Hunter: The Vigil - White Wolf’s Summer System Blockbuster

Written by Harry

Every year, White Wolf releases a major gaming system at GenCon, the be-all-and-end-all of gaming conventions in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The first year I attented GenCon, the big release was Vampire: The Requiem. The second year, the released system was Werewolf: The Forsaken. They remain my favorite systems today.

In the following three years, White Wolf released Changeling, Mage and Promethean.

I wondered what White Wolf would release at this year’s GenCon. I had hoped for a re-release of Demon: The Fallen, but alas, no such luck.

Instead it looks like the big to-do will be about Hunter: The Vigil.

Roots in The Reckoning

Like many other WoD releases, Hunter: The Vigil has roots in the old World of Darkness gaming system. The original Hunter system even bore much the same name… Hunter: The Reckoning.

I never got into Hunters. The only time I picked up a Hunter book was for White Wolf’s medieval version of the World of Darkness system called The Dark Ages. It was more fun to play a supernatural than hunt them.

This time, I may have to get my hands on this book when it comes out (and this year, gaming books are tax deductible for me!).

The Story So Far

The World of Darkness is all about…well, darkness. Their old system relied on the ever-present threat of the Apocalypse, but the new system hits closer to home. This game is all about the real things that scare you.

The theme of Hunter: The Vigil is what White Wolf calls “the light in the darkness”. The Hunters are those defending humanity against threats from the supernatural realms.

The theme is also about general humanity and that there is far more strength in numbers than one individual standing alone against impending darkness. These new Hunters know the meaning of teamwork. They might just put a few Forsaken packs to shame.

Hunter: The Vigil is also about characters learning to open their eyes to some frightening truths about the world they live in.

Let’s face it; being a human in World of Darkness means getting the shit end of the stick. Humans are food, breeding stock, unlimited sources of emotional energy, and offer other resources for most supernaturals.

A Hunter has witnessed these things firsthand and decided to take a stand.

Yes, yes… Buffy was a Hunter.

Whether Hunter: The Vigil will be any good or not, I can’t tell. As always, there’s a lot of hype and high expectations from the fans on the White Wolf forum boards. There are those who defend the old system to the death and others, like myself, who keep an open mind and approach the new system as just that - a new system.

Knowing me, I won’t be disappointed. The old werewolf system, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, was the only system I knew inside and out, and the new version is much better than the old one.

At any rate, I’ll know for sure whether Hunter is worth it on August 14th, when White Wolf makes its release

Stay tuned.

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