this story and I know I don't have the energy to commit to more than one thread, since I have older stories I really need to update rather than starting anything new, but leaving it up here regardless in case anyone's interested.