Blood Dark Thirst PDF is live!

Jesus Christ, that took awhile!

Rarely have I felt the need to put down something I was working on (several times, in fact!) in order to clear my head and hopefully glean a different perspective that would allow me to finish.  Blood Dark Thirst was such a project.

It started out as d10 dice pools just like V:tM.  I thought that's how it was going to end, but no - several fans of my work suggested I switch to the d6 dice pools I love so much.  And then there were many versions of the VSd6 version.

Suffice it to say, the shadow of V:tM loomed large over this project.  I was clearly inspired by the original and most popular be-the-vampire RPG, but didn't want to ape what they had done.  I wanted a game that had less meta-plot, less blood-tears because of inner-anguish, and less rule/setting bloat that went so far past their 1st edition, that it was like an entirely different game.

Blood Dark Thirst is my answer to the question:  Venger, if you were making your own vampire RPG in the vein of Alpha Blue, Crimson Dragon Slayer, and The Outer Presence, what would you come up with?

You can put a lot of yourself into the game.  It's pretty wide open in terms of setting and style.  While I furnish many small details, the big picture is only hinted at.  The rest is up to the GM and his players.

Anyway, I got it done by Halloween, and that's all I wanted (besides the fact that it also had to be awesome, or why the fuck publish it?).  +MonkeyBlood Design (Glynn Seal) did his best work yet pimping out the lavish and blood-spattered interior of the PDF.  Along with many pieces of color artwork, the layout is truly amazing!

I'm going to be working on a character sheet and probably another adventure, too.  If Blood Dark Thirst is well-received, I'd love to give this the full-color treatment and get it in peoples' hands sometime in early 2018.

Hope you like it and can't wait to hear your opinions!  Thanks goes out to all those who took a look, tried it out, write their experiences, gave me advice, purchase the final product, and review Blood Dark Thirst.  You guys are awesome!!!

VS

#RPGaDay 2017 (part II of III)

Here's part I of my RPGaDay answers.  Let's get to some more questions, shall we?

#7:  What was your most impactful RPG session?

I've had RPG sessions that were so bad that it forever changed how I approached the hobby.  Some games were too boring, others too difficult, many too complex, a few that were too stingy.  I've talked about many of these experiences before.

One that I've never mentioned happened just 2 or 3 years ago.  Not sure why, but I was interested in joining a D&D game as a player.  There was one I had heard about in my home town and even knew one of the players.  Looking back, I can't remember if it was D&D or Pathfinder.  I was coming into the middle of this "adventure path" type campaign.  The entire session was getting from A to B and encountering a few things along the way.  Most of it was combat and everyone had this specific role, including my character - a wizard.  We were mid to high level and I just kept lobbing fireballs.  While it was mildly exciting being in combat, the entire thing just left me wanting.  So, I never went back.

Also, the game took place in this guy's cold, unfinished basement that smelled weird with boxes of kitty-litter everywhere and cats with dried dingleberries on their bottoms constantly roaming around. Oh, and we were seated on metal folding chairs that were super uncomfortable.  Are you surprised I never returned?

These days, I've got to play somewhere decent and always try to give players something for their characters to do besides these ubiquitous robo-battles that could easily be handled with some kind of RPG autopilot or computer program.

#8:  What is a good RPG to play for sessions of 2hrs or less?

Personally, I think both dungeoncrawl fantasy and investigative sessions are best when there's at least 3 hours to play.

What works best for shorter sessions, in my opinion, are RPGs that focus on interaction.  These also take the most out of a GM, so it's probably a good thing that they're usually shorter.

Over the past year, I've run about a dozen 60 - 90 minute sessions of Alpha Blue on Roll20 and while they felt short, it seemed like quite a bit was accomplished.  You go somewhere new, talk to some people, get in some trouble, have a short combat encounter, and get laid.  Boom!  Done.  In, out, and put the kettle on.

#9:  What is a good RPG to play for about 10 sessions?

Pretty much anything.  If you're not doing a one-shot, I think somewhere around 10 sessions is just about ideal for any campaign.  But then I prefer shorter campaigns.

#10:  Where do you go for RPG reviews?

RPG.net, TheRPGsite.com, Endzeitgeist, Ten-Foot Pole, Tenkar's Tavern, and Swords & Stitchery.

#11:  Which "dead game" would you like to see reborn?

Encounter Critical or 1st edition Vampire: the Masquerade.  Basically, all I would be interested in are adventures.  The former just needs more official content while the latter quickly jumped into meta-plot and option bloat.

Although, if the game exists, it's not dead.  Sometimes, a company can kill an RPG by over-supplementing it.  Like a really great movie, sometimes sequel after sequel dilutes its awesomeness.

#12:  Which RPG has the most inspiring interior artwork?

Dungeon Crawl Classics is probably the best black and white interior artwork RPG I can think of.  I was going to also pick out one with color artwork, but I'm drawing a complete fucking blank!

#13:  Describe a game experience that changed how you play?

I'm trying to remember the first time (or just a vivid early memory) of using random tables during an adventure to improvise some detail about the adventure.  I must have been exposed to random tables early on and loved them because that's the thing I'm probably best known for.

Hmm, besides rumors and wandering monsters, I can't come up with a damned thing.  Too bad, that would have made for an interesting anecdote.  [Edit: ok, I took a short walk before posting this and came up with something.]

I used one of the introductory adventures in the back of Call of Cthulhu 4th edition multiple times - especially when I wanted to introduce new people to the game.  I dimly recall a d6 table for what happens when someone touches or activates this strange cube found below the house.  Back then, it struck me that rolling on the table would send the rest of that adventure into entirely divergent narrative threads.  And it did... forcing me, as Keeper of Arcane Lore, to go with the flow.  Controlled chaos!

#14:  Which RPG do you prefer for open-ended campaign play?

Most campaign play should be open-ended.  The only type of RPG campaign I can think of that isn't open-ended is an investigation that keeps going and going, leading deeper and deeper into the heart of a singular mystery.

#15:  Which RPG do you enjoy adapting the most?

If by adapting, you mean "changing," then I'd have to say D&D.  There are so many rules and so many editions and partial editions or versions of the rules, plus all the retro-clones and retro-compatible RPGs that it begs to be adapted... molded to suit each individual table.  In 2017, no two D&D games are exactly alike.

#16:  Which RPG do you enjoy using as is?

The RPG I've adapted/changed/house-ruled the least might be Call of Cthulhu.  Turning everything into a percentage role is so easy to use that it's almost a shame.  I'm a firm believer that house-rules should organically occur during play - it means you're group is interacting with game instead of merely adhering to its rules.

#17:  Which RPG have you owned the longest but not played?

There are a few RPGs I acquired in the late 80's / early 90's that looked promising but for one reason or another, we never ended up actually playing.  Here's a brief list...

• DC Heroes RPG - too complex.
• Kult - lack of accessible entry point, but love the vibe.  
• Skyrealms of Jorune - what are you supposed to do in the game - try to become a citizen?  Uh, no thanks.
• Cyberspace - I'm not sure why I never tried to run this.  From what I remember, it wasn't overly complex, though it did have a lot of numbers.  Maybe lack of an introductory scenario?

________

Ok, I'll try to get the final installment of my #RPGaDay Q&A posted tomorrow.

VS

Blood Dark Thirst - playtest packet "B"

My vampire RPG Blood Dark Thirst, a sort of splatter-punk gothic heartbreaker, is still in the beta phase!

Tonight I'm sending out the second round of playtest documents to those interested in giving me feedback after reading and/or running one or more demo sessions with a group of players.

If you've already contacted me, there's nothing more you have to do.  Just sit back and wait for the playtest "B" to be sent around midnight tonight.  If you haven't emailed me yet but would like to receive this document, send me an email this weekend with "BDT - B" in the subject line.

My email:  Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

What's new?  A lot of little things.  I've been taking inspiration from the Subspecies films (I've re-watched the first three).  So, the vampires of Blood Dark Thirst have a little bit of Radu Vladislas in them.  ;)

I'm starting to think that "points" is preferable to "ranks" because the former is more neutral and innocuous, whereas the latter just seems more noticeable.  So, little things like that.

But also big things!  Setting-wise, concepts that will influence the play-style - rather than all cautious and brooding, I've got a few ideas that will speed up the action and get vampires involved.

Those looking for alternatives to playing a vampire, keep waiting for playtest packet "C" - that's where I'm introducing guidelines for playing werewolves, demons, and sorcerers.

That's it for now.  Thanks for your participation and valuable feedback!

VS

p.s.  Gerardo Tasistro found an error in the combat example.  Obviously, the 1 would take away from the single success.  The target would lose two points of Health.  Thanks, hoss!

Setting ideas for Blood Dark Thirst

To those who have the Blood Dark Thirst - playtest "A" document, thanks again for participating!  I look forward to reading your feedback.

I've already received several surveys and even a review of sorts.

As I'm just about finished with my duties for The S'rulyan Vault II kickstarter, I've given more thought to the world of Blood Dark Thirst - the default campaign setting.  Even though I want this vampire RPG to support multiple styles of play, I do want to focus on what makes this game special.

I need to ask myself, "How is this vampire RPG different than others?"

The following is a drop zone of things I want to explore and investigate.  Some of these I've touched on in the playtest, others are new but still rooted in my growing list of influences.

• I've started watching the Subspecies films again (only the first one so far).  I love Radu's belief that attachment to the feelings of mortals is a weakness that vampires can't afford to have.  Also, his preoccupation with consorts and fledglings.  
• I want character creation and the introductory adventure to focus on what it would be like to awaken as a vampire just after being turned - especially, under less than ideal circumstances.
• The existence of vampires is somewhere between an open secret and common knowledge.  Maybe it's something that most people don't like to talk about, but is an ever-growing threat on the edges of popular culture.  While I don't want to go anywhere as far as that Daybreakers (which I did not care for), the masquerade is certainly over.  If you remember that Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode from season 3 "The Wish," that's kind of what I'm going for.  Vampires have effectively taken over the bad parts of town - the inner cities, but the affluent areas and suburbs are more or less bloodsucker free... for now.
  
• Because mortals know about vampires, a fair number of them retaliate.  The hunters become the hunted.  So, that means the PCs will have to watch out.  It won't always be easy pickings out there, they'll have to watch their backs.  That's a good reason for vampires to form packs.
• This also means that vampire competition can be brutal.  Remain in your usual hunting ground and eventually hunters will come after you.  Stray too far from your usual hunting ground and other vampires might try to kill you because you're on their turf, indulging in their limited resources.
• Since the secret's out, it's hard to casually insert oneself into a gathering of mortals and drink their precious blood without causing a panic.  That means vampires will have to be stealthier and smarter in order to feed.  Some pale dude with a Eurotrash accent pulls up in his black porsche and asks a couple of females to get in because he's in the mood to party - that's going to work approximately 1% of the time.  This forces vampires to be more creative.
• There's no strict hierarchy, political squabbles, or "vampire government."  Vampires tend towards the animalistic, feral, demonic, impulsive, and predatory.  They are more instinctual than contemplative.  I can't imagine vampires in Blood Dark Thirst sitting in a fancy room of green marble, subtly manipulating other vampires like chess pieces in order to get what they want.  Sure, you can plan, coerce, intimidate and even manipulate humans and vampires alike, but with this game it's more immediate.  "GTFO or I'll kill you where you stand."
• Because of the nightly struggle for survival, there's no ennui or malaise - you fight to stay alive, night after night, enjoying small pleasures where you can.  Achieving lofty goals is on the horizon, but that's tomorrow's problem.

Feel free to comment, share, ask a question, or whatever.  Even if you just want to talk about vampires - go ahead and post something!

I'll let you guys know when the playtest "B" document is ready, possibly this weekend.

VS

Vampire 5e preview

This is going to be a brief first impression of the new pre-alpha Vampire: the Masquerade 5th edition playtest rules which I downloaded this morning.

For the record, the original 1991 edition of Vampire: the Masquerade was a much-loved RPG for me and my friends.  I ran it a lot in the early 90's and played a fair amount, too.  The VSd6 engine that makes Kort'thalis Publishing games go is a hybrid of V:tM and Star Wars D6.

Right from the start, the text is readable which is good.  The opening defines this game as a storytelling game of personal and political horror.  I would not have chosen that word to describe the game.  Especially right now, that word "political" is so super-charged with a lot of things going on that you may as well throw in "Trump," "Obamacare," and "radical Muslim jihadist" as well.

There are some things I like, such as breaking down the 9 attributes into three: physical, social, and mental... with specialties.  Honorable mention - succeeding at a cost.

There are some things I dislike, such as removing the special properties of 1's and 10's, as well as, making all successes 6+.  I suppose it helps with "taking half" because it's 50/50 per die rolled, but scaling the difficulty higher or lower depending on circumstances was something I really loved about the original Vampire: the Masquerade.

There are some things I love, but already know I'm going to house-rule because I don't care for how they're presented - hunger, specifically "hunger dice."  Note to game designers: call it "The Hunger," whenever possible.  Not just "hunger."  Like anyone else that's human, I get hungry.  It happens.  I eat and it goes away.  What you're trying to convey is similar, but something altogether different.  A supernatural hunger - The Hunger!  Also, it's the name of a classic and evocative 80's vampire movie.

What's my beef with the presentation?  Too much bookkeeping.  When I get time, I'll outline how I would use those red hunger dice (yes, I agree... they must be red).

And there are things I'm not yet sure about, like combat, for instance.  I need to actually run a few encounters before getting a handle on how the mechanics shake out.  Also, no one loves random tables more than I do, but I'm just not sure Vampire is a random table sort of game.  The vibe seems wrong.

In conclusion, I've got to study this more and actually play the game.  If I had time, I'd love to run a Vampire: the Masquerade chronicle (if some RPG company was throwing money at me, I might be able to convince my wife that spending time/energy on RPG stuff was worthwhile).

But this version, even in its infancy, does feel like a later edition of V:tM.  And it's piqued my curiosity enough to delve deeper, so by that standard alone, I think it has accomplished one of its goals.

VS

13th Age review: Spectacle over Tedium

I've only had the book in my possession for a few days.  Be warned, this is not a playtest but first impression review!  If you want to know how it actually plays, read elsewhere.

If I've done my job, by the end of this review you'll see that 13th Age is filled with too many good ideas well implemented not to buy, even though you may have zero interest in actually running a 13th Age campaign.

Those who try to stay plugged-in to tabletop gamer culture via message boards, google communities, and blogs have probably seen "13th Age" bandied about for the last twelve months, just like you saw Dungeon World heralded around the echo-sphere twelve months before that.  Is so much buzz warranted or has the hype-parade found a new flavor of the month?  When it comes to streamlined, innovative fantasy roleplaying, I can tell you Rob Heinsoo and Jonathan Tweet have struck gold.  13th Age is legitimately awesome.  Now let me tell you why...

If you've read other reviews, chances are you encountered the shuddersome combination of number and letter known as 4e.  Yes, I'm an old school gamer with old school tastes.  If there's any sure way of making me not want to play a certain RPG, all one has to do is describe it as being similar to 4th edition D&D.  Yes, 13th Age has similarities to that, 3rd edition, and probably various RPGs from the last decade's d20 avalanche.  Nevertheless, 13th Age is worth the OSR's time.

Let me explain the chief difference between 4e and 13th Age before we get any farther.  4e simplifies granular details of verisimilitude in order to make D&D mechanically efficient, which, as a side-effect, gives it the functionality of a video game.  With 13th Age, mechanical efficiency feels like the hand waving of AD&D or 2nd edition (not rules as written but how many of us ended up playing) because of its constant emphasis on story, fun, and larger than life adventuring.  While this may be more of an aesthetic difference than anything else, it matters.  A lot.  Like the Terminator with and without its coating of flesh.

The system of 13th Age hacks and slashes an important reminder into the forefront of our mind as we read every page: use whatever methods feel right so the game is enjoyable for everyone, rules be damned.  Often, similar words are written in an RPG's introduction and never repeated, let alone infused into the core of its being.  13th Age is different.  It wears customization and Do As Thou Wilt on its sleeve - to the point where it seems like all your wearing is one gigantic sleeve!

Ok, enough preamble.  Here's a quote...

"The Elf Queen wears a crown of three parts: black amethyst and obsidian for the dark elves, green emerald and flowering plants for the wood elves, and diamond and force magic for the high elves.  When the elves were truly unified, they referred to themselves as the three branches of the elves, but since the war with the dwarves it became customary to refer to themselves as the three Shards of the Crown."  pg. 66

On pg. 56, there's an amazing description of coins.  The Seven Cities mint their own coins with the symbol of the Emperor appearing on one side.  There are platinum, gold, silver, and copper coins.  The Blue Dragon (one of the major NPCs of the world) likes to mint his own coins from Drakkenhall... without any imperial artistry.  Dwarven gold pieces are square with grooved edges, stacking like towers.  "To start a fight with a dwarf in a tavern, knock over the tower one of them has stacked beside their ale.  Sometimes that takes some doing; dwarven coins seem to want to stay stacked instead of falling over.  It's not unheard of to find ancient dwarven treasure troves where the coins are still stacked into perfect towers.  Elves joke that it's not the fact that dragons steal dwarven gold that bothers the dwarves so much, but the fact that the dwarves' towers get knocked down and scattered throughout the hoard."  There's a whole lot going on in just the currency.  Little details that paint a picture in the reader's mind.

Speaking of NPCs, 13th Age has something called Icons built into the rules and narrative framework.  Icons are the movers and shakers of the Dragon Empire, they are what's happening in the world.  Want to know why an event, scheme, or conflict is taking place?  Look to Icons' strengths, weaknesses, ambitions, servants, alliances, betrayals, alignments, etc.  It's about relationships.  So, not only does the realm seem inhabited and interesting, the PCs get Icon points to distribute as they like during character creation.  This allows each player to influence the game world and his role within it.

Which leads me to another great innovation: One Unique Thing.  Unknowingly, I came up with pretty much the exact same idea during the last Purple playtest at Gary Con.  I had each player invent something special that made his or her character different than all the other fighters and elves and former slaves, essentially combining the One Unique Thing with character background.  13th Age takes the idea one step further.  It's not what makes your character stand out but what makes him a one of a kind piece of the campaign world.   Instead of a neat idea for a one-off session, the One Unique Thing is a large part of character creation, as well as, defining the realm.  Several pages are devoted to talking about the ins and outs, what worked and what didn't in the authors' home campaigns and convention playtests.

What else do I love?

• Initiative is a d20 + dex modifier + level. 
• Damage is scaled progressively by level.
• Distance is a matter of engaged, nearby, and far away.  No need to remember if the giant spider demon is 20' or 25' away.
• The escalation die heats up the battle after a few rounds while shortening lengthy combat.
• Want to rally (retrieve some lost hit points) in the middle of a fight?  Come up with a reason.  Dig deep... what makes you a hero?
• Flexible attacks allow some maneuvers to be decided after rolling.
• Plenty of sidebars with GM, player, and campaign advice ranging from the interesting anecdote to game-saving advice.
• Background points replace skill points which gives PCs more of a history and identity rather than a character sheet full of numbers.

What else is there to talk about?  As rich as the setting is, there are plenty of holes.  Perhaps too many if you like your realm's details filled in before you arrive to the Dragon Empire.  

The layout is good.  Overall, the book has a gorgeous feel and touch, while the art is... interesting.  To me, it's no where near Dungeon Crawl Classics - the epitome of b/w fantasy RPG artwork.  It's like DCC rolled a natural 20 and 13th Age rolled a 1.  The Icons are well depicted.  Some of the monochromatic illustrations are good, if few and far between.  The little silhouette/symbol things in place of actual monsters?  Really bad.  Damn near unforgivable considering the high production values.  

The introductory adventure at the book's end?  It's fine for a beginner.  It acclimates the GM to how Icons could work and showcases a few aspects of the setting.  It's short and nothing stuck out as super-awesome.

Those aforementioned opponents of 4e might be dismayed at all the feats, special abilities, talents, powers, quick actions, swapping one thing for another as characters level, damage on a miss, effects triggered on a 16+ or natural 1 - 5, etc. Like I said, you might not want to run or play 13th Age but there are some great things to borrow from it.  Is that reason enough for old school gamers to take a chance on 13th Age?  Yes, I think so.  The many upsides more than make up for the down.

I don't think I'll ever run a Vampire: the Masquerade chronicle without using the Icons system.  I'll probably be adding character level and monster hit dice (not sure if monster HD in the book or not but that's the way I'm using it) to initiative until I die.  Plus, I'm happy to see my own narrative, player agency, and hand-wavy spectacle over tedium tastes championed instead of the game simply being a combination of cool things from 3rd and 4th edition D&D.

I could just end the review here, but then I wouldn't have the opportunity to mention D&D 5e, would I?  Did 13th Age inspire the upcoming 5th edition?  How close will the two be?  Did 13th Age take a slice or two out of the tabletop fantasy RPG market share before 5e was even released?  Once it comes out, will 13th Age be superior to 5e?  Will 5e's scenario tsunami put 13th Age rue the day it tangled with D&D?  Will the majority of gamers try to use both to create their own ultimate tabletop fantasy RPG?  Ah, so many questions.  Oh, I'm not going to answer any of them.  Asking them was enough. ;)

VS

Unique V:tM character sheet

Mr. Gone generously created a custom Vampire: the Masquerade character sheet for me.  I needed a sheet with blood potency instead of generation, limited to 5 dots in attributes, abilities, disciplines, backgrounds, etc.  And I also wanted to mess around with the health levels.  Even though I grew up with the standard Bruised, Hurt, and so forth... I always wondered what it would be like to have one or two additional health levels included.  Well, I came up with Impaired between Wounded and Mauled.

Without further ado, here it is...

Mr. Gone's chronicle VS character sheet


Let me and Mr. Gone know what you think of this custom character sheet for V:tM, and if you use it, then definitely tell us!  Here's his website:  http://mrgone.rocksolidshells.com/


VS

An Empire Strikes Back Session

Just wondering "aloud" about something... Empire Strikes Back [ESB] sessions.  I'm talking about those nights at the game table where things go really bad for the characters.  Like, a lot of terrible things in a row.  Also not unlike The Long Good Friday (thank Dread Cthulhu they haven't remade that film yet) or that point in Game of Thrones where pretty much everyone gets their throat slit open (I think it's called The Red Wedding).

An ESB session is about the antagonists.  Their plans, their struggle, their story.  How they got the upper hand - if only for a short while.  Things can't always go easy for the PCs.  Sometimes, they just have to pay... dearly.

The players should be thrilled, engaged, and possibly stressed about what's going on with their characters during one of these soul-searching nights of pain, loss, and confusion.  Yes, things are dark, but the actual game play is not awful - everyone should still be having fun.  On the other hand, there might be some residual depression and darkness carried over from the characters to the players.  Depends on the people, system, and expectations.  Call of Cthulhu?  Yeah, PCs should expect it.  D&D?  PCs should expect to almost die every few sessions or so.  Vampire: the Masquerade?  Well, it is a storytelling game of personal horror.

After all, we identify with characters in tv shows, movies, books, etc.  And we also like to see them in tough scrapes, tight spots, and squirming on the hook a bit.  Shouldn't players relish the idea of their favorite characters being thrown into the meat-grinder?  Does the personal nature of player characters make the peril too personal sometimes?

More questions!  Do GMs plan for ESB sessions?  Do they prepare for it?  Do they even know its coming before it hits?  Are there unconscious ESB sessions where GMs don't even realize they're shitting all over the PCs?  How far can a GM go?  How much is too much?  Is foreshadowing warranted?  After the ESB session, do the PCs deserve a light at the end of the tunnel?  In what form: more experience, miscellaneous bonus, acquiring a magic item, old spooky house, or a dangerous secret?  Now that those questions have been asked, a few more things...

As long as it's a temporary state, I think it's fine for GMs to run an ESB session every now and again.  Of course, the fallout from such a night of gaming has repercussions throughout the rest of the campaign.  For instance, if an NPC ally dies, then he's still dead next session.  The paranoia a GM stirs in his players, via endangering their characters, will probably continue for several sessions - even after the present danger has subsided... because, yeah, there could be a new danger right around the corner!

Assuming it is only temporary, should the PCs know it's temporary or should they be led to believe that this nightmare might go on and on and on...?  Do GMs sometimes experience player backlash for the bleakness or is it generally well received (or at least understood)?

I'd be glad to hear from my fellow gamers on this front.  Feel free to elaborate with stories from your own table.  Let's hear the horror stories and epic wins of actual play!


VS

Unfocused is the Focus!

If you're an RPG geek, that's one thing (and a pretty great thing, too!), but there are also hardcore RPG nerds.  Unfortunately, I fall into that category as well.  An RPG nerd doesn't just like playing roleplaying games, rolling dice, and pretending to brandish his sorcery and sword.  No, he wants to look inside RPGs to see how they work, what makes them tick.  The nerd explores all the tiny molecules of RPG design which casual gamers and regular gaming geeks probably find boring, tedious, or just a waste of time.

http://www.story-games.com/forums/discussion/17450/how-to-play-vampire-the-masquerade-first-edition/p1

The above link talks about the 1^st edition of Vampire: the Masquerade.  Here’s the crux of the argument (or first major argument worth discussing).  The game doesn't define exactly how it should be played.  Instead, it offers many different possibilities... some of them are interconnected, others quite exclusive.  That's another defining aspect of old school.  Early D&D gave DMs and players the raw tools; barest essentials.  A road map.  The vague promise of adventure... clashing steel, hurtling balls of fire, and scantily clad Elven maids.  

How to play the game is never explicitly defined.  Yes, there are examples of play included in several rulebooks, but a couple pages of "actual play" doesn't cover a fraction of the infinite possibilities.  The multitude of paths to choose from is hinted at, but never whittled down to just one.  That's the beauty of old school RPGs.  They let you wander… to triumph, flounder, or discover your own kind of weirdness.

Of course, this creates an entirely new foundation of what old school RPGs are and how to judge if a specific RPG is worthy of being part of the old school renaissance.  A term I believe should be broadened if it does not include 1^st edition Vampire: the Masquerade.  Three characteristics defined an RPG’s qualifications: non-standardization, subjective nostalgia, and date of publication.  Now, there's a fourth characteristic:  multi-focused.

With multi-focused RPGs, the game play isn’t necessarily about any one thing in particular.  It begins with a few staples, and then everything to follow is a free-form narrative created by the GM and heavily influenced by the players.

Some might say that such old school rule descriptions are "bad" or "confusing" simply because they don't spell out every little detail of how the game should be played.  I don't agree.  Ambiguous rules are not a bug - they're a feature.  But then, I like doing my own thing.  As a life-long DM, Storyteller, GM, etc., I need enough creative rope to work with.  Occasionally, I'll hang myself by accident.  Them's the breaks.  Without the chance of failure (no matter how small) there's no excitement or drama.  Player characters require it, so why not Game Masters?  Risk makes the story worth telling in the first place.

In the olden days, Dungeons & Dragons was about going into dungeons, however loosely defined, killing monsters, and looting their treasure.  Similarly, Vampire: the Masquerade is about playing a vampire who lives by night, drinks the blood of humans, and tries not to be discovered by humanity.  And yet, within either of those parameters there is a lot of play.  No two D&D or V:tM campaigns/chronicles are alike even though all of them are roughly similar.  Can the same be said of Shadowrun, Call of Cthulhu, Rifts, or later editions of D&D and V:tM?

On the other hand, isn’t every RPG capable of fluid, story-based “sand box” type play?  Yes, I think so.  However, modern games seem to favor a singular focus, one particular style of play over others.  Certain games force players and GMs into a style or way of gaming because the rule book outright states "that's the way you play this game".  Later editions of V:tM spent more time telling people how they “should” play the game, what a chronicle is supposed to look like.  Although, revised Vampire rule books still recognized all the chronicle variations that could exist for Storytellers and players alike.

So, if you're as big an RPG nerd as I am, you might get a kick out of skimming the posts on that link (some of them, at least).  You might ponder the notion of gaming focus... what's too vague, what's too concrete, and if an unfocused RPG can be the focal point?  Vampire: the Masquerade became an undeniable RPG phenomenon in the 90's, and is still discussed today.  In my opinion, it's worth trying to understand why. 

If you have an opinion, then please feel free to share it by commenting below.  I won't necessarily agree with what you say, but I'll be glad you said it.

VS

NPC Portraits

Now, these are for the Vampire: the Masquerade chronicle I'm running; notable characters, sires, progeny, antagonists, and Kindred of interest around the greater Janesville area.  If you're not one of my players, these photos won't be as useful; however, they might still work for you or your RPG.

Johnathan Marsh ~ malkavian

Vanessa ~ caitiff

Mark Sensa ~ gangrel

Kamilla ~ ???

James Swanson aka "Creepazoid" ~ caitiff

Harold's character before he was embraced.

Starker ~ ventrue and Prince of Janesville

Venom ~ gangrel

Benedict Rasahn ~ Tremere


VS

p.s.  None of these images are mine and I have no rights regarding them, just found them with a google search and thought they looked appropriate.  If there's a problem, just let me know and I'll swamp certain images for others.

Origin session for V:tM

This was a fun one, but also a little scary with just a hint of annoying.

The first session of my old school Vampire: the Masquerade weekly home game explored the origins of these Kindred.  Each player character started out as mortal, living their everyday lives before the embrace.  Since there was six players, there were six individual storylines; however, a few intersected with each other.  More intersection would have been nice, though not necessarily realistic.

As you can imagine, players had relatively little "screen time" for their respective characters.  So, there was a lot of watching.  Hopefully, I made each individual origin scene interesting enough to sit through.  In that way, the session felt like a 2 hour pilot of a TV show.  The pilot has many jobs: introducing characters, showcasing the environment, meeting important NPCs, creating drama and tension, setting the scene for what's to come - the chronicle before us.  The pilot has to do it all.  As soon as one storyline gets going, it's replaced by another, and then another.  By the story's end, most (if not all) the main characters are in the same place at the same time, connected; ideally, working on a common goal.

As individual stories played out, each player character bumped into his or her soon-to-be sire.  A gun shot wound victim drove himself to an aged veterinarian.  I didn't actually came up with this, by the way.  The two players sitting next to each other both wanted to be nosferatu.  They concocted the setup and basically handed it over to me.  Oookkkkaaaayyyyyyy...

For a couple seconds, I had no idea where to go with this one.  Then, I had an inkling of an idea, and just told the best story I could.  Shot-up guy is bleeding all over the place, the vet (played admirably as if his characters had spent many hours in a chair having old age makeup applied) taking care of him.  Then, a man in a hat and coat, face burned and scarred with a straight-razor slash going along his neck and up his right cheek.  He came in with a little cat that was having health problems.  I had to think of something - why else would a vampire walk into a veterinarian's office?  The nosferatu, Drake, sees the dying man on the vet's table.  He finishes him off, and then offers some of his blood.  It just so happens that the vet witnesses this and instead of killing him, Drake embraces him as well.

Two birds, one stone.

The next player was a student at UW Whitewater.  BTW, this chronicle is taking place in the greater Janesville area.  He talked to his guidance counselor, a ghoul for a sadistic, psychopathic vampire, who routinely funnels aimless students into his master's hands.  The student goes over to Mark's house to set up his personal curriculum, etc.  Mark probes him with all kinds of invasive questions, leaves to go make a phone call in the kitchen, allowing the student to check out the basement (door ajar with light visible past the stairs).  Turns out, Mark has a sound-proof, human sized, glass cylinder in the basement of his old Victorian house.  There's a 21 year old blonde co-ed who trapped in there.  She pleads for him to help her escape.

Strangely, he tells her that he'll help, but doesn't.  Instead, he cozies up to Mark, even though some tough biker dude in a leather jacket tells him that Mark is bad news and he intends on killing him soon.  Instead of the biker embracing the student, Mark does once Jon's character tells Mark that he knows about the girl downstairs.

An interesting twist.  I didn't plan on Mark being the gangrel, that was supposed to be the biker Venom.  But Jon really wanted a gangrel character, so I altered Mark's clan to fit the player's concept.

A petty thief living her life on the streets.  She sleeps under a bridge.  She picks the wrong guys pocket - a tall, sinister man in a long black trench coat, receding black hair and pock-marked face.  Going through his wallet, she notices his license.  It looks like he was born in 1920.  She meets a fellow homeless person named Johnathan, though there's something noble about him.  Then, she's attacked by the guy whose wallet she stole.  He tells her she's going to suffer.  She's prepared to die.  Johnathan knocks them both over, tells "creepazoid" (that's what she started calling him) to get the fuck out of here and leave her alone.

Johnathan decides to make her a vampire since her days are numbered out on the street.

Then, an ex-military dude wanders the college campus looking for direction.  He meets a guy, the ghoul of Starker - Prince of Janesville (a dubious honor).  This guy tells military man that his services would be valuable to his boss, Starker.  Military man goes to meet Starker, they hit it off and the Prince embraces his new bodyguard.

Finally, a female student at UW-Whitewater, who occasionally does sexy cam work and has a rich, well-known family, gets picked out of a house party crowd by that creepazoid vamp.  Ousted from the bridge, he's looking for some brutal fun.  The co-ed follows him to an upstairs bedroom where he embraces her and then just leaves like a collegiate one-night stand.  She wanted to play a caitiff, and it seemed appropriate.

Unaware that she's a vampire now, the co-ed inadvertently frenzies, killing her roommate.  Starker has many connections, contacts, and ties to the police force in Janesville.  He hears about the killing and sends military dude (yeah, I know.  It's terrible that I don't know the player characters' names yet). to collect her.

Finally, every sire is required to present his new progeny to the Prince.  They do.  Yay, everyone is at the same place at the same time.  Session's almost over, but there's still time for Starker to send everyone out to get creepazoid.  He's not to be killed, though.  Just brought to the Prince for questioning.

It takes a little while, but they track creepazoid down and eventually detain him.  He's brought in so Starker can interrogate him alone.

Experience is doled out and that's where things ended.  As you can see, this is a really long fucking post.  It's no wonder that one of the players texted me the next morning complaining about the lack of playing time during the other character' origins.  Understandable, but with relatively little time to prepare I did the best I could.  Keep in mind that creepazoid will be a recurring antagonist.  So, it was important to give him plenty of "screen time".  Perhaps the origin session was biting off more than I could chew.  It certainly seemed ambitious.  At least, everyone's told me they're excited for session #2.

In any case, we're all set up for the next game.  Unfortunately the players of military man and female student aren't going to be at a convention.  Hopefully, my wife will decide to sit down and play Vampire with us.

VS

p.s.  I had the film Beyond the Black Rainbow playing on the TV about 15' away from the gaming table.  There's hardly any dialog, just colorful visuals and some of the best 80's inspired movie soundtrack around.  I looked, and there's no CD I can buy.  Players said it added to the game, though there were a couple moments where it became distracting.

V:tM Warm-up Part 2: the Bloodbath

Even though something unexpectedly came up for half the group last night, part 2 was pretty awesome.  The Gary/Chicago rivalry escalated when Modius and his nosferatu adviser selected a target - Lodin's right hand vampire, an enforcer with organized crime connections named Lucien.

Before seeking him out in Chicago, Blago was set upon by a mysterious woman.  She was a Kindred from Chicago, sent to recruit the European gangrel away from Modius to serve the Prince of Chicago.  She used her presence to make him come to her.  He tried to resist but felt overpowered.  Blago spent a willpower point to stay where he was, standing his ground and forcing her to come to him.  At the time, I was unsure what kind of resistance roll was required to not be in awe of her, compelled to walk towards her...

The female went up to Blago's haven, discovered he wouldn't betray Modius, wouldn't share blood with her, and then suddenly he went berserk with wolf claws thanks to his protean discipline.  Face and neck torn open, she immediately fled, using her celerity to get the fuck out of there - 3 successes of aggravated damage!  That's not going to heal right away.

This and later brawls reminded me how brutal and unforgiving combat is in V:tM.  Holy shit!  Whoever strikes first has a huge advantage.  Whoever attacks with a group has a huge advantage - especially with supernatural speed.  Whoever created their character to be a tank with plenty of strength and brawl has a huge advantage.  Whoever uses their 2 dots in protean to transform their hands into razors of goddamn fury becomes an unbelievable killing machine!

I kind of forgot how dodge worked, so I ruled that someone could try to dodge a blow but then that would take up their next attack.  Since the attack order was you go, I go, you go, I go, etc. it didn't make too much sense to dodge a blow because then you can't deal any damage next round and have 3 or 4 more attacks coming your way.  I'll have to re-think that.  Maybe dodge should be allowed (except in the case of firearms) but then your next attack (dice pool) only takes a penalty of one die per attack being dodged?

I also think it might be better to roll for initiative each round.  More surprises!  If this were D&D and each combat was expected to go 10 - 15 rounds, then that would probably be way too much rolling, but for a 3 or 4 round combat (on average), I think it'll be fine.

Soaking damage was another challenge.  Few of the opposing Kindred had fortitude, and the ones who did only had a dot or two.   So, I ruled that only fortitude alone could attempt at soaking aggravated damage, except for the very last vamp to die by the PCs' hands at the end of the night,.  I gave that dude a fighting chance, allowing him his full stamina plus fortitude dice pool to try and absorb the staggering 8 successes of wolf-claw evisceration.  I rolled well, allowing him to deal out some punishment the following turn instead of simply going down in the first six seconds of combat.  His second attempt at soaking wasn't as fruitful: 1 success out of 6 dice.  Yep, still dead - or near enough.

Instead of going either/or, just fortitude or stamina + (fortitude) for everyone, maybe I can allow just those Kindred with fortitude to roll stamina + fortitude, but those without the discipline can't attempt to soak the damage at all.  That might be a fair compromise.

I think every vampire defeated was diablerized.  Hahaha!  As soon as I mentioned drinking a fallen vamp's vitae until reaching his soul and then being able to suck that down, too... everyone wanted to try it.  Since I as using blood potency instead of generation, I allowed the soul-sucker to attain blood potency 2, instead of the 1 they started with.  Before the first session, I briefly touched on the different levels.  The greater a vampire's blood potency, the more blood he can use each turn and the less he can sustain himself on animal blood (and human blood if he reached blood potency of 5), etc.  That's why Kindred need to go into torpor after a century of stalking the night.

Another difference between the last session and this one was disciplines.  In the first, I allowed PCs to add auspex, dominate, presence, etc. to their dice pools instead of the raw attribute + ability.  So, there was less dice rolled this time and less successes, but everything seemed to go smoothly.

Back to the plot: there was a cargo shipment coming in on the docks of Gary after slaying Lucien and the scarred Evelyn.  It contained a really old dark wooden box bound in iron with Scandinavian runes on the side.  Unsurprisingly, the box contained an elder.  Modius wanted to blood-bind the elder to himself.  This, of course, is a process.  He couldn't do it in just one night.  Before his second attempt, more of Lodin's goons showed up.  These were supposed to be heavy hitters.

I finally made a decent roll for once, wounding or mauling Blago and injuring another - he had a lot of celerity.  But, in the end, the fanged NPC was toast.  The whole game was a bloody mess (in a good way).

Will have to glance at the 2nd and 3rd edition rules to see what improvements they might have made.  I vaguely remember those systems working different than 1st edition combat, but it's all pretty hazy.  For non-combat, however, I think V:tM is hard to beat.  The attribute + ability thing works really well.

The weekly home game starts tonight.  I intend on a slower pace with less emphasis on combat.  For a one-off or even two part chronicle, I think it would have been really difficult to avoid physical altercations - especially when half the troupe are noobs.  Maybe not, I'm not really sure.  At least with this new chronicle, I hope the aggravated damage doesn't go flying too quickly.

If you have any thoughts on rules, systems, mechanics, or Storytelling technique, then please feel free to comment below.  I appreciate your feedback!


VS

Old School vs. New School (the video)

Make your voice heard, but you should also be able to back it up.

VS

p.s.  If the OSR has taught me anything, it's this: going back to first edition anything, back to one's roleplaying roots is never a bad thing.  Preferring a rules-set or play style popular 20 or 30 years ago is not a downgrade but a recognition of evolutionary successes from the past.

V:tM warm-up

The "warm-up set" of Vampire: the Masquerade went swimmingly.  As is my practice, I've been volunteering to run old school paper & pencil, tabletop roleplaying games once a month for the Madison Geekery meetup.

It was a great time!  I had the chance to be Storyteller for a couple people who had never played an RPG before, a couple people with sparse RPG experience, and a few people who used to play V:tM, but hadn't in many years.  In fact, the last time I played or ran Vampire myself was about 8 years ago.  Long time.

A couple months ago, I announced that I'd be starting a weekly home game for V:tM.  Nostalgia called to me, and I've been keeping dozens of Vampire RPG books around since 1991.  So, that was one of my reasons for wanting to try it again as a one-off.  To see where the cracks were.

I fondly remember all those nights gaming in the early to mid 90's.  The ten-siders, the fantastic successes and botches, lost humanity, frenzy, and freshly xeroxed starting characters strong enough to punch through a human's skull.  It's a much different game than D&D.  For instance: upon sundown, I asked each player to describe where their character lived, spent the daylight hours, and what they were doing after rising from their death-like slumber.  Based upon their character concept, resources, and other backgrounds, they came up with a suitable response.  Much more "sand box", except within city limits.

There were a lot of players.  I wanted to be as inclusive as possible (I hate turning people away).  The sign-up allowed for 7 players.  Well, I emailed a couple on the waiting list and said they could join in, too.  Then, one of my best friends and frequent gaming buddy was over at my house watching Hawk the Slayer on DVD the night before.  I was telling him about the game (he's also going to be playing in the weekly home game).  Turns out, he also wanted to join the one-shot.

As luck would have it, one or two people who signed-up couldn't make it last minute, so there were about 8 or 9 players.  Not an easy thing for a Storyteller to negotiate when there's only 3 hours of game time and each character might decide to do his or her own thing - many Kindred are solitary predators.

Thankfully, there was a bar... that old RPG standby; and vampires being former-people, most wanted to socialize and be near others of their kind... for awhile, at least.  That helped.  Besides a single Nosferatu, everyone either played a Gangrel, Brujah, or Toreador.

I decided to use the sample chronicle from the back of the first edition rules.  The game started in Gary, Indiana with Chicago casting a particularly nasty black shadow over the characters' home city of rust, decay, and general ruin.  Even though Vampire is a dark game, there were plenty of light moments.  Everyone had a lot of laughs.  One gangrel tried to use his animalism to summon his pet bear to the bar, but with only a single success - a raccoon answered the call!

The plot revolved around a Chicago biker gang called the Blood Angels who worked for Lodin, Prince of Chi-town.  Modius is slowly losing control of Gary, and constantly antagonized by Lodin and Chicago Kindred.  As usually happens, the session organically evolved into its own thing, beyond my notes and theories about where the night would take us.

I gave everyone a taste of not only vitae but ultra-violence.  There were enough bikers to satisfy everyone's bloodlust.  Good times!  My idea of using Blood Potency instead of Generation also went well.  It seemed more appropriate.  After character creation, I gave everyone a one sentence origin story - vampires were spawned from ancient demons; the last of which slain during the Inquisition.

As usual, the end of the night came abruptly.  Just as the players were becoming comfortable with their character, the rules, setting, motivations, etc. it was over.  "Is that it?  Can we do this again?" A woman asked.  One player suggested we continue another night.  I still hadn't decided on September's game, and suggested a "part 2".  There was wholehearted agreement.

Hearing the enthusiasm and being asked to keep the game going makes it all worth while.  The conclusion will see the character's fighting Kindred, not just mortals with switchblades and 9mms.  Modius is pleased...


VS

Seed of a Chronicle

There won't be spoilers because I haven't gotten that far.  I've only worked out the bare bones introduction to my own personal World of Darkness.  The following will serve as the basis for my Vampire: the Masquerade chronicle.  Without further ado...

All (or at least most - I love exceptions to the rule, as long as, their reason-for-being is exceptional) of the PCs are neonates (newly embraced vampires for those who aren't familiar with V:tM jargon).  A city (not sure which one - maybe it will go unnamed throughout the chronicle) has just lost its Kindred population; wiped clean... no survivors.  Most likely the handiwork of a vampire hunter gang.  There are several known throughout the country, but unfortunately (for the Kindred) they keep moving.  Nomadic gangs of vampire hunting badasses are difficult to kill.

Anyways, this kind of extermination is a rarity, but it does happen from time to time.  Kindred are practiced at keeping a stronghold for decades if not centuries.  The urban areas are their domain.  Sure, a few Gangrel exist out in the wilderness, but that's werewolf territory.  Kindred need cities to survive, they need people and civilization.  To lose one is definitely a blow to their bloodsucking ego.

There are many reasons for re-populating a lost city with Kindred: contacts, allies, investments... all will run dry if the Camarilla just leaves it be.  Plus, feeding grounds are valuable commodities - a vampire's gotta eat, and the masquerade dictates that a certain population can only abide a certain number of Kindred. So, abandoning the city is not an option.

In go the neonates.  They're the most expendable.  With all those vampire hunters running around (it's been determined that all the city's Kindred were wiped out by vampire hunters, but no one is 100% certain), the elders don't want to risk it and the ancillae are preoccupied with power struggles in their present domains.  Various neonates from several different clans, cities, and (possibly) covenants are being selected to re-populate the city, restore the Camarilla's influence, and, most importantly, eliminate the danger.

This allows players to come up with pretty much any character concept they want and still have a reason for working alongside dissimilar characters in a particular location.  There's a built-in threat to jump start the action.  Plus, great potential for upward mobility.  By the end of the chronicle, perhaps one of the PCs will become Prince of the city...

As for the tone/atmosphere, here's a vague abstraction: dark, gothic, industrial... rust everywhere, black rain falling on mean streets, broken concrete, graffiti, and corroding inner-city slums with traces of decadent opulence for those elitist 1% living behind wrought-iron gates.

Thanks for reading.  If you want to make a suggestion, comment, or pose a question, please do.


VS

Old School Vampire: the Masquerade

This post is just what I've been thinking of and toying with regarding an upcoming Vampire: the Masquerade chronicle.  For the most part, I've decided to stay true to the first printing of the rule book - with a few Requiem changes for good measure.  For instance, I'm using Blood Potency instead of Generation, as well as, obscuring Kindred origins (probably nothing to do with Cain).  

I'm only allowing the original core clans.  The following are the descriptions I sent to the one-off Vampire game I'm volunteering to run for a local geek meetup...

Here's the list of possible clans which will strongly influence the type of vampire you are. Vampires (Kindred) tend to choose certain types of people to vampirize (embrace), those who will best fit into their respective clan. You can play against type, but you need to have a compelling reason for doing so (i.e. your being made a vampire was a case of mistaken identity).
___

Nosferatu: Physically, they are repulsive. They like to live in sewers, staying hidden or in the background of Kindred society (the Camarilla), trading in secrets rather than showing off in the spotlight.

Tremere: They are vampire wizards, but instead of casting fireball or magic missile, The Tremere use elaborate rituals and alchemical potions containing rare ingredients. The most hierarchical clan - don't expect a neonate (new vampire) to quickly rise in the ranks.

Ventrue: A sophisticated, conservative, calculating, and old-world clan. The Ventrue are power brokers who more or less "lead" the clans, claiming to be Fathers of the Camarilla.

Gangrel: Loners who are in tune with their animalistic roots. Gangrel are most likely to survive outside the city.

Toreador: Hedonists, sensualists, artists, and epicureans. This clan sees vampirism as search for truth, beauty, pleasure, or as a purely aesthetic exercise. Since they also consider themselves sophisticated and refined, Toreador get along fairly well with the Ventrue. If clan Ventrue are Camarilla Fathers, then Toreador would be the Mothers.

Brujah: Rebellious malcontents. This clan despises authority and revels in anarchy. Even though clan Brujah is part of the Camarilla, they are on the outskirts. In that way, they are sort of like the Gangrel; however, the two clans rarely get along.

Malkavian: The Kindred equivalent of a "wild card". These vampires are more or less insane. Very unpredictable. They see things from their own warped perspective, and love a good prank or practical joke.

Caitiff: This is the category for those without a clan. These vampires are definitely on the outside looking in and treated as second class citizens by most, yet they have more freedom than any Kindred belonging to a clan. 
___


After that, I sent another email.  Here are the questions I wanted each player to think about...

1. What's your character's name? Birth name and nickname or what he/she goes by these days? 

2. How long has your character been a vampire, as well as, the age he/she was embraced (your character's apparent age)? 

3. Does your character have any close mortal friends? If not, then why not. If so, then do they know that he/she is a vampire? Keep in mind that allowing humans to know about the Kindred is a breach of the masquerade. 

4. What is your character's nature and demeanor. Nature is your inner desires, who you really are - the core beliefs you hold. Demeanor is what you've picked up along the way, learned behavior, affectations, and surface bits of personality. Sometimes, nature and demeanor work in conjunction and are very similar to each other, other times they seem downright opposed. A list of nature and demeanor archetypes I found online: [not included here]


5. Who was/is your character's sire? Is he/she still around? If so, describe your relationship. 

6. What are your thoughts on your character's clan? 

7. Describe a typical night for your character. 


8. What was your character like as a person before he/she was embraced?

In a few days, I'll post again, exploring chronicle stories, concepts, themes, motifs, and whatnot.

VS

Kindred: The Embraced

As I've done in the past, I'll be volunteering my services as GM to those who've never played an RPG in their life, as well as, those who haven't played in awhile.  I started with Dungeon Crawl Classics, then Swords & Wizardry.  For a change, the end of August's meetup will be Vampire: the Masquerade.

Not only will it be refreshing to do something different like Vampire, but I'm also going be running a Vampire chronicle in September... and it will be nice to have 1 or 2 new players.  Yes, volunteering to run an RPG via your local game store, library, internet meetup, or whatever is a great way of finding new players or games looking for players.

I recently re-watched Kindred: the Embraced.  That was a blast from the past.  The Godfather meets Melrose Place by way of Dracula (The Lost Boys?).  A lot has transpired since 1996, so K:tE looks dated.  However, it's also an eight-episode guide to creating a chronicle, a living city with clans, sires, and plenty of blood-soaked secrets.  Here are my top 10 reasons why Kindred: the Embraced never made it past the first season.

1.  The main character, Julian Luna, played by Mark Frankel died in a motorcycle accident soon after the show aired.

2.  I don't think the word "vampire" was used once in the entire show.  I can understand the aesthetic reasons for wanting to avoid the V word, but marketing-wise... that was probably a bad move.  How are casual vampire fans going to find out about a vampire show if there's nothing to identify it as being about vampires in the title?  Sure, there's the roleplaying game, but that's pretty niche.  Plus, this is pre-internet.

3.  The pilot started right in the middle of things.  That can be cool, but also confusing.  If K:tE was done today, then not only would it be called Vampire's Embrace or something, but it would have the first 10 minutes explaining what a clan was and how they see each other, why there was a small table full of primogen, why a city needs a Prince, etc.  If you knew absolutely nothing about the Vampire RPG, then you'd get the gist by the last episode of the season.

4.  They're all day-walkers!  Vampires who can go out in the daylight, as long as, they're not starving?  I guess that makes sense, but it takes a huge part of the common vampire mythology out of the picture.  Basically, this made the show more Melrose Place than Dracula.

5.  Where was the beast?  Philosophically, K:tE made a big deal about the whole "A beast I am, lest I become."  However, except for a couple Brujah versus Gangrel mean girl looks across the club, there wasn't much to write home about.  How about some Kindred frenzy?  I wanted to see the dark animal below their vampiric surface.  Dexter is more beast than these guys.

6.  Where was the blood?  I think there was a little red stuff here and there - badly dabbed on an actor's skin after a fight scene - but I wanted so much more!  Blood is the essence of a vampire's (un)life.  It's like sex, drugs, and rock n' roll all symbolically wrapped up into one powerful thing.  The lack of crimson joy, again, made the series look less like Dracula and more like Melrose Place.

7.  Phosphorescent guns!  These were somehow large Tommy-style guns that could hurt or kill a vampire.  Yeah, I get the idea, why the writer(s) wanted it, suspension of disbelief, etc.  But... no.  That's just stupid and takes away from the Kindred's mystique.  If you want a vampire dead, you hunt him down and stake him in the heart, chop his head off with a sword, or burn him alive.  Probably all three, just to make sure.  Some Kindred died in the traditional ways, which was nice, but those phosphorescent guns were way too prominent.

8.  C. Thomas Howell's acting.  I know he can act.  I've seen it.  Plus, he's been in a thousand different things.  Howell is not really watchable here.  Almost so bad it's good levels... but not quite.

9.  I didn't realize how much of a launching pad K:tE was for a lot of great shows.  Ok, three of them:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Dexter.  Hmm, all of those shows are the first names of the protagonist.  Anyway, half the cast is recycled between the three.  Yeah, this isn't really a reason why K:tE didn't last, I just wanted to mention it.

10.  No sense of mystery, the supernatural and unknown which man cannot fully explain.  Maybe, the writers and producers were going to wait for season 2 before bringing up the "why" of vampires instead of focusing only on the "what".  Or, maybe it never occurred to them.  I wanted something deeper.  Sure, a couple plot hooks were there: drinking a baby's blood by the full moon around some standing stones to bring back the old ways of the Nosferatu, but that was just an episode and it was never expanded.  Cool idea, no legs.


Well, that's it for this blog post.  Still, for all its faults, Kindred: the Embraced was a good show back in 1996, just as it is now.  Worth watching if you're going to run/play the RPG.  Want to talk about anything Vampire-related?  Comment below!


VS

p.s.  Expect to see more blog posts about Vampire: the Masquerade and Requiem in the coming months.