KickStarter Vampire Syndicate: Gangs of MoonFall - Kickstarter now live!

[Castozor]

So sorry if you actually covered this before, but do your vampires have magical powers in this game or not? Don't care either way but I'm just curious.

 

[Tyranicon]

So sorry if you actually covered this before, but do your vampires have magical powers in this game or not? Don't care either way but I'm just curious.

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: There's a few types of magic that exist in the setting and they're gained through different ways. Being that vampires are super resourceful, they have more access to it than most humans. The two most common are:


Encarna - mundane magic. Everyone has access to this but it's very limited, with most of its uses relegated to bolstering your health and physicality. Like a muscle, you can train it to become stronger over time. The most common use of this is to project an encarnic barrier that increases the force of your melee attacks, and protects against projectiles similar to a shield from Dune. This explains in part why weapons such as swords and spears are still commonly used, besides rule of cool. Yes, there are various schools of martial arts for this.

Inara - arcane magic. Reality shaping that is fueled by "burning" a memory. The more valuable the memory to the caster, the stronger the spell. Users are called "shapers" and the ability to use Inara needs to be imparted from a teacher to a student. This transference is not free, in a lot of ways, and results in a very strong shared memory that can be "burned" to fuel a very strong spell, albeit one that will remove your ability to use arcane magic forever.

There are also types of magic that are unique to certain factions, such as

The Magic of Prophecy
The Magic of Witches
Bibliomancy

But all vampires will be able to use blood magic.

Hmm, I should probably do a lore video on this at some point.

 

[santino27]

This sort of info/loredump will also make for a good campaign update once the Kickstarter is going on.

 

[Castozor]

That sounds interesting, especially the Inara. Really curious how you work that out as a game mechanic, assuming it even is available to the player.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

Yeah, that doesn’t sound feasible for a video game. How do you represent magic that consumes memories? Does it remove XP? Skill points? Sounds more appropriate for a novel or something.

I’m really disappointed that there aren’t any other devs working on vampire-themed crpgs. Not that I can name at the moment. There’s this, Nighthawks, and nothing else. Bloodlines released 20 years ago and we haven’t had anything else in the genre space since.

 

[Tyranicon]

That sounds interesting, especially the Inara. Really curious how you work that out as a game mechanic, assuming it even is available to the player.

Yeah, that doesn’t sound feasible for a video game. How do you represent magic that consumes memories? Does it remove XP? Skill points? Sounds more appropriate for a novel or something.

For most uses, shapers have refined a system of mental marking that creates expendable memories. For example in the now outdated demo, the shaper companion counted out some numbers and held them in her head, and those small memories of her doing that are enough to fuel her spells.

As for the larger stuff, at this point I'll only say that I have a few tricks up my sleeve. If I get enough money, I'll finally create the convoluted magic system I've always wanted.

 

[Tao]

So sorry if you actually covered this before, but do your vampires have magical powers in this game or not? Don't care either way but I'm just curious.

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: There's a few types of magic that exist in the setting and they're gained through different ways. Being that vampires are super resourceful, they have more access to it than most humans. The two most common are:


Encarna - mundane magic. Everyone has access to this but it's very limited, with most of its uses relegated to bolstering your health and physicality. Like a muscle, you can train it to become stronger over time. The most common use of this is to project an encarnic barrier that increases the force of your melee attacks, and protects against projectiles similar to a shield from Dune. This explains in part why weapons such as swords and spears are still commonly used, besides rule of cool. Yes, there are various schools of martial arts for this.

Inara - arcane magic. Reality shaping that is fueled by "burning" a memory. The more valuable the memory to the caster, the stronger the spell. Users are called "shapers" and the ability to use Inara needs to be imparted from a teacher to a student. This transference is not free, in a lot of ways, and results in a very strong shared memory that can be "burned" to fuel a very strong spell, albeit one that will remove your ability to use arcane magic forever.

There are also types of magic that are unique to certain factions, such as

The Magic of Prophecy
The Magic of Witches
Bibliomancy

But all vampires will be able to use blood magic.

Hmm, I should probably do a lore video on this at some point.

You're missing my favorite type of magic

Spoiler

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Sex magic?

 

[Herumor]

So sorry if you actually covered this before, but do your vampires have magical powers in this game or not? Don't care either way but I'm just curious.

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: There's a few types of magic that exist in the setting and they're gained through different ways. Being that vampires are super resourceful, they have more access to it than most humans. The two most common are:


Encarna - mundane magic. Everyone has access to this but it's very limited, with most of its uses relegated to bolstering your health and physicality. Like a muscle, you can train it to become stronger over time. The most common use of this is to project an encarnic barrier that increases the force of your melee attacks, and protects against projectiles similar to a shield from Dune. This explains in part why weapons such as swords and spears are still commonly used, besides rule of cool. Yes, there are various schools of martial arts for this.

Inara - arcane magic. Reality shaping that is fueled by "burning" a memory. The more valuable the memory to the caster, the stronger the spell. Users are called "shapers" and the ability to use Inara needs to be imparted from a teacher to a student. This transference is not free, in a lot of ways, and results in a very strong shared memory that can be "burned" to fuel a very strong spell, albeit one that will remove your ability to use arcane magic forever.

There are also types of magic that are unique to certain factions, such as

The Magic of Prophecy
The Magic of Witches
Bibliomancy

But all vampires will be able to use blood magic.

Hmm, I should probably do a lore video on this at some point.

I wonder how going full borg will work against stuff like this.

 

[Tyranicon]

I wonder how going full borg will work against stuff like this.

Depends on the type of going full borg. Messing with your brain interferes with Inara use, so shapers generally stay away from all but the most inobtrusive augments there. On the flip side, there are implants than enhance these skills.

As for blood magic, the vampiric curse ties a vampire's soul to their...uh, body. I won't say much more since it's a big spoiler, but vampires generally cannot augment their bodies with tech after becoming one, and they shouldn't before.

There are exceptions.

Going full borg is 100% a harder path in the game, both storywise and gameplay wise. But it will be a way to remain "human" and still be able to go toe-to-toe with some of the weaker vampires.

 

[Herumor]

Going full borg is 100% a harder path in the game, both storywise and gameplay wise. But it will be a way to remain "human" and still be able to go toe-to-toe with some of the weaker vampires.

Hey man, so long as I can go full Adam Smasher / Shaitan, I'm good with harder combat encounters. Just hope it's gonna reflect in NPC reactivity and not just purely changing up some gameplay mechanics and skills.

 

[Tyranicon]

Hey man, so long as I can go full Adam Smasher / Shaitan, I'm good with harder combat encounters. Just hope it's gonna reflect in NPC reactivity and not just purely changing up some gameplay mechanics and skills.

Probably an open secret here, but reactivity depends a lot on funding since it uses one of any dev's most important resources, time.

But this is a big deal since not being able to become a vampire matters a lot in a game about vampires. You will be heavily discouraged by the characters from going down this route and they will distrust you once you pass a certain threshold.

This will be explained thoroughly to the player.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

So you get a bad end if you try to cast the spell and don’t have enough flesh?

 

[lightbane]

There are exceptions.

Is biotechnology a thing? That should be an exception. Brain implants, improved reflexes and the like are simply too useful to pass. Depending on how hard-core the cyber part of your setting is, brain implants to connect with the net are possibly a must.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

Having the option to not be a vampire in the vampire game would be the height of RPG though. I was so disappointed that V came pre-augmented in cyberupunk.

 

[Tyranicon]

The more I work on the game, the more confidant I am that I won't be completely bankrupt.

Full trailer is nearing completion. It will be a beefy one.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

The more I work on the game, the more confidant I am that I won't be completely bankrupt.

Full trailer is nearing completion. It will be a beefy one.

View attachment 54099

I hope your proofreader also profits.
Slayers need more barbarians by the way.

 

[Readher]

Make sure to make the Kickstarter page appealing this time, utilize stuff like gifs and clearly mark features that average people find very important in RPGs (gender selection, character customization, romance, whether there's lesbo and gay stuff, joinable factions, etc.), and to have updates about lore and various gameplay systems ready before you even launch, in order to be able to release them at a steady pace and keep the interest up. Basically stuff I and other people here mentioned during your previous, unsuccessful attempt. Presentation and engagement are king when you're just a droplet in the Kickstarter sea.

 

[Demo.Graph]

whether there's lesbo and gay stuff

Actually, Tyranicon you might want to make a lack of homosexuals* and direct cishenderism for ordinary humans your selling points.
You won't be popular among the lowest common denominator in any case, so it might be worthwhile to openly appeal to "opposition".

*Hot lesbian cosplayers are obviously a big plus or several.

 

[Tyranicon]

whether there's lesbo and gay stuff

Actually, Tyranicon you might want to make a lack of homosexuals* and direct cishenderism for ordinary humans your selling points.
You won't be popular among the lowest common denominator in any case, so it might be worthwhile to openly appeal to "opposition".

*Hot lesbian cosplayers are obviously a big plus or several.

Like I said before, I just want to make games, not get knee-deep in drama or the [current thing]. The industry at large is already infested with that shit.

I'll let the game speak for itself.



Game will have hot lesbians tho, cause come on

 

[Caim]

whether there's lesbo and gay stuff

Actually, Tyranicon you might want to make a lack of homosexuals* and direct cishenderism for ordinary humans your selling points.
You won't be popular among the lowest common denominator in any case, so it might be worthwhile to openly appeal to "opposition".

*Hot lesbian cosplayers are obviously a big plus or several.

Like I said before, I just want to make games, not get knee-deep in drama or the [current thing]. The industry at large is already infested with that shit.

I'll let the game speak for itself.



Game will have hot lesbians tho, cause come on

Either you sink in the cum or cum in the sink, and it looks like you chose the second option.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Ya gotta have a few flagrant faggot vamps or peeps. I mean over the top making fun of the culture (but just a few). Rainbow cape vamp who decides to fly into the sunshine... and die. Where's Count Fagula "I vant to suck your dick. BLAH BLAH!" or was it "I cum to vuck your butt.. BLAH! BLAH!

 

[Tyranicon]

For Monday

It's not every day when the trajectory of me living on the streets or not is based on a single video.

 

[Alienman]

Dude, free bus-wi-fi hobo game development could be great for PR.

 

[Yoomazir]

Lewd games are serious bizness isn't it, I remember trying the rpgmaker demo a while ago. Question: will the lewd scenes have a first person & free cam options like Last Hope (another lewd game in UnrealE)?