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You are Garou, a werewolf torn between the ways of human and wolf. You are spirit made flesh.

Gaia, your mother, cries in pain as her enemies poison her with pollution and nuclear waste.

And the Wyrm laughs. The dragon of destruction and corruption ravages the earth, destroying the last

havens of nature. The End Times are here.

The Age of Apocalypse has arrived.

I

W h e n will you rage?

- v - ---w--

S E C O N D E D I T I O N ) The Mew Shape of Werewolf # Completely revised for clarity, with improved combat

rules fully compatible with previous Storyteller games and expanded rules for spirit combat. The new

Werewolf hardback provides a deeper look into the many levels of the Umbra, including glimpses of

wraiths. There are also more details on Garou culture, including new rituals and the pictogramic saga of the

Garou, from their ancient beginnings to modern times.

J

I O

Coming in April from White Wolf Game Studio,

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’ I L

Millennium’s End is a game system like noth ing you’ve ever played. Combat uses plastic overlaysand “Body Maps” (diagramsof people animals, or objects as seen from the attacker’s point of view) for hit determination. A non ablative damage system works with real-work effects, like blood loss, shock, and impair ment-all derived from a single table. The hierarchical skill system is flexible and power ful. And the “Clue Tree” adventure format al. lowscomplex, challenging adventuresthat don’ railroad players’ ideas or bog down in play.

“A creative blend of reality with just the right amoun offictionandtechnology ... offersasmuchasgame: twice its price.” -White Wolf

“The combat syste m... is internal\ consistent and cohesive, and gets i

lotdonewithlittle roll ing of dce.” - Tht Scroll

I “One areawhere this

game standsout from therest iscombat ... i hasaneatfeel.“ -Tht Gamer

If you haven’t played Millennium’s End yet, check it out. You’ll be amazed that a “realistic’ system can be so fast, flexible, easy to play, and just plain fun.

Ifywdon’tseeYllknniurn’s End at ywr game store. ask lor R ormtact:

Chameleon Eclectic Entertainmenl P.O. Box 10262 Bla&burg,Virginia 240624262

Ah, Valentine’s. Birds are chirping. Butterflies are fluttering. Cupid’s drawing back his bow. Love is in the air.

But not at White Wolf. February means the Valentine’s

issue for many magazines, and that means articles about meeting people, improving your love life and having better sex. We could have gone that way, but it really wouldn’t have suited the angry young men and women who create and support this magazine. It also wouldn’t have suited my vision.

is the WHITE WOLF Valentine’s issue. Sure we’re going to discuss matters of the heart, but not the sickly romance you might expect. Our matters of the heart are lust, passion, obsession and blood. All the things a

Oh, sure, it’s Valentine’s, but this

growing body needs.

fun of me, picturing some hopeless romantic turned pissed off,

You can make

age immaturity or offensiveness in roleplaying sexual encounters. This issue isn’t about romance because idealized love doesn’t suit the atmo- sphere of our games or, for that matter, the atmosphere of this magazine. Our games are dark, somber and sarcastic - qualities you may have recognized in my first issue as editor (#39) and now in this one.

But there’s more to it than ill- fitting themes. In our game world matters of the heart aren’t always sweetness and light. That’s true of the real world, too, and that truth must be addressed. Regardless of the world you’re in, love all too often takes the form of passions restrained and affections spurned. Love is still the issue - there’s just no romance.

You may accuse me of being

by Ken Cliffe 1

moody and pretentious. Fine. I just believe that Valentine’s is about more than true love. [Yeah, it’s a sexual

black-clothed goth. I might be (but am not). Rather, this issue’s approach to love is realistic, a nod to all those for whom Valentine’s does not mean romance. At its worst, though, this issue’s approach to romance is indicative of the way love is all too often mishandled in gaming.

romantic scenes blundered by immature or insecure roleplayers? How many times have you seen romantic roleplaying scenes turn horrific with violence and sexual abuse? Probably too often. (And if you haven’t, just go to a convention and eavesdrop on any number of games being run. Sooner or later you’ll hear some gamer make a comment about molesting children - “How much for the little girl?” - or about the proportions of someone’s endowments - “How long is his schlong?”)

Unless you find yourself some very mature gamers who are truly comfortable with themselves and each other, romance in roleplaying prob- ably doesn’t work. [Especially with NPCs run by Urkel. - Ed]

However, just because our Valentine’s is about lust and blood doesn’t mean we condone or encour-

How many times have you seen

Thanksgiving. - Ed] Hopefully this issue demonstrates ways to roleplay true and tragic love with maturity and grace, not crudeness and discomfort. If your response to this issue goes no further than casting aspersions, I guess I’ve wasted my time.

The ideal Valentine’s may be hearts and love and beauty, but for many it’s not. It all depends on who you are, who you’re with and what

Editor’s Note: As you have probably heard, on December 7, 1993, several people aboard a New York train were shot by a lone gunman. Among the casualties was Kevin McCarthy of the New York Tech Gaming Group. A fund has been set up in Kevin’s name to assist with mounting medical bills. If you would like to contribute to the fund and help facilitate a fellow gamer’s recovery, write to:

The Kevin McCarthy Fund 493 Nancy Road Mineola, NY 11501

4 W H I T E W O L F M A G A Z I N E

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FROM THE PACK LETTERS FROM OUR READERS PLEASE SEND ALL LETTERS TO:

4598 STONEGATE INDUSTRIAL BUD. I STONE MOUNTAIN, GA 30083

W H I T E WOLF MAGAZINE

STEP IN THE RING Vfr. Wieck.

I am writing this letter to ?xpress my disappointment with your review of Earthdawn. Having playtested the system, I lave come to appreciate many 3f the system’s elements which you have labeled as just being Zimmicks.

First off, I would not call the use of different die types (d4, d8, d12, etc.) “dice prolif- eration” ... I t is not unusual in sither Shadowrun or Vampire to have to roll a dozen dice or more for any given action. Now that’s what I call proliferation.

I also believe that you overlooked a few positive elements of the magic system. In most of the game systems I have played, mages are the only characters whose abilities are limited by how often they can use them. [In] Ars Magica ... a mage can knock himself uncon- scious with fatigue while trying to be of moderate use. This is not so in Earthdawn. Each spell, if known, can be cast as many times as the mage wishes.

The use of threads in spell casting is another fact of the magic system which, I feel, was

. unjustly derided ... Sure, you can : say that thread weaving is just . another name for spell casting, . but then isn’t Discipline just : another name for Vampiric ’ Power, Dominate for Mind : Control [and] Thaumaturgy for ’ Magic? ... I will not even begin . to go into some of the terms : used in your new game, Mage: ’ The Ascension.

Michael Shannon Ipswich, MA

: [Uppercut. Uppercut. Body . blow. Flurry to the sternum. . Ding, ding. You’re down, Stu. : After reading your letter, Michael, . I have to agree that hypocrisy . seems to have run wild in 37‘s : Earthdawn review. In Stewart’s 1 defense, he’s entitled to his opin- : ion, but I thought it fair that ’ your’s should see print too. - ’ Ken]

1

HAKE Hi MONN.. . DW .

. magazine to see what was in it ... : concerning play-by-mail . games ... I discovered a review of : Dark Magus ... [and felt that] . you should have my thoughts . and experiences [on it].

I just bought a copy of your

eleone for puning up w

uiries are we corn

tage pending Postmaster Please se

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