Paradox Interactive (the Crusader Kings people, not the Conan/Mutant Chronicles ones) buy the White Wolf properties [Merged x10]

[Charlaquin]

On second thought, it might be more likely to happen later in the week. I've got work to catch up on, errands, and date plans before I leave town on Wednesday, but I'll definitively get something up over the Christmas weekend.

No worries. Whenever you have time to spare is cool, just send me a PM or something when you do.

[dxanders]

On second thought, it might be more likely to happen later in the week. I've got work to catch up on, errands, and date plans before I leave town on Wednesday, but I'll definitively get something up over the Christmas weekend.

[dxanders]

Something like that would be super helpful, at least to me, I'd definitely appreciate it!

I'll try to post something up a little later tonight. It would be a nice little nostalgia trip for me, and I'm sure other people will be happy to fill in the blanks of things I'm not quite so sure or outright wrong about.

[Charlaquin]

I'm not aware of any sort of metaplot compendium, but if there's interest, I could put together a cliff's notes thread breaking down the major lines. It's been a while, but I used to be really immersed in the stuff.

Something like that would be super helpful, at least to me, I'd definitely appreciate it!

[dxanders]

So, this may be slightly off-topic, but here goes. If the new White Wolf is able to deliver on their ambitions - and I hope they do - I, as a ChroD fan who is really only passingly familiar with the classic World of Darkness, may be left out of the loop in what they hope to turn into the next pop culture phenomenon. Even if it was said jokingly, a World of Darkness show on Netflix or HBO by 2021 would be awesome, and I'd like to know more about the setting(s) going into it. But the backlog of metaplot has always been this massive impenetrable barrier to entry for me. Are there any good resources that the hardcore WoD fans would recommend for someone who is interested to learn more about the story so far, but has been put off by the attempt in the past when trying to sort through volumes of wiki pages?

I'm not aware of any sort of metaplot compendium, but if there's interest, I could put together a cliff's notes thread breaking down the major lines. It's been a while, but I used to be really immersed in the stuff.

FWIW, I think each of the lines was mostly understandable from a setting perspective. The core setting for each was more or less staid apart from flashpoint events that hit around the time of the revised editions. I think the main problem was less about deep metaplot bloat and more about broad setting bloat. Vampire was the worst offender with dozens of clans that became increasingly sillier and less thematically sound as publication continued as nd action-adventure themes gradually began to overcome the core values of personal horror.

[Charlaquin]

So, this may be slightly off-topic, but here goes. If the new White Wolf is able to deliver on their ambitions - and I hope they do - I, as a ChroD fan who is really only passingly familiar with the classic World of Darkness, may be left out of the loop in what they hope to turn into the next pop culture phenomenon. Even if it was said jokingly, a World of Darkness show on Netflix or HBO by 2021 would be awesome, and I'd like to know more about the setting(s) going into it. But the backlog of metaplot has always been this massive impenetrable barrier to entry for me. Are there any good resources that the hardcore WoD fans would recommend for someone who is interested to learn more about the story so far, but has been put off by the attempt in the past when trying to sort through volumes of wiki pages?

[Fat Larry]

I'm actually pretty excited for the By Night Werewolf KS in January, and I'm seriously considering attending the next convention to see if any news is leaked out about the future of the oWoD.

Good time to be a fan.

[Charlaquin]

Agreed, at this point I'm very excited to see where it goes!

[Murder-of-Crows]

Sure, that's noble and all, but it's easier said than done. It's a deeply ingrained survival instinct to prefer the familiar and safe over the unknown and potentially dangerous. I didn't immediately reject Paradox just because it was change, but my trepidation about the change was a natural reaction.

I can relate to that. That's my usual reaction too. Even though in this particular case it seemed to be good news that White Wolf is a real company again. The news from Tenebrae Noctis have in my opinion proven that. So now they get my trust, and let's see if they deliver on their many promises.

[Charlaquin]

Just take a page from Mage: Change is good. Statis is what bogs us down. At least, if you are a Tradition mage. So change is IMHO something to be embraced, never feared.

Sure, that's noble and all, but it's easier said than done. It's a deeply ingrained survival instinct to prefer the familiar and safe over the unknown and potentially dangerous. I didn't immediately reject Paradox just because it was change, but my trepidation about the change was a natural reaction.

[Murder-of-Crows]

I think that may have been exactly what worried some people. Passionate plans mean big changes to the status quo. Just knowing that they were passionate without knowing their plans, I knew that big changes were coming, but not wether those changes would be for the better or worse from my perspective. Luckily, it seems like the direction they want to take the IP aligns well with where I would like to see it go, so my trepidation has been replaced by excitement. But until finding that out, their passion was not a comfort to me.

Just take a page from Mage: Change is good. Statis is what bogs us down. At least, if you are a Tradition mage. So change is IMHO something to be embraced, never feared.

Still, I like the way things are shaking out into a separate Chronicles of Darkness that allows the awesome work done in 2004 and 2013 to continue to exist as a viable gameline, while separating the One World of Darkness. The way things are going, I am transfering my brand loyalty to the One World of Darkness and White Wolf Publishing. But the future is looking bright for both gamelines.

[Gmforpowergamers]

I am more interested in this one world of darkness now...

[nos4r2]

The following youtube video gives more Background information from the German "Tenebrae Noctis" World of Darkness Event. Don't be shocked, it is a German Youtube channel. But after the introduction (~ 1:08 min) a huge interview section starts and it is mostly in English!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSTkNLgYsWw

[Charlaquin]

That's what I've been telling from day 1. Paradox has grown massively, but it's still a company run by first-degree nerds for first-degree nerds, they wouldn't have done this if they didn't have passionate plans about what to do with WoD.

I think that may have been exactly what worried some people. Passionate plans mean big changes to the status quo. Just knowing that they were passionate without knowing their plans, I knew that big changes were coming, but not wether those changes would be for the better or worse from my perspective. Luckily, it seems like the direction they want to take the IP aligns well with where I would like to see it go, so my trepidation has been replaced by excitement. But until finding that out, their passion was not a comfort to me.

[Saur Ops Specialist]

I would take that with a grain of salt. The video doesn't say anything to substantiate that rumor, though I know that the poster in question has attended the convention where the videos were made. But I don't think that anything will change here. It would be really strange to do so.

All in all, I don't find the cosmologies in the WoD to be too different or too contradictory. Take for example Weaver, Wyrm and Wyld. They align quite neatly with Mage (Weaver = Technocracy, Wyrm = Nephandi, Wyld = Marauders). Wraith meshes quite well with stuff in Mage about the underworld and Vampire and the material on the Giovanni as well. Same goes for Lilith. She's a powerful figure mentioned in Mage, her lover Lucifer bridges the gap to Demon. Caine is a cursed mortal. Abel maybe Charon. There is a lot already there to connect the dots of the different game lines into a cohesive whole.

The Triat and Mage's cosmological trinity are merely superficial similarities, like most links between games. Whatever Mage does, it's pretty much done in a manner opposite to the way it's seen in Werewolf. Mage has no connections to their trinity and spirits; in Werewolf, the Triat are among the most potent spirits around, with personality issues that become Celestines. Mage makes no note of "dynamism" being shoved around, but the Wyld has mostly retreated into the Umbra for a sudden and vicious counterattack, leaking through harmfully in some areas. That's before you even get to Werewolf not treating technology from stone knapping to quantum computers as a form of magic empowered by belief.