Vampire: The Masquerade is the original and ultimate roleplaying game of personal and political horror. You are a vampire, struggling for survival, supremacy, and your own fading humanity—afraid of what you are capable of, and fearful of the inhuman conspiracies that surround you.The classic that changed roleplaying games forever returns! This fifth edition features a streamlined and modern rules design, beautiful new full-color art, and a rich story experience for players. Powered by the innovative Hunger cycle, the game also includes rules for creating system supported character coteries, Loresheets to directly involve players with their favorite parts of the setting and The Memoriam, a new way to bring the character's detailed backgrounds and expand on them in-session.V5 is a return to Vampire's original vision, moving boldly into the 21st century. While the rules have been redesigned, this new edition honors the deep story of the original, advancing the metaplot from where it left off and detailing exactly what has happened in the world of the Kindred up until tonight. The terror of the Second Inquisition, the conspiracies behind the Gehenna War, and the rekindling of the War of Ages: these are the building blocks of the modern V5 chronicle.Mature Warning: contains graphic and written content of a mature nature, including violence,sexual themes, and strong language.
Reader discretion is advised.Note: Vampire: the Masquerade 5th Edition has not been unlocked for the Storytellers Vault community content program. No art or text from 5th Edition May be used in community content projects.
Nov 1, 2018 - Vampire: the Masquerade 5th Edition - Vampire: The Masquerade is the. This new edition honors the deep story of the original, advancing the.
- The 5th Edition of Vampire: the Masquerade delivers a vast amount of fresh, engaging lore to the franchise but suffers from significant editing and formating issues. While its mechanics succeed.
- Vampire: The Masquerade Chapters. Flyos Games is developing a story driven role-playing board game for 1 to 4 players. Prepare to play a breathtaking World of Darkness adventure!
What I mean is that V20 is basically an attempt to catalogue and create an encyclopedic reference of information pertaining to the Vampire game, as written through a vast amount of supplements over decades. It has no real focus, however, beyond saying the game can be 'whatever you want'.V5, on the other hand, purposely builds the game from the ground up, based upon the premise and concept of the original game. That being a focus on playing a vampire as a monster, in a society of monsters, as a dark reflection of the world we see around us.
The mechanics are part of that process, and work with efficacy and elegance to create that specific environment.The problem, as I see it, is that a body of players (of V20, primarily) have become accustomed towards playing the Vampire game as 'whatever they want', and are reacting negatively to a new edition of the game that provides a clear and unambiguous intent and atmosphere.This is just a matter of prior expectation, however. See more If taken solely on it's own merits, V5 is outstanding in its design - both in terms of ambition and execution. As such, I find a lot of these criticisms lack objectivity. While I still find this edition somewhat incomplete, substantially I don't see any cause to disagree with your assessment.Besides, if V20 ain't broke, if it is already doing what you want it to do, then why not save your time and money, and just keep playing it?The previous versions really are just blood fueled supers, systematically speaking at least; this version does more properly conform to the original 'storytelling game of personal horror' intent.While I wouldn't say 'just', you are correct in that this is, at least largely, 'a matter of prior expectation' i.e. This ain't that.Thanks for the response. I'm digging V5 so far and prepping to run my first game with it.
There are so many new rules scattered all throughout the book, however, and there are no Summary Pages like in previous editions. This is bad enough for me, a 20 veteran, but my players are completely new to Vampire (and I'm the only one with the book). Are there any cheat sheets available anywhere that summarize the various rules? I have the Storyteller Screen but (a) it doesn't cover everything and (b) I'd like to give something to my players to reference.Push comes to shove, I'll make them myself.
I just thought I'd check with folks before reinventing the wheel. Humors, Loresheets, the multiple things under a discipline dot, the coterie type, having blood potency and generation, even the predator type which I like, id have to read through again to find the other ones. Individually none of these are bad but when added together you have soo many independent rules now where you had a background before. It reminds me of going from Basic D&D to 3rd ed, sure it was goofy before like having elf as a class but it was strait forward and simple. Now the core rules are simple but there are soo many layers on top of that that you have to track its a nightmare. Well, I'd say humours and loresheets can be very involved, but you don't necessarily need to use them a lot of the time - loresheets especially are pretty optional.
The coterie rules are also pretty optional, and what they are attempting to do is provide some pooled resources for a group of PCs set around a particular theme that unites them. The blood potency, generation and predator types are really core to what is being expressed as the vampire experience, along with Hunger rules which I do think are brilliant, personally.What it seems to me is that you feel overwhelmed by multiple rules changes as a collective whole, but feel OK with individual rules. What my suggestion is, honestly, is that you can introduce particular rules incrementally rather than all at once.
They do all hang together well, once you get used to them in a progressive sense. Well, it is an integral part of the game - because it's the mechanism that simulates the vampiric condition. You could waive it, I guess and play the game in a different way - but it would be difficult to design it from the bottomup in that respect.What I would argue though, is that the impact of Bestial Failures or Messy Successes is open to ST interpretation - so you could downplay the impact of Hunger by simply having more manageable consequences. The other thing, that a few groups I played with missed first time round, is that a lot of the time you can simply use the 'take half' rule for diceless play. This way, you negate the Hunger dice by virtue of not rolling anything at all. So, only roll when the task is challenging or uncertain in outcome - use diceless for general play and just adjudicate what character can or can't do by the level of their ability (in the descriptions).
Thats close but not quite my personal problem. Let me see if I can explain it.
Theres too much stuff that modifies the core mechanic. You could reasonably say its always been this way as disciplines, backgrounds, etc had their own modifiers in each thing but they have relabeled and changed the way some of this works. For example two Vampires with 3 dots in Auspex now have different rules (ie different powers), or now your feeding needs to track predator type (clans) or humors (thin blood). I may not have that quite right but this is what I mean by there are just alot more rules. I had hoped I could just throw out the whole Advanced Rules section (which I did in the 2e days with the narrative combat option) but I forget exactly what but there was an SPC I built that reference something that was only in the Advanced Rules so now I have to be careful with character types if I dont want to use them.
Does that make sense? For perspective I think V20/Revised/2e even with narrative combat is rules heavy and about as. See more heavy of a game Id want to play these days. I would have like them to gone the other direction and make it more like FATE. Well, you are right to allude to the point that the collective rules in V20 are actually rather meaty too and, if anything, V5 is leaning more towards a Fate-like rules light game in intent.Regarding the multiple uses of Disciplines, this is really an attempt to condense down the volume of Disciplines from previous editions into a more concise list. It also provides some options for players seeking to differentiate between the use of, say, Dominate as used by a Malkavian as opposed to a Ventrue.
At each level, you get a choice of two options, basically. While I get that this may have some initial confusion, all it really amounts to is a slightly different way of organising powers.
Each individual power has always had individual rules to determine how to use them, however. In Fate terms, it's not really that much different to having differing applications of Feats, is it?I do also get that Advanced rules can be, well, advanced and you do need to pick and choose a little about what. See more sort of rules you want to apply in a given game. I tend to run very rules light combat, for example, which is an option in the game - but I am still needing to be aware of more advanced options if the players themselves decide they want more detail for dramatic effect.Regarding the Predator type, I actually find this a lot simpler in play than running Nature/Demeanor from the previous editions, and what it does is assist in determining traits at character generation while giving the ST some ideas about how to provide scenarios and specific scene motivations for the players. I think the Humours are a bit complex in practice, however, so we tend to not use them.In all, I'd honestly say its more about having familiarity of the rules rather than the rules themselves being more complex than, say, learning Fate rules for the first time.
As, such, the more you play the game the more comfortable you get with them, and the more you tend to find what works for your group or not. I'm responding to this as I'm being notified that it is addressed to me; please disregard if this is not the case.1. I don't know.2. I'm getting to the point where I don't care, and I doubt I'm alone in this; as far as I can tell, the game line may as well be dead, save for whatever diehards it has already generated. It seems like most people prefer the twenty line. They've lost their momentum either way.
It will be an exercise in uphill ice skating IMO.TBH, this seems like an instance where community content could turn things around.They really need to get their collective. together, or call it a day and pass the torch; the likelihood of worthwhile profitability is waning by the day. A lot is explained by the metaplot. The Elders have either been hit by the blood curse or beckoned to the Gehenna War so they are not really the presence they used to be.I find the rules right now are sufficient even if not laid out in the best method but as a 20+ year fan of WW I kind of expect that.As far as other books. Chicago by Night was kickstarted by Onyx Path and should be available in a few months.
Modiphius has taken over publishing and has a lineup starting this summer with 'The Fall of London Chronicle' and a Players Guide and a starter set. With A Second Inquisition book slated for next Summer (2020). Also, there is some talk of another Onyx path supplement.Finally, if you are want to see the rules in action there are a few actual plays up the most notable being LA by Night on Geek and Sundry with the ST being Jason Carl himself. With all due sir, you say explained, while I say excused.I get the rules; I like the rules, such as they are but, while the bones are good, the meat is lacking.As far as the.projected. release dates go, and while it's kind of you to update, these are game company dates, for a game that is already somewhat stalled at the start line, and 'behind schedule' is to be expected.I'm sure that Modiphius will do a fine job by the end, but they have lost substantial momentum.
You can't even call it 'fits and starts', because it's just one 'fit' at the moment.Also, about the metaplot; that's always been a plus, and a minus, for WoD; what if we don't want to use it? If you know the game at all, then you know it has a tendency to wreck anyone who tries to run a game by forcing you to either retcon the eff out of their own game, or just ignore the metaplot, makeing said metaplot rather pointless.TL; DR - it's a lame 'explanation'. See more IMO, but thanks for the update.
We all have different things we like/love about games. The metaplot has always been a dividing line in the WoD player base. I personally love it, metaplot is why I have bought almost every book from every line since 2nd edition.The release schedule for me has been pretty good. I have a core book, Cam and Anarch supplements.
Chicago and two stretch goal releases in the pipe. So if Modiphius does release the London book in August, in the year since release I will have seven supplements. That satisfies me but of course, there are many more I would love to see. A Sabbat book would be great and I would love the remaining three clans and some of the classic bloodlines.All in all I hope that things with this line iron out in a way that people can be happy. There are a lot of amazing vampire stories to be told.
Okay, but:'I have a core book, Cam and Anarch supplements.' Right but, case in point,.you. have; where might the consumer get said supplements legally nowadays?
Just to be clear, The Onyx Path were never 'in charge' of publishing Vampire or any other WoD title, but over the last decade they were the most active licensee. White Wolf effectively went on a hiatus as the business was sold on through various new ownerships - so The Onyx Path were largely the flagbearers of the line until the last few years. White Wolf themselves made Vampire 5th edition, but the design team folded last year. Modiphius was the game's distributer, however, and took on management of the line from this point onwards and have established their own schedule of support for it.
The Onyx Path, and other game companies, are also still free to make supplements for the product as they remain licensees too. At first, I was unsure about this new edition. Over the course of 20 some years, I had moved away from Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Requiem, and the other WOD games as well. This was caused by a lack of interest, due to the feeling this was more or less more of the same old stuff, rehashed. I did like Requiem quite a lot as its politics and themes made sense to me. The system was also more to my liking, no endless rolling (one roll for one attack, including damage. As opposed to one roll to hit, one roll to dodge, one roll to damage and one roll to soak from the older editions).
Frankly, I was not expecting to have any interest in putting a game together, but bought V5 out of nostalgia.At first read, I was. Confused yet intrigued. Some elements from Requiem were incorporated (Blood potency, for instance). New innovative stuff was added (Loresheets, additional power choices for a given discipline level, sometimes incorporating the concept of having powers derivative of two distinct disciplines).
See more The general organisation of the book kinda turned me off at first, but its visual design grew on me.I decided to create a city and felt the changes to the rules and themes really helped. The recent developments within the Camarilla (Brujah and Gangrel clans stormed out to join the Anarchs, who are now a great chronicle option compared to back in the old days, in my opinion) really helped with inspiration.Without much prep other than my city, I ran a session and things went fairly smooth. The Hunger dice is a clever addition to the system, which makes vampires more cursed immortals and less superheroes with fangs, even if at least one of my players misses the old blood points system. He is pretty much the only one who feels that way around the table. I agree that it makes using powers a bit of a gamble, but I think it sets the right tone.My players really liked the experience, from the themes to the mechanics.
And more joined them. Now have a full group with regular sessions planned. So now, I'm hooked. Never thought it could happen.
I've easily created SPCs (nor NPCs) and new material like Loresheets, Thaumaturgy Rituals (I missed the Tremere. Even if I plan on injecting a bit of Ordo Dracul DNA in the old House). Story-wise, I can pull out the core book or the Anarch and Camarilla pdfs (managed to get them before they were pulled), read a bit and come up with ideas.Overall, I am very satisfied with this edition of Vampire: The Masquerade.OOOO dots and a half out of five! There isn't any.
White Wolf had made the suggestion in interviews that there were intending to release new editions of all their games on a yearly basis or so. However, they have since been removed and new contracts have been signed for Modiphius to take over as licensed publishers. They have set a new release schedule for Vampire supplements but have made no announcement, as of yet, about any follow on games. If they do get around to a new Werewolf, Mage and so on - it won't be till at least 2020. I purchased this on that other site before it was available here.Ultimately, I am not a fan. I really, really hate the look, both in the art and asthetics as well as the overall layout, which is just terrible.It is only correct that it is a complete book in the sense that many aspects of the game simply no longer exist, and only true to 1st Ed form in the sense on maybe someone's personal view of what the game should have been.It is basically a lackluster mesh of VtM with VtR, where they took many of the VtR concepts and pushed them into VtM lore, and touched on metaplot, but without really doing anything meaningful with it.
So far, it seems like an iconic case of trying to please everyone and not really pleasing most, (and that is not even touching the SJW cringe).I hate the Hunger rules, and I can not stress enough how much I loath simplified lite, (aka shitty) rules.There is sooooooo much just wasted space in this book, where I have no. See more doubt 100 pages could be cut without it really affecting play.Sadly, for every setting or lore change that stands out, there are five that simply ruin any interest I have for V5, and the single, literally single thing I like, Lore Sheets, are both just too little and not nearly enough. They just have so little meat on the bone, but also kind of fail to really include enough, either scope or options.I have no idea how this book recieved so many stars, but accept different people have different opinions.0.5 of 5 stars. F/latest, featured review.Members of the once brash Sabbat, which didn't care much to hide its power from humans, have either been killed off, driven into hiding, or like many other vampires, have been mysteriously beckoned to the Middle East.Didn't they just leave for their own purposes, explicitly to awaken the third gen?New players can enjoy tales of clashes with ancient vampires. How? Where is even a basic, generic write-up for elders in the book? Veteran players have a chance revisit characters that they played 20 years ago, If they were ancillae or lower in the vampiric pecking order, and/or their generation wasn't too low you mean?
And track down their old enemies if they want to live out the old rivalries. See my prior.Thin-bloods are clanless vampires who can survive exposure to sunlight to some degree, but can't develop discipline. See more powers as advanced as other vampires. At least not as thin-bloods.I played a good amount of earlier editions of Vampire during it's heyday, until I got tired of the game and moved on. But.just a few pages into the new edition,. (emph.
TM) I can't wait to run a campaign. If you used to play, I recommend getting back into the game. If you're new to the game (and 18 or older), I recommend giving it a try. This classic game is going to new places, and it will keep you thirsting for more. Caveat emptor.
Agree with her or not, at least Monica G can write a review in a coherent way.Reading your own review, I am struck with two ironies. Firstly, the editoral piece in the back of the book was actually only put in as a late inclusion as a response to the raging 'Edgelord vs SJW' rants, so what?and accusations of some sort of bizarre conspiracy to market the game to neo-Nazis, If so, so what?being endlessly perpetuated in the various fans' forums. The fact that people end up complaining about the addressing statement that their own vapid rantings, on either side of the debate, helped bring about in the first place is ironic.
YOu don't really get irony.Second, as alluded to before, the incoherence in your own writing makes it ironic that one of your main complaints in your review was about the incoherence of the writing in the book. Quote pls.
I'm fairly certain I was referring to the. See more setting, as given, at current, and not to the writing. I don't think you get distinctions very well, or you deliberately misrepresent what I wrote. Prove me wrong.Finally, bringing up The Last Jedi as a means of comparison?! Oh, brother. I'll see your 'Oh brother', and raise you an 'And?'
Vampire The Masquerade 5th Edition Story Free
BTW, unless Monika G is a trannygram for W. Paprocki, I don't thing the featured reviewer reviewed it at all, but at least she(?) was decent and rigorous enough to like to the original.Perhaps it's not so much a matter of my coherence, but of your inattention or lack of comprehension; possible? You think a customer's own writing skills determine whether they're capable of judging if a book was coherent or not? I'm not sure you understand the purpose of professional writers. The reason they get paid is because they're supposed to be better than the average reader.Also attacking someone's writing ability in the comment's section really doesn't help the case you're obviously trying very hard to make based on the number I've responses you've made. If that's what you have to resort to defend the book it makes me far less interested in it. I'm going to try this one last time, and put our being done on pause in the interests of peace.1.
Do you see the distinction between the alleged reviewer, and that reviewed?2. Did you see my, as yet unanswered, questions regarding said review?3. Do you not think it germane that said reviewer, whatever their real identity is, at the time of writing and by their own admission just started reading the book?You can take questions, the answers to which would be very useful, as personal attacks as you like; that isn't my problem.' Agree with her(?) or not.' I can't agree or disagree with him/her; it isn't even about agreement or disagreement.For example, it seems like, the way you're reading things, if I asked you 'Are you an Atheist?' You'd take that as an attack on whatever you do or don't believe, or at least as a disagreement with it.1.
I can't disagree with your position if I don't know what. See more it is.2.
It seems like you're assuming that I would; perhaps I don't care either way?In short, at least as regards the review, I'm asking and not attacking; why are you defending?Even if this is your pet dog, this isn't a dogfight.Do you understand, or is that still too incoherent? I didn't purchase it from drivethrurpg (I had it on preorder) so I cannot write a review here. I've written plenty of reviews before though. I can discuss it on these forums, however, and I think my views on the game are pretty plain.To be sure, I am criticising you here for attacking another review with your comments. Your own review, though I disagree with it, is fine by me. I just think if you are willing to criticise the other reviewer then you should be prepared to be held in the same light of scrutiny - and hence the criticism about coherency and writing style. You suck at it.Merry Christmas.
'Anarch and Cam had some editing issues, so WW did a recall in order to fix them.' That may be the most colossal understatement I've ever read.
Assassin's creed 1 free download for pc rar. Paradox Interactive effectively dissolved White Wolf Publishing.' Sales and printing of the V5 Camarilla and Anarch books will be temporarily suspended.
The section on Chechnya will be removed in both the print and PDF versions of the Camarilla book. We anticipate that this will require about three weeks. This means shipping will be delayed; if you have pre-ordered a copy of Camarilla or Anarchs, further information will follow via e-mail.In practical terms, White Wolf will no longer function as a separate entity. The White Wolf team will be restructured and integrated directly into Paradox Interactive, and I will be temporarily managing things during this process. We are recruiting new leadership to guide White Wolf both creatively and commercially into the future, a process that has been ongoing since September. See more /Going forward, White Wolf will focus on brand management. This means White Wolf will develop the guiding principles for its vision of the World of Darkness, and give licensees the tools they need to create new, excellent products in this story world.
White Wolf will no longer develop and publish these products internally.' The World of Darkness is my most cherished and beloved intellectual property and favorite role playing game of all time. Full disclosure, I met the coming of this edition with equal parts trepidation and excitement. I've read (no, devoured) every white wolf/onyx path book to be published and played/ran these games since 1998, to give an unbiased review, is difficult, but luckily harsh words are not called for.
5th edition is a fantastic and a return to the feeling of playing an actual vampire. 2nd, revised, and V20 are fantastic games, with deep and mysterious worlds full of conspiracy and mystery, where the lore is the selling point and not the treasure or your hit points. With that being said, one could easily forget they were playing true monstrous parasite that have to live off the blood of others. Instead, Ive seen many games fall into the territory where the players inhabit little more than some undead superhero with a gas tank the color of red. 5th edition has implemented wonderful systems of hunger. See more and frenzy that put you into the cockpit of the soul in the monster. The hunger for blood is a constant reminder, using your powers can have a price, and you have to contend with this balancing act.
Where as before the trappings of the beast could become an afterthought with a sub par storyteller. The world and the lore is vibrant and deep as ever, with various occulted groups vying for control of the night. While the politics of revised and beyond shrink considerably to the intimate personal horror stories, they are still present and afford ample opportunity for rich story hooks. Many have complained about the small amount of lore and how many sections mention or elude to happenings that aren't addressed in the book.
This should be expected as white wolf has decades and droves of books that cover their lore, the first core book cant be expected to cover this ground.I'm sure the entire current state of the world of darkness will be known by the time the other sect books are released. Only one portion of this book failed to meet my nostalgia fueled glee, and its admittedly the least important of the various aspects. The art direction did not immerse me in the world as the older editions once did. Gone are the characterful faces and monochromatic pieces of Leif Jones, an artist that was almost synonymous with world of darkness. Bradstreet makes some token appearances, but largely, the rich aesthetic has been replaced with abstract pieces that seem heavy handed and hipstery approved, or even worse.the horrid live action LARP photographs that immediately reel my imagination in from that world as I am instantly aware that I'm staring at a person with plastic fangs mugging for the camera with their 'Monster face'.
Beyond this, I highly recommend V5, if you are a lover of the world of darkness or are looking into it for the first time, no other gaming world is as deep and mysterious, complicated and beautiful, fulfilling and rewarding.
Throughout my life as a gamer of multiple trades, I’ve only played Vampire: The Masquerade a handful of times because the game attracts a particular audience. It’s not a bad thing or a knock against the game, it’s simply a fact I’ve personally seen that this RPG has a specific feeling and pull, so it doesn’t immediately grab the kind of audience you expect a game like D&D or Pathfinder to immediately find. It’s a popular title, but one of the biggest issues I ran into was that everyone at some level wants to be Lestat de Lioncourt and no one wants to be an inferior vampire with flaws. So a lot of the groups I played with over the years fizzled out within a month or so.
I honestly never thought I’d be playing this game again after it was canceled in 2004. That is, until White Wolf Gaming Studio finally released 5th Edition of the series, which we received a copy of to play. Credit//White Wolf PublishingSo let’s start off with the book itself.
This is just over a 400-page guide. This is a thick tome of information, but it’s not just a series of mechanics and possibilities, it’s an introduction into the world of what Vampire: The Masquerade is. Before you get into playing the game, there is a good chunk of this book that is straight-up lore.
And as much as some people may not enjoy reading that much content, it is a necessity for a couple of reasons. When you play a fantasy RPG there’s usually a pre-conceived notion of the world you’re in from the landscapes to the monsters to the towns. If you plop D&D in front of a new player, they have a general idea of what they’re getting into. VTM is not your standard fantasy setting because it’s done in modern time. As in right now, current day-and-age, the world we live in today, plus vampires.
And that’s a key element the game makers needed to establish right off the bat because this is the kind of release that will attract a lot of first-time players and they need those guidelines defined. Credit//White Wolf PublishingCharacter creation has been given an overhaul in both positive and negative ways. No matter what kind of character you create, there’s always one defining trait you do not get to escape: you are cursed.
Being a vampire may have its joys from a role-playing perspective, but from a character perspective, it is not supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Immortality has a price beyond not seeing the sun and relying on humans as personal juice boxes. There is very little glamour in the idea of being a creature of the night who is doomed to feast off the living. That is reflected in how you build your character as for every amazing bonus you receive, you are also punished for being what you are, which is a source of evil. Something that most players aren’t used to unless you have a taste for playing chaotic evil characters.
You are not in this game to save the city or do good, you’re surviving in a material world filled with inner politics and fellow beasts. Credit//White Wolf PublishingThere are different clans you can belong to, all with their own set of rules and fashion style and problems they have to deal with that define who you are as a vampire. These help flesh out the personality of who you are and what you want more than actual attributes and skills that you’ll add later on in the game. A good chunk of this book is focused on who you are because like any real-world person, a vampire is not a cookie-cutter archetype. There are rich and poor, politicians and soldiers, whores and junkies, creatives and slugs, and so on throughout the world of the game.
Everyone has different upbringings, social skills, beliefs, desires, wants, and needs. This book gives you everything it possibly can to allow you to create that character. The downside to all of this is that there’s just so much information that it can be overwhelming. I personally took the time over the course of a week to read the book as much as I could and even now I feel like I’m missing some things.
Credit//White Wolf PublishingA good chunk of the book also delves into the politics of the underworld of which you are a part of. There are two prime sects that you’ll have to either choose from or deal with in The Camarilla and The Anarch Movement. The former is what you would think of as the established governing body of the vampires who have found comfort in the modern world and have managed to keep things in a certain way so that most of what you do is undetected or hidden from mortal eyes. The latter, as you may have guessed, are not fans of the current status quo and wish to take over by any means necessary.
Regardless of which side you take, secrecy is still their ultimate goal as they don’t want the world to know of vampires and would rather leave them to myth, games, and poorly written romance novels. Credit//White Wolf PublishingAs far as putting a game together goes, this is probably the most middle-of-the-road version of the game you’ll ever encounter. Certain things about putting together a character and a campaign have been streamlined, such as finding the right attributes for your specific character based on the choices you’ve made to their personality and clan. But then actually trying to formulate all of that info on you a character sheet feels like a chore. It took twice as long for me to make a character in Vampire: The Masquerade than it did in the new Pathfinder 2.0 Playtest, and Pathfinder is notorious for being taxing when it comes to putting information together. The book feels like a lot of good ideas were put together into a solid encyclopedia of knowledge, yet someone forgot to put everything into an order that would make it easy to find. Even with the table of contents, I had issues locating what I needed.
Credit//White Wolf PublishingWhen it came to creating an actual campaign within a bustling city the size of Chicago or Manhattan, that was relatively easy as they have specific rules and guidelines that you need to adhere to in order for there to be some sort of realism and consequences for being found out. Graffiti, social scenes, creating territories and places of worship were no big deal. If anything, creating a location was probably hands down the easiest thing to do in the entire book. Which is a benefit to people making a game as you need some kind of proper setting that doesn’t feel like it requires a ton of explanation. Personally living in Salt Lake City, I had fun taking the small group I found to test this out with and basing it around where we live. Taking landmarks that mean something to us and twisting them for alternative purposes when the sun fades added to the experience in ways I couldn’t have begged for in other scenarios.
Credit//White Wolf PublishingActually playing a game of Vampire: The Masquerade with all of this material in place was fun once we got over the initial hurdles. I’ll discuss that in a moment but I do believe this needs to be examined. I had to pass my PDF copy around to the other players so they could take the time to read the material and create a character with the sheet as they needed. While this is no different than handing out a Players Guide to people in other games, but I felt more like a teacher handing out homework than a GM helping people build characters. There’s a part of me that wishes some of what was put into this book was condensed or maybe parsed onto another guide later on, as there’s just some material that serves no other purpose than to add flavor. Flavor isn’t entirely a bad thing, but when it’s the crux of half the discussion you’re having with yourself when making a character, it can be daunting to get through.
Credit//White Wolf PublishingThe gameplay itself ran like clockwork. Once everything was in place, this was a treat. 5th Edition has actually made this game play the way you would expect it to be played, with intrigue and deception and bodies hitting the street after being drained of their life. Each character that the four players I tried this out with had unique backstories and reasons for wanting what they wanted.
The campaign I ended up running had three of them choosing The Anarch Movement as their primary sect to support in the hopes of toppling the establishment in place, while the fourth sat on the fence and predicted complete anarchy and the fall of their kind as a whole if any of the local churches found out they not only existed, but they were a pestilence to be vanquished in the name of all that was holy. We got through a few sessions and a major plot point I had created which opened the doors for new possibilities.
Credit//White Wolf PublishingUltimately, I love the new 5th Edition of Vampire: The Masquerade, but holy crap is this book a chore to navigate. One of the key ideas of a handbook is to have everything be easy to find, and while that is the case in several areas, it’s not what I would call properly organized for the first half of the book.
I feel like a lot of this could have been removed and put into a totally separate book as a companion piece to dictate what this world is. Instead of an outline, I got a journal and a police report and a madman’s ramblings all shoved together with twenty other documents and some flashy art and it doesn’t even get to the game. Once we got to the core of the game, this was an awesome book. That being said, if you’ve never played Vampire: The Masquerade, this is a fine introduction that will give you everything you need to put you in this world and help you build a character.
It’s worth the time to check out if you’re looking for a darker tabletop RPG. Credit//White Wolf Publishing.
AboutGavin has been a lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling. He can also teach you how to play Star Trek chess, be your Mercy on Overwatch, recommend random cool music, and goes rogue in D&D. He also enjoys standup comedy, Let's Play videos and trying new games, along with hundreds of other geeky things that can't be covered in a single paragraph. Follow @TheGavinSheehan on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vero, for random pictures and musings.