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This is a new supplement that I'm excited about. It is a nWOD book, but it really harkens back to oWOD:

World of Darkness: Changing Breeds

http://www.amazon.com/WoD-Changing-Bree ... 602&sr=8-1

This supplement really goes in depth about various world-cultural shapeshifters and were-animals (although within the context of an RPG system,) and it is replete with the nature-transcendent, therian, and furry-environmentalist themes that would probably appeal to many of the people on this board.

I just got my copy of this book, and it's really interesting. It directly addresses and mythologizes therians, and it has a very therian-friendly general philosophy.

I've read some of it, it's pretty entertaining.

I do like how the changing breeds have some of the old Garou flavor ("Grr, people screwing up nature! Bear SMASH!" hah), but I especially like how unlike Uratha, they're not half-spirit and thus are pretty clueless to weird s*** like ghosts and can't throw around weird magic stuff without taking the right abilities or whatever (and even then it's limited). The lack of any sort of society and generally just being lone critters (unless they can find others) lost and on their own to handle their urges is nice. They're more like a normal werebeastie than a Uratha cloned but with the "Wolf" bits replaced with "Bear" or whatever. It's cool.

Also the references to furries and therians were pretty amusing, especially using them as a support group/cover.

And as with all WoD books I loved the art and the small stories they pack into 'em. The art's always killer.

From looking through the book, two words for you. Hell. Cow. Let's see, a 7-foot tall bipedal cow wielding a halberd. Sound familiar?

The Awww! ability seems geared solely towards catgirls and The Beast of Caerbannog. Otherwise, a pretty good book, and I'm in the process of building a werebat as an NPC for a werewolf game I'm whipping up. But it's a side-side-side project, so she's been loitering in my folder for a couple months.

Bought the PDF of Changeing Breeds for the nWoD.
Gotta say, I disliked it alot for many reasons.

A few things were cool however.
Werecats, Werebears, werebirds, and the like all cool.

Were-Rabbits, Were-Rhino (with flaming ember armor)... Not cool.

Then the advice about how Were-Dinos are dumb and will not fit in a game. Then to see the Were-rhino crapp which is more outlandish than a guy who turns into a Dino/dragon/gator-croc. No attempt to bring back the Mokole in a good sense. Instead we get drunk alligators.

Nah, WW's current writters just suck trying to put new spins on old ideas.
I know from friends who work for them, that nWoD is not selling well. Vampire is doing well, but thats it. Ohh there new game Scion is doing better than their nWoD settings.

Guess I will stick to Unisystem's Ferals for my Were-creature fix.

HELLHOUND wrote: Nah, WW's current writters just suck trying to put new spins on old ideas.
I know from friends who work for them, that nWoD is not selling well. Vampire is doing well, but thats it. Ohh there new game Scion is doing better than their nWoD settings.

I somehow doubt that Scion's doing better than nWoD. I hardly ever hear people talk about it.

Not to mention that they're pumping out splatbooks like crazy, so they have to be doing awfully good for WW to keep pouring money into it. Hunter seems to be doing especially well since they're getting books like nuts (Slasher, Night stalkers, Spirit Hunters, Witch Finder, all pretty recently).

Writing's a matter of opinion. Personally, I like the Were-Rhinos and were-rabbits and stuff. They're not scary in the way a werecat is, but they are scary in their own ways. The sample "weredeer" character, "Fawn Richards" seems plenty threatening simply because she's not threatening up until the point where she kills you dead.

I read it, and must say white wolf maintain a pretty good calibre of fluff writers and presentation. Loved the raven shapeshifters. But I don't feel I'd use any of the templates they introduced in the game of werewolf, I didn't like the feel.

Maybe in a game of hunter though. I suppose that's succesful because of the appeal of playing an ordinary person doing extraordinary things, as opposed to just being extraordinary.