Collecting classic World of Darkness, part 14: Magazines

Before there was White Wolf the company, there was White Wolf the magazine.  It originally ran adventures and articles for other companies’ games (sometimes in those weird not-quite-AD&D stat blocks that Mayfair used), but in 1991 it merged with Lion Rampant Games (pubishers of Ars Magica) to form White Wolf Publishing.  White Wolf continued publishing, although it changed its name, somewhat inexplicably, to Inphobia as of issue #50.  It folded not too long afterwards, with issue 57.

Since White Wolf/Inphobia was an officially published White Wolf product with WoD content, I’m counting it as a cWoD collectible product (as well as a couple of other official and officially-sanctioned magazines).  There are other magazines that ran WoD articles back in the day (such as Shadis and Pyramid) but I’m not going list those because they’re not official and because I don’t have complete sets to check against.

White Wolf/Inphobia

There were a total of 49 issues of White Wolf and 8 of Inphobia.  (The latter was technically White Wolf Inphobia but the first two words were a whole lot smaller on the covers.)  The first issue to have WoD content was #26.  It took a surprisingly long time to have a significant amount of WoD coverage, probably since they appear to have been trying to avoid coming across as a house organ, with “X Years of Independent Roleplaying Coverage” on the cover for a long time.  The magazine was originally bimonthly and became monthly with issue #39.

Issues of WW/I vary in availability.  The pre-WoD issues are in lower demand but are hard to find, especially the first dozen or so.  (The exception may be #8, which was mailed out as a sample to people with Dragon subscriptions.  The cover artwork, a closeup portrait of a white wolf, was reused as the cover of a collection of adventures from the magazine.) Circulation went up as the WoD gained popularity, but seems to have been on a downward curve by the time they switched the title and added more pop culture coverage, and the slogan “Raw Meat for Media Goobers” clearly didn’t help.  Issues of Inphobia are fairly common and inexpensive; earlier issues from the WoD era are less common but not substantially more expensive (a few bucks more at most).  Your best bet for finding copies is online, as relatively few game stores keep a large selection of gaming magazine back issues.

A number of issues are available on DriveThruRPG; I’m including links where available.

To help the collector, there follows a list of which issues have WoD content, and what it is.  I’m not generally going to cover editorial content or ads unless they’re noteworthy for some reason, and I’m not generally mentioning articles that mention a WoD game in a generic context.

Issue 26 (April/May 1991)

• Contains a bound-in copy of the VTM preview booklet (which was also available separately and will be covered in the promotional material section).

Issue 27 (June/July 1991)

• Only WoD content is a couple of ads. (The ad for Ashes to Ashes has a full-page Bradstreet illustration and is much classier than the “Vampire Brain” ad for Chill.)

Issue 28 (August/September 1991)

• “Annual Fantasy Issue”
• Article: “Purgatory” by Graeme Davis (nightclub setting for VtM)

Issue 29 (October/November 1991)

• “Annual Halloween Issue”
• Article: “Hunting the Hunters in Vampire” by Andrew Greenberg & Mark ReinHagen (VtM) (run along with an article of hunting vampires in Dark Conspiracy)
• Feature review: Vampire the Masquerade

Issue 30 (February 1992)

• “Near Future Issue”
• No WoD content besides ads

Issue 31 (May/June 1992)

• First issue in new format (stapled rather than squarebound, internal color, much better art design)
• Article: “Items for any Realm” column by Graeme Davis (mystical items for VtM)
• Capsule reviews: VtM: Chicago by Night (4/5), Player’s Guide (4/5), The Succubus Club (3/5)

Issue 32

• Adventure: “The Dark Tower” by Chris Hind (VtM/WtA)
• Capsule review: VtM: Alien Hunger (4/5), Awakening: Diablerie Mexico (3/5), Milwaukee by Night (3/5)

Issue 33 (November/December 1992)

• Feature Review: Werewolf: the Apocalypse (4/5, 3/5, 4/5, 4/5, 5/5)
• Capsule reviews: VtM: A World of Darkness (2/5), The Hunters Hunted (3/5)

Issue 34

• I didn’t have my copy on hand, so this is a placeholder until I locate it.
• “Vampire: The Masquerade – Portrait in Horror: The Vampire’s Hunt: Charles Pierce knows how to make the Hunt more exciting in Vampire: The Masquerade.”

Issue 35 (March/April 1993)

• Capsule reviews: VtM: Clanbook: Brujah (4/5), Who’s Who Among Vampires: Children of the Inquisition (4/5)

Issue 36 (1993)

• Article: “The World of Future Darkness” (part 1/3) by Deirdre Brooks (VtM/Cyberpunk crossover setting; this entry focuses on crossover rules for cyberwear and Disciplines)

Issue 37 (1993)

• Adventure: “Mind over Matter” by Chris Hind (introductory adventure for MtA)
• Feature review: The Masquerade (4/5, 4/5, 4/5)
• Humor: “Special Feature” on Ray Winninger trying out Masquerade
• Article: “The World of Future Darkness” (part 2/3) by Deirdre Brooks (VtM/Cyberpunk crossover setting; this entry covers Night City)
• Capsule reviews: VtM: The Player’s Guide to the Sabbat (5/5), Rage Across New York (4/5)

Issue 38

• Article: “The World of Future Darkness” (part 3/3) by Deirdre Brooks (VtM/Cyberpunk crossover setting; this entry is an adventure titled “Gypsy Switch”)
• Feature review: Mage: the Ascension (4/5, 5/5, 4/5, 4/5)
• Capsule reviews: VtM: The Anarch Cookbook (3/5), Clanbook: Gangrel (5/5); WtA: Book of the Wyrm (3/5), Under a Blood Red Moon (4/5), Valkenburg Foundation (5/5)

Issue 39

• “Out of Character” column: Interview with Mark ReinHagen
• Adventure: “Night of Rage” by Sam Chupp (WtA)
• Errata: Mage rulebook
• Article: “Tools for the Masquerade: Schere’s Disease” by Alara Rogers (VtM; this article was also available free on the White Wolf website)
• Comic: “Legacy Rite” part 1/6 by Bill Bridges and Tony deTerlizzi (later reprinted in WtA 2nd edition rulebook)

Issue 40

• Article: “O My Body! Eroticism and Sensuality in Roleplaying” by Gregory Rucka (systemless; not strictly WoD but I was surprised by who the author was)
• Article: “Toreador Blood Cults” by Steven C. Brown (VtM)
• Article/Fiction: “Interview with a Murderer” by James & Bonnie Moore (WtA: transcript of interviews with Samuel Haight)
• Comic: “Legacy Rite” part 2/6 by Bill Bridges and Tony deTerlizzi (later reprinted in WtA 2nd edition rulebook)

Issue 41

• Adventure: “Chants” by William Spencer-Hale (Masquerade)
• Article: “Posing and the Art of Damnation: A Guide to Gothic-Punk” by Richard Watts (WoD)
• Comic: “Legacy Rite” part 3/6 by Bill Bridges and Tony deTerlizzi (later reprinted in WtA 2nd edition rulebook)

Issue 42

• April Fool’s issue
• Humor: “Vampurr: The Conspurracy” by Jackie Cassada (VtM with cats; response to Pyramid article “Hampire: The Masked Ace Raid”)
• Bound in flier for WtA 2nd edition
• Adventure: “Forgotten Lessons” by James A. Moore (WtA; part 1/3)
• Comic: “Legacy Rite” part 4/6 by Bill Bridges and Tony deTerlizzi (later reprinted in WtA 2nd edition rulebook)

Issue 43

• Adventure: “Present Dangers” by James A. Moore (WtA; part 2/3)
• Comic: “Legacy Rite” part 5/6 by Bill Bridges and Tony deTerlizzi (later reprinted in WtA 2nd edition rulebook)

Issue 44

• Fiction: “The Ties That Bind” by William Spencer-Hale & Mark ReinHagen (WtO)
• Adventure: “Future Shock” by James A. Moore (WtA; part 3/3)
• Article: “Not Bloody Likely” by Gregory Rucka (VtM)
• Comic: “Legacy Rite” part 6/6 by Bill Bridges and Tony deTerlizzi (later reprinted in WtA 2nd edition rulebook)

Issue 45

• Adventure: “The Extinction Game” by Ran Ackels (VtM)

Issue 46

• Article: “The Magic of Jyhad” by Rob McMillon (Jyhad)
• Adventure: “With Dead Desire” by Teeuwyn (WtO; part 1/2)
• Article: “Out of Character” column by James A. Moore (interview with Tim Bradstreet)
• Article: “Tattoo You (& Us)” (WW-related tattoo contest)
• Capsule review: GURPS Vampire: the Masquerade (5/5)

Issue 47

• Adventure: “Into the Midnight” by Teeuwyn (WtO; part 2/2)

Issue 48

• Adventure: “Monsters We Are…” by Frank Branham (Masquerade; part 1/2)
• Errata: Wraith rulebook
• Comic: “Embracing the Mask, Episode One” by Phil Brucato, Mike Nystul, & Andrew Mitchell Kudelka (part 1/4)

Issue 49

• Adventure: “Monsters We Are…” by Frank Braham (Masquerade; part 2/2)
• Comic: “Embracing the Mask, Episode Two” by Phil Brucato, Mike Nystul, & Andrew Mitchell Kudelka (part 2/4)

Issue 50 (becomes Inphobia)

• Bagged with White Wolf temporary tattoos
• Article: “Setting the Stage” by Cherie Daniels (costumes and props for Masquerade)
• Adventure: “Road to Heaven” by Philippe R. Boulle (WtA)
• Article: “‘Explain to Me Again Why We’re Doing This?’: How to Keep a Bunch of Dead People from Going Splitsville” by Richard E. Dansky (WtO)
• Feature review: Jyhad (4.5/5)
• Article: “The Domination Game” by Jim Parks (VtM)
• Comic: “Embracing the Mask, Episode Three” by Phil Brucato, Mike Nystul, & Andrew Mitchell Kudelka (part 3/4)

Issue 51

• Bagged with a Jyhad checklist
• Article: “The Complete Official Jyhad List”
• Article: “Secret Sects of the Akashic Brotherhood” by Emrey Barnes (MtA; cut material from Tradition Book)
• Comic: “Embracing the Mask, Episode Four” by Phil Brucato, Mike Nystul, & Andrew Mitchell Kudelka (part 4/4)

Issue 52

• Valentine’s issue
• Article: “Doggy Stylin'” by Jim Parks (sex in WtA)
• Fiction: “Violet” by David Michael Meyers (VtM)

Issue 53

• Should have been bagged with 2 SimCity CCG promo cards (according to notes; I know these cards were released but my copy isn’t bagged, so I can’t confirm it directly)
• Article: “Beyond the Pale” by Ralph Murat Young (WtO)

Issue 54

• Article: “The Jail of Night: Metropolis by Night” by Paul Beakley (WoD/Kult crossover; VtM; part 1 of 5)
• Humor: “So You Wanna Be a Vampire” by J.D. Wiker
• Article: “Creating Chronicles for Rage” by Justin Achilli (WtA/Rage)

Issue 55

• Article: “The Jail of Night: The Apocalypse is Over” by Paul Beakley (WoD/Kult crossover; WtA; part 2 of 5)
• Article: “Rage Card List”

Issue 56

• Bagged with promotional Rage card from “Umbra” expansion (not sure which one because, again, my copy isn’t bagged)
• Article: “Croatan Tribe:book” [sic] by Bill Bridges (WtA; rules tie-in for Croatan Song)
• Article: “We Can Find You” by Thomas M. Kane (WoD; tie-in to “Year of the Hunter”)
• Article: “The Jail of Night: Ascension is a Lie” by Paul Beakley (WoD/Kult crossover; MtA; part 3 of 5)

Issue 57

• Article: “The Jail of Night: Necropolis: Metropolis” by Paul Beakley (WoD/Kult crossover; WtO; part 4 of 5)
• Article: “Mage Re-Awakening or ‘What’s New in Mage Second Edition?'” by Phil Bructo
• Article: “Protecting the Old World: Hunters Hunted” by Alex Hammond (VtM; part 1 of 3)

Issue 58

• This issue was not released, but going by the “On the Horizon” column, it would have included:
• Article: “Protecting the Old World: Hunters Hunted” by Alex Hammond (VtM; part 2 of 3)
• Article: “The Jail of Night” by Paul Beakley (WoD/Kult crossover; CtD; part 5 of 5″
• Article: “How My Dog Ate Ascension’s Right Hand” by Phil Brucato

The complete “Jail of Night”, including part 5, is available here.  I couldn’t find the other articles online anywhere.

Mind’s Eye Theatre Journal

The other official White Wolf-published magazine; I covered it in the previous article.  To summarize, this was a magazine covering the various MET games, and can easily be found for around $1 an issue. (These were the size of the MET rulebooks, and had sturdy covers, so they were more durable than a usual magazine and are more likely to turn up in a game store.)

White Wolf Quarterly/Sword & Sorcery Insider

This was a cross between a magazine and a catalog, though it was primarily the latter.  The first issue covered January-March of 2003, and it ran until some point in the nWoD era (RPGGeek lists it as running through Winter 2006). The first year’s worth were cWoD-related (and are often a guide to the hardest-to-find items that came out at the end of the run).  Most articles were connected with upcoming releases, but they weren’t always just previews; some were designer notes or other thematic tie-ins.  For example, a tie-in article to Dark Ages Mage had suggestions on how mages should build their magical libraries.

At least at the start, WWQ was in a flip format, with Sword & Sorcery Insider on the other side, performing a similar function for their d20 and other non-Storyteller material.

As with all catalogs and promotional material, availability is unpredictable.  There are currently 2 issues available on eBay, 4 on Noble Knight, and 1 on Amazon.  Price is also all over the place, ranging in these example from $1.60 to $10; however, demand is low, so don’t pay too much if you can help it.  There was also a PDF version available, but I don’t know if it was available from the beginning or current availability.

This is not White Wolf’s only catalog/promotional giveaway, but it’s the only one I can think of that had original articles.  I’ll go into more detail in the article on promotional material

Requiem

In 1992, the MET fan organization, the Camarilla was founded (they’re currently known as the Mind’s Eye Society).  Requiem was their quarterly fan magazine, which included club news and fan-submitted material (of highly variable quality).  It wasn’t put out by White Wolf, but as a licensed product it still qualifies as officially sanctioned.

As a non-commercially distributed product, Requiem is hard to find (Noble Knight has 2 listings, both sold out).  Furthermore, the existence of VtR makes it annoyingly difficult to search for, either on the Web or eBay; as such, I have no idea how long it ran, although I know it was through at least 2001.  You may get lucky and stumble across an eBay listing, but it’s a rare occcurrence. (Although I had listings up for a couple of duplicate issues for a month with no nibbles, so I have to conclude that demand is low as well.)

There are other Camarilla-related items out there, but again, that’s another article.

—

That’s it for official magazines (although I do need to write up “Hampire” sometime).  The next articles will be on promotional items and posters, but will probably take a while because I want to have photographs of the items with the article.  Until next time, the Woggle-Bug says “The tranquility of post-war Japan?”