Houses of the Blooded
I don't know why I haven't made this post sooner. (That's a lie. I know why. This is my apology). So those of you who still have me friended and are fans of 7th Sea I really suggest you take a look at Houses of the Blooded. It can be found here:
http://www.housesoftheblooded.net/
Houses of the Blooded is a game by John Wick, the same author as 7th Sea. It is probably best described as 7th Sea distilled. Or more specifically Voddace run through a refinery... and laced with absinthe.
The idea is that you play an ancient race of nobles called the Ven. On the scale of ambition the Ven make the Vaddace look like slackers. Ostensibly the game is about Romance and Revenge. Says so right on the cover. All of this combines to be pretty much my dream game. Obsessive nobles who pursue romance and plot revenge with sword and roses. What's not to love?
Well... the underlying system. I'm unconvinced that the underlying system actually enables the play group to address those topics. It certainly allows the group to play act those things. I mean there are whole sub-systems specifically for romance and revenge. It's not just color. It's there at the heart of the system.
There's a difference, however, between a system that allows you to ride out a cascade of cool revenge and romance color to an inevitable conclusion and one that allows you to take on those things as *issues* to be questioned and addressed through play itself. I'm unconvinced the system will enable me to do the later which is what I want to do with the material.
But I'm also unsure of that. I keep being drawn in by the games flavor and kicked away from it by its system. It's like this game has me locked up in battered-spouse syndrome and that's just the text since I haven't actually played it yet.
And I think I might just have to.
http://www.housesoftheblooded.net/
Houses of the Blooded is a game by John Wick, the same author as 7th Sea. It is probably best described as 7th Sea distilled. Or more specifically Voddace run through a refinery... and laced with absinthe.
The idea is that you play an ancient race of nobles called the Ven. On the scale of ambition the Ven make the Vaddace look like slackers. Ostensibly the game is about Romance and Revenge. Says so right on the cover. All of this combines to be pretty much my dream game. Obsessive nobles who pursue romance and plot revenge with sword and roses. What's not to love?
Well... the underlying system. I'm unconvinced that the underlying system actually enables the play group to address those topics. It certainly allows the group to play act those things. I mean there are whole sub-systems specifically for romance and revenge. It's not just color. It's there at the heart of the system.
There's a difference, however, between a system that allows you to ride out a cascade of cool revenge and romance color to an inevitable conclusion and one that allows you to take on those things as *issues* to be questioned and addressed through play itself. I'm unconvinced the system will enable me to do the later which is what I want to do with the material.
But I'm also unsure of that. I keep being drawn in by the games flavor and kicked away from it by its system. It's like this game has me locked up in battered-spouse syndrome and that's just the text since I haven't actually played it yet.
And I think I might just have to.