‘Vampire: The Masquerade’ – The First Step into a World of Darkness
From a theoretical “goth game” to one of the biggest horror RPGs, Vampire: the Masquerade stands at the pinnacle of horror gaming.
Welcome in, Kindred and Kine! Horror gaming has always been a top seller in the RPG scene. However, you’re usually playing against the monsters. Vampire: the Masquerade took a different approach: what if you were the monster, and you had to hide in modern society? This simple question spawned not only one game but an entire dark gothic world.
Since its inception in the early 1990s, Vampire: the Masquerade has set the standard for horror gaming. The dark, mysterious backdrop of this game is a fascinating take on modern horror. Following the gothic example of horror authors like Anne Rice, VtM sets a bleak stage where humans are under constant threat from the dark forces of the underworld. Thankfully for the players, they are those dark forces. Now, they just have to stay hidden or risk extinction.
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What is Vampire: The Masquerade?
Vampire: the Masquerade was first theorized in 1991 by Mark Rein-Hagen. It was intended to launch a series of connected universe games by White Wolf Publishing. Unlike the standard d20 system, it used the new “Storyteller System,” focusing on lore and intrigue rather than dungeon crawling. As such, it received mixed reviews over the years. Many publications praised the immersive, in-depth style of play but warned that it requires a specific group to enjoy it.
VtM borrows from several vampire-focused mediums, such as Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and The Lost Boys, and incorporates Rein-Hagen’s religious upbringing. It portrays the biblical figure Cain as a cursed vampire and the sire of all living vampires. His 13 grandchildren rose up and killed their progenitors and gave birth to the 13 Vampiric Clans. All modern vampires are descendants of these Antediluvian vampires, so named because they survived the Great Flood.
Publication Under White Wolf
Vampire: The Masquerade was first printed in 1991 by White Wolf Publishing. The next year, it was updated to its Second Edition, and then a Revised Edition in 1998. It survived in this edition until 2004 when it was discontinued and replaced with Vampire: the Requiem. However, this edition wasn’t as popular as its predecessor. When White Wolf moved to print-on-demand exclusively, it brought back all of the out-of-print Vampire: the Masquerade books.
In 2011, White Wolf announced a 20th Anniversary edition of the original VtM game. It was sold at the Grand Masquerade LARP event in New Orleans in September of that year. Customers who didn’t attend the event were able to preorder physical copies for a limited time. This also launched several VtM supplements, sticking to their print-on-demand model. All of the physical print products were printed by Onyx Path, and live-action content was produced by By Night Studios.
Paradox Entertainment
In 2015, Paradox Entertainment acquired White Wolf and all the World of Darkness products, including VtM. They released the 5th Edition of VtM in 2018, which is currently the most up-to-date version. White Wolf was able to produce its own content until November 2018, when the Anarch sourcebook included references to an anti-gay purge in Chechnya. Paradox announced they would transfer publishing rights of the TTRPG material exclusively to Modiphius and dissolved White Wolf as an independent entity.
After White Wolf was dissolved as a business entity in 2018, licensees who had agreements with Paradox handled development and publishing duties for World of Darkness projects. In 2020, Polygon reported that the Core Rulebook had been updated to meet Pardox’s new ethical standards. 5th Edition was released on Roll20 in June 2021, and an online toolset called Nexus was released in 2022. World of Darkness now exists as a brand in Paradox’s portfolio, with the publisher managing licensees as well as TTRPG development.
Vampires in the World of Darkness
Vampires in Vampire: the Masquerade must follow strict rules lest they reveal themselves to the world and endanger their species. They call each other Kindred and refer to humans as Kine. A Vampire bestowing the gift of undeath is called the Embrace, and it is viewed with different tenants depending on the clan. Vampires can use the power of the blood they take from Kine to perform powerful feats, with each clan having its own specialization. However, they must be careful not to give up too much of their humanity, lest they become ravenous monsters.
The Thirteen Clans
Each Vampire is born into a clan based on their ancestral bloodline. Some clans are specific about who they Embrace, while others are more independent. Either way, a clan determines a Kindred’s abilities and, sometimes, their appearance.
- Banu Haqim – Literally “Children of Haqim”, this is a clan of lawyers and assassins. They have a cursed thirst for the blood of their fellow Kindred, and a curse was placed on them to make it toxic to them.
- Brujah – Anarchists and freedom fighters, they are given to violent tendencies are are more likely to lose control of themselves.
- Gangrel – The clan that gives themselves most to the wild Beast within. They prefer wild places to urban sprawl.
- Hecata – Called the Giovanni until 5th Edition, they are master necromancers. They tend to only Embrace members of the same families.
- Lasombra – A clan of erudite and ruthless vampires that often hunt for those who fought to survive.
- Malkavian – A clan of soothsayers that can see the truths others would keep hidden, they are occasionally driven mad by their visions.
- The Ministry – Once called the Followers of Set, they are almost a cult and worship their progenitor, Set, like a god.
- Nosferatu – A hideous clan that must keep to the sewers and hidden places, lest their ghoulish appearance shatter the Masquerade.
- Ravnos – Spies and tricksters, this clan prefers subtlety over violence. Their tenants state that the Embrace is offered primarily to Romani.
- Toreador – Seductive vampires, these beautiful creatures can use their powers to cast powerful glamours, but their focus on looks can turn to obsession.
- Tremere – The most arcane of the clans, they are mages of incredible power, but few Kindred trust them.
- Tzimisce – The vampires must closely reminiscent of Dracula, this is the warrior clan, often called the Dragons.
- Ventrue – The ruling clan of vampires, who uphold the Masquerade and view themselves as the rightful heirs of Cain.
There is also a fourteenth clan, the Salubri, but they are extremely rare because they are extremely discerning in who they Embrace.
The System
Unlike traditional systems, VtM is played using pools of d10s. Skill checks are determined by combining two skill numbers, and then rolling that many dice. Success or failure is not as black and white as in traditional RPGs, and degrees of success are possible. For example, if a check requires five degrees of success to baseline succeed, and you roll seven, there may be an additional effect.
The game revolves primarily around the political intrigue of the Kindred as they work to maintain the Masquerade. Not all entities are content to live in the shadows, and a subset of the Kindred would prefer to rule over the Kine as the true masters of the world. They speak of Cain’s return to judge his children and return to world to their control. Players will have to decide which faction to throw their support behind or if they want to risk destruction by playing both sides.
A Kindred’s power is derived from their consumption of blood, and if they go too long without feeding, they risk disaster. This need for blood is represented by the Hunger system, a pool of differently colored d10s that grows as the Kindred goes longer without blood or consumes too much Vitae. Hunger ranges from 0 to 5, with 0 representing a vampire that has fed recently and is mostly in control and 5 representing a vampire that risks the Beast. Hunger must be carefully monitored, as it can provide powerful benefits, though with great risk.
Vampire: The Masquerade LARP and Actual Play
Several VtM actual plays exist, but the most well-known is “L.A. by Night” and its sequels. Featuring a cast of RPG personalities, it premiered on Geek and Sundry alongside Critical Role before branching off on its own.
There is also a thriving LARP community for Vampire: The Masquerade, featuring meetups and live events across the country. At present, it is one of the largest LARP communities in the world, with support by Renegade Games.
