Pack of Strays: Wolf Run
Codex – Asphalt is now available in our $4+ Patreon feed!
I’d like to talk a little bit about Pack of Strays: Wolf Run, one of two original games you can find inside Asphalt.
Pack of Strays: Wolf Run is by Phillip Wessels and features original artwork by Jesse Ross. It is a card game inspired by Fall of Magic, and this issue of Codex comes with a full set of cards you can print out in order to play the game. You can see some of those below.
In the game, you are a pack of werewolves living on the margins of society. Dogman Radio has been making people aware of your existence, and now your pack is on the run–from hunters, from society–following the lead of the alpha, Darcy. Like Fall of Magic, you move from location to location and play out scenes according to a prompt you find at each location. Sometimes these have a quiet, reflective quality, and sometimes they are more action-oriented (you are playing werewolves, after all). Here are some examples of scene prompts (more on the cards in the images):
“Abandoned Cabin: Another werewolf came here once.”
“Bayshore Crag: The werewolf who jumped.”
“Beach Boardwalk: Waves crashing you out of your high.”
“Skinny Dipping: Who joins you?”
“The Hot Springs: Helping Darcy relax.”
“Overgrown Graveyard: The grave with the silver smell.”
“Main Street: The increasing hate.”
There are many more. In fact, the card set comes with three different city locations to play in (the default Twilight Bay plus Mercy Falls and Gauntlet City), plus The Moonlit Road, which connects them.
Switching topics, one of the major themes the game deals with is the fact that the werewolves are outsiders, and not just because they are werewolves. One of the first things you have to answer about your character is “What do you stray for?” The options presented inform what this game is really about. They are: poverty, substance abuse, awkwardness, queerness, ableness, or race/ethnicity. The idea here is that this is a group of people who take care of each other–a group of people who happen to be able to turn into werewolves. The themes of caring for the pack, camaraderie, and the complicated relationship with the alpha come through really sharply.
If all this sounds intriguing to you, I encourage you to check out Codex – Asphalt, which can be found in our $4+ Patreon feed until September 30th!
