A while back, I wrote for the Chronicler’s Guide to Werewolf the Forsaken. We did a lot of crazy things with that book. (I did a chronicle hack for playing a lone wolf. Chuck Wendig sent the game back to Sumer and Matt McFarland really brought the horror back by causing characters to have no idea what they did when they changed. There’s a LOT of really fun chronicle hacks, and you should totally check them out.)

One of the hacks I did was to lift the ‘werewolves can’t get wild together’ rule. I messed with the setting and the in-game culture enough to allow characters to be involved physically and emotionally. (Actually, that’s already in the books to some extent, I just removed the parts that punished the characters for doing so.) I also added a mechanic for the levels of love a person can fall in love with and talked about how the People dealt with those stages. It was a BLAST to write and I think a lot of people had a good time with it. (Or so they’re saying on the internet.)

When I was originally writing and planning it out, I wrote a tongue and cheek section talking about what sex and love is like from the various tribes. Before I even showed it to my developer, (David) I cut it for wordcount and because it didn’t quite vibe with the rest of what I was doing. It ended up more like practice writing. (Something I am a BIG advocate for in any kind of writing.)

But anyway, it was still cute, and all this writing about sex and vampires reminded me of it. (Did I mention I just finished my redlines up for Strange, Dead Love? Why I did! And that’s a book about sex and vampires!) So here, for your viewing pleasure is a bit about werewolf sex and love I was too embarrassed to show to my editor.

Shot Gun Weddings and Kissing Cousins

At the end of the day, pack attitudes and the opinions of individual Uratha are what matter when it comes to sex and marriage.

You think so? Really? Tell that to little Billy’s over protective Tribal Elder who raised the kid to be a proud and strong Hunter in Darkness and doesn’t much care for your pretty Iron Master nose sniffing around his boy. Below are some example Tribal attitudes toward sex, marriage, and Uratha offspring.

Blood Talons

Should you marry a Blood Talon, (without being one?) Mm. Probably not. Of any tribe, the Blood Talons are the most hung up on the right breeding, (not good breeding, but the right breeding) and family lines like the Lodge of Garm are so vital that it’s almost impossible to get elder consent to mate with a Blood Talon without being one first.

Would I have a wild, whirl-wind affair with one? Damn right. Stalwart warriors and high idealists, a Blood Talon is the last Uratha you have to worry about giving into a berserker rage and do something you’ll both regret. That said, a Blood Talon won’t hesitate to kill when it’s necessary, so make sure you don’t insult her mother.

Bone Shadows

While the Blood Talons might be very worried about who you’re mating with, the Bone Shadows are likely to be very hung up on how you’re doing it. The preservation of ancient traditions to appease the ancestors and spirits who might over see your relationship is going to be a big deal. Don’t anticipate running to Vegas if your would-be bride a Bone Shadow. Instead, expect to be dragged onto the Hisil and introduced to each one of her ancestors three hundred years back with a formal greeting and exchange of Essence and other gifts.

That said, the Shadows do believe in payment in kind, and so they can be nurturing loves with an eye for giving as good as they get. Keep in mind though, if you screw around, payment in kind can mean something very different.

Hunters in Darkness

If you want the kind of lover you broadcast about to any and all channels, you may not want to hook up with a Hunter in Darkness. The master hunters maintain their affairs with the same silent dedication that they maintain their hunt. It isn’t anyone’s business what they do, or who they do it with, and if you’re along for the ride, you sure as shit better be able to keep your mouth shut.

But you want to talk about tender, romantic, and secretly thrilling? You want to talk about the smoldering passion the Hunters keep in check just aching for an outlet. If you can stand all the cloak and dagger crap, you’ll be thrilled by how they treat your sacred places while in their territory.

… Meaning your heart, of course.

Iron Masters

So, you do want that Vegas wedding after all? Maybe looking a little love outside the status quo? If it’s cutting edge, challenging to the old guard or even just plain freaky, you probably want to hook up with an Iron Master. While there’s something potentially kinky in the hearts and souls of any Uratha, the Iron Master’s willingness to change and try new ideas, it is refreshingly easy with members of this tribe.

Keep in mind, though, since they’re so flexible in their concepts of territory and what territory even means, you might well find yourself in part of the new definition. In which case, expect a lot of honor, and likely a lot of possessiveness.

Storm Lords

Power, authority, purpose.

Scary, huh? The Uratha mate or lover of a Storm Lord has to be prepared to be understanding at best, made of granite at worst. They may be condescending, traditionalist, dominant and obsessive.

But, they’re yours. If you can put up with their driven nature, a Storm Lord will weather just about anything with you, and better still, won’t complain about the little annoying things you do. That might show weakness.

What are you doing this weekend? If it isn’t dinner with the President, and your within a hundred thousand miles of Philadelphia,  you should probably drop it and come down to Phauxcon 2009. http://www.phauxcon.com

Why? Well, because you can get you geek on, talk about vampires AND see my husband, (David Hill’s,) hit panel “Design an RPG in an Hour.” Come see that, grab some lunch, and after lunch come back to see us talking about Vampires at your gaming table. Here are the blurbs.

Design an RPG in an Hour

We’re making a pen and paper RPG, and you’re invited to the design meeting. During the panel, you’ll address the problem-solving and analytical questions required to design a successful game. During the discussion, we’ll discuss the basics of game theory and how to outline, centered around an example you’re participating in. Soon after, the fruits of your labor will be published online as a downloadable ebook.

and

Filamena Young, a fiction and game writer, and David Hill, an Ennie Award winning game writer, want you to bring more fang to into your roleplaying. Both Filamena and David have worked on numerous products from White Wolf Publishing, (publishers of Vampire: the Requiem,) but also write for many types of pen and paper games. With a strong understanding of the vampire myth from early Slavic plagues of the undead to the modern Paranormal Romantic dreamboats, there isn’t a vampire that can’t find a comfortable way into your game, no matter what you play.

They’ll be lots of other stuff going on, but I wanted to make sure you all knew to check it out. Have a great weekend and if I don’t see you at the Con, tell Obama I said hi!

I’m blogging to day in crappy stick figure drawings to make my emotions perfectly clear.

This is what I do with a $300 graphics program.

Notes from today’s stick figure blog:

The Philadelphia Inquirer

My Twitter

Now I just have to hope to someday find out when my nerd books will be out so I can seduce the paper into talking to me like I’m a real writer.

* If you are ever taking the 103 bus through suburban Philadelphia toward the 69th street transit hub, don’t do it while holding a giant cup of scalding hot coffee. My delicate hands are still smarting, thanks bumpy road!!

* The Stepsister Scheme is turning out to be more awesome then I had hoped. Oh dear. There are going to be five of these!! (Mr. Hines, I can’t decide if I love your or hate you!)

* If you’re a Requiem player and reading this, please go immediately and order your copy of Ancient Mysteries. I can honestly tell you at this point this is going to be the most beautifully produced thing White Wolf has yet put out. I was blown out if my seat by it, really. If you aren’t a Requiem player, you should be. 

*The word ‘seemed’ needs to be stricken from my language forever. Really. Done with it.

TTFN