Alternatives to White Wolf Vampires?

[Dannyalcatraz]

GURPS did a V:tM worldbook, but I guess it'd've had all the same gnostic/clan/etc baggage... different system, though.

I playtested that...with quite an unusual PC.

Does anyone know a good alternative to Vampire: the Masquerade and Requiem? Since I have my own reasons why I have problems with those games.

Strictly I'm looking for a game that is similar to VtM in terms of it takes place in the modern era, similar gothic punk elements (like Vamps in punk battle leather jackets, trenchcoats and sunglasses at midnight potentially hiding their red crimson glowing eyes which some vampires have) but without all the baggage that VtM comes with like the Noddest lore, clans, the beast & frenzy, the humanity/path/road system, etc.

Of course I'm thinking of a game where Vampire powers and weaknesses vary for example some vampires can walk in the sun but their powers are weakened while some burn in sunlight and such.

1) D20 Modern Urban Arcana

2) ShadowRun, stripped of its higher tech level.

3) absolutely any “toolbox” system- HERO, GURPS, M&M, etc.- with just the WoD elements YOU want.

Of those, the third is probably best because then you really could make each supernatural creature unique as you wish. For instance, you could make “vampire” your catchall term for supernatural undead who drain life force, but each kind has unique powers, weaknesses and feeding methods, as detailed in the legends of their homelands. Or you could design a common “package deal” for all vampires, and merely require that the remainder of their traits and vulnerabilities be chosen from a set list.

Or you could define them as life drainers, and each one is entirely unique.

 

[dco]

Monte Cook's world of darkness, using D20 rules, it has a different setting.
Or you can port the vampires or use the vampires of any other game and create your own setting.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Only the Black Court are off the table - the Red and White Courts are both available to play.

Then again I heard none of the other Vamp courts other than the White Court are playable and the latter are not the sort of Vampire I would want to play since they're psychic/emotional/life force vampires with a limited life span not undead immortal blood drinkers which are the ones I would want to play.

 

[Ljron]

Only the Black Court are off the table - the Red and White Courts are both available to play.

Sorry don't like both White and Red Court vampries....

I playtested that...with quite an unusual PC.



1) D20 Modern Urban Arcana

2) ShadowRun, stripped of its higher tech level.

3) absolutely any “toolbox” system- HERO, GURPS, M&M, etc.- with just the WoD elements YOU want.

Of those, the third is probably best because then you really could make each supernatural creature unique as you wish. For instance, you could make “vampire” your catchall term for supernatural undead who drain life force, but each kind has unique powers, weaknesses and feeding methods, as detailed in the legends of their homelands. Or you could design a common “package deal” for all vampires, and merely require that the remainder of their traits and vulnerabilities be chosen from a set list.

Or you could define them as life drainers, and each one is entirely unique.

Well first of all I want Vampires to be strictly blood drinkers not the "life force ones" and plus being supernatural undead unlike the ones from Shadowrun who are a Retrovirus and plus ShadowRun vampires have to kill their prey or else their bite 'spreads the virus' which is something I don't wish to have (one thing I like about WW's Vampires is that they can leave their prey alive and 'unaffected' after feeding especially due to because of a elaborate process of creating new vampires which controls their population from spreading).

 

[Afrodyte]

Urban Shadows has a similar aesthetic, and it's powered by the Apocalypse World engine.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Urban Shadows has a similar aesthetic, and it's powered by the Apocalypse World engine.

I love Dungeon World so I just bought this PDF and have been skimming through it. Looks great. Reminds me of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well first of all I want Vampires to be strictly blood drinkers not the "life force ones" and plus being supernatural undead unlike the ones from Shadowrun who are a Retrovirus and plus ShadowRun vampires have to kill their prey or else their bite 'spreads the virus' which is something I don't wish to have (one thing I like about WW's Vampires is that they can leave their prey alive and 'unaffected' after feeding especially due to because of a elaborate process of creating new vampires which controls their population from spreading).

To clarify, I was using “life force” as a catchall for those who drink blood, drain the spirit, destroy chi, or in any feed off of the living without necessarily devouring the flesh, in a world where multiple kinds of such creatures exist. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses. I mean, there are hundreds of such creatures detailed in worldwide mythology...including trees, butterflies and watermelons.

With a toolbox system, you can have whatever kind of critter variety you want.

 

[5ekyu]

To be frank, the OP seems to have very solid, detailed ideas about exactly what they want and exactly what they dont want in,lore, setting, genre, pathos, themes and mechanicals...

That screams toolbox build your own instead of "guess a system name roulette"

HERO, D20 modern, MnM... Find a core build-a-game toolkit with tools you like and build what you want.

 

[Guest 6801328]

To be frank, the OP seems to have very solid, detailed ideas about exactly what they want and exactly what they dont want in,lore, setting, genre, pathos, themes and mechanicals...

That screams toolbox build your own instead of "guess a system name roulette"

HERO, D20 modern, MnM... Find a core build-a-game toolkit with tools you like and build what you want.

That's what I was thinking. If you're that specific about what you want, it's time to homebrew.