Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Malkavian Clan Introduction, Interviews

Malkavians are the fifth and final full-blood vampire clan to be revealed for Paradox Interactive and Hardsuit Labs’ Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. Just like it was in the original Bloodlines, playing as a Malkavian will alter the way you experience Bloodlines 2, making these mentally unstable blood-suckers the kings of the second palythrough.

Here’s the official clan introduction trailer that also lets us know that we’ll be able to see some actual Bllodlines 2 gameplay on June 10, 2019:

Some additional information:

MALKAVIAN

Malkavians have been traditionally ostracized by the Seattle Kindred. While a few managed to claim territory in less desirable districts, very few have ever managed to rise to the levels of the other clans. Because of this, there is a persistent bias against the Malkavian clan that still exists into modern nights.

None of the many nicknames for Clan Malkav – “Lunatics”, “Jesters”, “Visionaries”, “Madmen”, and so on – is as fitting as “Oracles”. To be of the Clan is to understand things nobody else does; and to be affected by that understanding. Among the clan, this shows itself in psychosis, depression, compulsive disorders, or uncounted other mental illnesses. This hasn’t kept the Clan of the Moon from finding a place in Kindred society. Advisers, strategists, preachers, hunters and yes, rulers; all Malkavians walk their very own path.

DEMENTATION

All Malkavians see further than a mortal could. No Malkavian is left untouched by what they see. Their signature Discipline allows the clan’s members to impart an imperfect version of their psychosis on others, with often drastic results.

• Haunt (Blood Cost: 2), the first active Dementation power, imparts an unseen spectre in the victims’ minds. Unable to control themselves, they’ll try to flee in a panic. The • • and • • • • • slots upgrade Haunt.

• • • Berserk (Blood Cost: 4), the second active power, fills the vampire’s targets with an uncontrollable rage, causing them to lash out at anything nearby – even the air itself, if no better target is available. The • • • • and • • • • • slots enhance Berserk.

Use of Dementation, while thoroughly unsettling, is not a Masquerade Violation.

AUSPEX

Nothing stays hidden to those who gain the Discipline of Auspex. Their senses expanding beyond the boundaries of their bodies, these Kindred slip ever deeper into their condition.

• Aura Sense (Blood Cost: 2), Auspex’ first active, makes the vampire spot NPCs even through walls, read crowds at a glance, and mark individuals, staying aware of them even over long distances. It also reveals the weaknesses in the marked NPC’s attack and defense. The • • and • • • • • slots enhance Aura Sense.

• • • Psychic Projection (Blood Cost: 2), the second active, forces the vampire’s mind from their body. Untethered, they will explore the area in astral form, remaining free to use Aura Sight to mark any character they spot. Even more: The vampire’s own senses have developed to such an extent that they may end up telepathically overwhelming the senses of others for a short while. The • • • • slot enhances Psychic Projection.

Use of Auspex is not a Masquerade Violation.

While you’re here, you may also be interested in this Rock Paper Shotgun interview with Brian Mitsoda that puts a spotlight on Bloodlines 2’s Malkavians. An excerpt:

Even in the tabletop game, the clan is the subject of some debate. There’s even a specific term, “fishmalk”, referring to the sort Malkavian whose player interprets the clan insanity as wackiness, as a kind of comic relief, as the sort of person who would talk lovingly to a dead fish — or perhaps hit you in the face with it and run away giggling.

“A lot of people do interpret the first game as being closer to the fishmalk interpretation,” said Mitsoda, “Just because of the way we were approaching the malks trying to make them different, they did sometimes have the options that were kind of funny.”

This links to the million dollar question, which is “Will playing as a Malkavian be a different experience with unique dialogue?” and yes, yes it will, in a similar way to the original Bloodlines. “Because it is the expectation,” said Mitsoda, “We cannot deviate from the expectation of what the Malkavian experience is.”

The Malkavian player character had moments like, perhaps most famously, having a shouting argument with a stop sign in the street, which is probably more on the fishmalk end of the scale. But they were also one of the most popular Clans because they had an entirely different set of dialogue to any other player character, and got different responses from NPCs. This was written (mostly by Mitsoda) towards the end of the production. He explained to me that the nature of development meant that would probably happen again on Bloodlines 2 because the Malkavian character is almost a reskin of the game, and it has to be mostly finished “before you do the Malkavian pass on it.”

Also, you should check out this recent Gaming Bolt interview with Paradox Interactive’s Florian Schwarzer. A couple of sample questions:

What went on behind the scenes before you decided on making a sequel to a game that launched over a decade ago?

When Paradox purchased White Wolf in 2015, we recognized that Bloodlines was the crown jewel among their IPs. We did not intend on making a sequel right away and wanted to wait until the time was right.

The folks at Hardsuit Labs had other ideas and immediately started building a pitch for us before we even started looking for proposals. Putting in that much work was a huge risk for them — they even brought in Brian Mitsoda, the original lead writer from the first Bloodlines!

They really took a one-in-a-thousand kind of chance, but it worked out. After we heard their pitch, we couldn’t imagine a different Bloodlines 2.

How did you land on Seattle as a setting for the game?

One of the great strengths of Bloodlines 1 was that it felt so very ‘local’. Of course it wasn’t a scale-model recreation of early 2000’s Los Angeles, but that game with that story really couldn’t have taken place anywhere else. We all knew from the start that Bloodlines 2 needed to capture its city’s atmosphere the same way. Hardsuit Labs and Brian are based in Seattle — Brian especially has become a real local history buff. That familiarity with the city and its past and present hubs is an important part of Bloodlines 2.

The more you learn about Seattle’s dark past, the more you realize that it is a great place to be secretly run by vampires. A good example is the Great Seattle Fire of 1989, which burned down the city’s central business district. Instead of rebuilding, they paved over everything; giving Seattle a literal underground where the vampires in our story can secretly thrive. To us, things like this make Seattle an ideal setting for Bloodlines 2.