Werewolf: The Forsaken

List Price: $34.99 Discount Price: $16.99

Customer Reviews:

Probably the BEST of White Wolf's rpg's! [Posted on 2007-07-04]
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.

Leader of the pack [Posted on 2007-07-20]
Some of you may have read my review of Requiem. If not, then allow me to retread some of it in order to preface this review.

When the Original World of Darkness ended, White Wolf promised something new to those who had been longtime fans and players of its games. They released Requiem first, but it wasn't until Forsaken hit the shelves that the promise was really fulfilled.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse was about a dying race's futile fight. Geopolitics and ecological concerns injected themes that were off topic for the subject matter.

Forsaken lacks these flaws.

The mechanics, though sometimes convoluted, are strong. They serve the themes of the game in unique and interesting ways.

The presentation is complete, and conveys the primal nature of the werewolf. The mythology feels old, as if told from the beginning of time. The individual psychologies of the various factions are understandable, compelling, and complex.

The setting itself focuses on a much more tightly constrained level than its predecessor. Instead of a large region, the pack is intended to take charge of a small territory, dealing with the brutal threats of other packs, while at the same time hunting in the spirit world... both because it is their nature, and because it is their responsibility.

Nothing save a few minor terms from Apocalypse are reused, although some concepts see resurgence (the spectrum of forms is nearly the same, and the five auspices are similar to their old counterparts.... though care was taken to make the new renditions distinct from the older versions). There are small nods to the old game, but generally speaking the themes, cosmology, and setting are all new.

Though the Breeds of Apocalypse have been Excised (all werewolves descend from human lineages), the society and psychology of the Forsaken are remarkably lupine, and the game takes care to emphasize that fact. A legal code is counterpointed with a morality trait (a first for a Werewolf game) that allows the characters to find an animal ethic in acts that would be monsterous to a normal human. Make no mistake, Werewolves are savage beasts, not shape shifting world savers.

As with Requiem, this game lacks a metaplot. The world is for the storyteller to develop... but discussion of past events, and history goes far to make the setting feel as though it were genuinely alive.

I daresay there's more wolf in the core rulebook of Forsaken than there was in the entire revised edition of Apocalypse... and in a game called 'Werewolf', that's a good thing.

Great quality [Posted on 2007-12-07]
The book is great. It is a good way for those who want to start playing the WoD.

Bestial Fury and Elegant Symbolism through a Dark Lens [Posted on 2007-12-14]
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.

Much different than Werewolf: Apocalypse [Posted on 2008-04-25]
Different system; better IMO. Wold of Darkness book will be a help in understanding this system.

Click here for more details and discount information...