BWP: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

The Lone Wolf Dies but the Pack Survives

Spring is in the air, and as the snow fades some rivals will begin to appear. Relic Lore has begun to swarm with an unusually large number of coyotes. While normally aloof, shy, timid creatures with minimal social structure, the above-average numbers have caused them to form larger, more aggressive, loosely-organized groups. Some of them might target each other, but others look to their larger, more successful foe: the wolf. They may be small, but these opportunistic canines will do anything to gain the upper hand be it fight, steal, or kill. Food will be in short supply with the wolves and the coyotes competing with each other. The wolves of Relic Lore will have to be on their guard if they hope to stay safe, and some might find themselves less protected than others....

Everyone (But Lone wolves especially), gird your loins!

Without the support of packmates around, lone wolves will be at a severe disadvantage protecting themselves from the coyotes. Coyotes will be deterred by the smell of pack borders because they will quickly discover that they are more successful in stealing from lone wolves. In order to escape punishment from lone wolves, threads will need at least 3 adult wolves working together to drive away any coyote that appears in a thread. Without the help of allies, lone wolves will suffer a various punishments (see below). Coyotes will appear randomly in threads--in random, automated SoW posts or by special event posts written by staff.

Pack wolves can still suffer the consequences of coyote attacks if they do not meet the required number of allies to fend off coyotes.

If you can't save yourself...

If you can't meet the Allies Requirement for a thread where a coyote appears, several consequences could occur:

• Any food/herbs you have will be stolen (i.e. hunt threads, gathering threads)
• If you have no food, but are travelling with a pup (below 8 months), they will be stolen and dumped in a random location 1-2 territories away
  If none of the above apply.
• The coyotes will drive you from the current territory
  OR
• You will take a 10% health deduction
  

Some notes

• Coyotes can pop into private threads
• Thread participants control the coyote's actions. But make sure you keep it in line with the number of Allies in the thread.
• If your ignore the coyote prompts, your threads will not be eligible for LP
• We will not be allowing people to casually manage their health bar for the duration of this BWP. If your Health is docked, you will have to raise your Health by hunting. (Please post in maintenance for this)
• Coyotes will not go into pack territory
• You cannot claim guardian points for coyote threads.
• All threads where the coyotes appear should have { BWP } edited into the title.
  

Added Fun: Plot Points!

For the duration of this BWP, you will get +1 Plot Point for your character (if you're a loner) or your pack. The lone wolves will be in their own separate pool, but if they join a pack their points will be added the pack's total. The lone wolf and the pack with the most plot points will win a site-wide skin featuring that pack/their members.

But wait! There's more!

You can spend plot points (as a pack or a lone wolf), to get fun benefits. This won't affect the total points accumulated and will be kept in a separate tally. Some fun things you can use plot points for:

• Send the coyotes to attack another pack/wolf (5 points)
  • Spirit of Wildwood will post the coyote in a new thread tagging the pack/wolf. The characters in question have 2 weeks to respond before getting their health docked 10%
    
• Gain 5 health (2 points)
• Gain 10 health (3 points)
• Remove a coyote post from a thread (4 point)
• Get a special hunt opportunity from SoW (5 points)
  • Spirit of Wildwood will post a special private thread for your pack/a group of lone wolves of your choosing.
  • These special hunts will give you 20 health
    

You can participate in the plot points here.

Note
- For threads created before today, April 15th, you can safely ignore any coyote posts without penalty. However, all threads created today and going forward will be subject to the BWP.

FAQ

Would my wolf know about the coyotes even if they haven't seen them yet?
Wolves have a stellar sense of smell, and the coyotes have left all sorts of clues: abandoned carcasses, scent markings, paw prints, etc. So all wolves should be aware there are coyotes about, but will not realize these coyotes are much more aggressive than the normal variety until they encounter them in a thread.

SoW already posted once in my thread, will they post again?
Nope, SoW only posts once per thread. It's up to you to play the coyotes.

What are the chances of coyotes appearing in my thread?
For every post you make there is a 20% chance of a coyote appearing.

What about the bigger puppies? How would the coyotes carry them away?
Puppies 8 months or older will be treated as "adults" for the purpose of this BWP, since coyotes would not realistically be able to drag them away.

Do you still need a third adult participating in the thread if it's just coyote's howling in the distance? Or would two be fine in that case?
You need 3+ wolves for any thread that contains a SoW post with coyotes, regardless of the prompt. Since players can control the coyotes, if you have less than 3 wolves realistically the coyotes should come closer. We just have a few different more "mild" prompts so that not everything is coyote attack!

Can I still get Plot Points if I respond to the coyotes that appear in a thread created before April 15th?
Sure! If you choose to respond to the prompt you will be eligible for plot points if you finish the thread. But be realistic: if you're writing in a thread from last October, the coyotes wouldn't realistically be there--better to ignore them.

What if wolves from 2 different packs participate in a BWP thread. Do they both get plot points?
Yep! Each participating pack can claim 1 plot point for the thread. If lone wolves participate, they can get a point too. The idea is just that no thread is double counted in a particular pack/for an individual.

I'm in a pack, can I spend my pack's plot points?
Sure, but your leaders might not be so happy with you. See your individual common rooms or ask your leaders if they have a policy on spending plot points.

Can I claim my Plot Point even if we didn't have enough Allies in the thread?
Threads are eligible for plot points regardless of success/failure.

Can my wolves talk to the coyotes?
Wolves and coyotes, while similar, can not communicate via anything besides body language. Consider it like Spanish meets Russian.

My name is Ghostpaw and I approve this message and/or service. :thumpsup:

Yay yay!!! BWP! I'm so ready. :3

OMG TAGG IS GONNA HAVE SUCH BAD PTSD THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM I AM SO FRICKIN EXCITED

(Apr 16, 2018, 12:04 AM)Lenka Wrote:  OMG TAGG IS GONNA HAVE SUCH BAD PTSD THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM I AM SO FRICKIN EXCITED

I was just thinking the same thing when I was reading this! <3

(Apr 16, 2018, 12:15 AM)Moonshadow Wrote:  

(Apr 16, 2018, 12:04 AM)Lenka Wrote:  OMG TAGG IS GONNA HAVE SUCH BAD PTSD THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM I AM SO FRICKIN EXCITED

I was just thinking the same thing when I was reading this! <3

Me too!

Totally rad!

Possibly fun suggestion? Would it be possible to do video game achievement like ribbons such as "First Blood" for chasing off a yote, "Killing Spree", "King of the Hill", ect.?

(Apr 16, 2018, 12:21 AM)Lilya Wrote:  Totally rad!

Possibly fun suggestion? Would it be possible to do video game achievement like ribbons such as "First Blood" for chasing off a yote, "Killing Spree", "King of the Hill", ect.?

This would be cool! Motion seconded!

Do you still need a third adult participating in the thread if it's just coyote's howling in the distance? Or would two be fine in that case?

(Apr 16, 2018, 09:28 AM)Macha Wrote:  Do you still need a third adult participating in the thread if it's just coyote's howling in the distance? Or would two be fine in that case?

You do.

Also since members actually control the coyotes (if/once they appear) you can choose to have coyotes come closer or stay away. I would say id you don’t have enough wolves they would appear/approach you.