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Kindred of the East
Kindred of the East is a tabletop role-playing game book and game line. It was released by White Wolf Publishing in February 1998 for use with their horror game Vampire: The Masquerade. It is a part of the World of Darkness series, and is the first and main entry in the Year of the Lotus line of Asia-themed books released throughout 1998.
The book covers Asia as it is portrayed in the series' setting, with a focus on China, and introduces Asian vampires called kuei-jin as player characters. These subsist on chi, and are created from humans who have done evil during their lives and return to their bodies after death. Following paths of enlightenment in the hopes of attaining a higher state of being, they participate in kuei-jin courts and oppose the demonic Yama Kings who are anticipated to rule the world in the coming sixth age.
The game was designed by Robert Hatch, with art direction by Lawrence Snelly, who took visual inspiration from manga. It was supported by a line of supplementary books which further describe kuei-jin society and paths, and was adapted into other media including a short story, comics, and a live-action role-playing game; the kuei-jin were also featured in the video game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines in 2004. Kindred of the East was generally well received by critics, who liked its gameplay, setting, mood, and artwork, but was criticized as portraying Asian people and cultures in a stereotypical way.
Kindred of the East is a major rulebook and game line for the tabletop role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, where players take the roles of vampires. It covers Asia as it is portrayed in the setting – primarily China – and introduces Asian vampires called kuei-jin or "the hungry dead". While still undead, they differ from the vampires of Vampire: The Masquerade: they do not originate from the biblical Caine – who in the World of Darkness series is reinterpreted as the first vampire – and were instead originally created by the divine August Personage of Jade during the second age, chosen from the most virtuous humans. Their purpose was to protect humanity from the Yama Kings and their demonic followers, but during the third age, they discovered that they could not only sustain themselves through the vital essence (chi) of the world, but also through chi stolen from living beings. As punishment, the August Personage of Jade returned them to their dead bodies from their mortal lives and cut them off from the chi of the world, forcing them to survive on stolen chi.
The game is primarily set during the fifth age, in modern times, after the August Personage of Jade has turned away from the world. New kuei-jin are still created – referred to as attaining the second breath – but only from humans who have done evil and are weighed by karmic debts during their lives, and who crawl back from hell. Sometimes they return to someone else's dead body rather than their own, but a new kuei-jin does in any case begin as a zombie-like chih-mei, whose mind is clouded by a hunger for chi and who attacks mortals for it until taken in and taught to control themselves by an older kuei-jin.
Led by a storyteller, players create and take the roles of newly-made kuei-jin, and role-play actions whose outcomes are in part determined through character attributes and rolling of dice. The player characters undergo training by the character who saved them from their chih-mei state, and learn about existence as a kuei-jin and their society. After this, they can be introduced to a kuei-jin court – their primary social group – and become part of a blood family (wu), which typically is made up of the players' characters. Kuei-jin follow one of several philosophical paths called dharmas, and the progression thereof is measured in levels, which affect the character's powers and their place in society; their ultimate goal is progressing through their dharma and attaining enlightenment and a higher state of being. The dharmas are based on different virtues, and a character must try to maintain the right balance between yin and yang, and between their rational mind (hun) and the evil spirit they carry within (p'o), to make progress: these include the Devil-Tiger dharma, based on p'o; Resplendent Crane, based on hun; Song of the Shadow, based on yin; Thrashing Dragon, based on yang; and Thousand Whispers, based on balance.
Kuei-jin need to absorb chi to survive, which for young kuei-jin often is done by drinking mortals' blood, whereas older kuei-jin may draw it from the environment. Absorbed chi is distilled into black and scarlet varieties, respectively linked to yin and death, and to yang and life. These can be used to fuel various supernatural powers called disciplines, such as fire-breathing, phasing through walls, or flying, which are powerful but affect the chi flow of the environment, and are thus detectable by other kuei-jin. A character's balance between black and scarlet chi will also affect their disposition and appearance. In addition to the Yama Kings and their followers, who are anticipated to rule the world in the coming sixth age, the antagonists and rivals of the game include kuei-jin following heretical dharmas, Cainite vampires, hengeyokai shapeshifters, hsien changelings, ghosts, and demon hunters.
Kindred of the East was designed by Robert Hatch, with additional design by Phil Brucato, Jackie Cassada, Mark Cenczyk, and Nicky Rea. It was made after the publisher had kept details on Asian vampires vague since the series began with Vampire: The Masquerade in 1991, having only discussed them as the Cainite bloodlines Gaki and Bushi, which after Kindred of the East were written out of the continuity. The game was written with suggested themes including balance versus imbalance, tradition versus new ways of thinking, the group versus the individual, east versus west, hierarchy, and redemption versus damnation. The lore of Kindred of the East was initially intended to be compatible with Exalted, another of White Wolf Publishing's role-playing games, but the two ended up diverging. The art team included art director and cover artist Lawrence Snelly, logo designer Ash Arnett, calligraphy artist Andy Lee, and several interior artists, who among other sources drew inspiration from manga.
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Kindred of the East AI simulator
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Kindred of the East
Kindred of the East is a tabletop role-playing game book and game line. It was released by White Wolf Publishing in February 1998 for use with their horror game Vampire: The Masquerade. It is a part of the World of Darkness series, and is the first and main entry in the Year of the Lotus line of Asia-themed books released throughout 1998.
The book covers Asia as it is portrayed in the series' setting, with a focus on China, and introduces Asian vampires called kuei-jin as player characters. These subsist on chi, and are created from humans who have done evil during their lives and return to their bodies after death. Following paths of enlightenment in the hopes of attaining a higher state of being, they participate in kuei-jin courts and oppose the demonic Yama Kings who are anticipated to rule the world in the coming sixth age.
The game was designed by Robert Hatch, with art direction by Lawrence Snelly, who took visual inspiration from manga. It was supported by a line of supplementary books which further describe kuei-jin society and paths, and was adapted into other media including a short story, comics, and a live-action role-playing game; the kuei-jin were also featured in the video game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines in 2004. Kindred of the East was generally well received by critics, who liked its gameplay, setting, mood, and artwork, but was criticized as portraying Asian people and cultures in a stereotypical way.
Kindred of the East is a major rulebook and game line for the tabletop role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, where players take the roles of vampires. It covers Asia as it is portrayed in the setting – primarily China – and introduces Asian vampires called kuei-jin or "the hungry dead". While still undead, they differ from the vampires of Vampire: The Masquerade: they do not originate from the biblical Caine – who in the World of Darkness series is reinterpreted as the first vampire – and were instead originally created by the divine August Personage of Jade during the second age, chosen from the most virtuous humans. Their purpose was to protect humanity from the Yama Kings and their demonic followers, but during the third age, they discovered that they could not only sustain themselves through the vital essence (chi) of the world, but also through chi stolen from living beings. As punishment, the August Personage of Jade returned them to their dead bodies from their mortal lives and cut them off from the chi of the world, forcing them to survive on stolen chi.
The game is primarily set during the fifth age, in modern times, after the August Personage of Jade has turned away from the world. New kuei-jin are still created – referred to as attaining the second breath – but only from humans who have done evil and are weighed by karmic debts during their lives, and who crawl back from hell. Sometimes they return to someone else's dead body rather than their own, but a new kuei-jin does in any case begin as a zombie-like chih-mei, whose mind is clouded by a hunger for chi and who attacks mortals for it until taken in and taught to control themselves by an older kuei-jin.
Led by a storyteller, players create and take the roles of newly-made kuei-jin, and role-play actions whose outcomes are in part determined through character attributes and rolling of dice. The player characters undergo training by the character who saved them from their chih-mei state, and learn about existence as a kuei-jin and their society. After this, they can be introduced to a kuei-jin court – their primary social group – and become part of a blood family (wu), which typically is made up of the players' characters. Kuei-jin follow one of several philosophical paths called dharmas, and the progression thereof is measured in levels, which affect the character's powers and their place in society; their ultimate goal is progressing through their dharma and attaining enlightenment and a higher state of being. The dharmas are based on different virtues, and a character must try to maintain the right balance between yin and yang, and between their rational mind (hun) and the evil spirit they carry within (p'o), to make progress: these include the Devil-Tiger dharma, based on p'o; Resplendent Crane, based on hun; Song of the Shadow, based on yin; Thrashing Dragon, based on yang; and Thousand Whispers, based on balance.
Kuei-jin need to absorb chi to survive, which for young kuei-jin often is done by drinking mortals' blood, whereas older kuei-jin may draw it from the environment. Absorbed chi is distilled into black and scarlet varieties, respectively linked to yin and death, and to yang and life. These can be used to fuel various supernatural powers called disciplines, such as fire-breathing, phasing through walls, or flying, which are powerful but affect the chi flow of the environment, and are thus detectable by other kuei-jin. A character's balance between black and scarlet chi will also affect their disposition and appearance. In addition to the Yama Kings and their followers, who are anticipated to rule the world in the coming sixth age, the antagonists and rivals of the game include kuei-jin following heretical dharmas, Cainite vampires, hengeyokai shapeshifters, hsien changelings, ghosts, and demon hunters.
Kindred of the East was designed by Robert Hatch, with additional design by Phil Brucato, Jackie Cassada, Mark Cenczyk, and Nicky Rea. It was made after the publisher had kept details on Asian vampires vague since the series began with Vampire: The Masquerade in 1991, having only discussed them as the Cainite bloodlines Gaki and Bushi, which after Kindred of the East were written out of the continuity. The game was written with suggested themes including balance versus imbalance, tradition versus new ways of thinking, the group versus the individual, east versus west, hierarchy, and redemption versus damnation. The lore of Kindred of the East was initially intended to be compatible with Exalted, another of White Wolf Publishing's role-playing games, but the two ended up diverging. The art team included art director and cover artist Lawrence Snelly, logo designer Ash Arnett, calligraphy artist Andy Lee, and several interior artists, who among other sources drew inspiration from manga.