Vampire: Masquerade – Bloodline 2 In many ways it feels like a flash point. It might awaken the franchise, or it could be the ultimate death of the virtual universe world of darkness. TTRPG is still strong, but backed by popular live-action theatres like LA and New York, but Project Ghostlight, a new spinoff of Night and Alexander Ward, and recent VTM video games, have struggled to make a real impact. Go to the bat on Bloodhunt, Sharkmob’s unfortunate battle royale, but the con man locks up and closes the co. Swansong’s La Noire detective vibe sounded great on paper, but it was more frustrating than it actually fascinates me. Even Draw Distance’s visual novels were unable to maintain momentum and earned calm praise in the team’s latest effort, New York calculations. Kindred feels like he’s waving his fist everywhere. We are craving the good old days of Bloodlines, a pioneering RPG that has troika issues. It’s safe to say that the much-anticipated sequel, and Bloodlines 2 has a lot to do with it.
However, Jason Carl, brand marketing manager for World of Darkness and Hit Live Plays, is the extremely popular Jason Carl from LA and New York By Night, and doesn’t worry about the original Bloodlines cast into upcoming PC games. Instead, the focus of Bloodlines 2 is on moving forward and building a new path for the brand after a busy but somewhat overwhelming few years.
“I think (the original) Bloodline is one of those old video gaming experiences that are at least misunderstood or misinterpreted, even if the circumstances of its release are generally unforgettable,” he says. “What it’s become today, and what it means to people today, is very different from what it was released and what it means to people back then. I think it’s fascinating. It has a long shadow-cast legacy.”
“It was a combination of many different elements that made the experiences people remember, many of which were not intentional at the time. They combined into something I think is greater than the sum of that part, but it’s hard to do that intentionally. How do you cooperate with it, for a modern audience and without repeating the kind of satisfying experience people want, or anyone would like to repeat it?
“(Bloodlines 2) had to be a story of its own. It had to capture the feeling of being a monster. It’s one of the core elements of a vampire, a world of vampires and darkness. You’re a monster.
“I think the clear intentions of our approach and the soul searching for great things in bloodlines actually benefits our players,” he meditates. “What they’re getting is the best of both worlds. (Bloodlines 2) It’s not the same experience they knew in their pedigree – I’m not even sure it’s possible or desirable. What they get is the advantage of hindsight over 20 years. The bloody experience they need for a bloodline game.”
The release of Bloodlines 2 asks Carl if he feels it is a vampire inflection point. It’s a masquerade, and the whole world of darkness. It’s no secret that Baldur’s Gate 3 has turned its attention to traditional TTRPGs. Since then, I have seen the revival of new DND games and tabletop inspiration adventures.
“I definitely think it’s an inflection point. At least in some way,” he told me. “I think it’s a promise to bring the audience, Bamily (the VTM community) ever since White Wolf reappeared on the scene eight years ago. It’s great to finally want to be real, blood.”
As someone waiting for a vampire: Masquerade – Pedigree 2 release date is very long and equally excited to see what happens next. There is a long-lost enthusiasm around VTMs. This is a spark that you feel ready to sniff and go into a frenzy (hopefully not fatal). As I approached that fateful day in October, my fingers were crossed – the world of darkness didn’t look very bright.
