The Watch House: October 2020

Saturday 31 October 2020

A lot of art in a month for me - my hand cramped trying to ink everything in a day. Some I’m really happy with, both idea and execution, and some not so much. I also drew more hands than I was expecting.

VTMtober 31: You As A Vampire

Kindred existence is so awful that I would be tempted to go out to the sun. But anyway.

Would I be a cool scary vampire? Probably not. Maybe a shabby anarch.

Here I am about to have my head punched off by Martin Ericsson as Dracula.

Happy Hallowe’en!

Happy Hallowe'en!

Have a good one.

Sir Sean Connery

Perhaps I’m not a good actor, but I would be even worse at doing anything else.

Sir Sean Connery

31 Days, 31 Horror Films

Can I? Well, kind of, some are a bit off-topic.

Friday 30 October 2020

VTMtober 30: Final Death

The Embrace is not eternal life but eternal dying, and time will catch up with the vampire in the end.

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant

My Trinity Continuum: Aberrant advance backer PDFs have arrived, among other things including some of the Trinity Continuum Allegiances I created in new kinds of trouble.

The Mandalorian: The Marshal

Baby is interested in the art!

Cyclops with a combover!

The Mandalorian season two

Following a quick and fun demonstration of the Mandalorian kicking assorted butts, an adventure.

Which I will discuss more when the next episode comes out.

The Mandalorian Chapter Nine: The Marshal

Momo The Magic Cat Returns!

From Google Halloween 2016, our hero returns!

Thursday 29 October 2020

VTMtober 29: Animalism

So easily overlooked. So dangerously overlooked.

The Orpheus Device

The Orpheus Device, a Hallowe’en present from World Of Darkness, a voice-controlled Wraith story via Earplay, Android Studio, and already waiting for you on Alexa...

The Golem

The Golem: How He Came Into The World was released 100 years ago today, two years ahead of Nosferatu also written by Henrik Galeen as a key work in horror film, a superhero/villain origin, and a prequel to the lost 1915 film The Golem, in case you thought prequels were new.

Wednesday 28 October 2020

VTMtober 28: Prince

A Prince has a long list of duties. Which do they pass on to others and which do they take upon themselves? The Prince passes sentence, but will they deliver it?

Tuesday 27 October 2020

John Carpenter, Lost Themes III

John Carpenter has been making music for most of his films since the 70s, and lately produced two Lost Themes albums of tunes that don’t have films attached in case you need Carpenter-style ominous electronic background music. And today previewed Weeping Ghost from Lost Themes III...

VTMtober 27: Golconda

The hope of finding a balance between the needs of the vampire and the soul can become a drive that wards off despair or a longing that draws it in. Perhaps if the Kindred could find someone who really knew, they could find some peace?

Monday 26 October 2020

GEAS GM Workshop: The Basics

Want to hear me ramble about RPGs, among others? Now you can!

VTMtober 26: Toreador

Julia Barrett was a street thief in life, graduating to housebreaking. When she tried to rob the house of an art fence who was a vampire of Clan Toreador, she saw her potential. Now the city’s Sheriff, her expertise with stealth and covering up crimes also helps in reverse. She’s also very good with a knife.

Sunday 25 October 2020

VTMtober 25: Auspex

A vampire can see more than they ever could in life. At times a blessing, but it’s so easy to learn too much.

V5: Nobody’s Home 1.04

“It would be a cruel and petty thing,” the Keeper of Elysium says, and pointedly looks around the room at the other vampires there.

Want to watch Nosferatu but only have half an hour?

Terror Of Dracula is apparently a reconstruction of an 8mm film cut of Nosferatu, keeping the castle, ship and finale and cutting pretty much everything else.

Saturday 24 October 2020

VTMtober 24: Frenzy

The need for blood and the threat of the sun might be small prices for power and immortality if not for the Beast within always a moment away from rage and madness. Can you stop it destroying everything you care for?

Friday 23 October 2020

VTMtober 23: True Faith

Are vampires truly Damned? And if they are, can they undo this? They still have free will, hard as it may be to use it.

Thursday 22 October 2020

VTMtober 22: Ventrue

Katherine Drake, Prince of Stamford, likes to hold court in the back rooms of civic buildings to make a point about the access the Kindred have. She considers a number of her duties necessary evils, such as negotiating with the current rulers of New York City for the right to visit, but she does enjoy the occasional Blood Hunt.

See me talk about GMing!

I will be one of the panel talking about GMing tomorrow evening on GEAS online, and possibly up on Youtube later. In case me writing about it on a daily basis isn’t enough.

Gaelcon Online

Gaelcon Online 2020, this weekend!

Wednesday 21 October 2020

James Randi, the great sceptic of our times, has died.

VTMtober 21: Presence

Human emotions are so easily affected. So can you really trust your own?

(Not the least obvious vampire I’ve drawn for VTMtober...)

Tuesday 20 October 2020

The Terminator RPG

A new announcement from Nightfall Games: The Terminator RPG is on the way. Not many details yet...

No trick, all treat

The traditonal DriveThruRPG Halloween hunt is on! Spoilers for locations and free stuff. Including a giveaway on the Halloween Sale page.

VTMtober 20: Hunger

Nothing defines the vampire more than the Hunger. The need for blood is never sated for long. (The unpredictable rise of Hunger, its effects on rolls and the requirement to kill to fully sate it really add a lot to V5.)

Vampire: The Ruins Of Warsaw

A new streaming V20 game, The Ruins Of Warsaw, starts tonight at 6.30 UK time on Twitch, featuring friend of the blog Faye as one of the players. Character introductions and session zero are already on Youtube. Update: So is the first episode.

Monday 19 October 2020

VTMtober 19: Anarch Hideout

Secret meetings in overlooked locations, the fear of being followed and discovered, mistrust of your allies - all vampires need this knowledge to survive, so this is some small help to the Anarch cause.

Sunday 18 October 2020

V5: Nobody’s Home 1.03

“If you’re supposed to be murdered, that brings an investigation. Would you prefer accident or...?”

Modern city generator

Procedural modern city generator

Thanks to Matthew Webb for the link.

VTMtober 18: Gangrel

Lowe is a monster.

Stargrave

Stargrave from Osprey sounds interesting, a post-recovery space opera skirmish miniatures game, with Frostgrave style plastic kit miniatures. Could perhaps be used for big fights in Ashen Stars...

Saturday 17 October 2020

VTMtober 17: Blood Sorcery

Blood is life. The only life vampires hold.

Friday 16 October 2020

Over The Moon

Over The Moon answers the question of what might happen if you used a space rocket to visit the moon goddess...

VTMtober 16: Ministry

Naamah takes her name from the daughter of Lamech and Zillah, sister of Tubal-Cain. Childe of a scholar of Kindred history, she cares more for the here and now, fighting with the anarchs of Baltimore.

Thursday 15 October 2020

VTMtober 15: Embrace

Surely the Embrace is proof that the creator hates humanity, not just the Kindred?

Wednesday 14 October 2020

VTMtober 14: Malkavian

Matthew Elliott was an occult investigator in life, and his life ended when he discovered one of the truths he was seeking. Now he is an expert in the use of Auspex, the vampires’ supernatural sense... because he can’t shut it off.

Critical Role on what RPGs mean

“Role-playing games have changed my life for the better in more ways than I can describe.”

Matthew Mercer, in this interview at io9 ahead of The World Of Critical Role publication.

Tuesday 13 October 2020

VTMtober 13: Ghoul

You can often tell a ghoul, the still-just-human servants of vampires, by the hunted look of someone who knows too much.

a|state Nicely, Done

Nicely, Done is a free introductory adventure for a|state second edition by Morgan Davie and Malcolm Craig.

Monday 12 October 2020

Dossier Of Dracula

Dracula Dossier files released from Holding (Bundle Of)

VTMtober 12: Tremere

Carson Eaves knows that the Pyramid was like any other academic structure, plagued by favouritism and with ‘tenured professors’ who could pursue any interest due to seniority, but it has always served him well.

Sunday 11 October 2020

VTMtober 11: The Kiss

Stilling a victim with desire, or dread.

V5: Nobody’s Home 1.02

Celeste homes in on the trail and darts off, not waiting on the others. Yay for Messy Criticals!

Saturday 10 October 2020

World Of Darkness politics

A link to the talk about the significance of politics of the World Of Darkness, in and out of character, to encourage voter registration.

Dungeons & Dragons cartoon ending

A fan animation of the unmade final episode of the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon, with audio from a table read of the script. Closure after a mere 35 years.

I particularly like the use of the title card door.

Thanks to Steve Kenson for the link.

VTMtober 10: Banu Haqim

Iosef Kader, professor of theology, appreciates the opportunity to study other vampires that his new position in Lyon affords him.

Friday 9 October 2020

VTMtober 9: Thin-Blood

Corey knows vampires are real now. The older, stronger ones burn in the sun, while all it does to him is sting his eyes. And they hate him for that, resent and fear him for something they can’t do. They want to destroy him because they say he’s a sign of the end of their world. And if that’s what it takes, he’ll prove them right.

Thursday 8 October 2020

VTMtober 8: Hecata

Ligeia Di Giovanni was a medium in life, and woke from the Embrace blind. “I returned from the dead but my eyes did not.” Now she can only see the spirit world.

Wednesday 7 October 2020

VTMtober 7: Elysium

The Nosferatu elder Jonas can often be found at a chessboard in a corner of Elysium. The board and pieces are black and red. He will play with any who approach, such as the Malkavian Matthew Elliott, discussing matters of the night as they play, and his strategies vary seemingly at whim. Sometimes he sits alone and considers classic tactics, as if playing against some unseen opponent.

There are some other chess-themed Elysium illustrations on the tag and Discord, and someone noted it’s a popular trope in Vampire: The Masquerade. Indeed it is, with generation illustrations, adventures, book covers, and even an official chess set!

Tuesday 6 October 2020

VTMtober 6: Nosferatu

Mara is the best information broker in the Gateway City. She looks like a drowning victim, clammy and bedraggled with dark spittle and bloodshot eyes, and her appearance worsens with her Hunger.

On rare nights she looks almost alive. Don’t ask her how.

Inspiration: Mia from Evil Dead (2013).

Non-violent adventures

For Bruce Baugh’s birthday, an idea jam for non-violent adventures.

World of Darkness: Ghost Hunters

World of Darkness: Ghost Hunters, a mortal sourcebook for 20th Anniversary Edition rules, now on Kickstarter.

The Good Place

Steve Dee looks at what we can learn from The Good Place. Featuring a callback to The Night Watch, the game I swiped my best game idea from.

Vampires Vs. The Bronx

Vampires Vs. The Bronx (trailer) arriving on Netflix on the 2nd, a PG-13 / 12 rated (more thanks to one F-bomb than to the amount of blood on show) horror comedy about gentrification, with the vampires as both metaphor and actively involved. The comedy side lands well, and better than the horror, I laughed quite a bit but there’s only really one good “Oh no...” moment for me.

It shows the Bronx as a community, though not a perfect one (with a subplot that reminds me of Attack The Block) and has some nice callbacks to vampire stories, notably Blade, while the setup of the kids versus bumpy-headed and mostly obvious vampires is pretty The Lost Boys as well. (And ’Salem’s Lot too! I just rewatched both miniseries. No mention I could see for Vampire In Brooklyn though.)

Monday 5 October 2020

VTMtober 5: Sire and Childe

Vampires choose childer for any reason from love to hate, utility to curiosity, and not least guilt. But no matter why your sire chose you, however noble or cruel, this is the person who damned you.

Sunday 4 October 2020

V5: Nobody's Home 1.01

Vampire: The Masquerade

Nobody’s Home

1.01: You Can’t Go Home Again

The first session of my new chronicle started late due to an assortment of video conferencing issues, mostly an introduction for one of the new players with the newest character. Not my best pacing work. I plan to start next session with all remaining introductions.