Rage is also the name of a commercial variant of the card game Oh Hell.

Rage is a collectable card game originally published by White Wolf in 1995 based on the roleplaying game, The Apocalypse. The game is based around packs of werewolves battling each other and various evil monsters while trying to save the world.

Rage had five sets of cards: Limited/Unlimited, Umbra, Wyrm, War of the Amazon, and Legacy of the Tribes. The game was discontinued after Legacy and the license sold to Five Rings Publishing Group (FRPG).

FRPG produced a new version of the game with the same card backs and set in the same world, but with completely different mechanics. It was incompatible with the first version of the game. The second version of the game had seven card sets. The first 6 were numbered and released once a month. They were known as Phase 1 through 6. The final set, Equinox, combined together three of the smaller numbered sets (7-9) into one larger set.

FRPG was bought out by Wizards of the Coast (the makers of The Gathering), who were in turn bought out by Hasbro. Hasbro discontinued many of the games it had acquired in the take over, including Rage. The license for the game lapsed back to White Wolf.

Azrael Productions, who produced an online magazine, acquired permission from White Wolf to provide tournament support for both versions of Rage. However, Azrael was unable to acquire the license to bring Rage back into print. While under Azrael's care, there were two notable developments. The first version of Rage came to be called "Rage: Apocalypse" and the second version "Rage: Tribal War" so people would not be confused as to which version people were talking about.

Azrael Productions also assembled a group of dedicated fans to start designing new cards for the game. They started playtesting these cards before Azrael eventually abandoned the project. Azrael gave up rights to the partially tested cards, leaving the path clear for the playtesters to produce fan-made sets of cards.

The first set of these fan made cards, Intermezzo, was released in 2003. A total of four fan made sets for Rage: Apocalypse (Intermezzo, Periphery, Gauntlet, and Coda. They are collectively known as the New England Block) and two for Tribal War (Web of Deceit and Christmas Present '04) have been released since then. The cards are hosted on the official Rage site, River Von, but are considered legitimate by White Wolf and are allowed in regular tournaments and for use in online play. They are not hosted on the main White Wolf server due to copyright issues with the artwork.

While Rage is currently out of print, it can be played online using a program called the gatlingEngine, produced by CCG Workshop. They have a licensing agreement with White Wolf allowing them to develop online versions of White Wolf's CCG properties (Rage, the Eternal Struggle, and the Wyld Hunt).

Due to complex legal issues, only Rage: Apocalypse is available for online play. Hasbro retained some partial rights to Rage: Tribal War and has been unwilling to license it to CCG Workshop.

A major rules overhaul for Rage's rules was released in March 2006. The update clarified many card interactions and converted rulings about individual cards to global rulings. There was an additional update that errated the 18 most broken cards in the game and introduced new rules for past Lives that returned them to play.

Sets/rules changes currently in production, as of July 2006:

• Something Old, Something New (Tribal War)- preproduction- release date unclear, sometime in 2006
• Battlefields update- closed Alpha testing on the gatling engine. This will return an entire banned card type to play when it is released. release date unclear, probably fall 2006. It will go into open Beta testing before final release.
• Ahadi block (Apocalypse)- This is a block with multiple sets. The first set, War Council, will probably release in early fall 2006. Currently in closed Alpha testing. It will be available for open Beta testing at end of summer. Information on becoming an Alpha tester is available through central Rage site, River Von.

Game sets and expansions

• Rage Limited (1995)
• Rage Unlimited (1995)
• The Umbra (1995)
• The Wyrm (1995)
• War across the Amazon (1996)
• Legacy of the Tribes (1996)
• Phase 1 (1998)
• Phase 2 (1998)
• Phase 3 (1998)
• Phase 4 (1998)
• Phase 5 (1998)
• Phase 6 (1998)
• Equinox (1999)

External links

• River Von Central Rage website, includes downloads of the fan made sets, tournament schedule, and card lists
• Rageinfo Mailing list/discussion group for Rage.
• Rage Wiki at CCG Workshop
• Unofficial White Wolf Wiki article
• wolf-spoor.org Fan based White Wolf News, Reviews, Forums and more
• Rage FAQFAQ for Rage: Apocalypse
• Rules bookOnline rules book for Rage: Apocalypse

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