I know that's kind of a lame question, because how could you know what I want more than I? It's more that I just want to get some general opinions from the VtM fans here and see if any felt like steering me in the right direction, or had any advice at all about the various mods.

Here's what I'm looking for:

-New content.
Back when I never thought I'd get to play this game, I went ahead and watched others play it many times; I wouldn't mind some new content to make my first "official" playthrough feel fresh. That said, it doesn't have to be the mod with the MOST content, just some new (or restored) stuff that's worth experiencing, that goes along with the following qualifiers.

-Ease of installation.
Is known to work well with Wesp5's awesome pre-installed patch.

-Good on its own.
I'm not (yet) super interested in getting a bunch of mods, just 1 (maybe 2 if they work well together) to jazz up my first playthrough.

I hope this topic doesn't come off as selfish, I'm just interested in any recommendations or personal experiences you guys have had. Thanks if you feel like sharing!

Honestly, I don't think this game needs any mods for a first play. It's pretty great on it's own.

Once you've played it a couple of times, you'll have a much better idea about what you might like in a mod.

Oh, I definitely agree it's a great game, and if I was going in blind, absolutely.

But I've already seen most (won't say "all") of the game due to how many playthroughs I've watched (when I never thought I'd get to play this myself). So I'm just looking for a suggestion as to which mods people think are the best for the prereqs I've listed.

Have you thought about installing wesp5's plus patch? It covers all the above prerequisites. (I assume that when you say the pre-installed patch you mean wesp5's basic patch that comes with the GOG version).

Yes, the pre-installed basic patch is the one I know comes with GOG's version. So would you say the plus is a pretty good one then, in your opinion?

Well it seems to cover what you're looking for - new content, ease of installation and works perfectly with the basic wesp5 patch. More info and download link can be found here; http://www.moddb.com/mods/vtmb-unofficial-patch. It's got pretty good reviews all round so have a look and see if you fancy it. Hope this helps.

I can't imagine experiencing Bloodlines that way, and I feel bad for you. I do hope you enjoy your first play though. Maybe you'll find some things you didn't expect.

If there is a clan you haven't seen in your LP watching, I suggest starting with that. For example, maybe you haven't watched anyone play as a Nosferatu. In that case you might want to try playing a Nosferatu.

Nosferatu, Malkavian, and Tremere are all significantly different from the other clans.

I've only ever played Wesp's Unofficial Patch Plus. It was pretty fun, but I have nothing to compare it to. I only encountered a few bugs IIRC.
Suggestion: Do not max out the Gangrel's shapeshifting ability (Protean). Instagret.

Just in case you haven't, check out the patches, mods, etc. thread. post about graphics and audio enhancement that might interest you.
I would also check out this GameFAQs thread on which clan to choose.

I've had this game since it came out on CD so many moons ago, so I'll add my two cents. Note that Bloodline mods don't generally work together with others. Most of the time you can only play one. The one I've played with most is Camarilla Edition.

Unofficial/Plus Patch - This will add some restored conent, and fixes quite a few bugs. That would definitely be one that I would do on a first playthrough.

Camarilla Edition - This mod makes a few changes to the game that make the game more challenging, as well as adding a few extra quests/items. All clans have been tweaked to make them more different, as well as having variants by way of histories. There is also a Blood Timer that is added which automatically deducts a point of blood every so often, forcing you to make sure you feed throughout the game, rather than just when you run out of blood.

Final Nights - From the guys who made Camarilla Edition. I haven't tried this one out yet, but this changes the game to use the clans of the Sabbat, and changes quests to reflect it apparently.

Clan Quest - This incorporates an older version of Camarilla Edition, a weapons mod, and adds quests specific to each of the clans.

Happy hunting!

Forgive my noobishness for not knowing how to quote mulitple people in one post...

UniversalWolf, you don't know how many times I've done that to myself. I love games, so when I feel like I'll never get a chance to play them (in this case, it was before I knew GOG existed), I spoil them for myself just so I can experience them in SOME way. There are so many games I wish I had got the chance to experience fresh, so I try really hard not to do that anymore. I loved watching Bloodlines for the first time, but I'm sure it's nothing compared to having been in control of it at the time.

yarow12, thank you for your opinion. Why the suggestion about the Gangrel, did it break the game, or was it bugged? Either way, thank you, and I'll keep the warning in mind! And I'll take a gander at GameFAQs too.

ZyloxDragon, thanks much for your 2 cents! Your post makes me glad I did this, if I have to narrow it down to just one mod. Thanks for the quick overview of each one! I'm starting to think to just go with Wesp5's Plus then.


Guys and gals, thank you so much for your advice and opinions! I hope you are all still enjoying this game every so often and that these mods are keeping it extra fresh for you! Even though I think I've decided, please feel free to add anything else if you feel so inclined! Cheers!

Hover your mouse over their post and click "Reply" or "quick reply" if you're using the Barefoot Essentials, which you should be.

It was a pain that broke the immersion. I could no longer complete my combos if enemies/pedestrians were running away from me, so I spent the rest of the game wishing I hadn't maxed it out.
For the role-playing record, I only ever felt like I was being treated like a Gangrel while talking to or about Beckett. No other moments outside of combat felt specific to my clan. Keep in mind that I have never played a different character, so I have nothing to compare it to. I am sure, however, that Malkavians and Nosferatu have very distinct playthroughs.

One of us!

The problem here are the voice-overs which are near to perfect in the original game and hard to emulate for new responses to specific clans. Troika intended to do more in that direction, like the dialogue files have fields for unique replies for all clans, but only male/female/Malkavian are used...

Ah that's too bad! That would have been awesome. If this game were mediocre I would be more upset though, as at least the game (and I mean the base game + what the community has done for it) is already pretty amazing.

Still, (Farnsworth voice) a man can dream, can't he? A man can dream...

Has no one bothered to just say "to hell with voice-overs" and added to the dialogue?