[RPG]: Vampire: The Requiem, reviewed by James Gillen (4/3)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13163.phtml

James Gillen's Summary:

Old blood in a new vessel.

Go to the full review for more information.

[Destriarch]

Thanks for the review.

I own this book already, and have never really gotten around to reading it all, mostly because I have never been able to persuade anyone to play it. I don't know why, but everyone I talk to seems to think that nWoD isn't a very good system, but I'm not at all sure why they think that any more. I mean, there are certain aspects of nWoD that I don't like (mostly that everything seems to be ten times as angsty) but I've no real qualms with the system. Any ideas as to why this particular opinion seems to proliferate?

Ash

[BlackHat_Matt]

Originally Posted by Destriarch

Thanks for the review.

I own this book already, and have never really gotten around to reading it all, mostly because I have never been able to persuade anyone to play it. I don't know why, but everyone I talk to seems to think that nWoD isn't a very good system, but I'm not at all sure why they think that any more. I mean, there are certain aspects of nWoD that I don't like (mostly that everything seems to be ten times as angsty) but I've no real qualms with the system. Any ideas as to why this particular opinion seems to proliferate?

Ash

It doesn't.

I mean, most of the folks I've played nWoD with (a fairly large sample, really, once you start counting con games and the like), say they prefer it. It's faster, especially where combat is concerned, and I think that it irons out a lot of the wrinkles.

Now, it's a game system, which means that there are always things it doesn't do well. The issue is whether it does what it's supposed to do. I think it does.

I must, however, ask you to quantify the "ten times as angsty" comment.

[sbca1995]

Originally Posted by Destriarch

snip

I don't think you can convince people to play a vampire game if they don't want to play vampires. But aside from that, I don't believe V:tR is angsty-- certainly not more angsty than its predecessor-- and I don't think the nWoD system "isn't very good". If you have opinions about the nWoD system or the level of angst in the nWoD, then you can give us some concrete examples. But if your opinions are based on what other people say, then you just need to play it and see for yourself. If you don't want to invest a lot of time in reading the core and setting up a chronicle, you could just run the demo for your friends. If you like it, read the V:tR book, and maybe even make room in your library for some of the best RPG material in print; keep your eyes peeled for reviews of Damnation City over the next few days. Also, in regards to the V:tR core, keep in mind that it is a rulebook, not a fluff book. If you need fluff material that details the vampire experience, then check out the fairly new supplement, The Blood.

[Tom B]

My experience has also been the opposite. Almost every discussion on mechanics holds the nWoD mechanics up as a definite improvement over oWoD....and my own opinion is the same. nWoD also seems much less angsty, which was what finally convinced me to actually buy a copy.

[Destriarch]

Originally Posted by sbca1995

If you have opinions about the nWoD system or the level of angst in the nWoD, then you can give us some concrete examples.

"This is not the abandonment of death,
Nor is it the breath of life,
This is a funereal song,
The musical interlude
Between life and death,
And this Requiem
is all we have
after the vital course
of the former
and the cold nothingness
of the latter."

And so on. That's the back cover blurb by the way. Yeah, I know I just grabbed that off the back cover, it was the most convenient example. Thing is a lot of the interior fiction rubs me much the same way. As for quantifying it, saying 'ten times' was merely a form of hyperbole, and not to be taken literally.

By the way, I should clarify, most of the people who I have talked to who do not like the new World of Darkness are or were fans of the old one. In many ways this could explain the attitude, as a lot of people weren't happy when White Wolf did the whole revamp (excuse the pun). However I've yet to meet anyone who actually prefers the new version at all, out of twenty or thirty gamers. I wonder if it's a UK thing? Me, I don't really have an opinion one way or the other about the system. It seems no better or worse than the last. At the moment, I'm more interested in Scion's variation on it, which I gather is basically the same as Exalted second edition.

Ash

[BlackHat_Matt]

Originally Posted by Destriarch

"This is not the abandonment of death,
Nor is it the breath of life,
This is a funereal song,
The musical interlude
Between life and death,
And this Requiem
is all we have
after the vital course
of the former
and the cold nothingness
of the latter."

And so on. That's the back cover blurb by the way. Yeah, I know I just grabbed that off the back cover, it was the most convenient example. Thing is a lot of the interior fiction rubs me much the same way. As for quantifying it, saying 'ten times' was merely a form of hyperbole, and not to be taken literally.

I said "qualify," not "quantify," which I mean "explain why you're saying that" (which you did, so thanks).

Yeah, the fiction bits in Requiem do hew pretty close to that particular theme of the game, I guess. You said "<I>everything</I> seems" more angsty, and so I was wondering how you got that conclusion. Even if it's just Requiem you're looking at, though, I don't see that it's <I>more</I> angsty.

Especially, as the other poster points out, if you haven't played it.

If you're interested, there's a write-up of a one-shot I ran <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/vampiretr/17122.html">here</a>, just to give you a brief snapshot of how the game plays (or how it played with my group).

[Tom B]

Originally Posted by Destriarch

However I've yet to meet anyone who actually prefers the new version at all, out of twenty or thirty gamers.

I suppose members of a group will tend toward similar opinions. I've yet to meet anyone who prefers the oWoD rules, with the exception of one who hasn't yet tried nWoD, but plans to.

[Destriarch]

Originally Posted by Tom B

I suppose members of a group will tend toward similar opinions. I've yet to meet anyone who prefers the oWoD rules, with the exception of one who hasn't yet tried nWoD, but plans to.

Well, I'm not just netting one group there. That's a combination of three, the local university RP society, and two other completely serperate RP societies. As for 'not playing it' I refer mostly to the atmosphere of the book, not of a game, so playing it isn't really a factor

Funny... coulda sworn I read 'Quantify'... oh well, I was tired at the time.

Ash

[Destriarch]

Originally Posted by BlackHat_Matt

I must, however, ask you to quantify the "ten times as angsty" comment.

Hold on a minute! I thought so! Quantify, right there. I'm sure you meant qualify, but you wrote quantify.

Ash