The Pain from an Old Wound [Vampire: the Masquerade]

Open Development, Vampire: The Masquerade

Don Draper: Nostalgia – it’s delicate, but potent. Teddy told me that in Greek, “nostalgia” literally means “the pain from an old wound.” It’s a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone.

–

Beckett: If I see so much as a flickering shadow, I’ll be moving to rip your arms off.

Talley: I’ll be on my best behavior. Consider this an exploratory expedition into the heart of darkness. The horror. The horror!

–

The Beckett’s Jyhad Diary Kickstarter only has nine days left on the clock. As we pass some stretch goals and reach others, Neall and I reflect on the work we – and the excellent crew of writers and artists – put into this book. It’s with some pride we realise how well-received the backers are finding the texts I’ve been uploading for preview (you can view them on the Kickstarter page). We knew this book would be popular, just by dint of its subject matter. We strived to ensure all the content would be useable in chronicles, exciting to read, and the kind of text to ignite all those lovely mental nostalgia centres. Judging from backers’ responses, we seem to be hitting the mark.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/deluxe-v20-becketts-jyhad-diary/

Every Vampire player can name what it was that drew them into this fantastic game. Whether the Gothic-Punk aesthetic, the rich setting, the complex characters, or the intriguing powers and mythology – everyone has a story. For me, it was the combination of personal and external horror, applied across books, video games, card games, and at our tabletop. I recall a game in which I portrayed a fledgling, violently Embraced into Clan Toreador by an uncaring sire. I remember the Embrace scene for its intensity, and the horror of its aftermath. I recall feeling my character’s horror at all she had lost, and the vengeance that consumed her. As my play of this character went on, she grew more deeply involved in the World of Darkness. She encountered Princes, Bishops, Hierophants and Infernalists. She trucked with characters from the novels like Beckett and Talley the Hound. She fought bloody battles, engaged in political intrigues, and brought her sire low through a protracted revenge scheme. That chronicle awoke something in me that never died, but my strongest memory is of that brutal, terrible Embrace.

My nostalgia for this game is great, and ever fed by the constant support of its players, Storytellers, artists, and writers. This book is fuelled by nostalgia, so your games might benefit from our accumulation of lore and experience. Every paragraph contains a plot hook. Every dialogue exchange evokes a part of the setting we want to see used in games. We’ve pulled from the books, the video games, and the card games (including adding characters who only appeared in Vampire: The Eternal Struggle). There are no depths we have not plumbed to make this book as strong as it can be, and I want you to enjoy it, use it, and find it the ultimate in Vampire resources. A Storyteller with this book should have enough plots at her disposal to last years and years. I want readers to find the easter eggs we’ve planted, referring to obscure books and undeveloped plots from historic works, seeing a character referenced for the first time in over two decades. I want that feeling of nostalgia to wash over every backer as they open their copy of Beckett’s Jyhad Diary.

More importantly still, I want this book to appeal to new players and Storytellers. Beckett’s Jyhad Diary contains new material, new expansions to the existing metaplot, and enough grounding to make the game accessible to anyone – old hands and fresh fledglings alike. The Kickstarter backers have responded incredibly well to the bringing back of characters like Marcus Vitel and Cappadocius. They have responded stronger still to the idea of vampires of the South American continent, Clan allegiances changing, and deeper explorations of Clans, bloodlines, and Sects. There is more to come as stretch goals pass and more chapters are added to the already sizeable text. I ask that you engage with us, and the other backers, in the Kickstarter comments. Have a say on what you like and dislike about the book so far. We are listening, and will respond.

Below I will post several of the plot hooks from across the book, to give examples of the kind of signposted content a Storyteller might use. Note however, there are plenty more between the lines of Beckett’s text, in the dialogue between characters, in the emails he’s printed and added to his diary, the chat logs, faxes, police reports, and everything else.

Let me know what you think of the book, and if you’re still unsure about backing, tell me why! I would love to try and convince you to get involved with Beckett’s Jyhad Diary. If you are already backing, then I thank you. Please share the Kickstarter on all social media. Remember – the more stretch goals we hit, the more content this book receives, and it’ll all be thanks to you.

–