Poll: Favourite Clan in Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines

[Daystar Clarion]

So I'm playing VTMB for the umpteenth time, as I'm sure many of you will now that I've mentioned it.

And for the life of me, I just can't bring myself to play anything other than a Malkavian. Their dialogue is humorous, eccentric and obsurd that all the other clans just seem boring by comparison. It also offers a really unique roleplay perspective, because by their very definition, they're chaotic.

If Deadpool was a vampire, he's be a Malk, that's pretty much my best argument for trying to get people to play as them.

My Malk is a ninja who wears assless cowboy chaps. She argues with street signs and refuses to use guns because they are anathema to her code of the silent killer.

Ducks too.

Ducks are anathema too.

Also, this picture is obligatory.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

OT:

And for the life of me, I just can't bring myself to play anything other than a Malkavian. Their dialogue is humorous, eccentric and obsurd that all the other clans just seem boring by comparison. It also offers a really unique roleplay perspective, because by their very definition, they're chaotic.

If Deadpool was a vampire, he's be a Malk, that's pretty much my best argument for trying to get people to play as them.

That's a common misconception. Malkavians aren't Chaotic (well, they can be, but not by definition), they are crazy. They are supposed to have incredibly deep seated paranoias, phobias, and personality disorders, making them more tragic figures than "funny". Like a homeless guy who is incredibly smart and well-spoken but simply can't get his shit together long enough to get a job or have a family. They're based off all the seemingly random folklore that supposedly stopped Vampires (Garlic repels them, can't cross running water, can't enter your house without permission, etc.)

Nothing is ever superficially silly or funny in WoD, unless it is the blackest of humor. The Malkavians are no exception. A Malkavian would be a Vampire who dies in the sun, but is cripplingly afraid of the dark. Not some "wacky" clown who talks to inanimate objects "for teh lulz".

As you can see, I have strong opinions on this matter. It's the one big element of the game that I consider to be badly written.

OT: I've always liked Ventrue and the Brujah. The Ventrue have this great "Classy as Fuck" attitude about them, and I like that they understand and embrace their limitations by fighting with thralls. It's a perfect modernization of the classic "Vampire in the dark castle, controlling the little village below", except now the castle is a skyscraper penthouse and the village is a city.

And I just like the "Rebel without a cause" deal the Brujah have going on. But Bloodlines dropped the ball when they portrayed them all as Leather vest wearing, punk rock listening anarchists. They're not all like that, many of them are actually extremely intelligent activists and politically motivated. They don't want anarchy, they just want change. Makes a good contrast with the Ventrue.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

OT:

And for the life of me, I just can't bring myself to play anything other than a Malkavian. Their dialogue is humorous, eccentric and obsurd that all the other clans just seem boring by comparison. It also offers a really unique roleplay perspective, because by their very definition, they're chaotic.

If Deadpool was a vampire, he's be a Malk, that's pretty much my best argument for trying to get people to play as them.

That's a common misconception. Malkavians aren't Chaotic (well, they can be, but not by definition), they are crazy. They are supposed to have incredibly deep seated paranoias, phobias, and personality disorders, making them more tragic figures than "funny". Like a homeless guy who is incredibly smart and well-spoken but simply can't get his shit together long enough to get a job or have a family. They're based off all the seemingly random folklore that supposedly stopped Vampires (Garlic repels them, can't cross running water, can't enter your house without permission, etc.)

Nothing is ever superficially silly or funny in WoD, unless it is the blackest of humor. The Malkavians are no exception. A Malkavian would be a Vampire who dies in the sun, but is cripplingly afraid of the dark. Not some "wacky" clown who talks to inanimate objects "for teh lulz".

As you can see, I have strong opinions on this matter. It's the one big element of the game that I consider to be badly written.

OT: I've always liked Ventrue and the Brujah. The Ventrue have this great "Classy as Fuck" attitude about them, and I like that they understand and embrace their limitations by fighting with thralls. It's a perfect modernization of the classic "Vampire in the dark castle, controlling the little village below", except now the castle is a skyscraper penthouse and the village is a city.

And I just like the "Rebel without a cause" deal the Brujah have going on. But Bloodlines dropped the ball when they portrayed them all as Leather vest wearing, punk rock listening anarchists. They're not all like that, many of them are actually extremely intelligent activists and politically motivated. They don't want anarchy, they just want change. Makes a good contrast with the Ventrue.

Someone mentioned to me, on this very site actually, that there are WoD purists.

Didn't actually think there would be one on this site

But hey, what would I know, my only experience with WoD is this one game. So everything I know about the franchise, I learned from that.

 

[ResonanceGames]

I like the Ventrue. The Malkavian's are great in the game, but only as a second playthrough.

Now to go home and play Bloodlines again.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Someone mentioned to me, on this very site actually, that there are WoD purists.

Didn't actually think there would be one on this site

But hey, what would I know, my only experience with WoD is this one game. So everything I know about the franchise, I learned from that.

Like the children of Cain, we are everywhere. On your sites, in your workplace, RIGHT BEHIND YOU!

And yeah, I didn't mean to call you out or anything, I just can't stand wacky Malkavians. It just...doesn't work with the setting, you know? It's like if Games Workshop made the Angry Marines canon. They are great as a joke or meme, but not as lore.

 

[ms_sunlight]

Your motivational poster is completely superfluous.

I already have Bloodlines installed. I always have Bloodlines installed.

For the record, I voted Tremere, because I love Maximillian Strauss, I love the special Tremere haven, they have the most overpowered disciplines (to the extent that you can actually completely break the game with them) and I love the Tremere ending.

Second choice Nosferatu, purely for the challenge.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Someone mentioned to me, on this very site actually, that there are WoD purists.

Didn't actually think there would be one on this site

But hey, what would I know, my only experience with WoD is this one game. So everything I know about the franchise, I learned from that.

Like the children of Cain, we are everywhere. On your sites, in your workplace, RIGHT BEHIND YOU!

And yeah, I didn't mean to call you out or anything, I just can't stand wacky Malkavians. It just...doesn't work with the setting, you know? It's like if Games Workshop made the Angry Marines canon. They are great as a joke or meme, but not as lore.

I understand what you mean, but surely there are bound to be some wacky Malks?

From what I've gathered in game, their craziness can manifest in a number of different ways, so there's bound to be some Deadpool-esque Malkavians.

But yes, I understand what you mean.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Your motivational poster is completely superfluous.

I already have Bloodlines installed. I always have Bloodlines installed.

For the record, I voted Tremere, because I love Maximillian Strauss, I love the special Tremere haven, they have the most overpowered disciplines (to the extent that you can actually completely break the game with them) and I love the Tremere ending.

Second choice Nosferatu, purely for the challenge.

The Tremere are my second choice.

While I get my ninja and melee on with my Malkavian, My Tremere is a gun toting, blood-magic-flinging powerhouse.

 

[Durgiun]

Malks. Their way of speaking in the game is freaking awesome. God, I wish that game was more popular back in the day. Probably wouldn't have let Twilight become the shitty series it is today.

 

[Fleshy]

OT: I've always liked Ventrue and the Brujah. The Ventrue have this great "Classy as Fuck" attitude about them, and I like that they understand and embrace their limitations by fighting with thralls. It's a perfect modernization of the classic "Vampire in the dark castle, controlling the little village below", except now the castle is a skyscraper penthouse and the village is a city.

Wouldn't that be more like Old World Tzimisce? Though I guess there's nothing modern about how they rule their voivodates.

On topic, I like the Tzimisce, with all their Transvampiric(?) craziness.
But keeping to the clans playable in the game Brujah, I guess, but more based on how they're presented in the source material, because as mentioned, Bloodlines has tendency to rely superficial stereotypes to present the clans.

 

[MammothBlade]

That's a common misconception. Malkavians aren't Chaotic (well, they can be, but not by definition), they are crazy. They are supposed to have incredibly deep seated paranoias, phobias, and personality disorders, making them more tragic figures than "funny". Like a homeless guy who is incredibly smart and well-spoken but simply can't get his shit together long enough to get a job or have a family. They're based off all the seemingly random folklore that supposedly stopped Vampires (Garlic repels them, can't cross running water, can't enter your house without permission, etc.)

That itself is arguably a misconception. Malkavians aren't truly crazy, they have uncontrollable psychic powers which make them seem insane. Although you could say they're both crazy and psychic at the same time. I was a Malkavian on my first playthrough and I got a lot of the cues planted in the dialogue. Their wordplay is awesome.

Speaking of Malks, I thought Alastair Grout was one of the most interesting characters, but alas, he was just a tapeworm.

I'll probably play as a Tremere whenever I play Bloodlines again.

VTMB DEFINITELY DESERVES A SEQUEL + REMAKE

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Malks. Their way of speaking in the game is freaking awesome. God, I wish that game was more popular back in the day. Probably wouldn't have let Twilight become the shitty series it is today.

It came out on the same day as Half-Life 2.

That wouldn't have been such a bad thing if the game wasn't literally broken from all the bugs it had on release.

 

[DoPo]

That itself is arguably a misconception. Malkavians aren't truly crazy, they have uncontrollable psychic powers which make them seem insane. Although you could say it's both at the same time.

Also, that is a misconception - not all Malks have oracular powers, In fact very few of them have any. In fact it might just be a combination of the Malkavian Madness Network and Auspex that make it "seem" like they have some greater insight, when they don't.

Or maybe they do, who knows. The Malks themselves aren't exactly the best source of understanding Lunatics.

However, at the very least, they are mad, each and every one of them.

OT: I voted Malkavian. They. Win. The. Game. Like totally own it. It's impossible to compare them to the rest, they are that much cooler.

Second place goes to Nosferatu. Their dialogue is likewise awesome.

Third place is a tie between Tremere and Toreador. The Tremere have Thaumaturgy and the best haven in the game...but Thaumaturgy is only useful up to level 3, the other two powers are still cool and all but the rest of the XP is better spent elsewhere. And Toreador are playing the game on easy mode. Celerity+Auspex totally obliterate any type of danger.[sub]Also Celerity is pretty[/sub]

 

[Fr]anc[is]

Tremere, if only because it's the only playable female that doesn't look like ass. Nosferatu is also awesome though, all you need is to go straight for obfuscate 4 or 5 and you are set. Plus the ugly thing isn't really a disadvantage, since it doesn't affect important NPCs and others don't even notice unless you bump into them, and even then it never gave me a masquerade violation. Malks, as always, get a category all to themselves.

 

[hazabaza1]

I can't remember what I played. The ginger one with the red shirt.
But Malk seems really cool! Shame I doubt I'm going to play through it again any time soon, I tried it recently and couldn't really re-get into it.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I can't remember what I played. The ginger one with the red shirt.
But Malk seems really cool! Shame I doubt I'm going to play through it again any time soon, I tried it recently and couldn't really re-get into it.

I believe that was a Toreador.

I don't blame you, my first character was a Toreador, and I couldn't really get into it. They're a pretty boring clan if I'm honest.

If you do try the game again, try a Malkavian, they really are a fun clan to play with.

 

[hazabaza1]

I can't remember what I played. The ginger one with the red shirt.
But Malk seems really cool! Shame I doubt I'm going to play through it again any time soon, I tried it recently and couldn't really re-get into it.

I believe that was a Toreador.

I don't blame you, my first character was a Toreador, and I couldn't really get into it. They're a pretty boring clan if I'm honest.

If you do try the game again, try a Malkavian, they really are a fun clan to play with.

Ah, that was it.
I certainly enjoyed the game, it was fantastic, but I remember getting stuck somewhere, either due to obscurity or a bug. Couldn't get forward, so I tried a few new characters but it was all in a fairly short timespan so it was all a bit repetitive. Ended up watching an LP of it actually.
But yeah some time I do plan to start again and go Malk. The allure of Stop Sign arguments is far too tempting.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

I can't remember what I played. The ginger one with the red shirt.
But Malk seems really cool! Shame I doubt I'm going to play through it again any time soon, I tried it recently and couldn't really re-get into it.

I believe that was a Toreador.

I don't blame you, my first character was a Toreador, and I couldn't really get into it. They're a pretty boring clan if I'm honest.

If you do try the game again, try a Malkavian, they really are a fun clan to play with.

Yeah, the Toraedor don't really fit very well in a game as combat-focused as Bloodlines. Their entire schtick is seduction, glamour, and sex appeal, which works great if your stomping grounds are basically clubs and bars. Not so much when a Sabbat stooge is trying to ash you with a claw hammer in the back alley. And the game is mostly the latter.

My first character was a Toreador as well, both in P&P and in Bloodlines. They definitely don't carry over as well. Nosferatu, on the other hand, are actually more fun to play in Bloodlines than P&P, because of the set story and environments being more conductive to stealth play. A P&P Nosferatu is typically glamoured 100% of the time, making them no different than any other vampire. Cause its really hard to write a Masquerade scenario that doesn't involve humans and public places. Either that, or the Nos has to stay away from all the fun, which is boring.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I can't remember what I played. The ginger one with the red shirt.
But Malk seems really cool! Shame I doubt I'm going to play through it again any time soon, I tried it recently and couldn't really re-get into it.

I believe that was a Toreador.

I don't blame you, my first character was a Toreador, and I couldn't really get into it. They're a pretty boring clan if I'm honest.

If you do try the game again, try a Malkavian, they really are a fun clan to play with.

Yeah, the Toraedor don't really fit very well in a game as combat-focused as Bloodlines. Their entire schtick is seduction, glamour, and sex appeal, which works great if your stomping grounds are basically clubs and bars. Not so much when a Sabbat stooge is trying to ash you with a claw hammer in the back alley. And the game is mostly the latter.

My first character was a Toreador as well, both in P&P and in Bloodlines. They definitely don't carry over as well. Nosferatu, on the other hand, are actually more fun to play in Bloodlines than P&P, because of the set story and environments being more conductive to stealth play. A P&P Nosferatu is typically glamoured 100% of the time, making them no different than any other vampire. Cause its really hard to write a Masquerade scenario that doesn't involve humans and public places. Either that, or the Nos has to stay away from all the fun, which is boring.

Yeah, I've played some D&D in my time, and I can't imagine the Nos being that great to play unless the campaign is tailor made for them. So either you get a campaign made just for the Nos, or you have to downplay their appearance so that a player can actually have fun with everyone else, but if it comes to that, they might as well play a different clan.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

Haven't played bloodlines but i've played Vampire the Masquerade so I vote Toreador.