Vampire the Masquarade v5 pre-Alpha

I'll do the RPG tomorrow. My sense is that the compulsion table is an interesting idea, but that it needs more work to feel appropriate for the setting. For example, if your toreador is burning blood to get strong in combat and heal is it appropriate to the scene that he suddenly finds some artwork and zones out? No, I think not. There is the option for the storyteller to choose which compulsion afflicts the vampire, in which case I would almost always choose frenzy.

Succeeding at a cost is interesting. I would be inclined to let a player have input about what the cost should be, but not necessarily tell them what you decide. It is harder to prepare yourself for the unexpected and more frightening. Basically you are saying "the plot thickens."

For unnamed/unimportant characters I think that they should not be able to spend willpower unless it is under the right circumstances. Dominate me to murder my family? If I like my family enough, I should be able to spend a willpower to roll again if I fail.

This is a very rough draft of what the design team for VTM is trying to do and I give them a lot of credit for trying to bring back my favorite RPG.

[quote="brandonsantacruz" post=82437This is a very rough draft of what the design team for VTM is trying to do [/quote]

*Disclaimer: I haven't familiarized myself at all with these rules*


PRE-Alpha indeed sounds like almost the initial manuscript someone wrote along the lines: "Let's throw these things to the wall and see if they stick!"

So people shouldn't be too judgemental about them as a LOT of things are bound to change.

A lot of kudos to the company for being confident enough to let people toy with such rough work. I'm guessing they want to get a lot of player feedback from very early on to make the game suit the players better. And also to get players involved in the project as to make the rules feel like theirs.

Here was my feedback about the playtest (other than rating it):

Lots of questions and comments on the playtest. As a long time V:tM fan I am glad I got to try the playtest.
-Can you spend a composure point to resist the "wisper?"
-How do you regain composure- only by giving in to compulsions?
-Maybe blood whisper could reduce successes in rolls rather than incapacitate you.
-The consequences of compulsion are really high and often don't fit the scenario. It might be better to change blood wisper to a penalty to your next dice roll(s).
-Is blood gained from children at the same rate as from adults?
-Scene management is very important with the end of scene hunger roll. It is important to have a clear idea of when a scene should end, how long scenes should be, what constitutes a scene, how many per night.
-How much of role-playing should be spent feeding? When hunger is higher than 2, you are strongly incentivized to hunt. What do the writers intend here? Three scenes per night with one for feeding and two others?
-Could feeding reduce rouses?
-It is troublesome that you can gain more hunger and frenzy from feeding.
-Feeding should reduce hunger and rousing equally
-Could there be a better blood economy for older vampires (e.g. one rouse gets two activations of disciplines)?
-Amir's cover story sucks. His skills don't match his disciplines and the scenerio makes him a target in an already brutal play environment.
-Regarding opposing rolls, does each player choose their attack and then they each roll the appropriate physical + combat, or do they each get turns? We played where each got a turn attacking and if the opponent scored more successes they did damage equal to strength + the weapon (if applicable).
-Should damage be rounded up or down if it is superficial?
-If you can rouse physical stats more than once per scene, then starting with physical stats seems less good.
-It seems like the rules allow for blood buffing allows you to boost mental and social traits, is this intended?
-Healing should be easier for non-lethal damage. It takes a lot of rouses to get anywhere with healing.
-Regarding mighty leap- what unit of measurement should be used? Meters?
-Why ever rouse a 5th time? It felt very mechanical that you rouse 4 times per scene if needed, but not a 5th. Not very thematic.
-Should having zero dots in a skill give an unskilled penalty?
-Hand damage really sucks. Does almost no damage. Seems mostly useful for grappling and biting.
-Players complained that there wasn't much social interaction as part of the plot.

brandonsantacruz wrote: Here was my feedback about the playtest (other than rating it):

Lots of questions and comments on the playtest. As a long time V:tM fan I am glad I got to try the playtest.
-Can you spend a composure point to resist the "wisper?"

I ruled that yes you can.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -How do you regain composure- only by giving in to compulsions?

I think so.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Maybe blood whisper could reduce successes in rolls rather than incapacitate you.

Yeah, from crunchy point of view it really sucks, especially in combat where you can roll multiple times. I feel that hunger dices are really badly executed idea.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -The consequences of compulsion are really high and often don't fit the scenario. It might be better to change blood wisper to a penalty to your next dice roll(s).

I'm surprised that you didn't touched whole clan flaws on 6/7/8 issue. But yeah, compulsions are really far too crippling and random, it's similar issue to botch issue in earlier systems.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Is blood gained from children at the same rate as from adults?

By raw it is, That said by raw you can take a few ml of blood and regain 3 hunger. I wonder why vampires are then so stupid to not just feed a tiny little bit two times per night from one person and be done with it.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Scene management is very important with the end of scene hunger roll. It is important to have a clear idea of when a scene should end, how long scenes should be, what constitutes a scene, how many per night.

I think main problem is that they get rid of blood entirely for a lot more complicated system instead of just increasing blood pool for average vampire to 20 and making all supernatural actions to cost blood instead.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -How much of role-playing should be spent feeding? When hunger is higher than 2, you are strongly incentivized to hunt. What do the writers intend here? Three scenes per night with one for feeding and two others?

IMO, 0 role-play here. Too many hunts are required, to not make sessions into hunt-sessions otherwise.

Long story short yes, they overdid the hunt and made it cornerstone of vampiric existence. It also make it pure dice rolls as you can't really spend 2/3 of session to just get well feed.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Could feeding reduce rouses?

By raw no, which is quite stupid.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -It is troublesome that you can gain more hunger and frenzy from feeding.

Yes it is ...

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Feeding should reduce hunger and rousing equally

Why not just get rid of that idea entirely.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Could there be a better blood economy for older vampires (e.g. one rouse gets two activations of disciplines)?

It already is, older vampires substract dices during the rouses roll.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Amir's cover story sucks. His skills don't match his disciplines and the scenerio makes him a target in an already brutal play environment.

Entire scenario is bit far fetched.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Regarding opposing rolls, does each player choose their attack and then they each roll the appropriate physical + combat, or do they each get turns? We played where each got a turn attacking and if the opponent scored more successes they did damage equal to strength + the weapon (if applicable).

Each person got a turn at attacking i guess.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Should damage be rounded up or down if it is superficial?

No idea, but most likely up.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -If you can rouse physical stats more than once per scene, then starting with physical stats seems less good.

Can't you rouse mental and social too?

brandonsantacruz wrote: -It seems like the rules allow for blood buffing allows you to boost mental and social traits, is this intended?

Guess so. Still strange.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Healing should be easier for non-lethal damage. It takes a lot of rouses to get anywhere with healing.

Yep, on the other hand you heal better from swords now.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Regarding mighty leap- what unit of measurement should be used? Meters?
-Why ever rouse a 5th time? It felt very mechanical that you rouse 4 times per scene if needed, but not a 5th. Not very thematic.

You roll anyway, it's just that you are penalized more. Entire rousing need to be scrapped imo.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Should having zero dots in a skill give an unskilled penalty?

No.

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Hand damage really sucks. Does almost no damage. Seems mostly useful for grappling and biting.

Bitting is as op as always anyway?

brandonsantacruz wrote: -Players complained that there wasn't much social interaction as part of the plot.

It's survival themed, and try to stress combat, evasion and hunger (especially rules on rousing, compulsions and healing/combat). They didn't changed much in social anyway.

I had a scene where three anarchs did a drive-by against the player characters. All three had a one show up on their hunger dice while shooting (at the same time). I ruled that they got to shoot, but that they crashed the car. I honesty am not sure they would have been able to shoot. This is with hunger 2.