Pack Information and Guidelines

Overview

Werewolves, like their wolf and human kin, are instinctively social animals. Consequently, the fundamental unit in Garou society is not the individual, but the pack. Packs serve as friends, backup, emotional support groups and commando units all in one. Packs are also the fangs, claws and wrath of Gaia. Although a Garou's enemies far outnumber his friends, these friends are fiercely, almost unswervingly, loyal.

When a Garou joins a pack she enters a family. Packmates adopt a "we" mentality, in which the pack is more important than the individual members. They share a powerful bond forged through a common purpose and strengthened by the intense and dangerous experiences they endure together. Although rivalries may exist between members, a Garou can always depend on her pack to stand with her and fight to the death.

Through long experience, werewolves often become so familiar with their packmates that they act in complete unison, as though one mind is governing the group. Such packs are almost entities unto themselves, with each member an integral part of a larger organism. When werewolves are united toward a single purpose, they are an awesome sight to behold as, in elegant and violent harmony, they tear through their foes.

Pack Formation

The principal theme governing pack formation is trust. Garou find themselves in battle with the forces of the Wyrm almost every day of their adult lives. Thus, they know it's vital to be able to trust completely Garou who stand with them against this tide of corruption.

Of course, trust is far different from friendship. Werewolves don't always form packs with their friends. Everyone has a friend who is always late or who constantly forgets to do what he said he would do. No matter how much you may like such a friend, he isn't the type of individual you'd want watching your back when a situation's potentially fatal.

Garou do not always get along well with their packmates. In many cases, members of a pack develop strong competitive relationships, which can lead to disagreements, confrontation and petty bickering. But Garou trust, respect and defend their packmates.

Packmates rarely allow their relationships with one another to deteriorate beyond "occasionally hostile" or "coldly professional." If a relationship degenerates further, both individuals involved typically agree that they shouldn't work together. If the two don't reach an agreement, one of them — often the loser of a challenge or duel — leaves the pack.


Because trust is essential to a pack's survival, sept leaders rarely interfere in the formation of a pack beyond placing recently Changed Garou together for the Rite of Passage. These young Garou often choose to continue functioning as a pack after bonding together over the course of the rite.


Traditionally, Garou formed packs exclusively along tribal lines. But as the wilderness shrinks, tribes must come
together and associate more freely with one another. As a result, modern packs usually contain members of several different tribes.


The membership and size of a pack often depends on the purpose for the pack's existence. Every pack has a
purpose: It could be as broad as "fighting the Wyrm," "defending Gaia," or "destroying Pentex"; or as narrow as "killing Sargrash Thief-of-Eyes." If the purpose is broad, nearly anyone is eligible for membership, but if the purpose is specific, each member has a reason for joining the pack. Occasionally, specific problems that arise can defy the skills of existing packs. In such instances, sept leaders form temporary packs by recruiting members who have the abilities needed to take action.

Recruiting strategies vary, depending on the pack's purpose and the wishes of the present members. Occasionally, the pack's alpha makes a general announcement during a moot and evaluates volunteers, but usually pack membership is by invitation only. Garou are never forced to join a pack — however, rumors inevitably surface about werewolves who refuse an invitation to join.


After a pack forms, a totem spirit is almost always bound to it. This spirit guides, teaches, protects and serves as a unifying force for a pack. Pack totems leave when a pack disbands.

The purpose for a pack's creation ultimately determines how long the pack remains together. The pack's goal
may take only a few days to achieve, or it may require a lifetime. Once a pack accomplishes its purpose, its members either disband or choose another goal. Although Garou can join temporary packs without disbanding their current ones, they consider their "true" pack dominant in all cases, and they usually join other packs for no more than a month.


(All information above was taken from Werewolf: The Apocalypes Werewolf Player's Guide and is meant for reference and not resale) {Yay disclaimers}

Alphas and Pack Leadership

Leadership is often a source of contention within a pack. Intense competition can develop among packmates as
they struggle for dominance over one another. These rivalries and the constant vying for leadership can provide
excellent opportunities for roleplaying. However, you should realize that, during times of crisis, all of the characters in a true pack band together and obey the current alpha's orders, unless she is clearly incompetent.


The most common means of establishing a hierarchy is designating one member as alpha when the pack is formed. The alpha may be chosen by a number of means — rank, Renown, mutual agreement of the pack, challenges between members, contests of skill, etc. Traditionally, this Garou remains the alpha until a packmate usurps her position by defeating her in a duel or other contest.

The Litany states that "the leader may be challenged at any time during peace" because an alpha must always be worthy, which constant testing can ensure. Alphas can come and go frequently in such packs, thus allowing anyone who wishes (and is worthy) a reasonable chance of obtaining the position. In other packs, the position of alpha passes to whomever the pack feels is best suited for the job during a particular situation — combat, Umbral quests or whatever.


This method has proven to be effective for governing a pack, but it sometimes gives rise to subversion within the pack, as members try to undermine and discredit one another's abilities. Members of such packs are not as openly aggressive toward their packmates as individuals who challenge for leadership, but the former tend to harbor greater resentment. There are even a few democratic packs that have no alpha. Members of these packs strive to put behind them the prejudices and squabbling of their respective tribes, along with their own ambitions for authority, in an effort to achieve greater unity with their packmates.

Unfortunately, these packs may be difficult to manage during a crisis, as there is no clear voice of authority. What's more, the lack of an alpha goes against lupine instinct. Consequently, democracy proves successful only in packs that are truly unified.

I went ahead and unlocked the Pack information Topic since we have active packs again.


Pack Leaders: Go ahead and post your Pack information in this Format. (If you desire to)

Code:

[b]Pack Name:

Alpha:
Beta:

Members:

Pack Description:[/b]

Pack Name: Howl With The Moon

Alpha: Aris Norman
Beta: Skar

Additional Members: Glass Claws OF War

Pack Information: Gaurds of any woods or wolves they see

Pack Name: Unknown

Alpha: Growls in Blood, Silverfang Fostern
Beta: Konstantine, Shadow Lord, Adren

Members: Zasha, Silverfang Theurge
Evalina(inactive), Black Fury
Snow, Silverfang Philodox
Koani(possible), Children of Gaia
Ania (possible), Fenrir

Pack Description: Charged with seeking out and locating information pertaining to the rituals required to bring the sun back.

Pack Totem:Monkey King

Spoiler:

Pack Name: (Undecided as of yet, as the pack is currently in Werewolf Political Limbo.)

Alpha: Koani Ehawee, Philodox Child of Gaia
Beta:

Members:
(Possible, not Decided Yet) Snow, Philodox Silverfang

Former Members:
Ania, Ragabash Fenris

Pack Description:
Possibly created in the heat of the moment by rash young warriors, this semi-pack was formed partially out of necessity when several women banded together to attack the storm clouds over Omen. After the battle, in the aftermath and the dust clouds, the Child of Gaia, Koani, turned to her fellows and inquired gently if they would be interested in joining her in discovering the reason and solution for the darkness. Soon enough, the small, starting pack found themselves butting heads with some of the other packs over converging pack members, pack quests, and other such things, thus making this pack possibly moot- As of yet, though, either outcome is possible, and Koani has no qualms of continuing along as she had planned with the pack formation in the meantime.

This said, Koani's pack turns away few, and accepts many, due to the Alpha's own peacemongering and recognition of those who would otherwise possibly be alienated.

Pack Totem: None, as of yet, but Koani searches for one, nevertheless, and asks her packmates to do the same.