To quote a well-hated Prince, "Good evening".
This is Rick Gentle, signing on as the newest blogger for WoDNews.net, and very excited to be doing so. I'll take this opportunity to list a few of my credentials and get things rolling with a discussion of what has gone before, and why it's so awesome.
I've been playing in the World of Darkness for well on thirteen years, ever since the launch of Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption. It took me several years after that to get my first tabletop book, but ever since then I haven't been able to set them down for more than a week at a time. I got so excited about the release of VTM - Bloodlines that I pre-ordered it a year in advance, and got a sweet T-shirt out of it that features the model for Jeanette Voerman. I've played in a couple tabletop Chronicles, and even tried launching my own Sabbat Chronicle as the Storyteller, but unfortunately it never really got off the ground. (This is good news for you, because it means I'm still looking for new players!) I even picked up some NWoD books - the corebook and Vampire: The Requiem - but never started any Chronicles for it.
I've had a long on-again, off-again relationship with the Worlds of Darkness, especially the Old World of Darkness and its childe Vampire: The Masquerade. It's taken me years to accumulate what few tabletop books I have, such as Guide to the Camarilla, several Clanbooks, and every last novel I could get my hands on. (My efforts to track down and obtain Clannovel: Nosferatu was an epic Chronicle in and of itself.) Then the New World of Darkness came out, with its aversion to all things bright and shiny, and suddenly the world became a much more mysterious place. Who were these new books? What did they have to offer me? Would they be able to replace Vampire: The Masquerade and the Old World of Darkness in my heart?
Well, actually, the answer turned out to be "no". I was and am a rabid Old World of Darkness fan, and not afraid to say so. HOWEVER, there are lots of things I find admirable about the Vampire: The Requiem franchise, especially the fact that it brought in lots of new fans to the world of role-playing vampires. Best of all, White Wolf Publishing had promised a slew of new books, including a brief run of novels, that would further develop this New World, with the now-faded hope that we would see another computer game soon after VTM - Bloodlines. In spite of these catchy promises, my true loves in the World of Darkness setting are Vampire: The Masquerade and its digital childer, Redemption and Bloodlines. There're still several thriving communities out there that still can't get enough of the games.
So why DO we keep playing computer games about bloodsucking fiends of the night that are eight-to-thirteen years old? Why, because they're awesome, obviously. Every time I reinstall Redemption and listen to any of Christof Romuald's conversations, I just have to shake my head in a resigned manner and say "Oh, Christof, you amuse me so". The dialogue is classic, at least in the sense that it's very memorable and sticks in your mind for years (partially because it's so good, partially because it's so bad). Bloodlines has some similar lines, but the real draw of that game that keeps us coming back is its versatility and awesome storyline. In 2004, not only could we show our fangs and draw some blood, but we could do it as any one of seven - that's right, SEVEN - Clans! Even eight years later, people still roll up a Malkavian just to view the world through their unique and blasted perspective. Though of the two, Bloodlines has undergone quite a bit of change, thanks to masterful modders like Wesp5 and the Camarilla Edition team, both games still possess a great deal of longevity thanks to the fact that they just don't make 'em like they used to.
Recently, I re-purchased VTM - Bloodlines on the Steam community. I didn't need it - I already had a disc copy. I probably couldn't afford it - I spend way too much time, money, and energy on computer games already. I really didn't need the excuse to wax nostalgic about my nights as a young and exciteable fan. But you know why I bought a game that's eight years old, with an outdated graphics engine, has some of the most hatable characters ever in a computer game, and has since been rendered passe by the development of the New World of Darkness? Because I love it, that's why. And I hope that all of you out there love the Worlds of Darkness just as much as I do.
4 Comments
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Legion
30 days ago
0 Merits
Great start! Hungry for more.
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Nigama
30 days ago
0 Merits
What I find truly breathtaking about the work that people like Wesp, Burgmeister, MalkyJeff, etc, do on Bloodlines, is that they really are limited in how they can modify the game, and yet manage to do so much. I can't help but wonder just what amazing content they could produce with full development tools. Nice, article, Rick! Nigama
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HfxTenor
30 days ago
1 Merits
Great stuff, Rick! I'm with Harlequin - can't wait to read more from you.
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Harlequin
30 days ago
0 Merits
Wow quite a introduction. Welcome and look forward to many more interesting blogs by you!
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