What would YOUR World of Darkness look like?

[Jürgen Hubert]

I'd take a page from GURPS Cabal and throw out most of the Angst. Yes, vampires are very often inhuman monsters - but they enjoy that instead of going all emo about it. Werewolves see nothing wrong with making a snack of a human or two from time to time. And if a mage needs some mortals to test his spells on - well it's easy to abduct someone who won't be missed.

That doesn't mean that such beings can't have morals, of course. But it shouldn't be the norm, and not having morals shouldn't be punished by the mechanics in any way.

 

[Arashi Ravenblade]

The old World of Darkness with some Lovecraft type creatures that everyone is afraid of.

 

[GreatLemur]

First thing I'd do is scrap the dozens upon dozens of huge, ancient, powerful secret organizations of supernatural beings.

Then I'd break down the class-and-race-system-in-disguise character generation and go completely point-based. There'd be rules for how to build vampires, werewolves, mages, and--ah, what the hell--changelings, but there'd be room in both the fluff and the crunch for stranger and more unique things.

Reams of stultifying metaplot and game fiction would be replaced with sketchier outlines of the way to world is (or might be), supplimented with a large array of flavorful, potentially-accurate (but often contradictory) rumors, all Unknown Armies style. Also, quite a lot of suggested campaign and adventure ideas. (Just because people are being given the tools to make a heterogenous group of random supernatural beasties and have them hang out together like a superhero team or D&D adventuring party doesn't mean the game should imply that that's really the only way to play.)

In my World of Darkness, you could play as a Frankenstien's-monster-type created being, without having to be part of some huge, generations-long "legacy" that completely ruins the point of the whole bit. There'd be a lot more emphasis on a world that's full of unseen forces--a world of darkness, not a world of Mary Sue fanfiction--and the default assumption would be that the PCs (mortal or supernatural) are quite alone in it.

 

[Wombat]

I can't say as I'd have taken such a different slant to it as the original authors did. I'd have made Mages much, much more like 'Ars Magica 2000', then used the Regio idea to explain why the various secret races had remained secret for that long.

One person, at least, has tried this:

http://www.geocities.com/sanctumhr/Special/PH/intro.html

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't know about reality (or Near Dark for that matter, which just didn't impress me), but yeah, I'd say more Hunter than any other WoD setting. Ditch the Heralds, Virtues, Creeds and all that typical White Wolf hokey, and you're left with a nice, dark, futile version of Supernatural.

Oh, I didn't like Near Dark as a movie, myself, but I think it makes for a much more interesting game setting. (And if I'd referenced the comic book Vigil, alas, only two or three people would have any idea of what I was talking about.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The old World of Darkness with some Lovecraft type creatures that everyone is afraid of.

Er, every single oWoD line had Lovecraft type creatures that they were afraid of.

First thing I'd do is scrap the dozens upon dozens of huge, ancient, powerful secret organizations of supernatural beings.

Then I'd break down the class-and-race-system-in-disguise character generation and go completely point-based. There'd be rules for how to build vampires, werewolves, mages, and--ah, what the hell--changelings, but there'd be room in both the fluff and the crunch for stranger and more unique things.

Reams of stultifying metaplot and game fiction would be replaced with sketchier outlines of the way to world is (or might be), supplimented with a large array of flavorful, potentially-accurate (but often contradictory) rumors, all Unknown Armies style. Also, quite a lot of suggested campaign and adventure ideas. (Just because people are being given the tools to make a heterogenous group of random supernatural beasties and have them hang out together like a superhero team or D&D adventuring party doesn't mean the game should imply that that's really the only way to play.)

In my World of Darkness, you could play as a Frankenstien's-monster-type created being, without having to be part of some huge, generations-long "legacy" that completely ruins the point of the whole bit. There'd be a lot more emphasis on a world that's full of unseen forces--a world of darkness, not a world of Mary Sue fanfiction--and the default assumption would be that the PCs (mortal or supernatural) are quite alone in it.

Your WoD sounds a lot like the nWoD, right down to the Promethean line and Urban Legends sourcebook.

 

[eschwenke]

Your WoD sounds a lot like the nWoD, right down to the Promethean line and Urban Legends sourcebook.

Actually, I'm pretty sure he was criticizing Promethean.

 

[GreatLemur]

Actually, I'm pretty sure he was criticizing Promethean.

Exactly. It's a hell of a cool concept--particularly the whole alchemy angle they've got going on--and I wouldn't mind trying it sometime, but the whole angle of Prometheans being part of "Lineages" rather than unique beings with no place in the world just seems tremendously, glaringly wrongheaded. Also, the whole angle of all of the standard Lineages being made from corpses (even the freaking Golems, in defiance of all sense!) was an amazingly bad decision.

And in general, nWoD is still drowning in character classes, game fiction, metaplot, and supernatural secret societies. I'm sure the system is improved, but White Wolf's whole approach to game design hasn't really changed enough for my taste. Plus, I cannot forgive them to taking Mage and turning it into a bland game about wizards.

 

[Eltharon]

I'd make it human-centric, but (judging by my players), instead of the "gradual discovery of the powerful unknown" style, it would be more players taking action against the bad guys, working for the government or similar organization. They'd have to find these things, (working in small, adventuring party size groups) investigate them, etc. You could really go anywhere from there. They can be outgunned, they're can be conspiracies, you can put any monster in, you can run it like an epic campaign or a "monster of the week" one off. It can be as blatantly magic as you like, from vampires with fireballs to times where the monster is rarely seen. And when your party likes lots of action, there'd always be that SWAT style team to deal with the big stuff like nests of zombies, cabals of mages, demons, etc.
Because sometimes the only thing to do is grab your M16, strap on your ballistic vest, and rope down from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter with your squad and kick vampire ass.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Monte's "WoD in Space" sounded good. Think Event Horizon. Think Alien.

It would be set in the future, but not too far. It probably wouldn't involve going to Mars to get some bagels.

To elaborate a bit, think of this:

Space is being conquered and explored, but it's still in the earliest of stages. Several planets and moons in our solar system have been made inhabitable on small scales (biodomes, confined stations, maybe even as much as limited terraforming on smaller bodies), but travel between earth and the outer colonies and outposts isn't something that is done in a matter of hours or even days - it takes months, and travelers are put into frozen slumber during the journey.

The colonies have limited ability to communicate with earth, but it's not instantaneous, and has limitations (you can't do it all the time, you have to wait for certain time windows, and the same goes for incoming transmissions).

And in the depths of space, the pioneers find that they find more than just resources, and that they brought more than just supplies....


Many humans, free at last from earth's field of influence, find that their latent magical abilities, muted by their homeworld awaken in the dephts of space, and mages are revealed.

Others find that they've been invaded by entities that seem to have lived in the endless void, with powers that resemble those we call vampires.

Others knew all along that they weren't normal humans, but overpopulated earth gave them little chance to run unfettered - werewolves find the seclusion from mother earth a welcome thing.

(though I could see vampires and werewolves trade places, or even both be from earth or both be from beyond)

Finally, some entities, away from the world's prying eyes, will hunt mankind if encountered in small, isolated groups. Survivors would tell us of demons if they let them.


It would make several scenarios possible:

Horror during transit: Stealing shamelessly from Alien, this involves travelers waking up way ahead of schedule, and finding something on board, stalking them (this could be a demon entering the ship or a vampire or werewolf). They might find that they have magical powers, or they might only have their wits at their disposal.

You could remake Event Horizon or Doom, with the new destination becoming a living hell.

You could also play supernaturals on one of the colonies, where they keep their secret from becoming known by the human colonists.