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Bloodfeud – Diplomacy with Vampire • 2017 rpg

Ben H • no link

You're bloodsucking leeches with grand aspirations but there's never enough to go around.

Everyone divide 15 points between Blood and Clout. Define two traits: major/minor (worth +2/+1 respectively, each takes a night to refresh after use).

There's a communal pool, The Hunt, which starts empty. Vampire hunters are nasty business.

Each night connive and socialise with the others, trading resources freely, then take one action (revealed and resolved simultaneously); adding trait bonuses fitting the narrative and choosing applicable targets. You may aid others with your traits.

Feed: Gain 1 Blood. If half or more Feed, each adds 1 to The Hunt.
Conflict: Roll*. Target may change actions to oppose. Multiple parties can participate. Highest success steals 2 points, victor's choice. Add 1 to The Hunt.
Undermine: Roll*. Success steals 1 Clout.
Reign: Roll*. Success negates all actions against you.

Unless you Feed, lose 1 Blood.

Repeat each night until one remains.

If Blood reaches 0 you wither and die. If The Hunt hits 10, everyone gets staked.

*Roll: 1d10 equal-or-under Clout+Bonuses to succeed. If you roll equal-or-under The Hunt you've been confronted by hunters, spend Clout point-for-point to reduce The Hunt below your roll to avoid death.

Author Comments

Bang on 200 words (at least by Google Docs count)! I wanted to make a game based loosely on an iterated zero-sum prisoner’s dilemma to drive conflict between players and create situations where their characters would need to interact creatively to stay afloat. Traits are supposed to incentivise keeping these interactions narratively consistent (and give characters with low-Clout something to work/trade with).

Ultimately this ruleset could be adapted to a broad variety of conflict situations: a messy political race rife with scandal, a group of survivors adrift in a lifeboat with limited rations, or a posse of rogue stock traders trying to make inside deals while ducking the SEC. For a less pyrrhic experience consider setting a limit on the number of nights and/or adding other end conditions.


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