If VTMB is my favorite RPG, does that make me a storyfag?

[Storyfag]

Bertram/Janette bondage fics

meh. at least replace jeanette with therese.

Ah, so you're into THAT kind of bondage.

 

[DannyRope]

For my money, it just make you someone with good taste. Bloodlines ruined the dialogue in most other RPG for me. It's not that Bloodlines has the best plotline (that would be Planescape: Torment), indeed is not even that original (although the underdog that can finally get even is a powerful theme, not to say cathartic). But the way is told that story, oh boy, that's the good stuff. Shout-out to Rik Schaffer, amazing OST. I listen to it even when not playing, just good music to chill to.

Of course, it'd have been even more of a masterpiece if it had actual good gameplay but I can stomach a hard to navigate sewer and a combat slog or two at the end in a relatively short RPG. Modern RPG tend to be too long, and although they have miles better gameplay than Bloodlines those games do overstay their welcome. I haven't finished yet any of the Owlcat's RPG, but I have played Bloodlines to completion... an embarrasingly high number of times.

 

[Reinhardt]

Bertram/Janette bondage fics

meh. at least replace jeanette with therese.

Ah, so you're into THAT kind of bondage.

no, i'm more into "replace bertram with therese"

 

[Infinitron]

If VTMB is my favorite RPG, does that make me a storyfag?​

"No, but you are wearing a storyfag's uniform."

 

[Tweed]

Bertram/Janette bondage fics

meh. at least replace jeanette with therese.

Ah, so you're into THAT kind of bondage.

no, i'm more into "replace bertram with therese"

You'll never make it in this industry.

 

[Serus]

It makes you a poor-taste-fag.

 

[Lokhir]

I like bloodlines mainly because of its atmosphere, characters, immersive sim elements and side quests. The main story is solid but isn't the biggest appeal of the game for me, so I don't know if that still makes me a storyfag.

The nu-forum will love you for appreciating such a shit game, you'll see.

 

[Maxie]

Story =/= Main plot. Characters, side quests and atmosphere are part of the story. But not necessarily of the main plot. In Bloodlines all these elements work together to deliver a compelling experience.

Bloodlines shines when you're not actively playing it, ie. tackling missions or most quests, it becomes a dreary experience and a mockery of Deus Ex then. People mostly like it because you can walk around a hub, do small interactions with NPCs written in a very gonzo way, you can unlock doors and shit depending on your build, etc. Arguably metagaming between missions to make missions suck less is Bloodlines.

 

[Odoryuk]

Just a novelqueer at best

 

[archangeldcw]

I like bloodlines mainly because of its atmosphere, characters, immersive sim elements and side quests. The main story is solid but isn't the biggest appeal of the game for me, so I don't know if that still makes me a storyfag.

Ambiance-fag

I like bloodlines mainly because of its atmosphere, characters, immersive sim elements and side quests. The main story is solid but isn't the biggest appeal of the game for me, so I don't know if that still makes me a storyfag.

People that play games for story primarily aren't there for the pure aesthetics of the experience. Considering that video games are multimedia it's only natural that you might engage with it just to soak in the atmosphere. The right digital art, music, coupled with interactivity coming together into something more pronounced than the sum of its parts. I've read film critics describe this kind of media object as a "mood-piece", and more high-brow films tend to lean into this, the plot being barely there, if at all, as an excuse to bring about a phenomenological transportation, into exquisite landscapes of sight and sound allowing you to partake in this being for a moment. The writing and characters are only there to provide further texture, in the case of Bloodlines amalgamations of Y2K archetype-stereotypes mashed together with those from the tabletop game. Beneath the cheap nostalgic wrapping of the transitional period of the new millennium there's something more inexplicable and alluring.

No, this doesn't make you a storyfag.

While ambiance/atmosphere is really important to me, I'd still say characters and side quests matter just as much if not more. I'm pretty sure those things fall under the storyfag category.

Story =/= Main plot. Characters, side quests and atmosphere are part of the story. But not necessarily of the main plot. In Bloodlines all these elements work together to deliver a compelling experience.

I agree with almost everything you said except for atmosphere being part of the story. There are plenty of games with unremarkable stories and great atmosphere like resident evil, mirrors edge or left 4 dead 1

What about other RPGs, what do you appreciate the most?

I've only finished a handful of RPGs but usually what I look for is an interesting setting, good characters, fun quests, and good atmosphere

I like bloodlines mainly because of its atmosphere, characters, immersive sim elements and side quests. The main story is solid but isn't the biggest appeal of the game for me, so I don't know if that still makes me a storyfag.

It definitely makes you a connoisseur of great art.

 

[archangeldcw]

For my money, it just make you someone with good taste. Bloodlines ruined the dialogue in most other RPG for me. It's not that Bloodlines has the best plotline (that would be Planescape: Torment), indeed is not even that original (although the underdog that can finally get even is a powerful theme, not to say cathartic). But the way is told that story, oh boy, that's the good stuff. Shout-out to Rik Schaffer, amazing OST. I listen to it even when not playing, just good music to chill to.

Of course, it'd have been even more of a masterpiece if it had actual good gameplay but I can stomach a hard to navigate sewer and a combat slog or two at the end in a relatively short RPG. Modern RPG tend to be too long, and although they have miles better gameplay than Bloodlines those games do overstay their welcome. I haven't finished yet any of the Owlcat's RPG, but I have played Bloodlines to completion... an embarrasingly high number of times.

I feel you man. Whenever I try to play other RPGs, I can't help but compare their dialogue to bloodlines and be disappointed. I listen to the OST pretty often too. It added so much to the atmosphere of the game.

I always liked the pacing and length of bloodlines for the most part. Some of the later segments of the game dragged a bit but most of it is paced really well. The game is about 25ish hours if you do all the side quests which I think is close to the ideal length for this type of game

 

[jakkis]

When talking about bloodlines' characters there's a thing often mentioned, but not yet in this thread, the animations. Though undead, Bloodlines' characters feel alive, when compared to most other games with soulless mojave patrollers and knee-arrow takers. Bloodlines is real immersive in this regard.

 

[mondblut]

I like bloodlines mainly because of its atmosphere, characters, immersive sim elements and side quests. The main story is solid but isn't the biggest appeal of the game for me, so I don't know if that still makes me a storyfag.

Well, you certainly don't seem to like it because of its gameplay (which is a shitty fps/ ots action). Now draw your own conclusion.

 

[Grunker]

but have you played kotor 7 times

 

[Dark Souls II]

Atmosphere ≠ story. VtMB has an outstanding atmosphere, one of the best ever in RPGs, and a completely forgettable story.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

Yeah, Bloodlines is one of my favorite crpgs because it has the best atmosphere of any crpg thus far. Hammy voice acting, comedic dialogue, nice music, nice art direction, stylized characters…

Other crpgs are bland in comparison. Their dialogue and acting is too self-serious, they have no sense of humor, and the character models all look like creepy plastic mannequins.

In other words, Bloodlines has the best atmosphere because it’s the most like a LucasArts style adventure game.

 

[Kev Inkline]

I consider myself atmosphere-ally.

 

[Spectral Pontifex]

Welcome to Codex, the most prestigious place for a serious discussion of RPGs.

By the way, what's your opinion on the official Holocaust death toll?

 

[archangeldcw]

Yeah, Bloodlines is one of my favorite crpgs because it has the best atmosphere of any crpg thus far. Hammy voice acting, comedic dialogue, nice music, nice art direction, stylized characters…

Other crpgs are bland in comparison. Their dialogue and acting is too self-serious, they have no sense of humor, and the character models all look like creepy plastic mannequins.

In other words, Bloodlines has the best atmosphere because it’s the most like a LucasArts style adventure game.

Couldn't agree more. Most other RPGs I've tried that were praised for their writing just bored me because they felt bland in comparison to bloodlines. I'm not looking for "deep" or "philosophical" writing. I just want writing that feels natural with a sense of humor, and memorable characters

 

[Terenty]

Bloodlines is a very very poor man's Deus Ex.

Destitute man's Deus Ex.

 

[HansDampf]

Maybe VtMB is just so exceptionally sexy that even gameplayfags love it.

 

[santino27]

I like bloodlines mainly because of its atmosphere, characters, immersive sim elements and side quests. The main story is solid but isn't the biggest appeal of the game for me, so I don't know if that still makes me a storyfag.

Yes, but that's not a bad thing. Immersion, atmosphere, and characters are the best parts of VTMB and all as much a part of the story as the somewhat weaker main plot.

 

[Skinwalker]

I like bloodlines mainly because of its atmosphere, characters, immersive sim elements and side quests. The main story is solid but isn't the biggest appeal of the game for me, so I don't know if that still makes me a storyfag.

It makes you a storybro and superior to combatfags.

 

[Jaedar]

Bloodlines is a very very poor man's Deus Ex.

Destitute man's Deus Ex.

A poor mans deus ex is still a game made in the image of imsim, and therefore typically a top 10% RPG by default.