Howling At The Moon: Reflections on Werewolf the Apocalypse

I first encountered Werewolf: the Apocalypse in 1994 after playing its sister game, Vampire: the Masquerade. As a keen tree hugger and cynic about the modern world (who'd already toyed with the absurdity of humanity by scribbling notes for something where green politics were rejected because implementing them meant the toilet paper wasn't soft enough) the game caught my imagination, though sadly I haven't played it as much as Vampire. I loved the Tribes and Gifts, and the way that the werewolves (known as Garou in the game) interacted with the world around them. The sense that they were outsiders in the modern world which with how I saw myself seemed fascinating and like it could build into something really powerful. The world building in the line transformed the werewolves from "cool antiheroes" to something far more problematic. Books like Book of the Wyrm and Umbra: the Velvet Shadow, suggested that the Garou were more like a cult than a nation, relying on indoctrination to bind the young werewolves to them. Like most of the games, the focus of the game shifted from the idea that the PCs would be cool if violent (or perhaps cool and violent) to the idea that in many respects that their group caused this mess. 

Vampire vs Werewolf

Now, 30 years after I started roleplaying, my perspective has shifted again - I've grown to view Vampire and Werewolf as contrasting games in a stronger fashion than being about different monsters that thrive in different environments. Today, I see Vampire as a game of pragmatic horror, where characters do terrible things to protect themselves as much as anything. "A monster I am, lest a monster I become," tends to take the shape of corrupting a cop to have them turn a blind eye when you get sloppy feeding or starting a cult to give you easier access to blood. You ghoul someone in the local politician's office so you can make your life easier and cultivate a friendship with another vampire because they have something you want. It's a game born of selfishness, pragmatism, and the question of how your character protects themself. Those little steps lead to the loss of Humanity, but they're little and mean spirited acts the Kindred or Cainite convinces themself they have no choice over. Little justifications ultimately lead to a much bigger loss. 

Werewolf, on the other hand, is a game about idealism and its cousin, extremism. The Garou have a vision of what they would like the world to be like. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say they have a variety of visions, and they squabble over which is better and sabotage each others' plans. As a consequence, the game's as political as Vampire in its own way with divisions and conflicts embedded into its identity. As usual, you might say. The World of Darkness is hardly a stranger to the idea of opposing groups being forced to cooperate, though the groups are usually a little more appealing than the Werewolf Tribes. I say that, not because I dislike the Garou, but because up until 5th edition (which I don't own), they were all extremists in one way or another. All of them are written as being willing to tear apart modern society and let it burn in order to achieve their vision. The game justifies that by giving them horrifying Lovecraftian enemies to battle with the promise of an enemy that's constantly probing at the world, seeking to corrupt it. 

Garou Visions For Gaia

In many ways, the game invites the players to focus on the big scary monsters, and not the systemic problems it portrays. If any game is "woke" in the World of Darkness line, it's arguably this one. We don't really know what the Garou propose for the world - or at least we don't know what most of them propose. The Red Talons obviously want to wipe out most if not all humans, but they alone have a clear vision. The other Tribes are more nebulous, we can assume the Silver Fangs would like to return to a more hierarchical society, and the Uktena and Wendigo want to reclaim their people's lands. We can also assume the Get of Fenris want a winner takes all situation, and probably to expose any child they consider too weak to survive (by the same token, we can assume that any Black Fury male infants would be legitimately exposed by the tribe in their version of utopia). With the other Tribes, only the gods know. 

Werewolf and The Real World

Werewolf is critical of how we live today - opposed to pretty much everything that makes modern society what it is, and enables it to function (if we can say that it does). It's feminist, as LGBT+ as it can be, opposed to capitalism and to the things that cause Climate Change. Without wishing to sound flippant, it's more than happy to tell you its pronouns. 

It doesn't shy away from the material world or what a mess it is, and challenges players and PCs because the true horror isn't the monsters, but the state of the world and the systems that lead people to consuming Pentex's products, that leave people open to possession by evil spirits, that grind hope, love, and joy out of humans' lives. It's the farming system that gases pigs or raises battery chickens and cows, it's the water companies that dump sewage because profit has become more important than doing the right thing. It's even in the forms of entertainment that encourage people to think violence is the answer to any problems... which seems ironic and revolutionary in a game where the PCs are hampered with a deep, burning, rage that could spin out of control at any moment. 

We should probably be glad that in the real world the most eco-campaigners do is throw baked beans over pieces of art or glue themselves to buildings. It's a far cry from the Suffragettes at the start of the 20th Century, throwing themselves under the King's horse or cutting up paintings. While the Far Right has made entryist moves into the Green lobby (just as they have into every lobby and protest group), thus far it seems their appetite for destruction and nihilism hasn't driven anyone into more violent acts.

The Game's Continuing Relevance

Consequently, Werewolf feels like a game that's still topical, perhaps more so than at any other time in its publishing history. The Climate Crisis continues to worsen (though the media greenwashes it as much as they can), in the wake of Covid cults are on the rise, and people with clever ideas and a desperation for change are acting in ways that are usually foolish. At the same time, we're seeing a push to return to traditional ways of living - which could be seen in the light of how many Tribes treat their human and wolf kin. Perhaps its just me and my delusions, but honestly I don't think there's a more relevant game in existence right now. The issues the game addresses, and the hubris of using violence as the answer to any problem at all feel hugely relevant in a world where race riots happened only a few months ago in my country.