Thousand Year Old Vampire

Thousand Year Old Vampire is a Solo Roleplaying game, in which you chronicle the centuries of existence as one of the undead. It was launched as a Kickstarter on October 24^th, 2018.  As part of the Kickstarter campaign, a set of playtest rules were included with the campaign. The following Actual Play was based on these playtest rules.

The story follows the existence of Roman politician Lucius Casius from the end of the Republic till the Italian Renaissance. I do not wish to spoil too much about the game, or the playthrough below. I will simply say that Thousand Year Old Vampire was a unique and impactful game; something many games strive for, but few succeed. If you are discovering this on or before November 15^th, 2018, I strongly urge you to support the Kickstarter here. If afterwards, look for the game on drivethrurpg.

Thousand Year Old Vampire, A Sort of Homecoming

Welcome back. In the last post, Lucius went, well, let’s be honest, a little mad. But, perhaps it was for the best, as it drove him to reconnect with Aurelia, and the two reuniting. If not as lovers, at least as friends.

I feel time needs to pass, so I set this in the 15^th Century. The Italian Renaissance is in full bloom Let’s see what happens next. I roll a 5 and a 3, giving me a 2. This leads me to event 71.

An Immortal Character has been destroyed by Mortals. How did you come to find out about this? What did you lose? Create a Skill based on a Memory. Create an Immortal if necessary.

There are four possible contenders for this. Semnai (1), Aurelia (2), Antenor (3), or Marcus (4). I roll a d4 and get a 2.

Aurelia and I spend the next few centuries together, as companions and friends. We are eventually discovered, though, by hunters. She urges us to fight back, I insist we flee. She follows me, but so do the hunters. She is caught alone one night, and destroyed. In my cowardice, I had let my only friend be destroyed.

I add Stealth as a Skill, based on his long history of running and hiding from conflict.

Next, I get a 4 and a 1, for a 3. I move to prompt 74.

Thousand Year Old Vampire, Corruption and Forgiveness

Welcome back. When we last left the game of Thousand Year Old Vampire, Lucius was wandering the back roads of early medieval Europe disguised as a friar, both preaching heresy and feeding from the faithful. I feel like a time jump is coming, but I want to wait and see what prompts I get. I was last on prompt 51. Using that as a base, I roll a d10 and get a 7. I then roll a d6 and get a 2. Subtracting the results of the d6 from the d10, I get 5. I add this to my current prompt of 51, and end up at 56.

You begin a fantastic construction which puzzles the Mortals around you. What is it made of? Give a hint as to its purpose. Lose a Resource, gain the Skill “Visionary.”

Oh, no. No, no, no. The only Resource I have is my Diary, and that is the only thing reminding me of the good years with Pelias. Damn it. I don’t think I can express how much I want to reroll, but, fine. Diary is lost.

I settle down in a small town in Cisalpine Gaul, just outside of Turin. I begin work on an odd church, and the locals are fascinated by it. They believe the deep cave within it harkens to the Holy Sepulcher. They may be right, but for me its call is older, and darker.

Yeah, he’s basically building a Christian version of the Lupercal from his earliest nights, though even he does not know why. At this point, I begin to think that Lucius might legitimately be mad.

Left Behind, Letter Two

Landon—

I trust that this letter, as well as the previous one, has found its way to you. The war here seems to be on the verge of resolution—at least, the nobles are meeting with the Prince Reginald, and we all pray that the recent madness will be put aside shortly. At least, with things as they are, things seem to be picking up for us common people. The trade ships which were so long delayed for fear of piracy have at last made it to port, and all of Avalon is rejoicing.

Thousand Year Old Vampire. Alone in the Night

Welcome back to the play through of Thousand Year Old Vampire. When we left off, the vampire Lucius was living in relative peace with his lover Pelias in the bustling city of Constantinople, sometime in the 4^th Century. Our last event was number 23, and Lucius had become something of a theologian. Let’s see what befalls him now.

I again roll a d10 and a d6 for 10 and a 5. Subtracting the results of the later from the former, I get a 5, which leads us to event 28.

A long dead Mortal Character returns. What do they want from you? How have they survived death? You only recognize them if you still have a related Memory. Check a Skill.

There are two dead Mortals in my past, Manius and Marcus. I roll to see which one has returned and get a 2, for Marcus.

One night, a stranger grabs me on the street, a large, brutish man. He claims to know me, and desperately asks for my aid. He speaks of Rome, the once glorious City, and long nights we spent together there. I do not know him, and I hide myself as a simple Christian scholar. I quote the Bible, and chastise him for his ramblings.

I check Theology and wave the madman off. I used my Theology skill to convince him that I’m not who he thinks I am. I also restore him on the character sheet, since he’s back in my life. Somehow.

Next, I roll a 2 and a 3, for a -1. This leads me to event 27 and:

Left Behind, Letter One

Landon—

I am certain that this letter, when it arrives to you, will come as something of a shock. When last we spoke we exchanged words which may chairtabily be described as “harsh.” It has been a month since then, and while I certainly recal my vow to never speak with you again, our beloved sister Agatha has entreated me to write to you. If not for our sake, than at least for that of our parents.

Their passing this past winter has not been easy for the family, as I am certain that you are aware. Though, perhaps, you do not feel it so keenly. You were always the favorite, after all, and what little fortune our family possessed was dedicated to you. Your education and prospects always remained prominent in our parents thoughts, to the detremint of the rest of their children. I assume they thought that you would use their gifts to give aid and succor to the remainder, particularly to our sisters. It would appear that they were mistaken in your intentions.

Thousand Year Old Vampire, Scholarly Sojourn

Welcome back to the next part of my playthrough of Thousand Year Old Vampire by Tim Hutchings. In the last post, we left Lucius alone and lost in the wilds of Greece, having fled the city of Rome from the wrath of his ex-lover and newly created spawn, Aurelia. When I started this game, I had absolutely no idea what to expect, but so far it’s been a pretty thrilling ride, even if some of the events are, honestly, pretty upsetting.

At least a couple of decades have gone by, but we’re going to play a little fast and loose with the time here. I’ll narrow it down a bit based on what happens in the next couple of prompts. As a reminder, each prompt has a number associated with it, and Lucius is currently on 10. To determine the next one, I roll a d10 and a d6, and subtract the results of the d6 from the d10. This number is then added to the current count, with negative numbers moving things backwards. This time I roll a 10 and a 4, for 6. Added to the current count, and I’m brought to event 16.

People are hunting you in an organized way. How do you defeat or evade them? Create a Mortal Character related to one of your checked Skills. Check a Skill.

I think I’m actually going to fast forward a few centuries, to around the era of Constantine the Great. The old gods are dying, and the faith of the Christians is becoming more dominant. In their fervor, they are not only smashing temples and idols, but also hunting such creatures as Lucius. Lucius, despite his nature, is not an inherently violent man. Instead, I determine that he will use his Seduction skill to win over the leader of the mob to his side, a monk named Pelias.

The nights seem endless, until a new faith driven by hatred of the old ways arises. They seek to destroy me, but their leader Pelias is a kind and vulnerable man. We have many meetings at night, and I hold him as I once held Aurelia. While she sought to destroy me, his love proves more true and he turns the mob away from me.

For the next prompt, I roll a 5 and a 4, for a 1, leading me to prompt 17.