RebelMac / Member

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Quo vadis World of Darkness?

Firstly, what is World of Darkness? Upcoming PC MMO-RPG for sure but mainly setting for pen and paper role-playing games. There is classic World of Darkness and the new one. You are using ten-sided dice (a lot of them) for playing, and in character creation process you allocate points at various attributes, skills, and disciplines. After 13 years cWoD publishing was cancelled and nWod was created. All games share common Willpower trait which is probably the most important. And New WoD has better mechanics in my opinion.

Three most popular games in classic WoD are Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse and Mage: The Ascension. In V:TM you take a role of embraced vampire who struggles for power in a world of Kindred politics, takes young vs. old generation fights, Camarilla (let's say good guys) battles against Sabbat (bad guys). And tries to restore his own humanity. In 1996 loosely based on the Vampire game, TV show named Kindred: The Embraced has been aired but after 8 episodes it was cancelled. W:TA is about tribes of Werewolves (Garou) fighting minions of Wyrm and Pentex (Banes, Fomori and other creatures). Garou can enter shadow spiritual world called Umbra and travel to distinct Realms. World is doomed and Apocalypse is inevitable. You can only delay it's coming. Mages from M:TA are not ordinary spell casters. By shaping the reality, they can achieve tremendous results only restrained by your imagination. Technocracy organization hunts all mages, and tries to prevent return of true magick to mortals world. Umbra's travelling is available to some Mages too, but doing a magick in the eyes of mortals is limited due to force called Paradox. You were even able to buy a Tarot card dedicated to Mage game.

Other less popular are Changeling: The Dreaming (half-human, half-faerie), Wraith: The Oblivion ("Ghosts" from Underworld), Hunter: The Reckoning (mortals with special Edges and Code), Mummy: The Resurrection (Undying reborn), Demon: The Fallen (rebel Elohim) and last but not least Orpheus (members of organization fighting ghosts). Kindred of the East has been also published - an expansion presenting eastern vampires different from their western counterpart.

You can play in historical times using stand alone games, like Wild West, Dark Ages or Great War. If playing with friends at the tabletop was not enough for you, there were Mind's Eye Theatre books designated for LARPs (Live Action Role-playing), an experience in which you cosplay your character and participate in session similar to theatre play.

New World of Darkness ongoing currently, contains Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening, Changeling: The Lost, Geist: The Sin-Eaters, Hunter: The Vigil, which are similar to correspondent classic games, except that meta-plot differ. Promethean: The Created, story of Golems, is entirely a fresh new idea. Alternatively you can play as a mortal, only having basic book - sessions remind me Sillent Hill or early Resident Evil games.

Secondly, what about video/computer games? Well, two were delivered to fans and one never developed. I will briefly present them.

1. Vampire The Masquerade - Redemption.

Redemption

Action RPG appeared in 2000, with a human knight protagonist embraced by Ecatherina the Wise from Brujah clan. As a vampire you travel medieval Europe in early and modern London in late chapters. His destiny is bound with woman named Anezka and powerful enemy Tzimisce - Vukodlak. Game was rather enjoyable, had three different endings depending on your Humanity level.

Vampire:_The_Masquerade_-_Redemption_Gamespot_page.

2. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines.

Bloodlines

RPG from Troika Games in first person perspective, taking place in modern L.A. Game was unplayable before official and unofficial patches showed up. You were able to create your starting character from seven Camarilla clans to determine style of play. Playing Nosferatu you have to stay in shadows and travel via sewers. Malkavian vampire had funny and insane dialogue options. All had different Disciplines (vampiric powers), making each Kindred unique. You were forced to maintain Masquerade, not showing your true vampiric nature to bystanders. As many as seven endings were available and rumors are that taxi driver for the game was Caine (first vampire) himself.

Vampire:_The_Masquerade_-_Bloodlines_Gamespot_page.

3. Heart of Gaia.

Aborted in production game from Werewolf setting about a young cub taking his first change into Garou.

Heart_of_Gaia_trailer.

Heart_of_Gaia_Intro_for_mature_viewers.

So thirdly, quo vadis World of Darkness? It will be MMO-RPG based on classic WoD or nWod? It will be other supernaturals playable besides vampires? What are your thoughts?

World_of_Darkness_trailer.