Werewolf the Forsaken

by James Kiley, Matthew McFarland, Carl Bowen, et al.

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1588463249
• ISBN13: 9781588463241
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: White Wolf Publishing
• Length: 317 Pages
• Weight: 2.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.7" x 11.2"

Customer Reviews

Bestial Fury and Elegant Symbolism through a Dark Lens

Let's begin by dispelling the idea that this is or should be seen as an update of the older Werewolf: the Apocalypse. Most other reviews of this product begin with the premise that it should be compared to its predecessor, and review this product from there. What follows, then, is a biased description that starts and ends with the other game. This is not Apocalypse. This is a new game. Some elements carry over, some do not. But the themes and stories one tells using it are drastically different and the game deserves to be reviewed on its own flaws and merits and not whether it changes your favorite concept from an earlier game. And from that perspective this game does very well. It mixes many traditional Werewolf concepts with a new spiritual slant. Its "dark animism" themes are entirely appropriate to the horror setting presented in White-Wolf's World of Darkness. Its concepts of pack and the local, territorial focus create a strong set up for a role playing group. It somehow mixes bestial fury and violence with elegant symbolism and mysticism, and presents the whole package through a dark lens that sets up exceptional stories for players to create. Do not be taken in by those who would compare Forsaken to Apocalypse. I've played both. People who prefer the later are looking for something different than what you'll find in this game. That's fine, but do not let them convince you that apples are bad because they prefer oranges.

Probably the BEST of White Wolf's rpg's!

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.

It took me a while, but I'm ready to accept this for what it is

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.

Werewolf the Forsaken: A View of Savage Fury

Some years ago, I had the pleasure of playing Werewolf the Apocalypse alongside the other World of Darkness games and found it interesting and fun but difficult to implement and with little consistency in the rules. Enter the new World of Darkness with its unified rules for the characters. Werewolf the Forsaken is the first game I've run for this new system, but already I've noticed two things from the players. One, they thoroughly enjoy the consistency of the rules, prefering it to the previous World of Darkness. Two, they actually like playing werewolves now! What a difference a little consistency to rules makes. Werewolf the Forsaken has stripped much of Werewolf the Apocalypse away. You still have the five auspices based on the phases of the moon and you have tribes (only five Forsaken tribes and three Pure tribes, but that's more than enough, really). All werewolves, now called Uratha, are born human with at least one human parent and at some point in their lives undergo the First Change. There's the five forms of the werewolf, just like in the first Werewolf game, but now you truly understand why the third form, the classic half-wolf/half-man form is called the battle form and why too much Rage is dangerous. Most characters will be Forsaken, werewolves descended from those first werewolves forced to enact the laws of the wild to commit a terrible action and forever change the world after. The Pure are their enemies, those who hunt the hunters. There's no connection to Gaia or Wyrm to fight. You're savage and primal, trying to balance instinct over reason, and you're both predator and prey. The game just feels different than the old Werewolf. Spirits can be friend or foe, and they make some of the deadliest of foes in this Werewolf. In the end, it was a friend who said it best, "I never thought I'd say this, but I think I like this new World of Darkness better." Easier to play, easier to run. Less metaplot, and the new Werewolf really digs into the heart of what it is to be a werewolf.