Packs, Totems, and The Sept
Jun 7, 2016 6:55:25 GMT
Post by The Northern Lights on Jun 7, 2016 6:55:25 GMT
Ah, the good old can of Werewolf worms … packing. An essential part of the Genre and wolf life, packs are the essence of a good Garou game. Unfortunately, packs of IC characters don't always gel right away or at all. Sometimes people go missing, alphas flake out, or circumstances change. A game with relatively few players has a hard time making a strong base of packs, and it quickly becomes a conundrum for STs and players alike. Nevermind issues of cliquing and exclusionary RP that can come with running around with a genre-enforced insular group.
That said, there is nothing wrong with playing with people you like, and if you click, you click. I am not going to say that packs are not allowed. Just that they aren't needed if the opportunity does not present itself, and no one playing on Light on Ice needs to worry about pressure on that aspect of the game. Its encouraged to try and find people you like to pack with, but if you don't, no worries.
The strength of The North Star in the Westfjords that means that all the Garou in the Sept are essentially one large pack connected under the totem. The 'pack link' is relatively sparse (see the Sept Totem description for more information) but all recognized Garou of the Sept are under its protection and will receive certain messages through it.
Packed Garou will still have this benefit from The North Star. The North Star's patronage will not count toward the Pack Mentality flaw, so please be careful when choosing this flaw. Pack totems need to be bought with XP, per XP expenditure rules, and pooled dots from totem will determine the strength of the pack's totem.
The North Star's totem dots are paid for by the Sept NPCs. PCs do not need to add to this pool.
This interesting set of circumstances opens up the opportunity for personal totems. Some Garou have specific connections to specific spirits. These would be personal totems. It may be an option for some unpacked Garou, subject to conversation with the ST.
That said, there is nothing wrong with playing with people you like, and if you click, you click. I am not going to say that packs are not allowed. Just that they aren't needed if the opportunity does not present itself, and no one playing on Light on Ice needs to worry about pressure on that aspect of the game. Its encouraged to try and find people you like to pack with, but if you don't, no worries.
The strength of The North Star in the Westfjords that means that all the Garou in the Sept are essentially one large pack connected under the totem. The 'pack link' is relatively sparse (see the Sept Totem description for more information) but all recognized Garou of the Sept are under its protection and will receive certain messages through it.
Packed Garou will still have this benefit from The North Star. The North Star's patronage will not count toward the Pack Mentality flaw, so please be careful when choosing this flaw. Pack totems need to be bought with XP, per XP expenditure rules, and pooled dots from totem will determine the strength of the pack's totem.
The North Star's totem dots are paid for by the Sept NPCs. PCs do not need to add to this pool.
This interesting set of circumstances opens up the opportunity for personal totems. Some Garou have specific connections to specific spirits. These would be personal totems. It may be an option for some unpacked Garou, subject to conversation with the ST.