» Thu May 26, 2011 10:24 pm
I'm not sure how this will go over, probably not very well because it's rather simplified, but though I think Coven vs. Camarilla doesn't really matter (both sound good to me) I think a streamlined naming system for the clans would be better. If you're learning a roleplaying system it's pretty easy to pick up, but if you get newcomers to VtM who want to see how it works, more obvious names can make the mod much more user-friendly. I think having a name and a nickname is way too much for a single mod, and that to be more accessible, sticking with the original names in some cases is better, but in other cases not so good an idea.
--Regents is pretty descriptive already. Berserkers, Connoisseurs, Savants, Arcanists... all pretty good. Fiends works for the Tzimisce.
--The Barons I would want to switch to Shadows, or the Clan of Shadow, something along those lines.
--Nosferatu... Wraiths was always way too generic for me. How about Horrors or Nightmares? Otherwise, Nosferatu probably works pretty well by itself.
--Gangrel is way too obscure for the uninitiated. I'd say the clan of the Beast, or the Beasts, and then work from there.
--Genovese, Thanaturges... I think it was way too vague in the original mod. How about Clan Skull or the Bone Clan? Clan Wraith actually works better for these than the Nosferatu, I think. (Unless I'm mistaken and this isn't the Giovanni equivalent.) But in truth I don't find that particular clan very interesting.
--The Salubri... Clerics just sounds a bit stuffy. The Soul Clan is nice and ambiguous; outsiders can say they steal souls, insiders can say they heal souls.
--The Forsaken makes me think of the movie the Forsaken... but I still can't help liking it.
I think one of the best ways to transcend the player's expectations is the have Lucius actually be a decent guy, but somebody with a lot of knives pointed at his back--sort of like if Nines had been sired by a Ventrue. Everybody who's played Bloodlines will expect him to be the big bad. You could just as easily make one of his lieutenants the scheming bad guy, and then put the player in an interesting morally ambiguous position of trying to keep in power a decent guy who shouldn't be able to rule, or trying to help him put a less capable but reasonably decent guy on his former throne. But I'm not really fond of the older look for him--most elder vampires were young because they were sired early before there was a chance of them succumbing to disease or being killed in battle. Looking deceptively young is also much more interesting for a vampire, I think. For him to be old and look old is more human-seeming than vampire.
Also, when it comes to the Connoisseurs... any reason a man is now in place of the original female? I think a beautiful woman ruling them is much more fitting, especially when there are already so many males in power amongst the Terrans. Just remember that in Oblivion sixism pretty much doesn't exist, and in VtM it already didn't--I know I have trouble writing the opposite six because it's a mindset that's rather different from my own, but you're going to have women playing this mod too, and you don't want it to seem too much like a boys' club because that would stand out. And further about the Connoisseurs--there are also gay male gamers out there. They, and we ladies, like eye candy too. Keep that in mind for the brothels, okay? *cheeky grin*
I'd recommend, just to make sure you don't get burned out, trying to only implement the most interesting clans--not for VtM itself but for Oblivion. For instance, none of the Independent clans really stand out here to me personally except the Salubri. First of all, being able to heal and protect others is not only unconventional for a vampire, but it's highly useful in Oblivion during quests, and adds an interesting dynamic if the player chooses to either ( a ) conceal the fact that they are Salubri and spy for the clan at court or ( b ) if not a Salubri, to help them re-establish themselves as a part of the court in a land where mortals are far more powerful and liberated than what they were probably used to. Here, the Salubri can repopulate free of the delusions and lies that led to their near-extinction... or maybe they were already in the process of repopulating. Either way, they'll need some help. To play a vampire who has to use her (Obeah) powers carefully (perhaps in stealth mode, if that's possible?) and can't feed in battle yet perhaps takes a lot less sun damage could be interesting, particularly if you are part of a secret society of ironically gentle monsters who carry a death sentence with them wherever they go simply because they shamed the others by existing and trying to do good in the world rather than just be parasites. But I realize that would likely be a lot of work, and I think you're already taking on a lot. Personally, I'd prefer three well-done clans to 10 or 15 which only have a few NPCs and quests.
In general, I think that you shouldn't limit the player's generation in any way. Meaning, they can develop whatever powers are interesting and can be implemented, casting out what VtM originally was in favor of whatever is fun. That's the biggest and most important concept of all--whatever makes it fun.
I'd have loved to play both since yours and better cities are so good 
