[WIR] Beckett's Jyhad Diary - The Big book of Metaplot

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

I felt rather blasé about this chapter because I have always felt rather blasé about the Settites. They always felt rather cartoony in their villainy to me, as though they carpooled into work with the likes of Skeletor and know Mum-Ra personally. The Settites engaged is drug running, human trafficking, corruption, dark magic, and possessed a sinister agenda. So does every other single clan to some degree. The Settites differ mostly in being almost camp in their evil. In any case, this largely leaves me indifferent to the inner workings the snake clan. The reworking of clan into the Ministry for V5, and the presentation of the same in CbN5, is a marked improvement.

The narrative move from Detroit to Cairo gives the chapter a disjointed feeling. That said it is not a bad chapter but weak in comparison to other strong chapters, such as the Dead Walk and Spark of Civil War.

The comparison of the Eye of Hazmiel's with the Eye of Vecna is interesting. It works in so far as using either Eye is a horrible idea in both games, but naturally the PCs always think they can handle it and use it… it eats their brain. So yes, it will not do what Hesha thinks it will do. But that won’t stop Hesha from trying to use it that way, and in so doing creating lots of trouble and adventures.

My own theory is that Beckett’s adventures in Detroit and Ann Arbor happened almost immediately following his encounter with Helena/Portia. He was somewhat panicked and sought the Eye for protection from her. He probably calmed somewhat by the time of his arrival in Cairo. And in the end Hesha would own him a major boon, even if Beckett no longer seeks to possess the Eye.

Again, there are two female Muslin vampire warrior women with nearly identical names. Beckett was in Birmingham looking for the Banu Haqim Fatima without the “h.” The woman who runs out of the Settites temple with Hesha tucked under her arm is a Lasombra named Fatimah, with the “h.”

And notably the adventure works because Beckett has a minimal involvement. Had he also tried to sneak into the temple the entire plan would likely have imploded. Lucita probably gave him a digipet to keep him distracted while the women saved the day.

[Reasor]

And notably the adventure works because Beckett has a minimal involvement. Had he also tried to sneak into the temple the entire plan would likely have imploded. Lucita probably gave him a digipet to keep him distracted while the women saved the day.

This chapter would been amazing with about another page of just Beckett trying to figure out the digipet while there's a swashbuckling adventure going on just out of earshot.

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

Another page of script from Alexander Silverson;

HESHA stalks around, shooting a pistol with one hand. With the other HESHA flips up his monocle up, and from the Eye shoots a beam of deadly energy - HESHA uses it to blow up rampaging mummies. FATIMAH and FATIMA are both here for some reason. They battle back to back, fighting a pair of SETTITES each wielding a pair of flaming, red-hot swords. LUCITA swings on a chandelier, blazing away with uzi's she holds with shadows.

Off in a corner BECKETT listens to the EAGLES on a pair of headphone, while poking at a digipet, which he occasionally shakes or turns upside down for no good reason.

[CTPhipps]

I felt rather blasé about this chapter because I have always felt rather blasé about the Settites. They always felt rather cartoony in their villainy to me, as though they carpooled into work with the likes of Skeletor and know Mum-Ra personally. The Settites engaged is drug running, human trafficking, corruption, dark magic, and possessed a sinister agenda. So does every other single clan to some degree. The Settites differ mostly in being almost camp in their evil. In any case, this largely leaves me indifferent to the inner workings the snake clan. The reworking of clan into the Ministry for V5, and the presentation of the same in CbN5, is a marked improvement.

The Setites are my second favorite clan after the Malkavians but both of them are Clans that I think that need to be done very carefully not to be fucked up and have very different interpretations by readers. My view of the Malkavians for example is that I don't shy away from the idea that they're weird and oddball even as I don't think they're "goofy." I think they exist in a kind of existentialist Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol and David Lynch-esque world. Strange and sometimes humorous but in a gallows' laugh sort of place. Which I think is fundamentally different from both real life mental illness and Krusty the Clown as a vampire.

Weird and quirky is not necessarily different from horror, IMHO.

But then again, I literally wrote Twin Peaks with weredeer so I may not be the guy to argue this.



Setites, by contrast, I tend to think of in terms of contrasts. In my view, I think of the Sabbat as basically poseurs to an extent that are like first year philosophy students. They claim they've transcended morality but they're just dickheads. The Setites and the True Hand, in my game, are the guys who really do spend centuries pondering the meaning of evil and alternative religious codes. I felt that it was "limited", though by the GOD OF DARKNESSSSSSSSS stuff in the first two books so I think the Ministry is a really good idea and potentially gamechanging for the Clan the way Assamite Revised was.

In my games, I basically summarized it when talking to some Neonates this way:

"So who are the Ministry?"

"They're the religious Clan. Except being vampires, it's a dark and spooky crucifiction and blood sacrifice religion."

"I thought that was the Lasombra."

"Eh, not really. The big difference is the Lasombra don't necessarily believe in God."

"What do you meam?"

"It's a tool to them. The Lasombra are the guys who wield the opiate of the masses, at least the ones I've met. Some do believe in Jesus, Caine, or Cthulhu but not all. Not even close. The Setites? All of them that I've met at least. Setites may not believe in anything sensible, healthy, or sane but they believe."

The narrative move from Detroit to Cairo gives the chapter a disjointed feeling. That said it is not a bad chapter but weak in comparison to other strong chapters, such as the Dead Walk and Spark of Civil War.

Agreed.

The comparison of the Eye of Hazmiel's with the Eye of Vecna is interesting. It works in so far as using either Eye is a horrible idea in both games, but naturally the PCs always think they can handle it and use it… it eats their brain. So yes, it will not do what Hesha thinks it will do. But that won’t stop Hesha from trying to use it that way, and in so doing creating lots of trouble and adventures.

In the Diablo video game. The hero of the first game believes he can control Diablo's power and ends up having his soul eaten and damned forever.

My own theory is that Beckett’s adventures in Detroit and Ann Arbor happened almost immediately following his encounter with Helena/Portia. He was somewhat panicked and sought the Eye for protection from her. He probably calmed somewhat by the time of his arrival in Cairo. And in the end Hesha would own him a major boon, even if Beckett no longer seeks to possess the Eye.

I speculate this is correct.

Again, there are two female Muslin vampire warrior women with nearly identical names. Beckett was in Birmingham looking for the Banu Haqim Fatima without the “h.” The woman who runs out of the Settites temple with Hesha tucked under her arm is a Lasombra named Fatimah, with the “h.”

I genuinely thought it was Lucita's girlfriend and our beloved Assamite who did it.

And notably the adventure works because Beckett has a minimal involvement. Had he also tried to sneak into the temple the entire plan would likely have imploded. Lucita probably gave him a digipet to keep him distracted while the women saved the day.

I feel like if Beckett tried to infiltrate a place, he'd stand out worse than C-3PO and R2-D2. There's a reason they didn't tell him the plan.

[CTPhipps]

Chapter Thirteen: The Freedom of Libertalia

This is actually a very short chapter but that's because it's really more of a set up of Beckett meeting with the Laibon. Basically, he heads down to the coast of Africa and visits the mythical pirate kingdom of Libertalia that is (of course) real in the World of Darkness. Gamers may be more familiar with the concept of Libertalia from the Uncharted series of games where Nathan Drake and his brother found the mythical community ruled by pirates.

Bizarre as the concept of a kingdom ruled by pirates may be, it's actually not a legendary matter as Nassau was effectively ruled by a consortium of pirates after the withdrawal of the British government (as well as Spanish). You can see this in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, albeit it is grossly skipped over. Really, pirates and vampires are a thing that shouldn't go together but does very well as I wrote a book about them and the freedom/murder duality is almost tailor made for Anarchs.

Beckett is amusingly inclined to think ill of pirates like Smiling Jack due to the prejudices of his mortal days. I'm not sure when he's invited to visit and this is a "floating timeline" sort of event in the diary that could happen anywhere but I'm assuming after Beckett finds out that Smiling Jack abandoned the Free States so after that chapter.

Beckett notably has been given a magic coin to find and enter Libertalia that is actually a sort of free-floating domain that is presently in charge of a number of port cities but also based on boats. They dock as a group or live out on sea and claim what domain they feel like since no one can really stop them. A floating city so to speak. Its present location is the ports of Tomasina, Mombasa (of Halo fame), and another I didn't get the name of.

Beckett and Smiling Jack have a pissing contest over who would win in a fight with Jack pleading age while Beckett pleading generation. My opinion is that Beckett completely ignores that he's on a ship full of Jack's friends and that Jack doesn't fight fair.

"Pirate."

Beckett basically says that Anarchy is a stupid philosophy because every vampire is controlled by their sires back to Caine, including Jack who is ruled by Mama Lion. Beckett then loses the debate when Jack points out that would mean he's controlled by his. Smiling Jack reveals in addition to a shelter for Anarchs, Libertalia is also the center of an enormous financial scam that is probably the smartest thing the Anarchs have ever done. I choose to believe the Nigerian Prince Scam is in-universe the creation of Smiling Jack who DID know a Spanish Prisoner.

Beckett proceeds to go interview Cecile and is at his single most insulting in the book, which is genuinely impressive. Cecile is one of the few to actually sit down with Beckett to discuss their domain and he basically makes accusation after accusation before kicking him out. Frankly, it seems he holds a lot of contempt for Anarchs as an Elder.

Beckett also talks with a man named Doctor Lamas who gives as good as Beckett in their interview. Indeed, some of the best moments in the interview are when Doctor Lamas takes the piss at his expense like saying, "Can you imagine, black people in Amsterdam." Beckett tries to correct him only for him to remember he's in Africa on a ship run by Laibon as well as Western Kindred. Also, Beckett tries to correct him on some details before the doctor asks if he's any more familiar with them.

Beckett speculates the Camarilla is going to crack down on the free-floating kingdom and also that the Laibon may have lost a "Clan" in the past.

Adventures

Fairly typical ones of "Defend against the Camarilla" and "fighting between Anarchs and the Laibon vs. them together against the Camarilla or Sabbat."

Thoughts

Libertalia is an interesting location and I almost wish they had gone whole hog with it and made it like a Fallout (Rivet City!) location of a bunch of freighters at sea serviced by boats bringing them supplies. That is not remotely practical versus being at various ports but I think it would have been fun and made it a bit more memorable. Even so, it is a nice little location and one I could easily see players visiting.

I'm going to skip notes on this one as it's a fairly straightforward domain even if it's an interesting one.

[Bluecho]

The Setites are my second favorite clan after the Malkavians but both of them are Clans that I think that need to be done very carefully not to be fucked up and have very different interpretations by readers. My view of the Malkavians for example is that I don't shy away from the idea that they're weird and oddball even as I don't think they're "goofy." I think they exist in a kind of existentialist Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol and David Lynch-esque world. Strange and sometimes humorous but in a gallows' laugh sort of place. Which I think is fundamentally different from both real life mental illness and Krusty the Clown as a vampire.

Weird and quirky is not necessarily different from horror, IMHO.

But then again, I literally wrote Twin Peaks with weredeer so I may not be the guy to argue this.

It's also worth noting that an individual Malkavian may ACT more goofy and oddball, as a deliberate choice. Both because of the nature of their highly cerebral culture, and as a survival strategy.

Clan Malkavian are masters at making people not take them too seriously. This has its own benefit, in the Jyhad, as it makes them underestimated or written off completely. So long as they don't act so mad as to seem a danger to the Masquerade or terminally piss someone off, they are left to their own strange devices. Putting on a show (going "cray cray for the straights", as one absolute genius on the forum put it, after which much self-cutting and sloppy fish make-outs were had) makes it difficult to know where affectation ends, and where the genuine mental illness begins. You can't exploit a Malkavian's madness if you don't know which "quirks" are "optional".

From a meta-narrative standpoint, Malkavians are important as a means of creating levity, even if it's of the darkly comedic variety. Uninterrupted vampire angst would become a draining slog, whereas constant violence leaves the mind dull. Even if a Malkavian isn't acting like a clown, their idiosyncratic approach to the world around them can force both Storyteller and Players to break out of well-worn patterns, and consider matters from other angles. You're not thinking about the Optimal Vampire Strategy, you're thinking of "What Would Malkav Do?", and going from there.

In that way, it's very much a reflection of their in-universe "calling" in unlife: they "win" the Jyhad by breaking its staid patterns and making vampires think outside the box. As above, so below.

[Bluecho]

Chapter Thirteen: The Freedom of Libertalia

If I may comment, I like how this chapter addresses that not all is perfect in their anarchist paradise. Namely that, for the very young Kindred, they have just as little recourse as they would in Camarilla domains, in terms of their ability to secure feeding. No one enforces feeding rights, of course, but when push comes to shove and vessels get sparse, older Libertatians are inclined to "encourage" younger licks to find their blood elsewhere.

Reminding us that, in a truly stateless environment, hierarchies still form. In lieu of anything else, power centers into those that are most literally powerful. Principles be damned.

Bizarre as the concept of a kingdom ruled by pirates may be, it's actually not a legendary matter as Nassau was effectively ruled by a consortium of pirates after the withdrawal of the British government (as well as Spanish). You can see this in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, albeit it is grossly skipped over. Really, pirates and vampires are a thing that shouldn't go together but does very well as I wrote a book about them and the freedom/murder duality is almost tailor made for Anarchs.

See also the plane of Ixalan from Magic: The Gathering. Though less Vampire Pirates, and more Pirates vs Vampire Conquistadors.

Ixalan is the best MtG plane, basically. Any arguments to the contrary on invalid, on the basis of the above.

[CTPhipps]

It's also worth noting that an individual Malkavian may ACT more goofy and oddball, as a deliberate choice. Both because of the nature of their highly cerebral culture, and as a survival strategy.

Clan Malkavian are masters at making people not take them too seriously. This has its own benefit, in the Jyhad, as it makes them underestimated or written off completely. So long as they don't act so mad as to seem a danger to the Masquerade or terminally piss someone off, they are left to their own strange devices. Putting on a show (going "cray cray for the straights", as one absolute genius on the forum put it, after which much self-cutting and sloppy fish make-outs were had) makes it difficult to know where affectation ends, and where the genuine mental illness begins. You can't exploit a Malkavian's madness if you don't know which "quirks" are "optional".

From a meta-narrative standpoint, Malkavians are important as a means of creating levity, even if it's of the darkly comedic variety. Uninterrupted vampire angst would become a draining slog, whereas constant violence leaves the mind dull. Even if a Malkavian isn't acting like a clown, their idiosyncratic approach to the world around them can force both Storyteller and Players to break out of well-worn patterns, and consider matters from other angles. You're not thinking about the Optimal Vampire Strategy, you're thinking of "What Would Malkav Do?", and going from there.

In that way, it's very much a reflection of their in-universe "calling" in unlife: they "win" the Jyhad by breaking its staid patterns and making vampires think outside the box. As above, so below.

Yeah,

Part of the issue a lot of people have with Malkavians is there's something of a rift on how they "should" be played and there's only so many examples as there's no iconic Malkavian in fiction unlike, say, Lestat and Toreador or the Lost Boys and Brujah.

Even the signature characters for the Clan in canon are wildly divergent. In Chicago by Night, there's Son and basically everyone thinks they should be played as murderous Patrick Bateman types. There's also the alternative, Bloodlines, which is now iconic where they speak in rhyme and symbolism. The other major Malkavian being Harley Quinn/Doctor Quinzel for personality. There's room for both as long as they're not being disruptive to the other players' experience.

It's not always like this.



But if you do play the Patrick Bateman psychopath--what's the difference between you and a Low Humanity vampire? There needs to be more, IMHO. The occassional out of control halluciination, voices, or more to supplement their dark side. That's on the ST to take advantage of the Malkavian condition. Mind you, I've also accepted Malkavians with "Narcissist", "Hemophilia Obsession", and "Megalomania" as Derangements--which I state means that they pretty much act like other Elders.

:rimshot:

People who favor personal horror or believe it could be disrespectful to the game or mood breaking to portray Malkavians ridiculous. I agree Malkavians should never be ridiculous. They can be weird and quirky and even funny. What they do is deliberate as a coping mechanism to the Jyhad, beast, and disjointed view of the world. I do think most Malkavians can and should have a sense of humor. It's just a very dark one. They're aware of things that other people don't see but can't speak about them even to themselves.

I totally think that you can and maybe should have many Malkavians have a kind of oddball sense of humor or Dadaist style. Grant Morrison, David Lynch, and other surrealism. This is deliberate by Malkavians, though, because a part of them laughs at the fact everyone else thinks this matters--but they know it doesn't. To be a Malkavian is to require the player to be able to roleplay someone who can't quite be 100% on the same page as everyone else while being functional enough to be part of the team--like you're carrying a secret you can't explain or understand yourself.

And yes, my Malks do love to be underestimated.



So, I guess all of that was a long way of saying: Go ahead and make your Malkavians odd, funny, and weird but remember that they should still be unsettling.

Because at the end of the day, every street mime and prophetess is still a hungry monster.

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

For all that I joke Beckett uses wisdom as his dump stat, I think in this case he knew the score. He knew the smack talk with Jack was mostly bluffing and posing. Jack, and the situation, called for Beckett to thrust his jaw and out and act a bit like Billy Badass. And it worked.

That is a good read on the Spanish Prisoner and is something I missed.

Equally interesting is the back and forth between Beckett and Jack about politics, freedom and the Anarchs. Jack is good in a fight and good at debating someone like Beckett. I cannot help but notice that in the one picture Jack looks like Ian McShane as Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides.

And yes, Beckett is at his most abrasive when talking to Cecile. It would be easy to read this scene as racism or sexism on the part of Beckett. To damn with faint praise, you can simply say the man is a jackass. Also, in real life I once was a journalist – there are ways to finesse an interview and ways to fuck an interview. Beckett goes towards the latter.

There is a note from Lucita that left me a bit nonplused. She asks surprised that Beckett is observing her and her use of Lasombra shadow powers. Her surprise is odd on one level because his observations are at least simple tactical observation made by any elder of all the vampires around them – it is common sense and of course he makes them. Further, he notes he is observing her use of shadow powers back in the "Spark of Civil War" chapter. Perhaps the events of this chapter occur before that chapter.

In some of the old books, Beckett is apparently attracted to Lucita. Granted, I prefer my vampires to be asexual, after a fashion, and only use sexuality to hurt people. But I hope this passage in the BJD is not meant to imply he has some stalkers crush on her.

And yes and again yes, the interview with Dr. Lamas is a highlight of the chapter if only for the way Lamas pushes back at Beckett after the way the Gangrel was egregiously rude to Cecile. It is easy to imagine Lamas and Cecile knowing each other and possibly being friends – as much as vampires can be friends – and deciding to take the mickey out of Beckett for the way the Gangrel treated Cecile. Lamas utterly knows what he is doing and what he is saying. I can imagine he and Cecile chuckling about it later over while sipping the blood of tourists.

If I had a complaint about this chapter it is that the book missed the obvious – pirate vampires. We know how they operate socially in kindred, or Cainite, circles (and it is an interesting portrait of an anarchist community). But we know nothing about how the act as pirates, select target, fight, divvy up the booty and victims and so forth.

Drink up, me hearties, drink up! Yo ho!

[CTPhipps]

Equally interesting is the back and forth between Beckett and Jack about politics, freedom and the Anarchs. Jack is good in a fight and good at debating someone like Beckett. I cannot help but notice that in the one picture Jack looks like Ian McShane as Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides.

One element I actually really enjoyed about Bloodlines is that it's a surprisingly well-rounded view of Smiling Jack for a character that is on the periphery until the very end. Smiling Jack looks and acts like a Hell's Angel (which is not so different from a pirate from a certain perspective). However, he is every bit as observant and canny as an Elder of his age can be as well as able to make a ruthless multi-tiered plan that ultimately kills a Prince with absolutely no one other than the player (and Caine) the wiser about his culpability. In the Gehenna novel (not the supplement), he's also someone who made Jenna Cross into a fake Last Daughter of Eve with a moon tattoo. Beckett is disgusted to find out he's also been buying up Noddist artifacts to set her up as a fake messiah with some credibility.

Some people have speculated on him being Calico Jack (the real life inspiration for Jack Sparrow as well as the Jolly Roger) but like Cristias doesn't quite have the background for it and was never a Captain. I am amused at the idea he might recruit some female Cainites to pretend to be Anne Bonnie and Mary Read to make the claim--because Jack is a liar.

And yes, Beckett is at his most abrasive when talking to Cecile. It would be easy to read this scene as racism or sexism on the part of Beckett. To damn with faint praise, you can simply say the man is a jackass. Also, in real life I once was a journalist – there are ways to finesse an interview and ways to fuck an interview. Beckett goes towards the latter.

My inclination is a bit fairer as I have the view that Beckett just finds anything idealistic and Anarch related to be ridiculous. He would have the same attitude with Jeremy MacNeil and Salvador, which would be equally stupid as they're Brujah.

There is a note from Lucita that left me a bit nonplused. She asks surprised that Beckett is observing her and her use of Lasombra shadow powers. Her surprise is odd on one level because his observations are at least simple tactical observation made by any elder of all the vampires around them – it is common sense and of course he makes them. Further, he notes he is observing her use of shadow powers back in the "Spark of Civil War" chapter. Perhaps the events of this chapter occur before that chapter.

I took that as a bit of a joke rather than something literal.

In some of the old books, Beckett is apparently attracted to Lucita. Granted, I prefer my vampires to be asexual, after a fashion, and only use sexuality to hurt people. But I hope this passage in the BJD is not meant to imply he has some stalkers crush on her.

My view on Kindred is that any sexuality they have is subsumed into the blood. A vampire is inherently pansexual after a certain point because they care about the red more than the gender of their partners and it's both sex as well as drugs to a vampire (plus food obviously). Part of why Kindred relationships are inherently doomed are because any human is prey and any other Kindred is a competing predator but they can remember romances as well as act out the Dance.

(I take the Masquerade as metaphor as well as physical)

It is kind of ridiculous that every man Lucita knows is in love with her and some of the women. I think the nadir is Jan Pieterzoon talking about his adoration for her in Clan Novel: Ventrue. I can't imagine the two even met save professionally let alone had any kind of affair.

And yes and again yes, the interview with Dr. Lamas is a highlight of the chapter if only for the way Lamas pushes back at Beckett after the way the Gangrel was egregiously rude to Cecile. It is easy to imagine Lamas and Cecile knowing each other and possibly being friends – as much as vampires can be friends – and deciding to take the mickey out of Beckett for the way the Gangrel treated Cecile. Lamas utterly knows what he is doing and what he is saying. I can imagine he and Cecile chuckling about it later over while sipping the blood of tourists.

Mind you, the Laibon will UTTERLY screw with Beckett's brain next chapter. They also get more than they bargained for.

If I had a complaint about this chapter it is that the book missed the obvious – pirate vampires. We know how they operate socially in kindred, or Cainite, circles (and it is an interesting portrait of an anarchist community). But we know nothing about how the act as pirates, select target, fight, divvy up the booty and victims and so forth.

It's doubly funny because my current PC is presented possessed by his Malkavian grandsire's pirate ghost.

[Athanasius]

Chapter Nine: The Spark of Civil War

The book proceeds to explain in a bit more detail that Jalan (who is confirmed as Elimelech) is at war with the Black Hand, as stated, and I'm very glad the True Hand wins this conflict because I think it'd be easy to see Jalan as the "good guy" when it is really just evil vs. evil. .

Where do you get that from? Elimelech is behind Galbraith's destruction - if you want to believe what Vasantasena is saying, that is - because he was actually Ruths husband from the Bible - hence the Book of Ruth-reference - but I see no second - or third - alter ego as Jalan-Aajav?

[Athanasius]

Yes, there's new plot elements:

* The Beckoning

Is that actually true? I think I read one or two sentences mentioning older vampires being drawn to the east in BJD as well.

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

CTPhipps your video will not play, sadly.

[CTPhipps]

CTPhipps your video will not play, sadly.

Weird. It works for me.

It's Wolves of the Sea by Alestorm.

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

It might be a regional issue - I'm in Samoa and the video might be restricted in some places.