Vampire the Requiem: Bloodlines

[Eltacolibre]

You know I really like the video game, Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines , I found it even more fun than the first vampire the masquerade game...yeah I know some people would scream blasphemy. I'm interested in running a chronicle based on the events of the game but using the vampire the requiem system. Should I even bother using the translation guide to make it more masquerade like or do you think with just a couple of hacks (Mirror, maybe vtr mythologies I could make it work?) Since it would obviously be more action oriented, which hacks do you think would work best? I'm thinking of using the Magic character beans from mirrors as well instead of xp, any comment on that?

[Griautis]

Well, depends really. If you want a proper port, you'll need translation guide, to translate the clans. However, If I were to do it, I'd shift it a little to simply change the clans of NPCs into the ones of the same archetypes. Other than that, I'm not sure if you need rule changes to make it more "action-like". Simply by focusing more on the action, you'll get pretty close to where you want to be

[Eltacolibre]

Thanks griautis, alright yeah probably VTR Blood and Smoke would be good enough. I'll just twist things around a little bit. Jeanette could probably just be a Ventrue with the Malkavia affliction.

[Griautis]

Or a mekhet for that matter. But yeah, It's not that hard to transfer them.
Prince Sebastian LaCroix - obviously ventrue.
The Sheriff - Gangrel
Nines Rodriguez - Gangrel with a bloodline, or physically based Daeva
Smiling Jack - Gangrel
Maximillian Strauss - Mekhet
Beckett - Gangrel
Therese and Jeanette (Tourette) Voerman - Ventrue (malkovia afflicted)
Gary Golden (Gorgeous Gary) - nosferatu
Baron Isaac Abrams - Ventrue;
Skelter - gangrel
Damsel - Daeva
Bertram Tung - nosferatu
Andrei - Nosferatu,

[Eltacolibre]

That's perfect, thanks again.

[Stupid Loserman]

To my understanding, it's far from blasphemy to call Bloodlines better than Redemption. Bloodlines is widely acclaimed; Redemption has its fans but in general it is, uh... not.

I'll second just using Blood & Smoke's increased Kindred capability over base Requiem for better action, and perhaps thinking about what you want to run to represent the Sabbat and the Kuei-jin in your story. The Camarilla and the Anarchs translate very smoothly into Blood & Smoke. The Sabbat probably don't need a whole lot of mechanical conversion (give them the advantages of the Circle of the Crone, or Belial's Brood from their book, or the Society of the Accord in The Danse Macabre, or so on), but you might want to think about how much of Requiem's covenants and how much of Masquerade's Sabbat you want in the game flavor-wise, what the Sabbat is out to do and why. The Kuei-jin are trickier - you could simplify them into another covenant horning into the city's territory, perhaps the Ordo Dracul for the mystical, othered aspect of the Kuei-jin. Or you could use a strange and anomalous clan for them, the Jiang Shi from Blood & Smoke or the Shiryo from Before the Bomb or the like (I suggest them specifically because their unique Discipline, like the Coils of the Dragon, adds an alien mystical aspect to them).

The idea behind the magic beans is okay, I'd just remember that in the Storytelling System, you don't need a whole lot of extra dice to get a real advantage - so when using unspent beans as bonus dice, five dice is a big advantage, ten is kind of over the top ridiculous, counter to the examples in the book.

Aside from all that, Requiem is pretty nice and compatible with the Bloodlines story arc, especially with Blood & Smoke's increased power level for vampires and reduced emphasis on the Fog of Eternity to make torpid elders scarier prospects.

[Griautis]

I can go a little bit further, since in VtR there's a huge emphasis on covenants.
Prince Sebastian LaCroix - Invictus
The Sheriff - Invictus, or perhaps Lancea Sanctum (since let's assume the basic premise of the Lancea) or perhaps even Unaligned, swearing his allegiance totally to the LaCroix
Nines Rodriguez - Carthian
Smiling Jack - Most likely Unaligned, who often commutes with authority haters. (he hates authority too much to become a member of the Carthian Movement)
Maximillian Strauss - Ordo Dracul most likely (drive for knowledge etc). However could be Lancea sanctum (due to knowledge gathering as well)
Beckett - Unaligned
Therese and Jeanette (Tourette) Voerman - Invictus
Gary Golden (Gorgeous Gary) - Unaligned, or Invictus at low rank, who still cares more about his clan than the covenant.
Baron Isaac Abrams - Carthian, although one who finds a lot in common with the Invictus
Skelter - Carthian
Damsel - Carthian
Bertram Tung - too little info has been given about him. So I guess it's Unaligned or a Carthian. But could as well be ordo.
Andrei - A bit over the bent Lancea. More likely unaligned.

[Eltacolibre]

@Stupid Loserman: Yeah I was thinking of using Belial's Brood for the sabbat in general but will tweak the idea around, I do like the circle of crone added rituals and it does make sense, will borrow this idea. The Shiryo or Jiang-Shi are just fine in my opinion, since I don't think many of my players would bother reading too much into it. Yeah with the power up from blood and smoke and the fact that xp cost so little, I'll just pass on the magic beans, thanks for the advice.

@Griautis: Bertram tung, will probably put him in the ordo. The Sheriff Lancea Sanctum sounds fun to me. Gary Golden yeah will make him Invictus of low rank. Smiling Jack definitely unaligned.

[The Boz]

You posted a list. Then you expanded on it. And STILL you forget about VV!?

[Griautis]

didn't forget her. She's quite minor for the overall storyline happening in only several side quests concerning her.
In any case:

Velvet Velour (V.V.) - Obviously Daeva. Most likelly low ranked Invictus. Or a low ranked Carthian. can't remember with whom she held allegiance, because it was really herself.. Come to think of that: Unaligned, supporting anyone who would allow her to keep her club and let her do her own thing.
Ash Rivers - Ventrue, due to his sire being such. Unaligned.
Imalia - Nosferatu Carthian
Mitnick - Nosferatu low ranking (or wannabe) Invictus
Pisha -Mekhet, or perhaps Nosferatu, Unaligned

Anyone else I missed?

[The Boz]

I'd say Bert's Invictus. He Knows Where The Bodies Are Buried, or at least it looks like that is his job. Voermans are Carthian; remember that Therese was the Santa Monica Baron before Camarilla showed up. Then again, four cents, square holes, etc.

[Griautis]

I'd say Bert's Invictus. He Knows Where The Bodies Are Buried, or at least it looks like that is his job. Voermans are Carthian; remember that Therese was the Santa Monica Baron before Camarilla showed up. Then again, four cents, square holes, etc.

I think it's more like "Voermans are Invictus, it's just that another faction of Invictus came in and they have their differences (due to power taking...)".

However, both of our interpretations bend the truth to one side or the other, so both are valid

[Deflare]

I think it's more like "Voermans are Invictus, it's just that another faction of Invictus came in and they have their differences (due to power taking...)".

However, both of our interpretations bend the truth to one side or the other, so both are valid

Or she was Unaligned by default until the Invictus stretched out to Santa Monica and she went, "Oooo, shiny!" There are, like, four vampires in Santa Monica who aren't revenants, after all, so covenants may not really be a thing there.

I would gently encourage not translating the game too literally. Remember that there are only three factions in LA, one of which is just "the bad guys we need to murder". For a more nuanced take on things, the Sabbat would become a mix of the Sanctified, Circle, and Belial's Brood, two of whom are more likely to be part of 'civilized' vampire society. This may be a good way to bring in more characters to flesh out the setting (LA is the country's second largest city, no way there are only a two dozen vampires around). Certain characters could also have their concepts nudged to get out of their boxes and to fill the new boxes that VtR offers. Bertram Tung, for example, isn't that fussed about his looks and is more focused on being sneaky and gathering information; thus, he could probably be changed into a particularly reclusive Mekhet without too much trouble. A few characters without strong political convictions may also be good candidates for religious covenants--Velvet could easily be an Acolyte, for example.

[The Boz]

Santa Monica today only has about 90 kiloresidents; 4 vampires is pretty crowded already as per the official rules which I ignore pretty much all the time.

[solomon birch]

I know it's obvious to make Jeanette and Therese Ventrues with Malkavia, but what if she were a Hollow Mekhet? And her twin was her reflection?