Posts made by Ganymede

@zombiegenesis said in Vampire Requiem 2nd Edition Bloodlines Question:

RE: oWoD clans as bloodlines

• Those seem to be pretty popular on other games (Bruja, Toreador, Sangiovanni) so I figure why not? They're familiar and popular, sounds good to me.

They fall easily intro tropes, to the point where you don't have to think about it. That said, I know very few people who've played a 2E Toreador, or a 1E Toreador. Because Toreador suck.

That said, I thought about your game.

The last MUSH I played onset in LA was LA: A House Divided. It was pretty neat because you had factions ruling over bits and pieces of the city. And taking the name 'City of Angels', I thought I'd put a deity/religious spin on the bloodlines too, thinking that, maybe, you could tie that in somehow with how a vampire practices blood sorcery.

Like Reno, I see each of the bloodlines having a bloodline gift and boon, an extra in-clan discipline, and a series of devotions to buy or a non-clan form of blood magic instead of the gift and devotions (like the Tzimisce). For each Clan, I am coming up with three lines, each linked to a deity; those deities are from American, Old World, and Asian World traditions, and there is one for each group.

So far, I've come up with the following (patron/matron gods are next to the bloodline name):

Daeva Bloodlines

Malintzin (Tzazolteotl): Named after the mistress of Cortes, the Malintzin are preoccupied with artistic expression, licentiousness, and the proliferation and preservation of Ando-American cultures. Celerity, Dominate, Majesty, Vigor. (SoM, p. 101; VtR, p. 246.) (Kind of like Toreador, with more emphasis on using art and culture to enslave people.)

Ombosines (Set): Masters of emotional manipulation, the ever-subtle Ombosines practice a secret form of magic passed down through the millennia said to have been taught to them by the desert itself. Celerity, Majesty, Obfuscate, Vigor. (Mekhet, p. 92; V:20, p. 52.) (Will probably have some form of Setite Sorcery, like what you might find in oWoD Vampire or in the Mekhet Clanbook under the Followers of Seth.)

Shakti (Durga): Descendants of the Supreme Being, the Shakti see themselves as the pen-ultimate form of divinity on Earth, and revere the universe as a matronly source of creation, inspiration, power, and destruction. Animalism, Celerity, Majesty, Vigor. (AB, p. 43; Circle, p. 165.) (Basically, the Amara Havana, but under a different name and with a different twist.)

Gangrel Bloodlines

Bohagande (Coyote): Followers in the tradition of Coyote, the Bohagande manipulate the threads of fate for survival and personal profit. Animalism, Auspex, Protean, Resilience. (BL:Hidden, p. 38.) (Will have to alter that bloodline flaw because it blows for a MUSH.)

Taifa (Kusor): Gangrel hailing from the Iberian Peninsula claim descent from Kusor, the Carthaginian god of intellect, and are known for being genial, well-mannered, and scholarly, despite their propensity for savagery. Animalism, Majesty, Protean, Resilience. (BL: Chosen, p. 75)

Xiao Laohu (Li Shou): These Chinese Gangrel are noted for being able to blend into the cityscape like no other urban predator, but are also known for being a little lazy as a result of those abilities. Animalism, Obfuscate, Protean, Resilience. (Custom.) (Think City Gangrel Cats, but kind of lazy because cats. Also, will have blood magic akin to the Gilded Cage, but with an emphasis not just on knowledge but on concealment.)

Will continue to work in spare time.

@skew

Yeah. And the Onyx Path took them as a basis for Beast.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

@zombiegenesis said in Vampire Requiem 2nd Edition Bloodlines Question:

Anyway, those are the thoughts we were working with and are now trying to use to suss out what bloodlines might work and/or be an interesting addition.

If interested, I can make a suggestion of 3 or 4 bloodlines for each Clan, with a blurb on how they fit the area? If you're canvassing for ideas, which you may not.

@sunnyj said in Vampire Requiem 2nd Edition Bloodlines Question:

Custom Bloodlines seem like a waste, given the number of fun ones already written.

Depends on what you mean by "custom." For example, the Myrmex on The Descent are based off of the Melissidae (except, of course, Myrmex are ants, not bees) and are considered to be post-apoc evangelical Christians following "the Myrmex" as their Messianic figure. And the Icarians have been warped from "really resolute power dynasts" to "zealots dedicated to the annihilation of humans possessed by spirits."

As you said, though, the best Bloodlines are the ones that are tailored to what you're going for. The Descent's lines are geared towards its post-apoc situation. For Los Angeles, a mix of entertainment, excess, and international intersection might be the key.

That brings up another question: what is the driving push on the game? The Descent is about survival and competition, not high-end political maneuvering, and the bloodlines correspondingly are a little more martial. If you want a political game, you're going to want to make sure your bloodlines are more than just Bruja-esque.

And, yeah, anyone can use my material, as long as I'm given some credit at some point.

@zombiegenesis

I think players find them very important.

I played on New Orleans, and tried to attract people to it. The lack of bloodlines was a huge hindrance to that.

There are some bloodlines available online, notably the Khaibit and the Kerberos. I like both of them, but I believe the way the Khaibit are created makes more sense.

I suggest making bloodlines on your own. I did this for The Descent, and the folks there seemed to like my suggestions and writings. If you want some help on this end, let me know and I'd be happy to sit down and talk about my experiences with writing up 2E translations of bloodlines or "original" ones.

@thenomain said in RL Anger:

I...just realized that our public services are Socialism.

Yeah. I mean, seriously, how dare they sneak that in?

It's not like it's in The Wealth of Nations or anything either, that socialist stuff.

(Hint: It is. Peasants.)

@thenomain

Hey. Go fuck yourself, man.

I mean this nicely.

@Thenomain

Game of Buckeyes.

@dontpanda said in RL Anger:

Taxation is theft in general.

I hear this a lot in Ohio.

I don't even know where to begin as to why this statement is factually, legally, and morally incorrect.

@arkandel said in RL Anger:

But also consider the hidden costs of all this. For example say that Amazon comes to your part of the woods! A big win, for sure. However how screwed would you be if you were running a local business and now had to compete on recruitment for the same people as they do? How about if you're not an employee but were hoping to rent (or, worse, own) a house there when the real estate market skyrockets?

These aren't hidden costs. These should be expected costs. And there are expected benefits too: how about if you do own property near Amazon when it opens up? And what about the small business that can expect an increase in business due to Amazon's appearance, such as a restaurant owner?

I had a brief discussion with a friend about gentrification. Naturally, he was against it. I tried to point out the benefits and, more importantly, the inevitability of gentrification, but, as Surreality pointed out, he stood on the line of the tribe he chose to follow.

What grinds my gears is how tribalism has led to the calcification of the economy. Decisions should be decided by evidence and numbers, not outdated concepts or traditions. The United States is getting ground to a pulp economically in many sectors because it stubbornly refuses to innovate, and then, when it does, you get a GIANT FUCKING PUMPKIN that rears his stupid head and tries to plant anti-capitalist tariffs to destroy an innovative industry.

Stupidity will be the death of us all.

@arkandel said in RL Anger:

In the mean time not only them but everyone is deprived of extra taxes that would cover part of the impact the business has, and over time as the corporation's profit margins wise, everyone else's shrink. The fabled trickle-down effect in the economy is lessened; financial markers might be going up, but personal wealth is reduced for the majority. The middle class taking hits is never a good thing in the long run.

Just because the trickle-down effect is lessened doesn't make it any more real.

The unfortunate reality is that corporations can command those sorts of incentives -- and do. There's no prohibition to do so, and cities would be foolish to not entertain them.

There is a substantial economic impact when a business is lost, and when a business is gained. While it would be preferable that a city not slit its own throat to get a business, having Amazon set their new HQ in a place like Dayton (where I live) would be a major coup. And given how many businesses Dayton's lost (NCR, Mead, Reynolds & Reynolds, etc.), Amazon's decision would be a ridiculous shot in the arm.

I guess I simply find it luxuriant to pay lip service to how wrong the process is -- you're not incorrect -- when the grim reality is that the benefit is demonstrably worth what is described as a "cost."

It's like the progressives who poo-poo Schumer for the deal he struck, which was actually a victory.

@arkandel said in RL Anger:

Whichever city wins their favor (and all the other suitors for that matter) will still be among the major market segments the company's products will be sold in, its local infrastructure will bear the weight of all the extra traffic resulting from the logistical impact the mere existence of the headquarters will have, yet they will pay peanuts compared to other local companies who've been there all along. It will be overall better in the long run - but everyone else will be worse for it.

I don't mean to start a political argument -- we can do that elsewhere -- but is there something inherently wrong with municipal corporations and/or townships or counties competing against one another to attract employers that will draw in much-needed commercial activity and income taxes?

@thatguythere

I mean that if I had to pick a winner, I’d pick Brady.

@seraphim73

All stats mean something if taken in the aggregate.

New England beat Tennessee; not hard. Then they barely got past Bortles and the Kittens. Their defense hasn’t been challenged.

It is a close call, but I’m not going to bet against Brady. Unless you’re the Ravens or the Mannings, you ain’t gonna win.

Is there a new addy? I missed it.

Because I like WoD 2E.

@thugheaven said in Armageddon MUD:

Usually when two sides disagree on something like this they say “we’re going to have to agree to disagree”.

I’m going to invoke that right now so that we don’t cause anymore temporary insanity.

I disagree that we're going to have to agree to disagree.

I also disagree with taking efforts to not case any more insanity.

(Actually, I don't. Take the above with a grain of salt, if you will.)

@autumn

Polywho?

Miss you, dammit.

@thatguythere said in The Football Thread:

I thought that as soon as the Pats won the AFC championship, Belichek and Patricia with two weeks to prepare will eat Foles alive, I think the Eagles D will keep the score from getting out of hand though.

Here's some food for thought:

The Vikings had the best total defense during the regular season at 275.9 YPG. Foles made almost 80% of his passes against them. Philly had the 4th best total defense at 306.5 YPG; New England had the 29th rated defense at 366.0 YPG.

New England had the best total offense during the regular season at 394.2 YPG. Philly had the 7th with 365.8 YPG.

Looking closely at their offenses, Philly averaged 4.5 Yds/A on the ground to New England's 4.2 Yds/A. Philly averaged 132.2 Yds/G on the ground to New England's 118.1 Yds/G. New England creams Philly in the air, though, with 7.9 Yds/A and 276 Yds/G against 7.0 Yds/A and 234 Yds/G. But their PPG are the same, at 28.6.

Look closely at their defenses, Philly had more passes defended and more interceptions. New England had more sacks.

In the post season, Philly is 3rd and 2nd in total offense and defense, respectively. New England is 4th and 3rd, with a 4.0 and 12.5 YPG difference in each category.

So, it's not so clean and easy. The Patriots are thin at linebacker and their secondary. They allowed 39% of 3rd Down Attempts to convert (20th), whereas the Eagles allowed 32% (3rd). They are a tad worse at Pts./G than the Eagles, but not significantly.

But where things break down is in Yards/Play, where the Patriots are giving up an astounding 5.7 Yds/P, and the Eagles are only giving up 5.0 Yds/P. That means, for every three downs, the Patriots are giving up an extra 2.1 yards.

It's a bit more of a toss-up, I'd say. Your stats edge goes to Philly, but New England's still pretty solid.

@thugheaven said in Armageddon MUD:

When I point out there is a forum and a discord. I’m pointing out that the game is not all that opaque. Not that you should jump on chat in the middle of a scene. Hopefully if you’ve applied for a character, you’ve taken some time to read the documentation. But if you haven’t, you said it yourself people don’t like to read. Then that’s another issue, but it’s not “Armageddon punishes new players.”

We have dedicated a couple of threads to problems many of us have had getting into new games.

What I believe many of us are talking about are common barriers to entry on a game. You have a forum, but how does a newbie know what information is relevant? You have a discord, but how does a newbie know who is credible? You have material to read through, but how does a newbie know how to interpret the ambiguities and vagueness that will inevitably arise?

Your fellow player(s) (staff?) have by implication highlighted a common sentiment coming from existing players: what have you as a newbie done to earn anything? But the question a newbie is going to come in with is: what has the game done to warrant my time, attention, and interest?

Punitive or not, the demonstrated attitudes from the players supporting the game's structure have not been inviting. What I have heard has been:

• Don't be surprised if you're murdered, mugged, or abused once you come onto the game; and this is totally IC and thematic.

• We'll be happy to answer questions you have, but we're not going to give you any knowledge that you have not earned.

• We have absolutely no problem with PKilling others to quiet them down, so we can help others.

• We want new players butchering people and going on murder sprees.

• Don't trust people, because you might end up getting murdered, mugged, or abused.

• But we'll help you out, really, maybe, perhaps.

All of the above is sort of antithetical to the direction MUSHes are drifting towards, which has been one of accommodation, invitation, and collaboration. And I think you need to understand the audience to which you are messaging.

@faraday said in Armageddon MUD:

Hey, I love video games. But you're not going to convince me that Tomb Raider has anything to do with roleplaying when my "super-awesome adventurer/explorer" Lara Croft is constantly walking into walls and flailing around uselessly just because I the player suck at the game.

That's because if you want to be a super-awesome adventurer/explorer, you should be Aloy.

That, and I have a thing for Merida + dreadlocks.

so hawt

@darinelle said in Recipes!:

My current partner is of the "what you make is amazing, but also I love Taco Bell" variety so I can never quite trust if he means it or if he's just content to eat so he doesn't die and anything would be fine.

Normally, I would just treat my partner like the kids, and tell her shut the fuck up and eat what I put in front of you because it is going inside of you through one end or the other. But she's smart, has keys to a vehicle, and can drive to Taco Bell herself.

Bitch.