Well pretty much as tittle says. Who is interested and what should we play. I'm most in favor of Vampire: The Masquerade, because I like vampires and have character ready, but I'm flexible. Also I'd rather not be GM, because I didn't play many sessions as player and my experience at GM'ing is very limited.

last edited at Oct 21, 2020 8:11PM

I'm up for some VtM. I'm curious about knowing other settings and systems (such as Kindred of the East, or Kult) though, so I'm open to new experiences.

Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of the whole vampire esthetic. I don't have any problems with other players playing as vampires, but it's generally not something I want to deal with myself or something I'd want to center a campaign I'm running on.

In terms of White Wolf Published systems, Exalted and Dragon Blooded, in particular, seems interesting. For those who don't know, Exalted is set on a fantasy world with a largely Asian and Indian inspired aesthetic and players take the role of mortals who have been empowered by some form of divine gift. In the case of dragon-blooded exalts, this takes the form of ancestry that can be traced back to one of the elemental dragons.

While technically not published by White Wolf, there's a fan made book called Genius: the Transgression that uses their system and is set in the same world as Vampire, Mage, and a number of other books. In Genius you play as a mad scientist and, in addition to mad science gadgets, there are sort-of pocket dimensions based on what-if futures or speculative futures that failed to pass. I think you can technically run crossover campaigns, with mixed parties, using other books from the same setting, but that can get really tricky.

There are also three non-White Wolf systems I'd be interested in trying.

The Stuff of Legends is an Indie system that's still in development. It started as a spiritual successor to Legend, if you're familiar with that system, and it's d20 based, like D&D, but it is otherwise very different from either of those systems. Rather than choosing a single class, a character's combat abilities are primarily determined by three tracks, while their out of combat abilities are primarily defined by a point based perk system. The end result is a lot of flexibility when it comes to character build alongside more diverse and interesting abilities than you traditionally see in d20 systems.

There's also FATE of Cthulhu, which is a Lovecraft inspired variant of FATE. It's much less mechanically focused than White Wolf's stuff or SoL which can be good for some people. It also has some time travel/timeline aspects which seem really interesting.

Finally, I recently got a copy of Lancer, which is a mecha-themed system from the guy behind the Kill Six Billion Demons web comic. I haven't looked at it in too much detail yet, but it seems really cool and I'm pretty sure it comes with a digital character builder.

I'd be willing to play or GM any of those systems, except for Genius which I'd only be willing to play. (I'm less familiar with White Wolf's system and it's complicated enough that I wouldn't feel comfortable running a fan-made expansion for the first time.) I'm also willing to look at most other systems, except for D&D and Pathfinder, which I really can't stand.

I’d certainly be down to play VtM, if you’d be willing to run for a complete newbie. My schedule is a tad bit tight at the moment, though. What were you thinking of for the format (voice chat? text? Map or no map?) and the time you’d want to run?

Other than that, I’d definitely be interested in playing Vampire. The whole World/Chronicles of Darkness setting has always intrigued me. I even tried to run a Changeling game a year or two back (which didn’t go so well, but I still liked the setting), so it’d be cool to actually be a player with one of those systems.

Omega Deuse ngl, I really want to play VtM, so if you'd need to force yourself, then that sucks. As for other systems, I pretty much never played anything else, so I honestly can't comment on quality of systems/settings outside of if it sounds like something I want to play.

RandomGuy posted:

I’d certainly be down to play VtM, if you’d be willing to run for a complete newbie. My schedule is a tad bit tight at the moment, though.

Don't worry. I imagine even if we somehow find enough people interested, I doubt we'd start playing right away. Speaking of which, kinda sad the 2 people who showed the most interest, probably won't see this thread considering they both only had 4 posts and only commented on images.

What were you thinking of for the format (voice chat? text? Map or no map?) and the time you’d want to run?

Last time we played we used chat room, cos that was the most comfortable way for everyone (especially considering english wasn't native language to most players). Idk if our GM used maps, but definitely they didn't show them to us. Time is the most problematic part, because we all live all over the world, so when (time) and when (day) we'll play will heavily depend on everyone's availability. 1 thing to remember though is that written sessions take longer, so we usually played around for 7 hours, but again it all can be easily adjusted based on all players.

last edited at Sep 28, 2020 8:17AM

Attempt 3? What happened to the first two attempts?

Don't know if I'd be able to commit to seven hour at a time sessions, but I would be interested. Exalted sounds very appealing to me, and that would be my top choice. VtM is good too. Don't have experience with either, but shouldn't be hard to learn.

Attempt 3? What happened to the first two attempts?

The other players got new responsabilities and had to leave.

I've never played Vtm proper, but I do have some experience with the video games, bloodlines especially. I really appreciate the kitchen sink approach it takes to vampire lore, where just about every possible interpretation of vampires is represented in one way or another. I would also be open to the possibility of a more inclusive world of darkness campaign, if certain players would prefer not to play vampires. What little knowledge I do have of world of darkness is from old world of darkness, though I'd be willing to try learning either that or new world of darkness.

Given the pandemic, my schedule is mostly free right now, so I can arrange to play just about any day of the week. I mostly play dnd 3.5 with my one irl play group, but I've been trying to convince them to play everything from world of darkness to various versions of GURPS for years. I love dnd, warts and all, but still really wouldn't mind trying something new.

last edited at Sep 28, 2020 10:32PM

I’d certainly be down to play VtM, if you’d be willing to run for a complete newbie. My schedule is a tad bit tight at the moment, though.

Don't worry. I imagine even if we somehow find enough people interested, I doubt we'd start playing right away. Speaking of which, kinda sad the 2 people who showed the most interest, probably won't see this thread considering they both only had 4 posts and only commented on images.

What were you thinking of for the format (voice chat? text? Map or no map?) and the time you’d want to run?

Last time we played we used chat room, cos that was the most comfortable way for everyone (especially considering english wasn't native language to most players). Idk if our GM used maps, but definitely they didn't show them to us. Time is the most problematic part, because we all live all over the world, so when (time) and when (day) we'll play will heavily depend on everyone's availability. 1 thing to remember though is that written sessions take longer, so we usually played around for 7 hours, but again it all can be easily adjusted based on all players.

Hmm... well the thing eating up most of my time right now is law school, so I highly doubt that will have cleared up by the time you are ready to begin (at least I hope it doesn’t). Depending on the day, though, I could still probably make it if you folks would be alright with me doing my readings at the same time.

last edited at Sep 29, 2020 2:33PM

riverFlower posted:

Attempt 3? What happened to the first two attempts?

Our original session died, because our GM became too busy to run it. I made a thread trying to recruit people again, but there was no interest.

Don't know if I'd be able to commit to seven hour at a time sessions, but I would be interested.

It all honestly depends how fast we're able to do things. After going to all the trouble of assembling all the players to play, it'd be a waste to not really achieve anything during the session and/or barely progress the story. So it's not that session has to last 7 hours, it's more that it should last long enough that everyone has their fill for a week/month/however often we'd play. Simply because of nature of doing it on chat it takes more time to achieve the same things, you'd achieve during 3-4 hours spoken session. It's quite possible to have shorter sessions if everything goes smoothly and/or we're able to have our fill in shorter amount of time.

HB4L posted:

I would also be open to the possibility of a more inclusive world of darkness campaign, if certain players would prefer not to play vampires.

Not sure how exactly it would work, but I wouldn't necessary mind either if it means everyone is satisfied, though of course I'm also open to trying out something new.

RandomGuy posted:

Hmm... well the thing eating up most of my time right now is law school, so I highly doubt that will have cleared up by the time you are ready to begin (at least I hope it doesn’t).

Oh yea, definitely xD Good luck with that!

Depending on the day, though, I could still probably make it if you folks would be alright with me doing my readings at the same time.

What does that mean exactly?

last edited at Sep 29, 2020 3:44PM

Depending on the day, though, I could still probably make it if you folks would be alright with me doing my readings at the same time.

What does that mean exactly?

I’d have the chat room/Discord/etc. and all the other requisite papers up on my computer and my textbook open on my lap. That way I could keep an eye on the game and respond when necessary whilst also finishing the required readings (which generally takes an hour or two, depending on the specific reading). It means my attention would be a bit split, but not terribly so.

RandomGuy posted:

I’d have the chat room/Discord/etc. and all the other requisite papers up on my computer and my textbook open on my lap. That way I could keep an eye on the game and respond when necessary whilst also finishing the required readings (which generally takes an hour or two, depending on the specific reading). It means my attention would be a bit split, but not terribly so.

Ah, sure. As long as you can pay enough attention, there's nothing really stopping you from doing something else in the background. It's really matter if you'll enjoy playing like that.

last edited at Sep 29, 2020 5:00PM

From what I understand, running a WoD campaign that involves more than one "race" (vampire, werewolf, changeling, mage, slayer, etc) requires a lot of imagination, but it can be done. It might be pretty overwhelming without a DM who has some experience with multiple campaign types though, never mind the players. I would be fine playing with just vampires for the sake of simplicity, although I believe that finding reasons for kindred of multiple clans to work together without quickly turning on each other can also be difficult; Brujah and Ventrue are both popular clans, and they generally HATE each other.

Really, whether it's multiple clans or multiple races, I think the most important thing is to have everyone work towards a common, long-term goal. Another possibility is having everyone start off as human, perhaps even as friends or associates. That might sound a little cliche, but at least it gives a good reason why they don't just immediately revert to being natural enemies and attempt to kill each other. I'm just spit balling though, so don't mind me too much lol.

last edited at Sep 29, 2020 10:31PM

From what I understand, running a WoD campaign that involves more than one "race" (vampire, werewolf, changeling, mage, slayer, etc) requires a lot of imagination, but it can be done.

Yeah, anything like that is going to be fairly reliant on an experienced GM and the right kind of campaign. I'm fairly confident that I could write a character that could fit, given those two conditions, but neither of them are reasonable constraints for this thread, which is why I only mentioned a mixed campaign in passing.

HB4L posted:

Really, whether it's multiple clans or multiple races, I think the most important thing is to have everyone work towards a common, long-term goal.

That's pretty much what our GM did. We all played different clans, but we were forced to work together because of external force. In first session we were part of normal Vampire world, but in second we were actually on the side of Vampires that opposed the normal order (don't remember how that group was called), so that made having different clans easier. We still were put together by coincidence and forced to work together by necessity though.

Omega Deuse posted:

I'm fairly confident that I could write a character that could fit, given those two conditions, but neither of them are reasonable constraints for this thread, which is why I only mentioned a mixed campaign in passing.

So I'm assuming you wouldn't be up for it? Well seems like the 2 systems most people here are interested in are VtM and Exalted, so considering you're still against VtM, I guess Exalted would be the best bet? We can always run a trial session to get better hang of it/each other and once we do consider changing it again.

last edited at Sep 30, 2020 6:56AM

HB4L posted:

So I'm assuming you wouldn't be up for it?

I'm not up for running a VtM game, but I'd be willing to consider playing as a Genius character in one under two conditions: The GM is at least decently familiar with running the system and I can talk to them beforehand to make sure my character will actually fit the story they want to run.

Both of those are purely practical considerations. Running a mixed game is more complicated than a normal one, and using a fan book adds an extra layer of complication on top of that, so it's best to have a GM who's familiar enough with the system anticipate some problems in advance and figure out how to deal with any they don't anticipate.

Similarly, as with any campaign that mixes in a drastically different type of character, it's possible for the odd one out to warp the story in undesired ways, either because their abilities easily solve a wide range of problems the other characters would normally face or because they require things that necessitate dragging the party in a different direction. Conversely, it's also possible for them to be relegated to an unimportant cameo status, where they're there, but can't really interact with the main plot or accomplish anything without pretending they're one of the normal characters. Neither of those outcomes are particularly fun, so I'd like to make sure my character would be able to fit within the campaign.

Does that make sense?

Well seems like the 2 systems most people here are interested in are VtM and Exalted, so considering you're still against VtM, I guess Exalted would be the best bet? We can always run a trial session to get better hang of it/each other and once we do consider changing it again.

We could also do that. If we go exalted, would I be the one GMing, or does anyone else want to run a game?

Omega Deuse posted:

Does that make sense?

Yes.

If we go exalted, would I be the one GMing, or does anyone else want to run a game?

Considering you seem to be the only one experienced enough to run session, I guess yes if you're ok with that. Unless someone else wants to raise to the challenge.

Omega Deuse posted:

Does that make sense?

Yes.

If we go exalted, would I be the one GMing, or does anyone else want to run a game?

Considering you seem to be the only one experienced enough to run session, I guess yes if you're ok with that. Unless someone else wants to raise to the challenge.

Didn’t you want to run a game?

Also, as someone who isn’t terribly familiar with White Wolf’s products? What exactly are Geniuses? And what is Exalted?

RandomGuy posted:

Didn’t you want to run a game?

Not really? I always wanted to be a player.

Nevri posted:

Also I'd rather not be GM, because I didn't play many sessions as player and my experience at GM'ing is very limited.

Also, as someone who isn’t terribly familiar with White Wolf’s products? What exactly are Geniuses? And what is Exalted?

Not clue about Geniuses I assume some kind of playable clan or organization from 1 of their settings, most likely Exalted. As for Exalted itself, it's different setting using similar system like VtM and other White Wolf's games.

last edited at Sep 30, 2020 7:33PM

RandomGuy posted:

Also, as someone who isn’t terribly familiar with White Wolf’s products? What exactly are Geniuses? And what is Exalted?

White wolf has 2-ish settings (that I am aware of): World of Darkness and Exalted. They're each set in their own world and tend to focus on different types of stories, but they also support multiple types of characters that get described in standalone (or mostly stand alone) books.

World of Darkness is their urban fantasy setting, which takes place in a version of the real world that also has a supernatural element that is hidden from most mortals. The main books in this series are Vampire: The Requiem (focusing on vampires), Werewolf: The Forsaken (focusing on wearewolves), and Mage: The Awakening (focusing on Mages). Genius: The Transgression is a fan made book, in the same vein as the above three, but focused on mad-scientist characters who work by creating strange technologies that don't necessarily follow the normal laws of physics. If you want to read it, you can find it here.

In case you're wondering, Vampire: The Masquerade fills the same role as Requiem, but in the Old World of Darkness, which is basically just the version that came before the current one.

Exalted, unlike WoD, takes place on a fantasy world with a geography that's completely unlike Earth's — for one thing, it's flat — with more high power, action-adventure focused, characters. The theme is also inspired more by martial arts stories and heroic epics, rather than the more psychological monster and urban fantasy fare that goes into WoD, though it certainly has its elements of morality and psychology as it's still a White Wolf game.

In Exalted, the original creators of the world created the gods to serve them. Those gods decided to rebel and imbued select mortals with a spark of their divine might, called an Exaltation. Their rebellion succeeded and they ruled the world alongside the exalts for a time. Shockingly this actually worked quite well, up until a curse from the original creators caught up with the Exalts and drove the strongest of them mad. They were overthrown and a few apocalypses ensued.

Eventually, a Dragon blooded exalt was able to bring some order to the world and declared herself Empress. People got to rebuilding and things went ... fine ... for centuries. Right up until recently, when she vanished without trace or explanation.

The current edition of Exalted has rules for two types of Exalts: Solar Exalted and Dragon-Blooded Exalted. The Solars are defined as the strongest type of exalt, they are the ones who were originally in charge before they went mad, but no one has seen them in a very long time. While you would be playing as a new Solar Exalt, the power level is still higher than I'm really comfortable dealing with.

That leaves us with the Dragon-Blooded Exalts. While most exalts are specifically chosen by deities and only exist in very small numbers (between a few dozen and a few hundred, depending on the type), Dragon-Blooded gain their powers as descendants of the Great Elemental Dragons and, as such, there are a lot of them. In fact, the ruling class of the current empire is composed entirely of Dragon-Blooded dynasties, though not all Dragon-Blooded are part of the ruling class or even part of the empire.

If I were to run an Exalted campaign, it would be Dragon-Blooded, though the specifics of that campaign would depend on the players and what they're interested in. That said, while I'm willing to run an Exalted campaign, it would be the first time I've run anything in this system.

I'll likely pass this one, then.

RandomGuy posted:

Didn’t you want to run a game?

Not really? I always wanted to be a player.

Nevri posted:

Also I'd rather not be GM, because I didn't play many sessions as player and my experience at GM'ing is very limited.

Ah, I misread that then. My bad.

Regardless, I actually might pass too. Exalted seems like a neat setting, but I’ve kinda had my fill of more traditional fantasy as of late. Hope you guys are still able to find enough players.

It seems the reception on exalted has been less than luke warm, so I'm not sure if it's worth trying. Campaigns tend to work better when everyone's at least partially invested in the idea anyways.

Out of curiosity, is there any particular part of VtM that you guys like or is it specifically the entire vampire package?

Omega Deuse posted:

Out of curiosity, is there any particular part of VtM that you guys like or is it specifically the entire vampire package?

While I do like the setting of VtM, for me personally it was mostly just about playing as vampire. I probably could enjoy just playing as sole vampire character as well, but being part of vampire society and interacting with other vampires (NPC or players) was pretty cool. Anyway, I want everyone to have fun, so as long as I could get behind the setting I was open to other possibilities and even wouldn't mind giving them a shot before deciding for good, but I didn't expect other people to be so quick to pass. I guess as always finding the GM is the hardest part.

last edited at Oct 21, 2020 8:11PM

Out of curiosity, is there any particular part of VtM that you guys like or is it specifically the entire vampire package?

I find the whole tone and nature of WoD to be fascinating. Beyond that, though, I was primarily interested in a more modern-style setting. I love traditional fantasy, but I already get enough of that with my main tabletop group.