Vampire: Bloodlines

[Avilan the Grey]

Starting (re-starting) this game. Never played further than the tutorial...
I see a lot of people saying to not play Malkavian in your first playthrough. Not sure if I buy the logic though.

Right now I am thorn between Malkavian and Ventrue but strongly leaning towards the former.

[Manticoran]

...I'm going to say you can TOTALLY play as a Malkavian your first play through, just... Don't expect it to go anything but super crazy.

And I recommend playing as a not-Malkavian as well. The issue with playing is a Malkavian is that you see a very different story in a lot of ways than as a not-Malkavian. As such, it's generally recommended that you play both, with a not-Malkavian being a much clearer story in a lot of ways, and so generally recommended played first. Especially as not everyone will DO two playthroughs.

Playing the non-Malkavian side and then playing the Malkavian one, the Malkavian reveals a lot of interesting things with their perspective and madness. Playing as a normal after playing as a Malkavian, you see more of what was going on in the world, but the Malkavian stuff will likely seem very confusing still unless you go back and play it a THIRD TIME as a Malkavian again. That's my general experience, anyway, as someone who did try to play Malkavian first, and then played the game like 4-5 times.

[Fri]

Basically, playing as malkavian give you a rather different story and commentary from all of your inner thought, or to be more proper, rather different view on the story. Sure you can play as malkavian first, but most people want to know the supposed story first.

[Avilan the Grey]

Hmmm your in-debt 'splaining is better, but I am still very tempted.

How's Ventrue?

[Cristo Meyers]

Hmmm your in-debt 'splaining is better, but I am still very tempted.

How's Ventrue?

Let's put it this way: Bloodlines is infamous for its Sewer Level. Being a Ventrue makes it worse it a lot of ways by adding yet another restriction on your supplies. Everything else comes down to what powers you think sound most interesting.

[Manticoran]

Let's put it this way: Bloodlines is infamous for its Sewer Level. Being a Ventrue makes it worse it a lot of ways by adding yet another restriction on your supplies. Everything else comes down to what powers you think sound most interesting.

Ventrue does make the sewer level worse, but I wouldn't worry too much about it past that. Not being able to eat rats is annoying in a lot of places, but is mostly just fine.

[Ebon_Drake]

My last play-through was Ventrue. I was worried that the disciplines would be overly defensive - Fortitude and Presence are great for stopping you getting hurt, but don't give you any boosts to your attacks. Dominate was surprisingly effective even at higher levels though, I got Mass Suicide more as a thematic thing but I was pleasantly surprised by how useful and powerful it was. I've played through the game 5 times now and that Ventrue was possibly the most powerful of my PCs so far.

As others have said, the biggest issue with playing Ventrue is that their drawback can hit you hard in that dang sewer level. It's easy to manage if you know to stock up on blood packs and other items first, but if you don't know when it's coming then it can be a real slap in the face. I also don't think their supposed clan benefit of "easier integration into vampire society" actually does anything apart from maybe getting you a nicer apartment slightly earlier.

I'd say the easiest first play-through would be either Brujah or Toreador. They're pretty straight-forward, no major drawbacks and their disciplines all synergise nicely. Celerity, Potence and Presence are obvious combat boosts, but Auspex in particular is another power that I found was surprisingly useful and versatile in a whole range of situations, and it's actually a combat boost too since IIRC perception improves your gunplay and wits improves your defence.

I'd agree with doing a Malk run second. You can really appreciate the difference in the dialogue options and NPC responses more and so much of their dialogue will make more sense if you already know the "normal" plot. Same goes for Nosferatu to a lesser degree, I found it really fun to have one run where I was always skulking through the sewers and staying obfuscated to avoid the normies. Tremere are solid and their Thaumaturgy discipline is very powerful, but I do feel going for them steers the game in a particular direction. Although I think you can still go for any of the endings, why wouldn't a Tremere side with Strauss? He's a reasonable choice anyway, plus a Tremere gets a whole load of extra benefits for helping him in his side quests, and from an RP point of view the Tremere are really big on clan loyalty. I'd only now pick Tremere if I was already planning on taking that ending.I've never bothered with Gangrel, they just seem kind of dull and don't offer much different to the Brujah, except for having more ways to break the Masquerade.

[Manticoran]

I ran Malkavian(Stopped partway through), Tremere, Nosferatu, Malkavian(Finished), if I remember correctly.

[Eldan]

I went with a Toreador. After my experience at the beginning, I w ent fully into social skills and powers and then got stuck hard in the sewers and some later levels. And that one damn boss. Then, I maxed celerity (had auspex already) and got the magic katana and from then on, I was basically playing a high powered martial arts movie against normals.

[dariathalon]

I'd agree with those saying to wait on Malk until you've played it through once, unless you plan multiple playthroughs anyway (which who can say until you've tried it once to see if you like it). A lot of the coolness about the Malkavian is that their raving madness really does have something behind it (the way that the books describe it, but it never really plays out that way in tabletop). There is some pretty amazing insight to some of it that you really don't get until later, and you'll probably miss about 90% of it without a prior playthrough.

I can't really speak to playing a Ventrue. I think I played at least part of the game as each bloodline, but I don't remember much about that one, so I probably didn't play it for long. That sewer level would be a really pain though, as others have pointed out. My first time through I used Gangrel, and I think that was the one I liked the most to be honest. Though Malkavian (with a prior play) was a close second. Without a prior play, I don't think I would have made it through that one.

[Avilan the Grey]

Still leaning towards Malkavian, to be honest. The little I played was very enjoyable and above all a different experience than any other RPG because of the um... unique mindset.

[Inarius]

Still leaning towards Malkavian, to be honest. The little I played was very enjoyable and above all a different experience than any other RPG because of the um... unique mindset.

I went Tremere for my first playthrough (I like castery types), second was Malk like most people. For me it would of been weird playing a Malk first, but I have a friend who played Malk first and she absolutely loved it because it was so off the wall. It just comes down to the type of person you are I suppose, though I think being aware that a Malk playthrough will be weird may help if you decide to do that.

[Fri]

Still leaning towards Malkavian, to be honest. The little I played was very enjoyable and above all a different experience than any other RPG because of the um... unique mindset.

Well, if you do it's your game, nobody can really stop you :smallbiggrin:

[Ebon_Drake]

One word of warning if you do go for Malkavian: be very careful when picking dialogue options. There are lots of times where it's hard to tell apart the options for "I'd love to do your quest", "I'll do it if I have to, but you'd better pay up" and "go to hell, jerkface".

Of course, the best ones are when you do pick an insulting option, but you get away with it because the response is so random that it completely goes over the other person's head anyway.

[Cikomyr]

Ahh.. I love that game.

A friend told me he thought there was 4 main ways to play Bloodlines:

- Pure action flick. Underpowered until you reach the endgame
- Talky/Stealth. Lots of XP if you play your cards smart. Lots and lots of xp. Use it for a late-game power boost
- Nosferatu
- Malkavian

[Cespenar]

Ahh.. I love that game.

A friend told me he thought there was 4 main ways to play Bloodlines:

- Pure action flick. Go melee or unarmed and you are overpowered every step of the game.
- Talky/Stealth. Lots of XP if you play your cards smart. Lots and lots of xp. Use it for a late-game power boost
- Nosferatu
- Malkavian

Fixed it in bold.

[Cikomyr]

Eh. can't argue against that. My first play through was an Unarmed Brujah.

Its funny the abuse i could do. Remember the stripper vampire hunter yiu have to kill on the quiet side? I just sucked her dry. I believe you need rather high stats to even grab her.

[Mx.Silver]

Eh. can't argue against that. My first play through was an Unarmed Brujah.

Its funny the abuse i could do. Remember the stripper vampire hunter yiu have to kill on the quiet side? I just sucked her dry. I believe you need rather high stats to even grab her.

That's actually the optimal way of finishing that quest, iirc.

[Cikomyr]

That's actually the optimal way of finishing that quest, iirc.

Actually, any non-firearm method works out fine.

Poor VV hated my guts. Probably not helped that i called her Susan..

[Sian]

Malk is somewhat difficult as its not always obvious what your responses mean ... and large parts of their intriguing nature flies over your head since you don't know what its hinting at or lampshading or what else.

IMO Tremere is probably the easiest clan to go at, as Bloodbuff easily handles your physical stats anyways, and Thaumaturgy is one of the strongest disciplines around, specially Blood strike (which is a great ranged attack) and Blood Shield (which is very strong defensive buff)

[Nilehus]

I went... Toreador the first time through? The one where you get doubled humanity gain/loss. Celerity carries you through combat, Auspex gives you a good bonus to hacking, and you get a nice little bonus to diplomatic skills.

Malkavian's fun, but you'll appreciate it more when you understand the little references that they make in conversation, instead of 'Oh, THAT'S what they meant.' for the few you remember.

And when you have four completely incomprehensible responses and three of them tick the person off... it's a little confusing sometimes.

[Avilan the Grey]

Malk is somewhat difficult as its not always obvious what your responses mean ... and large parts of their intriguing nature flies over your head since you don't know what its hinting at or lampshading or what else.

IMO Tremere is probably the easiest clan to go at, as Bloodbuff easily handles your physical stats anyways, and Thaumaturgy is one of the strongest disciplines around, specially Blood strike (which is a great ranged attack) and Blood Shield (which is very strong defensive buff)

The little I have played was fairly obvious, I think. And since I am supposedly a total vampire Noob, not knowing how the world works actually fits.

Now, anyone got a good name for a female Malk who isn't "Harley Quinn"? :smallbiggrin:

[BeerMug Paladin]

Now, anyone got a good name for a female Malk who isn't "Harley Quinn"? :smallbiggrin:

Marzipan? Pinkie Pie?

[Cikomyr]

Baby Doll

(Sucker punch)

[Avilan the Grey]

Thanks for the suggestions!
Settled for "Honey".

The inspiration is actually from HIMYM: The "Oh Honey!" character.

[Cikomyr]

Thanks for the suggestions!
Settled for "Honey".

The inspiration is actually from HIMYM: The "Oh Honey!" character.

How about "Bla Bla", and part of your Dementation's ability is that nobody actually remember your day, and everything you go through is an extensive flashback?

[Avilan the Grey]

...I absolutely love the voices in my head...
...They keep me company among these dark demons...


...But I never understood the Play in the theater...?

[Ebon_Drake]

...I absolutely love the voices in my head...
...They keep me company among these dark demons...


...But I never understood the Play in the theater...?

... huh? Do you mean the sequence at the start of the game where La Croix executes your sire? It's not a play, it just happens to be in a theatre. La Croix is the local vampire Prince. Your sire turned you into a vampire without La Croix's permission, which means he broke vampire law. La Croix is relatively new to LA and his power in the city isn't secure, so he took a hard line to try to show his authority and had your sire publicly executed for his crime. He was about to execute you as well, but Nines Rodriguez (the leader of the local Anarchs) objected. La Croix quickly reassessed the situation and figured the best option was to show you mercy instead.

At least, that's the face-value reading of that sequence. The game is so full of politicking and ulterior motives that it's hard to be certain what any of the big players (or even a lot of the small ones) are truly intending. The way that La Croix's enforcers burst in immediately after your siring always made me suspicious that it was some kind of deliberate set-up, although I can't remember if the game is ever clear on that.

[Avilan the Grey]

... huh? Do you mean the sequence at the start of the game where La Croix executes your sire? It's not a play, it just happens to be in a theatre. La Croix is the local vampire Prince. Your sire turned you into a vampire without La Croix's permission, which means he broke vampire law. La Croix is relatively new to LA and his power in the city isn't secure, so he took a hard line to try to show his authority and had your sire publicly executed for his crime. He was about to execute you as well, but Nines Rodriguez (the leader of the local Anarchs) objected. La Croix quickly reassessed the situation and figured the best option was to show you mercy instead.

At least, that's the face-value reading of that sequence. The game is so full of politicking and ulterior motives that it's hard to be certain what any of the big players (or even a lot of the small ones) are truly intending. The way that La Croix's enforcers burst in immediately after your siring always made me suspicious that it was some kind of deliberate set-up, although I can't remember if the game is ever clear on that.

Um... I know. But that is an almost word for word actual quote that you can say to the tutorial guy when you first meet him after exiting the theater... As a Malk that is

[Ebon_Drake]

Um... I know. But that is an almost word for word actual quote that you can say to the tutorial guy when you first meet him after exiting the theater... As a Malk that is

Ah, gotcha. I thought you were genuinely confused. I've always thought that sequence is quite an awkward introduction and needs you to know a fair bit of the lore to understand what's going on. It's fun to then re-play the game afterwards and put names to the faces in the crowd.

[Comet]

Aynone here recommend playing through as a Nosferatu? Is there a lot of fun dialogue and alternate routes? It's probably not as unique as a Malkavian playthrough would be, but it's about the only thing I haven't tried yet and would give me an excuse to play through the game one more time.

[Cikomyr]

Ah, gotcha. I thought you were genuinely confused. I've always thought that sequence is quite an awkward introduction and needs you to know a fair bit of the lore to understand what's going on. It's fun to then re-play the game afterwards and put names to the faces in the crowd.

To be fair, the scene at the Theater IS some form of... Play.

All the characters in place know their part, and they play it out.

Malkavian proves very insightful.

[Driderman]

Aynone here recommend playing through as a Nosferatu? Is there a lot of fun dialogue and alternate routes? It's probably not as unique as a Malkavian playthrough would be, but it's about the only thing I haven't tried yet and would give me an excuse to play through the game one more time.

Nosferatu have a fair amount of clan-specific stuff going on, including a clan-specific Haven and some quests. It's the only clan I've ever actually finished the game with.

[Starbuck_II]

Plus, rat feeding time makes sewers a easy health regaining place. Though you can't talk to regular people.

[Cikomyr]

Plus, rat feeding time makes sewers a easy health regaining place. Though you can't talk to regular people.

It makes for an overall different game tho. Which is pretty cool when you think about it.

I need to reinstall that game...

[Avilan the Grey]

To be fair, the scene at the Theater IS some form of... Play.

All the characters in place know their part, and they play it out.

Malkavian proves very insightful.

I already figured that, even when my did my test run with another clan.
It is way too staged even for being staged.

But yes, Honey calls him a Jester Prince the first time she talks about him... Also, I am sure those lovely friends in my head is on to something.

[Sian]

Wait till you meet Maximillian ... or, as Malks call him, the Wizard-King

[Ebon_Drake]

Aynone here recommend playing through as a Nosferatu? Is there a lot of fun dialogue and alternate routes? It's probably not as unique as a Malkavian playthrough would be, but it's about the only thing I haven't tried yet and would give me an excuse to play through the game one more time.

It's probably the second most different run after Malkavian. IIRC other vampires mostly react the same way apart from a few clan-specific things, but the normies have some very different reactions.

It's actually surprisingly difficult to break the Masquerade by just running around in the streets though. People will run away from you, but you have to go to some effort to score a proper Masquerade violation from it. That's kind of a blessing, since a lot of places only have street-level access and it sucks when you go from an Elysium area to a Masquerade one, or just plain forget to use Obfuscate first. Still, I think it's best to just RP it as always having to sneak/obfuscate around and creep through the sewers.


To be fair, the scene at the Theater IS some form of... Play.

All the characters in place know their part, and they play it out.

Malkavian proves very insightful.

Y'know, I really hesitated when I said it wasn't a play. It's all about La Croix putting on a show trial. Nines called it right.

[Cikomyr]

So.. Nines basically Heckled the Comedian (jester) on stage?

[smuchmuch]

(Frankly the most annoying thing about a first game run as Malkavian is understanding what the hell your character is saying sometime. Sometime you're not sure if you are saying 'yes' or 'no' to a quest unless the NPC answer.)

Also without spoilering, a fair warning, beyond the sewer level at the middle everyone just complained about (which while anoying, is actualy not that bad since you can sneak/run through it in last ressort after a while), the entire end stretch of the game feels very rushed in devellopement and is basically fighting aeras after fighting aeras with no talky and little sneaking options.

So even if you do a mostly social character, make sure to have some decent fighting skills/discipline combos.

[russdm]

You should try to MOD in a rocket launcher or multi-round grenade launcher that fires multiple grenades. Or get a outfit that spams grenades that fly away from you. Or have a mortar that you hold in your hands.

[Eldan]

That would be nice. There's a mod out there that restores some deleted content, one of which is a magical katana that is massively useful.