Christmas haul thoughts

The Expanse continues to not quite map the books onto the TV seasons, so big climactic events come mid-season. I kinda like it for first runthroughs, but it does encourage rewatching from disc 2 of one season to disc 1 of the next.

Also, Maltesers and Jaffa Cakes.

Hayley Williams birthday fuck yeah

Hayley Williams birthday fuck yeah

Happy Holidays!

The Cure, Merry Christmas Everybody

Charly Bliss, It's Christmas And I Fucking Miss You

This week on What We Do In the Shadows Nandor joins a Golconda cult and that goes as well as you might expect.

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 12

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

12

Can they trust anyone to help smuggle the killer out of the domain? Will they have to flee themselves? Will the fight for Blake's old turf turn to open war? We'll find out... after Christmas.

Mage The Ascension 2021 12: Cheerleading!

Didi may regret her pre-college-summer hair, but takes great glee in seeing Cara cheering and leading others to cheer.

"It's a good thing Jack isn't here, he'd be on you like clingfilm."

"Believe me, I know."

They manage to find Alissa, with help from Simon on the phone. And she asks how much history they can change while they're here, beyond what they already have. Because this is a year before her mom dies.

Cara considers this. "Okay, but if we get stuck in our seven years ago lives longer as a result, I am going to start assassinating certain world leaders. Just sayin'."

Vampire: The Requiem 2 is 8

Vampire: The Requiem second edition came out in 2013. I would like to play it sometime.

Anne Rice

Anne Rice has died, aged 80.

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 11

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

11

So now of course the Prince wants him handed over. Rivals touting this as a sign of weakness. Anarchs claiming responsibility...

Alas

The time travel episode Didi wanted.  

The time travel episode Didi got.

Mage: The Ascension 2021 11: Flashbacks!

Didi realizes when she is when she sees her hair. "Ohhhh no." This was her bleached bob summer.

She takes a moment to remember how her seven years ago phone works as she gets a call.

"Hello suspiciously timed unknown number..."

"It's Simon."

"Oh, good. That explains that. Where are you?"

"Harvard."

"Why does that not surprise me."

"Why, where are you?"

"Some guy's place."

"Why does that not surprise me."

"So anyway do you know why we're us seven years ago?"

"The Mage didn't calculate on us saving everybody."

"Are we just stuck here now?"

"The charge should dissipate. But in the meantime, Cara is in the Bay as well, so you should find her, safety in numbers."

"Okay, um, makes sense. Hey, can I change my hair or would that break spacetime as well?"

...

Didi gets a ride to Berkley and is waiting when Cara gets back from the track meet. She gives her a hug.

"So good to see you. Simon called and said you were gonna come meet me."

"And here I am."

"I like your hair."

"No you don't. Or I hope you don't anyway."

"Okay, well... I'm a freshman, I haven't Awakened yet - "

"Oh, me neither. There's a really bad party next Halloween."

"I'll be fighting a ghoul in a couple months. In the meantime, we should keep a low profile for the week this takes. Which means you can stay at my place if you want, and tomorrow, I should, ah, go to the game..."

"Ladies' basketball? Field hockey?... Oh my gosh, was this when you were a cheerleader?!"

Cara sighs as Didi squees.

...

Alissa is also not far away, up the coast. And currently in a dance class, and then heading home, with high school on Monday.

Michael is in Canada.

The Lord Of The Rings

The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring premiered twenty years ago tonight.

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 10

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

10

Accusations quickly turn to physical threats. Having been among those who found the killer, the coterie move to protect him. Barnes says it's the right thing to do.

Mage: The Ascension 2021 10: Heroics!

Cara runs in and saves the people in danger first, even as the Time Mage yells at her about consequences and minimising disruption and going for his lost love.

Simon confirms that yes, this is going to get a big widespread Paradox ping.

Michael and Alissa do the specific person saving they were hauled in for.

Didi uses her 'opening convenient doors' power to get Cara into the runaway truck so she can grab the wheel so it zigs instead of zags and hits a nice solid wall instead of a bunch of people. "Best I can do!"

"We need to not be together!" Simon shouts as the Time Mage gets to his lover and he can feel the Paradox charge hit.

And then everybody is where they were on that day.

December!

December! Time for small gift-shaped bits of chocolate! And planning to see people I guess.

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 9

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

9

And we find the killer.

A mortal.

One of Blake's lovers.

But is this enough to stop the gathering storm?

(J: is it ever. #dramabomb)

Mage: The Ascension 2021 9: Taxis!

Alissa finds a newspaper to show the group the date. Cara was at a college track meet that day seven years ago so her past self is safely out of town. Simon hadn't moved here. Didi shrugs and says "It's Saturday, I'm sleeping at... somebody's."

They have to hail a taxi rather than get a rideshare by app.

"Okay, while we're here, we should use our foreknowledge of the next seven years to... um... wow, I really haven't done much in seven years." Didi frowns. "I mean, we could stop that demon cult guy from last year..."

They find the time mage at his house.

"I've been waiting for you."

"Of course you have," Cara deadpans.

Didi arches an eyebrow. "Really? You're a time wizard, how could you not - "

"What matters is that you can help me save a life."

"And change history to who knows what effect..." Simon points out.

"Of course. But let me worry about that."

"I really can't."

"It's true, if there's something to worry about he's gonna jump right on that," Didi nods.

The mage sighs, raises a hand, and they're across town... where a car accident is about to kill his beloved, and a dozen other people...

Jason Momoa Crow-a

Test footage of Jason Momoa as Eric in his unmade version of The Crow, confirming that he, uh, would have worn the same makeup and also been very big.

Stephen Sondheim

A Little Priest from Sweeney Todd.

Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate!

(And a very merry Pizza Dog day to all.)

I can do turkey sandwich solidarity tomorrow, as getting turkey today would have involved going out.

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 8

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

8

Charlotte goes to talk with the band, as she figures they have little to gain and a lot to lose from a crackdown on the Rack. They confirm that Blake had a fair bit of social pull but wasn't well loved by his clanmates.

Barnes checks in with the Sheriff, who has ruled some suspects out.

Joe visits the anarchs, who suggest looking into a splinter group.

Mage: The Ascension 2021 8: Disappointing Time Travel!

Our heroes and Didi work their way through the building to find the center, where a powerful and rather damaged mage is trying to turn back time to save the love of his life from dying in an accident.

"Okay, I feel bad for him, but hello Paradox..." Alissa says.

"If we try to fight him, is he gonna throw us back in time?" asks Didi, influenced by how much her player would dig that.

"Maybe if you ask him nicely..." Simon deadpans.

"Yeah, we don't all want to be stuck wearing corsets on the regular," Cara adds. Didi looks baffled.

The mage turns to greet them. "We won't take it that far. The day I need your help will be enough."

Everything goes Doppler effect. and...

"Where are we? Or when..." Cara groans.

"Seven years ago," Alissa confirms.

"Could be a lot worse, but we still better work the problem and get back."

"Can we at least go to a Bowie concert first?" Didi asks.

Bloodlines

Happy Bloodlines anniversary from all your friends at the Ocean House Hotel!

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 7

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

7

Everybody has theories blaming everybody else, leaving the PCs to look at the suspects at a distance. Blake wasn't well liked, but as the childe of the Prince had some protection. It probably wasn't hunters because why stop at one, unless it was a personal vendetta. Do they know how Blake liked to feed? He'd dropped a few hints. Follow the money and/or blood...

Mage: The Ascension 2021 7: Repeated Violence

Tracking cultists by the mystical traces to another stolen item, Michael points out a familiar looking goon.

Didi squints. "Hey, didn't you beat this guy up already?"

"You're right, I did!" Cara looks offended.

"They must be using time magic to heal faster..." Simon suggests.

"Cheaters!"

So now Cara is miffed. When she knocks somebody into next week she doesn't want to see them again before that.

Following some violence, the circle make their way inside the cult base and discover it has more rooms than it should.

Simon geeks out. "It's bigger on the inside!" Cara sighs and starts drawing a map. Did tries to get her phone to work.

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 6

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

6

Camarilla loyalists and Anarchs in the same club. Accusations.

Charlotte and Joe try to keep things civil. Barnes and Elisa start planning to set off a fire alarm and evacuate the building if a fight starts. Samuel gets ready to drop on someone if they start something, not really caring who.

Charlotte manages to get everything behind closed doors, at least.

Mage: The Ascension 2021 6: Archaeological Ignorance!

So Simon is now the proud owner of a water clock. But, like, a magic water clock.

Alissa the Ecstatic dancer and Michael the Verbena helped Cara thump a bunch of cultists.

"Is it good that they're coming after the bowl?"

"It's a water clock! And yes, that means it's important."

"Yay for us?"

No-vem-ber?

Happy, um... No-vember? Nov-ember? The ember of Nov? What even is this?

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 5

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

5

Elisa suspects that even with the Shroud at its thinnest around Halloween it's still rare for vampires to return as ghosts, but the group can at least look over the scene.

Charlotte is busy arranging a spooky season show on the phone as they head over.

Joe is sure he can smell something that isn't human and isn't Kindred.

...

Halloween comes around. Charlotte is promoting a gig by a band with a vampire lead singer and guitarist, planning to go to Elysium on the night, and wearing a lot of red. Joe is attending. Barnes there to keep things going okay. Samuel there at a distance. Elisa is busy with her own things, but comes along for the start of the set.

And they're not the only vampires around.

Vamptober 2021

My personal Vamptober 2021 results, mostly ST / player observations.

Happy Halloween!

I love you, Trick Of Treat Rat!

Mage: The Ascension 2021 5: Inappropriate Helping!

It being the session nearest Halloween in and out of character, I'm not saying Didi showed up to the meeting with the rival mages in a naughty schoolgirl costume, but she may have given the group a distraction bonus.

Sadly she could not persuade Cara to do the same.

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 4

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

4

As the last Kindred to see Blake, the Sheriff tells Charlotte and Barnes to see the Prince. He's already contacted Elisa and Samuel. Barnes mentions Joe.

Deane, the Prince, meets them in the VIP room of the biggest club on the Rack, with one of his childer and a Tremere adviser in attendance. The Prince asks direct questions one on one. His childe stays with them as they wait, along with a couple of other vampires they've seen around the Rack but don't know. The Tremere says nothing, but tilts her head as if weighing their answers.

When they're finally allowed to leave, it's clear that they're still suspects. Do they want to find the killer, or stay well clear?

Mage: The Ascension 2021 4: Helping!

"Oh, yay, an evil ritual threatening to destroy everything. Whose asses does Cara have to kick to stop this?"

"You can kick asses too."

"Aww, thank you!"

"I mean you can help."

"Oh, right."

And so we're off to find one of the artefacts before the scary ritual guy does. This might involve negotiating with a rival circle of Mages, and/or werewolves.

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 3

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

3

Blake, the Prince's childe, comes with an entourage and on the hunt for a potential dinner date. Charlotte asks Barnes about the chances this will be a problem, and he shakes his hand fifty-fifty. Blake strolls over to talk to Charlotte about the evening and she does her best to seem welcoming. Elisa and Samuel watch to see if this is going to go badly. Joe keeps a low profile. Eventually, having demonstrated that all the PCs are tolerated but not valued, Blake heads to the next place.

The next night, he's dead.

Mage: The Ascension 2021 3: Dancing!

New Ecstatic works via energetic dance.

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 2

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

2

Joe the Gangrel drifter is new in town. Charlotte the Toreador promoter represents a club at the edge of the Rack. Barnes the Banu Haqim ex-cop helps keep the Rack orderly. Elisa the Hecata medium attends the club some nights. Samuel the Lasombra doctor knows her.

It's the start of the academic year so the Rack is all-you-can-drink with students, Charlotte is looking forward to a big night and Barnes is keeping a close eye for the Sheriff, and watching Joe with suspicion, while Elisa and Samuel enjoy the evening. Which is when the Prince's spoiled childe rocks up...

Mage: The Ascension 2021 2: Theft!

So we have somebody stealing mystical artefacts and probably trying to destroy the spacetime continuum.

And worse than that, how does our girl feel about new coven members?

Vampire: The Masquerade Outside 1

Vampire: The Masquerade

Outside

1

A Gangrel traveller, a Toreador promoter, a Banu Haqim cop, a Hecata medium and a Lasombra doctor.

Session 1 was mostly introductions.

Mage: The Ascension 2021 1: Violence!

Our heroes Cara and Simon return!

... And so does Didi.

I eased in the new PCs (an Ecstatic and a Verbena) by mocking am occult thief goon's shoes before Cara drop-kicked him across the room.

Our hero Cara as Didi would describe her.

It's nice to be back.

Vamptober 2021

"The Month of Darkness has begun! First, we'd like to share our prompts for this year's #Vamptober - feel free to join in any creative way you prefer: draw, paint, write, TikTok, take pictures, and more!"

As with last year, going with writing here...

Halsey, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power

Halsey, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power

Produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Thanks to Shawn for the link

C: with an accompanying IMAX film as the source of its lyric videos which look like Marie Antoinette by way of Rembrandt and also rather like Convention Of Thorns

Vampire: The Masquerade 2021

V5... Two players I know, three new ones who are all new and have mostly just played D&D before. Who all went for non-Cam clans.

(Separate from the other V5 game midweek, which the ST tells me is all people new to the setting. And all Cam clans by his 'start as mortals' plan. Jealous, but it's good to have different styles.)

We'll see how this goes...

(Picture from Halfworlds, a very WOD series from HBO Asia.)

Vital update

Didi Duvall will return!

... once the new players are done generating characters.

There were so many...

Did not get that V5 player slot, due to there being almost two freshers for every available slot in every game, and that was after two more GMs volunteered.

Resisting the "show must go on" instinct, must not try running two games.

Autumn!

Autumn! The season that rhymes with awesome!

Bloodhunt

Bloodhunt is out!

If I ever get a kill I'll let you all know.

Playing V5?!

Someone else at the game society is running Vampire. And not even in the same slot. I could... play?! 

Ashe: DO ITTTT🔥

Me: I don't know, it feels like a trap...

J: warm vitae on a crisp autumn evening?

Billie Eilish, Happier Then Ever

The all important new chronicle question... theme song.

I can see it clear as day

You don't really need a break

Wanna see what you can take

You should really run away

Billie Eilish, Oxytocin

(Obviously a Vampire game theme including the line "I wanna do bad things to you" might be too on the nose, but...)

Vampire: The Masquerade - Something

Running V5 for the university game club starting in three weeks. Idea is deliberately amorphous as it's planned to welcome new people. So modern city with big dark skyscrapers and nightclubs and some kind of mystery. Not leaning too heavily into sect politics to begin with, see if we get Cammies or Anarchs.

Only Murders In The Building

Only Murders In The Building is wacky and occasionally melancholic fun. Not an easy mix.

Didi Duvall Rises

Also this September, Didi Duvall rides again!

I apologize in advance.

J: We played mage for a minute online, I made a total bitch goth chick named Azazel Ravenous, Hollow One, who owned a club called Poison Apple. I loved that character so much, and not just because people didn't know how to react to another pc who was just mean as shit to everyone.

Me: This is how I get away with it. "Yeah, but when I say it, it is adorable!"

J: "Ah, good, you were lacking a hillbilly, now you've got a Bingo." I miss Az.

September

WE HAVE REACHED THE -BERS! LIGHT THE NEED-FIRES!

Seeing people

People, sitting together, sharing food, not buffering at any point. It was weird. But nice.

CHVRCHES, Screen Violence

CHVRCHES, new album, kind of angry, bit spooky.

Inaugural gig held in the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. C-bomb and all, because we're like that as a people. Part 1, part 2.

What We Do In The Shadows season 3

What We Do In The Shadows season 3 features a common event in every Vampire LARP, the PCs end up as the Primogen by accident.

J: And they're almost always horrible at it

Me: With ten episodes in each season, they'll probably be there longer than most PCs in positions of power.

#RPGaDAY2021

#RPGaDAY2021 prompts for talking about RPGs throughout August.

1: SCENARIO

I hardly ever use published adventures, partially because I hardly ever run games that have many.

2: MAP

If I provide a map for a location, I expect that location to be A Very Big Deal.

3: TACTIC

In a fight I'm much more likely to go for cool than effective. I do my best to tell players this in advance.

4: WEAPON

I like a magic sword, but the most effective weapon I used in my last game was a well-aimed high heel stomp.

5: THRONE

I have actively avoided becoming Prince or taking another title in various Vampire games. Maybe in a game where that was the idea, but definitely not in a game with a big player group like a LARP or chat. Too much pressure and too many assassination attempts.

6: FLAVOUR

Like a recipe, my game will be different than yours, and a game with the same GM will feel different with different groups of players too.

7: SMALL

One of the nice things about really large RPGs like chats is that you can play small side things. New Bremen is the only place I've gotten to use Mummy: The Resurrection, let alone play a high school kid in the World Of Darkness.

8: STREAM

I imagine you could talk about small rivers here, but... … See more

9: MEDIUM

Tabletop, distanced tabletop, LARP, chat, PBP, they all have advantages and disadvantages. My love for New Bremen comes in part from how it encouraged personal stories advancing on a nightly basis.

10: TRUST

You don't have to trust the other player characters, in some games you really shouldn't. You should be able to trust the other players to have an enjoyable game though.

11: WILDERNESS

I don't run or play a lot of wilderness adventures, more a fantasy thing than my usual genres.

12: THINK

It's always nice to think of something and have it work. Sometimes you have to consider if your PC would think of it though. Perhaps you can pass an idea to the player of a more suitable PC, which is easier in games where you can break character to do so.

13: FLOOD

I haven't played some games in my collection that now have new editions.

14: SAFETY

RPG safety tools are a really positive addition to gaming, and not just for making some people it's best not to play with tell on themselves.

15: SUPPLEMENT

There are some great RPG supplements out there, and electronic publishing means they don't all have to hit a specific page count.

16: MOVE

I loved this little bit of worldbuilding in the pilot for Buffy.… See more

17: TRAP

Technically it's an ambush, Admiral.

18: WRITE

Playing by text feels very different than face to face. Even live chat lets you consider word choice. It also helps with typing speed!

19: THEME

It's good to discuss intended themes in an RPG, especially a big one that doesn't have a narrow theme built in.

20: FOUNDATION

RPGs are good for socialisation, confidence, arithmetic, problem-solving, spelling, and usually mythology and the like.

21: SIMPLICITY

I like RPG systems that I can, y'know, understand.

22: SUBSTITUTE

Using a different system than published will result in a different feel. Which may well be the point of doing so.

23: MEMORY

I have fond memories of games from decades ago. (Hello New Bremennnnn!)

24: TRANSLATE

Moving from tabletop to chat, PBP or LARP is like translating stories, not just technical writing. What works in the new style?

25: WELCOME

I try to be welcoming to new players and not drown them in lore and jargon. I may not always succeed.

26: THEORY

The Gamist/Narrativist/Simulationist theory works as shorthand and in short pitches, but as Eddy Webb notes in his "Your Game Sucks" presentation people move around.

27: FRACTION

Being a small part of a big game feels different than being the players in a small game. The sense that the world really isn't all about you fits some games, not others.

28: SOLO

One-on-one and small groups can make for the best dramatic play. Of course it depends on players being available.

29: SYSTEM

If the character sheet is more than one sheet that's a no-no.

30: MENTION

Always nice to see somebody refer to me regarding gaming.

30: THANK

Thank you to GMs, players, writers, artists, publishers and all.

A promise or a threat

If our Mage game returns and we do a beach episode, Didi Duvall, in her duty as THE WORST, will totally get a Tarot Hawaiian shirt.

Tanith on Hero Forge

Hero Forge has added decals to its color options, for skin coloration, makeup, hair streaks, blood and other splatters... and, yes, for crying and streaking your makeup.

Cloak & Dagger

All through Cloak & Dagger (except their appearance in Runaways, which I should probably get to next rather than watching the third-last episode in isolation). Aww.

Birthday!

The Invisible Man (2020) on DVD, Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology, also pizza and cupcakes.

Vampire: The Masquerade 30th Anniversary

Hello to the friends I made in this dark corner of the world.

This year, Vampire: The Masquerade is celebrating its 30th anniversary! Let's celebrate with some nostalgia - whether you're here with us for a few weeks or over a decade, tell us:

1. When have you heard about VTM for the first time?

2. What's your most fond memory connected to VTM?

3. Have you met anyone special through VTM?

Raise your blood bags for 30 years more!

World Of Darkness Facebook

1. Adverts for the first edition. In magazines. In print!

2. Little human moments in all the horror, like the time Claudia taught Tanith to play skee-ball.

3. I have friends going back decades, some of whom I've never actually met.

Charles Ashe: I would love to hear more about your dramatic experiences.

I have been asked to talk about my character! Mwahahaha!

Since y'all asked about the skee-ball story on Twitter, sharing for people here:

They were at a fairground after hours following a gig nearby, and Claudia (singer and reluctant leader of the New Bremen Toreador despite being undead six years) spotted a game at the late-night arcade. Tanith (art historian Brujah bandmate) had never heard of it (as I hadn't either) and Claudia attempted to explain while also trying to win without using her superhuman vampire reflexes.

Claudia was also there for the big dramatic story I talk about most often, when due to a Mage and a magic potion (from the first edition Sabbat book!) they became human for a day, and Tanith never really recovered.

See also the time I demonstrated I was actually a Brujah by having to be restrained from throwing Kufuu the Setite out of a window in Elysium. Hi Reuel!

(New Bremen was a strange place.)

Reuel: #KufuuDidNothingWrong

Vampire: The Masquerade 30th Anniversary

Happy Vampire: The Masquerade 30th Anniversary!

30 years ago today, Vampire: The Masquerade premiered at Origins Game Fair. Happy anniversary to Vampire and the World of Darkness!

(This logo is just for fun, there's no V30 book.)

Onyx Path on Twitter

Happy 4th of July

Leave milk and apple pie for Captain America!

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt

Made it into the alpha weekend for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt (trailer). As predicted, I was terrible.

The five minute tutorial took me half an hour as I had to find out you have to be running already to slide. After that, I made it to character creation. 

Note that there are not action shots. :D 

Hanging out in Elysium has always been more my playstyle anyway.

(And posting this on Twitter got a Like from the Associate Character Art Lead. :) )

I had fun being demolished, but would definitely love a "look around Prague" test setting, or an RP hangout.

The first expansion clan is Ventrue, so we have all the "regular modern vampire" clans as well as the "visual interest and stealth" Nosferatu who always seem more popular in games with a visual element than at the table. 

I can confirm that the menu music is very atmospheric.

And the title sequence, featuring the already confirmed Katana And Trenchcoat.

Labyrinth

Labyrinth came out 35 years ago today. 

It's only forever 

Not long at all

Ah, the nights are drawing in...

The Thin Dark Line

Welp, just watched a horror movie sight unseen (Last Shift, it's not bad but goes from atmospheric beginning to too-big ending, and the trailer spoils several of the best scares) and now I have another WoD chronicle idea, like I needed another one of those.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong

First character trailer: Leysha

A Malkavian in a computer game that doesn't make me cringe? As a player character? We really have come a long way.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

I found a gap in the con schedules to watch Raiders Of The Lost Ark for its 40th anniversary.

Garbage: No Gods No Masters

Garbage versus 2021

You walk into the Succubus Club...

"This city will kill you"

Online Cons

Onyx Path Convention today, Elysium Weekend tonight.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt - trailer for the VTM Battle Royale. I will be terrible at this but it looks so pretty.

Cloak & Dagger

Marvel's Cloak & Dagger (trailer) premiered three years ago and I can now watch it, so I have started to, and it's good, and pretty dang grim for a show about teenage superheroes.

J notes "At least that part was true to the comic."

Gaston notes "It kind of felt like a WoD show to me."

And yeah. ;

Two kids (in New Orleans no less) empowered by something they don't understand, which doesn't make their already harsh lives any better, and might be some mystical lineage that dooms them both.

The first regular episode ends with a 3D printed voodoo doll. That's some quality Hollow One foci there.

I'll take this as a good sign for the WoD TV/film development deal with one of the show's writers and producers (who also worked on The Punisher and Constantine series) co-leading it.

ANEZKA!

Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption was released 21 years ago today.

"Your time is dead, boy! You can never fit in to this world!"

Vampires in Goth clubs

Aesthetic and the baseline reluctance for countercultures to invoke mainstream authorities. Gothic culture's affectations make for a default baseline Masquerade, and the darker emotionality allows Kindred to indulge the memory of what it means to be alive.

Justin Achilli

Gaming

Summer RPGs starting soon, running for about three months, and then regular academic year games might be in-person.

The Sandman

The Sandman cast looks great, use of pronouns in announcement also good.

Highlander(s)

Can a remake improve on Highlander? I guess it can be different. 

Can a remake with plans for more improve on Highlander 2?

YES

Maneskin

Pretty decent Jane's Addiction fan band wins Eurovision.

World Goth Day

i wish you a happy world goth day 

Justin Achilli

Merry World Goth Day to all, and to all a good night!

WWOD News

Must not start thinking about a World Of Darkness game about a 1980s local news show.

no, staaahp

One down, one to go. Arm is sore.

Thousand Year Old Vampire

The best RPG Actual Play report I've ever seen.

World Of Darkness media development

A development deal for World Of Darkness TV and films, with smart geeky people involved. 

Heisserer is currently the showrunner and executive producer of “Shadow and Bone” for Netflix, and he was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay of the 2016 sci-fi feature “Arrival.” He’s also written “Bird Box,” “Lights Out” and his directorial debut, “Hours.” Boylan has written on several TV series, including “The Punisher,” “Cloak and Dagger,” “Constantine,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Castle” and “Leverage.” She’s also written DC and Marvel comic books, and she’s a co-founder of Bespoke Plays, a live-reading series of new plays in L.A. and New York.

Fingers crossed. Remind me to watch Shadow And Bone, and Cloak & Dagger.

Telling Vampire Stories

I want these Vampire games, not just the one I usually find.

It was twenty years ago today

Josie And The Pussycats is the best movie ever join the army

International Women's Day

World Of Darkness asks about female characters for International Women's Day:

Tanith was my first idea after reading the 1e rulebook, a Goth clubber Brujah who was so artsy she was once asked (by a friend) to be Toreador clan whip, with a yearning to be human again and a tendency to fall in love tragically.

Picture by picrew image maker

500 posts!

And you can tell when I have a game going and when I don't.

Yardi Gras!

Can't stop Mardi Gras - or this year Yardi Gras!

Three inches of snow today. It's beginning to look a lot like... National Pizza Day?

WandaVision theory

I have no idea, I'm just along for the ride.

Happy New Year!

Let's make it a better one.