Werewolf: The Apocalypse RPG Overview

Werewolf: The Apocalypse

Werewolf: The Apocalypse is a tabletop role playing game in the tradition of Dungeons & Dragons. It was first introduced in the early 90’s and spawned a series of novels and game resource books published by White Wolf Publishing. This RPG has since been retired and a newer version called Werewolf: The Forsaken is currently being published.

In the game you play as a Garou, which is the term given to werewolves. Each Garou comes from a different tribe, which is sort of like their race. They also choose an auspice, which is like a class. Different abilities and special skills are gained or lost depending on their combination of tribe and auspice, so it grants players many options when creating a Garou character.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse Character Sheets

If you have ever played a tabletop RPG, then you should be familiar with the character creation process. Where D&D has six main character attributes, Werewolf: The Apocalypse has nine, which are strength, dexterity, stamina, charisma, manipulation, appearance, perception, intelligence, and wits. Once you have determined your character attributes, you can assign abilities like talents, skills, and knowledge and these will determine how well you can do things like dodge attacks, be stealthy, or effectively use medicine. The idea is that you build a detailed reference sheet to document your character’s strengths and weaknesses because they are all taken into consideration when playing the game.

A good way to see how characters work in this game would be to download Werewolf: The Apocalypse character sheets from the White Wolf website. There are tons of them listed for each different class, such as Ronin or Freak Legions. On that download page, scroll down toward the bottom and you’ll see all the ones listed for Werewolf: The Apocalypse. In case you are interested, you’ll also find character sheets for other White Wolf RPG’s like Vampire: The Masquerade and Mage: The Ascension.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse Books

Since Werewolf: The Apocalypse was retired several years ago in favor of Werewolf: The Forsaken, the game resource books are out of print. You can still easily find copies of the books on sites like eBay and there are used copies available from individual sellers via Amazon.com. In addition, a good number of original novels set in the W:TA world are available at bookstores across the country as well as through online retailers. When shopping around online, make sure you know the difference between a gameplay book and an original novel.

Should you choose to get the current version of the game, Werewolf: The Forsaken, you will be pleased to find a wide variety of books and novels are readily available for purchase. It is designed to go along with White Wolf’s ruleset called The World of Darkness, which sets the standard for developing a RPG world involving supernatural elements mixed with the real world.

For more information on role playing games, check out this article on how to get started playing D&D.