I promised Hunting Grounds last week, and I’d be remiss to break that promise. Let’s get on with it!
Hunting Grounds are a chance to take a look through a werewolf’s eyes at specific parts of the world. Each one takes a location and uses it to present not just a place or an idea, but a combination of the two. As a designer, they’re ways to show off different themes present in the game, and different modes they could run in. One area might have a pack of Wolf-Blooded and humans alone, set out to prove that they’re just as good at the Siskur-Dah as werewolves. Another shows a truce between Forsaken and Pure, a third shows what happens when tribe is just another label rather than a core part of a character’s philosophy. A fourth has a large Lodge of Ghost Wolves who would be a tribe.
As we did in Blood & Smoke, the Idigam Chronicle is going arond the world. Last I checked, we have two locations in the USA, three in Europe, one in the Middle East, one in Japan, and one in Australia. I’m really glad that we’ve managed to get such a broad range into the book, especially because the writers have significantly more experience of the areas involved than “looked it up on Wikipedia.”
On a strictly prosaic level, Hunting Grounds are a straight-up start of a game. Want to run a story involving tense relations between a powerful union of Uratha, a demented spirit-goddess, and an idigam? Set the story in Bristol. Want a story about werewolves that eschew tribal differences and hunt humans walking the Shadow? Set it in Tokyo. They’re an instant starting point, each one poised at a great spot for the characters to leap in and change things. And if none of them grab you, they’re still in the book as inspiration for what you might do yourself. Pick a place that interests you and some part of Werewolf that you want to explore, and go nuts. Try to get a feel for the place. Go on Google Maps and do some street-view tours so you can get a sense of how a given place is like what you expect, and how it isn’t — Florida houses aren’t renowned for their deep and spacious basements, after all. Ask on our forums for interesting local flavour, but keep it at just flavour. You’re trying to convey the sense of a place, so you don’t need to get bogged down in specific details.
Just remember, whatever events you come up around the werewolf population only holds until the characters get involved. They may not change the world on a daily basis, but they will change the small part of it they live in. They might make an alliance with the Three River Pack or really piss off the Few Against Many. How will that change their relationship with the other packs around them? If they anger or kill the spirit of a river, then every pack close to the river will want to know why — or maybe the spirit was a complete tool and those packs were helping out.
Here’s a draft of one of the Hunting Grounds, set around the MacDonnell Ranges in Australia, so you can see what I’m getting at.
Speaking of getting a sense of location, I don’t think anyone does it finer than George Gershwin. While the Rhapsody in Blue is supposedly about all of the USA, so much of it acts as a musical description of New York City specifically. This recording of a performance by the London Symphony Orchestra is one of the best. The André Previn touch certainly doesn’t hurt.
I don’t know what to talk about in two weeks’ time, so as promised I’m opening the floor. Ask me a question (ideally about the Idigam Chronicle) and I’ll answer it. Alternatively, you can suggest a post topic for the future. I’ll go through them all when I start the next Forsaken Friday and there we go. I will be weighting popular questions/topics. Here’s how this will work:
- Check to see if your topic/question or something similar is already suggested.
- If not, leave a comment with your suggestion in bold — if you’re not sure how to do that, copy-paste this in to the comments: <strong> Question goes here </strong>
- If so, reply to that comment with something along the lines of “+1”, “I’d like to see this”, “I’ll buy you a pint if you answer this one”, or similar.
I may not answer some questions even though they’re really popular. That might be because I don’t know myself, I can’t talk about the answer, or one of myriad other reasons. But I’m not going to shoot down a good suggestion. If we get questions rather than topics, I’ll try to answer two or three at a time, deal?
Do werewolves of different locations have wolf forms that more strongly resemble the wolves of that particular area’s wild dog populations? Would wulfs in Africa appear more as wild dogs while Australian wulfs appear more as Dingos?
Love the posts!!! In addition to all the new and refined settings we will have updated take in the pure and bale hounds?
+1 I’d really like to see this.
As much I love almost all the choices for each gameline’s signature city (save Changeling and Miami, which never quite clicked with me), I actually really love this as a way of location setting for the gamelines. It doesn’t just give you a bunch of places to drop a campaign in, rather than just one, it also expands your mind as to what the gameline can be and what plots you can run.
B & S really blew open my thought process on how to run Vampire with it’s cities.
I don’t think you’ve talked much about Lodges. I’d really love hear some about what the thought process behind those is going to be.
+1
+1
I’ll sign that suggestion.
Agreeing to lodges. Pint, et cetera.
Suh-weeet! I love the idea of the Fire-Walkers. 😀
Also, +1 to Lodges. Although I’d love to hear more about the Pure as well, I’m pretty sure I recall you (or someone..?) saying that they don’t really get much air-time in IC.
+1. I’m also curious as to what support, if any, IC provides for “higher-tier” games that operate on an organizational level beyond the Pack.
This.
I love the setting material here. Gives an idea of how Uratha might behave differently in different parts of the world and how the origin myth changes to fit more with the local culture.
Personally, I’d like to hear some more about Primal Urge, we know it will increase Uratha’s regeneration and essence, but what other benefits are derived, are there any sensory benefits like in B&S? I’m also wondering what the drawback for an especially high Primal Urge is, are you sticking with essence bleed? I have a suspicion that you’re not.
Agreed, Primal Urge was one of options that didn’t get picked, would like to hear more about it.
I second this
+1 to PU
Where did you see the part about primal urge affecting the regeneration? (overlooked it seemingly).
Else Primal urge +1
+1 Primal Urge
I’d buy you a drink to answer this.
+1 to Primal Urge
+ 1
I’m all for Primal Urge question, then on Logdes one. Pure can wait a bit more.
The Pure, I’d like to hear how they have been changed.
+1 on the Pure
+1
+1 on Pure.
I’ve never run or played a pure game but they are among my favorite antagonists.
+1
+1
I am wondering how much treatment The Pure are going to get, if any.
They’ve always been on of my favorite elements on the game, so please talk about them.
More info on the Pure please or maybe other Antagonists.
Interesting read…
Though it does make me wonder if Kadaitcha might be set against another Kadaitcha in vengeance for one of those serial killings..
Lodges will be good topic.
The Pure tribes was one of the most fearsome, cool and interesting antagonists.
During the spoilers you didn’t say too much about the Anshega.
I think they are ”romantic” in a certain way, I see them like the last savage (ruthless) hunters not only against the uratha, but against the whole concept of ”modernism”.
What about the pure?
Are they completely changed?
They will hunt someone/something like the moon tribes?
Are they more or less fundamentalists ?
Playing the pure in the ”old” edition was a great experience for veterans players. A pure chronicle make you think about social and philosophical questions about humanity, society and modern life style. I saw in them MORE than a bunch o savage predators.
We will se the pure gifts lists? Are they still playable for veteran players?
In one question: where are the pure tribes and what they’ll do in idigam chronicles as antagonists?
Personal conclusion about IC:
Great work as always, my compliment for your work and your time Stew.
Every spoilers was brilliant. This is the best thing Werewolf the forsaken can become.
+1 anshega. Great suggestion!
This as well.
Hunting Grounds is a fantastic idea the way you’ve presented it. My absolute favorite book for Forsaken was the Shadows of the U.K. (I know it wasn’t technically for Forsaken, but as it focused mostly on the Uratha…). The differing viewpoints of the Uratha in the U.K. plus the fantastic setting descriptions (I adore the Other City in Glouchester) made for a thrilling read. I’m excited to see the other Hunting Grounds now!
I’d love to see some more on how Idigam Chronicles will expand the Shadow and Spirits in general; Are there any major changes to the Shadow and the systems there, are there any new Manifestations, will we get more information on how the Claimed condition works (i.e powers and similar, and who exactly CAN be claimed)?
I know, a few questions wrapped under the guide of one, but whatever 😛
How have totems been updated?
Gonna have to +1 this.
Besides the hints in the example Banish rite, what kind of changes or emphasis does the chronicle bring to the Maeljin?
I would love to hear more about Wounds and Wounded spirits.
What does silver do now? How does one initiate the Siskur-Dah – and what are the limits/requirements etc of the Siskur-Dah? In fact, what is the Siskur-Dah – just the rite that was previously spoiled, or, as has been hinted, much more? Any chance for a glance at the death-rage triggers?
+1
The Kadaitcha’s Ban and Bane seem a lot less threatening to them than other spirits’.
We never got Prey Creation rules… That’d be kinda nice to have had, actually. I was always semi-curious about that, but those lost out to other votes.
My own question proposition, as I run game based on confrontation with Bale Hounds.
How works Bale Hounds in Idigam Chronicle, especially with changes to Harmony. Is Soulless Wolf still making the balance to they sins?