World of Darkness Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 from Hardsuit Labs

[Prime Junta]

You can carry a gun. You just can’t carry any bullets.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

the only rationale they need for not having firearm weapons is pointing out that it's a shithole city in a shithole state and firearms are effectively banned

 

[Infinitron]

Here's that interview: https://www.polygon.com/features/20...ire-masquerade-bloodlines-2-writers-interview

The writers of Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 on reinvigorating a cult classic
Messy characters make for a bloody game set in modern-day Seattle

The original Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines could not have been released at a worse time. In 2004, the ambitious but buggy role-playing game went toe to toe with the likes of Gordon Freeman, Master Chief, and Solid Snake only to lose badly. Lackluster sales caused developer Troika Games to limp away from the project more or less broken.

What has kept the game relevant over the years is its writing. Rooted in White Wolf’s sprawling World of Darkness pen-and-paper universe, Bloodlines is a deeply narrative video game. It allows players to chart their own course through a grim and morally ambiguous version of early 2000s Los Angeles. Its storyline is so highly regarded that it played a major role in Paradox Interactive’s decision to purchase White Wolf in 2015.

Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 is Paradox’s attempt at a sequel, currently in development by the team at Hardsuit Labs. Its narrative lead is none other than Brian Mitsoda, the man responsible for the storyline of that original game. Joining him is senior writer Cara Ellison, a former journalist turned games writer and a rabid fan of the original game.

Polygon sat down with both Ellison and Mitsoda last month to discuss their history with the Vampire franchise, and to talk about what’s to come for fans of the RPG.

The aftermath of a gruesome event in the world of Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2. The game will begin with a mass Embrace, the unsanctioned creation of many new vampires.
Hardsuit Labs/Paradox Interactive

“I got introduced to the world of Vampire when I first interviewed at Troika,”Mitsoda says. He’d previously worked at Black Isle Studios, makers of the Fallout and Baldur’s Gate series of RPGs. “What I loved about it was that previously all of Black Isle’s licenses were for Dungeons & Dragons, which was not my thing. It’s not just because it was fantasy, but because it’s very black and white. Very good and evil.

“What I liked about Vampire was that it was the real world,” Mitsoda continues. “It was this kind of hidden dark side of the world, and that you’re not playing a hero character in this. You’re playing a monster. And that to me is already different than every other RPG out there.”

The Ventrue clan, known as the “clan of kings,” was only recently confirmed as an option for players in Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2. Read more in our exclusive reveal.
Hardsuit Labs/Paradox Interactive

Spoiler

In White Wolf’s Vampire, players take on the role of powerful undead creatures with specific lineages. There’s the aggressive and iconoclastic Brujah clan of vampires, the brooding Toreadors, and the proud and aristocratic Ventrueto name just a few. Rarely do these vampire families get along. Their centuries-long conflicts play a major role in the game’s sweeping narrative arcs. Its more immediate and intimate struggles revolve around maintaining the Masquerade, the effort to delude all of humanity into thinking that the undead don’t actually exist. Social stealth is the name of the game, and only by blending in can individual vampires continue to exist.

The other major appeal of the Vampire franchise is that it’s set in the modern day. Bloodlines 2 will be no different, but its developers are moving things geographically north to Seattle, Washington. Mitsoda was quick to point out that his game has little if anything in common with the tabletop RPG. In fact, Hardsuit was pitching Bloodlines 2 to Paradox while the troubled tabletop versionwas still being written. The process gave Hardsuit Labs more or less free rein to take the lore in whatever direction it wanted.

“It was pretty much a blank slate for us,” Mitsoda says, “to build up and build out our corner of the World of Darkness.”

“We wanted to take the original Bloodlines as the template,” Ellison says. “We want to make a Bloodlines game, so we’re mostly just focused on what that means to us personally. We’ve created the entire world of Seattle from scratch.”

When Bloodlines 2 begins, players will take on the role of a newly-created vampire slowly gaining power alongside of an awareness of their new role in society. The source of that power is human blood, and finding hosts is a major gameplay mechanic.

But not just any blood will do.

“In our game vampires are looking for something called ‘resonance,’” Mitsoda says. “That means very strong emotional feelings in human beings. Vampires don’t really feel strong emotions so, in order to experience an emotion such as rage or desire, they have to get it out of people who have these very strong emotions already in their blood.”

Mitsoda says players might observe someone crashing their bike on a deserted street corner, then choose to swoop in and taste that pain. Later they might catch a pair of young lovers out for a walk, then follow one of them home to sample their desire. Depending on the emotional state of non-player characters, players themselves will be able to charge their passive and active abilities — powerful skills that will allow them to perform stunts in combat or influence social interactions. Only by finding the right kinds of resonance out in the wild can players build up their skills to meet their needs.

“You’re always kind of on the hunt,” Mitsoda says, “and it’s one of the big parts of the side activities in the game. You’re skulking around on the tops of roofs and looking around for people with strong resonance and figuring out how to best get them in a position where you can feed on them without breaking the Masquerade.”

That means players will need to spend a lot of time observing and tracking their targets, paying careful attention to their moods and their interactions with other NPCs. In other games that kind of voyeurism can be extremely passive. Think Watch Dogs and its overarching themes of big data being used against us. Rarely do games allow the player to be the voyeur and also act on that information in a meaningful way. Hardsuit Labs wants to change that.

Concept art of a high-rise office building for Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2.
Hardsuit Labs/Paradox Interactive

Ellison says that, with Bloodlines 2, voyeurism will be a key to the game’s unfolding and elastic narrative.

“We do look at it as if you can significantly affect the world,” Ellison says, “and one of the ways that we look at our world is that we are trying to make it really reactive to the way that you play and how you act as a vampire. The more that you break the Masquerade, the more consequences are going to come your way. The more that you’re out in the open, that people realize that there’s a fricking monster on the streets, the more afraid people get and the harder it is to feed.”

But voyeurism will also play into a unique series of side quests that Ellison herself is in charge of. As it turns out, the game’s main character isn’t the only newly minted vampire on the loose in Seattle.

“There are other vampires that have been made that night,” Ellison says, “and you can try to find them through the course of the game. Basically, I want to give you a sense of that person’s life, to allow you to say, ‘That could have been me.’ Essentially, we want to give you a variety of experiences in terms of what it means to be a vampire.”

“I’m really interested in investigating that transitional period,” Ellison continues, “of going from being a human into a vampire. What does that mean? What is vampire puberty like? [...] What about the problems they had when they were human? Are they made better or worse by becoming a vampire? Do they bring a lot of their human problems with them? What are problems that are like unique to being a vampire?”

Concept art of an elaborate conservatory for Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2.
Hardsuit Labs/Paradox Interactive

Mitsoda says Ellison was the perfect choice for this particular series side quests, narrative missions that will bring authentic human stories into an otherwise supernatural game. Ellison herself sees the task somewhat differently.

“I really like to write people who are very messy,” Ellison says. “I like to torture my characters. I like to make their lives worse in lots of ways, and I think this is definitely the game for that.”

Like any other RPG, Mitsoda and Ellison are crafting a kind of power fantasy. But maintaining the Masquerade isn’t the only complication that’s being baked into Bloodlines 2.

“We let you choose who you play as a vampire,” Ellison says. “We’re trying to make this a fantasy available to everyone. But there are also things in the World of Darkness that are more powerful than you, that are more scary than you. And you’re not always going to feel like you’re in control of your situation.”

For Mitsoda, the trick is making the world feel alive, not just lived-in. Like the original Bloodlines, he wants to give the impression that the narrative is always moving forward. It’s simply up to players to decide where they fit into the action.

“In a lot of RPGs, everybody is kind of waiting around for the hero to get there,” Mitsoda says. “Their whole life has led up to meeting you and telling you something important, and then they’re done. We’re trying to build a living world, and you have to have characters that feel like they’re part of a world, that they’re not just there for the player’s benefit.”

“That was what made the original so special,” Ellison says. “If you never showed up these people would be manipulating each other and cursing each other and being weird all by themselves.”

Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 is expected in 2020.

 

[JBro]

it's a shithole city in a shithole state

Speaking of, can vampires spread AIDS?

 

[PulsatingBrain]

Speaking of, can vampires spread AIDS?

I guess so. It would make sense, I doubt they'd actually explore that issue in the game though

 

[rusty_shackleford]

it's a shithole city in a shithole state

Speaking of, can vampires spread AIDS?

did you even play vtmb?

 

[Storyfag]

it's a shithole city in a shithole state

Speaking of, can vampires spread AIDS?

Any blood-borne disease as a matter of fact. And since they don't suffer the effects due to being already dead, they are excellent vectors.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.bloodlines2.com/en/ventrue

VENTRUE

Historically, Seattle has been the site of many industrial booms, and of course, the Ventrue have been there to capitalize on its fortunes. As more and more billion-dollar corporations shape the local and global landscape, enterprising Ventrue have entrenched themselves in the businesses of the 21st century, paving the way for a prosperous future for their clan… and making enemies of the residents who preferred the way things used to be.

The blood of rulers has flown in the veins of the Ventrue since time immemorial - be they high priests, emperors, investment bankers, or chairmen of the board. No surprise then that lineage and loyalty are held in high esteem; even less that others might mistake them for pompous nepotists. The Clan of Kings sees the truth: they are the architects of vampire society, the guardians of the Masquerade. In these modern nights, they are the only thing to stand between the Kindred and extinction. Knowing this, how could they not stick together, to better weather the onslaught? To command the right to rule, for everyone's betterment? And to swiftly deal with anyone to fall short of these exacting standards?

LIONS AND SHEEP
Kings and kingmakers, the Ventrue claim the wisdom, restraint and control to rule. Of course, not everyone loves this assertiveness, yet there are few who don’t fear the powers of the Patricians. Players who choose clan Ventrue gain access to two of their Disciplines in addition to their Thinblood powers.

DOMINATE
Guardians of the Masquerade and Princes of uncounted cities, it runs in the Ventrues’ blood to be obeyed. Their signature Discipline allows them to Dominate the actions and memories of others.


• Mesmerize (Blood Cost: 3), the primary Dominate power, allows the Ventrue to place one NPC in a brief hypnotic trance. The person so affected is oblivious to the world around them, ignoring sound, touch and even pain. The • • slot intensifies Mesmerize’s effect.


• • • Command (Blood Cost: 0), the secondary Dominate power, significantly extends the Ventrue’s control over the Mesmerized NPC. They can now be ordered to move, remove obstacles, or even attack others. The • • • • and • • • • • slots upgrade Command.



Using Dominate powers is not a Masquerade violation.

FORTITUDE
Few things truly worry the vampire who masters Fortitude, the Discipline of physical resilience. After all, why fear the battle when you are certain to outlast your foe?


• Absorb (Blood Cost: 2), the first active, allows the vampire to take a brief defensive stance in which they may deflect all attacks they can see, healing their wounds for every would-be strike. The • • slot increases Absorb’s effects.


• • • Personal Armor (Blood Cost: 2), the second active power, hardens the vampire’s skin into a stone-like barrier. The • • • • and • • • • • slots upgrade this power to the point where a true master becomes impervious to attacks, causing attackers to stagger back from the recoil of their own strikes.



Allowing a mortal to witness your Fortitude under attack is a Masquerade Violation.

 

[Delterius]

- Firearms do not break, but the player will throw them away if they run out of ammo.

Ok the Bloodlines 2 protag is canon retarded, that's good to know

seattle is liberal hell, do you have any idea how hard and time consuming it is to procure ammunition

 

[Zombra]

It's an RPG, or at least, it's supposed to be one. The player should be able to do something as basic as carry a gun with them.

It's not basic to monsters, that's the point.

 

[Rahdulan]

Setting someone on fire? I guess they forgot about Rotschreck.

 

[S.torch]

Meh

 

[Zombra]

So basically if the game doesn't sell well, no chance of seeing other non-standard clans in a VtM video game. I have to ask, does anyone know how much it would have to sell for Bloodlines 3 to happen?

fear not
i have preordered another copy

What are you doing with all these extra copies? Giving any to your broke ass friends? ლ(ٱ٥ٱლ)

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Joni Odin von Hassenstein]

Oh man, gameplay-wise I'd really like to play Ventrue like I did in Bloodlines 1, Dominate and Fortitude are exactly what I like!
For role-playing reasons I will probably play Toreador this time though.

 

[jungl]

Your dude in bloodlines 2 sounds like a stupid grunt. Not being able to carry guns around. Pretty sure if you shoot someone in the neck and head with a high caliber gun you can make their head explode or decapitate them. Games developers dumb plenty of people want to larp as the monster with a gun. https://youtu.be/SwLgKcJMAmk

 

[Storyfag]

Players who choose clan Ventrue gain access to two of their Disciplines in addition to their Thinblood powers.

Is this the first confirmation of what we have suspected?

 

[Infinitron]

Players who choose clan Ventrue gain access to two of their Disciplines in addition to their Thinblood powers.

Is this the first confirmation of what we have suspected?

Not sure what you're referring to. Getting clan disciplines on top of your Thinblood powers is not news, no.

 

[Joni Odin von Hassenstein]

Why do Toreador have a high speed ability though? Obsessive artists and aestheticians being super fast doesn't sound that intuitive to me. Can someone explain this setting-/lore-/rp-wise to a non-expert?

 

[Cyberarmy]

Can someone explain this setting-/lore-/rp-wise to a non-expert?

Too much drugs in their blood during the embrace.

 

[Strigoro]

The disposable weapons kind runs against what seems to be weapons skins in game with the civil war sabre and custom Beretta. Thugs will carry a 2k pistol our PC will unload and shit can?

Anyway Florian (?) seemed to hint next reveal maybe off brand maybe lasombra over Nosferatu unless I am reaching there.

 

[Prime Junta]

Anyway Florian (?) seemed to hint next reveal maybe off brand maybe lasombra over Nosferatu unless I am reaching there.

Yeah I did pick up on that. Maybe it's not Malk after all.

 

[Vincente]

Anyway Florian (?) seemed to hint next reveal maybe off brand maybe lasombra over Nosferatu unless I am reaching there.

Yeah I did pick up on that. Maybe it's not Malk after all.

He said they picked clans with playstyles in mind, we have Brujah for melee, Tremere for ''wizardry'', what we're missing is stealth, which makes me think of Nossies, despite both clans having Obfuscate.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Jedi Exile]

What the heck is Season of the Wolf Season Pass?