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Werewolf: The Apocalypse

Werewolf: The Apocalypse is a role-playing game of the Classic World of Darkness game series by White Wolf Publishing. Other related products include the collectible card games named Rage and several novels (including one series). In the game, players take the role of werewolves known as "Garou". These werewolves are locked in a two-front war against both the spiritual desolation of urban civilization and supernatural forces of corruption that seek to bring the Apocalypse. Game supplements detail the other shape-shifters.

Designers

Mark Rein·Hagen

  • 1992 (ed. 1)
  • 1994 (ed. 2)
  • 2000 (Revised Edition)
  • 2013 (20th Anniversary Edition)[1]
  • 2023 (5th Edition)

Savage horror

Storyteller System

Along with the other titles in the World of Darkness, Werewolf was discontinued in 2004. Its successor title within the Chronicles of Darkness line, Werewolf: The Forsaken was released on March 14, 2005.


The books have been reprinted since 2011 as part of the "Classic World of Darkness" line. A series of 48-page comic books was published quarterly beginning in November 2001 by Moonstone Books.[2]

Player character creation[edit]

Players are given the opportunity to create Garou, the werewolves of the setting, or their allies or rivals. Lycanthropy in the World of Darkness setting is an inherited trait, and thus players are born with their abilities. However, these abilities only manifest in what is called the “first change”: an event, generally occurring during puberty, that causes the character's latent powers to surface. Players are given the opportunity to have their character inherently know that the Garou exist, or be an effective “orphan” from Garou society, necessitating discovery by others. It is after this point that they join that society and cut off their ties to their previous worlds, except to make sure their blood relatives remain safe.


There are three archetypes that the player can use that define how their character was born, referred to as a "breed" in the games. A Garou's parents are generally one Garou and a non-Garou human or wolf with strong Garou heritage, referred to as kinfolk.[3] Garou with human parentage are called "homid," and Garou of wolf parentage are "lupus.” There is also the option to play as a “metis,” a Garou born from the union of two Garou parents; metis are born already transformed, have horns, and are infertile and deformed, and usually result in the death of the mother. Such unions are forbidden in Garou society. Each breed has its own benefits and disadvantages. In addition to these variables, players select the lunar phase under which the character was born (the “auspice”) and the tribe to which the character belongs. Each of these contributes to the advantages the character may enjoy. More advanced rules include references to other “changing breeds” in this world.

In the April 1993 edition (Issue 192), Swan was not impressed by the editing: "Much of the book is haphazardly organized; the section on storytelling precedes the chapter on character creation, breed types are introduced in Chapter Two but not detailed until Chapter Six, and I had to search three chapters to round up all the pertinent material about Renown. Skills lack adequate descriptions; specialties are barely described at all.” However, he still gave the game a thumbs up, saying, "With its emphasis on storytelling over mechanics, Werewolf gets closer to the heart of what role-playing’s supposedly all about than any new game I’ve seen in a long time."

[14]

However, 18 months later, in the October 1994 edition (Issue 210), Swan had revised his opinion after a long play-test. He said "I couldn’t keep track of the complicated mythology (What the heck is the Impergium?), my players weren’t sure how their characters were supposed to behave (What is it you do with totems again?), and none of us were able to keep the tribes straight (Are the Shadow Lords trying to overthrow the Silver Fangs, or vice versa?). The Werewolf game was great, to be sure. But it made us feel stupid. So we gave up." Swan did give a thumbs up to the recently published Werewolf Player's Guide, which he called "a handy — make that indispensable — tome that clarifies the game’s murkier concepts."

[15]

#1 (Sept., 1994)

Valkyrie

#72 (Nov 1992)[19]

Casus Belli

Dosdediez (Número 8 - Jul 1996)

[20]

Rollespilsmagasinet Fønix (Danish) (Issue 3 - July/August 1994)

[21]

- Revised Edition[22]

Pyramid

In 1995, White Wolf Publishing released , a collectible card game based on the Werewolf property.

Rage

A PC adventure game named Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of Gaia were developed by and ASC Games but the companies went bankrupt before it finished.[23]

DreamForge Intertainment

A /Sega Saturn game by Capcom titled Werewolf: The Apocalypse was announced[24][25] but cancelled in early 1997.[26]

PlayStation

, a visual novel role-playing video game developed by Different Tales, was released on October 13, 2020.[27]

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest

, an action role-playing video game, was developed by Cyanide[28][29] and released on February 4, 2021 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood

Official website