New Resources For Players

            Today’s Update is just a quick note about some additions to the Player & Storyteller’s Resource Page.  I have spent a lot of my free time working on new material for this page, including more NPCs that Storytellers can use in their Chronicles. 

            Today, I’ve added seven new Mortal NPCs:  The Con Artist, Doctor, Exotic Dancer/Prostitute, Gang Member, Police Detective, and Science Professor.  These NPCs are some of the common types of characters that player characters may encounter during a Story.  These can be used in any Storyteller System game although some may need slight modifications for use in Werewolf or Mage or the others.  I’ve also added one new Sabbat NPC, a Tzimisce specialist in Vicissitude.  This Tzimisce NPC should be useful for Storytellers as either a part of a combat encounter or in social situations. 

As before, how you use these NPCs is up to you.  They have been designed to be as general as possible and to represent a stereotype.  These are only stats on a page, and as such, it’s up to you as the Storyteller to give them personality and life beyond those stats.  These character sheets are meant to help Storytellers save time when creating a Chronicle because they don’t have to write down stats for generic NPCs such as these.  I hope you’ll find these helpful, but remember, these are just numbers; you have to add the personality.  I'll be posting more NPC in the future.  I'm currently working on a set of Camarilla Pregenerated Characters that will be suitable for any beginning Chronicle. 

I’ve also added some new Player Reference sheets for Wizards of the Coast’s Star Wars Revised System.  I made these a long time ago and I have recently updated them.  I’ve made them available here even though they have nothing to do with Vampire the Masquerade or the other White Wolf Games.  I’ve always loved role playing in the Star Wars universe and my two of my favorite campaigns were run using this system.  I hope that people who still play this system will find them useful.  

On a side note, I am currently planning to attend OmegaCon in Charlottesville, VA.  I will be looking for any Storyteller System game or AD&D game.  I hope that you'll make it too!  

Thank you for reading my blog!  If you have any suggestions for an article or other material,l or if you have a question, please leave a comment below.  You can also contact me via email.  You can follow me on Twitter Anthony_RTDB or on Google Plus.  I will try my very best to reply to any and all comments sent to me, and I welcome any and all constructive criticism.  Thanks! 

Late Review: Clanbook Malkavian

Clanbook Malkavian

By Daniel Greenberg

1993, 65 pages

            Clanbook Malkavian is one of the infamous examples of the idiosyncrasies of early Vampire the Masquerade supplements. This clanbook is loved by some players as a great example of how the book itself is a reflection of the clan.  On the other hand, many people were not happy with the purposefully bad art, silly layout, and backwards pages.  For the record, I am not a fan of Malkavians.  In too many games that I’ve played in or run Malkavians have been mostly a disruptive presence at the table.  I’ve already covered this in a previous article:  Fishmalks and Wareadors.  Malkavians are not always bad; some players are exceptionally good at playing lunatics and mental patients.  The bad experiences that I've had with them just outweigh the good.  Clanbook Malkavian is at its best when it is exploring the terrifying insanity of the clan but at its worst when it’s reinforcing the disruptive class clown archetype. 

            The theme of Clanbook Malkavian, however, is enlightened, collective madness.   Unlike Clanbook Gangrel, this one is written from a non-Malkavian point of view with the assumption that this clan’s madness has a greater purpose (although they may have no purpose).   Assuming they have a purpose, according to specialists on Clan Malkavians, is safer.  The Malkavian’s madness is explained as both enlightenment and sickness.  Malkavians don’t become insane; they embrace their insanity purposefully shattering their former views of reality.  To do otherwise will cause the Malkavian to become a gibbering lunatic. 

            The Introduction is a story about a newly Embraced Malkavian named Adam who is struggling against the Malkavian madness as his Sire, Mistress LaVeel, tries to guide him through the process of becoming a Malkavian.  He escapes from the basement where she’s holding him and races out into the streets.  He runs blindly trying to come to grips with his new state of being and the twisted thoughts in his head.  He runs down an alley where he encounters another Malkavian, Crazy Jane, who helps him finally sever his connection to reality and allow his madness to envelope him. 

            Chapter One explores the core beliefs and history of the clan.  The Malkavians have a large number of contradictory beliefs that other Kindred have developed to explain the Malkavian’s greater purpose.  These beliefs range from anarchy for anarchy’s sake, the ascension of personal will over consensual reality, and evolution of the Malkavian’s mind to a higher state to just pure nihilism or no purpose at all. 

Fans of Mage the Ascension will recognize these purposes as being similar to concepts in that game.  Malkavians also have a connection to Changeling the Dreaming because they are trying to undo the static reality that keeps Faeries from traveling to the real world.  The shared references of static reality and consensual reality that are part of the core Malkavian philosophy espoused in this book inject too many of the themes of Mage and Changeling into Vampire the Masquerade.  The idea that Malkavians understand the greater truths of reality is a good one and that they have gone mad because they understand those truths is a good one, but using the same language that Mages and Changelings use to describe reality dilutes Malkavians rather than making them stand out.  Although the various game lines by White Wolf (Vampire, Mage, Werewolf, etc.) have always struggled with how they fit together, this method just undermines what makes Malkavian's different from the other clans.  Rather than going into more depth about the Malkavian's madness, this book just attaches that madness to the concepts of other games.  

One of my favorite characters in Bloodlines.  Jeanette made crazy cool!

The history of the Malkavians doesn’t diverge much from the general history of the other vampires, except that Malkav, the clan’s progenitor, is thought of as a man who has greater vision and spiritual understanding than the other Antediluvians.  It is Malkav who is trying to follow Caine along the path to a reality shattering enlightenment.  He is still trying to perfect his vision, and the Malkavians are each a little experiment to test how reality works, supposedly.  Since the clan’s founding, the Malkavians have spread across the world shattering, seemingly at random, the carefully laid plans of other vampires.  Some traveled to Arcadia and made alliances with Faeries and they tried to maintain the contradiction and possibilities that allow Faeries to exist.  They even visited the Far East where they made met the strange Kindred of the East. This history puts Malkavians as the point of connection between too many other supernatural groups.  Later, Malkavians were instrumental to the outcome of the Anarch Rebellion.  Originally the Malkavians stayed neutral playing pranks on both sides, but they decided to side with the Camarilla which swung the balance of power to the Elders.  However, one of their number, Princess Vasantasena, left the Camarilla and joined the group that became the Sabbat and thus created the Malkavian Anti-tribu. 

According to Chapter Two, The Malkavians have seven (or eight) intra-clan Traditions that they follow, maybe.  Although seven are listed and number three is given two different Traditions, these guidelines represent the most interesting section of the book as it gives insight into the workings of the Malkavian clan.  The most important Malkavian Tradition is “Breaking the Mirror” which explains that Malkavians should shatter their own reality before the blood of Malkav drives them insane.  The Fourth Tradition is probably the most fun and disruptive, the Tradition of Pranking.  Sometimes pointless, sometimes dangerous, and often cruel, Malkavian pranks may act as lessons for the high and mighty or just a silly gag that’s meaningless. 

Chapter Two also includes the new mechanics for Malkavians.  The first is a new Secondary Ability, Malkavian Time, that allows Malkavians to access the shared consciousness of the Malkavian Madness Network that allows all clan members to hear the plans of other Malkavians but not share their own.  Three new Auspex powers are included here as well.  The most useful for Storytellers is the eighth level Auspex power, Malkavian Madness Network, that lets someone who possesses this power call a meeting of nearby Malkavians.  A good Storyteller can make use of this power for many different plots.  A new seventh level of Obfuscate, Visit Faerieland, gives Malkavians a method of traveling to Arcadia and back.  However, this noteworthy Discipline is too high level to be useful for average games and serves to keep the intended Malkavian-Changeling connection out of reach of most players. Also, it really doesn't fit with the lower levels of Obfuscate which involve disappearing or disguising oneself.  I guess you hide yourself so well that you wind up in Arcadia surrounded by Changelings and Faeries? 

I don't think Pinky Pie is the best role model for role playing a Malkavian, do you?

This chapter also includes a couple of pages on how to better role play a Malkavian.  This page is the most useful page in the entire book for players because so many players struggle to properly play their derangements or have trouble balancing their Malkavian’s mischievousness, kookiness, and terror of this clan.  Playing a Malkavian is difficult for most players because role playing a derangement is difficult to get right.  Some players overdo it, and other players don’t play their derangement at all.  Finding that balance is important for players.  Finding the right amount of “crazy” to play is also important because too often a player will become disruptive and ruin the mood of a session by over-playing the kookiness of his character.  Having this page with the text reversed is just frustrating because the author and editors have made the most useful information the hardest to read. 

Chapter Fore (their spelling not mine) offers a variety of madmen to play.  Some are sedate like the Detached Scientist who sublimates his emotions and tries to remain detached while below the surface he’s about to explode in violence.  Others are raving lunatics like the Raving Lunatic who screams and yells and can’t control himself at all.  Each of the templates offers a different take on the Malkavian’s inherent madness.   Although the descriptions of each potential character offer a good idea as to what the character’s derangement might be, the character sheet doesn’t specify it explicitly.  If the character’s derangement was specifically listed, then the author could have created characters that didn’t necessarily know their own derangement or their derangement is different from the madness that you might expect.  However, these templates offer players who have never role played a Malkavian a good selection of madmen and lunatics to base their characters on. 

The Appendix (or Kidney One) offers the usual Who’s Who of Among Malkavians, but unlike the other clanbooks, this section is well integrated with the rest of the book.  Crazy Jane, who appears in the introductory story, is given a better write up here.  Vasantesena, who led a faction of the clan into the Sabbat, is described here as well.  The most interesting character introduced in this section is Rasputin, the mad monk of Russian history.  This is one of the few historical figures that I don’t mind seeing as a vampire since so many myths have sprung up around a man who was nearly impossible to kill. 

            Most Vampire the Masquerade players who haven’t read this book are still familiar with it because of the number of injokes including the infamous page XX that was missing from Werewolf the Apocalypse or the Nosferatu Corrupt Industrialist character sheet are found in this book.  Along with the upside down and backwards pages, these jokes fall flat after nearly 20 years.  The interior artwork is a mishmash of the usual 90’s style Vampire the Masquerade art and the kind of stuff that a teacher would call the cops about if she found those drawing stuffed in a second grader’s Trapper Keeper.  The artwork is supposed to represent the kind of art the Malkavians would create themselves such as the first grade vampire daisies or the messy stick figure drawings.  Also, the layout of the book is designed as if the book was put together by the Malkavians themselves which is strange since the book was not written by a Malkavian.  One page is black with white ink, another is upside down and most frustratingly one page is printed backwards.  And worst of all, Clanbook Malkavian tries too hard to associate the Malkavian to Mage the Ascension and Changeling the Dreaming. 

Delirium on the other hand...

            If you are looking to learn more about the Malkavians or want to improve your ability to role play as a Malkavian, then this book offers some good information.  However, much of that good information is overshadowed by the quirky lay out and the forced connections to Mage the Ascension and Changeling the Dreaming.  On the other hand, if you are a Vampire the Masquerade Storyteller looking to bring Changelings into your Chronicle, this book has a few good ideas that can be used to that end.  Overall, this book is frustrating to read and too busy associating Malkavians with Changelings and Mages to be of general use to players just interested in Vampire the Masquerade.  Nevertheless, for old school fans of Vampire the Masquerade and Malkavians this book is a must have if only for its quirks and the nostalgia associated with its silliness.

            Clanbook Malkavian is available for sale on DriveThruRPG as a PDF.  If you want an original printing you can find it on Amazon.  

Late Review: V20 Companion

V20 Companion

By Justin Achilli and Eddy Webb

2012, 79 pages

            As the first supplement for Vampire the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, the V20 Companion offers expanded information on the World of Darkness Setting including titles for various sects, Prestation rules (trading favors) for each sect, how vampires exploit technology, and finally a selection of locations for use in any Vampire the Masquerade Game.  Those topics have been covered in a variety of other books; so for long time Vampire the Masquerade players, this book may not seem a necessary purchase.  However, because V20 left out the rules for running a Caitiff, players and Storyteller must have access to this book just for those two pages.  Besides those two pages, the rest of the book offers some useful information and ideas for games. 

            Chapter One covers the various titles available for all of the major sects:  Camarilla, Sabbat, Anarchs, Tal’mahe’ra (True Hand), and Inconnu.  The Camarilla and Sabbat titles should be familiar to anyone who already owns V20.  Prince, Sheriff, Ductus, or Priest are all titles that are familiar to anyone who has a copy of V20 or has played Vampire the Masquerade in the past.  Some additional titles have been added like the “Chancellor,” who is responsible for keeping track of the favors owed and who owes them.  If the Storyteller is emphasizing Prestation, favor trading, then this new position in the Prince’s court will be a great help.  The Sabbat has the usual series of titles, including the title “Shovelhead,” which is for just Embraced Sabbat who have yet to prove themselves and earn the title “True Sabbat.”   The Anarchs have several titles but essentially operate the same as the Camarilla titles.  A “Baron” runs the Domain, a “Reeve” keeps order for the “Baron,” and so on. 

            The Tal’mahe’Ra also have series of titles, but it is in this section of Chapter One where the V20 Companion offers its first real revision to the World of Darkness.  While the core principles and history of the Tal’mahe’Ra remain the same as in Dirty Secrets of the Black Hand, the V20 Companion updates the tone of this sect, making it darker and more fitting for the World of Darkness.  Just the update to the tone of the True Hand makes this chapter worth reading.  The V20 Companion emphasizing the sect as a death cult that kidnaps mortals and tries to further its goal of vampiric supremacy. 

There is no way these characters are going to get along! 

            As the least worldly and most secretive sect, the Inconnu are given only two titles.  Beyond those titles the mystery of the Inconnu is still intact which stays in line with past works on the Inconnu.  On the whole this chapter reinforces the information already available in V20, but if you are interested in running games involving Anarchs or the Tal’Mahe’Ra, you’ll find this book helpful in fleshing out the domains.  Beyond just a short description of the title, each entry offers some advice on how the title fits into the sect’s goals and world view. 

Finally, there are several clan-specific titles that are written broadly enough to fit just about any clan.  Titles such as Mystic can be modified to fit either the Tremere or their hated enemies, the Assamites.  My favorite title out of this entire chapter is “Consul” which is a diplomat between Sects, clans or any other groups.  This title offers opportunities for designing cities with visiting clan members that may not normally be there without them necessarily being antagonists.  Now an Assamite or a Giovanni could be in a Camarilla city and be protected by this title, and not just hiding out in the city hoping the Sheriff doesn’t notice them. 

Chapter 2 explains the rules for Prestation for Kindred.  Prestation, of course, is the practice of trading favors or boons.  This represents the other currency for vampires, the first being blood.  This material has already been covered in a variety of other source books, but this is the first time it’s been put in print since the release of V20.  The interesting part of this Chapter is that the Prestation system has expanded beyond the Camarilla.  Every sect has its own approach to trading favors and even trading favors with vampires of different sects; so, even sects that are spilling each others’ blood are meeting and talking and trading favors regardless of animosity.  Of course, if a Sabbat member is caught trading boons with a Camarilla member then things might get unpleasant for both of them.  Storytellers will love having updated and expanded rules for Prestation for their games. 

Technology in the World of Darkness is the focus of Chapter 3.  According to the V20 Companion, vampires can become stuck in the era in which they were Embraced.  Because of the rapid pace of change in technology in the modern nights, vampires can be quickly overwhelmed or lost as technology overtakes them.  Older vampires who were Embraced hundreds of years ago may struggle to understand modern technology such as computers and smart phones.  Newly Embraced vampires, however, can understand modern technology quickly because they’ve been surrounded by it for their entire lives.  Technology becomes a weapon that smart Neonates can use against their Elders.  Elders, on the other hand, are not wholly defenseless against techno-savvy Neonates; they ghoul mortals who are capable of managing that facet of the modern world.  Even scarier, the Elders make a point to stay up to date with technology. 

Technology allows vampires to conduct attacks from distant domains.  Anarchs can lead rebellions from the safety of the Anarch Free States.  Sabbat can give orders to distant packs with just a tweet.  Technology can be used in a variety of ways in the World of Darkness.  Not to mention that maintaining the Masquerade in the modern world with ubiquitous use of smart phones with video cameras is becoming more and more difficult.  Stories can be built around stopping the spread of a viral video or tracking down its source.  This chapter offers many hints at story ideas that Storytellers can build upon for their campaign, but none of the topics are explored in depth. 

The new art is beautiful!  All the V20 art has been awesome!

Chapter Four offers a variety of locations for adventures in the World of Darkness.  These locations range from an up to date Succubus Club, that travels between cities putting on various shows for the Kindred residents of those towns, to the Cathedral of Flesh, a Tzimisce created building made from the flesh of hundreds of mortals that may still exist in the modern nights.   Twenty-five locations are described, and each location has about three paragraphs dedicated to it.  The location, itself, is explained along with some NPCs who might be present, and a story hook is hinted at.  Although each location description is little more than a tease for the potential of an adventure set there, the variety of locations that games can explore is awe-inspiring.  Whether the game’s tone is gritty and street level about the perils of being neonates or a pulp adventure with a group of vampires seeking lost artifacts, there is a good location in this chapter.

As an aside, for people interested in how The Onyx Path and White Wolf Publishing are taking advantage of modern technology in game development, the Introduction and the Appendix of the V20 Companion explains how fans have contributed to what is actually in this book.  The authors explain why certain material was cut, such as a mechanical system for titles, or why certain material was expanded upon, extra clan-specific titles were cut because of lack of space.  It’s exciting to see the publishers are listening to the people who play the games and making changes to the works as they are being written.  So, make your opinions heard on the upcoming books because they are listening.

The V20 Companion reused this art, and so am I!

The V20 Companion is not a book necessary to play or run a Vampire the Masquerade game except for the fact that this is the only book that has the rules for Caitiff.  For Storytellers looking to explore Prestation rules or are looking for new locations, this books has plenty of both.  However, the biggest problem with this book is that it doesn’t go indepth on any of the topics.  Each chapter, aside from the chapter on Prestation, could have been expanded into a book on its own.  Because technology is so pervasive and has changed the world so much in the last 10 years, that any discussion of Technology in the World of Darkness is going to require more than just one chapter.  As with everything else in this book, more space is needed to really explore the topics addressed in this book.  The V20 Companion is useful for Storytellers, and one person in your gaming group should probably have it just for the information on Caitiff.  In truth, I wish the information for playing Caitiffs should be made available in a free format because it should have been in V20. 

The V20 Companion is available at DriveThruRPG.com as either a PDF or Print on Demand formats!