Looking for resources for Vampires and Steampunk

[ZZTRaider]

Hello, everyone.

I've been running a solo Pathfinder campaign for a friend of mine for the last few months. It's been going very well, and she's enjoyed how the story can focus so much on her character's development. She's started talking about what she'd like to do in the next campaign, once we finish the current one. That's still a number of months away, but I'm not terribly familiar with the sort of setting and genre she's looking for, so I think it's prudent to go ahead and start preparing so I can give her the best experience possible.


First off, she wants to play a vampire, though not of the traditional D&D variety. In her own words, "I like depictions where they are more human like, such as cursed humans but still with soul/seeking redemption/oh sad me kind of thing better than the pure evil incarnation because the creation of a vampire is by a sire sharing his/her blood therefore all vampires were human, and many were turned unwillingly. ... The undead part still applies to the sort of vampire mythology I find interesting because the vampire did die, therefore they are undead, but they are still essentially humans. I also like the idea that they have abilities they can focus on and develop as they age, so depending on how old a vampire is in a lot of stories that will determine what they can do (I.e. mind reading for a youngish vampire versus mind control for an older vampire, or illusion skills versus actual morphing skills such as turning into a bat)."

I haven't spent much time reading books or watching movies about vampires; really, the most fiction I've read involving vampires are the recent Order of the Stick comics. Can anyone recommend some good resources that would fit well with that description?

I'm also wondering if Pathfinder is really the right system for the next campaign. Obviously, the standard vampire template doesn't really fit; there's a host of immunities gained from gaining the undead type that don't necessarily fit and there's no sense of progression or uniqueness. I've looked briefly at White Wolf's Vampire, since I'm a bit familiar with Mage, but I'm not sure what other options might exist or what the real differences are between The Masquerade and The Requiem. Any advice?


From what I have seen about Vampire, it looks like both The Masquerade and The Requiem are set in an alternate modern day world. My friend, however, is looking for a setting closer to the "late 19th to early 20th century. Sort of around the time cars and electricity were invented but hadn't quite caught on. Aka the end of the industrial revolution." In addition, she's looking for a setting with a magic level somewhere between normal Pathfinder and a mundane world, where "magic is more special but not uncommon."

I described the setting of Final Fantasy 6 to her, and she seemed to think that was pretty close to what she's looking for. That's my only real experience with steampunk, however. Anyone have any good recommendations for novels or other resources to get more familiar with the genre?

I did see a system called Victoriana that looked like it might be a good fit, at least at first glance. I hadn't heard of it before I saw it in the store, though; does anyone have any experience with it?


Any and all advice or direction you all can offer is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Grinner]

I haven't spent much time reading books or watching movies about vampires; really, the most fiction I've read involving vampires are the recent Order of the Stick comics. Can anyone recommend some good resources that would fit well with that description?

You've basically summarized Vampire: The Requiem. As such, you may want to consider getting it, in spite of the expense.

I'm also wondering if Pathfinder is really the right system for the next campaign. Obviously, the standard vampire template doesn't really fit; there's a host of immunities gained from gaining the undead type that don't necessarily fit and there's no sense of progression or uniqueness. I've looked briefly at White Wolf's Vampire, since I'm a bit familiar with Mage, but I'm not sure what other options might exist or what the real differences are between The Masquerade and The Requiem. Any advice?

They're superficially similar, but they diverge on two points.

First, the system from Vampire: The Masquerade is streamlined in Vampire: The Requiem.

Second, Vampire: The Masquerade has this giant metaplot associated with it. That may not be an issue, but bear in mind that the game's mechanics are strongly rooted in its fluff. It's not bad fluff, but you'll have to stick to the basic structure provided. For instance, you'll have trouble doing away with the progenitor vampire, should you desire not to have that particular feature.

I'm going to recommend Requiem over Masquerade because the system is a bit easier to digest and because it's evident that your friend's been reading it.

From what I have seen about Vampire, it looks like both The Masquerade and The Requiem are set in an alternate modern day world. My friend, however, is looking for a setting closer to the "late 19th to early 20th century. Sort of around the time cars and electricity were invented but hadn't quite caught on. Aka the end of the industrial revolution." In addition, she's looking for a setting with a magic level somewhere between normal Pathfinder and a mundane world, where "magic is more special but not uncommon."

Since I've never used it, I should hesitate to suggest it, but if you end up going with Vampire: The Requiem, consider also getting the Mirrors sourcebook. It's supposed to help you adapt the game to other genres.

[ZZTRaider]

You've basically summarized Vampire: The Requiem. As such, you may want to consider getting it, in spite of the expense.

...

I'm going to recommend Requiem over Masquerade because the system is a bit easier to digest and because it's evident that your friend's been reading it.

Hah, that's rather amusing. I talked to her after seeing this comment, and asked about it. The closest she's actually done is created a character (with lots of help of her DM, and she never got to play) and looked at the art for Vampire: The Masquerade about ten years ago. But, if it's close enough to sound like she's been reading it, I think that definitely justifies buying the book.

Since I've never used it, I should hesitate to suggest it, but if you end up going with Vampire: The Requiem, consider also getting the Mirrors sourcebook. It's supposed to help you adapt the game to other genres.

Granted, I haven't looked for too long, but I can't find anything about this sourcebook, other than its title in a list of publications on wikipedia. Unfortunately, searches with the words "vampire" and "mirror" tend toward something else entirely, so there's a good bit of cruft to sort through.

Do you happen to have any more information that could help me locate a vendor for the book?

[Doleth]

DriveThruRPG offers a lot of White Wolf product including World of Darkness Mirror(which was the book Grinner talked about) and a series called Victorian Age Vampire for Vampire: The Masquerade. You'd probably be fine with just Vampire the Requiem and changing a few skill, though. You should probably ask your player for recommendation on what to read/watch as inspiration, since both Vampire and Steampunk are fairly wide genre with varied interpretation. What she like about those may not be the same as what I do, so anything I could suggest may result in a game she'll dislike.

That said, you may want to check on Deadland. It's a weird Western/Steampunk/Horror kind of game where magic is special but not uncommon. I don't know if they have vampires, but the Harrowed are kinda similar in concept.

[TeChameleon]

If you want a rather excellent, free, but exceedingly time-consuming way to get a good feel for the steampunk genre (although the authors prefer the term 'gaslamp fantasy'), take a look at www.girlgeniusonline.com. It's a long-running webcomic by the husband-and-wife team of Phil and Kaja Foglio, featuring superb (if... rather oddly stylized in places) art, writing with more layers of nuance, metaphor, and twisty plot than you can shake a really big stick, or for that matter, several trees, at, a sense of fun and great atmosphere.

"In a time where the industrial revolution has become an all-out war, mad science rules the world. Badly."

Or, more succinctly,

"Adventure! Romance! MAD SCIENCE!!!!!"