I was on my office deck recently, when a vampire appeared in a cloud of smoke, and offered to bite me. Rather, pretty much begged to bite me. "I'm hunting for a Linden Lab member," Shiro Belfire explained, grinning fangingly, "because biting [an] LL member would be epic." I told him I was a retired Linden, but that didn't daunt him, since he had a bodycount to build. "I said to my friend that I can get more than her friend does," he pleaded, "but I can't find anyone to bite."
That's the kind of statement that doesn't make a victim feel special, but once he agreed to let me quote him, I reluctantly offered my neck.
"To become vampire you need to have the system and then a vampire make you vampire," Shiro said, pouncing. "Like my friend bitten me and taken humanity out of me." Once infected, he told me, the game's heads-up display begins working, giving him access to the game options.
So that was how I first learned about Bloodlines, an SL-based roleplaying game. (Game website here.) A quick browse through Second Life's search engine suggests hundreds or even thousands of active players. Like the Facebook Vampires game, you need to keep biting necks, to gain more power-- hence the viral growth.
How viral? Apparently, according to Your2ndPlace, shopowners are beginning to get inundated by vampires attempting to bite their clientele. It's hard to keep shoppers interested in your products when they're beset by bloodsucking undead ghouls.
"Like a lot of people," writes Sarah Nerd, "I have been having a big problem with Bloodline users harassing my customers at Freebie Paradise." It got so bad, she goes on, she even hired a greeter waving a NO BLOODLINES sign. (No blood for avatars?)
Help, however, is on the way: Ms. Nerd reports that a guy named Yohan Pintens has created an anti-Bloodlines Buffy bot: "Buffy sits nicely on your parcel and if anyone sends her a bite request, she instantly ejects and bans them."
Any game to inspire such passion and activity is worth a further look; I've sent NWN game review Vidal Tripsa to play. Look for that write-up soon. Though I wouldn't be surprised if she first shows up at my office with her own teeth bared.
Don't force others to play your game should be the #1 thing that people should learn when beginning to roleplay.
It's getting to the point of me just leaving stores whenever those Bloodlines players are in there. I don't feel like being bothered with their spam.
Posted by: Alicia Chenaux | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 03:14 PM
I detest Bloodliners. I'm a vampire myself, but I would never be so crass as to inflict myself upon others in that way - I'm happy just swanning around being pretentious within mine own circles. :D However I often get the odd bite request, usually countered with a snarl and the whole "Don't you KNOW who I am...?" speech. Luckily these B'liners are so far into it that they bow, scrape, and back respectfully away, all set to the soundtrack of my peals of laughter.
Apart from this - yes,it is intrusive and rude. Does anyone ever really want to buy the watch when stopped by a shady character in a dark alley? No. Then we don't want to be stalked whilst shopping/dancing/slexing whatever. Courtesy should be paramount - you are doing yourself and all those playing Bloodlines a disservice.
/rant off.
Posted by: Winter Jefferson | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 04:49 PM
I'm probably in the minority, but I've never felt put upon by Bloodliners' requests to bite me. The whole thing just strikes me as funny. And, on a couple of occasions, the request has opened a conversation with someone who turned out to be very pleasant and interesting. Though usually it just amounts to a very brief and painless intrusion.
Still, I can understand why so many people find it annoying and would prefer not to have to fend off unwanted requests from biters.
Posted by: forelle broek | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 05:59 PM
Somebody asked to bite Beginning when she was shopping at Sirena a while ago. She was more bemused than annoyed by it, but a gentleman nearby chided the would-be bloodsucker for lack of manners.
I've come across profiles that have NO BLOODLINES notices in them, so I'd gathered it was a fairly widespread phenomenon.
Faerie Hax posted about a most amusing revenge against a Bloodlines player recently . . .
http://community.livejournal.com/second_lifers/838743.html
Posted by: CyFishy Traveler | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 06:26 PM
Bloodlines has me conflicted. I feel it is impolite to not ask permission before animating anyone for anything other than a hug, but that goes against the role play required for the Bloodlines game. A 'suprise' invite to be bitten is annoying, but you don't see vampires in fiction asking politely.
Just by wearing neko bits, or a tiny avatar, or some other-than-human elements I am inviting others to participate in my personal role play. "Hey, look! I'm a parrot! Now I'm a gleaming dragon!" So who am I to demand that others stop their role play?
What we all need to rely on is common sense. Visiting a business to bite people because it is a popular place is as un-cool as me showing up at an in-world church as a topless belly dancer. Common sense tells me don't do it. Do the undead have such conscience?
Posted by: Uccello Poultry | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 07:37 PM
*shakes head* I have never been approached by a player wanting to bite me. But all I can hear in my head as I read this is the old adage from the three basic rules of LARP when I first starting playing Live Action vampire RPGs:
"Don't scare the stiffs!"
Followed closely by "Keep the Masquerade". heh.
Posted by: Kirasha Urqhart | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 08:28 PM
For me, it's gotten to the point where all my alts have "NO BLOODLINES" written in the profile, and I've had to report people for attempting to bite me more than once. If the game was like Tiny Empires, I doubt that anyone would complain- the people playing the game would be playing in peace, and the people not playing the game would be blissfully unaware that anything was going on. Encouraging people to spam just creates, erm, bad blood.
Posted by: Amanda Amaterasu | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 09:36 PM
These spamming role player "vampires" are violating just about every law of the Black Veil.
So they are really just playing some little kiddie game. Something like tiny empires I guess.
They seem to know who to seriously avoid though.
I guess it is something the Sanguinarium Elders will have to take up and deal with at some point.
Posted by: Ann Otoole | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 10:23 PM
Hamlet, you actually role played offering yourself as a donor? Hmmm...
Posted by: Ann Otoole | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 10:26 PM
I don't like Bloodlines players because of their laziness and lack of manners.
All the Bloodlines players I have met have been treating it as some sort of pyramid-scheme based race to see who can run up the biggest score in the quickest time - just like the one Hamlet met.
They make no attempt to role-play being a Vampire at all. In fact they don't even talk to you beforehand at all - they just silently send you an animation request and if you reject it they don't say anything then either.
I wouldn't mind so much if they a) limited their "hunting" to non-commercial areas such as NOT inside shops where people don't want to get bothered (although in the street outside would seem OK), and b) weren't so lazy and made an attempt to speak to you and role-play the scenario first. Of course that would involve some effort on their part and that is not what the people who play it are about is it?
I think that the way it is used borders on harrassment.
Posted by: Faerie | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 11:16 PM
Hamlet, you put up on a first date!
Posted by: Solange | Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 03:37 AM
erm, put out I mean. putting up with bloodliners by putting out.
Posted by: Solange | Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 03:38 AM
I had two incidents of Bloodlines invitations at Help Island in the past week. I have noticed that the vampires who send these invitations deny sending them when I tell them upfront and publicly I am not into bloodsucking. Perhaps they fear an abuse report, but denial does not help. Their names are on the invitation :).
So, dear vampires, before biting anyone at random, please read their profiles: we are not all newbies and most of us can type in English (or any other language) very well. Please learn your manners or else somebody is going to make you feel like big suckers :)
Posted by: Sandor Balczo | Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 04:40 AM
*Chuckles* I confess that I have been known to bare fangs from time to time, yes! Never in a gaming capacity, though.
I've only ever been approached once, in ETD if I recall. It wasn't so much an inconvenience as a bizarre distraction. There I am swapping wigs around the top of my head, and I'm being asked to be bitten, despite having no blood to speak of. More fool them if they try to pounce on a doll for sustinence.
I look forward to diving in and testing these testimonials out for myself. My apologies if anyone falls victim to my new-found thirst!
Posted by: Vidal Tripsa | Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 05:22 AM
Time for a Karl-Kolchak (original series) avatar in a yellow Dominus Shadow convertible, pork-pie hat, and vampire-hunter kit to start stalking these pests.
Anyway, aren't Vampires a bit old-hat? As a friend told me a while back, "dude, zombies are in, vampires OUT. It's cool now to be tragically un-hip."
That's new newest game we need in SL: an "All Flesh Must be Eaten" HUD.
Posted by: Iggy O | Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 05:32 AM
I find Bloodlines to be glorified spam - quite annoying.
Any news on when the vamp game that really interests me - the Multiverse driven Buffyverse - is going to be coming around? Or was that just vaporware?
Regards,
-Flip
Posted by: FlipperPA Peregrine | Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 06:22 AM
ooh!ooh! Bite me, next, Vidal! Bite me!!
(hu-huh huh he said 'bite me' huhuhuhuh)
<3
Posted by: Truthseeker | Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 11:16 AM
I've never been invited for a bite by anyone. And I know someone who used to play the game. Of course if anyone DID approach me like this I'd be likely to just shoot them for utter impoliteness. I spend most of my time in combat enabled sims, or on my own land.
Ann Otoole: I doubt that most of the people playing the game have ever even heard of the Black veil and I doubt the Sanguinarium, or any other of the leaders in the vampire community will do anything besides make a statement saying that the SL players are not affiliated with them in any way.
Come to think of it, I may not shoot someone who tries to bite me. Instead, I think explaining good manners to them and maybe, if they seem interested, pointing them at some websites will help more than just getting rid of them. Of course if they still don't listen, then the gun comes out.
Posted by: Ti Dinzeo | Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 12:03 PM
I've never been approached by one of these individuals, though random animation requests are a big pet peeve of mine. Reading this, I'm somewhat tempted to script a lighthearted retaliatory device that's a bit nicer than:
"XXXsephiroth420 would like to animate your avatar..."
*orbits*
Remember newbs, you can't buy RP skills. Please take off your talking teeth and naughty bits and use your brain. Please? ^_^;
Posted by: Elysia Snook | Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 04:39 PM
I used to think vampires were kinda romantic and hot looking from my days of reading too much Anne Rice. So I've always thought the actual event of the Bite was a sensual thing with this stylish sexualized narrative playing in my head between the biter and bitee.
So meh, nothing sexy bout begging for bites. Count Dracula is more seductive.
Posted by: Lashy | Friday, October 17, 2008 at 02:32 PM
I'll let them bite me..ONLY after they say yes to my stake through the heart anim.
Posted by: Connie Sec | Sunday, October 19, 2008 at 01:28 AM
I have to admit my first bite was when I was only one day old to SL and came in the middle of my awkward first sexual experience. I didnt realize just anyone could come in the bungalow. LOL
But today I was asked if I could be biten, before the invitation was given. The cute Vamp was kind enough to even answer all my question and help me get my soul back from the original wham bam attack.
He then showed me how the game could be played.
It seems to me the only problem are those with the lack of manners. It also seems apparent, there are those who are really playing the game.
I, for one, am considering it. But for now at leat my soul is back, and the next time I loose it, it will be by choice.
I am glad to have found this page, and to have read your comments.
It gives me "food" for thought, pardon the pun.
Happy SL ing to you all.
Casiopa
Posted by: Casiopa | Tuesday, November 04, 2008 at 09:21 AM
Well.... As many others, I do hate this vampire stuff...
Everybody can ask, but just trying is rude.
However, solution is available by now. In the sims of solacebeachcombers a garlic necklace is available. wear this and click it once to opt-out from this game. Then you will not be harassed again. It does work, because yesterday a friend complained to me "oh nooooo... I can't believe you've used that garlic thing".
After having opted out you can hide the necklace in your inv again or just throw it away, the prvention stays.
Seems like enough people have complained about the harassments, so the builders of the game came up with this.
Posted by: Jonah | Friday, November 07, 2008 at 07:18 AM
Bloodlines is like anything else guys...there are a$$es and there are nice people. The first thing that happened to me when I logged onto SL was I got hit by a griefer with some lightning crud...it nearly made me say screw this and not log in again. I am a Vampire...Not a spampire...I look at peoples profiles an make sure they are open to the RP aspect. In the Kinship clan we have it drilled into us that we are to RP..not spam...and that is the way it should be. I've made great friends, helped people get their soul back and shown them how to be excluded from the game if they choose. Please don't judge all BL players by the jerks. We have human in our clan that we protect even...and I didn't think protection was a big deal until random griefers bothered me (when I was human) anytime I was in a public place. My clan has helped me learn things about SL and freely teaches building and other things. So please, don't let spampires jade your view...And if you are having trouble please look me up on the game...I'll help if I can. No bloodstrings attached. Please just remember, like any other thing that can be abused on SL this is no different...there are good people out there too.
Posted by: Nerys Zanzibar | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 10:33 AM
You can't judge a group on the actions of a few. I RP as a vampire in the Bloodlines game but have never "spam bitten" or bitten without having spoken to the person and gained permission.
When I first started the game I was told that I was not allowed to bite without asking first (my clan's personal rule), which at first I was mad about because I thought it took a lot away from the realistic nature of vampires.. and yes, I still believe that. BUT, I have also heard too many stories and SEEN people be bitten who where then mad about what had happened to know that I am proud to say I am not one of those type of vampires who prey's upon new players in hopes they won't understand and will just click "yes". (Although i WAS victim to this as a newbie.. later i found out what had happened and just laughed. Why get mad? It's part of the game..)
My main thing is just not treating ALL vampires as monsters. Some of us are actually nice people, who enjoy conversation and a bit of role playing now and again.. not just the thirst for this pyramid-sceme power!
In conclusion.. I think that those who are offended/opposed to the "bloodlines RPG" should wear garlic necklaces and leave us be.
...although a vampire slayer system (buffy) might be comical! LOL
Posted by: Lindsey | Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 06:45 PM
Coming into this really late but had to comment, especially to the Spam issue.
I was turned two days ago. I've bitten one human since then. As mentioned above, the RP, and in particular the asking first is crucial. Otherwise it's beyond rude, it's abusive.
You can still RP a surprise attack with the consent of the bitten. In my case, I was sitting in my usual haunt, saw (and interacted with) someone who seemed likely to be open to the idea and sent her an IM. My initial message made it clear that it was entirely up to her, that she didn't need to commit to becoming a vampire, but would she be interested in being bitten?
We spent a few minutes chatting about Bloodlines, how it works, etc. and discussing RP ideas. Once she agreed, we moved to a more secluded spot and had a wonderful RP leading up to the bite and through the aftercare. It was my first bite and I'll remember it for a long time _because_ she was into the RP and we played it to the hilt.
The main point I'm driving at is: Negotiating the terms is Out Of Character communication entirely independent of the Role Play and is critical to the success of any of these kinds of games in SL. Whether it's BDSM or Vampires. Want to bite someone? Fine, IM them OOC and find out if they're into it either as RP or not and then bite'em if they agree. Personally, I believe that if someone actually declines your bite request then you're doing it wrong, because by the time you make the bite you should (and your victim should) already have established what is going to happen.
I may be a newbie in SL still (one month rezzed yesterday). I may be a newbie Vampire still. But I concur absolutely with the concerns about random bites. If I were to encounter it, I'd immediately talk to the vamp involved, put a personal note on their avatar and if I encountered it happening again would report them to Linden and BL without hesitation. That kind of behavior is unacceptable by SL TOS, and by the Bloodlines rules.
Besides, I'm having too much fun playing with my fangs to let anyone else mess it up by being a jerk. :-)
Posted by: Corvan Nansen | Wednesday, February 04, 2009 at 09:39 PM
I've been bitten spammed often enough that I made my own HUD to ban/orbit them.. But a better solution is the FREE Landmachines Bot to automatically ban them if they bite, unsolicited.
and Check out the Bloodlines satire site at http://www.vampowned.com !!!
lolol
Posted by: Mars | Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 12:41 PM
Oh lulz, it was me >.> Yay i am an internet star!
Posted by: Shiro Belfire | Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 01:08 PM
I have to say that the only issue I have with this game is as thus follows: there is no way to get a soul back from a dorment account, without screwing with a stupid trade and then being scrwed because you then can never steal back your soul for other legit reasons. I would say that there should be an item out ther ewhich steals back your soul from somone who was destroyed, and you have not goine into limbo.
I do think its cute to see so many epople wanting to bite you.. giggle I'd say it's just fun to deny them and have more fun when you then tell them you are in game.....
Posted by: beez1717 | Monday, August 10, 2009 at 05:46 PM
I am a bloodlines player, and i agree sending bite requests to unwilling people Is rude and annoying. thats not how or why i was broght into the clan. it goes against our and the games rules. I completely agree with a bot to eject those who choose to abuse this and ruin it for those of us who enjoy role playing.
Posted by: tim g | Sunday, May 02, 2010 at 06:11 AM
Faerie, that is kinda offensive to bloodliners... I'm a bloodliner and I'm nice to people, doesn't matter if you're a bloodliner or not, it depends on you. But some clans are pretty strong, if you mess with them, they pay back.
Posted by: Kim | Wednesday, June 02, 2010 at 05:43 PM
I guess it's to each their own about the bloodlines system. I have it and don't really use it. Instead when I'm at the freebie areas I get newbs asking me to become a vampire. I dont really understand the hype. I'm tryin to save up now to become human and leave the clan I'm apart of.
Posted by: WhoMe?? | Sunday, July 25, 2010 at 02:53 AM
I was a vampire for a long time, I havent been on second life in a while but I know when I was bitten the girl who did was very nice and talked to me anput what her clan was like. She told me how it was a community to make friends. I agreed and I was turned. As a rule in my clan we werent allowed to bite wothout permission that was reprimandable. Yess there are idiots who dont follow the rules and ruin it for the resto f us. I shouldn't have to turn off my tag and HUD just to enter a building.
Posted by: Adam | Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 05:00 AM
I'm a Bloodliner.And proud of it.I have mixed feelings about this too..on one hand,I dont force my bite on anyone.And those who go around bothering people should be "punished" or suspended (In Bloodlines)or kicked out of Bloodlines.If this is going on,it falls on the heads of the clan leaders who are lazy and not informing their members not to harass people.And on the other hand I say.."Wahhhhhhhh!" Lots of whining by these non players.And anti-bloodline bots...oh please.It's not that big of a deal."Can I bite you?" "No? Ok." As far as pyramid scheme goes...maybe because your post is old,idk,but I've seen no evidence of this.In fact,I'm making good money in a vamp club.And not paying any kind of dues or trying to get anyone else too.
Posted by: Syndra | Wednesday, July 06, 2011 at 07:25 PM