On The Thirsts Of The Damned or whatever (one week post-Take A Load Off)

[extrasaltypotato]

In my searching through the Stacks I had a thought about how to use my understanding of their filing system for fun and profit and I found a rare treasure.

While it’s not quite the set of On The Thirsts Of The Damned, the Rage of the Garou, the Hubris of Sorcerers, and the rest of the On the Foo of Bar games, nor my native Dungeoncrawlers, I found the next best thing from two tales to the left: the substantially similar games Vampire: The Masquerade and Dungeons And Dragons Fifth Edition, Revised, in the form of finished manuscripts with placeholder art and full of references to Page XX, on which presumably is found all wisdom.

I’ve half a mind to run both. If anyone has interest in a tabletop roleplaying game about being in the contemporary vampire mafia, or of renaissance derring do in a Free Company (doesn’t that seem familiar), you know how to reach me.

- 光
Hikaru

Comments

[aetherialshackles]

Okay okay okay... I'm not entirely sure I understand what that means but I would rather enjoy joining a social event like that.

I may require assistance in learning how things work, though. I know what vampiric creations are, my mentor actually took heavy inspiration by that kind of creatures for what I could only call his 'final transformation' but I'm unfamiliar with most other terms used.

It does sound nice to play games with others, though.

-Erich

[extrasaltypotato]

I was operating under the assumption that these games would be novel to most. I would be happy to teach the basics in a proverbial ‘session zero.’

But if you imagine improvisational theatre with occasional dice rolls for chancy actions, you won’t be far wrong.

- 光
Hikaru

[aetherialshackles]

I feel like I would have a lot to learn, actually. Being a scholar and researcher that doesn't sound too intimidating. I would love to join this 'session zero'.

I know of theaters, that sounds fun! I assume dices are needed to move the story along?

[extrasaltypotato]

Tell me: in your childhood games of make-believe, did you ever get trapped in an endless loop of “you’re dead!” Vs “nuh uh?”

“I’ll roll one die for each point of Dexterity and Melee I have and you’ll roll for Dex and Dodge, and if I have more with 7 or greater I hit” is a way to short circuit that.

- 光
Hikaru

[aetherialshackles]

Ah. Of course, it does make things more fair, right?


[Childhood make-believe... what? He never really had anyone to play with so it's just another thing that's difficult to understand but he'll not dwell on that]

so... how are we planning to do this? And what kind of resources do we need?

[extrasaltypotato]

Someone with the ability to draw the needed dice out of the illustrations from the books. Chairs. A table. Copies of the character infosheets in the back. I can provide all of these but the drawing out, right now.

- 光
Hikaru

[aetherialshackles]

That. I can't help with. I see plenty of pictures now, between books and all, but at the same time I never really... dared to touch a quill.

Maybe we can ask around? Are illustrations needed for this kind of activities?

[extrasaltypotato]

You misunderstand me. Philip informed me that Editors can learn how to draw physical objects out of illustrations of them, which is where we will get the necessary supplies of Shiny Math Rocks required for play.

Though some evocative illustrations never hurt a game.

- 光
Hikaru

[aetherialshackles]

Oh! My apologies! I can extract things from books too if that can be of any help! So we know what differences are there between our roles in the library, then?

My card says I'm a revisionist but I'm not sure what that implies duties wise.

[extrasaltypotato]

You and I both. Fascinating.

I am not sure what roles other than Revisionist we can be assigned to, but we all of us are Editors.

- 光
Hikaru

[aetherweaver]

While I'm familiar enough with the doings of Free Companies, could you explain the former to me?

What is a 'mafia', and what exactly is a 'vampire' in your understanding?

[extrasaltypotato]

Mafias are organized crime families. I’ve found the game works best under the assumption that vampiric politics are shaped like the elaborate honor codes of criminal syndicates: turf wars, inviolable neutral grounds in “Elysium,” concern with face, position and seniority; ossified power structures, and the like.

Vampires, according to this book at least, are formerly human (there are no other kiths on it’s Earth) unliving beings who must subsist on blood, preferably human blood, to survive and to fuel their inherent magical abilities. Animal blood is unappetizing and not very nutritious to them, while the blood of other vampires though potent compels you to trust and obey those you supped on.

So, very much unlike the asshole leeches of Mundus who have earned the particular ire of the goddess Flamma, but still their own brand of deeply unsettling.

- 光
Hikaru

[aetherweaver]

I see. Hm.

Criminal syndicates I'm familiar with, both benign and not so much. Though to be honest I've met some business syndicates that should be labeled as criminal.

I've met creatures that subsist on stolen aether of varying levels of threat. Blood, not as much - though some species of cloudkin do bite and subsist on blood, most larger things would probably absorb aether.

I would be interested in learning more, at least?

- Nara'a

[extrasaltypotato]

Learning more is precisely what ‘session zero’ is for.

My experience with real crime families is limited to literature and theatre, for the most part, though in hindsight one of the Indian buffets I frequented as a youth was the sort of place where you could taste the tax evasion in every morsel. My game will be more reflective of The Godfather than reality by neccessity.

- 光
Hikaru

[aetherweaver]

I'm unfamiliar with this... play? That you're referencing. But I understand the need to exaggerate things for media. My own deeds have had that treatment by certain people. Minstrels, mainly.

[extrasaltypotato]

Screenplay to a major motion picture, yes. A prerecorded theatrical production.

Gods, the thought of my deeds esteemed and embellished on in the Moonlight Ampitheatre… though I did manage to defeat a band of pirates, so there’s something concrete to sing about.

- 光
Hikaru

[aetherweaver]

I'm familiar enough with security footage, or seeing something projected on a screen. I suppose if you had a camera you could indeed record such things and play them later.

There is an 'idol' I know of who records herself for her fans, but I admit I'm a newcomer to such things.

... It does tend to be a bit embarrassing, yes. They make it sound grander than it was - not that it wasn't heroic and exciting and all of that, but even still... they'll say things like my opponent had the ability to rain meteors about the arena and I deftly evaded them or some such thing.

[angel_of_baal]

Are these strategy games? [He's always interested in learning more strategy and how various cultures won battles.]

[extrasaltypotato]

Dungeons and Dragons more obviously so with it's greater focus on combat and escaping 'dungeons' - here a term of art meaning any kind of ruin or complex full of hostiles and treasure - with the loot.

VtM is... more subtly a game about politics and the exercise of soft power. It's not not a strategy game, but I ran the game it reminds me of to tend more to the dramatic than the tactical.

- 光
Hikaru