World of Darkness Thread (Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, Wraith, Changeling)

[OpusX]

Thought I'd get a WoD (World of Darkness) thread started again. For those unfamiliar this would be designed to cover the oWoD (old World of Darkness) games such as, Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Mage: The Ascension, Wraith: The Oblivion, Changeling: The Dreaming.

Overall I've been a fan and on/off player/GM for a few of these games since the early 90's. The D10, Storyteller system is quite excellent, and the recent incarnations of "5th Editions" have excellent updates mechanically and continue the heavy lore of the original series.

Though I am a legacy fan, if you want to jump into what is in current print, Jason Carl of White Wolf has hosted several seasons of "L.A. by Night: Vampire 5th Edition" game play with the troupe from Geek and Sundry. Season 1 Ep1 below.

[Schmitti]

Man I LARP'd Vampire the Masquerade for about a year and a half at Penn State until I graduated in 99. For the most part we had a great time.

I played a Malkavian that had been a special forces soldier in a psych ward when he was turned. As soon as he was turned his "insanity" was cured and the vampire that turned him disowned him (tried to kill him, I can't remember which) bc he was no longer a head case. That's all I can remember about it... I think I may still have game notes around but I haven't seen those in a bit (just like my college diploma). My I'm losing my mind.

E

[OpusX]

I attended one VtM LARP session in college by request. They were a tight and, well, "eclectic" group. It didn't really fit my style. Granted, when we do game now in person, people tend to wear props and bits of the character around the table, but that's as deep as we get.

[Nish]

I like their games in theory and appreciate the rich story involved in them but never got that into the games. That said one of the most memorable games I ever played was a game of Vampire that ran about 2 years.

[OpusX]

I have a couple Werewolf campaigns that are 3-ish years in, with no end in sight. We paused them until we can again game together. But of course we spun up whole new stories and characters for zoom/skype/discord type gaming. Different feel, but still good stories.

[Nish]

Our game was going strong with no sign of the end yet. Then the GM's life imploded on him and the game fell apart.

[OpusX]

Our troupe is back yo throwing dice in person and it is amazing. Minis maps amd dice make the game happen.

[Criticalhammer]

I used to play the new WoD Mage:The Awakening back in college. Loved it completely. I can only speak of Mage, but I think the newer rule set really helped put well needed structure on mage abilities.

I'm looking for a mage game if anyone is interested in starting one.

[OpusX]

Man oh man, Mage was a convoluted mess, but it is a neat 'verse and game. It does get peppered into my overall stories for WtA as it just makes it so much more fun.

[OpusX]

Finally it is happening! Werewolf 5th Edition preorders are live

https://www.worldofdarkness.com/news/werewolf-the-apocalypse-5th-edition-is-available-for-pre-order-now

[Fubarius]

Funny story, but a Vampire LARP was the only game I was ever un-invited from, before I even showed up.

So my friends and I had played some assorted WOD games, I had my Nosferatu based roughly on the comic character Jonah Hex, a Mage Son of Ether with an irrational fear of triangles, a Hunter called Vinnie the Plumber, who was, well, a plumber, but he knew Everybody. Plus a lot of time playing Aberrant (another White Wolf game, but not World of Darkness). But the main thing connecting these were of course that they were good old fashioned table top RPGs. Pencils, character sheets, and lots and lots of clicky clacky math rocks. That's where my interest laid. Spent a lot of time hanging out at the local RPG shop, so I was known in the local gaming scene. Well the local Vampire LARP was huge. Unbelievably huge. Heck, I seem to remember one of the Clans had their own house. As in an actual physical house they paid rent on, just for use in the game. And the scene was quite welcoming to everyone, and thus I got invited to try it out, all the freaking time. But LARPing isn't my thing. It's the lack of dice mostly. Plus I felt for all their openness they did seem to take themselves too seriously.

But one night I was at a party where a number of local LARPers and some other friends of mine were at and the LARPers invited me to the LARP yet again, and I had a bit of inspiration. An idea of a character. I would play as a Malkavian who was a classic Gamer and who would attempt to start a table top RPG inside the LARP. My friends thought this was hilarious and we spent the entire night discussing if it would be more fun to have a WOD game inside a WOD LARP, so a bunch of Vampires trying to play Mage, or if a completely different system would be more fun, such as D&D or Rifts, and which Clans would want to play which classes. The overly serious LARPers? They stopped asking me to join.

[OpusX]

Just like a Malkavian...well played

[Criticalhammer]

I did some Mage the Awakening in college. Played with a group of folks who collectively played with legacies that where more treated like recalling memories of a previous life, chose not to align with any orders, and down right knew every bit of game lore. It was impressive. I felt small knowing so little of the lore, but it was an absolutely blast to play. Been dying to find a fun group to Mage with again, unfortunatley the system is probably the most free form flowing out there and is very hard to GM. Need a fantastic GM story teller, and a group of people who want to tell stories while not power gaming. Mage can turn into a power gamer fest really easily, really fast if not properly GM.

Correspondence/Mind is the ultimate assassins tool.

[OpusX]

the system is probably the most free form flowing out there and is very hard to GM. Need a fantastic GM story teller, and a group of people who want to tell stories while not power gaming.

I think that is the best thing about any of the WoD games, it is designed to be a story based system. Now I agree that Mage was/is hella complicated. The combat/action system went through some big changes in all three major "old" releases of Ascension. I never got into the "new" games like Awakening, I just couldn't forgive them for trying to kill off all the old lore.

[Criticalhammer]

I think that is the best thing about any of the WoD games, it is designed to be a story based system. Now I agree that Mage was/is hella complicated. The combat/action system went through some big changes in all three major "old" releases of Ascension. I never got into the "new" games like Awakening, I just couldn't forgive them for trying to kill off all the old lore.

The way we played it was "old lore" was nothing more than some kind of spoken tradition that was mostly forgotten. Awakening was current events, but Ascension was the "old" days. When things where "better". Old timers would speak of it when drunk, around good friends, "up hills, both ways, barefoot" kind of talk.

[OpusX]

The Mage section on the shelf. More than a few missing in my collection.