"Twists of Obscenity: Esoterica of The Baali" is a Must-Have Vampire Supplement!

I first came to Vampire right after the release of Vampire: The Requiem, and I remember enjoying the experience, but being told there was an older game that offered a lot more in terms of history, lore, and options. And while I gave Vampire: The Masquerade try after try, it never really caught hold of me. Every game I played felt indistinguishable from a Requiem game, except for the fact that the mechanics were a lot more slipshod, and less codified, which left me feeling confused and frustrated.

I was certain I was missing something, and every time I asked an old hand why they kept coming back to this game they kept telling me it was for the richness of the lore and the depth of the story... but those things never seemed to manifest in any game I was a part of. It was the same old machinations, the same old brooding, and the same old aversion to actually solving plots in favor of just waiting for whatever the current threat was to die of old age... or so it seemed to me.

Well, now that I finished my 100 Kinfolk project for Werewolf: The Apocalypse (which had 100 Stargazer Kinfolk and 101 Savage Kinfolk as encore supplements for those who missed them), I circled back around to Vampire to try to stretch my horizons a bit more. I also asked a friend and fellow designer Clinton Boomer (That Boomer Kid on Tumblr) who is a huge fan of Masquerade to help me find what's captivated so many other players over the years.

While he helped guide me to a lot of things that had completely slipped under my radar in my previous endeavors, one thing that really lit the spark was one of his latest projects... Twists of Obscenity: Esoterica of The Baali.

Got to say, I think I'm getting it now.

And if you don't have a copy, get one now!

Delving Into The Mythology Behind The Masquerade

One of the major differences between Requiem and Masquerade has always been that the former is very cagey with universe specifics, never really committing to an origin story of the kindred or saying who or what created them. The latter makes it very clear they are the spawn of Caine, and they fit into a very specific place, mythologically speaking. There's some wiggling here and there, a touch of ret-conning every now and again, but it is a lot more definite regarding what the kindred are, where they came from, and what they represent.

That seems like a very small thing, but it opens up a huge world of possibilities. This is particularly true when you start delving into some of the more feared names from mythology in and around the Middle East, including beings like Moloch, Nergal, and Lilith... which leads us back to the Baali.

And the raw awfulness behind them.

The Baali typically fall into that category of content in World/Chronicles of Darkness games that are reserved only for storyteller use. This is where game elements deemed too disruptive (either mechanically, or thematically) go, and if I'm honest, I can see why so many storytellers don't want to touch them. The sheer horror of the Baali, and what they represent, isn't going to appeal to every group... or even to most of them. Vampires with a lineage that goes back to the ancient times, when fallen angels walked the Earth, and when the things that slept in the Darkness from before creation were nearer to the waking world than might be imagined are heady ideas, and that can cast a big shadow over your game. The Baali incorporate true, cosmic horror in a way that I've rarely seen brought to the forefront in any edition of Vampire, making us ask what kinds of forces could make even the worst predations of the most monstrous of kindred look like nothing more than a show on the stage of a bloody circus.

And Twists of Obscenity brings this home in a big way.

While there's the usual stuff you expect from a supplement like this, with fun additional powers and tweaks on rituals and Disciplines, it's written in a way that gives you a glimpse behind the curtain of entrails and debasement. It gives a perspective on the Baali that can allow them to be real characters in the ongoing play of dark theater that takes place in the setting, rather than just being an excuse to throw in body horror and gallons of blood. It adds weight to them, and provides a way you can make them feel like more than just a cheap scare.

In short, it brings across the very real horror of the corner of the setting that the Baali, their allies, and their servants occupy. And it lets us see the doorway they keep closed, implying what might happen if it ever opened to release the things that pre-date not only the kindred, but the creation of the world as we know it.

And that is the sort of story you can get out of Masquerade that you simply cannot out of its successor... at least the last time I checked, anyway.

Lastly, before I go, I wanted to let everyone know that my latest supplement New World Nights: 100 Ghouls For The American Camarilla is also out! It won't be the last such piece, so if you enjoyed my kinfolk supplements, you should definitely give this one a look. And to stay on top of all my latest content and releases, make sure you sign up for my weekly newsletter!

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That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

100 Kinfolk: A Werewolf The Apocalypse Project

If you've ever played Werewolf the Apocalypse, then you know there is a lot to take in when it comes to that game and its setting. There's the centuries-spanning lore of the world, hundreds of monsters of flesh and spirit alike, factions, camps, allies, threats, and all of the dark nooks and crannies of the World of Darkness that always seem to hide another rabbit hole for you to fall down.

One of the more interesting elements of the game that often gets overlooked, though, are kinfolk. The little brothers and sisters of the garou, these humans and wolves help pass on the potential to become a shapeshifter to their children, but they also act as the support staff (and in many cases the backbone) of the nation. They're the ones that run the guns, stamp the papers, move the supplies, and clean up the messes left behind by werewolf packs, and it's a largely thankless job.

Garou are the rock stars, but kinfolk are roadies, stage hands, mixers... you get the idea.

Something I noticed, as well, was that a lot of storytellers (and players if I'm honest) sort of forget that kinfolk are even there, except as a nebulous force that can sometimes help out. Like shoemaker elves. And even when people do try to include kinfolk, they can often feel at a loss as to where to begin with them. Who are they supposed to be, what are they supposed to do, and how is it supposed to help the nation?

Well, hopefully I've got some answers for you.

The 100 Kinfolk Project

I've been writing storyteller supplements for a few years now, and of all the disparate project I've put out, I noticed that the most popular ones were always lists of background characters. Characters the storyteller doesn't really plan for, because they aren't an important part of the current campaign, nor do they function as a set piece. Collections like 100 NPCs You Might Meet at The Tavern, along with 100 Merchants to Encounter, for example, are the ones that have some of the biggest consistent sales.

You see a man sitting at a table. What's he look like? Ugh... he's... smoking...

Since I wanted to stretch my wings a bit, I thought I'd put together something that took that basic premise, but extended it into Werewolf. The idea was to create 100 unique kinfolk for every werewolf tribe, thereby ensuring that no matter who was at your table, or where your campaign was taking place, that there would be a list you could draw some background characters from. I reached out to High Level Games, pitched this project, and we got cracking on making some kinfolk!

So far the completed tribe lists includes:

- Get of Fenris

- Black Furies

- Glass Walkers

- Bone Gnawers
- Silver Fangs
- Red Talons
- Fianna

- Children of Gaia
- Shadow Lords
- Uktena
- Silent Striders
- Wendigo

- Black Spiral Dancers

At time of writing I'm elbow-deep in the Silver Fangs, and already making notes on the Shadow Lords. Additionally, if you don't see your favorite tribe up right now, check back later, as I'll be updating this list whenever a new collection comes out!

What Makes These Collections Useful?

When I first started writing NPC collections, I wanted to make sure they were more than just a general collection of names and descriptions; I required them to be useful in some way to the people who were bringing them to the table.

In my fantasy gaming collections that meant including characters with knowledge about the local area, who could lay out rumors, identify magic items, sell the party sundries, or who might be hired to tail a notable NPC. Some of them were meant to act as security, and a few of them were just for local color, but the majority had some purpose they fulfilled, and some use they could be turned to in order to help you keep the story moving forward.

I wanted to do the same thing with my kinfolk collections.

Sometimes you just need the right cog to keep your machine ticking away.

The kinfolk in these lists aren't here just for set dressing. From private detectives and tech gurus, to police officers, snipers, soldiers, and nurses, they're here to help make sure that any pack has support in its endeavors to fight the Wyrm. You'll find investigative journalists, stock brokers with insider information on enemy organizations like Pentex, and even models, entertainers, and diplomats who can all ease the red tape associated with getting into places that could otherwise prove to be quite a chore. Some of them can wield gnosis, and some of them are expert crafters, capable of furnishing garou with items they wouldn't be able to find anywhere else.

And since many werewolves started their lives as just kinfolk before their first changes, these lists can also act as inspiration for people who aren't sure who their character should be.

What You Won't Find In These Collections

The World of Darkness is a horror setting. Full stop, no questions asked. It is a crumbling world where the shadows are deeper, the mean grow cruel, and where suffering has teeth. It's a world of blood and guts, where even a moment's distraction could send you howling into a blood frenzy, corrupting your soul in ways that will haunt you for the rest of your days.

However, those who read through these kinfolk collections will notice a decided lack of those kinds of themes. Instead you're more likely to find characters with tight communal relationships, who have living spouses, children they care about, and a decided lack of self-destructive coping mechanisms (for the most part, there are a few stand outs). You'll also find that, contrary to a lot of World of Darkness supplements out there, that characters in these collections are not shunned for their ethnicity, or punished for their identity. Nor will you find problematic allies of the sort who support atrocious causes or espouse hateful ideologies, expecting you to tacitly put up with them if you expect their help.

And you lost me...

Why do that, you might ask? Doesn't that seem like it would be the opposite of a supplement that would fit a horror game?

Well, there are two reasons.

The first, and most important, is that kinfolk still have the blood of the garou running through their veins. They are communal people (and animals), and what makes them different from normal people brings them together. They are part of a great secret, and that can be binding. They are tribal, and that means you defend your own. Especially when you're a rare resource that's precious for the continued existence of the garou nation as a whole. There are mechanisms in place to help kinfolk resolve their differences that aren't available to normal people, as well, ranging from mediation by garou, to bringing their troubles before their community elders. So while there are certainly resentments, frustrations, differences of opinion, and the occasional grudge, the kinfolk presented here are much more like average people who are banded together in a common cause.

The second is that kinfolk need to have something that's actually at risk to make it matter when they're in danger. If a character's entire life has been one long tragedy after another, and they've been kicked down the stairs at every turn, then it just isn't going to have any real impact when yet another terrible thing happens to them. That's true with PCs who try (often unsuccessfully) to walk that grimdark edge, and it's especially true for the supporting characters along the way. You want players to care about these NPCs, to want to protect them, and to feel responsible for them. Which is why a majority of them tend to be likable, willing to help (if not always eager), and why most of them are busy living lives filled with goals, drives, and plans.

Because cutting all of that short is a much bigger fall, and your players will feel a much heavier impact if the hammer comes down.

Also, while we're on the topic of World of Darkness stuff in general, and Werewolf in particular, you might find the following posts quite useful for your upcoming games:

- Have You Tried Using "Spiritual Bleed" in Your RPG?

- Want To Run Better World of Darkness Games? Then Watch John Wick!

- The Best Idea White Wolf Ever Had (Villain Design 101)

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you enjoyed, and if you do check out any of my guides, please leave a review once you've had a look!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal and Gamers archives, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!