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Since we have a discussion on Voodoo, I figured it out that we may as well have a discussion on werewolves and vampires. Historical figures, myth, preference, movies and book about them.

I usually prefer the struggling vampires, and I'm a huge fan of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, especially of Louis (portrayed in the movie by Brad Pitt - terrible!). I'm also a player of the RPG Vampire: The Masquerade.

Anyway, in Gabriel Knight, I tend to prefer the way Jane enriched the werewolf figure, with its Dionysian nature and moral ambiguity.

Later today, when I got home, I want to translate and post to you guys an old Italian (venetian, if I'm not wrong) process act about a supposed werewolf - it demonstrates the enormous care Jane put in the research for the Beast Within and it's quite a interesting document in its own rights, since it unfolds unbelievably well the superstition of the Catholic Church.

It sounds absolutely fascinating!

I researched Slavic vampires very thoroughly for my article on them on the GK4campaign site - it was embarrassing. The thing was only supposed to be a nice little article on vampires - perhaps up to 10 pages.

It... grew.

Here's an Italian take on werewolves, in G. Finamore, Tradizioni popolari abruzzesi, 1884:

The people born on Christmas night are werewolves (if men) or witches (if women). Though, if the father wants to have a normal child, he has an easy way: for three years in a row, always on Christmas night, he has to engrave a little cross under the big toe of the left foot of the baby. If he doesn't do so, when he or she will turn 20, they will become werewolf or witch.

Here's a passage from Summis Desiderantes Affectibus, the Papal Bull promulgated by Innocenzio VIII in 1484:

[...] In Magonza, Colonia, Treves, Salisburgo and Brema, a lot of people of both sexes have resigned their souls to demons, incubi and succubi, e with their jinxes and hexes, and other despicable witchcrafts, they destroy babies and livestock's offspring [...] They prevent the human procreation and, foremost, they renounce the faith they received with baptism and - on the pay of Satan - they perpetrate the most evil abominations and they spread them like a plague.

Innocenzio is referring to increasing number of processes on the behalf of supposed vampires and werewolves in Germany and in the Rhine Valley. The bull was supposed to give the Inquisitors some fine elements to work with during the suspects' questioning.

This passage is from the interrogatory of Jacques Roulet (Angers, 1598):

[...]
Judge: Your hands and feet actually became wolf's paws?
Roulet: Yes!
J: Did your head become wolf-like? And did your mouth become bigger?
R: I don't know how my head is, in those moments. I used the teeth. I wounded and devoured kids, and I was even present at the Sabbath.

I hope it was interesting I have a lot of similar documents and, if it may interest, I can write an article for the Campaign about the Inquisitorial Trials of Supposed Vampires and Werewolves.



PS: Sorry for some translations, but translation fro Latin to English isn't exactly my field

So you play VTM, huh? Have you tried Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines for the PC? It's a really cool game, since it mixes RPG with FPS (which is a lot like Deus Ex or System Shock 2). It was the first game to use the Source engine outside of Half-Life 2.

As for the original VTM game... which clan do you prefer? I've always been partial to the Brujah or Ventrue clans. Gangrel is interesting, though.

I've played and enjoyed Bloodlines

In the original role-playing game, I'm partial to Toreador, Tremere and Ventrue. Always and forever Camarilla, of course.

AndreaDraco wrote:Here's an Italian take on werewolves, in G. Finamore, Tradizioni popolari abruzzesi, 1884:

...I have a lot of similar documents and, if it may interest, I can write an article for the Campaign about the Inquisitorial Trials of Supposed Vampires and Werewolves.

One word: Sí.

On the topic of V:TM, I never actually played (just the two PC games), but I had the source book and read up much on WhiteWolf RPGs in general. I was always partial to the Lasombra and, if I ever played, would've wanted to be a Lasombra Antitribu (or however you spell it). There was something just plain cool about Obtenebration.

I've still never played a P&P RPG before, but I own three of the New WoD sourcebooks: the World of Darkness guide, Werewolf: The Forsaken and Vampire: the Requiem. I had an obsession with Werewolf when it first came out, but I thought it was an extremely cool take on the werewolf mythos (and I'm completely enamored with wolves and werewolves as it is. Must be why I liked GK2 so much ).

Those snippets were interesting to read, thanks Andrea!

Always a pleasure

Some cool stuff. As wolves are my favorite animal - naturally I feel strongly about werewolves.

If you do have more, I'd love to read it - but only if it's not too much of a burden to translate.

And Matthias - if you've never done a P&P game - I'd recommend it if you can find a good Dungeon Master/DM. The DM makes all the difference in the world.

Tawmis wrote: If you do have more, I'd love to read it - but only if it's not too much of a burden to translate.

I'm working on it

You already can find a bit more here

^^

Tawmis wrote: And Matthias - if you've never done a P&P game - I'd recommend it if you can find a good Dungeon Master/DM. The DM makes all the difference in the world.

I was actually going to run a Werewolf game, as I had plenty of story ideas, and it would be a learning experience for all of us. Sadly, my friends at the time that I proposed the idea to never really got together for it; that was a few years ago, and I don't see it happening anymore.

Matthias wrote:

Tawmis wrote: And Matthias - if you've never done a P&P game - I'd recommend it if you can find a good Dungeon Master/DM. The DM makes all the difference in the world.

I was actually going to run a Werewolf game, as I had plenty of story ideas, and it would be a learning experience for all of us. Sadly, my friends at the time that I proposed the idea to never really got together for it; that was a few years ago, and I don't see it happening anymore.

I feel your pain. I personally love P&P gaming because it brings everyone together for a fun time. Unfortunately real life came along - and like sets of mines in a war field - divorce basically devistated every friend I was with (not even kidding) - and eventually there was only a fractured (fraction) amount of people who remained friends after all the mud slinging...

Tawmis wrote:

Matthias wrote:

Tawmis wrote: And Matthias - if you've never done a P&P game - I'd recommend it if you can find a good Dungeon Master/DM. The DM makes all the difference in the world.

I was actually going to run a Werewolf game, as I had plenty of story ideas, and it would be a learning experience for all of us. Sadly, my friends at the time that I proposed the idea to never really got together for it; that was a few years ago, and I don't see it happening anymore.

I feel your pain. I personally love P&P gaming because it brings everyone together for a fun time. Unfortunately real life came along - and like sets of mines in a war field - divorce basically devistated every friend I was with (not even kidding) - and eventually there was only a fractured (fraction) amount of people who remained friends after all the mud slinging...

Wow, sorry to hear that. Sounds like a rough time.

Matthias wrote: Wow, sorry to hear that. Sounds like a rough time.

Yeah not the best of times. But a part of life. You deal and move on, ya know?

Anyway - let's hear more about this campaign idea as I love wolves and anything that ties to them...

I didn't understand what happened Taw, but I'm sorry