Page 13 - Hunter - The Vigil

INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION

of a hunter: a guy who catches a whiff of the weird and grows Fallen, directed by Gregory Hoblin, shows us a detective
obsessed over it, following the rabbit down the rabbit hole, (Denzel Washington) pursuing a supernatural serial killer —
deeper, deeper. No easy answers here, and sometimes it gets a a demon that jumps from body to body.
little too weird. (The film version is a little more “horror” in Frailty, directed by and starring Bill Paxton, is a story

tone, and works as inspiration, too.) about a man and a son who “see” demons, and the father
Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer is a compelling, easy-to-read forces his family to hunt them. Are the demons real? Or is he
book about, well, parasites. Real parasites: worms, bacteria, pursuing “monsters” who are truly innocent people? Another
flies. They bore into bellies, bloodstreams and brains. Great good example of this question of reality versus unreality is

squick factor, and also helps to remind us all that most of the Head Trauma by director Lance Weiler, in which a wanderer
monsters in the World of Darkness are parasitic in some fash- returns to his condemned home and is haunted by the mon-
ion or another. ster within.
National Treasure, directed by Jon Turteltaub, is a little
Fiction light and silly in tone to be a truly Vigil-specific film, but it

Declare or Three Days to Never by Tim Powers. Supernatu- takes place in Philadelphia and details an interesting investi-
ral spy novels? Secret history? Strange devices? Mind-blowing gation into the esoteric history of the United States. That can
conspiracies? All present and accounted for. (And, really, a be very hunter fl avored, if you so desire.
lot of Tim Powers’ work can serve as inspiration.)
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. Don’t know that TV
we even need to explain this, but demonic possession born Supernatural on the CW details two brothers — hunters,
in the Middle East and carried to Washington, DC? Exorcis- really — who pick up the family legacy and hunt monsters.
ing priests? A battle of good versus evil and the madness in Torchwood sometimes goes a little too sci-fi, but other-
between? Book or movie will do the trick. wise gives us a secret government agency formed to watch
Hellblazer, DC/Vertigo comics, gives us occult detective over an awful dimensional rift. The characters are very
John Constantine. He’s very much a hunter, albeit certainly a human. They’re clueless, sarcastic, they get sad and angry
selfish one. Touches on all manner of occult mystery and gross- and afraid. They go out for pizza and beers, they worry

out horror, and nearly any issue can serve as a great resource for about getting killed and eaten…good times, and very
a Vigil story. The fi lm, Constantine, isn’t really on par with the Vigil.
comic, but it has some nice moments, too (spear of destiny!). X-Files is like an ongoing Hunter chronicle, maybe even
It by Stephen King. A group of kids battle a malefic force featuring a pair of Task Force: VALKYRIE hunters. It’s defi-

(evil clown, giant spider), and then come back together as nitely about a story that focuses predominantly on investiga-
adults to fight the resurgence of that force. A hunter cell tion over just “kill the monsters.”

formed from very early on, if you frame it right.
Seven Soldiers of Victory, a DC comic by Grant Morrison, Video Games
takes place in the DC Universe and, as such, features a lot Yes, indeed, games can inspire games. The number of
of goofy stuff that wouldn’t belong in a World of Darkness monster-hunter video games is limitless, but some bear special
game. But a lot of it (occult journeys, secret subway tunnels mention: Alone in the Dark, F.E.A.R., Half-Life 1 & 2, Jer-
lorded over by urban pirates, the lost colony of Roanoke, icho (by Clive Barker), Silent Hill and Undying (also by Clive
demonic invasion) could work as setting material for this Barker) can all serve as inspiration for a cool, action-oriented
game right here. Hunter: The Vigil game.
Stinger by Robert McCammon offers a great look at how
disparate people from all walks of life band together to fight Lexicon

the forces of evil: in this case, a shapeshifting alien (the titu-
Aegis Kai Doru: Conspiracy. Ancient hunter organiza-
lar “Stinger”) that imprisons a small desert town to look for
tion composed of various occult initiates who seek to destroy
something it’s lost. Also check out Swan Song.
witches and sorcerers above all else, using magical artifacts to
The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman is one of the best
achieve their goals. Sometimes called the “Guardians of the
“humans versus zombies but really versus themselves” stories
Labyrinth” or “The Shield and Spear.”
out there today. This one’s in great black-and-white comic
The Ascending Ones: Conspiracy. Egyptian mystics and
book form. Find it. Love it.
religious hunters whose bodies transubstantiate various nar-
Oh, and just about anything by H.P. Lovecraft. The Cthul-
cotics and poisons into spiritual fortitude and strength. Some-
hu Mythos is certainly about hunters confronting insurmount-
times called the “Cult of the Phoenix.”
able evil and standing against it…or crumbling before it.
Ashwood Abbey: Compact. Hedonistic thrill-seekers.
Films Hunt monsters for fun and pleasure. Known sometimes as
the “Sybarites.”
Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, isn’t about
Candle, the: Another name for the Vigil, often used as in
hunting monsters, but it is about a man drawn into the light
“Carrying the Candle.”
and driven to uncover the truth and protect the innocent
The Candle Compact: Another name for the Chestnut
even at the cost of his own life. Grim and gritty, it strikes just
Street Compact, a historical alliance between several cells,
the right mood.
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