[possibly controversial]What is wrong with Vampire the Masquerade 5E?

[MGibster]

I thought I told you to stay off the boardwalk!

One thing about posting on EnWorld I could never stomach...all the damn vampires.

 

[MGibster]

It is interesting when something emerges out of a wider zeitgeist only to become symbolic of it. So many people discovered vampire fiction and goth subculture because of VtM that there is sometimes a misconception that VtM created or inspired them.

Oh, yeah. I can't count the number of times I've ripped something off the original source only for someone in the game to say, "Oh, you got that from 40k!" No, I didn't, Brad! D&D kind of has that problem as plenty of authors were influenced by the game and it shows up in their writing.

Could anyone recommend a modern take* on a vampire theme? What would that be?

Twilight? The Vampire Diaries? Like it or not, Vampires seem to have gone from being monsters to straight up romantic heroes we're supposed to root for.

 

[Reynard]

Twilight? The Vampire Diaries? Like it or not, Vampires seem to have gone from being monsters to straight up romantic heroes we're supposed to root for.

And it sucks.
.
.
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Wat?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The remake of Fright Night is criminally underrated, but I particularly like that version of Jerry using the 2008 housing crisis as cover for depopulating a Las Vegas exurb, where his victims are a long way through the desert from any help, once they realize what's happening.

Early on in the film, the argument is explicitly made that "yeah, people are vanishing in the middle of the night all the time -- that's just the economy, man."

 

[deganawida]

The remake of Fright Night is criminally underrated, but I particularly like that version of Jerry using the 2008 housing crisis as cover for depopulating a Las Vegas exurb, where his victims are a long way through the desert from any help, once they realize what's happening.

Early on in the film, the argument is explicitly made that "yeah, people are vanishing in the middle of the night all the time -- that's just the economy, man."

It was such a great movie! I own it digitally and on Blu-Ray, and it’s in our regular rotation.

 

[billd91]

The remake of Fright Night is criminally underrated, but I particularly like that version of Jerry using the 2008 housing crisis as cover for depopulating a Las Vegas exurb, where his victims are a long way through the desert from any help, once they realize what's happening.

Early on in the film, the argument is explicitly made that "yeah, people are vanishing in the middle of the night all the time -- that's just the economy, man."

My wife and I saw it at our local drive-in. And, yeah, it was pretty entertaining. I'm tempted to watch both versions as a double-feature to compare and contrast.

 

[Staffan]

Early on in the film, the argument is explicitly made that "yeah, people are vanishing in the middle of the night all the time -- that's just the economy, man."

"If we can focus, keep discipline... and not have quite as many mysterious deaths, Sunnydale is gonna rule!" – Larry, Buffy season 3 episode 1

 

[aramis erak]

Twilight? The Vampire Diaries? Like it or not, Vampires seem to have gone from being monsters to straight up romantic heroes we're supposed to root for.

Try Blade. A damned evil guy, but also the POV character and protagonist.
The tortured not-quite-a-vampire-yet, not present in VTM, is at least as early as The Lost Boys in1987. ISTR that trope also being in an Ann Rice bit, but I really didn't get into Rice as an author. (My wife, however...)

It's interesting to note the drinking of the blood chalice as the source of transformation in Lost Boys parallels the VTM Ghouls... most especially the ghoul families who can produce more without Vampires in the mix...

It's also worth noting that different franchises treat the effects of Vampirism differently.
There are the different methods of making a new vampire

• Not killed by being fed upon (virus pandemic model)
• Fed upon without being killed some number of times (usually 3)
• Fed upon without being killed at least once, then fed upon until dead
• Fed upon without being killed, then dies by any means without going to church (Referenced in a martyrology)
• killed while being fed upon
• being fed sire's blood
  • without being fed upon (lost boys)
  • after being fed upon
  • after being killed while being fed upon (VTM)
• being cursed by third party
• Born this way (Dresden Files; also Ancient Assyrian)
• sufficiently evil - when killed, if body intact, rises as vampire (Ravenloft)

I know that in Dresden Files whites are mostly born that way, I forget what the methods are for Red or Jade courts.

The fate of the soul of the victim seems to be one of several types as well

• Original soul stays in body as is. May attempt to starve self if opposed. No demon involved. (FK)
  • May have a supernatural hunger
  • May merely be unable to consume solid foods
• Original soul, but corrupted by the method of raising.
• Original soul, tempted into the bargain, damned by the raising, and still in charge
• Original soul suppressed as a demon moves in.
  • Demon enjoys the terror of the trapped soul
  • Demon ignores trapped soul.
• Original soul in charge, but demon moves in and sometimes takes charge
• Original soul evicted, demon moved in.
  • in at least one traditional folk tale, the original soul, if unwilling to embrace the evil, goes on to their normal eternal reward. If willing, goes to the bad place.
  • in a different folk tradition, the original soul is displaced to be a ghost, stuck until the demon in their body is destroyed, or at least evicted, so they can go on to their personal reward.
• Original soul eaten by demon upon moving in. (Babylonian, IIRC)

BTVS seems to be evicted soul - especially given the Angel storyline. Also note that, even after his soul is put into his body again, the demon Angelus isn't freed nor released; Angel can turn it loose, at a price to his potential for eternal reward...
Forever Knight uses original soul, not even willing.

then there's feeding...
Both FK and BTVS show that any mammal blood will sustain them... Given Drusilla's habits, it appears avian dinosaurs will do, too. BTVS also shows that donation preservatives don't inhibit the vampires using packaged blood. Forever Knight, coroner Natalie is able to feed nick with blood extracted from corpses...

There's a lot of room to explore besides those covered in gaming by the existing games...

I know I readily fell asleep while the wife & kids watched the sparkly vampire movies (Twilight)...

 

[MGibster]

Try Blade. A damned evil guy, but also the POV character and protagonist.

I liked the first movie, disliked the second, and didn't bother with the third, but I don't remember Blade being evil in the first two movies. In the opening abbotoir scene from the first movie, after mowing down tons of vampires he takes the time to check a dude out to make sure he didn't inadvertantly kill a person. He might be a dick at times, but evil? Nah.

 

[aramis erak]

I liked the first movie, disliked the second, and didn't bother with the third, but I don't remember Blade being evil in the first two movies. In the opening abbotoir scene from the first movie, after mowing down tons of vampires he takes the time to check a dude out to make sure he didn't inadvertantly kill a person. He might be a dick at times, but evil? Nah.

Read the comics, dude.