Malkavian for first playthrough?

[rancher_gamer]

Hi, I'm really excited to finally be playing VTM. I just did the little questionnaire at the beginning and picked the choices that were most true for me (didn't involve getting arrested) and ended up getting Malkavian. I intend to play this game as blind as possible, although I do know from reading random posts online that you should play as Malkavian at least once... but they seem to suggest it as a second playthrough... without spoiling anything, should I be playing as Malkavian for my first playthrough? Is there anything I should know? All I know is that Malkavians are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ insane and all of the dialogue is rewritten for them.

Thanks!

[Slippery When Dead]

you actually can play a Malk in your first playthrough. But it's a bit different and in same cases more difficult.

You've already said it - a Malkavian is insane. And that's the topic. His dialogue options are different than those from the other clans. Different in an insane way. He uses pretty different words, that are sometimes hard to decifer. For the people who you talk to and (more important) for the player.

It's easier to play the Malk in the second or third playthrough, but still possible in the first one. You may p!ss some people off, when giving a wrong answer, or don't get the information you'd like to get. But with hard thinking about his words you may use, it's possible to understand what he's trying so say. And fun of course : )

Also, the game is definitely worth playing it more than once, especially because of the different clans.

[Metro]

It's certainly doable but since you won't be familiar with the story there's a chance you might pick a dialogue option that conveys a meaning you didn't necessarily intend. Overall, though, you should be able to interpret the gist of the choices so you select the one you want.

Without knowing how you answered the questions or what led to the prompt of Malkavian, I'd offer another posibility of playing something like Toreador or Ventrue with focus on stealth and persuasion (those are generally the strong points of Malkavian with their invsibility and mind domination talents).

[rancher_gamer]

Thanks guys, I ended up choosing Gangrel. I'm already enjoying the game a lot, so I'll probably play as a Malkavian for my next playthrough. :)

[Citizenkane]

I know I'm a few days late, but I've played this game all the way through 5 or 6 times, with just about every clan. My first playthrough was actually with a Malkavian. It was fine - I managed to get through the game despite the insanity. In fact, I absolutely loved it.

But when I went back and did a second Malkavian run, I realized how much better Malk is the second time around. With their insanity comes a bit of clairvoyance. You might not pick up on all the small details during a first playthrough, but SO MUCH of their dialogue is peppered with cryptic spoilers. It's super cool realizing how many secrets Troika included within Malkavian conversations.

For that reason, I completely agree with the general consensus that new players wait for their second playthrough before trying Malkavian. Malkavian gameplay is Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines at it's best, but it's even better once you are familiar with the game. For most players, who probably won't do more than 2 playthroughs, it's best to start with one of the other clans, then experience the beautiful insanity of a Malkavian run.

[<3 farmers cuz füd]

I also played a Malkavian for my first playthrough, and I reocmmend it.
During the playthroughI had some questions. Without spoiling a lot: "Who is/was Janus?","Why are Jeanette and Theresse called she of white and she of black?" and "Why is Lacroix referenced as a jester prince?". Continuing play and figuring it out was fun.
Afterwards no playthrough felt as much fun though since conversations with NPC's didn't have some of the... more flavoured answers.

[Nethiar]

Originally posted by Deep-Sea Dinosaur:

I also played a Malkavian for my first playthrough, and I reocmmend it.
During the playthroughI had some questions. Without spoiling a lot: "Who is/was Janus?","Why are Jeanette and Theresse called she of white and she of black?" and "Why is Lacroix referenced as a jester prince?". Continuing play and figuring it out was fun.
Afterwards no playthrough felt as much fun though since conversations with NPC's didn't have some of the... more flavoured answers.

Janus is a Roman god with 2 faces, which alludes to the fact they are separate personalities in the same body. I don't know the deal with one being white and the other black. It might be a yin and yang thing, 2 halves of one whole. I think LaCroix being a jester is because Jack makes a fool of him with the whole sarcophagus thing.

[<3 farmers cuz füd]

Originally posted by Evil_the_Nub:

Originally posted by Deep-Sea Dinosaur:

I also played a Malkavian for my first playthrough, and I reocmmend it.
During the playthroughI had some questions. Without spoiling a lot: "Who is/was Janus?","Why are Jeanette and Theresse called she of white and she of black?" and "Why is Lacroix referenced as a jester prince?". Continuing play and figuring it out was fun.
Afterwards no playthrough felt as much fun though since conversations with NPC's didn't have some of the... more flavoured answers.

Janus is a Roman god with 2 faces, which alludes to the fact they are separate personalities in the same body. I don't know the deal with one being white and the other black. It might be a yin and yang thing, 2 halves of one whole. I think LaCroix being a jester is because Jack makes a fool of him with the whole sarcophagus thing.

I know all of this now, but not when it was first mentioned in the game.
I think LaCroix is called a jester prince since he is willing to do really stupid things to get the sarcophagus, like working with the Kue Jin and even werewolves.