Werewolf: the Wild West Interview

Games based on a genre of movies are certainly nothing new. But to take two very different genres, the werewolf horror movie and the Western, and to make a game out of it: that's interesting. The result? Werewolf: the Wild West.

Developer Ethan Skemp describes it as "a horror/action game in a historical setting. It's a game about horror, conflict and adventure in a dangerous world, with very high stakes. It can be as stark and gritty as you like; it can also be as extravagant as Westerns get. It's all in the aspects of the West you choose to explore."

But does it really differ enough from the setting of Werewolf: the Apocalypse to justify being a whole new game? After all, only just over a century separates them. "The biggest difference is that the Apocalypse isn't imminent, it's not just around the corner, although the players can take that tack if they want," he says.

"The threat is not the end of the world, it's a culture that's under threat." The game is set during the period when the mainly European settlers are sweeping west, driving out the Native Americans. The European and Asian werewolves come with them. "But the Uktena and Wendigo [the native werewolves] are not just sitting there, they commit violence of their own," says Skemp. "There's no pure heroes in this game, unless the players want to introduce them, of course.".

"We've also spiced it up a little with a main threat. It's not Pentex - having a corporation has the main threat would have been anachronistic. So instead it's the Storm Eater." This powerful, and corrupt, spirit is accidentally released by the incoming European werewolves.

"It's not in previously published material. But it's established that the reason the Pure Ones were pure is because they did battle with indigenous Wyrm spirits and bound them beneath the earth."

This conflict between the incoming and native Garou gives the game something of a Cowboys and Indians feel, but with a hairy twist. Skemp is keen to point out that "It's not the entire focus of the game."

"The early Black and White films assumed that the cowboys were the good guys. Modern movies like Dances with Wolves have taken more of a Native American viewpoint."

This more modern approach is reflected in the way the game is structured. "Players can play pure incomer packs, pure native packs or mixed packs. That's what we'd like to encourage, diversity in the packs. It's also a realistic expression of how things were."

Unusually for a company that usually produces games so dark that they border on the pretentiously gothic, the game gives suggestions for running a more camp style of western. "I don't think we could have got away without mentioning camp," says Skemp, "but it is something we didn't want to play up, especially in the art work. I didn't want any pictures of Garou in Crinos form wearing chaps, riding horses, with holes cut in their hats for their ears."

But he concedes that this style might attract new players to the game who haven't played World of Darkness games before. "Hopefully people will think 'that's an interesting way of running a Western'."

This raises the issue of the recent game with a similar theme, Deadlands. Was it any influence on the decision to do the game? "It's kinda amusing, actually, because we were having our design meetings, had begun to contract writers for the game, then someone in the office said 'there's another Wild West game coming out', and then produced this poster. We thought 'oh-oh'. But was actually good news it shows there's interest in this genre."

And the two differ substantially, in his opinion. "Werewolf: the Wild West takes place in a world that could be our world. Custer still dies at the same battle, the territories still become States at the same time. The games takes place in the cracks of history.

"Deadlands is a much more fantastical version, with some of the same horror elements. But the feel is rather different."

Of course, Werewolf has its on fantastical elements, not least the Garou themselves. Aren't werewolves a primarily European phenomenon? "Werewolves as the average person thinks of them are mostly European, yes. However, lots of Native American tribes have stories of people who could become animals, and vice versa. If you blend the Native American emphasis on spirit medicine with the horror elements of European werewolf stories, you come out with the shapeshifters of the World of Darkness.

"As for the Wild West, werewolves aren't an intuitive element of the Western, but they certainly fit right in when you think about it. They could have been present in the Old West, we just didn't hear about it, is all."

The combination of cultures makes for an interesting game environment, he maintains. "Werewolf is the game that jibes most with the sensibilities of Native American myths; it's entirely possible that the stories of these myths actually took place in the First Times, before the rise of the Gauntlet. The tales of Coyote, Raven and the like are the mythical basis for some of the other Changing Breeds [other were-creatures], for example. We've also tapped into those stories to define the Nunnehi [native American faeries and changelings] and certain villainous spirits for the Wild West setting.

"In all, I'd say those myths are excellent source material for story ideas; they epitomise the feel of the Garou's oral tradition and encourage players to blur the line between legend and historical fact, which makes for very interesting games."

The first supplement, Frontier Secrets, will further develop the setting when published in September. "It has some of the material I wanted in the main book, but didn't have space for. That's the problem with Werewolf, with explaining the gifts, the thirteen tribes and the Umbra, I don't have the space to devote half the book to setting."

We'll see rules for the other supernaturals, that ended up being too long for the main book. "Besides," says Skemp, wryly, "for Vampire players, the Frontier book's a lot easier on the pocket than the main rules."

There will also be more on the mysterious Enlightened Society of the Weeping Moon, which is only mentioned in passing in the main book. "I didn't want to give away too much in a book that is in the hands of the players. Frontier Secrets will be basically a storyteller resource."

And then, the responsibility of the games passes to another developer, Justin Achilli. Is Skemp pleased with the way the game turned out? "I am, considering so much of it was done at the last minute. I breathed a huge sight of relief when I saw it."

The fake bullet hole right through the book concerns him a little. "I worry that people will stick their pens in it and rip up the pages. But I hope they'll have more respect for it as a book than that."

What's it like giving up a game you've put so much time into? "It feels mildly peculiar. You put so much into the rulebook, so you're worried someone else might not see what you were aiming at. But Justin has a lot of ideas of where he wants to take it."

Achilli admits that his habit of taking over someone else's successful launch, as he did with Vampire: the Dark Ages has become "a joke around the office. I ride on the coat tails of other people's success."

But the first book completely under his aegis, published in April 98, is to be a joint effort. "Ghost Towns is a crossover with Wraith: the Oblivion, and Richard Dansky, the Wraith developer, is co-developer with me on the book,"

Dansky is enthusiastic about the crossover concept. "Well, Ghost Towns are such a part of the Western myth - you know, the hero rides into town and all he hears is the wind and the creak of the saloon door, and all he sees is the skeleton in the ten-gallon hat and sheriff's star sitting in the rocking chair on his porch with the tumbleweeds going by - that you just can't leave them out of the Wild West," he says. "And then, with Wraith we've got the chance to take that figurative notion of the ghost town and make it a literal one, well, it's too good an opportunity to let go."

What can we expect in the book? "Well, the most important thing you're going to see in the book is useful information on integrating wraiths and werewolves in the Savage West setting. The book's also going to contain ideas for building your own Ghost Towns, some sample settings (ranging from the completely over-the-top to the extremely sobering), and a lot of help for storytellers."

Achilli claims to have had a good initial response to the idea. "Other developers have expressed interest in doing crossovers with their lines, but nothing is firmed up yet."

Looking a little further ahead, August 1998 will see the Werewolf: the Wild West Companion. "There will be lots of stuff for players and storytellers, including the other Changing Breeds, information of the Bunyip tribe, who aren't yet extinct in this time period and some stuff on the Croatan, a native tribe that is extinct."

That would start expanding on pieces of the World of Darkness setting that Werewolf fans have been desperate to learn about. "I like peeling back layers of mystery without tipping my hand, leaving some things unresolved," he explains.

Further down the line is Tails from the Trails: Mexico, written by James Moore, who did the Mexico supplement for Mage: the Ascension, The Chaos Factor. "He's a research fiend, that's why I wanted him on this project," says Achilli.

Should the game become very successful, and the production schedule be stepped up, there are other books we can expect sooner, rather than later. "I'd like to do an Iron Rider tribe book. Take a look at how they moved from Warders of Apes to Iron Riders to Glass Walkers."

"I also want to do a compendium on what's happening with the tribes. So players can say "I'm playing a Silver Fang, what cool things are happening with my tribe?" A Canada book and a sourcebook on the Umbra of the period are also possibilities.

So, what's his philosophy for the line? "Well, we've learnt a lot from Dark Ages, on what players need for a historical, instead of a modern, game," says Achilli. "But I like to give the fans what they want, but keep them longing for more secrets."