Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5th Edition Roleplaying Game Shattered Nation Sourcebook

I love this book, while yes there certainly could be more lore, it provides a lot of freedom for Storytellers to decide what truths (if any) they want in their game. While I certainly feel sad for the tale of Albrecht, it is rather fascinating that even Albrecht isn't quite sure what actually happened, which fits in well with the mystery and strangeness of the Umbra and the Apocalypse. Mechanics wise, this book is fairly light with most of the rules focusing on Rites and their impact on Garou culture. I like the mish mash of cultures represented in their sample written out rituals...and the dangers in trusting spirits, even ancestors. There's a lot on moots and how they can be run almost as stories in and of themselves.

This book draws significantly from first edition Werewolf in both themes and ideas. The uncertainties of what "The Nation" was and what future it could have ever had are interesting to revisit in this title. As someone who had played a lot of Werewolf in the 1990s and picked it back up with this newest iteration, this book does a lot to flesh out the world in some familiar ways. We've already added in some of the mechanics introduced here into our game. The pack totem sheets are a nice addition for sure. Unfortunately, there seems to be some disconnect with the presentation of the tribes in the core vs this supplement. I found that the core had a more concise view of the tribes, that felt very fine tuned for variety and game-play, but this book reintroduces stereotypes that had been present in earlier editions I had hoped to move past. The in-character dialog notes about Children of Gaia being "hippies" or the Silver Fangs being stogy aristocrats felt like a sad return to limiting presentations of the tribes. Coupled with some confusing rules around gaining or losing renown during moots for banal actions, gave me a feeling of disconnect between the core and Shattered Nation. I had hoped for a book that illuminated the wolf a little more, but received one that instead continued to elevate the human. I do hope that some of viciousness and danger of the werewolf will be present in future supplements. Buy this one if you're a collector or want to add some fun mechanics and lore sheets to your games. Maybe skip it if you're just looking for flavor.