Vampire: The Masquerade — Sins of the Sires Reviews

This is actually exactly like a VTM story should be. Many paths, many characters, many goals and schemes etc. It is peak WoD storytelling. The character building at the start is so well done and more organic than most in these games. Theres nice artwork spread throughout the game...I could go on. But if you are scared of the game because someone asks you for your pronouns in the first few minutes, maybe roleplaying games are too much for your cerebral capacities, big boy.

Playing through all the World of Darkness interactive fiction novels, and whilst Sins of the Sires isn't the best—the writing and characters are still extremely enjoyable. I think some of the criticism on here is a bit harsh, the only con really is the novel isn't longer. It's probably the shortest World of Darkness interactive novel, at 300,000 words, but it still has plenty of replayability, interesting themes (huge focus on humanity) and likeable characters. At full price, it might not be worth it if you aren't a hardcore fan of Vampire: The Masquerade, but on sale it's definitely worth it. The setting is also really unique (Greece) and the Ancient history of Vampires around the world is an interesting read.

Think the other V:TM games aren't dark enough? This one might be for you, but definitely don't start here if you're new to Vampire: The Masquerade. Read this as the most cautious recommendation that it is possible to make and read other reviews too before making your mind up to spend your time here. (Would have given it a "Maybe" over a thumbs up if it was possible.) I really do think there's a type of Vampire player out there who finds the monstrousness of vampire society appealing, someone who can revel in stories about the inevitable onslaught of institutional power that V:tM mirrors. Sins of the Sire will give you just that, an emotionally detached player character being shepherded through the misery that is the backside of vampire society. There's a wealth of different genuinely interesting characters, and pretty much no one will give you enough of themselves to give you the opportunity to get attached. And the Athens that is portrayed is a really interesting and gritty setting that you just never get to stay in any one place long enough to care for. There's just darkness and there's so much of it. Here you'll find barely anything human to attach to as a reader. Barely any sense of agency to enjoy. Barely any exciting secrets to explore. Just a corpse shambling through a series of scenes happening at them, all while musing over them from a point of almost ironic detachment. And this I genuinely think is a strength that sets Sins of the Sire apart from all other CoG WoD books, a divisive flavour that there are people out there who genuinely enjoy -- the cultural output of the 00:s is proof of this. But it's also very much not for me. I have given up before reaching the end because I just can't find anything to [i]care[/i] about. It's been very interesting to read to widen my idea of what a World of Darkness story can be though, and I genuinely think there is an audience for Sins of the Sire out there, just not that I am part of that audience.

Non ausim hunc ludum prorsus commendare, sed fatendum est me aliquam voluptatem inde percepisse. Scribendi modus, introspectivus et reflexivus, me alliciebat; electio Athenae ut locus fabulae tam singularis est, quaedam excultissima. Descriptio urbis antiquitatis mirifice evocans est, sensum temporis praeteriti afferens. Gaudium mihi fuit iterum frangere limina WoD, et haec narratio vere videtur pars illius universi fascinantis. Tamen, ubi ad summum momentum et climax fabulae pervenit, exspectationes meae vehementer franguntur. Amor et odium se inter se miscent, c um initio magnas laudes tribuam scriptoribus pro arte narrandi et characteribus, sed c um ad finem veni, sola est tristitia. Quomodo fieri potuit, ut duae paginae totum sensum universi vertant? Quomodo subito brevitas et superficialitas emergant, ubi profunditas et elaboratio esse debebant? Cur, autor, ita festinare voluisti? Modus tragoediae Graecae, qui per totum ludo latet, et sire ignotus, qui initio admodum curiositatem excitavit, haud sufficiunt ad excusandum defectus ceterarum partium ludi. In ludo nihil vere periculi agitur. Nulla administratio rerum, nulla missio lateralis, ac verus characterum progressus admodum inanis. Eventus progressionis videntur sine ordine, absque consilio, ut nimium abstrahantur a narratiunculis quae prius promiserant. Quid gerit fabula? Quid vere significat? Nihil. Omnino nihil. Narratio, quae c um tanta cura initium capiat, postmodum in finem transit quasi nulla cura animadversa. Omnia velocitate scriptoris sublata sunt, qui ulterius ire noluit, ut suum opus plenissime explicaret. Hoc opus non solum exspectationes meas non implevit, sed etiam me irrisit. Me reliquit sensu vacuitatis, quasi incipit in alto lumine, sed subito in obscuritatem ac nihilismum labi. Est quasi visus clarus qui repente cecidit, sicut ignis accensus ac mox exstinctus. Credo hanc fabulam esse fastidium quoddam ex celeritate, ex studio velocitatis, in quo auctor universum suum velut brevi cursu transcurrit, sine vero explorando universo. Quamvis initium arte ac subtilitate perficiatur, et figmentum Greek tragedy et sire mysterii sit alliciens, finis, qui in duabus paginis desinit, magnam frustrationem ac iram gignit QAQ Quod melius fecerim, nec quid potuerim, nec quid pervenire potuerim — omnia quasi in nebulis relinquantur. Quodammodo, c um scripsi Reckoning of New York recensio, sensus Lamentatio et Laudatio in mente meam recurrere coeperunt. In RoNY, tamen aliquid laudis paulum intererit, quamvis me res etiam irata et desperata tangant. Sed in SotS, non restat nisi Lamentatio. Triste est, dolorum laceratio hic nullo modo mitigata, et tamen, hoc accipio. ubi solum Lamentatio perseverat, semel ac semper. Ah, ut scriptor hanc fecerit, verus dolor.