Table top game using Bloodlines for setting

I felt strangely drawn to this topic, almost as if though someone wanted me to come

My, whatever do you mean?

Voraxith wrote:

I whole-heartedly concur with Mr. Oliver. I have always stood firm on the "three different nights" rule for Blood Bond. Either way, though, one drink is supposed to be kind of like a permanent Awe effect (Presence level 1) toward the vamp who was sipped from.

I agree. And this awe effect will probably make it easier for the Ravnos to slip her character another drink of his vitae

Karavolos is our resident Ravnos. That's why he's drawn to the topic right now You know how it goes: talking about the devil...

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Childe of Malkav wrote:

Voraxith wrote:

I whole-heartedly concur with Mr. Oliver. I have always stood firm on the "three different nights" rule for Blood Bond. Either way, though, one drink is supposed to be kind of like a permanent Awe effect (Presence level 1) toward the vamp who was sipped from.

I agree. And this awe effect will probably make it easier for the Ravnos to slip her character another drink of his vitae

Karavolos is our resident Ravnos. That's why he's drawn to the topic right now You know how it goes: talking about the devil...

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Hurrh I thought it would have more of an effect than that lol I do have a terrible memory I don't even remember reading anything about the bond in the 3rd edition rule book.

Well I need to read their clan book first but I always imagined the Setites would have more of a standing in L.A.

You'll never catch me alive!
I shall escape as soon as the Ravnos topic is no longer being discussed

Very interesting thread! Since I never could have a nice table of VtM and much less a Bloodlines based like this one, I have a few questions about your gameplay...

1) Do they move in Coterie (or Pack I don't know what this history is going anymore ) or they are in different locations now?

2) What happened to their Sires? I can't believe that they were all killed in the theather, heh, although some people could've made good histories regarding this...

Very interesting questions, Yosiel. The best way to explain would be to start at the beginning. There are 5 players -- 3 guys and 2 gals (you can always tell it's a VtM game when there's more than one girl playing; D&D or GURPS and you're lucky to get even one). There's two Toreador, a Malkavian, a Gangrel, and a Caitiff.

The first Toreador is an amnesiac who's first memory was waking up when the stake was pulled from his heart on the stage of the Theatre. He (confusing, because his player is one of the girls) is a rather odd one with an Appearance of 5 (at least she honestly roleplays being transfixed by his own appearance every time he sees a mirror) and an unhealthy fixation on kittens. I get the very strong feeling that she's not taking her character too seriously, but she's having fun so I won't bitch. He (Mojo Jojew is his name ) is always finding things in his pockets that he cannot explain, and has no idea who his sire is, and only knows his clan from the way that the others react to him -- as though they know. He was to be executed for breaking the Fifth Tradition (not announcing one's self to the local Prince), but obviously Nines pitched a fit.

The second Toreador was not present the first night of the game, in the theater, so I just had him meet Jack in the alley as he wandered about aimlessly. Silly player, silly character, not worth mentioning.

The Malkavian is the only one of the group who knows their sire, has any status, and is actually not on death's doorstep just because of what they are. I felt that having Jeanette as a grandsire was punishment enough. She's named Alice, and has the whole goth Alice in Wonderland thing going on, with delusions of talking cats (though not the Cheshire... yet), and paranoid schizophrenia. She decided to steal one of the other player's '66 Mustang (classic muscle car for those who don't know) and wrecked it because she got a dramatic failure (I'm using the nWoD's dice system because it's SO much easier) due to the fact that she doesn't have the Drive skill. He doesn't yet know, though, because a very mischievous mage has taken an interest in her (Hello, Queen of Hearts!).

The Gangrel wasn't there for the first night, either, but he's a Gangrel, so it was a bit easier to explain his presence. He's the only one in the group with any previous WoD experience (he played Hunter a few years ago), so he knows a little bit and is playing a curmudgeonly Gangrel quite well. He is basically just trying to rid himself of the stupidity of the others (i.e., they encounter a locked door in a warehouse. The Caitiff breaks the window with Potence and tries to climb through, while he just opens the door; the room is dark, so one of the Torries uses Heightened Senses to see in the dark, he just turns the light on -- that sort of thing. I can sympathize. ).

Finally, the Caitiff is perhaps the most interesting, because his start was ripped straight from Bloodlines. His sire was actually a Gangrel, but she never got a chance to explain anything to him due to the whole door bursting open and incredibly well-placed stake tosses. Of all of them, he seems most interested in exploring the vampiric world that is L.A., and is doing a damned good job of role playing a fascination with Jack.

Where they are is still downtown. They left the Theatre for the alley, met Jack, ran into a couple of shovelheads, made Jack laugh his ass off, and then got sent away before he went any madder. They've met a mage (whom they don't yet know is a mage) who's taken an interest in the Malkavian, and have just left for Santa Monica. Been playing almost a month and that's pretty much all that's happened. Gods, I'm glad the group isn't any bigger, else they'd still be in the Theatre.

Anyway, they've opted to stay together as a coterie for now, but I reckon that won't last too much longer. Once they figure out my game is pretty sandbox-style, they'll part ways. They've all expressed less interest in combat and questing and more in the political intrigue of the various NPCs, so we'll see where it all goes... Any ideas?

Wow thanks for writing a complete review and in such short time, least I could do it's try to help you despite the fact that I don't know much about WoD as I would like to. I will toss some ideas and you will see what you can pick of them all.

First, you have to see what's in your favour and that is a) your players whom are tired of playing battles of D&D want to a more machiavellian and dialog friendly game and b) Santa Monica it's a beautiful map with a lot of things to do without adding too many places where the pc's can loose themselves.

Now the weaknesses I see a)your players are still not well adjusted to this word (using disciplines when don't need to) and they are not quite hooked in the game (a feeling I have after reading your 2 toreadors and a little bit of the Gangrel). b) 'The lady of the sea' doesn't add a lot of sandbox material if not for fighting after walking around and asking people.

My solution to this problems is to add short quests for them to a) get themselves into the WoD keeping the dialog options as short as posible (this is to guide them a little) and b) feeling the holes that you don't see in SM when you played it.

2 quest examples: (they are not the most original, and mostly are pretty cliché but are the ones from the top of my head and addressing the issues)

Maybe I will add a 'San Francisco Toreador' ala-'Dance of the Trashing Dragon' Lite version. Visiting places like the asylum, the tatoo parlor, and the galery noir. While keeping this visitor from breaking the masquerade with its exagerated enthusiastic reaction after seeing something beautiful. This most likely will add 'it's for the lulz' moment (I would love to see how you act those orgasmic moments when the Torey sees a beautiful made tattoo on a girl's pelvis and the companion/s must try not to laugh with him and stopping for making ruckus), while learning how to deal with the vampire society without going in depth with your main history.

The other it's quite simplier (and from the old book) Damsel comes to town to warn about an upcoming roar, but the two vampires residents here are playing their own games so she doesn't have more choice that to ask help of this young neonates. 'Rummbler in the Dinner' is about a Brujah motorcycle gang that, while it's anarchist affiliated they had problems with Nines downtown a few nights ago because they have a more pro-active and violent way to deal with the new Sects. They are ok now after a beating there, but if they happen to drink from the blood of the alcoholic costumers of the dinner they may go on a rampage on the Asylum Elyseum or even the Sabbbat warehouse (blowing up your chances of a commando mission and Prince's orders) so u have to, deal with the alcohol of the dinner messing it up so they don't get violent (maybe drugs maybe just soda for the night) and talk to them and dont let them intimidate or provoking a fight while at it or fight with them in a place where no one could spot all of you (like the sewers or the junkyard) in which case they will also had to find the clever way to lure them to those places before the battle occurs.

With those quest I added things that were not in the original game, more Torey and Brujah that doesn't appear until later in the game, and so I fill the gaps in the city. Regarding to the main quest the holes that you could fill are, how actually the ritual of exorcism was done, what were so special about that night in the Warehouse that had all the thugs so worked out, and how the thin-bloods escaped California without injuries. And it would be nice that half the party would only talk with Jeanette while the other only with Therese, and they both keep the players back and forth until they all knew the truth; but of course this is extremely hard to do if all are in the table I think. Good luck, if you have any more insights please share, hope this will help you.

So tonight was game night again. It was an interesting but short session. It was one of the player's last night (he got a new job that prevents him from playing), so I sent him out in style: he got fucked to death by a fiesty pyro mage as she absorbed his vitae and bumper her Avatar up one. Meanwhile, crazy Alice girl had to leave early, so she got tossed in the trunk of the Mustang she stole the week before. And the Gangrel and Caitiff got in a C4 fight with some gangbangers -- all on the way to the Last Round. That's right; they said fuck the prince and are headed back to Jack.

I WANT THEM....

...found!

Bloodhunt already called?

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What I'm offering is a chance to transcend the fate woven by your sire...

AaAAAaA...!

I hear a voice in my head!

Feral wrote:

AaAAAaA...!

I hear a voice in my head!

Welcome to the club. How did you manage to change your clan?

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Maybe he annoyed some Tremere enough that they invented a Ritual to change one's bloodline? ^^ they do always claim to have a ritual for EVERYTHING!

Childe of Malkav wrote:

Feral wrote:

AaAAAaA...!

I hear a voice in my head!

Welcome to the club. How did you manage to change your clan?

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I haven't! None at all!!! With that Malkavian antitribu we only intended Vaulderie! I swear! It's not my fault I got overcarried... I'm not a monster! It was an accident...

That's what they all say Feral!
Welcome to the club you fuzzy little Malk puppy!

Now I hear voices

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Don't we all?

Karavolos wrote:

Don't we all?

Nope, that's my bloodline's prerogative

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Nah, I'm still Gangrel... When you do some bastard in you get theirs Clan weakness too, and that sucks.
Now not only do I get animalistic traits when I frenzy, but also must sleep surounded by soil from my homeland, cast no reflection, my bite is f*cking painful and I have deathly pallor, but also a damned Derangement! As if my animalistic quirks weren't enough! Diablerie is no future, I tell you.

Feral wrote:

Diablerie is no future, I tell you.

The first rule of diablerie is you don't talk about diablerie. The second rule of diablerie is YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT DIABLERIE!!!

Duncan! Look at this guy trying to take away my rights to talk about whatever the hell I want
Please fight for my cause!

Ooh ooh ooh! That reminds me, Karavolos, any ideas for what I should do with the Ravnos antitribu who conned my poor Toreador fledgling into thinking she had diablerized him?

Not much that can be done other than learn the lessons of past mistakes, or spread rumours in the Sabbat