I finally got a chance to play SR4 after picking up the book last year. So far I'm pretty impressed.

Anyway, I'm already thinking about running a campaign and after watching the new Blade series on tv, I started thinking about vampire-based campaign of some sort.

I looked through some of my older SR books and found very little info on vampires. Does anyone know of some good resources for vampires in SR? I'm mainly interested in info on past history, current organization and motivations, abilities, etc.

I was also thinking about incorporating some "classic" vampire lore into SR, especially bloodlines and various houses.

Also, given that vampirism is a virus in SR (and relatively new at that), how could an organized house structure that has continued for centuries be explained?

HMHVV always existed, but only manifested sparsely during the fifth age due to the low mana. It did, however, manifest in manaspikes.

Should be enough, no?

The original Threats has a section on a vampire conspiracy.

Blade: The Series is a great show...so long as you aren't expecting to see a TV series about Blade. If you like vampires, catfighting, and boobies, it is awesome. If you enjoy watching a very slow car wreck, it is also quite satisfying.

That said, I love watching it. It's the only thing Spike airs that I watch these days.

I think the show has gotten better since the pilot but Bladeis still the weakest character on the show. (When i say weakest i mean by the acting quality, amount of screen time and character development) I honestly like the show and can't wait for the next season to start.

I just had an introduction to the Blade series when they did that recent marathon.

I was really impressed with it. Well I was not expecting the Movie Blade, or for the new guy to be Wesley. Turned out good, I even thought the guy who played Blade did ok for a newb. He got better as the series went on too.

Lots of good story and potential.

I caught the first two episodes. I liked it fairly well. I would watch it now, but I don't have cable. (Don't watch enough TV to make it worth having, you know?)

I-tunes has blade episodes for 1.99 each if anybody is intrested.

justifying the existence of an established house structure is far easier than justifying the fact that the mortals don't know about it. Any organization of considerable size is going to attract attention and any such organization will be vulnerable to infiltrators and turncoats.

I would recommend a making the classic vampires more solitary with strong ties to the vampires that they created/trained but no official organizational structure, not unlike the vampires of Buffy or the immortals of Highlander. It is also a fits with vampires as presented in Dracula, rather than the White Wolf interpretations.

^^^Thats the way I see them...


I mean the vampires in my games...

No, but if the public learned of the existence of organized houses of vampires they'd probably start up the old mob machine. If (some) people get their panties in a wad about old elves with unknown intentions organizing, imagine how'd they feel about beings with even longer lifespans who must drink the souls of others every so often organizing. There's already one vampire organization in SR, and it's super-secretive. Coincidentally enough, it also has a fellow vampire hunting down its members.

Heh, I said member.

The 3rd edition Critters book has some stats and power descriptions, so does the SR4 core book (and SR4 regeneration is way better IMO). There's also a few novels: The Terminus Project (which gets a lots of mixed reviews, but has the requisite vampiric vampire hunter with the big hat) and Nosferatu. Try used book stores if you like the old book smell, or Amazon if you don't care for scavenger hunts.

Prime Runners has info on Martin DeVries (above mention vamp that hunts vamps) and the original Threats book as mentioned before. London and New Orleans make good places for vamp games of course. We have a side campaign (that's mostly played when someone just watched a vamp movie really) where the group is all hunters, based in Seattle. Lots of stops at underworld 93 and the Inferno. Go figure.

Cannon Companion also has some interesting possibilities for using aginst vamps, like phosphorous rounds. Sure they regen, but they also keep taking damage.

Besides that, just get the general vamp stats/rules down, then decide what style of game you want. Are they common? Are they well known? Are they cool? Do people hate the idea now because there are real vampires that eat people? Do people seek them out to be "immortal"? Are they a mainstream fad, and you can watch VampTalk every Thursday at nine? How does law enforcement react to them? To hunting them? Is there a bounty? How are they viewing in other parts of the world, like Prague, where in Shadows of Europe, they live more or less in the open, and have legal rights?

I suggest more concern on the feel , then work the rules in personally.