V:TM - Bloodlines

We don't know he didn't. Which is why I asked that question a while ago. Somehow I feel B. got a wind of the devious plan, rather than suddenly giving up on a lifetime of research.
 
[spoiler:86fde5455f]Apparently if you go by the novelizations that follow and incorporate VtmB's plotline, he was wrong. :mrgreen: [/spoiler:86fde5455f]

Anyway, I just played the game again as a Ventrue (meh, the most uninteresting clan I've done so far) because I wanted to...

[spoiler:86fde5455f]...side with LaCroix. I paid close attention to Beckett, and it's clear he's on a mission to prove the non-existence of antidiluvians and Gehenna. He's not on a mission to discover the truth.

Even though it's unfair to dissect the game to this degree, it is fun, so I'll put forth my biggest qualm with the story. Suppose you're a Norwegian archaeologist, and you've just uncovered an ancient sarcophagus in Turkey. Why would you load it on a cargo ship bound for Los Angeles when you don't even work at the museum there?

Another thing I noticed: if you read the Vampire Apocrypha from the Society of Leopold, it mentions that there are sketches of the sarcophagus. Right next to the Apocrypha is a sketch of a sarcophagus - but it's not the sarcophagus in the game. I wonder whether there isn't a real Ankaran Sarcophagus somewhere (not that the one in the game isn't real, but it's not the same one mentioned in the ancient texts).[/spoiler:86fde5455f]
 
UniversalWolf said:
[spoiler:0b7f2361ba]Apparently if you go by the novelizations that follow and incorporate VtmB's plotline, he was wrong. :mrgreen: [/spoiler:0b7f2361ba]
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Care to elaborate?
Just finished 2nd play through and I'm not so sure now that he really was right.
 
[spoiler:b0768aeda5]

Another thing I noticed: if you read the Vampire Apocrypha from the Society of Leopold, it mentions that there are sketches of the sarcophagus. Right next to the Apocrypha is a sketch of a sarcophagus - but it's not the sarcophagus in the game. I wonder whether there isn't a real Ankaran Sarcophagus somewhere (not that the one in the game isn't real, but it's not the same one mentioned in the ancient texts).[/spoler]
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Yeah, I noticed that on 1st playthrough when I still bothered to read everything... I think that's sort of

the game's way of hinting you that the sarcophagus in Lacroix's chambers does in fact have any ancient inside, or at the very least suggest that it's not the Ankharan S. that the Society of Leopold knows of. And yes, I do believe that it suggests that there's a "real" A.S. somewhere, though again, how "real" it is is quite a question.[/spoiler:b0768aeda5]
 
Ausdoerrt said:
[spoiler:81fff94cd9]

Another thing I noticed: if you read the Vampire Apocrypha from the Society of Leopold, it mentions that there are sketches of the sarcophagus. Right next to the Apocrypha is a sketch of a sarcophagus - but it's not the sarcophagus in the game. I wonder whether there isn't a real Ankaran Sarcophagus somewhere (not that the one in the game isn't real, but it's not the same one mentioned in the ancient texts).[/spoler]
Click to expand...

Yeah, I noticed that on 1st playthrough when I still bothered to read everything... I think that's sort of

the game's way of hinting you that the sarcophagus in Lacroix's chambers does in fact have any ancient inside, or at the very least suggest that it's not the Ankharan S. that the Society of Leopold knows of. And yes, I do believe that it suggests that there's a "real" A.S. somewhere, though again, how "real" it is is quite a question.[/spoiler:81fff94cd9]
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The only "secret" place that seems to exist in the world is the Vatican. Ask the Pope. God knows what they have hidden away, unholy or not.
 
I've always wondered why people seem so sure the taxi driver is you-know-who. Does anyone have any good arguments for that?

Don't know if it's a spoiler because it has no impact on the game's story, but if you don't know what I'm referring to:
[spoiler:9171331bc4]It's claimed that he's Caine[/spoiler:9171331bc4]
 
^ IIRC, the reason was that [spoiler:73a7e3dbcb]his voice audio files in the game folder are named "Caine".[/spoiler:73a7e3dbcb] TBH, it isn't very obvious in-game, and even the Malk intuition only give extremely vague hints. Although from what I've seen, it's somehow accepted as cannon - and makes sense in a way, but in truth could be either.
 
Ah, right. I think I recall reading that before now. Thanks.
 
UniversalWolf said:
[spoiler:f94757daea]...side with LaCroix. I paid close attention to Beckett, and it's clear he's on a mission to prove the non-existence of antidiluvians and Gehenna. He's not on a mission to discover the truth.

Even though it's unfair to dissect the game to this degree, it is fun, so I'll put forth my biggest qualm with the story. Suppose you're a Norwegian archaeologist, and you've just uncovered an ancient sarcophagus in Turkey. Why would you load it on a cargo ship bound for Los Angeles when you don't even work at the museum there?

[/spoiler:f94757daea]
Click to expand...

I've recently completed a ventrue play-through as well. Dominate is like a panacae for conversational problems. It fixes every problem, always, flawless. Got a little bit boring after a while.

Now as for the other stuff:

[spoiler:f94757daea]If I remember correctly, the Norwegian archaeologist uncovered the ancient sarcophagus because he was send a letter or package or something similar telling him of the location of it. You can get that information from him during conversation. I wouldn't find it all that implausible if this also included some clauses, or a follow-up in the form of an offer to ship, examine and exhibit everything at the cost of a unknown benefactor over in LA.[/spoiler:f94757daea]
 
Hauptmann said:
Care to elaborate?
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Keep in mind, I haven't actually read the novel that follows Bloodlines, but as I understand it...

[spoiler:8cfc3543e9]Beckett actually meets Caine after the events of Bloodlines, and at some point Gehenna goes down. The Antediluvians rise and all that. Oh, and the taxi driver is a Malkavian who either thinks he is Caine, or is possessed by Caine, but he is not actually Caine.[/spoiler:8cfc3543e9]

It's called Gehenna: The Final Nights, if I remember correctly. I'm sure a search will turn up more information that you need. :)

Personally I'm really only interested as far as it concerns the game.

Oh, and about playing as a Ventrue...

The best thing about Ventrue is that they have no night-vision. Gangrels have the red-eyes thing, Malkavians and Nosferatu have their supervision, but Ventrue have to stumble along in the dark. My Ventrue became a good fighter by the end, too, which was nice. He went Rambo on everyone who got in his way.

Still, Malkavians have Dominate too, and they're much more fun than Ventrue overall. I think people give bad advice about which clan to play first. I'd play Nosferatu or Malkavian first, since they're the most unusual. My Nosferatu play was very memorable, and left large parts of the game undiscovered for my next try.
 
I'd not recommend playing Malk first, it's TOO "special" and you miss out on a lot of stuff. Like, stumbling through your own dialogue to understand what you just said, and most certainly you won't pick up on the "insight" lines.

Malks don't have Dominate, only Tremere and Ventrue do.
 
isn't Dementation just loony for Dominate? The outcome is a bit different but are they mirrored in terms of application.

However, I do agree that Malk should not be your first play through. I've been replaying the game once a year since it came out and still find myself having difficultly decrypting the Malk. Not just the weird dialog options but the insight voices the character hears through the game. Its like "cool i just heard this faint creepy voice but what is it trying to tell me?"
 
Ausdoerrt said:
I'd not recommend playing Malk first, it's TOO "special" and you miss out on a lot of stuff.
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Except that you'll be playing the game more than once, presumably. :D

I "missed out" on huge parts of the game when I started with a Nosferatu, but that's what the second play-through is for. I thoroughly enjoyed my first time, and my second time was almost as good because there was so much content I'd missed. In other words, missing out on things the first time through makes the second time though better. Also, if you wait and play a Malkavian after you've seen everything, or think you've seen everything, I bet you miss out on some of the great Malk-specific stuff. For example, after your first game, how much time do you spend watching TV?

Coincidentally, I've been reading Nathaniel Hawthorne short stories lately. Check out this line from The Birthmark, 1846:

Nathaniel Hawthorne said:
The crimson hand expressed the ineludible gripe in which mortality clutches the highest and purest of earthly mould, degrading them into kindred with the lowest, and even with the very brutes, like whom their visible frames return to dust.
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Clearly there's a secret vampire society at work here! :lol:

Great story, BTW.
 
The insight is also cryptic enough to not be able to pick up on it unless you're already familiar with the setting. That's why I think you shouldn't start with a Malk.
 
Hmm I've just played through the game again as a Malk (just past come into my parlor), and I can't say I've ever managed to pick up those voices... just some whispering in the Nosferatu Warrens, but I thought that was part of the ambience there. Maybe I need to turn the volume up?
 
Ausdoerrt said:
The insight is also cryptic enough to not be able to pick up on it unless you're already familiar with the setting. That's why I think you shouldn't start with a Malk.
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I got a friend who recently got this and so far has only played it as a Malk. He still found it a lot of fun even though he never heard of the World of Darkness setting before.

Shame I can't play my WoD Malk character in Bloodlines, he's allergic to blood. :V
 
Ausdoerrt said:
The insight is also cryptic enough to not be able to pick up on it unless you're already familiar with the setting. That's why I think you shouldn't start with a Malk.
Click to expand...
I disagree. You don't need any special knowledge of the game to hear or understand the insight stuff. You're well aware of your insanity, and even if you're not paying attention, one trip through Grout's mansion should be enough to cue you in. The first time you play the game, you will be paying attention.
 
On that cue, the game is currently available on steam for a paltry 5 euro, down from about 20 euro. Though I guess anyone in this topic already owns the game, anyone who doesn't own the game should immediately get it, and play it.
 
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