The Let's Play Archive

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

by gatz, TheMcD

Part 38: XXXVIII - Monarchy Now





Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? In fact, it's been so long that the LPer switched! For those reading from the archive, I'm TheMcD, AKA that guy with the terrible name that was talking about that "Grout is the 'friend' writing those e-mails" theory a while back. Things happened, as so often they do with LPs, and gatz will not be able to maintain an LP for the foreseeable future, so that's where I come in, because god damnit, this game does not have some sort of LP curse, and this shit is getting finished. Now, since it's been a while, and I'm taking over somebody else's game, I say we should take some inventory. First, the stats.



Hm, that kind of sucks. Not that the character is terrible or anything, but I would have much preferred the character to be laid out for Ranged as opposed to Melee. I'm just that kind of guy. I'll at least put the four experience points we have into Perception to boost it a bit, then put the next six we get into Firearms to make the threshold that allows us to use the Glock properly, because I like that gun a lot. Next, the quests. What do we have to do next?



Oh. Right.

This'll be a lot of fun, I'm sure. Well, if our next destination is King's Way, we best make sure we're properly stocked. So, what's our inventory look like?



Plenty of good shit here. Plenty of bags of blood, a fuckton of money, all sorts of magic swag, the best armor currently available, all sorts of weapons, both ranged and melee. I can definitely work with this.



Now, before we leave for King's Way, we've got two more things to check up on to make sure we're ready. Our first destination is Club Confession.



Originally, my plan was to pick up some money from Venus, because I forgot to read the last few updates in detail - otherwise, I would have already known that we've just recently gotten some. However, while we're here, I think we can do something about that low blood level.



...pffft. Oh god, that's a good one. I don't care if that makes me a terrible person, but "Lez be friends" is a fucking hilarious line. Love me some terrible puns.

Mmm-hmm?
[Seduction] Wow... I thought getting a fat raise at work made the day. Then I saw you.
I've never seen you in here before.
If I'd known you were here, I would have stopped in a lot sooner.
Hmm hmm hmm he he. Hmm hmm hmm hmm... Mmmm-hmm?
I have something I want to tell you, come closer.



Aww yeah, that's the stuff. Free blood is the best blood. Sadly, our blood supply didn't quite get topped off from this. Oh well, that one blood point hopefully won't make that much of a difference.



Our next stop is Fat Larry's truck of mack, to stock up on ammo, particularly for the Glock. By god, we'll need every shot we can hold.



Well, I can't really put it off any longer.



Let's head to King's Way and finally deal with this Nosferatu mess and this snuff tape mess and whatever other mess we run into along the way.



And here we are at 609 King's Way. The place is locked up, and all the windows have been lined with some sort of foil. Clearly, this is the home of somebody who has nothing to hide.



Also, kitty! You best get out of here, kitty, this is not a good place for you to be.



Now, since the front door is locked, we'll have to come in around the back. And I'm bringing out the SPAS right away, because odds are that we're going to need to go in heavy right quick.



To get up higher, you need to climb this thing here. Might seem obvious to some, but I remember walking around for ages trying to figure out just where the fuck to go because I figured it was just part of the landscape the first time playing this game.



We climb up, head up a staircase, and end up at a door we can actually open. Time to see just what's so terrible it must be hidden from the public eye at all times.



Christ. Yeah, I can see why one would prefer this to remain unseen. A fresh coat of paint won't solve the problems this interior decorating has. We take a step inside...



JESUS FUCK. Throughout wandering through this place, these Geodude looking motherfuckers love to pop out at you. As somebody who is easily startled, this is pretty aggravating. Thankfully, the SPAS deals with them in two easy shots. I should really be conserving ammo, though... oh well.



I do love how they just hide in these small rooms, just waiting for you to walk by, and then they burst out about as dramatically as you can get.



While looking through this floor, we also find this occult thingy just laying around. Occult thingies are the best thingies.



And thanks to our high Research skill, we can figure out just what the hell this thing does. Nothing that's going to set the world on fire, but it's better to have it than not to have it.



One floor lower, things are pretty much the same. Fucked up interior decorating and annoying monsters wanting to make our acquaintance.



I decide to get a bit creative and try out different weapons. The Glock works well against a single monster, but will probably not work against many.



And sometimes you miss. That's always a problem.



Whoever is living here seems to need some blood every once in a while - we find some blood stashed in the fridge. Well, since we'll probably end up trying to kill whoever lives here, we'll just take that. We'll need it more, I'm sure of it.



I also tested out the Uzi. Not very good, to be honest. I never liked it - seems you need a lot of Ranged skill to use it well, and at that point you've got better options available.



As we make our way down into the basement, we get some more displays of wonderful decorating.



Suddenly, somebody else shows up!

Ahh, hello, young Cainite. I see your face is not so lifeless, your nerves not so deadened, that you cannot express shock. Tell me, childe, is my appearance that frightening, or is it my knowledge of you that is so unnerving?



[Listen] Oh, childe of Caine, the sights in this haven pale in comparison to my ancestral estate. Comfort... is a custom, and all of this artifice brings me closer to my home. Do not fear from my furniture, young one.

This is "The Tzimisce". I can't remember if his name is mentioned at some point or if it's only found in game files, but his name is Andrei. Not sure how much Tzimisce have been covered, particularly by the thread - I presume several articles worth of interesting information have already been posted about them, because god damn you people know a lot about this stuff, but since this is our first real run-in with one, here's a short primer, courtesy of the White Wolf wiki:

http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Tzimisce_%28VTM%29 posted:

The Tzimisce are a clan of scholars and flesh-shapers. If one were to described a Tzimisce as inhuman and sadistic, it would probably commend them for their perspicacity, and then demonstrate that their mortal definition of sadism was laughably inadequate. The Tzimisce have left the human condition behind gladly, and now focus on transcending the limitations of the vampiric state. At a casual glance or a brief conversation a Tzimisce appears to be one of the more pleasant vampires. Polite, intelligent and inquisitive they seem a stark contrast to the howling Sabbat mobs or even the apparently more humane Brujah or Nosferatu. However on closer inspection it becomes clear that this is simply a mask hiding something alien and monstrous.

Andrei fits that description to a T.



WESP content alert!

You might notice that the second option is something new to you. That's because it's only added by the Plus patch, and only appears when we have low Humanity. We'll be going along that path with its questionable dialogue to keep options open. As an aside, I'm quite amused by the line about the "bloody architecture", because I can only imagine it being said in a British accent, and that makes it pretty funny to me. Also, is it just me or does the "in reality" line sound a bit stilted? I ask because I think that I can tell that this was made by a German, because the sentence structure reminds me more of a German sentence. Then again, that might just be me mixing my signals again.

You know, I am quite fascinated by the bloody architecture. In reality it's even better than on the tape!
Oh yes, the "tape". Merely a test. Certainly not intended to fall into mortal hands. Fortunately, we are in the capital of mortal trickery and illusion. So did the tape drive you to find me? From whence flows your longing, childe?
I'm rather intrigued by it. Why did you create these creatures?
To gouge out the eyes of the Camarilla. The sewers are clogged with my creations. I will kill or drive the Nosferatu from their pestilent nests. Without the sewer rats to guide them, the Camarilla will be blind to the Sabbat's designs.
The Sabbat, I'm interested in that. Do they do what you tell them?
It is not for me - it's for the will of the Sabbat! The Camarilla is stunted; dead and festering in the womb, good only as pawns of the fathers. Even now, they answer the call of the Ancient and seek to free him from his torpor.
The Ancient?
He slumbers within the Ankaran Sarcophagus; one of the fathers whose return shall hearken the Reckoning. Gehenna is at hand and the Camarilla are unwittingly speeding us all toward our doom.
That sounds bad! Maybe I can join the Sabbat to prevent this.
Now, Camarilla whelp, let me see you fight your nature in the face of those who have embraced their Beast. Deny yourself Caine's gifts, and be torn asunder by my minions!
Didn't you listen, I want to join you. Or is this some kind of test? If so, go ahead!

Right, so what have we learned? That trying to write a conversation with a completely different tone without being able to change both sides of the conversation is not really possible, mostly. There was something about the sarcophagus bringing Gehenna with the Antediluvian sleeping inside it, but we've already heard that theory. Now, it's time to fight.

Watch Boss Fight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xqVkJdTs6o



This guy is kind of a pain in the ass. His pattern is simple - disappear from his current location, reappear somewhere else in the room, summon one of those monsters from one of the four big pipes, stand there for a little bit, then repeat.



The major problem with that is that he changes positions way too fast - if you're using a melee weapon, you'd be spending most of your time just running around the room doing no damage to him because he appeared in a position that's too far away, and that's even without the pain in the ass monsters gnawing on your face. With the monsters, you've got to make sure that you kill them quickly, otherwise there'll be three or four of them at once, and then the whole thing turns into a clusterfuck.



Occasionally, you do get lucky and he shows up close to you, but even then, he doesn't take that much damage, and the window is still pretty small.



Then I decide "fuck that, I'm whipping out the SPAS again", and while that kind of makes sense, it doesn't help that the asshole suddenly starts going from corner to corner, and I can't cover that distance with a shotgun and still expect to be able to deal any real damage.



However, focusing on the guy has allowed multiple monsters to end up on my ass, and that's not good.



Eventually, I manage to lay down several shots on the bastard, and he finally goes down... technically.



Even though the life bar is gone, I've still got these monsters clawing my face off, and he's still reappearing and summoning them.



Only after swording him in the face a couple times for no damage does he finally get out, and yes, he only disappears, he doesn't actually die. But then again, I'm pretty sure you could have figured that we weren't going to be taking out the Sabbat leader right away. The six experience points go right into Firearms, giving us five points in Ranged. You know, I might just do this part over before recording the next bit, because that could have gone better. Particularly because I was so confused once the guy lost all his life but didn't actually die that I forgot to recast Fortitude, which led to all sorts of my face getting chewed off. That, and I might stock up on some more SPAS ammo and use less on the way through - the Glock seems to be good enough for getting through the house.



And through a door, we find our next destination... we're going further down.

Next time, it's those sewers. Oh joy.