Created 1 years 30 days ago
by
HfxTenor
Gamer, Singer, Trainer, Storyteller, and all-around swell cat.
Been playing WoD since the original VtM came out back in 1991, though I've been into RPG's since the D&D red-box in Grade 6.
First book I ever read: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (I have the hots for sinister female leads thanks to this novel)
Favourite Movie: The Sound of Music
Favourite Computer Game: Any adventure game by Sierra On-Line, particularly the Gabriel Knight series.
Merit: 7 Flaw: 1
- Currently 4.00/5 Stars.
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Humanity
Masquerade
Sabbat
Torpor
vampire
Categories:
World of Darkness Blog
Views: 1001
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V:tM’s primary theme is the struggle to maintain humanity in the face of the Beast’s overwhelming desire; to remain civilized and in control while being consumed from the inside by a ravenous urge to degenerate into a remorseless, mindless killing machine.
From a Storyteller’s perspective, the line between dramatizing that struggle and punishing your players for behaving otherwise is extremely thin. Perhaps this is why the lure of the Sabbat is so enticing to some players – not only for the open violence, but for daring to revel in your immortality and inhumanity – to enjoy being a vampire.
Unfortunately, this theme can often lead to players get stuck in “Angel-mode” – moping around with a brooding “woe is me” depression, spending eternity lamenting what they’ve lost and will never have again. While this can be fun, it gets old and tiresome quickly.
Down with Voluntary Torpor!!
Surely a happy medium must exist? Why even play a vampire if we’re not allowed to enjoy it without the constant threat of our character becoming a mindless NPC? The answer is not in resorting to the Sabbat every time you want to like yourself. The answer can actually be found in designing your character’s personality and background.
The first thing to think about is our innate nature as human beans to fall back on the familiar. As the old saying goes “Go with what you know”. It is very easy to get stuck playing the same sort of character over and over, while simply altering a detail here or there. For the first 10 years or so as a roleplayer, I had no idea that every character I played was basically Batman – a dark, brooding and mysterious loner with amazing abilities and a tragic past. Only when my friends started teasing me about it did I realize I was stuck in a rut – playing my favourite comic book character over and over. Since then, I go out of my way to try and break my mold.
When I became a Storyteller, I decided to always issue that challenge to my players at the start of every new Chronicle or Campaign – play a character you would never normally play. Do you always play the take-charge, ladies’ man, ‘Han Solo’ type of character? Try playing a shy computer nerd! Always play a delicate princess? Why not try a badass butt-kicking chica? A friend of mine drives me crazy when he’s the ST – his female NPC’s, no matter how cool or unique he makes them, are always damsels in distress who need to be protected or rescued. For some reason, he cannot fathom creating a female character with the ability, or strength of personality/will, to get or keep themselves out of trouble.
Here are some ways to find that middle ground. To play a character, Camarilla or otherwise, that can get away with enjoying their undead existence while still maintaining their Humanity and the Masquerade:
Proactive vs. Reactive EmbraceI like to call this type of background “the allure and danger of the constant victim.” A reactive Embrace can be identified when the player did not choose or agree to become a vampire. Yes, being a victim of a vampiric Embrace can be very sexy and alluring even if the Embrace was violent (a Psychological study for another blog), but the danger is that it immediately inserts the subconscious idea into the player’s mind that they are a victim. To shake things up, why not design a character that went looking for it? In other words, they chose to be Embraced.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Police, Bodyguard, Private Eye, etc.)
Create a character that has had some level of exposure to violence or...questionable behaviour. These types of people, through necessity, are more comfortable, morally-speaking, with the thought of violence and killing. As Kindred, they’d be better equipped to assimilate the various perversions and assaults to their Humanity which come with unlife. A dark twist on this concept is to make your character come from some form of mental derangement in their background – sociopaths, serial killers, etc – what I like to call “Cocaine for Malkavians”
There are many other ways, from a roleplaying perspective, to address the need for characters to be able to enjoy their new existence while still knowing and being able to express the importance of maintaining their humanity. Another background trick I call the “Pissed Off Victim” – a variation of the victim theme where the character uses their unlife to become a righteous avenger. Different combinations of Nature and Demeanour can really help with this process as well.
19 Comments
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-5 Merits
ElTost
1 years 24 days ago
Its called bon vivant its a official nature/demeanor provided in the books. Please limit your ignorance.
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0 Merits
CookieMonster
349 days ago
No need to be a jerk about it. >.>
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3 Merits
1 years 24 days ago
But that really, really, REALLY depends on two things: whether it is Demeanor or Nature (those two things are not at all equal), and what exactly the Bon Vivant is living for. It could be taking care of their mortal family, it could be self-indulgence, it could even be saving the world from fellow vampires, like the super hero that's more enthusiastic than competent. On the flip side, a totally corrupt and evil vampire can still be a Bon Vivant if they love what they do. I don't think it's as simple a matter as what you choose as your Nature or Demeanor, or defining "enjoying life" as necessarily "pursuing moral or 'humane' actions".
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0 Merits
ElTost
1 years 14 days ago
BON VIVANT Enjoy life, drink and be merry, do not forget to stop and smell the roses – these are the maxims the Bon Vivant lives by. While he can be an erstwhile companion, many times the gravity of a certain situation may escape a Bon Vivant. It is not that Bon Vivant must be irresponsible (though many are) it is that they value having a good time first and foremost. They seek the joy in everything they do, and many are given to excess in drink, money, women, and any other number of vices.
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0 Merits
Niegol
1 years 28 days ago
Aye. Vampirism is a curse to many, a tool for more and a gift to some, if kindred advertized themselves in public like spammers, humans would slaughter all vampires on sight as a threat. If only there were a safe large haven where no human being could wonder into. But of course, some vampires must still have their humanity to blend in, and if they wish to have contact with humans for many reasons.
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2 Merits
Malena
1 years 28 days ago
I agree with nearly everything. I've never had the time of playing a pack of the same WoD-Mary-Sue characters, but probably only because the chronicles were really long and at the beginning I didn't changed the characters a lot. I must say that it was the Storytelling what opened me for a fresh view over the different types of the kindred. After I had to switch quickly from one NPC to another and act as different characters in one time, I started to try it with different chronicles as a player. Now, when I'm writing a new background I rather try to choose always a character different from the ones I already have in the game somewhere else. Yeah, I always have at least one Tremere just beacuse I love them but most of the concepts and goals of the characters are very various. Quite good exercise for a team is also to change in the characters in one of the chronicles let's say every night. We tried it once - just taking the cards randomly and just because people avoid meta-gaming it was really a good fun to see ourselves in such different roles and the characters in such different hands.
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1 Merits
Harken
1 years 28 days ago
Great blog. I've aways said, "people read what they don't have", IE romance novels if you are lacking romance, or mystery etc. My life is pretty full, but there is a lack of mystery and darkness, so invariably when I consider the kind of character I was to roleplay they always have those elements within them, either in their backstory of their skills. Usually, this takes the force of some kind of investigator/journalist who either studies the paranormal from the outset, or gets caught up in it. Outside of that however, there is a cast difference between my characters. I do love your suggestion about adding some familiarity with violence. I'll consider that for the MMO.
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0 Merits
NemaN
1 years 23 days ago
That wouldn't be my case. Most of the time I want to read, watch or hear stories which are interesting and they could be from any genre. In other cases I want to find a subject I'm interested. Recently, I watched the first episode of .hack//SIGN, being it's anime I never read the plots because I know I will enjoy them for being anime. For my surprise the story is set inside a MMO world. Perfect timing with my interest about WoDMMO. If something is lacking in my life I try to bring it. I don't know why but I can't live without drama, conflicts and passion, if they're not present I feel bored. For me something like a monotonous relationship becomes in a "I call you later" but her phone never rings.
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2 Merits
Thylbanus
1 years 29 days ago
I always played the same as well the learned scholar or the angst driven vigilante, so I COMPLETELY identify with you on this. When I started to realize I was doing the same thing, my gaming group decided we needed to roll EVERYTHING. Backgrounds, virtues, merits, flaws, archetypes, everything. If it didn't make sense we needed to figure out how to make sense of it. Sometimes it was a bit challenging. I once ended up with a child millionare Brujah. Rather than play a little Bruce Wayne, I decided that I was a spoiled brat that killed his parents (Dark secret flaw). I was a bit of a sociopath that learned what it was to be human after I lost my humanity. It was fun and different and since then I have been able to open up to different styles and ideas. Not a bad way to liven up what had become a cookie cutter situation.
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1 Merits
Seven
1 years 29 days ago
I always felt that one should establish their character. Most people try to do things they like/like themselves. So it makes sense for the character to exist as they 'like' themself. Now, this 'liked' and 'established' personality is probably different from the Vampire falling down the path of humanity. Thus, the vampire likes what he/she does, etc. and strives to 'continue' doing that - meanwhile, they are being pulled down the chain of humanity which pulls them away from what they 'like'. Thus, they can still like themself and what they aspire to/enjoy doing - but occasionally must struggle to maintain continuity.
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2 Merits
DarkStrategyHD
1 years 30 days ago
Becoming a vampire is a gift, not a curse. But there needs to be certain rules and structure, or else it would get too hectic. Off-topic: I really hope they give you a lot of diversity to define your own character.
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3 Merits
1 years 30 days ago
I think the character does a lot to reflect what the player puts into it - especially in VTM, where you get options like Nature and Demeanor. A lot of people might like to roleplay a vampire, but their sources of inspiration are things like Anne Rice novels, Blade, and Lost Boys. Or, gods help us, that romance-series-that-just-so-happens-to-have-creatures-called-vampires-in-it. With those sources to draw from, I am not surprised when I come across a "woe is me" vampire or a "violence is me being cool with myself" vampire. I still don't like it, but I'm not surprised. Too many roleplayers I have met over the course of my life think character creation stops after you fill out the character sheet. (Or just the first page, in the case of VTM.) On that note, HxfTenor, your character for the Sabbat Chronicle doesn't sound like Batman. Batgirl, maybe. :P
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1 Merits
HfxTenor
1 years 29 days ago
Ouch, low blow!
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0 Merits
Saerain
1 years 30 days ago
Yes, I despise vampires that view themselves as monsters, and the expectation that anyone who doesn't must revel in murder and a superiority complex. This idea that one must be immoral to enjoy immortality seems sick, and I prefer to steer well clear of it.
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