Customer Reviews:
Essential Player's Guide for Werewolf.......2007-06-26
One thing that amazes me is the quality of supplements for Werewolf: the Forsaken. Pretty much everything released thus far has added depth and value to my games, and this one is no exception. Billed as the 'player's guide' for Werewolf, this book delivers exactly what it promises. The first part of the book goes into detail about each of the five Tribes of the Moon, exploring their individual culture, history, Auspice roles, and views on Renown, Harmony and Primal-Urge, as well as giving some sample story hooks. It has everything from mention of Blood Talon warriors who rode with the Mongols, to the roles assigned to Bone Shadow Irraka, to the Iron Master tradition of wearing decorations in their fur. And so much more. This is all stuff that expands upon and compliments what was written in the core book. Theres also a section on Ghost Wolves, explaining how and why Uratha choose the path, what their lives are like, and most intriguingly, options for STs to create a new 'sixth Tribe', with a few sample 'Tribes' included for good measure. Of course, as with everything else in the nWoD, this is all purely optional and STs can feel free to use or discard it as they see fit.
The next chapter is named Meat, appropriately enough, and contains just that. It's full of optional new Merits, Flaws, Gifts, Rites, Fetishes and Talens. Tooth and Claw, a new Fighting Style Merit, is introduced, and each Tribe gets a new Gift list, as well as suggestions for further Gifts (though it's recommended the ST be careful to keep things balanced). I found the Weakness and Information Gifts especially intriguing, but theres almost a dozen to choose from! Theres also examination of Harmony and, most importantly, pack structure, including new rules for using pack tactics! The final chapter, named Bones, goes into more detail on setting. A major portion of it deals with Protectorates, alliances between packs, and large scale interaction between local Uratha. This sort of stuff will doubtless be useful for Forsaken LARPs, but equally interesting was the examination of Uratha culture across the globe. Both the culture and regional problems are shown, along with several very different sample NPCs. How do the Uratha of the Middle East and North Africa view Islam? What strange cults threaten those in the Mediterranean? How much influence comes from the tribal animistic beliefs of Africa? And what are the Pure up to in Asia? All these are answered in this last section.
All in all, this is an excellent book. The sections on Tribe and global culture are excellent for adding some new dimension to characters, while the information on setting is useful for any large scale game. And, needless to say, the new mechanics are invaluable as well. Especially the stuff about packs. And, like I said, pretty much everything published so far has been a great resource. I find much of the information from this book going hand in hand with other resources, like Shadows of the UK and Lodges: the Splintered, adding more regional detail and variation to the setting. Whether you want to run a game in the wastes of the Sahara, or the slums of Rio, or the good old U-S-of-A, you'll find this book incredingly useful. I strongly recommend this as a resource for both players and STs.
Book Description
Full Moon Rising
The world is in shadow. To one side stretches the forest, to the other the city. Your claws are stained with blood. Your senses whisper of prey that runs before you, and of predators who stalk even the likes of you. You hear the howls of your brothers and sisters. Luna rises. Your blood boils. It is time to hunt.
Wolves at the Door
Werewolf: The Forsaken -- the game of bestial violence and supernatural terror -- is the second core setting sourcebook intended for use with White Wolf's new Storytelling System(tm). Werewolves are creatures of original sin, tainted by ancestral crimes and driven to hunt by the shame of being abandoned. This book details what it is to be Forsaken, one of the Tribes of the Moon. Create your own werewolf pack and seek redemption or give in to your savage nature. Hardcover. For use with the
World of Darkness Rulebook.
Customer Reviews:
Leader of the pack.......2007-07-20
Some of you may have read my review of Requiem. If not, then allow me to retread some of it in order to preface this review.
When the Original World of Darkness ended, White Wolf promised something new to those who had been longtime fans and players of its games. They released Requiem first, but it wasn't until Forsaken hit the shelves that the promise was really fulfilled.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse was about a dying race's futile fight. Geopolitics and ecological concerns injected themes that were off topic for the subject matter.
Forsaken lacks these flaws.
The mechanics, though sometimes convoluted, are strong. They serve the themes of the game in unique and interesting ways.
The presentation is complete, and conveys the primal nature of the werewolf. The mythology feels old, as if told from the beginning of time. The individual psychologies of the various factions are understandable, compelling, and complex.
The setting itself focuses on a much more tightly constrained level than its predecessor. Instead of a large region, the pack is intended to take charge of a small territory, dealing with the brutal threats of other packs, while at the same time hunting in the spirit world... both because it is their nature, and because it is their responsibility.
Nothing save a few minor terms from Apocalypse are reused, although some concepts see resurgence (the spectrum of forms is nearly the same, and the five auspices are similar to their old counterparts.... though care was taken to make the new renditions distinct from the older versions). There are small nods to the old game, but generally speaking the themes, cosmology, and setting are all new.
Though the Breeds of Apocalypse have been Excised (all werewolves descend from human lineages), the society and psychology of the Forsaken are remarkably lupine, and the game takes care to emphasize that fact. A legal code is counterpointed with a morality trait (a first for a Werewolf game) that allows the characters to find an animal ethic in acts that would be monsterous to a normal human. Make no mistake, Werewolves are savage beasts, not shape shifting world savers.
As with Requiem, this game lacks a metaplot. The world is for the storyteller to develop... but discussion of past events, and history goes far to make the setting feel as though it were genuinely alive.
I daresay there's more wolf in the core rulebook of Forsaken than there was in the entire revised edition of Apocalypse... and in a game called 'Werewolf', that's a good thing.
Probably the BEST of White Wolf's rpg's!.......2007-07-04
I got this along with World of Darkness, Mage and Vampire. My group has decided to "graduate" from Dungeons and Dragons to World of Darkness because its much more sophisticated. In this game you play modern day werewolves who hunt evil spirits and keep a balance with nature. It mixes well with all the other 3 core games and you can easily do crossovers. This game is about modern day horror, not furry power rangers.
The illustrations are incredible, White Wolf really produces amazing work. I cannot rate this game high enough. If you are bored with D&D or other munchkin games like Magic the gathering or even substandard imitations like WitchCraft from Eden Studios, then THIS game is for YOU.
On a scale from 1 to 4..........2007-02-19
This white wolf product is a perfect 5 in my opinion. I love the animism and Father Wold legend far better than the Wyrm from the old werewolf. But, I think that most people, this is assumed. I'm writing because I've read every other white wolf core rule book to date, and I rank them as such:
1) Vampire. Always has been their best work, they put a lot of thought into it and I think its awesome. Unfortunately, the way that the game fluff works, no coterie of neonate vampire is destined to last a long time. For the game to work more than a few months, make sure that all the player's characters want to be in the same covenant. I plan on running a game where all the players start with 20-30 experience and are all the higher-ups in the same covenant. That way they work together for a common goal (to take over the city from the bottom up), instead of at each other's throats in order to gain status in their individual organizations.
2) Werewolf. As stated above, the fluff was vastly improved over the old edition. And I love the whole pack mentality reinforced time and time again in the book. I like how the players form a pack and protect a territory and shape it to their needs, then take on more as they grow more powerful. Only problem is I'm having trouble thinking of ways for players to get tother.
3) Mage. This is honestly the worst new game white wold has produced, and it kills me a little inside because it was my favorite in the old world of darkness. Back in the old system a neonate mage was nothing short of a demi-god among the ants of humanity. Now they're basically human with a few minor powers. The sheer number of experience points necessary to do anything you want to do is rediculous. If I'm ever playing mage again, I will demand we start with at least 20 experience points, otherwise there is no reason for the cabal to do anything and just refer to the council to take care of your problems since chances are you're not powerful enough to take care of anything supernatural anyway.
4) Promethean. There's only one reason that promethean is ranked below mage. It is completely and entirely unplayable in any way shape and form. With the way that torment works, prometheans eventually begin to hat even the presence of each other. Which means even if the PCs form a bonded throng, they part ways after not too long. So the majority of a promethean's life is spent in 'down time' so the GM doesn't have to run for each player individual life. Which defeats the purpose of the game entirely! I love the horror aspect, how everything, even nature itself, rejects these abominations. Unfortunately, that means they can't hang out together or form a party. Which defeats the purpose of it being an RPG. If you only have one friend and time to kill, this is a fantasic game. On the other hand, I have definatly thought about making a promethean a villian in any of the previously mentioned games above. That is a fantastic reason the grab this book.
disappointed.......2006-11-13
As a current user of old WoD I find fewer and fewer places to use the system. A lot of people have embraced the new order and so I bought this book to continue my shifter role playing. While the new system simplifies some combat and scenarios, I hate it. Hate it hate it hate it. Mostly because I can't play using just this book! It's a core book for crying out loud. But the section that should cover skills/abilities/etc has far too many paragraphs ending in "Please see World of Darkness, pg XX". Why did I bother buying the shifter book when all I need is the other core book (which appears to be 35 pages long). I will just look harder for the old WoD and wait until White Wolf comes out with a better, less 'squeeze the players for everything they got' game.
It took me a while, but I'm ready to accept this for what it is.......2006-07-19
The book is very well-written. The art is excellent. And the game? Well. I'm going to reluctantly admit: It may just be an improvement on its predecessor, Werewolf: the Apocalypse.
I completely blew off the new World of Darkness at first. I finally bought this book 6 months ago (long after its release)), skimmed it once, then threw it aside. I had my game of choice already, and this wouldn't replace it.
Was I wrong? I think so. Here's why:
- Streamlined tribe system makes characters of every Forsaken tribe (the main ones for players) playable together, which wasn't the case under the original.
- Game systems are superior. Renown, caerns vs. loci, Gifts (and their systems), etc. -- they're just designed better, a clear example of learning from the mistakes of W:tA.
- Auspices are better delineated, particularly the gibbous and new moons.
- The creation legend is better.
- The antagonists are less cartoon caricatures. The "bad guy" werewolves are huge improvements upon the W:tA version.
- The personal horror that is a werewolf has been better infused into this game.
- The system of Lodges gives limitless opportunity to expand upon the tribes in much the same way that W:tA's myriad of tribes did from the outset.
What's it missing?
The sense of purpose for the Werewolf. Probably other things too, that I'll find in the course of playing this.
But that said, I'm excited to try it, whereas before I wouldn't even give it a chance. It's a superior effort from White Wolf. The major drawback is WW didn't promote it right, and most experienced players, like me, were predisposed against it from the get-go.
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely ESSENTIAL!.......2007-07-02
Werewolf the Forsaken, the second core setting game for new World of Darkness is perhaps one of the best roleplaying games published TO DATE! It's just flexible as all hell - you can run a generational game in a small valley, or remake Wolfen, or delve into Unknown Armies territory in the backstreets of Detroit, or just play it for the combat value. Instead of cleaving narrowly to a particular adventure type, it offers room for expansion - it feels together. Predators expands it a little further, detailing spirits and going into more detail about the Ridden.
The core Werewolf rule book went into some detail about the spirit world and what it was like, but it not fully developed - it was more about impressions of the spirit world, rather than specific details.
Predators essentially lays out the blueprint for what spirits are like, broken down by category - tool-spirits, bird-spirits, plant-spirits and so forth. It's here that the book makes itself invaluable. Instead of describing spirits in vague terms, the book goes into specific, concrete detail about what a spirit's like - where it typically spawns, what they look like and how the GM can use them in a game.
Troublesome and individualistic, cantankerous and fastidious, imperious and demanding, cold and chilly - the personality of each spirit gets summarized in a nutshell. You don't have to guess at a spirit's motives anymore - look at some quotes from Predator, attach some human characteristics to the spirit and you can run the spirit for your group. All the traffic light ever says is "Stop!" and "Go!", but that's all that it needs to say. The storyteller advice is also pretty useful - in other words, it's all focused on why the players might have contact with the spirit, rather than how it fits into some abstract scheme that's of interest only to the authors of the book.
It's worth noting that the book covers the entire range of spirits, from high to low - besides natural and artificial spirits, we also get the Celestial spirits (sun and moon, including lunes), conceptual spirits (apathy, war, dreams) and the bastard hybrid Magath. The Magath get some nice writeups, including a dump-truck/pain spirit who wanders the spirit highways, destroying car-spirits to siphon off their pain, and a dog/information spirit that haunts a library.
We also get to find out how data/technology-spirits work, and how book and computer spirits prey upon them. We also get stats for Ghost Children, the spirit-children of two werewolves, who have some pretty nasty stats and a ban that demands that they must revenge themselves upon their parents. That's story hooks on the hoof, there. The chapter also includes some new spirit-powers, ranging from the generic but useful (Mechanical Possession, Speed, Emotional Aura, Telekinesis) to the specific (Dessicate, Fearstruck, Final Strike, Clasp).
There's a couple of clinkers in there, though. The playground spirit is particularly irritating - while it may seem innocent and sweet on the surface, it's actually tainted by tortured and abused children, attracts pedophiles and child molestors, and spreads experiences of neglect, depression and aggression to all who approach.
The next chapter deals with the Ridden - spirits who jump into people's bodies and ride them around. One of the best parts of the book is that it points out that Ridden can fill just about any need in a horror game, ranging from spooky Innsmouth folk (possessed by fish spirits) to cannibal hillbillies (gluttony spirits) to animals that are too smart for their own good (possessed by a spirit of their own species) to Swamp Thing (plant spirit in a human body) to any shapeshifter that you want as a villain. All that you have to do is to stick the appropriate spirit into the body, do a little chargen and you're set.
It's that flexibility - that ability to create a new race without having to create a splatbook, the ability to use what you've already been given rather than having to buy something new - that makes the new World of Darkness so damned good. The possibilities are just endless. They're especially good for games with regular humans, just because the Ridden are so versatile. Imagine, say, a military game, where part of the force is suddenly jumped by war spirits. They're lighting each other up with live ammunition, jumping from body to body (like the Koleris of Tribe 8), nobody knows what's going on and it's ten hours until morning - and your military characters are right in the thick of it. Can they stop them before they reach the nearby town? What about the local werewolf pack?
This book is one of the most essential and valuable books to the Werewolf the Forsaken game line.
Awwww yea!!!.......2006-09-18
What can I say about this book except: GET THIS BOOK! It is an absolutely essential supplement for Werewolf the Forsaken, and just about tied with Lore of the Forsaken in terms of its importance to players and storytellers.
The book is split into three portions- the first goes into depth discussing various spirits, their social structure, their basic motivations and behaviors, and gives an example of at least one type of each spirit. The second part talks about various Hosts- the shards of powerful spirits who managed to figure out how to out-think Father Wolf and find sanctuary in the physical world by driving around bodies that they hollow out and live in until the body deteriorates. The third part talks about strange things from the distant past- powerful creatures who, for whatever reasons, are trapped in the physical world.... and very angry about it.
This supplement is also excellent for creating antagonists for mortals, mages and (of course) werewolves. As such, I also recommend it for anyone who just needs ideas for antagonists. I'll say it again- buy this book!
Average customer rating:
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ASIN: 1588465950 |
Customer Reviews:
Werewolves Around the World (of Darkness).......2006-10-09
When I first heard about this book, I was thrilled, and I ran out to buy it the day it was released. While the first Lodges book focused mostly on Tribal Lodges, this book instead shows how Lodges can be adapted to different cultures, ideas, religions and places, giving a more local flavor to Werewolf: the Forsaken. Although there are a few Tribal Lodges presented in this book, most are multi-Tribal and very different from mainstream Uratha society. 22 new Lodges are presented from the far corners of the world - India, Germany, Poland, Japan, Antarctica, Africa, Mexico, Australia, France, Italy, the Middle East and beyond. Many hold beliefs or goals that put them at odds with more conservative or traditional Uratha, making them great antagonists, but they also can work as PCs too. And with a little work, they can be adapted to suit almost any chronicle. After an opening fiction, focusing on the Uratha of Bangladesh, and the obligatory introduction, we are treated to short write-ups of all the Lodges. My thoughts as follows,
* Armee Sauvage - Born out of the second World War, this Lodge of French Ghost Wolves tries to deal with supernatural fall out of human attrocities. A very interesting take on the Uratha's relations with human conflict, as well as showing how a Ghost Wolf Lodge works.
* Brotherhood of Eshu's Cap - A Lodge of African Hunters in Darkness who use stealth and trickery to protect important people, places and objects (including the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia!). Some very nasty examples of their work are included. Very cool to finally see an African Lodge, since the "Dark Continent" has gotten little coverage in Werewolf. Alternatively, you could easily transport them to the Caribbean via Yoruba faiths like Santeria and Candomble, which include Eshu in their pantheons.
* Lodge of the Sacred Thread - Indian Storm Lords who consider themselves to be of the Kshatriya caste, the warriors and kings of the Uratha. A very interesting cultural take on the Tribes, and once again it's great to see the Indian subcontinent get covered since Werewolf has had little coverage of South Asia.
* Lodge of 66 - Iron Masters who patrol the legendary Route 66, protecting it from the Pure. Nomadic werewolf packs made up of truckers and biker gangs! Very cool idea!
* Lodge of the Black Woods - A multi-Tribal Lodge born out of a regional alliance to protect the Germany's Schwartzwald, members of this Lodge can also be in other Lodges as well. Kind of like Max Roman's dream of uniting the Uratha in the Rockies.
* Lodge of the Endless Moon - A mostly Ghost Wolf Lodge based in Asia (particularly Japan) that seeks to placate and appease spirits through rituals. Besides being another interesting take on Asian Uratha, this Lodge can easily be adapted to other cultures and regions with a little work.
* Lodge of the Fallen Idol - Another interesting but unusual take on werewolves, this multi-Tribal Lodge seeks to topple human religions. They aren't really atheists, as they interact with the spirit world as much as any Uratha, but they see human religion as flawed. Of course, they themselves are fanatics after a fashion too. Their signature character, Noach Weidenseld, was mostly crippled by a terrorist bombing and spends most of his time communicating through the internet. A very unique character for Werewolf.
* Lodge of the Firestick - A multi-Tribal Lodge that controls and directs bush fires, the Lodge of the Firestick draws upon the culture and beliefs of the Australian Aborigines. Quite a good example at mixing human mythology with the spirit world of the Uratha, and it works very well.
* Lodge of the Hungry Ghosts - Another Japanese Lodge, these Bone Shadows practice strange rituals to bring balance between the spirit world and the world of flesh. Unfortunately, they are likely to help spirits and come into conflict with other Uratha. At the very least, they are strange and frightening. I loved this write-up, and plan on including them in one of my upcoming chronicles. And the signature character, Kachi-Kachi, reminds me of something out of a Japanese horror film.
* Lodge of Ilia - Born out of Imperial Rome, this mostly Iron Master Lodge seeks to survive and adapt to the spiritual landscape of the city. Another urban Lodge, but this one has a more cultural/mythological background than the ones we saw in other books.
* Lodge of Kletby - Hailing from Czechoslovakia, all members of this multi-Tribal Lodge suffer from curses. Because of this, they seek to study, master and break curses. They practice a unique Rite which allows them to extend the powers and effects of Gifts into ritual curses.
* Lodge of the Lake - This multi-Tribal Lodge watches over a slumbering Maeljin beneath the ice of Antarctica, and have unknowingly been corrupted by their own pride. Members are slowly becoming Bale Hounds without knowing it. Theres a very creepy, Lovecraftian feel to this Lodge.
* Lodge of the Lost - An ancient prophecy said that members of this Lodge would all die fighting a great darkness, but they defeated it and some members survived. Now, members of this spiritually dead multi-Tribal Lodge struggle to find new meaning and purpose. Very interesting concept, and open to interpretation by Storytellers.
* Lodge of the Modernist - Another odd concept, this European Lodge of Bone Shadows studies the power of human language. The idea is very philosophical, and actually reminds me alot of my Linguistics classes, but I liked it. Another unusual take on Werewolf's themes.
* Lodge of the Red Sands - One of my favorites, this multi-Tribal Lodge seeks to master survival in the desert wastes of North Africa, the Middle East and other harsh lands. Their Totem (Red Beast King) reminds me of the Egyptian god Set, which is appropriate since he was the god of deserts and wild animals. And I LOVE the signature character of Jurgurtha Lion-Eater, a Tuareg warrior. A bit stereotypical perhaps, but still cool.
* Lodge of the Rose - A Blood Talon Lodge that strives to live up to human concepts of honor, chivalry and the way of the warrior. Members of this Lodge follow Noble Griffin, and not even supernatural powers can stop them from fulfilling their oathes. Quite a different take from the "berserker warrior" stereotype frequent to the Tribe.
* Lodge of Scars - A multi-Tribal Lodge made up of the strongest and wisest elder Uratha, who seek to contribute their strength, wisdom and experience to the struggles of the Forsaken. A very cool concept for old Uratha who want to go out with a bang, like true heroes.
* Lodge of Songkran - Born in the jungles of Thailand, this multi-Tribal Lodge seeks to liberate those trapped by slavery, poverty and addiction. I thought this was an interesting take on how Uratha relate to human problems, especially given the horrors of drug smuggling and sex trafficking in the Golden Triangle. Alternatively, their strict ideals can also bring them into conflict with other, less noble Uratha.
* Lodge of the Storm's Eye - Drawn from the Native American cultures of Mexico and South America (the Maya, Aztec, Inca and such), this multi-Tribal Lodge seeks to bind evil spirits beneath the earth. Another great example of mixing human myths with Uratha spirituality, especially since they showed how different influences affect the Lodge in different areas (their Totem is known as Quetzalcoatl or Kukulcan in Mexico, but Viracocha in Peru, for instance). I like to think of it as a redux of the Uktena from Werewolf: the Apocalypse, and plan on using them in my upcoming chronicles. Also, good to get a taste of what might be in store for us in Shadows of Mexico.
* Lodge of the Thin Shadow - A multi-Tribal European Lodge that work like elite secret agents. Secretive and elusive, they have slowly been loosing their grip on international politics (as the book pretty much outright says) but it's a great way to inject some good old fashioned Cold War-era paranoia into your games. And the signature character, Tess Nelson, is quite interesting (and not overpowered, despite being a CIA-agent). Good example of how to balance human jobs with life as one of the Forsaken.
* Lodge of the Union - An open, multi-Tribal Lodge that seeks to unite everything. Flesh and spirit, the entire world, everything. A very young and idealistic Lodge, but their Totem seems to be the embodiment of Pangea itself!
* Lodge of the Willow Branch - A multi-Tribal Polish Lodge dedicated to hunting down and slaying vampires at all costs. Their fanaticism is likely to cause many problems for both Uratha and Kindred, but they are definately fun.
So yeah, 22 brand spanking new Lodges from across the world. It's a great taste of the many ways that human culture and beliefs can change the Uratha in different places. Many of the Lodges work just as well for PCs as they do for antagonists, and their backgrounds give good ways of integrating them into chronicles for either (the Lodge of the Willow Branch could easily start a conflict between local Uratha and vampires, while the Lodge of the Hungry Ghosts are as likely to ally with spirits as they are to fight them). Best of all, the introduction includes some useful notes for changing the Lodges to make them better suit other locales or ideas. For instance, the Lodge of 66 could be transported to Germany's autobahn, the Lodge of the Rose could be made to focus on bushido or omerta, and the Lodge of the Red Sands could be transported to Australia's Outback, the Gobi in Mongolia, or the American Southwest. So pretty much any of the Lodges could easily be tweaked to fit in with your chronicles, and to surprise players.
If you plan on running a Werewolf game set beyond the US, or just want to add a different take on the Uratha (perhaps drawing upon human myths, cultures and history, or perhaps just incorporating something else entirely) then this book is almost essential. I strongly recommend checking this book out, especially in conjunction with Shadows of the UK, which gave a very good overview of the Uratha in the UK (as well as some mention of South Asian Uratha too). Both are great books for expanding Uratha into a more international setting.
Customer Reviews:
Territories presents excellent setting design tools for W:tF and, to a lesser extent, the WoD generally........2006-09-14
Territories is a resource for Storytellers interested in fleshing out the all-important land werewolves have dedicated themselves to protect. Building a setting for a Chronicle can be a daunting task, but with the tools and suggestions found in Territories it becomes a lot easier. While this product has a Werewolf focus a lot of the suggestions and story hooks found within could be applied to any World of Darkness game.
The biggest flaw of this product is Chapter 2, which reads more like a general introduction to Storytelling than a part of a book focused on Territories. Despite that, the other two chapters are so good they pick up any slack lost in the middle of the product. Example territories, useful places to put into any game, how territory is gained, lost, changed, and an otherwise complete description of everything that could be included in a setting. Information on how to get characters involved in their territory, how to build a territory with players at the start of a Chronicle, and how to otherwise make territory an important part of the game is presented.
Customer Reviews:
Good start in muddying the waters of werewolf myth.......2006-09-26
The alternative myths concerning werewolves are a good start, but I feel like they didn't go far enough and tended to be a bit more wordy than needed. I would have liked a bit less narrative and more actual concepts. The lodges and mots are alright, but nothing spectacular. The Bale Hound section is the best, offering three different options on what they are and how they operate with the option to mix and match elements of the three to complicate matters further. I would have liked less attention on the descriptions of Bale Hounds dedicated to a specific Maeljin, though, and maybe a few more options.
Excellent book for advanced ST options.......2006-09-18
This book is a wonderful addition to the almost flawless stable of Werewolf the Forsaken supplements. While not quite as broad in scope as Lore of the Forsaken or Blood of the Wolf, this book still has its uses.
First and foremost among these is the in-depth treatment of the Bale Hounds. Werewolves sworn to various archetypical spirits of do-badding (Wrath, Sloth, Lust, Greed, and so on), they feel that the world is on its way to being mastered by negativity, and that they want to be on the winning side. They basically swear to do as much harm as possible and to bring the world closer to what their masters want.
The second focus of the book is on spirit cults- how and why a spirit from the Shadow would want to be the focus of human worship, what sort of benefits and risks come from this activity, and so on. This builds on the spirit stuff talked about in the core book and various supplements, and is another great thing about this book.
The third focus, and something that could have been a bit more in-depth, are various alternate creation myths and the Lodges and Mots (local party-oriented Lodges) who back them up. They're great, and do a fine job of explaining the origin of the Uratha, but the Pure don't really figure in to most of the stories.
This is a fantastic book, especially if you're looking for something to really shake up your players' RP world- nothing says "Apocalyptic doom" like a bunch of werewolves shoring up the power of a local Wound, or a Lodge saying that werewolves are really descended from a king cursed to live as a wolf for his wrongdoings.
Blasphemies presents a mix of quality but still provides many interesting ideas for the Werewolf Storyteller........2006-09-14
The deceptively titled Blasphemies presents only a few pages of alternate creation myths and a few supporting Lodges. By far the book is focused on Storyteller ideas and potential antagonist groups, especially cults and the corrupt Bale Hounds. New Lodges unconnected to anything are presented as well, so there is some material for players too.
The information on spirit cults is, by far, the most interesting part of the book. It is very evocative and does a perfect job of filling the reader with those creepy ideas that work so well in the World of Darkness. Discussion of spirit motivations and why spirits interact with the world is extremely helpful given that spirits are a major part of any Werewolf: The Forsaken game.
The alternate creation myths are interesting and creative. The Lodges are flavorful and have an aura of mystery about them, though they are narrowly focused. The chapter on Bale Hounds, corrupt Werewolves dedicated to the seven deadly sins, provides a more subversive antagonist for Storytellers who want a more tangible foe than most spirits provide.
Customer Reviews:
The Ideal Game Setting for Werewolf the Forsaken.......2007-07-02
This book is the signature setting book for the Werewolf the Forsaken role playing game and as such, it offers a wealth of information to this excellent game.
Essentially, Hunting Grounds takes the various abstract concepts introduced in the corebook and puts them into an actual context. You ever wondered what the spiritual struggle for a city looks like? Denver is undergoing exactly that kind of struggle. You ever wondered what an extended family of werewolves looks like? Bingo. You want to see how the various werewolf packs play off each other in terms of politics? It's in here. You want to see exactly how werewolves act like spiritual police to the spirits that they've been assigned to corral? Hunting Grounds explains it all.
Consequently, there is a ton of ideas that weren't mentioned in the core rulebook. For example, even after all of this time, there's still dinosaur spirits hanging around the spiritual wilds of Denver, although they've survived for so long that they're more a collection of sharp teeth and claws than an actual spirit representative of Denver. There's warped parodies of werewolves left over from a confrontation from a Great Old One-like spirit that was destroyed some time ago. There's too much interesting stuff to list, really. It's the kind of thing where you just have to buy the book.
The opening fiction details the Black Moon Extreme pack as they hunt vampires - and they do about as well as you'd expect a pack with the word "extreme" in their names to do. The fiction seems honestly out of place - more tuned to the cartoon rock and roll of Werewolf: The Apocalypse, rather than the subtle, understated horror of the new World of Darkness. I mention this specifically because there's a fight between a werewolf on a motorcycle and an all-black Hummer on a crowded road, which seems somewhat contrary to the spirit of the game. The chapters breaks do an excellent job of portraying this kind of thing - both the traditional horror roots of werewolves, as in an excerpt from the 18th century man being chased by werewolves, and in the modern day, as in a description of the aftermath of a hunt.
Much of the book is taken up with the various packs that occupy the Denver area. The structure of this book borrows a page out of Vampire the Requiem game line, by detailing the local power structure and then offering new werewolf packs ample space to move in and interact with them. And since werewolves don't infight nearly as often as vampires do, there's options provided for each pack that allows the storyteller (GM) to use them as adversaries or as allies, complete with a story hook for each possibility, which is really nicely done.
The local sample packs themselves range from the interesting to the average. For instance, there's a group of survivalist werewolves - the Red Knives - who have their own compound up in the Rockies, and whose members have names like "Phantom" and "Ranger" and "Snap". They're fairly undifferentiated, but they've got a small cult of humans back at their compound who are fully aware of the existence of werewolves - a fascinating idea that seems to merit more explanation than it actually gets. As a werewolf pack, they're kind of uninspired, but imagine the fun that you could have throwing ordinary humans up against them. The Scar Angels are a werewolf biker gang, but with the sole exception of Smoke, the group's "face man" and travelling salesmen, they pretty much look like the picture that you get in your head when you hear the words werewolf bike gang.
A major NPC pack is the Pickering family - a family of Bone Shadow werewolves who seem to embody the ancestral curse aspect of lycanthropy - two sons have already died before seeing their 21st birthdays, and the third is only six months away and terrified. The rest of the family have their own agendas, but all of them wind up in the family crypt, the site of the pack's locus. The Shadow of Smoke and Fire lost one of its members to an attack by the Pure, and is walking wounded until somebody - either the Pure or the PC's - intervene. Black Moon Extreme is a rock band whose members are vampire-hunting werewolves, but the book makes them work. (Part of that is that a lot of the other werewolf packs think that they're kinda goofy too.)
There are also a lot of packs dedicated to one of the central plot points of the book - Max Roman's attempt to create a true werewolf nation, as opposed to scattered packs with no central organization. Gurdilag provided a major incentive for werewolves to cooperate, and allowed Max to wield a lot of political power, but now that the central threat is gone, many of the werewolves who joined Max - including a legendary werewolf - see Max's vision as contrary to the basic idea of what werewolves are supposed to be like. Some of the multi-tribal packs are beginning to fragment as they question if Roman's plan is going anywhere at all. At the same time, the Pure werewolves somehow figured out how to coordinate a major attack on Denver in the past, so the choice of whether the werewolves will act as a nation or as separate packs may not be as academic as it sounds. The PCs, if they play their cards right, could be the founders of the Forsaken werewolf nation.
The next chapter describes Denver and its environs, and it's here that we really get the good stuff. Denver's recently been freed from the spiritual domination of Gurdilag, but the resulting power vacuum and absence of hierarchy has basically laid everything to waste. Spirits who would otherwise fill specific needs have been forced to find new ways to survive, merging with their fellow spirits for protection and creating monstrosities in the bargain. The spiritual dogfight that's occurring in Denver is spelled out in remarkably clear terms:
"...spirits up and down the hierarchy are jostling for position and influence over their neighbors, making alliances and consuming those weaker than themselves. Spirits of buildings fight one another over who will become the spirit of the block, the winner then vies with other blocks to become the spirit of the neighborhood - at which point new building-spirits fight over who will fill the vacant position of spirit of the block."
The core book may have given general examples of how spirits interact with each other, but this makes it nice and specific - providing an actual illustration of how it clicks together.
The next chapter develops information on the Pure tribes who reside in the local area. We find out more about what the Pure are like - motivations, plans, goals. We get two sample packs - Howl to Mock the Dead, which ripped up the Shadows of Smoke and Fire, and the Guardians of Mountain Pass, responsible for guarding the mountain pass that winds through the Rocky Mountains. We also get the Bale Hounds described, but not as fully as I'd like. Their black and white morality seem rather radically out of joint in comparison to the much grayer world around them, and the suggested activities for Bale Hounds - using a human sex club for worship of the dark Lust spirit. Great stuff.
The Su'ur are werewolves who were radically warped by Gurdilag, usually resulting from when Gurdilag took a spirit and mashed it up against the werewolf without really thinking the result through. The resulting tragic hybrids make much better rivals for Werewolf: The Forsaken than the Bale Hounds do, as they're not entirely at fault for their condition - but they have to be killed. (Not that their new powers make that easy.) There's even a guy who's able to borrow the skills and powers of the werewolves that he eats, which shades into the Skin Changers of the early years of Werewolf: The Apocalypse. While the spirit responsible for creating the Su'ur in the Denver area has been - supposedly - destroyed, it's easy enough to say that all of the idigam who are returning to Earth from their long sleep are starting to pull the same trick.
The book closes with storytelling tips, including a recap of the various roles that the various werewolf tribes play within the Denver area and a general fleshing out of the main themes of the book. There's also a short adventure whose new totem is actually a corrupted spirit masquerading as a catamount - a mountain lion - which is slowly corrupting them. The story involves them investigating the weird afflictions affecting regional loci, then meet up with a dying Pureborn werewolf who fingers the affected pack as the ones responsible.
The artwork in the book really varies. The packs are all illustrated by the same artist, which offers continuity throughout the book.
Overall Hunting Grounds basically follows through on the promise made by the original game, expanding and explaining what the game's actually supposed to be about, predators who hunt. This setting book is a must-buy for anybody who's got Werewolf: The Forsaken.
Customer Reviews:
Useful for a beginner.......2006-11-07
I bought this for my wife, as she was going to ST for the first time, and she has found it to be very useful. The information on it is very useful for those who have not memorized the rules yet, altough I have less use for it, as I have a firm grasp of the rules, and I know where to flip in the book to find the relevent passage. I will say, however, that even then it has sped up my own sessions some, if I can't remember, say, the bonus on a transformation or something like that.
What a GM screen should be.......2006-02-23
As far as gamemaster screens go, this is a quality example in two ways:
1) On the inside (facing the Storyteller) are just about all the charts and tables you could want. I'm sure someone will find a table or chart that's missing, but this spread covers the range of what you're likely to use in the average game session--from Lunacy effects to combat to Harmony degeneration to suggestions for Spirit Chiminage to experience costs. Keeps things moving for a Storyteller who has to come up with the answer to something on the spur of the moment.
2) This screen, like the Vampire and Mage screens in the same line, is made from the same stock as the hardcovers. That means it's thicker and sturdier than those flimsy screens we used to use in the old days. This one won't get torn or frayed with casual use. And it easily stands up by itself, too.
Hey, either you use screens when running games or you don't. If you do, then this is money well spent. If nothing else, it'll save you from having to flip through the book or memorize tons of info.
Meh...At least it is a hard cover........2005-09-20
I was pleased to find out it was a hard cover screen. But dismayed to find that only 1 panel was different from the VtR screen.
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