The Inside Scoop on Gaming

When Werewolf: the Wild West, the second of White Wolf's historical games, was released, it had a few strikes going against it. The foremost was that they'd been beaten to the punch; Pinnacle's Deadlands RPG had done the Horror Western genre. And, it had done it quite well, with a strong visual element and an interesting game design.

To top that, W: WW had the problem that their game was lighter in content than it had to be; the western game world, and its differences from the modern day game, wasn't explained to the satisfaction of some gamers.

The Wild West companion helps to alleviate at least some of those problems.

The first half of the book is a world setting. We're given a look at the old west in a physical sense (thanks to Nuwisha Signature character Manyskins) and a look at the storm umbra that ravaged the old west's spirit world. Both of these were helpful in building the setting of the Savage West. I liked the Children of the Storm's Fury, a section that described a group of the smaller storm spirits. The basic info on the old west (and by old west, they mean the entire country) is useful. I don't think they give a specific date.

The following sections contain the standard items that we've come to expect in a White Wolf player's guide. There's a bunch of merits & flaws (I think a couple of them are actually distinct from the ones in the regular Werewolf PG), some gifts (which are always fun), and the ever fun but never used Tribal Weaknesses.

We also get a potpourri of monsters and evil folk, including Jackalopes and Chupacabra, who have crossed from neat folk monsters to bad cliches, thanks to one X-Files episode. And we also get stats for dogs, horses, and Bison. In case you want to story-tell the mass slaughter of buffalo herds or something.

The final thing (there's no essays on the art of Role-playing in this book) is a section on the splats of the Old West. With Corax, Nuwisha, and a breed of Bastet already covered in the GM's screen, this book gives us a look at the Were-spiders, other were-cats, and Wear Bears. As well, we're given a look at one of the extinct tribes of Garou, the Bunyip, how Abominations operated in the old west (even worse off than ever), and the Infelize, who are a bloodline of sick & twisted Metis. It's really pretty darn freaky, with lots of self-mutilation going on, and other related sick stuff. Thankfully they kind of vanish into oblivion after a few years.

As a player's guide, WWC is pretty much required for anyone who wants to run or play the game. It expands on the world and gives a handy look at how it compares to the modern world, gives a selection of handy (if not brand spanking new) info on characters, and (best of all) some opponents for PCs and info on the nebulous storm umbra.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Wild West Companion
Author: A possee of White Wolf folk Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Cost: $18.00 ISBN: 1-56504-233-8 Capsule Review by Justin Mohareb on 11/02/98. Genre tags: Historical Horror Old_West Gothic	When Werewolf: the Wild West, the second of White Wolf's historical games, was released, it had a few strikes going against it. The foremost was that they'd been beaten to the punch; Pinnacle's Deadlands RPG had done the Horror Western genre. And, it had done it quite well, with a strong visual element and an interesting game design. To top that, W: WW had the problem that their game was lighter in content than it had to be; the western game world, and its differences from the modern day game, wasn't explained to the satisfaction of some gamers. The Wild West companion helps to alleviate at least some of those problems. The first half of the book is a world setting. We're given a look at the old west in a physical sense (thanks to Nuwisha Signature character Manyskins) and a look at the storm umbra that ravaged the old west's spirit world. Both of these were helpful in building the setting of the Savage West. I liked the Children of the Storm's Fury, a section that described a group of the smaller storm spirits. The basic info on the old west (and by old west, they mean the entire country) is useful. I don't think they give a specific date. The following sections contain the standard items that we've come to expect in a White Wolf player's guide. There's a bunch of merits & flaws (I think a couple of them are actually distinct from the ones in the regular Werewolf PG), some gifts (which are always fun), and the ever fun but never used Tribal Weaknesses. We also get a potpourri of monsters and evil folk, including Jackalopes and Chupacabra, who have crossed from neat folk monsters to bad cliches, thanks to one X-Files episode. And we also get stats for dogs, horses, and Bison. In case you want to story-tell the mass slaughter of buffalo herds or something. The final thing (there's no essays on the art of Role-playing in this book) is a section on the splats of the Old West. With Corax, Nuwisha, and a breed of Bastet already covered in the GM's screen, this book gives us a look at the Were-spiders, other were-cats, and Wear Bears. As well, we're given a look at one of the extinct tribes of Garou, the Bunyip, how Abominations operated in the old west (even worse off than ever), and the Infelize, who are a bloodline of sick & twisted Metis. It's really pretty darn freaky, with lots of self-mutilation going on, and other related sick stuff. Thankfully they kind of vanish into oblivion after a few years. As a player's guide, WWC is pretty much required for anyone who wants to run or play the game. It expands on the world and gives a handy look at how it compares to the modern world, gives a selection of handy (if not brand spanking new) info on characters, and (best of all) some opponents for PCs and info on the nebulous storm umbra. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Wild West Companion