White Wolf Publishing

Last updated
White Wolf Entertainment AB
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRole-playing games
Founded1991 (White Wolf Corporation [1] )
2016-05-25? [2] (White Wolf Entertainment AB trademark filing date)
HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
Parent
Website www.white-wolf.com

White Wolf Entertainment AB, formerly White Wolf Publishing, was an American roleplaying game and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant [3] and White Wolf Magazine (est. 1986 in Rocky Face, GA; it later became "White Wolf Inphobia"), and was initially led by Mark Rein-Hagen of the former and Steve Wieck and Stewart Wieck of the latter. White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with CCP Games in 2006. [4] White Wolf Publishing operated as an imprint of CCP hf, but ceased in-house production of any material, instead licensing their properties to other publishers. It was announced in October 2015 that White Wolf had been acquired from CCP by Paradox Interactive. [5] In November 2018, after most of its staff were dismissed for making controversial statements, it was announced that White Wolf would no longer function as an entity separate from Paradox Interactive. [6]

Contents

The name "White Wolf" originates from Michael Moorcock's works.

Overview

White Wolf published a line of several different but overlapping games set in the "World of Darkness", a "modern gothic" world that, while seemingly similar to the real world, is home to supernatural terrors, ancient conspiracies, and several approaching apocalypses. The company also published the high fantasy Exalted RPG, the modern mythic Scion, and d20 system material under their Sword & Sorcery imprint, including such titles as the Dungeons & Dragons gothic horror campaign setting Ravenloft , and Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed series. In order to complement the World of Darkness game line, a LARP system dubbed Mind's Eye Theatre has been published.

White Wolf also released several series of novels based on the Old World of Darkness, all of which are currently out of print (although many are coming back into availability via print-on-demand).

White Wolf also ventured in the collectible card game market with Arcadia, Rage, and Vampire: The Eternal Struggle (formerly Jyhad). V:TES, perhaps the most successful card game, was originally published by Wizards of the Coast in 1994, but was abandoned just two years later after a revamped base set, name change and three expansions were published. White Wolf acquired the rights to the game in 2000, even though no new material had been produced for the game in over four years. Since then, several V:TES expansions have been released, and the game was the only official source of material for the Old World of Darkness, until 2011 when the 20th Anniversary Edition of Vampire: The Masquerade was published and the Onyx Path was announced. [7]

Video games such as Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines are based on White Wolf's role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade . There are also several Hunter: The Reckoning video games.

Merger and MMO

On Saturday, 11 November 2006, White Wolf and CCP Games, the Icelandic MMO development company responsible for EVE Online, announced a merger between the two companies during the keynote address at the EVE Online Fanfest 2006. It was also revealed that a World of Darkness MMORPG was already in the planning stages. [4] This game was cancelled in April 2014 after nine years of development. [8]

The Onyx Path

At GenCon 2012 it was announced that CCP Games/White Wolf would not continue to produce table-top RPGs [ citation needed ]. Onyx Path Publishing, a new company by White Wolf Creative Director Richard Thomas, purchased the Trinity games and Scion from CCP and became licensee for the production of World of Darkness titles (classic and new), as well as Exalted. Onyx Path does not, however, hold a license to the Mind's Eye Theatre titles.

Purchase by Paradox Interactive

On Thursday, 29 October 2015, Paradox Interactive and CCP announced that Paradox had purchased White Wolf and all of its intellectual properties. Tobias Sjögren would serve as the CEO of the revived company, which would remain a subsidiary of Paradox. Martin Ericsson, formerly a developer on the World of Darkness MMO, served in the "Lead Storyteller" role for the company. [5]

In November 2018, as a result of backlash generated by material pertaining to "murder of gay Chechens" published in a Vampire: The Masquerade Fifth Edition source book as well as the inclusion of optional neo-Nazi aesthetic in the Brujah vampire clan, [9] it was announced that White Wolf would no longer function as an entity separate from its parent company, and would cease developing and publishing products internally. [10] [11] [12]

RPG products

The Old or Classic World of Darkness game lines

The games of this series use White Wolf's Storyteller System. Several games inspired spinoffs in the form of historical period settings such as the Dark Ages.

In addition to those game lines a series of books was produced under the title World of Darkness. These provided stand-alone materials for multiple game lines with the focus on a specific region or theme, e.g. WoD: Blood-Dimmed Tides (about the oceans), [13] WoD: Combat (an alternative 'crossover' combat system to resolve contradictory mechanics and add some sophistication), WoD: Tokyo and WoD: Mafia.

For the Third Edition of Ars Magica , White Wolf connected that game's pseudohistorical setting to the future World of Darkness setting. This was a simple adjustment (since the core premise of both settings is 'Earth as we know it' + 'supernatural fiction is reality') and particularly suited to the 'Tremere connection' between a clan of vampires from the original Vampire and a House of magi in the Order of Hermes (the central organization of Ars Magica as well as one of the 'Traditions' in M:TA).

The Chronicles of Darkness game lines

The games of this series use White Wolf's newer Storytelling System. For over a decade it was also known as "World of Darkness," causing it to be referred to as the "new World of Darkness" or nWoD to distinguish it from the prior line of games. In December 2015, it was renamed "Chronicles of Darkness" [14] by its new publisher Onyx Path in order to more clearly distinguish the two given Paradox Entertainment's intention to reboot the original setting.

Age of Sorrows

Trinity Universe

Trinity was originally named Æon, but a trademark issue with Viacom related to the MTV show Æon Flux resulted in a name change. [15]

Other

Mind's Eye Theatre (LARP)

The majority of the Old World of Darkness games were adapted into the original Mind's Eye Theatre format for live-action roleplaying. Product lines in this era include:

Subsequently, the Mind's Eye Theatre was revamped for the New World of Darkness. A core Mind's Eye Theatre rulebook was published as the LARP analogue to the World of Darkness core rulebook, with several Mind's Eye Theatre adaptations following in suit: The Requiem, The Forsaken, and The Awakening each adapted their respective namesakes to the new system of MET rules. The license to produce Mind's Eye Theatre content was acquired by By Night Studios in 2013.

By Night Studios

At Midwinter Gaming Convention in 2013 it was announced that as a result of CCP Games' discontinuation of publishing, By Night Studios had acquired the license to all Mind's Eye Theatre titles. In May 2013, By Night Studios launched a successful Kickstarter campaign [16] to rebuild the Mind's Eye Theatre: Vampire The Masquerade product specifically for the Live-Action Role Play audience. The book was published in December 2013. This was followed by Mind's Eye Theatre: Werewolf the Apocalypse in October 2016 and Mind's Eye Theatre: Changeling the Dreaming in 2020.

In 2019, By Night Studios released Mind's Eye Theatre: Vampire the Masquerade, Volume II: Issue 1, intended to be the first in a series of releases featuring new character options. Eventually each of these releases would be collected within a full edition of Volume II. This plan was eventually scrapped in favor of releasing the full version of Mind's Eye Theatre: Vampire the Masquerade, Volume 2 in October 2021, featuring the additional new rules that were slated to appear in Issues 2 and 3. [17]

After publication of Vampire the Masquerade, Volume 2, work began Mind's Eye Theatre: Werewolf the Apocalypse, Volume 2, which was written but never scheduled for formal release. In February 2023, the manuscript was released on the By Night Studios website for free. [18]

In May 2023, By Night Studios announced a new Laws of the Night, featuring new live action rules based on Vampire: The Masquerade, Fifth Edition. A crowdfunding campaign was launched and successfully raised $111,165 with a target goal of $25,000. The PDF version of the book was released online in September 2023, with physical copies scheduled to ship in 2024. [19]

By Night Studios also published Mind's Eye Theatre: Vampire the Masquerade: War of Ages in 2023, which took the setting for Vampire the Masquerade, Fifth Edition and re-imagined the game in the style of Nordic Live action role-playing games, focusing less on game mechanics in favor of a deeper focus on immersive role-playing. [20]

Fiction

Starting in 1986, White Wolf published fiction in various formats, beginning with its eponymous magazine title (which ran 57 issues), then three comic book titles in 1987, and on to graphic novels, paperbacks and hardcover books. Works included novels and anthologies based on White Wolf's games, as well as general fantasy and horror fiction. [21] White Wolf printed several Elric of Melniboné collections by Michael Moorcock. [22] The company also put out general fiction collections by Harlan Ellison, as well as several paperback editions of the "Borderlands" anthologies edited by Thomas F. Monteleone. [23]

Imprints and labels

White Wolf had different imprints under which various books are published, most notably:

Black Dog Game Factory was also a fictional company in the World of Darkness, as detailed in the Subsidiaries: A Guide to Pentex game supplement.

Reception

White Wolf won the 2004 Silver Ennie Award for "Best Publisher". [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Mage: The Ascension</i> Tabletop role-playing game

Mage: The Ascension is a supernatural fiction tabletop role-playing game first published on August 19, 1993, by White Wolf Publishing. It is set in the World of Darkness universe.

<i>Vampire: The Masquerade</i> Tabletop role playing game

Vampire: The Masquerade is a tabletop role-playing game created by Mark Rein-Hagen and released in 1991 by White Wolf Publishing as the first of several Storyteller System games for its World of Darkness setting line. It is set in a fictionalized "gothic-punk" version of the modern world where players assume the role of vampires, who are referred to as "Kindred." and deal with their night-to-night struggles against their own bestial natures, vampire hunters, and each other.

<i>Vampire: The Dark Ages</i> 1996 tabletop horror role-playing game

Vampire: The Dark Ages is a tabletop role-playing game published by White Wolf Publishing in March 1996. It is a spin-off from Vampire: The Masquerade, also published by White Wolf, which is set in modern times. It was released in a new edition in 2002 as Dark Ages: Vampire, and in 2015 as Vampire Twentieth Anniversary Edition: The Dark Ages.

World of Darkness is a series of tabletop role-playing games, originally created by Mark Rein-Hagen for White Wolf Publishing. It began as an annual line of five games in 1991–1995, with Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Mage: The Ascension, Wraith: The Oblivion, and Changeling: The Dreaming, along with off-shoots based on these. The series ended in 2004, and the reboot Chronicles of Darkness was launched the same year with a new line of games. In 2011, the original series was brought back, and the two have since been published concurrently.

<i>Werewolf: The Apocalypse</i> Tabletop role-playing game

Werewolf: The Apocalypse is a role-playing game of the Classic World of Darkness game series by White Wolf Publishing. Other related products include the collectible card games named Rage and several novels. In the game, players take the role of werewolves known as "Garou". These werewolves are locked in a two-front war against both the spiritual desolation of urban civilization and supernatural forces of corruption that seek to bring the Apocalypse. Game supplements detail the other shape-shifters.

<i>Time of Judgment</i> Roleplaying Games

Time of Judgment is a series of roleplaying game scenario books for the World of Darkness settings of White Wolf Game Studio. These scenarios are presented as the semi-canonical endings of the original World of Darkness, as preparation for the new version of the setting. As the Time of Judgment approaches, vampires cease to exist, werewolves fight their last battle against the Wyrm, and mages face their last test.

<i>Werewolf: The Wild West</i> Tabletop role-playing game

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 from corruption in the form of the mighty Bane called the Storm-Eater.

<i>Minds Eye Theatre</i> Live action role-playing game

Mind's Eye Theatre is a live action role-playing game (LARP) based on the White Wolf World of Darkness universe and shares the setting with the table-top role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Rein-Hagen</span> American game designer

Mark Rein-Hagen, stylized as Mark Rein•Hagen, is an American role-playing, card, video and board game designer best known as the creator of Vampire: The Masquerade and its associated World of Darkness games. Along with Jonathan Tweet, he is also one of the original two designers of Ars Magica.

Phil "Satyros" Brucato is an American writer, journalist, editor, and game designer based in Seattle, Washington. He is best known for his work on the TV series Strowlers and with White Wolf, Inc., including the role-playing games Mage: The Ascension, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade. He has also written articles for BBI Media's newWitch and Witches & Pagans magazines, as well as other media such as Deliria: Faerie Tales for a New Millennium, the urban fantasy webcomic Arpeggio, and various short stories. Additionally, he has founded Quiet Thunder Productions and is a member of the Wily Writers group.

Conrad Hubbard is best known as a web designer and author for White Wolf, Inc.

Jason Carl is a game designer who has worked on a number of roleplaying games for companies such as White Wolf, TSR and Wizards of the Coast, Kenzer & Company, and Exile Game Studio. He is currently the Brand Marketing Manager of Paradox Interactive's World of Darkness property.

<i>Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade</i>

Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade is a tabletop role-playing game published by White Wolf Publishing in 1998. It is part of the World of Darkness series, and is a spin-off from Mage: The Ascension. Set during the Renaissance, it depicts the beginning of the struggle between "traditionalists" and "technocrats".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onyx Path Publishing</span> Role-playing game company

Onyx Path Publishing is a publisher of tabletop role-playing games that produces company-owned and creator-owned games as well as licensed products.

<i>Le Monde des Ténèbres: France</i> 1997 TRPG supplement

Le Monde des Ténèbres: France is a tabletop role-playing game supplement published in French by Ludis International in January 1997, for use with the games in White Wolf Publishing's World of Darkness series. It interprets France for the series' gothic-punk setting, and presents information on the region related to vampires, werewolves, mages, wraiths, and changelings, along with story hooks and pre-made characters, and introduces two new types of fae to the series. Ludis International planned to follow it with a book about Paris in June 1997, but this never materialized, and the publisher closed down a year later.

<i>Under a Blood Red Moon</i> Role-playing game supplement

Under a Blood Red Moon is an adventure module released in June 1993 by White Wolf Publishing for use with either of their tabletop role-playing games Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and is a part of the World of Darkness series. It is set in and around Chicago, and follows the conflict between the local vampire and werewolf communities; players take the roles of werewolves, or vampires belonging to the Camarilla or Sabbat sects.

References

  1. ↑ "Trademark Search". tmsearch.uspto.gov.
  2. ↑ "WHITE WOLF - White Wolf Entertainment Ab Trademark Registration". USPTO.report.
  3. ↑ A Brief History of Game #10: Lion Rampant: 1987-1990, RPGnet (Retrieved 14 June 2007)
  4. 1 2 "Home - CCP Games". ccpgames.com. 11 November 2006. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Paradox Interactive Acquires White Wolf Publishing from CCP Games". Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Paradox reins in White Wolf after offensive passages in Vampire: The Masquerade RPG". Polygon . 16 November 2018.
  7. ↑ "White Wolf Release Schedule 2011-2012". White Wolf Publishing. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  8. ↑ Ian G Williams (5 June 2014). "World of Darkness - the inside story on the death of a game". the Guardian.
  9. ↑ Hall, Charlie (2018-07-13). "Vampire: The Masquerade maker responds to accusations it caters to neo-Nazi groups". Polygon. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  10. ↑ Shams Jorjani. "A Message From White Wolf". White Wolf.
  11. ↑ Batchelor, James (19 November 2018). "Paradox taking control of White Wolf after Vampire: The Masquerade LGBTQ+ controversy". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
  12. ↑ Hall, Charlie (22 December 2018). "White Wolf hands over Vampire tabletop RPG to new leadership". Polygon. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
  13. ↑ "Pyramid Pick: Blood-Dimmed Tides". Pyramid . June 1999.
  14. ↑ "Announcing Chronicles of Darkness!". theonyxpath.com. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  15. ↑ Melville, Sean (February 1998). "MTV forces Æon name change". InQuest . No. 34. Wizard Entertainment. p. 20.
  16. ↑ Night Studios. "Mind's Eye Theatre: Vampire The Masquerade Kickstarter". Kickstarter.
  17. ↑ "Volume 2 - MET: VTM". By Night Studios.
  18. ↑ "It's grrrreat! Werewolf 2 is out- FOR FREE!". By Night Studios.
  19. ↑ Night Studios (18 June 2023). "Laws of the Night - BackerKit". BackerKit.
  20. ↑ "Mind's Eye Theatre: Vampire The Masquerade: War of Ages - By Night Studios | Storytellers Vault". www.storytellersvault.com.
  21. ↑ Neil Barron, Fantasy and Horror: A Critical and Historical Guide to Literature, Illustration, Film, TV, Radio, and the Internet, Scarecrow Press, 1999 ISBN   0810835967 (p.431)
  22. ↑ Diana Tixier Herald, Fluent in Fantasy: A Guide to Reading Interests. Libraries Unlimited, 1999 ISBN   1563086557 (p.20).
  23. ↑ "Monteleone, Thomas F(rancis)", by Don D'Ammassa in David Pringle, St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers. London : St. James Press, 1998, ISBN   978-1-55862-206-7 (pp. 414-5).
  24. ↑ "The ENnie Awards -- 2004 Awards". www.ennie-awards.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.