White Wolf Publishing was an American
roleplaying game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between
Lion Rampant
The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, because historically the lion has been regarded as the "king of beasts". The lion also carries Judeo-Christia ...
[A Brief History of Game #10: Lion Rampant: 1987-1990](_blank)
RPGnet (Retrieved 14 June 2007) and ''White Wolf Magazine'' (est. 1986 in Rocky Face, GA; it later became "White Wolf Inphobia"), and was initially led by
Mark Rein-Hagen
Mark Rein-Hagen, stylized as Mark Rein•Hagen (born 1964), 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 Jo ...
of the former and
Steve Wieck
Steve Wieck (also credited as Stephan Wieck) is best known as one of the founders of the publishing company, White Wolf, Inc. He is also one of the original writers of ''Mage: The Ascension''. Wieck is a co-founder of DriveThruRPG which later merg ...
and
Stewart Wieck
Stewart Douglas Wieck (May 10, 1968 June 22, 2017) was one of the founders of the publishing company, White Wolf, Inc. He was also one of the original writers of Mage: The Ascension.
Career
Stewart Wieck was born in Freeport, Illinois in 1968. H ...
of the latter. White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with
CCP Games
CCP hf., doing business as CCP Games, is an Icelandic video game developer based in Reykjavík. Novator Partners and General Catalyst had previously collectively owned a majority stake in the company, and in September 2018, CCP was acquired by ...
in 2006.
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
Paradox Interactive AB is a video game publisher based in Stockholm, Sweden. The company started out as the video game division of Target Games and then Paradox Entertainment (now Cabinet Entertainment) before being spun out into an independen ...
.
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.
The name "White Wolf" originates from
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has work ...
's works.
Overview
White Wolf published a line of several different but overlapping games set in the "
World of Darkness
''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 Apoca ...
", a "modern
gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
" world that, while seemingly similar to the real world, is home to supernatural terrors, ancient conspiracies, and several approaching
apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
s. The company also published the high fantasy ''
Exalted
''Exalted'' is a high fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally published by White Wolf Publishing in July 2001. The game is currently in its third edition. It was originally created by Robert Hatch, Justin Achilli and Stephan Wieck, and wa ...
'' RPG, the modern mythic
''Scion'', and
d20 system material under their
Sword & Sorcery imprint, including such titles as the ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...
'' gothic horror campaign setting ''
Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a ''Demiplane, pocket dimension'' or demiplane, called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of la ...
'', and
Monte Cook
Monte Cook is an American professional tabletop role-playing game designer and writer, best known for his work on ''Dungeons & Dragons''.
Role-playing industry career
Early years
Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, worki ...
's ''
Arcana Unearthed
''Arcana Unearthed'' (properly ''Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed'', ), first published in 2003, is a role-playing game created by Monte Cook. Described as a "variant player's handbook", the 256-page hardcover core rulebook bears many similarit ...
'' series. In order to complement the ''World of Darkness'' game line, a
LARP
A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically portray their characters.(Tychsen et al. 2006:255) "LARPs can be viewed as forming a distinct category of RPG because of two unique feature ...
system dubbed ''
Mind's Eye Theatre
''Mind's Eye Theatre'' is a live action role-playing game (LARP) based on the White Wolf World of Darkness universe, sharing a theme and setting with the table-top role-playing game '' Vampire: The Masquerade'' and with two revisions, '' Vampire ...
'' has been published.
White Wolf also released several series of novels based on the
Old World of Darkness
''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 Apoca ...
, 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
A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...
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
Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...
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
''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 Apoca ...
, until 2011 when the 20th Anniversary Edition of ''
Vampire: The Masquerade'' was published and the
Onyx Path
Onyx Path Publishing is a publisher of tabletop role-playing games that produces company-owned and creator-owned games as well as licensed products.
History
The name "The Onyx Path" and the company's logo appeared on White Wolf Publishing, Whit ...
was announced.
Video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s 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
CCP hf., doing business as CCP Games, is an Icelandic video game developer based in Reykjavík. Novator Partners and General Catalyst had previously collectively owned a majority stake in the company, and in September 2018, CCP was acquired by ...
, the Icelandic MMO development company responsible for
EVE Online
''Eve Online'' (stylised ''EVE Online'') is a space-based, persistent world massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by CCP Games. Players of ''Eve Online'' can participate in a number of in-game profess ...
, 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
A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game.
As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...
was already in the planning stages.
This game was cancelled in April 2014 after nine years of development.
The Onyx Path
At
GenCon
Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...
2012 it was announced that CCP Games/White Wolf would not continue to produce table-top RPGs . 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
''Exalted'' is a high fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally published by White Wolf Publishing in July 2001. The game is currently in its third edition. It was originally created by Robert Hatch, Justin Achilli and Stephan Wieck, and wa ...
. Onyx Path does not, however, hold a license to the
Mind's Eye Theatre
''Mind's Eye Theatre'' is a live action role-playing game (LARP) based on the White Wolf World of Darkness universe, sharing a theme and setting with the table-top role-playing game '' Vampire: The Masquerade'' and with two revisions, '' Vampire ...
titles.
Purchase by Paradox Interactive
On Thursday, 29 October 2015,
Paradox Interactive
Paradox Interactive AB is a video game publisher based in Stockholm, Sweden. The company started out as the video game division of Target Games and then Paradox Entertainment (now Cabinet Entertainment) before being spun out into an independen ...
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.
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, 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.
RPG products
The Old or Classic World of Darkness game lines
The games of this series use White Wolf's
Storyteller System
The ''Storytelling System'' is a role-playing game system created by White Wolf, Inc. for the Chronicles of Darkness (formerly known as the New World of Darkness), a game world with several pen and paper games tied in. The Storytelling System is ...
. Several games inspired spinoffs in the form of historical
period
Period may refer to:
Common uses
* Era, a length or span of time
* Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Period (music), a concept in musical composition
* Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...
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), ''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
''Ars Magica'' is a role-playing game set in 'Mythic Europe' – a historically grounded version of Europe and the Levant around AD 1200, with the added conceit that conceptions of the world prevalent in folklore and institutions of the High Mi ...
'', 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
The ''Storytelling System'' is a role-playing game system created by White Wolf, Inc. for the Chronicles of Darkness (formerly known as the New World of Darkness), a game world with several pen and paper games tied in. The Storytelling System is ...
. 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" 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
*''
Exalted
''Exalted'' is a high fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally published by White Wolf Publishing in July 2001. The game is currently in its third edition. It was originally created by Robert Hatch, Justin Achilli and Stephan Wieck, and wa ...
''
Trinity Universe
*''
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
'' (
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
and
psychics
A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, ...
)
*''
Aberrant
''Aberrant'' is a role-playing game created by White Wolf Game Studio in 1999, set in 2008 in a world where super-powered humans started appearing one day in 1998. It is the middle setting in the greater Trinity Universe timeline, chronologica ...
'' (near-future
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
es)
*''
Adventure!
''Adventure!'' is a pulp action role-playing game originally printed by White Wolf Game Studio, the third and last book in the Trinity Universe line of games. The game, printed in black and white on pulp-like sepia paper to resemble a period piec ...
'' (1920s pulp heroes)
Other
* ''
Pendragon
Pendragon or ( wlm, pen dreic, ''pen dragon''; composed of Welsh , 'head, chief, top' and / '' dragon'', 'dragon; warrior'; borrowed from the Latin word , plural , 'dragon , br, Penn Aerouant) literally means 'chief dragon' or 'head dragon', bu ...
''
* ''
Scion
Scion may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
*Scion, a playable class in the game ''Path of Exile'' (2013)
*Atlantean Scion, a device in the ''Tomb Raider'' video game series
*Scions, an alien race in the video game ''Ba ...
''
* ''
Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game''
* ''
Engel''
Mind's Eye Theatre (LARP)
The majority of the Old World of Darkness games were adapted into the original
Mind's Eye Theatre
''Mind's Eye Theatre'' is a live action role-playing game (LARP) based on the White Wolf World of Darkness universe, sharing a theme and setting with the table-top role-playing game '' Vampire: The Masquerade'' and with two revisions, '' Vampire ...
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
''Mind's Eye Theatre'' is a live action role-playing game (LARP) based on the White Wolf World of Darkness universe, sharing a theme and setting with the table-top role-playing game '' Vampire: The Masquerade'' and with two revisions, '' Vampire ...
titles. In May 2013, By Night Studios launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to rebuild the Mind's Eye Theatre: Vampire The Masquerade product specifically for the Live-Action Role Play audience. By Night Studios is currently developing Mind's Eye Theatre: Werewolf The Apocalypse in the same rebuilding fashion as Vampire The Masquerade.
Fiction
In the 1990s, White Wolf also published fiction. This included novels and anthologies based on White Wolf's games, as well as general fantasy and horror fiction. White Wolf printed several
Elric of Melniboné
Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VII ...
collections by
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has work ...
. The company also put out general fiction collections by
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...
, as well as several paperback editions of the "Borderlands" anthologies edited by
Thomas F. Monteleone
Thomas Francis Monteleone (born April 14, 1946) is an American science fiction author and horror fiction author."Monteleone, Thomas F(rancis)", by Don D'Ammassa in David Pringle, ''St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers''. London : St ...
.
Imprints and labels
White Wolf had different imprints under which various books are published, most notably:
* Arthaus - products for which White Wolf serves as publisher, not developer
*
Black Dog Game Factory - adult themed products (defunct)
*
Sword and Sorcery Studios
Sword and Sorcery Studios (S&SS) was an imprint of White Wolf, Inc., used to publish its d20 System & Open Gaming License material in from 2000 to 2008. The imprint also acted as publisher for other small press game developers, such as Monte C ...
- products compatible with the d20 system by
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...
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
The ENNIE Awards (previously stylized as ENnie Awards) are awards for role-playing game (RPG) products (including game-related accessories, publications, and art) and their creators. The awards were created in 2001 by Russ Morrissey of EN World ...
for "Best Publisher".
See also
*
Sword and Sorcery Studios
Sword and Sorcery Studios (S&SS) was an imprint of White Wolf, Inc., used to publish its d20 System & Open Gaming License material in from 2000 to 2008. The imprint also acted as publisher for other small press game developers, such as Monte C ...
References
External links
White Wolf- Official web site.
{{Authority control
1991 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
2015 mergers and acquisitions
American speculative fiction publishers
Card game publishing companies
ENnies winners
Game manufacturers
Horror book publishing companies
Publishing companies established in 1991
Role-playing game publishing companies