Paul Bode's Roleplay Game

Let me say that I am always a little wary when people ask if they can play a lupus for some simple reasons. Firstly they see it as comic relief and that the charcater soon looses its lastability. Secondly, people tend to play more like 'Scooby Doo' than a feral wolf or worse, just a human in the body of a wolf. Lastly, in all my years of playing I have only seen two players who can give the concept the correct respect and performance that it requires to pull it off.  So before you ask, read this page placed here from its original place and read the 'Ways of the Wolf' guidence book from White Wolf.

 

I would like to reference the writer, but he does not give us the name to reference.

 

 

 

 

 

First let me congratulate you on wanting to play a lupus character. You are a very brave soul. Out of all three breeds, Lupus characters are the hardest to understand simply because their thinking is so alien. Their world is more primal then that of other garou. Once that is understood, then you will be on your way to playing a lupus correctly. To help me with this, I will be using some examples from the Offical Camarilla Red Talon page, as everyone knows that Red Talon players play the best lupuses, plus I add my own ideas of how to play a wolf. No one has to listen to me of course, it's just some advice is all.

 

The first thing I would like to cover in this litte page here is the wolf thinking. Wolves live their lives in packs. To reflect this, a lupus character shouldn't think of themselves or other garou as "I" and "you". They are all parts of a whole, whether it's pack or sept. It is better to address yourself and your equals asas "One". All others, including humans are "it". Also wolves aren't big on dialogue. They speak when they have to or when spoken too. They don't go up and make random conversation.

When playing in an online chat, some people will write things naming human objects with human names. To get a better feel and understanding for your character, try not to do these things. Here is an example of what not to do and what to do.

Bad: I jumped aside as the BMW drove by, landing among the garbage cans as I frantically tried to keep from getting run over.

Good: I leapt aside as the huge grey Weaver-beast with the tail of smoke galloped past. I came to rest among many hollow man-things that smelled of rotting carcasses as I instinctively avoided the big predator’s charge.

Calling anything metal "Weaver-thing" is probably the best thing a lupus can call metal objects simply because as being a wolf he wouldn't know what metal is.

 

Remember that their is more stimuli in the world for lupus characters then homid characters. Where humans tend to describe things with visual and, to a lesser extent, aural adjectives, a wolf will perceive things with all senses almost equally. Demonstrate that you understand this by utilizing taste, touch, and smell in your application. more examples

Bad: As I walked away from the trash cans, I looked around for the Bimmer. It was gone now, so I walked toward the park that I could see off in the distance, carefully keeping an eye out for any other threats.

Good: As I loped away from the hollow man-things, I remained alert for the possible return of the Weaver-beast. I did not see it, nor hear it, nor could I taste its strange, acrid spoor on the wind. I brushed the man-stone that covered the ground with my nose to catch the scent trail I’d been following, and I found that it led towards the thicket that somehow sprouted among the man-dens in the distance. I trotted in that direction, eager to place my paws upon Gaia’s soil again. The man-stone was hurting my pads. My steps were light, and I stopped every few strides to listen for those who might be stalking me.

 

This next piece of advice i'm taking verbatim from the Camarilla Red Talon page. It's just really good advice.

Wolves don’t react to stimuli the same way that humans do. They are innately curious, but they have healthier survival instincts than those of the average human. Their first reaction when threatened usually involves flight to a safe distance, followed by a cautious appraisal of the danger. There is no such thing as ‘bravery’ to a wolf. When a pack stands and fights to protect territory or pups, they are doing so for pragmatic reasons (i.e. without their territory they have nowhere to hunt and will therefore starve, without their pups the pack has no future), not because they are noble protectors of that which is theirs. Lupus Garou are a different case, obviously, and their more developed intellects can override their lupine instincts if need be, but their initial reactions are often very wolf-like.

Another big issue is time. The past is of no concern to a wolf, as he is a creature of the NOW. He knows what he knows and where he learned it doesn't matter. The future doesn't matter to a lupus. He'll worry about it when it's in the now. For now, what he's doing now is all that matters.

And one last thing. I have been in lots of games where Garou have kinfolk mates and such. As a lupus, and a Red Talon especially, you have to realize that you will not take place in "dating games". Wolves mate for genetic compatibily. Not on the idea they are "nice" or "they get along". Most importantly lupus garou DO NOT MATE WITH HUMANS. It's just wrong.

 

 

Well that's about it for me as far as playing lupus characters go. I strongly suggest reading the Belgarath the Sorceror or Polgara the Sorceress by David Eddings as Belgarath's wife and Polgara's mother was a wolf and it shows some intresting insight into the wolf mentality. Also do research on the breed of wolf you are planning on being.