Good evening my fellow Kindred,

Last month we published a short interview with our project lead and visual lead. Since they aren’t the core of our narrative team we decided to do the same this month but with a different department - an interview with our narrative team represented by Nicole our very first writer who worked with us on the script for Game Jam and is still working with us extending the existing plot.

• Tell us about your experience as a writer.

Nicole: This would technically be my first video game as most of my experience is in an indie film space. I have produced multiple short films that have gone on to film festivals across the US, most notably the animated films  “In Our Nature” and “Mundance”. It definitely has been a huge learning curve transitioning to games, but I'm grateful to have such a great team to support me as I learn on the job every single day. Having such great feedback from our players since the initial game jam release has also been a great help.

• What media are your biggest inspirations?

Nicole: One of my biggest inspirations has been one of my favorite games since I was a small child, Fallout: New Vegas. While obviously very different interpretations of Vegas, it has been a great reference for the level of branching quest lines we want to capture in the full game. In addition, series like Dragon Age for how the players can impact the world and characters around them and Persona as a reference for RPGs set in an urban setting. The “Dark Urge” origin playthrough in Baldur's Gate 3 as well has been a great reference for how the game might look should a player embrace or suppress their inner Beast.

• What is your favorite part of Vampire: The Masquerade?

Nicole: My favorite part of VtM has to be that it's a game in which the very mechanics itself feed into the roleplaying of your character and their narrative. If you have five hunger dice and are on the verge of frenzy, that is going to influence your character’s decisions either for their benefit or detriment - it's fun either way. 

• What sort of narrative do you wish to present with your game?

Nicole: A role-playing first experience. The team and I have discussed at length how we want this game to feel the closest it possibly can be to a table top session of VtM converted into a video game. Murder and hijinks included obviously.

• What is your approach towards established canon? Do you adhere to it strictly or treat it rather loosely?

Nicole: I think VtM works best as a setting when certain things are left intentionally vague as to invoke a sense of mystery. Who is the first vampire? Cain, Lilith, Set, a random Methuselah, or is it just the natural evolution of humanity into predators? For the sake of writing a cohesive plot, in my mind I have an interpretation of the metaphysics of the universe going on behind the scenes, but I want our players to be able to speculate and form their own theories on how this world works. 

• Without too many spoilers, which canon elements do you intend to incorporate into your story?

Nicole: I won't say too much but those classic fans familiar with V20 and its characters should be very happy with some of the inclusions to our plot.

• What are you most excited about about this project?

Nicole: Being able to put my name on a game I’m excited to play myself.

We hope it was an interesting read, especially because the narrative part of the game is very important for the RPG genre. Let’s keep the fires burning and as a reminder for all of our followers we are excited to wait for the 29th of April and the planned release!

See you next month - and surely we’ll have much to discuss in the upcoming month's dev diary! Remember to follow us on our social media (Facebook or X) and if you feel like it to support our project via Patreon! Or chime in on our Discord server.