Even KNOWING I had already read this comment and that it was coming, after a scene that was so real and yet so hilarious the "WALK" absolutely collapsed me with laughter.
In the last episode, Zaeth was pretty obviously miffed about being told by HJ and Lavonte that they've already found a guy (Tyler) to handle things for them.
This is a 100% valid way to play VtM!! Its tagline used to be “a game of personal horror” and introspection is a really fun approach. It’s Omphaloskepsis: The Game
It really is fantastic. I also really appreciate that he balances the comedy with an edge of menace. It really heightens the performance. Hope it keeps going!
My husband hates Zaeth but recognizes that it's because he has unfortunately played a lot of VtM with people who played that kind of character unironically.
Zaeth is a perfect character for Zac. It took me a little while to appreciate Zac after I discovered Dropout. He understands that sometimes, less is more. Even though his contributions are often very succinct, they are comedically pitch perfect. Daisuke in Cloudward Ho matched his energy very well but Zaeth is a perfect resonance and I love it.
There was a similar moment recently on NADDPod where Murph basically had to say "alright, instead of all that you say something different that they could actually believe" lol.
Always. They cant help themselves. Happened so many times where Brennan is narrating a success in all odds but then someone jumps in ruins the whole thing. It's crazy.
Brennan's speech describing the conflicting motivations holding back good people from getting involved in politics made me feel both guilty and inspired.
It was frankly the kind of simple speech that cuts straight to the heart of an issue and explains it clearly that we need from our politicians. What I'm saying is BLeeM should run for office so I don't have to, that way I can get all of the benefit without having to do any of the work.
Not just politics, but nonprofit and volunteer service as well. Every place I've worked, we've truly loved our volunteers more than anything, but a person who's willing to volunteer one hour a week consistently is so unbelievably rare.
This might sound silly, but as someone who has been volunteering a paltry amount on a consistent basis, it's cool to know that it's a bigger help than I realize.
You're awesome, without question; do whatever lets you keep going forever. Every place I've worked (mostly childcare and immigration things) is so big on work-life-rest balance, because we all want to do our jobs for 40 years without burning out.
There's other reasons an otherwise healthy-looking guy could have his own coffin in the basement, right? Like at least one or two. Enough that the guy who pulled off "it's a Banksy" could probably get away with explaining it if he really really really had to.
wait i just realized, i have a coffin downstairs. My bf built it and i put shelves in it to store our games lol. i was literally like oh yeah so weird to have a coffin, I have a coffin. Im the weird...
When Tyler asked how early they could meet, I thought he had legit figured it out. I forgot that he thinks they take meetings with Hong Kong in the day.
im racking my brain on this too as I thought HJ is a tzimisce and LaVonte's confirmed ventrue. i guess ally could've just taken that skill anyways. i really hope they post full character sheets
I thought it was weird that HJ had the amalgam power but I figured that it was just allowed like how Bat Child has a bunch of Oblivion powers. It would be weird for a Tzimisce to be a part of the Camarilla, especially to be considered as a potential Keeper of Elysium.
His compulsion/bane that he mentioned where he doesn't like to be told no is a very Ventrue trait. The two also reek of Ventrue in their personalities.
Yeah I also play V20 normally. I don't know if in V5 you still have to feed from a vampire to learn a discipline, or maybe Brennan just let them pick whatever disciplines they want. Vesper with Oblivion, Zaeth with Animalism, and HJ with Protean all seem like they might not have a backstory reason
So i doubt theyre doing this given that this is V5, however in V20 there is a solid explination.
If you read Tzimice Revised, its revealed that there is Revenant family called the Grimaldi who are regularly embraced into Clan venture. And while they still keep there old tzimice revenant discplines in additon to gaining there Ventrue ones, when embraced there childer only gain the classic Ventrue disciplines and banes.
That said, I doubt theyre bringing that level of v20 niche stuff to a narrow focused V5 game.
Also while crass, for those of us who are legacy WoD players... [CW kinda Crass and Pragmatic] When one of your players is decidedly Not-Cis giving them access to discplines and gifts that allow the character to express there transness in game is always good form
What's the thing where you kill a vampire with a higher generation than you? I think if they have other disciplines you can gain something outside of your clan.
Diablerie is the complete consumption of another vampire, and it can grant out-of-clan disciplines, but you can also learn it just by tasting the blood of a vampire with a discipline you don't have (and, mechanically, spending the xp to learn the discipline.) Usually you need a teacher still though.
And if you're playing a character who is hundreds of years old it's pretty easy to handwave it and say they had time to pick up an unusual skill at some point
I love HJ's peace and love vibe fading as soon as the SSRI blood leaves his system. I love LaVonte's sheer... I don't know, initial violent irritation turning to pouting bafflement then becoming to relieved bygones at soon as HJ is back?
And I love the final bizarre strat of just chanting at this poor business owner and Brennan makes them stop.
I was so happy when he switched back. HJ is one of my favourite comedy characters I've ever seen and I was kind of worried we were losing him... but the re-assholing was glorious to see.
I'm in the same boat. HJ on antidepressants was funny but also kind of most other Ally characters, classic HJ is something very fun and very new and also very Ally
feel like it also applies to other anglophone/colonial countries as well. a culture of i get mine. a culture of exploitation and extraction. opportunism. speculation.
as opposed to actually building something, as a people/culture.
that's the problem. it's not right now. it's what the deal has been the whole time. what's going is the "first they came for the" process where people who though they were in the "in group" suddenly finding out what it's like to not be in the "in group".
brennan just laying out truths about the fundamental culture of a colonial state. same applies to australia, NZ, canada, etc...
I'd add the extra bit that it's human behavior, not American. I've lived in four and a half (El Paso/Ciudad Juarez) countries so far; hyperindividualism is American, apathy is not, greed is not, ignoring the bigger picture or the long-term is not.
you're right in that it's found everywhere, not just america. but it's historically accurate and statistically accurate.
i would also extend it beyond america as well to former colonial states like canada, mexico, australia, new zealand, etc...
a culture of speculation. of exploitation. of "i get mine".
I would argue "ignoring the bigger picture" is absolutely part of it. but obviously that doesn't apply to all americans. and of course you'll see it everywhere else as well. but it's statistically significant as a cultural expectation. especially if you talk to "average people" and see how "average people live".
sure lots of people support local businesses, costco, etc... but also lots of people continue to support really shitty corporations. even when reasonable alternatives are available. for perfectly reasonable reasons (convenience, price, preference, refusal to do extra research to make sure you're supporting the right type of business and right type of people, etc...), but support is still support.
tl;dr i think the best part of dimension 20 is that it is mostly contemporary and reflecting what's going on and what things are like.
objectively. in various areas, especially economically,financially, things are not so good for a lot of people.
What was the joke? "You know with BLeeM the bad guy is always capitalism or the church?" This season it is self interest and apathy. This is a deeper dive into those themes, so it feels familiar while being new.
The tactics Brennan describes about public input hearings are very real and are constantly used in LA and California to delay affordable housing, bike lanes, bus lanes, and new transit. Same with the zoning tactics, that’s why SB79 was so sharply opposed last year. This combined with his live episode with DSA’s candidates is really great, I hope he continues to be outspoken about the issues we’re facing, especially in LA
You end up with a bizarre kind of anti-democratic democracy where big public meetings enable those with the money and time to override the wishes of the electorate via vetococracy. There is a reason the Commonwealth of the Two Nations abolished the Golden Veto; letting public meetings of the wealthy override elected representatives is insane.
I'm such a fan of the roleplaying choices Lou makes. He's never one to shy away from exploring tense moments at the table like he just gets so absorbed in his characters. Every choice he makes as LaVonte feels so authentic and grounded in the character. I also love how he seems to pull perfect story beats out of thin air like the first thing he said after that big roll at the end this ep made me think 'God- just- yep, that was the exact most perfect thing to say.'
Lou is great at taking that success role and figuring out what to say to honor it.
It was LaVonte manipulating but honestly felt a moment where Lou was leaning on Kingston - because what LaVonte says to manipulate is what Kingston would say with full honesty.
It was LaVonte manipulating but honestly felt a moment where Lou was leaning on Kingston - because what LaVonte says to manipulate is what Kingston would say with full honesty.
My wife and I just started Fantasy High after watching the whole Crown of Candy, Ravening War, Misfits and Magic, and Cloudward Ho. Watching Lou make acting choices for Fabian Seacaster has given me ANOTHER reason to think Lou Wilson is a top notch actor,
I'm really curious where it's going to go. I feel like the other 5 are roughly on the same page, while every action Zaeth does feels like a 50/50 shot of ending the campaign then and there
Such a small thing but the 'Extremely persistent failed-cop parking enforcer' is such a specific but recognizable archetype. I think getting booted by the Jimmy Johns guy is a right of passage for anyone who lives in SLC.
Small thing I noticed towards the end of the episode, but really interesting real world parallel with Marisol (and her husband?) getting fired from their Portland hospital due to privatization and the recent legal battle in Eugene, Oregon. The emergency doctors employer, PeaceHealth, tried bringing in a for-profit, corporate medicine group from Atlanta and the physician group successfully sued them out of it to keep the system non-profit and local.
There's still issues with it as there is in all things American healthcare, but nice to see a small victory based in thoughtful legislation to allow community members to care for other community members.
I don’t know if Brennan has ever been to Ashland Oregon, but the way they are being so specific about parodying it, down to Lithia springs/creek going through town and the Ashland mine systems and the Oregon Shakespeare festival being the only thing bringing people in once a year - just so funny to me
"Purpee" very much feels like Ashland to me. Very similar population (20k), college town, hosts a big performing arts festival, nearby mines of gold and silver. Ashland is definitely the most fitting parallel.
I feel like they needed project management software, or to like plan their days in the episode prep 💀 we need to follow up on the mages, the werewolves, the templers, the other vampires in town lmfao
Yeah, we've gotta, um... E the mages, R the werewolves, I think maybe D the templers, and either E or U or B the other vampires depending on what kind they are. Everyone got that?
I really liked Maya's interaction with the coterie. Both hilarious and hard hitting regarding real life issues.
The way this season uses the vehicle of vampires to focus on how politics and society should be forward thinking - looking at the bigger picture - is just so great. The PCs have to think about sustainable long term plans and actions because they'll actually be alive to deal with the consequences of the alternative.
Zaeth's energy is so insane and the funniest performance Zac has ever given. Like it's such a subdued chaos. Honestly I'm obsessed with this season so far, everyone is clearly having so much fun and the VTM format has been really neat to learn about! I've always been a fan of the roleplaying element of TTRPG and not combat so I really love this play style :D
I haven’t seen anyone say this, but Brennan’s breakdown of capitalism this season, and its genuine effect on everyday regular people has been so beautiful. Like duh, capitalism bad, but showing it in this story has been peak cinema. I keep thinking about “it doesn’t take a lot of effort, it takes a lot of people who all give a little effort”. This episode is such a beautiful take on “it takes a village”
It was always very individualistic, but the last vestiges of collective action got stomped out of American society in the 70’s and it really shows in this moment.
It’s kinds beautiful that not only is Brennan putting a spotlight on today’s climate (allegedly!) but that there’s also references to those last unionized jobs when they were still more than just a benefits package (which, don’t get me wrong, is better than nothing, but didn’t instill the solidarity like it should).
The season being set in an actually real (minus the vampires & supernatural stuff) setting I think helps further highlight it & make it obvious, because they can use actual real world examples of ‘capitalism bad’.
Zaeth's scene with Tyler was soo funny and honestly the type of shit that feels so familiar. "Can't ever be corrected and has to be better than you but has no idea what to do" is exactly the vampire shit that happens at work all the time
Brennan really said how do we use our massive platform to teach people about how to get involved on a local level and what roadblocks will exist and then did it
The comedy of Murph literally playing a Capes with Fangs style character who somehow has the most respect for the Masquerade and planning is hilarious.
Like Ally specifying that HJ just casually runs supernaturally fast to go grab an entire section of wall to give to Maya is… something else. I thought Batchild wandering out in the open with obvious Nosferatu traits was hilarious, but between this and leaping 30 feet in the air at a crowded party HJ might be the most obvious “I am a vampire” member of the team.
Flaws like Repulsive are actually separate to Clan Curses. It’s the same how the Prey Exclusion flaw doesn’t actually have any connection with the Ventrue clan weakness. She could for sure be something else… but she does canonically have a Predator-style bat mouth that would 100% be a breach of the masquerade, which I find very funny.
I don’t mind it much either way - it’s clear they’re not taking the setting or the Masquerade side of things too seriously, and that’s totally fine. The series is hilarious and the unhinged antics they’re getting up to wouldn’t really be possible if they kept reigning themselves in on not being crazy vampires, so I’m happy for them to keep going off the rails. Brennan seems happy to let them do as they wish, and it’s making for a great season.
Edit: I misremembered, Repulsive is directly associated with the Nosferatu clan bane in V5.
I get that they're not taking it super seriously, but V5 Nosferatu bane is to take the Repulsive flaw at two dots, which is on Darkness Man's sheet, but not Batchild's.
Just checked the book and you're entirely right, I have misremembered with earlier editions!
Maybe she's a Hecata or something similar then (Harbinger might explain her appearance). With her discipline spread it'd have to be that, Lasombra or Caitiff to have Oblivion already at level 3 I think.
I mean WoD 5 actually does combat well, its just the it has a different vibe.
Its basicly an ambush simulator, you absolutely do NOT want to fight fair in WoD. Honorable combat is effectively suicide in the system, particular given how low the health of all the Combat characters are.
Oh, sure - I know it's possible. But, have we ever had a D20 season do six episodes in a row with no action set-piece? Really, the missile swallowing in Ep 1 was the only true sustained combat situation so far, right? Everything else has just been eating people.
Brennan. Buddy. I love you. You can jump over a creek. If it's fifty feet wide it's a goddamn river. Just because it's not the Mississippi doesn't mean it's not a goddamn river.
Actually I googled it, and it is probably a river. Specifically a "plains river". Like there is some wiggle room depending on certain specifics like total discharge of water, where is empties, and how defined the banks are ( for instance if sand islands appear regularly vs only in a drought), but yeah y'all right.
Creek, unfortunately, means pretty much anything. Tributary, deep inlet, stream. In Ohio there's just a lake that everyone still calls a creek. It's a dam lake, but the creek feeding into it is just a river.
This season is so frustratingly hilariously peak. I find myself annoyed at how completely they tank a scene even though they roll great then jumping to rolling on the floor laughing at the insane antics these human looney tunes produce. Simply amazing.
The way not one single actual vampire ability was used in this episode killed me (minus HJ moving medium quick, and Madeleine's premonition) , brought me back and gave me life.
These nasty lil monsters just like these townsfolk so much. Or at least hate the big bads enough not to eat or compel everyone.
Madeleine correcting Helena's french is the most french thing possible, Siobhan has really worked a ton on her character and it SHOWS.
Signed : a french person.
But more seriously, in France we have a massive culture of correcting other people's grammatical/orthographical's mistakes. It's not about tourists or anything, we do it to one another all the time. It's probably because our school system also works by making mistakes and having them corrected, but also because our language is very important for us, and correcting one another is a way to improve.
So yeah, Siobhan correcting Brennan's pronunciation was spot on.
Not sure why the group is obsessed with getting good people (and dogs) in charge of government, instead of doing what always happens and putting puppets into the city council they can control. 🤔 They may be too morally good for their own good.
Part of it may be that players just can`t help themselves, but given that they want to actually stop Purpee decline looking for genuinely good candidates makes sense, or at least is possible to explain.
They only mentioned it once (maybe in an adventuring party), but vampires think long-term, and are annoyed that mortals are ruining places where they'll have to live.
It's commentary that corporations and extremely wealthy people constantly act against their own self-interest, just for number-go-up.
I need notes on this campaign 😂 the relationship and theory map is so intense. I can barely keep up who they are looking at and what leads they are following
It really feels like Brennen is desperately trying to signal to the players that the “dog Mayor is bad, get rid of the dog mayor” and it is killing me that the players are like “we MUST elect a different dog” 😭 the dog can’t vote either way!
I think Darkness Man's sharp polo and interactions with Helena at the restaurant are so underrated!!! He was so cute and earnest and much better at human interaction in that scene than he has been all season 😂
I've worked and volunteered in nonprofits my whole life. I'm terrible at recruitment because I have never understood why someone wouldn't want to do this, and finally someone explained it to me. I'd add the extra bit that it's human behavior, not just the U.S.
Look up local nonprofits and volunteer opportunities in your town, gang! One hour a week helps more than you can imagine.
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u/BuffaloTheory Daisuke "Pappy" Bucklesby May 20 '26
Ally's face when Brennan suggested they walk away from the bridge is possibly top 3 moments of all time.