Want to support Curseborne and get your own copy of this fantastic horror game? Sign up here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/curseborne-tabletop-roleplaying-game 👹👹👹
@@TheGentlemanGamerno problem! Been a fan of Onyx Path since the launch of nWoD back before they adopted the OP name, and I’ve been a fan of yours since I stumbled onto your PENTEX guides many years ago. I look forward to what y’all have in store!
I'd love to hear more! I just had the realization that I've been an on and off viewer of yours since I was in teens and I'm in my 30s now. Wow. lol I'll grab curseborne when it drops. You're like the quintessential WoD lore nerd, if you're involved there's no way the world building won't be peak.
Yeah a couple years ago I got my introduction into VtM through his old guide to the clans videos. Rewatched them a couple times for entertainment value. Very glad to see Mathew return to peddling lore! Especially in an age full of poor AAA writing, it's so refreshing to listen to a quality writer. Indie developers are truly carrying the torch for the gaming industry today. 🥳
Fastest kickstarter ive participated in. Watched one of your presentations for it and was like "yep - this is what i've been waiting for". I love that there is a clear emphasis on making the different accursed interesting and fun to play. Just read through the draft for The Dead and you could really tell how you are making them interesting and unique while just keeping the right amount of expectations (you get what you kindoff expect but also alot of nifty and even unexpected deeper dimensions added to their lore and mechanics). Cant wait to learn more about all of the different accursed, the setting and the mechanics. This is clearly the result of a passion project and it shines through. Super excited for this!
Those are incredibly kind words. Thank you! Do let your friends and fellow gamers know. It would be great to see the number of backers increase even further and hit even more stretch goals.
One line from the kickstarter that caught my eye was this: “Hope is at the core of any Curseborne story and a power the player characters embody, which is greater than any supernatural gift they possess. The internal drive to do and be something better, even if that is something as simple as searching for contentment, is the way you prove every day that you’re someone special.” This seems to be Cursed biggest departure from other horror RPGs. For what it's worth, I really love this coming to the fore of a horror inspired ttrp. Can I ask, what inspired the addition of this theme? And how will it set Curseborne apart from other horror or dark fantasy TTRPGs, if at all? Again, I'm really excited to see a bit of light mingle with the madness and shadows of this genre. I'm just wondering what the thoughts of the gentleman are on this topic and how you hope it impacts our time at the table.
I'd say what inspires it is that we, as writers, prefer rays of light in our games over incessant darkness. There's enough of that in various parts of the world right now. There should always be space for optimism and growth in fiction and roleplaying.
@@TheGentlemanGamer What a lovely sentiment. I couldn't agree more. Thanks for responding and for adding such enriching content to the TTRPG community. Love what you're doing.
It sucks you guys can't do more Chronicles of Darkness stuff because it's always been your best work. It now makes sense why you would make a replacement with Curseborne.
@@TheGentlemanGamer Please do! CoD is definitely on par with WoD in many aspects, and it’s a shame not many know of it. Plus, we’re playing VtR in my group, so any bits and morsels of content are good.
I’m a huge fan of you and your channel so I’ll absolutely support. That being said, I wish there were a short hook that I could use to pitch this to my friends. It feels like it’s hard to talk about without saying “it’s kind of like world of darkness but…” but I may just need to research it a bit more!
Well that's an issue of coming from playing the World of Darkness! It's easy to default to things we already know. But on that note, I'd suggest saying "It's like playing a game where you're the monsters in a Stephen King story. Pennywise, Leland Gaunt, Randall Flagg... Hell, you can even set it in Castle Rock and get some of that small town, conspiratorial, saturated weirdness feeling."
It isn't often that a game cites Stephen King as an inspiration and actually delivers on that. I really like that direction...where the weirdness in the game pits players against ... someone or something that cannot be programmed, categorized, or easily referenced ...
I'm absolutely excited for this, especially after the slew of Fantasy RPGs being pushed into the market (though nothing against any of them, just like some variety) Hopefully this will do well and we get more books after the initial one comes out, if such plans are in the works. Would love to see the factions get their own books to expand on them or a Night Horrors style series for antagonists. Super excited for the possibilities.
The Guide to the Curseborne has begun! Now that I think about it, there really are many parallels between the setting of Curseborne and the Night Watch novel by Sergei Lukyanenko.
I am eager to see what Curseborne has to offer. And I definitely want to delve into the Get of Lyka, as well as the Raptors. Strange question perhaps but the realms of the Outside vaguely remind me of the realms of Oblivion from the Elder Scrolls games. Some are horrific, others are beautiful, or both! Was any inspiration from Elder Scrolls in general used when writing Curseborne?
Not from me, and I wrote pretty much all the liminality and Outside material in the book. At least, not intentionally! I have played Oblivion though, so you never know.
This pretty much sounds like the Secret World come to rpg, which is wonderful. So much wasted potential in that game... I'm very interested in Curseborne.
I can't wait to support the game next week and get the manuscript. I don't know if the players will agree, but for a ST it is such a good game. Am I in the mood for the first seasons of Charmed? Their house is a liminal space and the evil living in the basement is the source of the curse. Do I want to tell a VtM story but develop new NPCs for key locations that my players won't know and recognize immediately? I can do that. I love the concept of Sorcerers getting addicted to magic, it can lead to a rare good instance of PVP, where they all have some magic to burn and explore their relationship through that. Do I want a closed-space horror story, a good old classic haunted building that drives you insane -- or is it all real? It can be done. Or maybe we want a CW style romance game with supernatural spark? Works too, that werewolf is dating this vampire and the ghost is sad about it. Sorry for the wall of text, I just really like what I've been reading so far on OPP blog
So after looking at your older vids and seeing your present one's you don't seem to have aged at all. You probably never even lost the hair, just cut it away yourself to alleviate suspicion. I think you speaking as a regular guy is in fact "the character" isn't it? Yes I think it is.
This honestly sounds great. Like a WOD 3.0. I am a little concerned that it might have a GURPS problem: that each lineage will not feel as distinct as the different OWOD systems? Are there unique mechanical differences between the lineages that make them feel iconic to play?
Okay so...did y'all just make a version of World of Darkness where all the types of monsters (i.e. mages, vampires, wraiths, werewolfs and demons) can all play together in the same game? Because damn. I think I'll need a copy of that.
I have an idea on the Hungry and the Hungry I dont think has to be undead, many of them are but also many of them are living semi humans who hunger for various things. I have an idea on a rare hungry known as a Time Eater. other hungry think they dont exist since these Time Eaters exist out of time and can control time and even go to alternate realities. but their hunger is for time, they eat time of realities and of people. Kinda like the Curseborne version of the True Brujah. This gave me an idea while I was thinking about a Storypath Ultra setting idea for a alternate earth which uses time travel tech to exploit other timelines. simliar to gurps alternate earths , yah this kind of Hungry is a hazard for them in the Curseborne timeline.
Missing time remembering, did you take your heart medication ? You drop your meds in a panic attack and a stranger picks up your meds and holds them just out of your reach. Miss gages the speed of traffic as you cross the street ? You met a stranger helping you flee a burning building, a race against time. After getting to safety, the stranger kills you. Buys you time to save what would have been your end of life screaming from burning to instant hole to your head. 2.) Time Stop, .. Old Twilight Zone tv series, Outer Limites, comics of Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, Star Trek, people being pull unshielded into a different time frame field suffer physical and mental shock. Stop Watch Killers, .. Anyway, WoD has a better magic system dealing with Spirits than D&D Planescape setting does. Besides WoD mage with spirit3/space3 can call a spirit/demon compared to WotC 3e D&D 7th-level spellcaster using 4th-level spell Call Lesser Ally which is an 8hd outsider. Roll spellcraft check DC. So we, my last gaming groups dropped Star Wars storm troopers into our Forgotten Realms D&D games. Game store with grade school age children. a.) Batman has a daughter with Zatanna, from multiple alternate realities and they open portals into Wayne manor through all the doors, playing hide & seek, and make believe. ... " deep sigh, " .. yeah Harry Potter. Alfred Pennyworth never knows who might shop up and how many of them at once. He even meets himself in passing during the day doing choirs. When was the last time you had to watch over a group of children ? I swear some of the things they do can scare years of your life off of you.
@@krispalermo8133 also dont forget UK 79 TV show classic Sapphire and Steel, time police policing anomalies in time, yah Time eaters are a big threat to the continuum.
This KS was an easy sign up, and I'm sure I'll back at the highest tier I can. What would you say to people who are maybe a bit married to their respective game, but are curious about Curseborne? How familiar is the Storypath Ultra version of the system, and is it as complex as some of the other Storypath games like Aberrant? (smith-your-own Origin, Role, Society paths etc).
@@ArmsOfAhriman Storypath Ultra is simpler than Storypath, you'll be pleased to know. As for why someone may want to switch from their current game, I think Curseborne offers an appealing array of very distinct Lineages and Families (especially the Families) all with their own strengths, weaknesses, and setups. I also think the world is full of secrets and interesting locations and characters, and the powers available to each character are incredibly varied. In short, I think it offers a very different experience to some of the games you know me for, with a lot more uncanniness, creepiness, and mysteries, but dark humour and fun with it.
@@The-Random-Hamlet I think it's fun, very cheesy by today's standards, and utterly lacking in scares. The kind of thing I can watch and not feel strong feelings toward.
How lore intensive will it be? Obviously with a new game it will have somewhat less to jump on. But will it have a “meta-plot” available for those who enjoy such fluff or is it going to be more like CoD 2nd edition?
@@leetate960 I consider it more lore than metaplot. We don't intend to introduce barriers to entry or plot elements that suddenly render families unplayable. Rather, we want lots of story hooks and events that flesh out the different parts of the game.
Is cursebone more or less "gamey" than vtr? Are mages more or less powerfull than in ascension? Are the powers static like disciplines or dynamic like ascension spheres?
A bit of a non-answer here, I'm afraid, as I don't know what you mean by Requiem being "gamey" and I'd say power level is subjective and down to how you play. What I can tell you is that powers are structured for all Lineages, including the Sorcerers.
@@TheGentlemanGamer The term gamey as i undestand it means a game that is more video game mechanics, meta currencies than narrative and simulation (a good example of gamey mechanics is mage awakening where the arcana lvl distinctions seem more artificial than natural). I dont think Requiem is really gamey but knowing if the system is more gamey or less would be informative. Its a shame the powers are more structured than building blocks though
@@jackmalin2528 In that case I'd describe it as not as "gamey" as Requiem, personally. The building blocks aspect is potentially something we'll be visiting for another Curseborne book, as we already use that magic system in The World Below, which is also a Storypath Ultra game.
any chance on seeing players able to play hunters in Curseborne, yah big fan of Delta Green, Id like to see how the Gov pushes back against these supernatural curseborne critters.
Hey GG, how much more or less complicated is the Storypath system in this game compared to Trinity Continuum? Thats what stopped me from buying a physical book of Trinity because Onyx really over complicated it I felt
1.) It's a crew-focused game, so your characters are less inclined toward backstabbing and selfish behaviour than in WoD. 2.) Every supernatural Lineage can appear in a single crew, meaning you have ultimate flexibility of playable options without the worry of butting up against metaplot reasons for not cooperating. 3.) Character builds are extremely flexible, especially as you get to choose with of their Paths is made their major focus (Family or Lineage), unlocking different abilities and point spreads as a result. 4.) You don't have to worry about knowing a ton of lore before playing, as the Curseborne RPG has only just begun. We're not going to hit anyone over the head or restrict options with metaplot. There will be lore to engage with and use in your games, but nothing to stifle your play. 5.) The Outcasts are fucking cool. You're living a normal life, you think the world is fine, then... your face falls off. You realise you're an angel/demon/faerie/alien banished from your home world. If you need any other questions answered, just ask here or on the Kickstarter.
@@TheGentlemanGamer Is the supernatural world hidden from humans like the WoD? Are the different Lineages in factions as in WoD? Is this a game about personal horror?
@@jasonsunday2932 - There's no organised Masquerade in Curseborne. People rationalist, explain, ignore, or run away from things they can't explain in this game as well as in the real world. Who's going to believe someone who claims they saw a ghost? - The Lineages *are* factions in Curseborne, but they can work together as easily as they oppose each other. - There's a personal horror element in Curseborne, but it's not the central theme.
It has a deep well of lore that we're introducing in the core book, but it's your choice whether you use it. It won't have a metaplot that cuts out player options.
I'm a fan of hunter, so I hope Curseborn let us play as one of those Venators, maybe replace family and Lineage, with something less personal, but of equal importance, like community, ancient blood tie, or ideology.
@@TheGentlemanGamer I suppose the game is call Curseborne, so you mainly play as those who born Accursed, I wonder how they could make a Mortal fit with the theme of Curseborne.
A few reasons! 1.) It helps the game's identity to be different from WoD and CofD; 2.) The Hungry aren't just blood-drinking vampires: they're flesh-eating cannibals, soul-sucking Shang Tsungs, ghost-devouring necromancers, etc. 3.) The Primal aren't just werewolves: they're a lot of different kinds of primal creature; 4.) Outcasts don't have a like for like replacement at all; 5.) Sorcerers aren't mages and don't work the same way; 6.) the Dead aren't wraiths and don't work the same way. Which of the splats do you take issue with, and is it just the Hungry?
@@TheGentlemanGamer It looks like you're(or Onyx Path) afraid of any copyright claims. It's obvious Paradox banned Chronicles, so it's look like forced distancing from any WWolf's IPs to prevent any troubles
@@kabahr6517No, copyright claims aren't the issue. We could release a game and call a family "vampires" if we want. But we're not going to, because the Hungry have their own identity. No point remaking the wheel.
Will the different curse born be balanced with each other? No Werewolves are 10x stronger than everything else and throw off if players want to mix monsters for a game. I do not mean that every ability needs to have a counter balanced ability in the other lines. I do not believe that is the point of Curseborne. I just don't want a massive disparity.
We aren't intending on "white room balance" but each Lineage will corner a different aspect of play and no, I don't believe there's a massive disparity.
I think the angels and shapechangers are the strongest but the others can probably hold their own but focus on different things mostly (except sorcerers)
Like, the dead have weird metaphysical abilities and the hungry have power over darkness like lasombra and blood / bodily humours like Assamites and Lamia
I really want to become excited about Curseborn, but I'm not there yet. So far I get that it is basically an off-brand WoD. Sorry if that sounds a bit crude, but from what I have heard so far, it seems true. Over the years, I have seen a lot of fan made bloodlines for vampire and the other game lines, and you listing off all the cool new "races and classes", I'm like "Yeah, I get it, you got alternatives for all the stuff, then what?". What I'm really searching for here is the setting. What stories are we gonna tell in this setting, while we are playing all these "freaks"? It can't just be "I'm a zombie! Oh the angst!". There has to be something to do? You mentioned adversaries. But adverse to what? Are we just playing "nice" monsters fighting "bad" monsters? The great thing about Werewolf :tA is this great new notion of Werewolf's being warriors of Gaia. Without that central idea, werewolf would be a tame game, I think. Does Curseborn have a central idea? Something going on with curses, I'm picking up? But what's the story here? Is it worth telling? Excite me with it, then! And the other thing is the player group. You mentioned a narrative reason for these groups existing? Please tell me, cause I need to envision what the group dynamic is gonna be like. Is it Monster Squad? Freak shows? Are players gonna play An angel, a werewolf, a zombie and a energy vampire living together? Or should the group be mono-creatures? Why do they gang up? Do all these creatures form gangs, or are the PCs special because they are the only ones who have figured out to cooperate? As you may have noticed, answering these questions is beyond a youtube comment and may need a seperate video. This is intentional :)
I suspect answering all these questions is a little beyond another video! I think the best bet is for you to back at the lowest level, get the manuscript, and make your judgement based on what you find there. You have a lot of demands for what you want out of a horror game, which is excellent. I do too, which is why I co-authored this one.
@@TheGentlemanGamer Lot of demands? A setting, a central idea, "What are we doing and why are we doing it together" seems like essentials. I honestly thought I was setting you up for a slam dunk here. If these questions don't have clear answers, then I suspect they are probably not clear in the script either. I brought them up, because I read somewhere that after playing the promo scenario for Curseburn a reviewer felt the setting was still a mystery, so naturally this is my concern. I'm not going to read a pre-production script to figure out if I want to read the finished version. Still on the fence, ready to be convinced. Looking forward to more promotion material.
@@Accolonian Sure! You have a lot of questions, and that's absolutely fine. There's a whole setting chapter in the book, which for obvious reasons we couldn't include in the Ashcan edition. Hopefully it'll appeal!
@@Accolonian From my understanding, you protect against encroachments from outside planes of reality and its consequences So less fighting the Wyrm and more fighting the will of Malpheas
Ok. This is going to be difficult to say as much as it is to hear. This has been done and already exists. The Storypath system is just the Storyteller's system (2018) and the CoD system all rolled into one. The concepts in Ashcan have already been done or exist in World of Darkness, only better. After reading I can't help but use the analogy that Curseborn is the TEMU version of WoD. I appreciate the hard work and what you're trying to accomplish. Some of the ideas presented are though a flavorful twist on already existing concepts in WoD, still salvageable. May I suggest Storyteller's Vault books instead that compliment and add to an already very diverse and well founded ecosystem? My group (your target audience) play call of Cthulhu and blades in the dark and other games because of genuinely new ideas and ways (mechanics) of telling stories. We tried this and couldn't help but keep saying " WoD did this better". Perhaps make Storyteller's Vault resources that add a new "splat" but revenants, vampires, werewolves, demons, hunters, etc have been covered already with whole books devoted to each one. There's some really cool ideas in this that are salvageable and I truly believe could be of good use. But on its own this is tired and flat and as one of my players put it "gimmicky". If I want xfiles or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then that's how I will run my current game's with all the existing necessary tools to do it already. I'm sorry 😞. I really wanted this to be good but my group were not thrilled with this and felt as if is already exists. Which it does. Now I'm no fan of Renegade or Paradox, far from it and they could certainly use your help with content and supplements. I feel what you have here I would just tear some pages from and play WoD with it.
I humbly disagree, but that's fine: we're entitled to different tastes. If you head over to the Onyx Path Discord, you'll find a lot of people very enthusiastic about Curseborne and chatting about it all day every day, so I can't agree with you. And no, thank you for the suggestion, but Onyx Path (and myself) aren't going to be creating books for the Storyteller's Vault any time soon. Here's the Discord link should you be open to some alternative viewpoints: discord.gg/jYqvKsTS
As a long LONG time WoD fan/player/reader (and weeee bit of a writer), I would and will drop everything to get on board with Curseborne. Similarities...sure, but really...pretty much every TTRPG out there has been done and done before and done before that. This seems to be the right mix of familiar ideas, creeepy legends, and skewed points of view. If we must compare this effort to WoD...lots of great WoD blood, sweat, and DNA came from folks now affiliated with Onyx Path. Having a preference is one thing, but coming in to dunk on a writer and talking trash about their ideas....isn't all that classy. "Just go make Community Content with your ideas," is flat out insulting.
![[Curseborne] What Do I Play in Curseborne?](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TIb8iOtYZl8/mqdefault.jpg)
![[Curseborne] What Do I Play in Curseborne?](/img/tr.png)
![[Curseborne] The Gentleman's Guide to the Get of Lyka](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pM9xKBKXqRM/mqdefault.jpg)
Want to support Curseborne and get your own copy of this fantastic horror game? Sign up here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/curseborne-tabletop-roleplaying-game 👹👹👹
As a huge fan of Demon, I'm exited to play an outsider
@@LucasA. You'll love the Nephilim and Battleground Angels.
It’s good to see the true OG tabletop horror experts picking up where others are slacking. I picked up the ashcan and I like what I see
That's wonderful to hear!
@@TheGentlemanGamerno problem! Been a fan of Onyx Path since the launch of nWoD back before they adopted the OP name, and I’ve been a fan of yours since I stumbled onto your PENTEX guides many years ago. I look forward to what y’all have in store!
I'd love to hear more!
I just had the realization that I've been an on and off viewer of yours since I was in teens and I'm in my 30s now. Wow. lol
I'll grab curseborne when it drops. You're like the quintessential WoD lore nerd, if you're involved there's no way the world building won't be peak.
@@rudesthazard5769 You've aged us both, you fool!
Yeah a couple years ago I got my introduction into VtM through his old guide to the clans videos.
Rewatched them a couple times for entertainment value.
Very glad to see Mathew return to peddling lore!
Especially in an age full of poor AAA writing, it's so refreshing to listen to a quality writer.
Indie developers are truly carrying the torch for the gaming industry today. 🥳
Sir, i cant speak for all of us, but i'd love nothing more than a Gentleman's Guide to Cursed Lineages, im totally gonna geek out about this.
I fully intend to make that very thing.
Fastest kickstarter ive participated in. Watched one of your presentations for it and was like "yep - this is what i've been waiting for". I love that there is a clear emphasis on making the different accursed interesting and fun to play. Just read through the draft for The Dead and you could really tell how you are making them interesting and unique while just keeping the right amount of expectations (you get what you kindoff expect but also alot of nifty and even unexpected deeper dimensions added to their lore and mechanics). Cant wait to learn more about all of the different accursed, the setting and the mechanics.
This is clearly the result of a passion project and it shines through. Super excited for this!
Those are incredibly kind words. Thank you! Do let your friends and fellow gamers know. It would be great to see the number of backers increase even further and hit even more stretch goals.
One line from the kickstarter that caught my eye was this:
“Hope is at the core of any Curseborne story and a power the player characters embody, which is greater than any supernatural gift they possess. The internal drive to do and be something better, even if that is something as simple as searching for contentment, is the way you prove every day that you’re someone special.”
This seems to be Cursed biggest departure from other horror RPGs.
For what it's worth, I really love this coming to the fore of a horror inspired ttrp.
Can I ask, what inspired the addition of this theme?
And how will it set Curseborne apart from other horror or dark fantasy TTRPGs, if at all?
Again, I'm really excited to see a bit of light mingle with the madness and shadows of this genre. I'm just wondering what the thoughts of the gentleman are on this topic and how you hope it impacts our time at the table.
I'd say what inspires it is that we, as writers, prefer rays of light in our games over incessant darkness. There's enough of that in various parts of the world right now. There should always be space for optimism and growth in fiction and roleplaying.
@@TheGentlemanGamer
What a lovely sentiment. I couldn't agree more. Thanks for responding and for adding such enriching content to the TTRPG community.
Love what you're doing.
Yes, need to hear more on CURSEBORNE :)
And so you shall!
Excited for Curseborne. Feels like it will become a great setting.
I'm very optimistic!
It sounds like Vampire + Werefolf + Mage + Wraith all combined together, and I'm all for it! 👏
I'd love to hear more about Curseborne. Hearing more about World Below would be great s well.
@@jgr7487 I've been wondering if more people want to hear about The World Below! But yes, I'll make more Curseborne videos too.
This sounds great! I look forward to learning more. Be well, sir!
WoD has been my go to horror setting for my whole life, so Im excited to try a new one.
The Kickstarter funded in under an hour!
It sucks you guys can't do more Chronicles of Darkness stuff because it's always been your best work. It now makes sense why you would make a replacement with Curseborne.
@@FMD-FullMetalDragon I think we did excellent work with the Chronicles of Darkness, but you're absolutely right: it's time to create something new!
@@TheGentlemanGamer Please do! CoD is definitely on par with WoD in many aspects, and it’s a shame not many know of it. Plus, we’re playing VtR in my group, so any bits and morsels of content are good.
I’m a huge fan of you and your channel so I’ll absolutely support. That being said, I wish there were a short hook that I could use to pitch this to my friends. It feels like it’s hard to talk about without saying “it’s kind of like world of darkness but…” but I may just need to research it a bit more!
Well that's an issue of coming from playing the World of Darkness! It's easy to default to things we already know.
But on that note, I'd suggest saying "It's like playing a game where you're the monsters in a Stephen King story. Pennywise, Leland Gaunt, Randall Flagg... Hell, you can even set it in Castle Rock and get some of that small town, conspiratorial, saturated weirdness feeling."
It isn't often that a game cites Stephen King as an inspiration and actually delivers on that. I really like that direction...where the weirdness in the game pits players against ... someone or something that cannot be programmed, categorized, or easily referenced ...
Loooking forward to it. We do want more videos!
@@leetate960 There's been a lot of them lately!
This seems really interesting ! I'm waiting for the start of the campaign with trepidation !
We funded in under an hour!
I'm absolutely excited for this, especially after the slew of Fantasy RPGs being pushed into the market (though nothing against any of them, just like some variety) Hopefully this will do well and we get more books after the initial one comes out, if such plans are in the works. Would love to see the factions get their own books to expand on them or a Night Horrors style series for antagonists. Super excited for the possibilities.
I could definitely see that as a possibility!
Love these videos!
Thank you for saying so!
The Guide to the Curseborne has begun! Now that I think about it, there really are many parallels between the setting of Curseborne and the Night Watch novel by Sergei Lukyanenko.
@@MatthewJBarnetteOO7 There are definitely worse comparisons! Night Watch is excellent.
I am eager to see what Curseborne has to offer. And I definitely want to delve into the Get of Lyka, as well as the Raptors.
Strange question perhaps but the realms of the Outside vaguely remind me of the realms of Oblivion from the Elder Scrolls games. Some are horrific, others are beautiful, or both! Was any inspiration from Elder Scrolls in general used when writing Curseborne?
Not from me, and I wrote pretty much all the liminality and Outside material in the book. At least, not intentionally! I have played Oblivion though, so you never know.
Can’t wait!
I am hoping that the setting makes it reasonable for such different characters to work together, like, battleground angels and bathorites.
There's plenty of reason for characters from different Lineages to work together. The various actual plays coming out demonstrate that.
This pretty much sounds like the Secret World come to rpg, which is wonderful. So much wasted potential in that game... I'm very interested in Curseborne.
@@onetwo5155 I'm glad to hear it!
Sorry to intrude, but just in case you weren't aware: There have been official TTRPG adaptations of TSW to 5e and Savage Worlds.
@@SebastianFNemo How dare you intrude.
@@SebastianFNemo I appreciate the intrusion.
I can't wait to support the game next week and get the manuscript. I don't know if the players will agree, but for a ST it is such a good game. Am I in the mood for the first seasons of Charmed? Their house is a liminal space and the evil living in the basement is the source of the curse. Do I want to tell a VtM story but develop new NPCs for key locations that my players won't know and recognize immediately? I can do that. I love the concept of Sorcerers getting addicted to magic, it can lead to a rare good instance of PVP, where they all have some magic to burn and explore their relationship through that. Do I want a closed-space horror story, a good old classic haunted building that drives you insane -- or is it all real? It can be done. Or maybe we want a CW style romance game with supernatural spark? Works too, that werewolf is dating this vampire and the ghost is sad about it. Sorry for the wall of text, I just really like what I've been reading so far on OPP blog
This is a fantastic comment. I love it! I hope we deliver to your expectations!
So after looking at your older vids and seeing your present one's you don't seem to have aged at all. You probably never even lost the hair, just cut it away yourself to alleviate suspicion. I think you speaking as a regular guy is in fact "the character" isn't it? Yes I think it is.
@@Kragith I admit it. I bathe in blood.
It doesn't stop me from aging. I just like it.
It’s called the masquerade, dude. Keep it
@@Kragith proof day walkers exist.
This honestly sounds great. Like a WOD 3.0.
I am a little concerned that it might have a GURPS problem: that each lineage will not feel as distinct as the different OWOD systems? Are there unique mechanical differences between the lineages that make them feel iconic to play?
@@Kanakadea Yep, every one of them is mechanically distinct, but they work using the same central system.
is it expected to be played as different kinds of curseborne coming together or do players choose a specific kind they all play?
You can play mono-Lineage, mono-Family, or multi-origin setup with no issues whatsoever. This isn't the WoD.
@@TheGentlemanGamer cool :)
well as a youngster in the 70s one of my most fave TV shows was In Search of hosted by Leonard Nimoy. creepy show with lots of mysteries
@@johnwalsh4857 Now that's a good one. Tales from the Crypt and the Twilight Zone also act as excellent inspirations.
Sold on curse borne, 5th edition has become for me too limiting, I want something new in my horror games.
Well that's excellent news!
Oct can’t come fast enough
Okay so...did y'all just make a version of World of Darkness where all the types of monsters (i.e. mages, vampires, wraiths, werewolfs and demons) can all play together in the same game? Because damn. I think I'll need a copy of that.
It's not the WoD, but you can certainly play it that way! And yes, you can "monster mash" your crew easily.
Thank you for your video
@@kabahr6517 Thank you for watching it!
I have an idea on the Hungry and the Hungry I dont think has to be undead, many of them are but also many of them are living semi humans who hunger for various things. I have an idea on a rare hungry known as a Time Eater. other hungry think they dont exist since these Time Eaters exist out of time and can control time and even go to alternate realities. but their hunger is for time, they eat time of realities and of people. Kinda like the Curseborne version of the True Brujah. This gave me an idea while I was thinking about a Storypath Ultra setting idea for a alternate earth which uses time travel tech to exploit other timelines. simliar to gurps alternate earths , yah this kind of Hungry is a hazard for them in the Curseborne timeline.
Well that's a very creepy idea. I like it!
Missing time remembering, did you take your heart medication ?
You drop your meds in a panic attack and a stranger picks up your meds and holds them just out of your reach.
Miss gages the speed of traffic as you cross the street ?
You met a stranger helping you flee a burning building, a race against time.
After getting to safety, the stranger kills you. Buys you time to save what would have been your end of life screaming from burning to instant hole to your head.
2.) Time Stop, ..
Old Twilight Zone tv series, Outer Limites, comics of Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, Star Trek, people being pull unshielded into a different time frame field suffer physical and mental shock.
Stop Watch Killers, ..
Anyway, WoD has a better magic system dealing with Spirits than D&D Planescape setting does.
Besides WoD mage with spirit3/space3 can call a spirit/demon compared to WotC 3e D&D 7th-level spellcaster using 4th-level spell Call Lesser Ally which is an 8hd outsider. Roll spellcraft check DC.
So we, my last gaming groups dropped Star Wars storm troopers into our Forgotten Realms D&D games.
Game store with grade school age children.
a.) Batman has a daughter with Zatanna, from multiple alternate realities and they open portals into Wayne manor through all the doors, playing hide & seek, and make believe. ... " deep sigh, " .. yeah Harry Potter.
Alfred Pennyworth never knows who might shop up and how many of them at once. He even meets himself in passing during the day doing choirs.
When was the last time you had to watch over a group of children ?
I swear some of the things they do can scare years of your life off of you.
@@krispalermo8133 also dont forget UK 79 TV show classic Sapphire and Steel, time police policing anomalies in time, yah Time eaters are a big threat to the continuum.
Is a LARP ruleset something being considered for the future at all? It’s early days, but assuming the game becomes successful, would this be possible?
It's definitely possible if enough people show interest!
This KS was an easy sign up, and I'm sure I'll back at the highest tier I can.
What would you say to people who are maybe a bit married to their respective game, but are curious about Curseborne? How familiar is the Storypath Ultra version of the system, and is it as complex as some of the other Storypath games like Aberrant? (smith-your-own Origin, Role, Society paths etc).
@@ArmsOfAhriman Storypath Ultra is simpler than Storypath, you'll be pleased to know. As for why someone may want to switch from their current game, I think Curseborne offers an appealing array of very distinct Lineages and Families (especially the Families) all with their own strengths, weaknesses, and setups. I also think the world is full of secrets and interesting locations and characters, and the powers available to each character are incredibly varied. In short, I think it offers a very different experience to some of the games you know me for, with a lot more uncanniness, creepiness, and mysteries, but dark humour and fun with it.
What is the reasoning behind adopting the storypath ultra system for this project?
@@thelinuxlich It's a system that was more or less designed for Curseborne.
Question: Did you ever watch a 90s vampire show called Forever Knight?
I have indeed seen it!
@TheGentlemanGamer If at some point you have a free spot, I would be curious as to your thoughts on it.
@@The-Random-Hamlet I think it's fun, very cheesy by today's standards, and utterly lacking in scares. The kind of thing I can watch and not feel strong feelings toward.
@@TheGentlemanGamer Thank you :)
Will there be blood magic in the vein (pun intended) of Crúac?
One of the Hungry's set of spells are very much blood attuned, shall we say.
I want to hear about that kind of thing.
Tell me what kind of thing.
@@TheGentlemanGamer Videos breaking down the families.
@@The-Random-Hamlet Ah I see! Stay tuned...
@@TheGentlemanGamer Dun dun duunnnnn.
How lore intensive will it be? Obviously with a new game it will have somewhat less to jump on. But will it have a “meta-plot” available for those who enjoy such fluff or is it going to be more like CoD 2nd edition?
@@leetate960 I consider it more lore than metaplot. We don't intend to introduce barriers to entry or plot elements that suddenly render families unplayable. Rather, we want lots of story hooks and events that flesh out the different parts of the game.
Is cursebone more or less "gamey" than vtr?
Are mages more or less powerfull than in ascension?
Are the powers static like disciplines or dynamic like ascension spheres?
A bit of a non-answer here, I'm afraid, as I don't know what you mean by Requiem being "gamey" and I'd say power level is subjective and down to how you play. What I can tell you is that powers are structured for all Lineages, including the Sorcerers.
@@TheGentlemanGamer The term gamey as i undestand it means a game that is more video game mechanics, meta currencies than narrative and simulation (a good example of gamey mechanics is mage awakening where the arcana lvl distinctions seem more artificial than natural). I dont think Requiem is really gamey but knowing if the system is more gamey or less would be informative. Its a shame the powers are more structured than building blocks though
@@jackmalin2528 In that case I'd describe it as not as "gamey" as Requiem, personally. The building blocks aspect is potentially something we'll be visiting for another Curseborne book, as we already use that magic system in The World Below, which is also a Storypath Ultra game.
any chance on seeing players able to play hunters in Curseborne, yah big fan of Delta Green, Id like to see how the Gov pushes back against these supernatural curseborne critters.
@@johnwalsh4857 It something on our radar. Not in the core book, but venators (hunters) are detailed in there as adversaries.
Hey GG, how much more or less complicated is the Storypath system in this game compared to Trinity Continuum? Thats what stopped me from buying a physical book of Trinity because Onyx really over complicated it I felt
@@djkehoe4480 Storypath Ultra is more streamlined, you'll be pleased to know. It's one of the reasons we made it!
@@TheGentlemanGamer Good to know. Can't wait for the Kickstarter to open.
Nice! :)
Funded in under an hour!
How is Curseborne different from the World of Darkness?
1.) It's a crew-focused game, so your characters are less inclined toward backstabbing and selfish behaviour than in WoD.
2.) Every supernatural Lineage can appear in a single crew, meaning you have ultimate flexibility of playable options without the worry of butting up against metaplot reasons for not cooperating.
3.) Character builds are extremely flexible, especially as you get to choose with of their Paths is made their major focus (Family or Lineage), unlocking different abilities and point spreads as a result.
4.) You don't have to worry about knowing a ton of lore before playing, as the Curseborne RPG has only just begun. We're not going to hit anyone over the head or restrict options with metaplot. There will be lore to engage with and use in your games, but nothing to stifle your play.
5.) The Outcasts are fucking cool. You're living a normal life, you think the world is fine, then... your face falls off. You realise you're an angel/demon/faerie/alien banished from your home world.
If you need any other questions answered, just ask here or on the Kickstarter.
@@TheGentlemanGamer Is the supernatural world hidden from humans like the WoD? Are the different Lineages in factions as in WoD? Is this a game about personal horror?
@@jasonsunday2932 - There's no organised Masquerade in Curseborne. People rationalist, explain, ignore, or run away from things they can't explain in this game as well as in the real world. Who's going to believe someone who claims they saw a ghost?
- The Lineages *are* factions in Curseborne, but they can work together as easily as they oppose each other.
- There's a personal horror element in Curseborne, but it's not the central theme.
@@TheGentlemanGamer Thanks for answering my questions. I am on board!
@@jasonsunday2932 Huzzah! I hope you enjoy it!
Does Curseborn have a meta-plot or is it more sandbox. Maybe a bit of both for those who like each?
It has a deep well of lore that we're introducing in the core book, but it's your choice whether you use it. It won't have a metaplot that cuts out player options.
I'm a fan of hunter, so I hope Curseborn let us play as one of those Venators, maybe replace family and Lineage, with something less personal, but of equal importance, like community, ancient blood tie, or ideology.
@@jaruwan.cchuenjit6147 Not immediately, but believe me, we're aware that people want to play as mortals!
@@TheGentlemanGamer I suppose the game is call Curseborne, so you mainly play as those who born Accursed, I wonder how they could make a Mortal fit with the theme of Curseborne.
@@jaruwan.cchuenjit6147 CurseBORNE not BORN. So they're not all born with curses; they carry them. A mortal could carry a curse.
Why in the first place do you have to rename splats? It's looks strange. Everyone understands that hungry are vampires etc.
A few reasons! 1.) It helps the game's identity to be different from WoD and CofD; 2.) The Hungry aren't just blood-drinking vampires: they're flesh-eating cannibals, soul-sucking Shang Tsungs, ghost-devouring necromancers, etc. 3.) The Primal aren't just werewolves: they're a lot of different kinds of primal creature; 4.) Outcasts don't have a like for like replacement at all; 5.) Sorcerers aren't mages and don't work the same way; 6.) the Dead aren't wraiths and don't work the same way.
Which of the splats do you take issue with, and is it just the Hungry?
@@TheGentlemanGamer well it looks like Paradox pressing and feels strange
@@kabahr6517 Paradox pressing?
@@TheGentlemanGamer It looks like you're(or Onyx Path) afraid of any copyright claims. It's obvious Paradox banned Chronicles, so it's look like forced distancing from any WWolf's IPs to prevent any troubles
@@kabahr6517No, copyright claims aren't the issue. We could release a game and call a family "vampires" if we want. But we're not going to, because the Hungry have their own identity. No point remaking the wheel.
Will the different curse born be balanced with each other? No Werewolves are 10x stronger than everything else and throw off if players want to mix monsters for a game. I do not mean that every ability needs to have a counter balanced ability in the other lines. I do not believe that is the point of Curseborne. I just don't want a massive disparity.
We aren't intending on "white room balance" but each Lineage will corner a different aspect of play and no, I don't believe there's a massive disparity.
@@TheGentlemanGamer Good. I'm looking forward to the Kickstarter going live
@@krissaunders6418 Next Tuesday!
I think the angels and shapechangers are the strongest but the others can probably hold their own but focus on different things mostly (except sorcerers)
Like, the dead have weird metaphysical abilities and the hungry have power over darkness like lasombra and blood / bodily humours like Assamites and Lamia
I really want to become excited about Curseborn, but I'm not there yet. So far I get that it is basically an off-brand WoD. Sorry if that sounds a bit crude, but from what I have heard so far, it seems true. Over the years, I have seen a lot of fan made bloodlines for vampire and the other game lines, and you listing off all the cool new "races and classes", I'm like "Yeah, I get it, you got alternatives for all the stuff, then what?". What I'm really searching for here is the setting. What stories are we gonna tell in this setting, while we are playing all these "freaks"? It can't just be "I'm a zombie! Oh the angst!". There has to be something to do? You mentioned adversaries. But adverse to what? Are we just playing "nice" monsters fighting "bad" monsters? The great thing about Werewolf :tA is this great new notion of Werewolf's being warriors of Gaia. Without that central idea, werewolf would be a tame game, I think. Does Curseborn have a central idea? Something going on with curses, I'm picking up? But what's the story here? Is it worth telling? Excite me with it, then!
And the other thing is the player group. You mentioned a narrative reason for these groups existing? Please tell me, cause I need to envision what the group dynamic is gonna be like. Is it Monster Squad? Freak shows? Are players gonna play An angel, a werewolf, a zombie and a energy vampire living together? Or should the group be mono-creatures? Why do they gang up? Do all these creatures form gangs, or are the PCs special because they are the only ones who have figured out to cooperate?
As you may have noticed, answering these questions is beyond a youtube comment and may need a seperate video. This is intentional :)
I suspect answering all these questions is a little beyond another video! I think the best bet is for you to back at the lowest level, get the manuscript, and make your judgement based on what you find there. You have a lot of demands for what you want out of a horror game, which is excellent. I do too, which is why I co-authored this one.
@@TheGentlemanGamer Lot of demands? A setting, a central idea, "What are we doing and why are we doing it together" seems like essentials.
I honestly thought I was setting you up for a slam dunk here. If these questions don't have clear answers, then I suspect they are probably not clear in the script either.
I brought them up, because I read somewhere that after playing the promo scenario for Curseburn a reviewer felt the setting was still a mystery, so naturally this is my concern.
I'm not going to read a pre-production script to figure out if I want to read the finished version.
Still on the fence, ready to be convinced. Looking forward to more promotion material.
@@Accolonian Sure! You have a lot of questions, and that's absolutely fine. There's a whole setting chapter in the book, which for obvious reasons we couldn't include in the Ashcan edition. Hopefully it'll appeal!
@@Accolonian
From my understanding, you protect against encroachments from outside planes of reality and its consequences
So less fighting the Wyrm and more fighting the will of Malpheas
@@Mandrake9to5 Thanks. Hmm, so monsters vs bad monsters? I wonder why it's kept so vague.
Ok. This is going to be difficult to say as much as it is to hear. This has been done and already exists.
The Storypath system is just the Storyteller's system (2018) and the CoD system all rolled into one.
The concepts in Ashcan have already been done or exist in World of Darkness, only better. After reading I can't help but use the analogy that Curseborn is the TEMU version of WoD.
I appreciate the hard work and what you're trying to accomplish. Some of the ideas presented are though a flavorful twist on already existing concepts in WoD, still salvageable. May I suggest Storyteller's Vault books instead that compliment and add to an already very diverse and well founded ecosystem?
My group (your target audience) play call of Cthulhu and blades in the dark and other games because of genuinely new ideas and ways (mechanics) of telling stories. We tried this and couldn't help but keep saying " WoD did this better".
Perhaps make Storyteller's Vault resources that add a new "splat" but revenants, vampires, werewolves, demons, hunters, etc have been covered already with whole books devoted to each one. There's some really cool ideas in this that are salvageable and I truly believe could be of good use. But on its own this is tired and flat and as one of my players put it "gimmicky". If I want xfiles or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then that's how I will run my current game's with all the existing necessary tools to do it already. I'm sorry 😞. I really wanted this to be good but my group were not thrilled with this and felt as if is already exists. Which it does.
Now I'm no fan of Renegade or Paradox, far from it and they could certainly use your help with content and supplements. I feel what you have here I would just tear some pages from and play WoD with it.
I humbly disagree, but that's fine: we're entitled to different tastes. If you head over to the Onyx Path Discord, you'll find a lot of people very enthusiastic about Curseborne and chatting about it all day every day, so I can't agree with you. And no, thank you for the suggestion, but Onyx Path (and myself) aren't going to be creating books for the Storyteller's Vault any time soon. Here's the Discord link should you be open to some alternative viewpoints: discord.gg/jYqvKsTS
Okay.
I think liminalities and deals will put spins on things that WoD hasnt yet
As a long LONG time WoD fan/player/reader (and weeee bit of a writer), I would and will drop everything to get on board with Curseborne. Similarities...sure, but really...pretty much every TTRPG out there has been done and done before and done before that. This seems to be the right mix of familiar ideas, creeepy legends, and skewed points of view. If we must compare this effort to WoD...lots of great WoD blood, sweat, and DNA came from folks now affiliated with Onyx Path. Having a preference is one thing, but coming in to dunk on a writer and talking trash about their ideas....isn't all that classy. "Just go make Community Content with your ideas," is flat out insulting.
Have to say everything you say here resonates with us as well. This just comes off as a poor man's WoD product. Time will tell.