From the start of Werewolf the Apocalypse, there has been a third breed alongside the human-born Homid and the wolf-born Lupus. The breed was defined by the fact that their parents were two werewolves. The third breed was therefore defined by sterility, having some sort of physical, mental or mystical disability and being born in the Crinos warform. Societally, the breed was seen as lesser and some tribes even saw them as tainted.

Though the breed most likely originated to play on the 'igor' or 'black sheep' tropes, players still found it fun to play and even let the players with disabilities to explore power fantasies that did not involve a cure.

In-universe, the third breed (called from this point on as the Crinos-born) was often subject to abuse and extreme neglect. And since they were the result of a broken sacred law, the Crinos-born had few defenders.

Tribebook: Heartbound seeks to address this matter and offer a less dreadful origin for Crinos-born pups and Kinfolk (non-changing relatives of werewolves, often also seen as lesser.)

What is immediately clear from the book, is the wealth of lore it draws from. The patron of Hearthbound is an existing spirit in WtA's lore and the book draws its worldbuilding from established canon. Unique to Hearthbound, it includes citations so the readers can themselves read the source of the various elements it discusses.

Another great thing about Tribebook: Hearthbound is that it tells the tribe's origin within the setting by not softening or demonising the garou anymore than the canon does (aside from a few exceptions discussed later.) This means Hearthbound can be inserted into most campaigns with little difficulty.

Visually, the book is a beautiful thing. The formatting, custom backgrounds and colours all match an officially released Werewolf book.

Mechanically the Hearthbound differ from other tribes in a few ways. They have their own gifts, but they also have access to minor spells thanks to their patron Shantar. The tribe also does not follow the Litany but the Creeds of Renown themselves. Despite the lack of Litany, the members of the tribe gain renown like other garou.

Tribebook: Hearthbound isn't perfect, however. While most of the information is drawn from canon, Children of Gaia and the Glass Walkers (two tribes most open to Crinos-born in canon) are written from a very harsh view that can put off some readers. Shadow Lords also do not have a tribe section in the book as much as a section discussing a camp among them, which confused me at first.

While the idea of using the Creeds of Renown as an alternative to the Litany is interesting, it does mean the Hearthbound PC is going to have to handle their character progression in a different way from the rest of the pack. Out of character, it might also create problems between players when one member of the pack is not bound to the same rules as the rest.

Do I think Tribebook: Hearthbound is worth checking out? Yes, if you like playing Crinos-born and want to explore the setting through an alternative perspective this book is perfectly suited for that. It also offers solid critique on the baseline Garou Nation that does not invent new wrongs for the sake of it.