Hunter: The Reckoning
| Hunter: The Reckoning | ||
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| Role-playing game published by White Wolf |
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| Rule System | Storyteller System | |
| First Publication | 1999 | |
Hunter: The Reckoning is a roleplaying game by White Wolf Studios set in the Old World of Darkness. Players are a "gifted" few called the Imbued, normal people who become awakened by the Messengers and can see through the veil of ignorance and blindness. They have been granted the ability to view the supernatural horrors lurking in their world for what they really are, and when in great need, they can call upon powers called Edges with which to protect the innocent from the darkness.
Many mistakenly assume that Hunter: the Reckoning is about kicking ass and blowing the heads off of zombies, but the game stresses that your character should not be a pumped up ex-marine, but rather an Average Joe who is suddenly and mysteriously made aware that the world is much, much worse than he thought it was, and some mysterious higher power chosen him to fix it. It is a horror game, not an action game, and this is reflected in how little Hunters are prepared for their new monster-hunting lives and the high mortality rate. In addition, Hunter ties in with the World of Darkness portrayal of good and evil as not clean-cut at all; there is a range of diverse philosophies, Creeds, toward approaching the Hunt. While there is a definite theme that Hunters are the "good guy" for humanity, a more in-depth look shows that there is a fine line between Hunter and monster (especially when it comes to Mages), and the further along the road a Hunter goes, the less human he becomes. And then there is the question of the Messengers-- who or what are they and what is their true purpose?
Creeds
Every Hunter has a different philosophy in his approach toward the Hunt, but they can be divided into three main camps: Mercy, Vision and Zeal. Each Hunter has a rating in each of these Virtues, and every Hunter has a primary Virtue. These groups are further divided up into unofficial (to Hunters) factions called Creeds, which are related to what the Hunter views as his general purpose or role in the Hunt.
Mercy
- Innocent
- Don't assume the monsters are monstrous
- Martyr
- Sacrifice themselves to stop the monsters
- Redeemer
- Want to save the monsters from themselves
Vision
- Hermit
- Seclude themselves and provide information about the monsters
- Visionary
- Ask the big questions about the monsters
- Wayward
- Kill the monsters, and anybody who gets in their way, collateral damage be damned
Hermits and Waywards are the "lost" Creeds, for whom there was a "glitch" in the Imbuing that makes them crazier than most Hunters.
Zeal
- Avenger
- Kill the monsters
- Defender
- Protect people from the monsters
- Judge
- Judge the monsters