The name California comes from a Spanish novel Las Sergas de Esplandián, which mentioned a mythical island inhabited only by black-skinned Amazon women, led by a warrior queen named Calafia. Sound vaguely familiar? What exactly did the Spanish encounter when they first started exploring the Baja peninsula? The Uktena will tell you that they and their brothers were the only ones in the Pure Lands before the arrival of the “Wyrmcomers”, but I believe our ties to this land go back further than most think.
Even so, you would think Los Angeles might be a horrible place for the Garou. The air pollution. The traffic. The urban sprawl. The traffic. The dominance of the Weaver. The traffic. What? An Ahroun wouldn’t last five minutes on the 405 before frenzying. That’s all I’m sayin’.
But somehow we find a way to make it work. Not just the Gnawers and the Walkers with their urban caerns. Within minutes of the city—well, depending on traffic—you have the over 150,000 acre Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, containing plenty of wilderness for rural Garou. And even within the confines of the city, there’s a modest amount of wilds in Griffith Park.
Also, for a city so dedicated to spewing toxins into the air, or perhaps because of that, you can find plenty of people and businesses devoted to green and sustainability initiatives. Maybe they’re only a small percentage of the populace, but in a city of almost 4 million people, even a tiny percentage adds up to a lot of allies.
I can show you more, but we better wait until night. Like I said, an Ahroun on the 405 during rush hour… Not a good combination.
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Please check this forum thread before submitting a character: https://storium.com/forums#/category/lfp/thread/cgngdb
What’s going on: This is a game of Werewolf: The Apocalypse set in Los Angeles. I’m using the 20th Anniversary Edition, but if you are only familiar with earlier editions, you should be fine. If you don’t have WtA, but are familiar with World of Darkness, Classic or New, you should be fine. If you haven’t played any White Wolf games, you are still welcome to join, but you’ll have to work with me on the character concept. If you aren’t familiar with Los Angeles, know that there is a lot of traffic. If you are familiar with Los Angeles, know that I’m a former Westsider that thought that everything east of La Cienega was the land of hipsters and too far to drive to. And yet I’d still drive to the Valley. Even though I’d complain about it.
Tone: I believe the game’s tagline was “A Game of Savage Horror.” So there you go. I marked the game NSFW, mostly for the initial incident the werewolves will be asked to look into, which involves a slaughter of babies and pregnant women by Black Spiral Dancers. I promise it’s not purely for shock value and part of the game will be exploring the Garou’s tendency to see things in black and white. And I don’t like writing graphic details of splatterpunk, so while all the horror themes associated with fomori and BSDs will be present, they won’t be described with lurid prose. Also, I promise the game won’t be entirely a downer, and there’ll still be elements of action and humor in the game.
Number of players: I’ll be recruiting 7 or 8 people, only because I expect the requisite number of dropouts. Ideally, it will stabilize around 5-7 players.
Player roles: I created a number of character concepts as Natures. You aren’t required to use these concepts, but they’re there to serve as a template. Also feel free to use those concepts but tweak the Breed, Tribe, or Auspice. You aren’t required to be in a Camp. I just like them. I did not include any Lupus, Red Talons, or Wendigo, because I don’t think they really work for the setting, but feel free to try to convince me otherwise.
Most importantly, I’d like to start the game with a functional pack, so you should probably talk to other players and work out character concepts that would gel together. One of the characters will be Alpha of the pack. I think there should be an OOC element to that decision, as it should be someone who can be on frequently and won’t hold up the game if she can’t be on for a few days.
And yes, the pack structure means no misunderstood loner werewolves. Sorry. They’re a social race. :(
If there are enough Garou for a pack, I’m also willing to accept Fera characters, primarily Corax, Nuwisha, and Bastet (Pumonca, Qualmi, and with a good backstory, Bubasti). Your characters would have to have a reason to work with the pack, and the pack would have to have a reason to work with you. Also keep in mind that you won’t always be allowed in some of the places the werewolves go.
Power scale: The characters will be Fostern or Adren (or the equivalent second or third ranks for the Fera). But you can be a Cliath if you really want to. If your character is an Adren, try to include some notable deeds that earned you that renown in your backstory. Everyone can also have three dots worth of Fetish, because I’m nice.
Player Control: Feel free to make up and control minor NPCs, items, businesses, etc. Also feel free to narrate minor interactions with the other players, like nodding or listening, so it won’t feel like your character is monologuing. Please coordinate with the other player if you want to put actual dialogue in the characters’ mouths or have them perform any major actions.
Also, for any challenges, if you are the one taking control of the outcome, please try to acknowledge, when appropriate, all the moves that have gone toward addressing a challenge. It’s always disheartening when you make the effort to contribute to a challenge, only to have it invalidated by the last person who makes a move that totally ignores everything that has gone on prior. If this happens, I will ask for a revision. I’m not asking for a recap of all the cards played toward the challenge. What I am asking is that what you write for the outcome logically flows from all the cards played. That includes weak cards played on an eventual strong outcome and vice-versa. I know the cards and moves don’t always flow smoothly, but try your best.
Also, unless specifically stated on the challenge card, treat undecided outcomes the same as strong outcomes.
First scene will be: The end of your pack totem quest. This will be an opportunity for your werewolf to explain his or her renown worthy deeds. This will also be an opportunity to provide backstory for how the werewolves have worked together in the past and why they belong in a pack together.
Hosted and narrated by:
Chase Variant (Chase_Variant)
Started 07/31/14.
Scenes played: 6
License: Community License
