Newsgroups: alt.games.whitewolf Subject: WORLD OF DARKNESS: FAQ 2 of 5 From: [r j kirkpatric] at [ualr.edu] (RJK) Date: 17 Jan 94 09:03:53 CST Date: Sun, 7 Nov 93 20:48:13 -0800 From: [d--r--e] at [efn.org] (Deird'Re Brooks) To: Multiple recipients of list <[vampire l] at [wizards.com]> Subject: WoD FAQ, pt 2 II. The Storyteller games and the World of Darkness ---------------------------------------------------- What is the Storyteller System? It is a series of Role Playing Games that stresses role playing over rule playing, character and plot development over dice rolling. There are 3 published games using the system, and two more in the works. In addition, there is a Storyteller Game being produced by cooperative effort between White Wolf and Mayfair games. Mayfair will be publishing it and it will be called D.O.A. It will not be set in the World of Darkness. What is the World of Darkness? It is the Gothic-Punk world that is a twisted, dark reflection of our own. Every problem we have now is a little worse there. As it says in Vampire: The Masquerade, 2nd Edition: "The world of Vampire is not our world - at least not quite. It is a Gothic-Punk vision of our world, a place of extremes - monolithic, majestic and altogether twisted. The government is corrupt, the culture is bankrupt, and the decadent mortals revel in the flames of the final days. It is a world where the forces of evil and entropy are even more powerful than they are in our world. It is a world of darkness." A brief description of the Storyteller Games: Vampire, A Storytelling Game of Personal Horror - "Oh my God I'm a Monster!" In Vampire, you are a bloodsucking creature of the night. You are forced to `live' with the fact that to survive you must drink the blood of others. You must not give in to the Beast which lives within you, for if you do, your soul is that much closer to insanity and bestiality. But to avoid giving in fully, you must give in a little at a time. Such is the Riddle of Kindred unlife: "A Beast I am, lest a Beast I become." You cannot tell the canaille - the mortals - of your kind, for they would band together and destroy you and yours. There are other ways, however. You can join the Sabbat, who follow Paths of Enlightenment which allows them to give in to their Beast without losing their minds. Or you can follow the long, treacherous road to Golconda, which balances the Beast with your humanity. On top of all this, the other Kindred are engaged in an eternal war of intrigue, deception, and sometimes even outright conflict. This is the Jyhad, and nearly all Kindred, except the enigmatic Inconnu, are involved. Some as manipulators, some as pawns. Many are both, unfortunately. But all this scheming and manipulating will be at an end soon for the Gehenna is near, when the Antediluvian founders of the Clans arise to slake their thirst with the only blood they find nutritious - Kindred Vitae. Werewolf, A Storytelling Game of Savage Horror - "Oh my God, I'm a Monster, and Gaia is dying!" In Werewolf, you are a Garou, one of the Changing Breed. You are Gaia's immune system, trying to fight off the diabolical and corrupting influence of the Wyrm before it brings creation to a stagnant, corrupt Apocalypse. Many will die in the fight, and even the fight itself seems hopeless, but you must continue to Rage, to fight the Wyrm's minions, or the Apocalypse will be far worse than you can imagine. The armies of the Wyrm are legion. As if they were not enough, part of the reason for the ascendance of the Wyrm, the cities, spawned by the Weaver and built by humans, are still expanding, the choking pollution spreading outward like pus from an infected wound. There are many puppets of the Wyrm to fight - the Vampires who are at least partly responsible for the cities. There is Pentex, that unimaginably huge corporation dedicated to raping Gaia until she has nothing left to give. You do not have as much to fear about the Homids discovering you, though. Your presence is protected by the Veil, which sends them running away in fear, leaves them frozen in panic and causes them to forget they saw you. But the reasons for this is one of the monumental crimes of Garou history - the Impergium. For a time, the Garou limited human population by violence, thus causing humans to group together in cities for strength. In fact, the Impergium caused humans to continue grouping in ever larger numbers, building more and larger cities, allowing the Weaver to gain more strength. Eventually the Wyrm could not balance the Weaver's constructs and was woven into the pattern web,eventually losing its sanity. Now the Wyrm is helping the Weaver destroy the Wyld. You are the defenders of the Wyld, the protectors of Gaia. You must do all you can to stop or forestall the Apocalypse, both in the physical world most people believe is the sum of reality, and the Tellurian, the spirit plane also known as the Umbra. Mage, The Storytelling Game of Modern Magic "Don't let the _other_ guy Immanentize the Eschaton." In Mage, you are one of the Awakened, a person who can alter reality with but a thought, and probably a wave of your wand/sword/ohmmeter. You are a member of one of the Traditions dedicated to gaining Ascension, either for yourself, your Tradition, or even all of Humanity. Yes, you can throw fireballs and lightning bolts as the Mages of Legend have done, but the forces of Paradox keep you from doing it often, if at all. Paradox is what keeps reality in line with what the Sleepers believe it is, and most Sleepers do not possess an active belief in Magick. So you must often disguise your Magick in ways that can be explained away, thus Static or Coincidental Magick, which rarely attracts Paradox. Another reason for this is the Technocracy. The Technocracy and its Conventions have, over the last several centuries, enforced the dogmatic scientific viewpoint upon reality, thus causing the Paradigm to shift from the Mythic Age of Medieval times to the Scientific Age that exists now. They fear that which comes from the Umbra and wish to block the Spirit Plane from the physical world. Their form of Ascension brings everyone to an equal level, whether it be mediocre or otherwise. The Technocracy has also enforced a Pogrom against the Traditions to prevent interference from them. There are also the chaotic Marauders who desire a return to the Mythic Age, without regard to the consequences. And the Nephandi, who wish to achieve Ascension via Infernal means. Along with the Conventions, these groups are the Traditions' greatest foes. Wraith, The Storytelling Game of Death and Damnation - "Oh my God, I'm dead!" This installment is scheduled for release August, 1994. It seems that this one will be about playing ghosts, wraiths, spectres, shades, spirits and other beings no longer among the living, without so much as a body to their name. Mark Rein*Hagen's stated intent is to write a game that will make you so uncomfortable you will only play it once. Sam Chupp tells us it is scary(!) and that it gives him Nightmares. Changeling "Oh my god, I'm not human! Oh my what? Huh?" This installment is scheduled for release August, 1995. I believe that you are intended to become one of those lucky few known as Changelings - You were born human and raised by Faerie or you were born Faerie and raised by humans. Perhaps something in between. White Wolf has not said anything about it as yet. How can I reach White Wolf? Their address is; White Wolf Game Studio 4598-B, Stonegate Ind. Blvd Stone Mtn. GA, 30083 USA Public relations can be reached at (404)292-1819, Travis Williams. His e-mail address is [brujah 1] at [aol.com] Sam Chupp has mentioned that White Wolf will someday be connected with UUCP, thusly on-line with Internet and every other e-mail service known to humanity, or very nearly. III. The Camarilla ------------------ What is the Camarilla? It is a fan club for Vampire: The Masquerade. There is a fan club for Werewolf forming also, called the Concordiat. The Camarilla sponsors Live Action events for Conventions and similar events. How do I join? Send a check or money order for $15.00 to: The Camarilla 8314 Greenwood Ave. N. Box 2850 Seattle, WA 98103 Is there a Mailing list for the Camarilla? Yes, there is. send e-mail to [l--ts--v] at [wizards.com], with a blank subject line. Body of text should be: sub camarilla-l IV. Cosmology -------------- There are multiple viewpoints of reality provided in the Storyteller installments. These views rarely coincide in a manner that makes sense in an objective universe. Vampires - They really do not have much of a unified view. Several individual Clans and Bloodlines have their own viewpoints, notably the Malkavians and Ravnos. Look for the upcoming Book of Nod (See upcoming products list toward the end) for more information regarding Vampiric worldviews. Werewolves - They believe that Earth is personified by a Celestine named Gaia, and that all things are created by the Wyld, formed by the Weaver and balanced by the Wyrm. Unfortunately, their legends say, the Weaver became conscious and was driven insane. In an attempt to stop the Weaver, the Wyrm was woven into the Pattern Web and also went insane. The two of them now try to destroy the Wyld. This is reflected in the rise of cities, technology, pollution, nuclear weapons and the destruction of many animal species, natural places, and the environment in general. Mages - Their view is even more complicated. The Mages believe that reality is shaped by the beliefs and expectations of the Sleepers, normal humans. So whatever is accepted by society as a whole is true. Modern Sleepers accept science and technology, so they are the dominant forces in the world. This belief also creates Paradox Spirits which look for the breaches in reality that Magick causes and attempts to stop them from occuring, sometimes killing the Mage outright in doing so. This process creates Static Reality. The Mages can impose their will on the universe for a time, in the process creating Dynamic Reality, although this attracts Paradox.