''GURPS Blood Types'' () is a 128-page soft-bound book compiled by

Lane Grate In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each ...

and published in 1995 by

Steve Jackson Games Steve Jackson Games (SJGames) is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and (until 2019) the gaming magazine ''Pyramid''. History Founded in 1980, six years after the cr ...

as a supplement for the third edition ''

GURPS The ''Generic Universal RolePlaying System'', or ''GURPS'', is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting. It was created by Steve Jackson Games and first published in 1986 at a time when most such systems w ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

system. It contains biographies and gaming statistics for 23

vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths ...

, vampire-like beings, and guidelines on creating more for various

campaign setting A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A ''campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and ca ...

The three broad types

GURPS Blood Types breaks vampires and vampire-like beings into three broad types: Mortal Vampires--Living beings who have become vampires through some pact or deal. Generally they are not undead. Undead--Once living beings who have come back from the dead to feed on the living Spirit and otherworldly beings--Otherworldly parasitic beings that masquerade as a member of a mortal race.

Vampire Types

Those with a ^ can be active in daylight * Adze^, supernatural entity vampire from central Africa mainly Ghana and Togo. *

Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

^, otherworldly vampire—may or may not be supernatural in nature. *

Astral Astral may refer to: Concepts of the non-physical * Astral body, a subtle body posited by many religious philosophers * Astral journey (or ''astral trip''), the same as having an ''out-of-body experience'' * Astral plane (AKA astral world), a ...

^, mortal vampire (sorcerer) found around the world. Some examples are Bebarlang of Southeast Asia and Philippines and the Chordewa of Bangal hill tribes. *

Baital A vetala ( sa, वेताल ') or Betal is a Bhairava form of Shiva in Hindu mythology, usually defined as a knowledgeable (fortune telling) paranormal entity said to be dwelling at charnel grounds. The vetala is comparable to the vampires of ...

^, supernatural entity vampire from India. * Ch'iang Shich, undead vampire from China. * Civateteo^, an undead vampire of Mesoamerica. Another variant of this from the same region is the Langsoir. * Gaki^, supernatural vampire-like being from Japan—may either be animated corpse or otherworldly spirit *

Ghul A ghoul ( ar, غول, ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid. The concept originated in pre-Islamic Arabian religion, associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. Modern fiction often uses the term to label a cert ...

^, Mortal vampire (flesh eater) from Arabian folktales * Gothic, undead vampire made famous by

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

and most of the movie variants inspired by it * Half-Vampire^, Mortal vampire that is usually a servant or slave to the Gothic type *

High-Tech High technology (high tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest te ...

^, Mortal vampire created via super science *

Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

^, Mortal Vampire who feels the need to drink another's blood *

Incubus (Demon) An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in ...

Succubus A succubus is a demon or supernatural entity in folklore, in female form, that appears in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. According to religious tradition, a succubus needs male semen to survive; repeated sexual activity ...

^, supernatural vampire-like entity that drains life via sexual contact rather than blood *

Lamia LaMia Corporation S.R.L., operating as LaMia (short for ''Línea Aérea Mérida Internacional de Aviación''), was a Bolivian charter airline headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, as an EcoJet subsidiary. It had its origins from the failed ...

^, undead/supernatural entity from ancient Greece. * Lilitu^, supernatural entity vampire from ancient Mesopotamia. Given their name and nature they may have connection to Adam's first wife (Lilith). * Loogaroo^, Mortal vampire (soul pact) of Haiti *

Modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

, Updated version of Gothic vampire type *

Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ...

, In the context of GURPS Blood Types it is the vampire seen in the film

Penanggalen The ''penanggal'' or ''penanggalan'' is a nocturnal vampiric entity from Malay ghost myths. Its name comes from the word ''tanggal'' meaning to remove or take off, because its form is that of a floating disembodied woman's head with its trailing ...

^, Female mortal vampire (soul pact) of Malay Peninsula. Male counterpart in Berma is the Kephn Can only feed at night *

Strix Strix may refer to: * Strix (mythology), a legendary creature of ancient Roman mythology * ''Strix'' (bird), a genus of large "earless" wood-owls * Strix Ltd, manufacturer of kettle controls, thermostats and water boiling elements for domestic ap ...

, Mortal vampire (witch) of ancient Rome * Usrel, Undead child vampire of Poland. If not properly destroyed can rise again as another type. * Vampir, Traditional undead European vampire of the Slavic nations. Usually attacks in astral form and is more likely to be a peasant than nobel * Vyrolakos^, Traditional undead European vampire of the Balkan nations. Usually attacks physically and in the legend would often take human mates and have families. Tympanios is a precursor variant that was less insane and did not depend on blood

Publication history

''Blood Types'' is a ''

'' game supplement, published as a 128-page softcover book by

and designed by

. Editing was by

Jeff Koke Jeff Koke is a writer, graphic designer and business owner currently living in Austin, Texas. He is best known for his writing work for Steve Jackson Games in the 1990s, including '' GURPS Vampire: The Masquerade'', an adaptation of the well-known ...

and

Scott Haring Scott D. Haring is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career Scott Haring began working in the adventure gaming industry in 1982. Haring had a long career with Steve Jackson Games, having worked at the company five d ...

, with illustrations by Dan Smith and a cover by

Tim Bradstreet Tim Bradstreet (born on February 16, 1967)is an American artist and illustrator, best known for his work on comic books, book covers, movie posters, roleplaying games and trading cards. Early life Tim Bradstreet was born February 16, 1967, in C ...

Reception

Rick Swan Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR. His work for TSR, mostly for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, appeared from 1989 to 1995. Swan also wrote ''The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin's Pre ...

reviewed ''GURPS Blood Types'' for ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' magazine #227 (March 1996), and rated it a 5 out of 6. According to Swan, ''Blood Types'' "belongs on the shelf of every horror aficionado who's had his fill of recycled

Bela Lugosi Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...

s".

Reviews

*''Rollespilsmagasinet Fønix'' (Danish) (Issue 12 - Mar/Apr 1996)

Scholarly Bibliography

Among the sources used to make this book are some scholarly ones: * Barber, Paul (1988) ''Vampires, Burial and Death'' (Yale University Press) * Bunson, Matthew (1993) ''The Vampire Encyclopedia'' (Crown Publications) * Frayling, Christopher (1991) ''Vampyres: Lord Byron to Count Dracula'' (Faber and Faber, Ltd) * Haining, Peter (1977) ''The Dracula Scrapbook'' (Bramhall House) * McNally, Raymond T. and Florescu, Radu (1972) ''In Search of Dracula'' (N.Y. Graphic Society) * Melton, J. Gordon (1994) ''The Vampire Book'' (Visible Ink Press) * Summers, Montague (1928) ''The Vampire, His Kith and Kin'' (Routledge and Keegan Paul) * Summers, Montague (1929) ''The Vampire in Europe'' (Routledge and Keegan Paul) * Twitchell, James B, (1975) ''The Living Dead: The Vampire in Romantic Literature'' (Duke University Press) * Wolf, Leonard (ed.) (1995) ''The Essential Dracula'' (Plume)

References

{{reflist

Blood Types Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the ci ...

Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1995 Vampires in games