Vampire: Undeath

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

Vampire Undeath.

... Wow. Just wow. Words cannot describe how I feel right now. This is hilarious and amazing. I don't really want to reward theft by buying the game, but I'm tempted.

[AuraTwilight]

Holy plagiarism, batman!

[Geostationary]

If you go to rpg.net and white wolf, you can find several threads about this. What's even more fun is when the creator decided to chime in. He was banned for sockpuppeting and trolling in both cases.

[Grinner]

I...really don't know what to say. Seriously, the author didn't even bother with changing the name.

Is there something to this story that I'm not seeing?

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

I...really don't know what to say. Seriously, the author didn't even bother with changing the name.

Is there something to this story that I'm not seeing?

No. There isn't. Its like he plagiarized Vampire: the Masquerade, and then made an effort to make it worse.

[AuraTwilight]

If you go to rpg.net and white wolf, you can find several threads about this. What's even more fun is when the creator decided to chime in. He was banned for sockpuppeting and trolling in both cases.

Can you provide links?

[Arbane]

There's a review of it up on RPG.net.

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The reviewers weren't impressed by anything except Mykal Lakim's sheer gall.

[The Glyphstone]

From the front page:

Vampire: Undeath is not a storytelling game.

Sure.....

[Starbuck_II]

They mostly just respell the names:

Instead of Caine from the bible like in VtM, they use Kaiyne.

He told RPG.net he would sue them over there comments

They have another game:
Cthulhu: Mysteries in Darkness

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is a Conspiratorial Horror/Survival LARP game created by Mykal Lakim and published by Dark Phoenix Publishing. Cthulhu uses the L.I.F.E System and is a part of the G.A.M.E roleplaying series. At its' core is the complete irrelevance of everything in the face of horrors that exist in the universe. Mythological creatures exist causing panic and nightmares and have a severe impact on everything from mortals to other supernatural creatures. One of the greatest elements of Cthulhu is when the minds of characters deteriorate when afforded a glimpse of what exists outside of their percieved reality. Cthulian elements are to be a source of anxiety for existing characters on a subconcious and concious level.

However, they say:

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Cthulhu is not about H.P. Lovecraft's monster/god/deity Cthulhu, but instead about a collection of monsters which predate human understanding and civilization who allegedly used to walk the earth. In this Corebook you, the player, have the option of adding "Cthulian" elements to your game to add extra elements of conspiracy, mystery and intrigue to bring horror up a notch. Unraveling everything a character knows is only topped by adding something unexpected.

Although, they freaking mention the name in the title.

He says it is a coincidence: "People will find similarities where they want to find similarities"

[comicshorse]

Cthulian ? I think I lost Sanity just from reading that

[Grinner]

WAIT!!! I think I've got it. This has got to be the biggest trolling in the history of trolling.

[Boci]

Their facebook page is a gold mine of hilarity. Apparently someone called them "the pathfinder of OWoD", but they cannot link to that comment. Almost as if they don't exist. They also have an alleged message from one of their freelance writers. I searched the name, and found the only page facebook gave me. Their listed occupation? A dishwasher at a store. So either this writer doesn't exist, or she does and just happens to think that listing dishwasher as a profession is more dignified than admitting to having worked for DPP. Also based on the dates, this freelance writer first started working at the company 7 years before they graduated high school.

[Geostationary]

Here are some of the links:
White Wolf
One of the RPG.net ones (couldn't find the big one riffing it)

[Morithias]

Okay. I am not one to have any claim to being original. My Grimoire of the rift campaign has literally nothing original about it, save for the stupid stuff.

But here's how I can defend my stealing.

1. I don't claim it as my own creation. Ask me where I got the map from and I will flat out tell you "Sengoku Rance".

and

2. I don't try to bloody profit from it. I run these games for free.

This is just...sick. I don't like the crazy patent and copyright laws. Like WOTC patenting "tapping" a card, but this kind of stuff is just..just..UGH! It undermines every argument people try to make about how "Art should be open source and shared not hoarded as licenses."

Stuff like this is actively harming the industry and people's creativity. I can only hope when the lawsuit comes around they lose it.

[hiryuu]

Stuff like this is actively harming the industry and people's creativity. I can only hope when the lawsuit comes around they lose it.

Yeah, if you'd notice, a careful read-through of the threads is less about "stealing is wrong" and more about "just admit that you stole it, we've all done it."

[comicshorse]

Is it even worth White Wolf's time and lawyer fee's to shut this down. I can't imagine its ever going to make any money ( certainly not enough to publish the oh-so-orginal other games they have in mind)

[Randomatic]

Is it even worth White Wolf's time and lawyer fee's to shut this down. I can't imagine its ever going to make any money ( certainly not enough to publish the oh-so-orginal other games they have in mind)

It unfortunately is. With the way that IP law works, if they don't actively defend their property from others making a profit from it, they lose their rights to the copyright. If WotC decided to copy and sell Vampire the Masquerade or Vampire the Requiem, not even changing anything at all, after WW didn't try to stop Vampire:Undeath. WotC could use that as precedent in a court of law, and argue that WW's copyright was invalid. So any attempt by somebody else to profit from your IP must be brought to court by any company that's serious about their property.

[RPGuru1331]

Only trademarks have to be so vigorously defended, and Vampire: Undeath doesn't seem to use their trademarks. Copyrights just straight up last, until they hit public domain; given that White Wolf is younger than Mickey Mouse, the latter will happen never.

Vampire: Undeath was pretty funny though, in a terrible way. If you're worried about rewarding theft, just steal the book from them, also XD

Seriously though, I did feel a little uncomfortable tingle at some of the stuff they saw fit to steal. In that sort of "This is how other people see something I like and possibly me" way. But mostly, it was just frickin' hilarious.

[erikun]

I would like to take this time to formally apologize to Monte Cook. At one point in time, I though this was the worst thing that could happen to World of Darkness, and cursed him for creating it.

Now, it looks like I have been proven wrong.

[CN the Logos]

I think the saddest part is that the sockpuppet dude on White Wolf actually uses decent spelling and grammar. Whoever this is, the guy is taking actual time and effort to defend his (her?) poorly disguised copypasta.

I would like to take this time to formally apologize to Monte Cook. At one point in time, I though this was the worst thing that could happen to World of Darkness, and cursed him for creating it.

Now, it looks like I have been proven wrong.

Now, that's not fair. If you've ever looked at the New World of Darkness and thought, "What this thing could really use is plot elements taken from Neon Genesis Evangelion and/or RahXephon," then it's worth looking at for the fluff bits.

...I don't even know whether I'm being sarcastic or not there. Sorry.

[LongVin]

I really want to get this book and put side by side with V:TM and see how much he copied exactly. Is it word for word except with names changed or did he at least try to change it up a little by formatting differently.

[Starbuck_II]

I really want to get this book and put side by side with V:TM and see how much he copied exactly. Is it word for word except with names changed or did he at least try to change it up a little by formatting differently.

Same number of bloodlines/families, each family same archetype, etc.

1) Nicolai: necromancers who rule Central America
Closest match: Tremere?

2) Lyhin: Lyhin are creations, created via Thaumaturgical Ritual using a mixture between Fae blood, raw magic and vampire blood
Cloest Match:

3) Lilian vampires whom I believe you said resemble Setites and Nosferatu are a Bloodline of "advisors" due to their Dark Gift of Mentalism (the ability to peek into minds and glean information).
Closest Match: Toreador?

4) Liliiana are succubae.
Closest Match: ?

5) Daemoni:

6) Cherche: Brujah?

7) Eligiere: Ventrue?

[Eldan]

"One of the more popular legends tells the story of the Biblical Kaiyne. Cursed to be immortal he sets up the first city, Enoch and raises his family."

I'd say that's pretty much word for word. Except for the most hilarious spelling of Cane/Kane/Kain/Cain I've ever seen.

[hiryuu]

Same number of bloodlines/families, each family same archetype, etc.

1) Nicolai: necromancers who rule Central America
Closest match: Tremere?

Giovanni.

2) Lyhin: Lyhin are creations, created via Thaumaturgical Ritual using a mixture between Fae blood, raw magic and vampire blood
Cloest Match:

Kiyasid. Actually, the Lyhin are among the best pseudo-original things in there.

3) Lilian vampires whom I believe you said resemble Setites and Nosferatu are a Bloodline of "advisors" due to their Dark Gift of Mentalism (the ability to peek into minds and glean information).
Closest Match: Toreador?

Close enough.

4) Liliiana are succubae.
Closest Match: ?

Daeva. They're like "teh sexay" vampires.

5) Daemoni:

Straight-up Tzimisce.

6) Cherche: Brujah?

Brujah-ish, but again one of the few pseudo-original ideas in there.

7) Eligiere: Ventrue?

Totally.

[Arbane]

One of the RPG.net ones (couldn't find the big one riffing it)

Found the big one!

[Geostationary]

Found the big one!

YESSSSSS! The best one; with comments by the creator no less. He gets banned halfway through.

[The Glyphstone]

Which page?

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

My favorite part? At one point he claims to have had a copyright going back at least a decade. Of course, US copyright liscenses are open to public perusal. Three guess to pick who and what aren't in the official government database.

[Starbuck_II]

You know, if the guy would just come clean, admit his influences, this might become a decent Pathfinder version of WoD (as Parhfinder is lik 3.5 but different as well).

But the way it is, I feel he might be sued if he tried to get too big.

[comicshorse]

You kinda have to admire his confidence ( assuming this isn't a massive troll) he's already planning the Mage, Fae and Shapeshifters books