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 <your name>
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 <supposed to be>
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.
<Note: Joel Sax wrote an interesting alternative to the
'standard' Werewolf Cosmology. I can't recall what it described,
nor can I find my archive of it.>
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.
<cont'd>