All my friends for years wondered why I played Malkavians so dark, utterly insane, and well. When I finally told them I was schizophrenic and bipolar and that I was simply playing the voices in my head given form, there were many terrified looks but damn was it ever so satisfying to see the shear terror that they had when they realized that all those characters are talking to me on a regular basis. I think it gave them a unique glimpse into what true insanity is like.
I always run oWoD with Dementation being the Malkavian's discipline, and they never had Dominate. My favorite part of Dementation was one line in the 5th power: "This does not drive people insane, rather it draws out madness that was already there." I loved that. Malkavians cannot make you mad. You are already a madman! They just dredged it up from your filthy, filthy mind!
Oh god, I had a great laugh from this post. Punish the ST, great stuff. I like the fact you take a standard concept from another clan & put it towards the Malkavians. I'm a fan of that. Additionally, crazy people don't just bounce off the walls all day long. I've been around crazy people most of them seem pretty normal until you begin to have deep talks with them. So I think the way you are playing that works very well, so great job.
I've seen some Malks played exceptionally well & adding those extra dimensions really helps the game. While I totally understand your point, I feel they really add a lot to the game.
Dungeons and Dragons once, and if we extend this to video games more than a hundred, including this series's second game. I've never played a story telling game before, and like I said earlier, the way you described the Malkavian (my favorite bloodline to play as in the video game) really made me want to play the actual story telling game.
I had an idea for a Malkavian character, who, in their mortal life, was a serial depressive who committed suicide and was saved by his grandmother (a Malkavian) through the Embrace. He manifests schizophrenia as a literal Black Dog that follows him around and derides and guilts him constantly. This results in him occasionally having outbursts at it (he knows others can't see it, but he gets really angry or upset at it) and occasional emotional breakdowns when he fails or does something horrible,
@ArphenMaethor That's a good point the trigger. I've used that before for characters I've played, it can really add a lot of depth. Excellent posts, thanks for that.
Nice video mate!!! Since I started playing Vampire:The Masquerade (some 16 years ago I think), Malkavians became my favourite Clan. And that's because, as a clan it gives you countless possibilities for roleplaying. The major mistake most players do, is that they think Malkavians as idiotic nutjobs. As you said in the video, they can be highly functional personalities. In my opinion, the most important thing, in order to play a Malkavian successfully is to create a deep, good background.
Portraying a Malkavian is one of the hardest things to do. But I am glad I've never portrayed mine as a cookie type of character that runs around in a pink too too during the night, covered in the blood of kittens and puppies, because that would have been both stupid and my character's Final Night. One of my favorite things to have ever done with my main Malk character is portray the anguish, the suffering he goes through whenever horrible visions come to him. He writhes, twists, bends, cries!!!
I like this video a great deal. Hah the Tommy Dreamer reference got a big giggle out of me :) But yeah with the malkavians the most interesting part to me is the manipulation part. The dementation and brainwashing part. If I'd play a malkavian I think I would use so many points in retainers and herd. So there would be the kind of flock alredy, and he might want to have the players join in his club too. I've not setled in with any specific mental illness my self, that would require further study.
@herkles1 Excellent point, you really say something that is highly important there. The derangement is only part of the vampire as a whole, it should be worked in around the rest & not overshadow the character & certainly not be the only part of the character.
It always seems to me that, despite the potential, Malkavians were non sequiturs in a vampire game. I mean, the allure, the horror, the tragedy; all that should come from the fact that you are a monster. Making that monster crazy is superfluous.
I am just fond of the Malkav brainwashed Malks. Dom is one of my fav disciplines, so it with the two other most powerful core book disciplines is AWESOME!
You know...I've played a Malkavian comically once. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the other players enjoyed it but honestly it didn't FEEL right to me. So thank you for posting this, I've got a good base to go off of for my next Malkav character.
@greeina That sounds like quality play, no reason a character couldn't freak themselves out. Sounds like you were doing a lot of selling there which is something I'm a big fan of for sure.
I've started watching your videos just recenly =) so far it's really great you have a way to atract my attention and you give me nice ideas on wod(only problem i have is that i never played cwod only nwod, and i guess you dont have a good opinion on nwod but still), i'll show it to my group, i have this friend who can't shake the idea of playing a "funny crazy" malkavian(also, i loved that you portrayed insanity and mental problems as something sad, im a student of psychology so yeah i know =/)
Which has taken away some of the possible richness that we could have in a game. I really like in the mage description that you talk about playing a character from the ground up, and I wish more campaigns where started here, even if you had a way of taking a character in the future after you play a little while in the past because this would give the person the perspective of earning it, or coming to be or just learning a little about themselves before they start along the power curve.
...her silly, and because this will be my first time roleplaying, I'm nervous I'll mess this up. But your video has really helped me get a better idea about what the Malkavians are all about. haha sorry for this really long thank you, but thanks, your videos are great!
@woodwwad They're also a group that can be badly portrayed like the Malks. The first one showed them more more as a group that believes that a good defense is the best way to combat the Wyrm (by building up humanity so they'll be less vulnerable to its influence). And since their tribe was born from the spirits of slayed wolf pups (due to inter-tribal fighting) and nursed back to life by Gaia, they understand love and death all too well.
I played a Malk that ended up with 7 personalities that knew about each other. My ST asked for me to make up character sheets for each of them & keep the physical stats, disciplines and backgrounds the same. The rest I could fill in and give xp to each one as we went through the game. Having personalities that ranged from the 50's mom whose favorite weapon was a cast iron frying pan to the sociopathic socialite to the stuttering and shy child, makes the game fun in my book. :)
@ArphenMaethor The comment about the crack in your mind is an excellent one. How do you fight that? Well you need an excellent GM but those sorts of scenes are my favorite type to run. Trapping the character in the labyrinth of their own mind & confronting them with a myriad of images, describing their slow plunge into the depths of dementia.
I agree with the overwhelming majority of this, except for one point. You can play a Malkavian "comically" when that comedy is meant to highlight the more disturbing aspects of their derangement. My malkavian is Bipolar. He's also addicted to a wide variety of substances, which he consumes through the blood of addicts. So he's basically always, in some way, inebriated, and barely ever understands what's going on around him. So he's stumbling around, ranting nonsensically, and everyone thinks it's funny. And then someone says something that rubs him the wrong way and he stabs them in the eye with a broken beer bottle, before breaking down into tears. The tone has now shifted.
Out of curiosity did you ever the play PC game of Vampire the Masquerade, called Bloodlines. I think you would quite enjoy the depiction of the NPC Malkavians in that. As an example of one of them you are simply walking through a house listerning to recordings of the elder vampire and its fantastic to play as what he talks about gets more an more unnerving and despite playing a vampire you want nothing more than to get out of that house.
@ArphenMaethor thank you very much. I think it is important to really climb into the skin of your character. So good on you, you were able to play a crazy character so convincingly.
I was playing around with the idea of having a malk who imprisoned mortal castoffs and broke down their insanity with dementation, embraced them 'illegally' knowing they would be gnawed, provided them with vitae and essentially farmed them, later supplying them to those with diablere addiction, mainly of her own clan. She would always keep more than demand required because of the joy of being 'needed' by the broken shells she'd created. I had myself thinking that was too dark but now... hmm.
In a game I am currently running. A Malkavian acts as a harpy in the city. I play him carefully. Outwardly, he's calm, collected and almost serene. However, every one of his victims has been "imprinted" on his mind. So he is convinced he's always followed by ghosts. They taunt him, mock him, tell the secrets of others to him and also rail him for his cruelty and depravity. They scream at him about how irredeemable his actions have made him. He struggles to keep himself sane, at least outwardly.
My image of a Malkavian is Hannibal Lecter, seems perfectly rational, in control, but given the chance he will peel away the layers of your mind and twist you to their ambitions. And when they finally frenzy or show their true colors they will infect all those nearby with a terror that stretches the mind to its the breaking point .Amadeus Arkham also comes to mind, as does the nameless villain from Se7ev. Is that more or less the idea ?
@hammeredshitsteak The thing about malks is most of them aren't deranged before the embrace. And the sire could view the embrace as anything from the holiest of gifts to revenge.
After playing Bloodlines, then reading some of the sourcebooks, I'll be roleplaying for the first time through a PbP. The Clan that I chose is Malkavian, and the character I plan to play is an artistic nomadic antisocial (a branch of sociopathy). She's normal and quite friendly when you can get her to talk to you, so you would never know just how fond she is of disproportionate retribution: she once pointed to the roof of a high rise and told a bully he could fly. I've no intention of making...
If you have seen Mr. Robot...sometimes the crazy character can start looking like the new normal compared to all the other crazy messed up stuff happening around you and that can be disturbing too.
I'd agree that the key to playing a Malkavian like any insane character is subtlety, which is how I play them, their insanity is shown in subtle ways, not breaking into a laughing fit after killing someone like you're the fucking Joker, that is an asinine way to play a crazy person, and I enjoy playing someone who's atleast alittle insane, which is why I was looking though the VtM Corebook and I read through each clan, and I thought Malkavian made the most sense with who I like to play.
And choose your derangement(s) wisely. Of course you can play the typical madman, but that's not the point. And also, do not try to keep your derangement under control. Let loose. Madness can be a gift, not only a curse. And if the ST has some experience, he even might help you with the legendary insights, Malkavians are supposed to deal with.
Yeah it's Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines--a PC game from 2004. It's pretty much all the digital amusement VTMers can soak up. Unless it;s "Redemption", which I've never played because it's like Zelda with a Brujah instead of an elf.
You think so? I've not seen them like that. There are a lot of bad ones that have been played. But they make great challenges to play. I enjoy playing them.
I remember once playing in a,group with a friend who played a malk who thought she was holli wood from cool word. Now that was scary she did in a very serious way the criminal & seductive aspects made her almost seem toreador like then suddenly everyone & everything would go cartoon! Oh man the mind games she would play during the game talk about evil!
@hammeredshitsteak Yes, I've seen Malkavians done well more than once. I had a player do a really good job with one in a game I ran. Had some great scenes with Malk npcs in the dark ages game I played in for 4 years. Was a lot of fun when my characters accidently learned 1 dot of demnentation. I've also played a Malkavian more than once, I think they can off well but they weren't in long running games.
Speaking of "must see" inspirational movies for a VTM game - do you know that there is actually a TV series, based on the game? It's called "Kindred: The Embraced". If you ever stumble upon it RUN AWAY as fast as you can. It's not just dumb, it's a flippin' sacrilege.
My bucket list Malkavian is one with an obsession that if anyone wrongs him, he will go out of his way to get back to an arguably self-destructive degree. Then throw in paranoia to boot. (I loosely based him off Dan from the Dan vs. series.)
ah, malkavians. an interesting clan. though I do disagrees with you on the joker, I think the joker could make a malkavian, at least some of the more demented, twisted and darker versions of him. Arkham asylum a serious house on a serious earth comes to mind. but this is helps me with them, as I am going to be using a few in my up coming dark ages game. :)
She would definitely get caught, those Nosferatu are near impossible to shake. But likely near her haven as she would want to be close, maybe a recording studio she would own with it's soundproof walls and isolation booths that make for convenient prisons in the basement.
Very well done here. I did play a malkavian once but never again since people were...well i once worked in an asylum for deranged people and i know quite some stuff about the "crazy" guys. there was the man who killed his parents cause he thought...well i leave that out but i have seen some shit and can play it as well ^^ If i need some ideas i can ask my former colleagues to find some things for me there ^^ Any way very well done video. In special "Roleplaying" means to get into a role
Last night, I had an idea about a newly sired Malkavian who's celebrating his father's birth day party with his human family, his sire actually giving him permission to "keep in touch" with them. They're gathered around the table, ready to cut the cake when his father comes up to hug him. But it's not his father, it's a body snatcher, and he's trying to plant a spore on the back of the Malk's neck! Thinking quickly, he takes the cake knife and proceeds to slash his father's throat open with an outraged cry. Suddenly, he snaps back to his senses to find his father is laying face down in the cake, blood gushing from his throat, and his entire family staring at him in horrified shock. The Malkavian, horrified at what he's done, drops the knife in a daze and collapses into a heap on the floor before the family goes into a terrified panic!
If the character should have more of less dots in places this is done. In part because if we are playing games that involve more than one player it can't just be about us. Though I do encourage games that focus on players from time to time to make them the star and the center stage because of character development. That and you will have an opportunity then for the people in the game and the game master to be invested in each other and their characters and concepts.
Malks have the most tragic fate of all vampires.Nosferatu are ugly and lonely but they can blame their looks and damn someone else for their suffering. Malks may kill those the love the most cause their mind tricks them.and afterwards they realise what they have done and may suffer the deepest of all wounds since there is no one else to blame then themselves. They may ruin everything important to them in a "rage" of their sick mind but have to deal with the consequences when regaining themselves
In sheer destructive potential, I would say the Malkavians are the most potent, a Brujah, Gangrel, or combat Nosferatu can be beaten, provided there is enough force applied, a Ventrue or Lasombra's Dominate can be resisted and deciphered, same with Toreador's presence, but how do you stop insanity? How do you stop riots, panic, blinding terror? A Malkavian is chaos personified, with powers that are as versatile and deadly as the human mind can be, with an eternity to refine and perfect.
Well in my campaign in D&D I'm playing a Drow and a Half-Blood Elf Werewolf, so the crazy thing has kinda become my schtick I enjoy playing that kinda character though, the Drow has that kinda broken mind that just about everything in the Underdark has, and the Half-Blood Elf just loves to spill the blood of those who deserve it partly because she has the bestial side of the wolf
I detest power gamers. For me I want to play the character, it doesn't matter if he is weaker or more powerful than the other characters. I'm an immersive style player, what I want is to be in character to the greatest degree possible. I'm playing a Malkavian currently with the guy that created VTM which is greatly enjoyable. As you mention it is all about the concept of the character & then bringing that to life.
Though I do think that some of these things sit squarely in the laps of game masters that don't say no often enough, because even if you want to play a were panda in raven loft, you better be playing in an oriental setting, or have a damned good story reason for playing such a character. Which is why I have after a time tried to fashion characters with my game master to fit the worlds we are trying to play in if they want me to have dots in skills to help the plot it is done.
One more thought for viewers. some deranged people have learned to act normal - to function but have a trigger. That can be anything that reminds them of something and gets them mad. It could be a word, a sound, a colour, an object etc. which lets them "go mad" could be fun if a malkavian functions normal - maybe as prince - and then the players accidently pull the trigger and have to run for their unlives or such stuff. He may see the players as long dead enemies returning, wanting to kill him.
That video really helped me to escape from the cute harley queen type of Malkavian! It is my first time playing and my character has double personality problems. One is a seemgly normal person and the other is a suspicious kind of rude character. Could you perhaps have some advise for me on how to make my character really work?
all knowledge i have of cwod is from some of the books that still exist here in Brazil from before gehenna(we didnt even get the gehenna book here), and the videos from gamgeeks, you, spoony and the gentlemangamer, oh and vtm bloodlines, i really liked the concepts on vtm, like having the sabbat and the camarilla oposed to the coteries on vtr(i don't really like most of em) and the idea of the antedeluvians, i think vtr would be way better if it still had the whole antedeluvian idea
@alokov Megalomaniacs can be interesting. I played in a game with another pc about a year ago, his character had that derangement. He did a great job with it, very fun. I've heard fish malks before, where does that come from?
@Onionkid99 HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA, oh that was good. The ballz do love some chin slappin' these days. Dredging your mind is a great way to put it, very well said.
This video gave me some great inspiration for my Malkavian.... But not in the positive way I'm afraid. I'm woefully tired of people treating mental illness like its one extreme or the other. When you treat a character like it has to belong to one end of a spectrum you do it an incredible disservice. A malkavian can be just as capable a kindred techno sleuth as a nosferatue or conquer the title of prince. We're not automatically jesters or hanibals. We're simply people with a different state of mind.
If one is going to play a character well they need to don the character mentally what is this character going to think, what triggers this character, what attributes of this character makes them special, makes them the players. What sorts of things am I trying to explore by making a character like this? How does my character fit into a game that is running, or how will a character benefit a game that I want to play them within. It really seems as though their could be a generic video about this.
I think that power gaming can ruin stories in the sense that the game then runs around abilities, and not stories. If I simply wanted more numbers in some slot, I might as well play progress quest the game in plays itself. If you want to dig in and get your chops though, I advise people to do a little planning even with npcs that will be encountered, since the depth of these characters and the events that will unfold are going to make a story rich deep and immersive.
I thought the second edition did a better job explaining them, had some good templates (the EMT stands out the most) and the Name Eater is a great NPC.
They might be able too. It really depends on what sort of issues they have. I've played over the years with a few people that had mental illness. A lot of them were the worst players I've had to suffer through. Still, someone could be off and really be a great player. It really depends on a lot of other issues, I suppose.
I do dig the Malkavian Prince idea. One day I will try that out. I have a table rule for players who go Malkavian. It's the anti fish-malk rule. Fish-malk (if you are not familiar with the term) I have picked up to mean whenever someone plays a Malk using the madness as an excuse to be a clown and do stuff like hitting people with fish. Yeah, I don't like that at my table! Besides being a gross misconception, silly Malkavians are plain and simply useless and are usually put down.
Oh I did :) There were a lot of people scared of her b/c each personality had its own different derangement. They never knew who they were dealing with. (Rolled a d8 to see what personality showed up each morning)
you are absolutely right there. They might be just the most normal of individuals, after all it is not like you know what they are thinking. Even if you have Auspex level 4, you don't really want to, now do you?
@herkles1 The joker in that dark of a form is really hard to pull off, if pulled off perfectly it'll work fine but most people trying to do that end up with a character that looks more like the pro wrestler Sting than a depraved individual.
