Ranting about the decline of Vampirism/Vampires in RPG's.

[J1M]

Alright, you completely got me on historians ascribing Serbian territories to Hungary, that's almost certainly how the Germans got the word.

Historians are sloppy writers who mostly produce fiction until someone from outside the profession shames them.

Props for conceding a point in an internet debate btw.

 

[Dorateen]

The vampire from Pool of Radiance, in the Valhingen Graveyard, was still a scary encounter for that party level. Besides the potentially disastrous ability to charm characters, the vampire had to be killed a second time, tracking it down to another part of the map. Excellent descriptive atmosphere on this map.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

D&D vampires are hardcore. To kill them permanently you have to track them back to their coffin, stake them through the heart, chop off their head, and then fill the head’s mouth with holy wafers or garlic or whatever.

 

[huskarls]

VtM mastered the twilight aesthetic. All vampires should act like hot topic, we already have wizards for cels to jerk over their imaginary power level

 

[Serus]

Best vampire ever. The tv series was meh but a weak modern vampire who dresses like movie Dracula and wants to be like vampires from old black and white monster movies because "they were more dignified and the world they lived in was better" is brilliant.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

VtM mastered the twilight aesthetic. All vampires should act like hot topic, we already have wizards for cels to jerk over their imaginary power level

Vtm sucks, pun not intended. There are tons of better folkloric inspirations, and options get bigger when you think beyond stereotypes like bloodsucking. What about psychic vampires? Emotional vampires? Vampires that feed on abstract concepts like color, memory, willpower, the ability to form interpersonal relationships, personal wealth and reputation, luck, etc. There’s a huge conceptual space available that I haven’t seen explored except maybe in obscure works like Showtime’s Lost Girl.

 

[Humbaba]

Best vampire ever. The tv series was meh but a weak modern vampire who dresses like movie Dracula and wants to be like vampires from old black and white monster movies because "they were more dignified and the world they lived in was better" is brilliant.

Gotta love RPGs that use FMV cutscenes

 

[Rahdulan]

Serbia would be a closer fit and the word "vampir" is not Hungarian in any shape or form. Serbia was often mistakenly described as an integral part of Hungary due to historical quirks. I mean one of the cases which popularised the concept of a vampire was that of one Petar Blagojević from Kisiljevo. Does this sound Hungarian to you? And the name didn't come to the West from Old Church Slavonic but, like I said, probably from Serbian and there it's just vampir/вампир. What's so unrecognisable? And even IF it came from OCS the reconstructed term is "vopiru" or "opyr", in other Slavic languages words "vampir" and "upir" or "upyr" are in fact very similar with a common root. If you claim they're oh so very different from vamypre/vampire then I don't know what you tell you.

And who the fuck claims Slavs own that concept? Why do you even need to beat on that strawman? Even in the post you're quoting I'm pointing out that the Slavic concept of a vampire differs significantly from the literary vampire in the Western fiction. And the jab that "they contributed nothing linguistically" is idiotic. Slavic languages literally gave the West the name for the creature and Slavic folklore has laid the foundations for its modern depictions. I take issue with you talking out of your ass while having only the faintest idea about the topic.

This is how I'm visualizing you from now on.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

What about psychic vampires? Emotional vampires? Vampires that feed on abstract concepts like color, memory, willpower, the ability to form interpersonal relationships, personal wealth and reputation, luck, etc.

Gay and for the squeamish pussyboys.

If you're a vampire you tear into jugulars for that SWEET blood.

 

[Humbaba]

Gay and for the squeamish pussyboys.

If you're a vampire you tear into jugulars for that SWEET blood.

Bit extreme, any self-respecting vampire should at the very least be able to hypnotise and turn to steam from the steamed clams we're having

 

[Heroic Liberator]

My favorite vampire is probably the Manananggal - a winged Filipino vampire capable of splitting its body in half and flying around as a disembodied torso. It uses its long proboscis-tongue to suck the blood of unborn babies straight through their mothers' uteruses in the night. You can slay them with crushed garlic - it doesn't kill them, but it paralyzes them long enough for the sun to finish the job.

I recall a BotW RLM episode that dealt with a movie that featured that creature (or some equivalent from another SEA country). Some cheap Terminator ripoff that was quite hilarious.

 

[FreeKaner]

Vampires should be at extremes of stats. Powerful but also with distinct vulnerabilities. This is unfortunately something that applies not only vampires but everything in general as streamlining approach to game design removes all the extremes.

Parts about vampires only being aristocratic I do not necessarily agree with. Especially the idea they should be adhering to their society's conservative and proper values seems off since some are necessarily going to be subversive and represent the excess of aristocracy.

 

[Humbaba]

Vampires should be at extremes of stats. Powerful but also with distinct vulnerabilities. This is unfortunately something that applies not only vampires but everything in general as streamlining approach to game design removes all the extremes.

A very good example of this is in Bloodbowl. There, they have OP stats and would be the very best team in the game HOWEVER you only ever get a maximum of 6 of them in an 11 man team AND everytime you activate one of them there's a chance that they remove one of your own players from the pitch or run off themselves.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

What about psychic vampires? Emotional vampires? Vampires that feed on abstract concepts like color, memory, willpower, the ability to form interpersonal relationships, personal wealth and reputation, luck, etc.

Gay and for the squeamish pussyboys.

If you're a vampire you tear into jugulars for that SWEET blood.

The fangires from Masked Rider, dementors from Harry Potter, Pennywise from IT, Maldis from Farscape, drukhari from Warhammer 40,000, etc would like to have a word.

 

[Humbaba]

The fangires from Masked Rider, dementors from Harry Potter, Pennywise from IT, Maldis from Farscape, drukhari from Warhammer 40,000, etc would like to have a word.

Drukhari aren't the vampires of 40k, that's the Blood Angels.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

sighs and smokes cigarette

 

[Arvennios]

And that's why we have "vampirism" mods (in Elder Scrolls games at least) to enhance the experience and make it truer to lore and folklore/popular culture.

 

[Darth Canoli]

What about psychic vampires? Emotional vampires? Vampires that feed on abstract concepts like color, memory, willpower, the ability to form interpersonal relationships, personal wealth and reputation, luck, etc. There’s a huge conceptual space available that I haven’t seen explored except maybe in obscure works like Showtime’s Lost Girl.

Gay and for the squeamish pussyboys.

If you're a vampire you tear into jugulars for that SWEET blood.

Psychic vampires were perfectly depicted by Dan Simmons in Carrion Comfort.
Emotional vampire was masterfully personified by Jude Law in The Wisdom of Crocodiles.

I don't see either version exploitable in a cRPG.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

The fangires from Masked Rider, dementors from Harry Potter, Pennywise from IT, Maldis from Farscape, drukhari from Warhammer 40,000, etc would like to have a word.

Drukhari aren't the vampires of 40k, that's the Blood Angels.

I was talking about psychic/emotional vampires in that post. I was contesting the assertion that they were wimpy pansies by presenting frightening examples. Drukhari are heavy metal pain vampires. Blood Angels are heavy metal bloodsuckers and flesh-eaters.

I don't see either version exploitable in a cRPG.

A fair complaint to be sure. It’s surely easier to program and play attacking someone to suck their blood, eat their flesh, swallow their soul, etc than it is to go through a dialogue tree, sub quest, visit to the brothel, etc when you just want to recharge your mana. To be fair, I don’t recall any attempts… failed or otherwise.

 

[Humbaba]

Drukhari are heavy metal pain vampires.

They are elves, lorelet. And they don't have psykers because they'd get eaten by Slaanesh immediately.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

Drukhari are heavy metal pain vampires.

They are elves, lorelet.

I own a tattered copy of the third edition rulebook that I bought when it was still sold in stores. In a box set with space marine and dark eldar models. They’re pain vampire space elves.

they don't have psykers because they'd get eaten by Slaanesh immediately.

You know what I meant, pedant.

 

[Ol' Willy]

Vampires in Peter Watts novels

 

[deama]

I donno, I didn't really like bloodlust nemesis.

Sadly though, I don't think there really is a good vampire game, they all either focus too much on the "action" part of being a vampire (VTMR), or they treat vampires as glorified mages (VTMB).

I think best vampire experience I've had to date has been that unholy darkness mod for oblivion, changes vampires lorewise completely, adds a bit of a narrative to being a vampire, adds bounty hunters, and a vampire based shop/hideout.

Pretty sad that some vampire mod for a game is the best there is, but I think the point of a good vampire (rpg) is to have an entire world constructed somewhat realistically (gta) but then add in vampires to them.
So first make a genuine open world game, similar to elderscrolls, gta, read dead 2, etc... then add in vampires and obviously add in side quests for vampires along with a main story etc...

Otherwise you might end up with VTMB that's just a hub based thing with a constant night time.

 

[vota DC]

Emotional vampire was masterfully personified by Jude Law in The Wisdom of Crocodiles.

I don't see either version exploitable in a cRPG.

We need Vampire Crocodile Dundee....that's a vampire!

 

[Cryomancer]

, or they treat vampires as glorified mages (VTMB).

The unique "mageesque" clan in the game is Tremere. But yes, vampires has lots of supernatural abilities in VtMB as they have in most vampire myths and legends.