Review: Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition Part 2

So, in my initial review that can be found here. In it, I left a few things out and I also want to talk about two of the supplements that came out at the same time or shortly after and all three books were eventually sold in a box set. I am not going to do full reviews but I want to touch base on them as those two products are closely related to the Core book in time frame, company, and people. Then, I will briefly touch about the Chicago by Night book which was produced by Onyx Path Publishing.

One of the things I did not get into was the system for Resonance. It is basically emotional flavor the blood and it is meant to add greater depth to feeding. Though, by design V:tM 5th edition already brings feeding and hunger to the forefront in regards to role play (and mechanics). The PC's themselves can gain resonance and disciplines require a certain resonance to gain an additional dot when the player has met the XP requirements for it. I understand the theory behind this but in practice it falls flat and in my experience (and talking to a lot of other Storytellers) it is something that gets ignored nine time out of ten. Just like how the Predator's Taint is treated in Vampire: The Requiem. 

The second thing I left out is how armor is handled. Armor turns aggravated damage into superficial damage. That is really great for a mortal because they also half superficial damage and turning things like gunshots into non life threatening damage goes a long way. With that being said, armor does not help Vampires and to an extent other supernaturals at all. Vampires reduce just about everything (except their banes) to superficial damage and then halve it. I am not sure how or why this was overlooked. Vampires just like everyone else would like to benefit from armor. 

The third thing that I just forgot to mention is that the core book includes the Clans Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, and Ventrue. 

The final thing I think I want to touch base in is regards to the XP system. It is a basic system of you gain an amount of XP per session and then the costs of new dots are multiplied by a current rating or base number. The idea of the system works fine but the math does not work. The costs are to high for the amount of XP the book tells you to award. This is another aspect of where a lot of people use their own XP systems or give out more XP per session. 

The Camarilla book got more consistent with layout, art, and tone but it still suffered from the same issues the core book did. It had information about the the Sect and gave a good overview of everything. Thought I feel like the the Third edition Camarilla gave more information in about the same amount of pages. In this book, we get new loresheets and another clan, the Banu Haqim (formally known as the Assaamites) - they joined the Camarilla. This book is missing two things that irk me but I will only touch one in this section. This book lacks a city building chapter which is something I think is really important. 

The Anarch book got more consistent with layout, art, and tone but it still suffered from the same issues the core book did. It had good information but the way it was written really made the Anarchs seem less then a political movement for the better of the younger generations and turned them into roving gangs. Whether it was the intent or not, I do not know but that is how the writing came off to me. I feel like the V20 book Anarchs Unbound does the movement a lot more justice and makes them more three dimension. This third dimension is important because Anarchs are one of the two main movements in the new meta. In this book we get the Ministry (formally known as the Setites). I really like their rebranding and all of the meta reasons why the ended up joining the Anarchs (the main reason is they got snuffed by the Camarilla - big surprise). The Ministry is the lore sheets are some of my favorite parts of the book. I also really enjoy who the book talks about each clan in the eyes of an Anarch - those pages were really full of flavor and plot ideas.

 

 

So this book is is produced by Onyx Oath Publishing and has an obscenely successful kickstarter and all of that jazz. This book has consistent layout, tone, and art throughout the whole book. It is easier and more enjoyable to read and feels like an RPG book instead of a coffee table art book. The art is all the same style as is what I would call a painted style? I think this is one of the best books out so far for V:tM 5th edition. The lore sheets found within are so fun as well.

This is no fault of Onyx Path (as I think they were trying to do damage control) but there was a lot of generic setting information in this book that should have been included in the core, Camarilla, and Anarch books. In addition, we get the Clan Lasombra in this book and it meta about 50% of the clan has joined the Camarilla and they rest of the clan are slowly trickling over. This is the second thing that really bothered me about the Camarilla book. The Lasombra joining the Camarilla is something the is well established in the meta but they somehow got left out of the Camarilla book? I get it per meta they have not been voted in as an official pillar clan but come on! It is just something that is very frustrating.

The Players Responsibility

 

Must of us who have gamed for any amount of time have heard of or experienced RPG horror stories. Though, this is not about those. This is about the players responsibility at and away from the table. Lately, I have had a lot of personal experiences and known people who have had a lot of experiences with players not putting in the effort, being opening antagonistic, and other things to take away from everyone else's enjoyment. I am not sure what has causes this trend - maybe it is the generation, the phones attached to everyone's hand, brainwashed by video games/instant gratification, unrealistic expectations set forth by professional voice actors playing RPGs, and whatever other reasons their could be.

I am going to list responsibilities players should have at all tables. They are not in any particular order but these are a players responsibilities for in person games and online games. 

1. Be Prepared: If a player is part of a campaign, they should be prepared at the session (even if it is session zero). Have your dice, character sheet, concepts, ideas, notes, pencils, etc. ready to go. If it is a new system to you and you do not have the book, take the time to read up on some reviews to get an idea of the setting and system. Also, read whatever material the GM sends your way. 
2. Get Access to the Core Book: If it is a game or system you are interesting in or are going to participate in an ongoing campaign, get access to the core book, spend time reading it, and gain a mild understanding of the basics. I get money can be tight (especially in the current state of affairs) or some of us may have an unsupported partner/family in regards to the hobby. There are ways - pool your money with the other players and get a table copy for the group or buy the PDF. If not of these work, ask the GM for his copy and take some notes off of it. There are a lot of games now that have SRD's and preview copies. Plus, a lot of online reviews usually spell out character creation and the core mechanics to get you started. I have run into players who I do not think even own a players handbook from anything and they have been gaming longer then me (and these same players won't even take the time to research the game as stated above).
   
3. Communicate: Seriously, take the time to respond to emails, group texts, or whatever apps the group uses. I know everyone is busy but take the time to be active in communication. It really helps build the bond of the group and all of that jazz - plus it is just common decency. You do not have to active all  the time in the everyday BS chat but if people are talking about game dates or ideas, input is helpful and encouraged. If something unexpected comes up and you need to step away or miss a session let the GM and other people know. I know sometimes things get chaotic and it slips the mind (I did this recently where I got called into work in the middle of the night and I totally spaced about my morning game) but don't let that become a habit.
4. Effort at the Table: Role playing is a team effort. It takes everyone working together to have a good time and build a story. As a player, put effort into your character - do your best to immerse yourself in the setting, the story, the character. Don't be antagonistic and don't metagame like a madman. Look, I get it - everyone metagames a little bit as it is hard to completely avoid it and that is understandable but don't do it blatantly and put effort into. The type of metagaming starts to run the immersion for everyone. I had a experience recently where I was really excited to play in this horror game that is based of a famous franchise but one of the players did not want to work together as a team and then continued to be the worst case of metagaming I have ever seen. It really bummed a lot of people out. In addition, a few of the players did not take the time before hand to look over the cheat sheets of the rules/pre-made characters/etc and a lot of time was spent explaining the rules over and over again when they would come up. Also, pay attention to whats going on and be active participate (be ready on your turn and be proactive in the story! Follow those plot hooks! Create your own plot hooks, etc).
   
5. Put the Phone Down: Seriously, put the phone down. This kind of goes along with #4 but it is important enough to be its own responsibility. Put the effort it, and unplug for a few hours. Let everyone know you are going to busy for a few hours, etc. To be honest, I do not even like players have character sheets on their phones. It just leads to temptation and I think it breaks immersion as well. On the same note, borrow or buy some dice. Dice rollers are not the business and take away a lot of the experience. 
6. Be Respectful: Respect the GM's rules and table preferences when it comes to content and whats expected/acceptable within the game. Don't push boundaries or ignore agreed upon rules and etiquette. This is not even about being a responsible player, it is about being a decent human being. 

Maybe I am being a Gronard but by all that is holy in the nine hells, if you want to sit back and be entertained with minimal/zero effort go play a video game or read a book. Stop ruining the enjoyment for the other players and the GM. 

As a disclaimer, I am really impressed and applaud what all of the celebrity streams are doing for the hobby. They are making it main stream and bring a lot of new people to the hobby. The problem is with the people to watch and lose touch with reality at their local gaming scenes. 

 

This has been another episode of...

 

Detroit Suck City: Episode 12

 After gathering some intelligence from the locals the crew learns that no firearms are allowed in the Kill Box and the Kill Box is basically an gladiatorial arena. Wilhelm locks up some gear and sets a trap on the tank that makes use of a musket and a stun grenade. Wilhelm leads the way and the crew comes across a large structure that is made up of stacked rail cars with the words "Kill Box" painted sloppily along the sides. As the crew heads towards the building, Parrot notices a scuffle between some of the rail cars and the crew decides to intervene. 

As the crew gets closer they call out and realize that three star children were beating up to city militia and as the Star Children realize they were caught they take off running past of the crew. The crew were able to down one of the Star Children but the rest got away. Wilhelm called for more militia and everyone was interviewed about the situation. 

Once the final statement was taken, the crew swings by the booky's office to place bests for their friend (who has 7 to 1 odds) before entering to watch the main event. As they entered the Killbox they are met with stadium seating filled to beyond max capacity of yelling, sweating, and drunk spectators. The only thing more awe inspiring then the horde of people trying to escape their bleak existence was the stench of death mixed with body order. The crew manages to fight their wait to the second floor and all the way to edge so they can get the bet view.

As their eyes travel down to the ring, they are met with a shirtless tattooed, scarred psychopath who is screaming at the crowd, throwing various items found on the ground, swinging a large chunk of concrete at the end of a bent metal pole around, and wondering between the various piles of junk and scattered gore. From the noises of the crowd, it appears this guy is the reigning champion and his name is Hezad. 

Before they know it, Kamanja is dumped unceremoniously out of a box into the ring and as soon as Kamanja gets to his feet he is charged and takes a solid shoulder into his stomach which sends him sprawling some drums. As Kamanja struggles to his feet, he realizes that he was hit so hard he literally crapped his shorts but the Hezad wastes no time. He reaches into a pile of junk and throws a Habatchi grill at Kamanja which goes and Kamanji takes this opening and pushes Hezad into the junk pile. As Hezad struggles to get up, Kamanja picks up a sharpened golf club and tries to stab Hezad but misses.

Kamanja then quickly backs up into a defensive position but before the tattooed man can find something else to through the sound of the crowd is broken up by screeching metal and one of the metal tubes in the ceiling (that the crew is just noticed) opens up and drops a flaming corpse close to Hezad which explodes in a fiery mess. Hezad then takes a swing at Kamanja with his make shift sledge hammer and connects as he backs up into a more defensive position. 9's takes notice at his friends serious disadvantage and starts to concentrate on Hezad's weapon - it does not take long for the metal to heat up and Hezad to scream outloud, drop the weapon, and yell obscenities to the crowd as he realizes he was being messed with. 

Kamanja charges at Hezod with his golf club but Hezod is able to stop out of the way, pick up an old rusty flail, and make contact with Kamanja's backside as he moves past him into a better position in the arena. At this time another one of the ceiling tubes open and an odd metal barrel falls out and explodes into a cloud of noxious gas in a far off corner of the arena. 9s again, takes it upon himself to help his friend and Hezod screams out in pain after giving Kamanja a flail to the face. Parrot tugs on 9s shoulder and nods over to the entrance of the floor. 9s sees a small bug like creature with two rather large looking security people scanning the crowd. Parrot whispers, "that they must have a way to tell if other abilities are being used but he does not think that have pinpointed you yet. I would calm it down." 9s nods his head in approval and he turns back to the match to catch a big box of ball point pens drop from one of the tubes which scatters between Kamanja and Hezod.

Kamanja takes the advantage and reaches into one of the junk piles and pulls out a small orange television screen that screams to life as the face of the man from the lab appears on it and starts talking - explaining how dead he and the rest of his friends are. Kamanja throws the television at Hezod (which misses) and then tries to use that distraction to charge. Connection is made but as Hezod counters with another strike of his flail but over extends and twists his ankle, falling to the ground. Kamanja takes this chance to create distance between him and his opponent as one of the ceiling tubes opens up and a giant bird with two heads (known as an Oub) flies out with a screech. 

As the crew sees this, multiple members spring into action simultaneously. Huey teleports into the ring and starts taunting the bird teleports into the ring and starts yelling at the bird to distract it. Wilhelm stands up on a chair and starts winding the crowd up and explaining how the game is rigged to take their money. The crows quickly explodes into anger and starts rattled the fences and starts to destroy whatever they can. Huey rips of his shirt, exposing his Masters of Clean tattoos and yells, "Come and get me" to both the bird and Hezod. This gives Kamanja the time to reach into one of the piles of junk to hopefully find something more useful then a television and pulls out a cooling rod from a micro reactor. With one mighty swing, Kamanja makes contact with the side of Hezods head and Hezod instantly goes pale and splotchy as the radiation wracks his body and he falls to the dirty ground, lifeless. Wilhelm turns invisible and pills a pin out of one his grenades to help Kamanja but then sees Hezod drop and struggles to put the pin back in as he notices dive for Huey. 9s concentrates on the bird to heat it up as Parrot unleashes a mental blast bouncing the bird closer to Wilhelm as Wilhelm throws the grenade at the bird. The subsequent explosion was the last straw as the crowd bursts into a full fledged riot breaking the arena fence down, trampling people, fighting, biting, and it some cases trying to eat each other. Wilhelm then tries to throw a medikit down to Kamanja but misses his mark and the kit gets lost in one of the many piles of junk. 

Just as the rioting crowd makes it into the arena a nails on the chalkboard sonic sounds reverberates inside everyone's skull and everyone starts to rush to the exits in an every man for himself mentality. The crew makes it down to the arena floor by fashioning a rope out of clothes and other items from the scattered bodies of the riot and helps Kamanja to his feet. The crew reunited, heads to the exit.

As they make it to the surface streets they realize it is utter chaos. People are getting robbed, there are fights, and buildings on fire. The crew decides to pay the booky a visit as it is on their way but the office is closed with a sign that says, "ALL BETS ARE OFF" in hastily written letters. Vengeance is sworn on the booky as Kamanja won but it is best left for another time as the crew deemed it more important to get off the dangerous streets and to avoid the increasing amount city militia spilling into the streets to control the crowds.

The crew eventually makes it back to their rail car.

Just another day in Detroit Suck City...

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PLAYER THOUGHTS: It was definitely an interesting situation watching another player in a situation where they were own their own. The GM was using custom gladiatorial combat rules that acted as a mini game and depending on the result of the roll every turn determined what you could do on your turn. It seemed to work really well and was very entertaining. The player who played Kamanji had some serious bad luck with dice rolls and I think some tactical errors were made during the combat but the rest of the players were able to help him out. It was a good experience and we also started a riot that was bad enough where the city had to disperse mind effecting sonic technology or powers to get the crowd to disperse. Everyone was also pissed about the booky and if anyone runs into him, it will not end well. 

 Oh, and as for the pooing of the pants? Well that was on the critical hit table...though to be fair there are worse things on that table.