Which Werewolf PDF to buy

[Damian May]

If you want the Changing Breeds Anthology reach out to the Author I think he's looking for reviews and may throw a copy your way in exchange.

[ZakRulz]

Thanks Heinrich.

I'm paging through the Storyteller's Vault books on the newest sale. Besides the Wild West Fera fiction book, Mr. Gone's Moldwarps (aka Weremoles) caught my eye. The concept of Weremoles would never have occurred to me. Has anyone here read or used them?

The breedbook Moldwarps only came out like two or three weeks ago.

[Erinys]

Thanks Heinrich.

I'm paging through the Storyteller's Vault books on the newest sale. Besides the Wild West Fera fiction book, Mr. Gone's Moldwarps (aka Weremoles) caught my eye. The concept of Weremoles would never have occurred to me. Has anyone here read or used them?

[heinrich]

I didn't like the book of the Wyld very much.
It is, iirc, mostly detailing the Wyld as a new danger to be incorporated into chronicles. Basically the idea is that there are wyld energies building up for the world has too less space for them. So, they build up and create spots where the wyld runs amok.

[Erinys]

Thanks Heinrich. That doesn't look like it's for me.

What's the Book of the Wyld like? For a player (non-ST) is it spoilery?

[geeklord1]

Storyteller Guide for Revised Edition. It's pure inspiration that gives ideas on how to start a game, a good general knowledge and ideas on how to use that knowledge, how to make Rites feel more interesting, ect.

Wyrm 20th is the best incarnation of Book of the Wyrm and it's filled with antagonists.

Book of the Weaver. It makes the Spider terrifying.

[heinrich]

How well does it work as a Werewolf story? Does Deadlands blend pretty well with Werewolf canon, or are there a lot of differences?

Never ran the adventure. Enjoyed the story, though. Deadlands doesn't fit into WW:WW (or WoD) canon, but the story doesn't try to force that.
The story hook is that the Umbra and Deadland's "Hunting Grounds" are connected, so, albeit dangerous, travel between the universes is possible. Or was possible. With the WoD moving on from Wild West era, the connection might have severed....

[Erinys]

How well does it work as a Werewolf story? Does Deadlands blend pretty well with Werewolf canon, or are there a lot of differences?

[heinrich]

#1 Strange Bedfellows (Adventure + WW:WW => Deadlands)
#2 Savage Passage (Deadlands => WW:WW)
#3 Ground Zero (Scenario for Great Rail Wars)

Links to DriveThruRPG included

[No One of Consequence]

So it's actually a Translation Guide + a novel? Cool.
Edit: Huh, it's a trilogy. Which novel had the rules, #1?

All three IIRC. I'm not even sure if I still have my copies or not, but I think one chapter had how to convert Werewolf to Deadlands and the next chapter was vice versa (I can't recall what was in chapter three; I think rules conversion for their Rail Wars miniatures game).

There was also a Call of Cthulhu/Deadlands cross over novel/adventure, so if you have ever wanted to convert CoC Mythos creatures to Werewolf/WoD, you can two step it.

[Erinys]

So it's actually a Translation Guide + a novel? Cool.
Edit: Huh, it's a trilogy. Which novel had the rules, #1?

[heinrich]

Haven't read it.
But there once was a Deadlands/Werewolf Wild West Crossover. Officially licensed by Pinnacle, who, iirc, did Deadlands back then. It was a fun read and contained conversion rules for both game systems.

[Erinys]

Has anybody read this? https://www.drivethrufiction.com/pro...ales-Anthology

It's not on sale but I'm thinking of getting it. So far it hasn't been reviewed or even rated.

[Black Fox]

If I had to pick the best books because I could only have so many, here would be my choice of top five:

The corebook of your favorite edition
Player's Guide to Werewolf, 2nd edition
Storyteller's Handbook, 1st edition
Axis Mundi
Umbra: the Velvet Shadow

If I could expand it more, I'd add
Ways of the Wolf
W20 Book of the Wyrm
Caerns: Places of Power
Rage Across New York
Rage Across Appalachia

The Player's Guides have information essential to any Werewolf chronicle, and I think the second edition is superior to both the first and revised editions. The second edition has more material than revised. Revised expanded sections for the areas it did cover, but I don't think its superior information or presentation compared to second edition. Revised also has a problem with omitting established canon either because they forgot it or changed it.

I think the first edition Storyteller's Handbook is much superior to the revised one. It has many things simply not mentioned elsewhere including example creatures of various types to serve as inspiration, the only discussion of Imperial Moots I can remember, examples of additional seasonal rites which could inspire some STs, covering Kinfolk and Kami, and providing some good, but short essays on roleplaying and chronicle design.

Ways of the Wolf only does a so-so job explaining lupus behavior and is probably out of date with real wolf behavior science, but it also has many things I believe are critical to the game that aren't mentioned elsewhere. It has the stats of the Great Beasts mentioned in the Gift that summons them, more fetishes and talens appropriate for lupus, some interesting foes, examples of sanctified plants, and more. Much of the important information doesn't get repeated elsewhere.

I would pick W20 Book of the Wyrm over its antecedents only because it is much more comprehensive than the others. It has its flaws like the others, but you'll get a bigger bang for your buck to go with it.

There are many things I don't like about Caerns: Places of Power, but since it provides so many different caerns, it is very good to be able to compare them and see what they have in common and what changes. I'd use it less as canon than inspiration. It is also the only place that includes the Rite of Luna's Spear which creates a moon bridge that can be used to attack another caern. I don't understand why this rite is not included in subsequent materials.

Werewolf doesn't have any regional sourcebooks that approach the gold standard of Chicago By Night or Montreal By Night, which no matter their flaws are extremely useful as a model for STs to create their own chronicle setting. However, there are two Rage books I consider far superior to the others, and if read in detail can provide some good guidance. Those are Rage Across New York and Rage Across Appalachia. But have pronounced flaws, but they come closest to hitting the right spot.

In general, I am not a fan of the Revised edition materials. They look great, but metaplot considerations eliminates a lot of the sharper edges that made earlier Werewolf setting much more interesting.

[Damian May]

That would imply multiple versions are available on Drivethru RPG.

No. The one on Drivethru is the one Paradox butchered, I'm not even sure if the other one ever made it into the wild, unfortunately.