World of Darkness
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The world of darkness (WoD) is a game world by White Wolf, which is the setting for many of their games. This project started out as a straight conversion of Vampire the Masquerade (VtM), Werewolf the Apocalypse (WtA), and Mage the Ascension (MtAs), but has mutated a lot since. Not the least being the new WoD, and the attendant games Vampire the Requiem (VtR), Werewolf the Forsaken (WtF), and Mage the Awakening (MtAw).
There are significant differences between old and new WoD. The old was heavy on mood, but badly integrated. The different games were never intended to be used together, and it showed. The new WoD is much more tightly integrated, with rules that are actually meant to be used together.
Contents
World Views
Vampire
The vampires have relatively few illusions about themselves. They believe that they control a lot of mortal power, and are for the most part correct. The story about the murderous greengrocer Caine might be a bit dodgy, but few believe it anyway.
Werewolf
The werewolves are also mostly correct in their world view. There is a triat of Weaver, Wyrm, and Gaia, the Wyrm (or at least his servants) is mad and destructive, and Gaia is dying. All of it true, as far as they or anyone else can tell.
The real problem for the werewolves is of course that most of it is their own fault. Throughout history and legend, no people has been so good at squandering opportunity and alienating allies as the werewolves. The madness of the Wyrm followed the madness of the Weaver, who was driven mad together with humanity during the Impergium.
Mage
Mages have a severely inflated self-image, and an Ego large enough to bend reality around them. Literally. Like most humans with those traits, Mages are quick to take credit for success, and even quicker to shift blame for failure. Considering the personality of the typical Mage, it should not be surprising that they have a few misconceptions about themselves, reality, and their place in it.
There is a Technocracy, but it doesn't rule the world.
There are very few Mages in the world. Even a city like New York has less than two dozen, including apprentices, Marauders, Nephandi, and Technocrats. The Technocracy has money and influence, but there are simply too few of them available, and the competition for control is too fierce. Put simply, the day that the Technocracy tries to use its influence in a way that is disadvantageous to vampires and other key players, they will find it to be much less than they expected.
Mages can bend reality, but they cannot create it.
When Mages claim that the modern world of technology is the work of the Technocracy, they ignore a few basic facts. Mortals had been walking the path towards technology and the Weaver for thousands of years before the Technocracy. The Technocracy takes the credit for this, but it would have happened anyway. This became even more true once vampires started their Masquerade, and began to support anything scientific.
To put it differently, Mages have never been able to change reality counter to the collective will of the Sleepers.
There is an Ascension War, but is there an Ascension?
Ascension is a disputed concept even among Mages. No-one knows what it is, who first proposed the concept, or a Mage that Ascended. But still they fight.
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