VTM - Blood Frontier
So, you want to ride with Padre and the Autarkis Gangrel of the Lost Souls coterie? You think you have what it takes to sleep rough over 1,200 miles of southern-Texas border with the Mexican Jaguar himself? To pistol-whip Sabbat incursions? To wrangle the cattle ranches and border crossings of the Circulatory System? To lasso drug mules carting vitae-laced meth? Big cojones, huh? Alright, saddle up. The border tribes can always use another quickdraw, if you pan out that is. Welcome to the Blood Frontier.
- Play as male, female, or non-binary.
- 4 fixed-gender player-sexual romantic options (gay, straight, bi, ace).
- 4 distinct sect endings with no reused text: Camarilla, Anarch, Sabbat, Autarkis.
- 42 achievements (12 hidden) worth 500 achievement points.
- Specialize in a Gangrel Clan Discipline: Animalism, Fortitude, or Protean.
- Engage combatants with your weapon expertise: Firearms, Melee, or Brawl.
- Navigate the world with your mastered skillset: Physical, Social, or Mental.
- Dynamic opposed stat system with relationship meters.
5 chapters. 100k words with code. 90k words without. Average playthrough of 55k words in 3-4hrs, depending on reading speed.
This game was created as a part of the Vampire: The Masquerade game jam. Events portrayed in this game are not canon within the World of Darkness universe.
Development log
- Development Activity LogNov 28, 2021
Comments
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Made this account just to comment on this game, this was great i spent the whole night playing this (its 8AM lol) i just loved this story, it resonates with me the same as Night Road did, thank you for this game and if you drop any other VTM content you can sign me up!
Oy What's a CoG author doin in them here parts? Trying to escape that persnickety bastard Sherriff Hill? Heard he's been running off Authors left and right.
Lmfao
christ that was good....great fun i'll definitely be doing more playthroughs
I'm so glad you liked it. If you do them all, let me know which ending you like best. Cheers!
This was a really great game, with only a few small gripes! Also, SPOILERS ahead.
For a start, it was amazingly written, and even more so for the short development time (1 month?!) - that takes serious skill. It was incredibly immersive, and the twists and turns and the emotions that came with them were brilliant. I personally love games that allow you to kick ass without having to worry that you don't have a high enough score in whatever stat to do the action you want - I don't want to have to fuss over stats when I'm enjoying the fight, and this game was great for that. Plus the fights were pretty epic - made the MC feel like a total badass. Also, the characters were interesting, and again it's another testament to the writer's skill that he managed to get us to actually care about them in such a short time. And lastly, THANK YOU for the save slots. That's one of the things I hate most about 'Choice Of' games verses Twine (and why I'm glad you made an exception for your game) - I like to be able to save where I want to, and if that means re-loading after a bad decision, why shouldn't I? I'd prefer to have the freedom of crafting my own immersive experience, and not have to start again if I feck it up or feel dissatisfied. So yeah, thanks!
Now for what was a little lacking. Basically, the relationships and the ending (well, the one I got). The relationships weren't bad per se, but they did feel way too 'sudden'; it would have been nice to have at least one scene (possibly two, even for a short story like this) where we could really spend some time with the character we were interested in and build the sort of rapport that would make sense when MC told whichever one that he/she was interested in them romantically. That being said, I did like what it had, I just wish there was a little MORE of that.
And the ending I got, well, I get the idea of the romanticism of sacrifice to keep the west free (and love it) -- I played the ending where we made a stand against the Sabbat, without the Camarilla, and was romancing Boone as a male MC -- BUT I was bummed that we couldn't have a nice, cliche moment in the epilogue where MC and Boone ride off into the moonlight together (and in that moment find that, surprise! Boone didn't die after all), in their still-free west. It sucked that I had to lose Boone like that, it really did. Was there any way to have a somewhat happy romantic ending with Boone?
Again though, overall this was a really great story. It really made me yearn for some genuine western IFs (the romanticism and freedom of the west and making a stand for keeping it that way), or more along the lines of this. I'm really hoping the author makes some more IF's, maybe one that's a bit longer next time? :)
Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful response. I think your right about a lot of your improvements--I wish I'd had you around to playtest while I was developing! TIN STAR on Hosted Games (?) is a good IF western, if you're looking for one. I also have a WiP on their forum called NOT YOUR MOTHER'S SHIRE, if you're into comedy and/or fantasy. Cheers! And thank you again.
Oh damn! You wrote Not Your Mother's Shire?! Yes, I've played it - great game! Also, Tin Star is one of my all-time favourite IF games. I don't know what it is about Westerns that appeals to me so much (other then the fact that I grew up watching them and there's the nostalgia factor). Maybe the feeling of ultimate freedom? The adventures under wide open skies? A less complicated life? I'm always drawn to them.
Anyway, I really hope to see more IFs from you in future, regardless of genre. Your writing style really works for me. :)
Unfortunately, this wasn't nearly as immersive as the other CYOA games I've played....
For one, It felt like the story was meant strictly for a more masculine audience, There wasn't really much point in customizing the character's gender. For example, the forced crossdressing to look more cowboy than John Wayne followed by the weird narration that focuses on Dakota's chesticles....oh sorry, her "pendant".
It doesn't help that I immediately wanted to beat the brakes off of her since she looks and behaves 100% like my sister aka the presumptuous peacock I am cursed to share a bloodline with.
Another thing, the romance was really odd and the ending seemed rushed and bland. I felt it was difficult trying to connect with the characters. To each their own, I suppose.
Now before anyone goes off on me about this post, I'm not even done so chill out. Don't get me wrong. Overall, it was a pretty decent, creative, and well-constructed storyline and I highly doubt I could do any better than this. There were hardly any grammar problems at all, but it would have been nice to read the dialogue being spoken by the characters instead of the narrator just stating what they were speaking about and leaving it there. Aside from these small nitpicks, it shows a ton of bright potential. I hope to see more of your work and how it changes over time because I am confident it will become something amazing as long as you keep working at it.
All things considered, I really enjoyed reading it, so thank you for making it. ^_^
I made an account just to comment on this game. I played through the whole thing in one sitting (it's 4AM right now lol) and I enjoyed every second of it. Each character was truly unique and interesting, I totally fell in love with Dakota especially. There were some minor errors here and there, but I feel like you've got a hell of a way with words. Blood Frontier made me feel all kinds of emotions and it kept me hooked until the very last word. Thanks for this experience, and I hope to see more from you in the future!
Wow, thanks so much for doing that. And saying that. I’m glad you enjoyed it! It was a real labor of love, and I put a lot of myself into it. I’m going to have a go at the errors after contest judging, so I show a fair reckoning of what I could finish in time. You’re so welcome for the read. It makes me happy to know there’s people out there for whom it resonates. When you lock yourself in with the work, there’s really no telling how it’ll all turn out. Cheers, friend.
Is this game avaiable for download on windows and if yes, where can I download it?
Hm, yes and no? I have it set to play in web browser, but every day there’s more downloads. So, lots of people know more than I do. Sorry to be unhelpful!
You aimed for a super ambitious scope for just a month of development, sometimes I was wondering whether you got inspired by Night Road with how many little choices you included (picking the colour and name of our horse, even)! It's easily one of the biggest games in the jam!
This was an amazing ride, I feel you could add so much more content to it. I loved the characters, they were all really vivid with their own personalities, and the twists and turns of the plot, especially as it reached its end, were all gripping and interesting. Truly fun game, especially for how it incorporated the culture of the area and focused on some fun clans. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to read the whole thing and comment. I'm glad you enjoyed my game, since I so much enjoyed yours. I've been feeling insecure about the length since breaking the poor streamer's (Mirta's) voice, so the kind word has helped pick me up. Your good opinion means much to me, since I know how well you know the World of Darkness setting. Cheers! And thanks again.
OI! The voice is my issue, not the fault of your game. You made a full length text based game in the span of 1 month and you should feel PROUD.
I know this game isn't actually canon, but it was a bit awkward to find out after selecting Alleycat that it's defined very differently from canon in this game. May be better to explain it before the selection is made.
Thanks for pointing that out to me. I checked the VtM Core Book, then changed the Chapter 1 and Glossary prose to make them more consistent with the canon definition. That version is now live.
Oh, I actually just meant that the player should know what it means before they make the selection, not that it *has* to match canon. I just got blindsided by thinking I knew what it meant based on canon, and not realizing I actually had no information about what it meant in the context of the game. But it is clearer now anyway.