Werewolf: The Wild West
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Werewolf: The Wild West is a tabletop role-playing game in the World of Darkness series, published by White Wolf Publishing on May 30, 1997. It is a spin-off from their 1992 game Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and is set in the Wild West in the 19th century. Players take the roles of werewolves, warring to defending the Pure Lands (the Americas) from corruption in the form of the mighty Bane called the Storm-Eater.
Overview
Werewolf: The Wild West is a tabletop role-playing game in the Weird West genre, where players take the roles of werewolves of various tribes and battle both internally and against the Bane spirit the Storm-Eater's minions. The game uses the Storyteller System.<ref name="weird westerns"/>
Production
Werewolf: The Wild West was designed by Justin Achilli and Ethan Skemp, and was conceived as a "savage West" interpretation of the earlier World of Darkness game Werewolf: The Apocalypse,<ref name="weird westerns">Template:Cite book</ref> following publisher White Wolf Publishing's model of historical role-playing games based on previous games in the series; the other two were Vampire: The Dark Ages (1996) and Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade (1998). Out of these, only Vampire: The Dark Ages performed well commercially, and so Werewolf: The Wild West was moved to White Wolf Publishing's lower-budget imprint Arthaus in 1998, but it still remained commercially unsuccessful.<ref name="designers & dragons">Template:Cite book</ref> In 2014, Onyx Path Publishing released Wyld West Expansion Pack, which ports the game to the 20th Anniversary Edition of Werewolf: The Apocalypse.<ref name="wwep grog">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Books
| Title | Original release | ISBN | Publisher | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Werewolf: The Wild West | Template:Dts<ref name="ww updates june 1997 cb">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | Template:Isbnt | White Wolf Publishing<ref name="ww updates june 1997 cb"/> | Core rulebook<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | |
| Frontier Secrets | Template:Dts<ref name="ww updates july 1997 cb">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | Template:Isbnt | White Wolf Publishing<ref name="dragon frontier secrets"/> | Sourcebook for gifts, breed variants, and antagonists. Released in a bundle with a referee screen.<ref name="dragon frontier secrets">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | |
| Under a Harrowed Moon: Strange Bedfellows | Template:DtsFebruary–April 1998<ref name="harrowed 1 cb">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | Template:Isbnt | Pinnacle Entertainment Group<ref name="harrowed 1 cb"/> | Adventure module. First in a series of crossovers with Pinnacle Entertainment Group's role-playing game Deadlands.<ref name="backstab harrowed 2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | |
| Under a Harrowed Moon: Savage Passage | Template:DtsFebruary–May 1998<ref name="harrowed 1 cb"/><ref name="backstab harrowed 2"/> | Template:Isbnt | Pinnacle Entertainment Group<ref name="backstab harrowed 2"/> | Adventure module. Second in a series of crossovers with Pinnacle Entertainment Group's role-playing game Deadlands.<ref name="backstab harrowed 2"/> | |
| Ghost Towns | Template:Dts<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | Template:Isbnt | White Wolf Publishing<ref name="ghost towns backstab"/> | Sourcebook for ghost towns. Crossover with Wraith: The Oblivion.<ref name="ghost towns backstab">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | |
| Template:Hidden sort keyThe Wild West Companion | Template:Dts<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | Template:Isbnt | White Wolf Publishing<ref name="companion backstab"/> | Guide to the game, detailing the setting and expanding on game mechanics<ref name="companion backstab">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | |
| Tales from the Trails: Mexico | Template:Dts<ref name="tales from the trails grog">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Template:Isbnt | White Wolf Publishing<ref name="tales from the trails grog"/> | Sourcebook for Mexico<ref name="tales from the trails grog"/> |
| Wyld West Expansion Pack | Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Template:N/a | Onyx Path Publishing<ref name="wwep grog"/> | Book porting Werewolf: The Wild West to Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition<ref name="wwep grog"/> |
Reception and legacy
Template:Ill recommended the game for players new to the series, but thought it did not bring enough originality for players who had previously played Werewolf: The Apocalypse.<ref name="backstab rev"/>
Retrospectively, Achilli considered it a mistake to have tried to cover as big of a time period as they had in Werewolf: The Wild West. This influenced the development of the 2002 game Victorian Age: Vampire, which rather than taking place across the entirety of the Victorian era was limited to 1880–1897.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Related media
A deck of Werewolf: The Wild West poker cards was released simultaneously with the game on May 30, 1997.<ref name="ww updates june 1997 cb"/><ref name="ww updates july 1997 cb"/> Laws of the Wyld West, a live-action role-playing game adaptation for White Wolf Publishing's game Mind's Eye Theatre, was released in 1999.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>