Vampire: The Masquerade

Vampire: The Masquerade is a tabletop role-playing game (tabletop RPG), created by Mark Rein-Hagen and released in 1991 by White Wolf Publishing, as the first of several Storyteller System games for its World of Darkness setting line. It is set in a fictionalized "gothic-punk" version of the modern world, where players assume the role of vampires, referred to as Kindred or Cainites, who struggle against their own bestial natures, vampire hunters, and each other.
Several associated products were produced based on Vampire: The Masquerade, including live-action role-playing games (Mind's Eye Theatre), dice, collectible card games (The Eternal Struggle), video games (Redemption, Bloodlines, Swansong and Bloodlines 2, Bloodhunt), and numerous novels. In 1996, a short-lived television show loosely based on the game, Kindred: The Embraced, was produced by Aaron Spelling for the Fox Broadcasting Company.
Vampire was inspired by role-playing games (RPGs) such as Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, and Nightlife, as well as the writings of Joseph Campbell and vampire films such as The Lost Boys. Rein-Hagen felt that hunting vampires would get boring as a game premise, so he came up with the idea of a game wherein the players played vampires instead of hunting them. Rein-Hagen said he purposefully did not read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles until "very late" in the development process but admitted she was probably an influence on the vampire films that inspired the game. He wanted to go beyond what Anne Rice to create a whole secret vampire society and culture.
Some of Vampire's central themes of the power of belief developed out of Rein-Hagen's religious upbringing. Inspired by a comic book given to him by White Wolf business partner Stewart Wieck, Rein-Hagen developed the idea that the Biblical Cain was the original vampire. Rein-Hagen has said the idea of Cain (spelled Caine in the game) as the progenitor of all vampires was a "big turning point." After initially "trying to shy away from religion", this encouraged him to lean into the religious themes.
Vampire was conceived as a dark urban fantasy game, with a gothic feel similar to TSR's Ravenloft. It would also be the first of a series of linked games sharing the same game world. Shannon Appelcline suggests that its visual style was considered striking at the time – its simple cover featured a photo of a rose on green marble. The game also focused on plots, intrigue, and character as opposed to more straightforward dungeon scenarios. While the RPG industry in general had been trending towards a more narrative approach, Vampire is considered one of the first mainstream games to focus on these elements. The vampires, or Kindred, were also given an extensive list of broad supernatural powers called Disciplines, which included superior strength, speed, and toughness, as well as other powers such as mystic senses, mind control, and blood magic. This helped the game appeal to fans of the superhero genre, which was more marketable at the time than horror. The 13 clans, based on vampiric archetypes, were added late in the development process, after a suggestion by Chris McDonough that players needed greater structure, similar to the character classes of other games. This system proved very popular with players and led to the popularization of the splatbook.
For the game's mechanical elements, Rein-Hagen turned to Tom Dowd, co-designer of Shadowrun (1989). Vampire's system of "comparative" dice pools drew on the mechanics innovated by Shadowrun, changing only the type of dice rolled from six-sided to ten-sided. Players rolled a number of dice determined by their skills, similar to games like Champions, but rather than adding the results of the dice together, Vampire counted the number of dice which met or exceeded a target number or difficulty. Skill levels were relatively low, ranging usually from one to five, and were represented with dots rather than numbers, which was the standard of its contemporaries. Players could quickly calculate their dice pool and roll against the assigned difficulty rating. Appelcline suggests this system aided a style of play which emphasized story over mechanics, as it was easy for new players to quickly grasp, though it sometimes produced unexpected results, such as a highly skilled character being more likely to fumble.
The original 1991 version was superseded by a second edition in 1992 and the Revised Edition in 1998. The Vampire: The Masquerade game line was discontinued in 2004, at which point it was superseded by Vampire: The Requiem. In mid-2010, White Wolf switched exclusively to a print-on-demand model via online role playing game store DriveThruRPG, starting with a number of formerly out of print Vampire: The Masquerade books and gradually making more titles available as they were ready for print.
On March 17, 2011, White Wolf announced Vampire: The Masquerade, 20th Anniversary Edition, which was published during the Grand Masquerade event in New Orleans on September 15–17, 2011, and released to the attendees. Customers not attending The Grand Masquerade were offered a limited time preorder option. The 20th Anniversary Edition (or V20) contains revisions of rules and is a compendium of information previously provided in supplemental material in the game's earlier life. V20 officially revived Vampire: The Masquerade as part of White Wolf Publishing's shift to a print-on-demand business model, and multiple new Masquerade products were subsequently announced. After White Wolf ceased publishing books directly, the licences to its tabletop roleplaying games, including Vampire, were transferred to Onyx Path Publishing, founded by former White Wolf Art Director Rich Thomas. White Wolf's live-action Mind's Eye Theatre products were published by By Night Studios.
In August 2015, Onyx Path Publishing announced its intention to create a fourth edition of Vampire. Two months later, Paradox Interactive purchased White Wolf and all of its intellectual properties from CCP Games. It was announced that White Wolf, which would move ahead with a new edition of the game instead of Onyx Path, and White Wolf would remain a subsidiary of Paradox Interactive. With game designer Kenneth Hite as lead developer, Vampire: The Masquerade, Fifth Edition (also known as V5) was subsequently released in early 2018. It was distributed by Modiphius Entertainment, with production of supplements licensed to multiple publishers, including Modiphius and Onyx Path. After the release of the Anarch sourcebook in November 2018, Paradox Interactive announced it would no longer allow White Wolf to develop the series in-house due to references in the sourcebook to the anti-gay purges in Chechnya and other controversies surrounding White Wolf. In December 2018, Paradox announced that Modiphius Entertainment would continue the development of the series with final approval by Paradox Interactive.
In November 2020, Paradox Interactive announced that Renegade Game Studios would become the publishing partner for the entire World of Darkness brand and they would release all future Vampire: The Masquerade products. The company also announced it would bring IP development back in-house under the World of Darkness team, hiring former lead developer Justin Achilli as the World of Darkness Creative Lead. In 2021, the core rulebook and several other products were revised and updated to "meet new ethical standards enforced by the team at Paradox". V5 was released on Roll20 in June 2021. In July 2021, Renegade Game Studios released the updated versions of Vampire: The Masquerade, Fifth Edition books for retail distribution. The online toolset World of Darkness Nexus, which supports Vampire: The Masquerade and other games in the series, was launched in June 2022. Nexus includes bundles of both physical and digital game products, and contains a rules and lore compendium, character creation and management tools, matchmaking, and video chat functionality.
The game uses the vampiric condition as a backdrop to explore themes of morality, the human condition, salvation, and personal horror. The setting is a gloomy and exaggerated version of the real world in which vampires and other monsters exist, called the World of Darkness.
Vampire is based on the Storyteller System. The actions taken during gameplay are expressed using ten-sided dice. The number of dice used correspond to the player's current skill level, often based on two different skills that together represent the player's ability. For example, to land a punch, the character's dexterity and brawl skill are combined. The resulting number is the number of dice rolled to perform the task. The Storyteller then sets a target number or difficulty (usually 6) which must be achieved on at least one die to succeed. The more dice which meet or exceed the difficulty, the more successful the action is.
In addition to the general Storyteller rules, it uses a number of specific mechanics aimed towards simulating the vampiric existence. A vampire has a blood pool signifying the amount of human blood or vitae currently in their body; this blood can be spent to power abilities and perform supernatural tricks. These tricks simulate many of those portrayed in film, such as turning into animals or mist, surviving and healing from grievous injuries or having unnatural charisma and powers of hypnotic suggestion. Close to the central theme of the game is humanity. Vampires each have Humanity scores, measuring how closely in touch with human nature they are; as Humanity decreases, vampires become more susceptible to the Beast, the feral side of the vampiric soul that is driven entirely by rage, hunger, and fear. Inhumane actions risk lowering a vampire's Humanity score. If the individual's Humanity drops to zero, the Beast takes over and the vampire becomes a monstrous, barely sentient creature called a wight.
Vampires in the World of Darkness, known as Kindred or Cainites, make use of several familiar tropes of vampires in myth and legend such as immortality and a powerful thirst for blood. They are undead, so their hearts do not beat, they do not require food or drink, they do not age, their skin is cold and pale, and the only sustenance they require is blood. Kindred are thinking, feeling beings capable of thought, emotion, and empathy (though this capacity may diminish with age, or through a desensitization caused by immoral actions, referred to as "loss of Humanity"). Other tropes or weaknesses are described as mere legends or superstitions, such as a vampire's victim becoming a vampire simply from a bite. There is a system of merits and flaws that allow these other folkloric weaknesses and characteristics to come into play.
Sunlight is deadly to the Kindred; at most, they can tolerate only a few seconds of exposure. A wooden stake through the heart is not deadly but will immobilize them until removed. Also, within each Kindred is the Beast—the carnal, predatory drive which seeks to satisfy its base urge to survive. The Beast can be provoked through anger, mortal threats, hunger, or bloodlust. When provoked, the Beast is capable of taking over the Kindred's conscious mind, forcing them into a frenzied state where they take violent actions that they perhaps otherwise would not. One of the major themes of Vampire is a character's battle to hold onto their humanity in the face of their own violent, predatory nature. This is summed up in the adage, "A Beast I Am, Lest a Beast I Become". The Kindred may enter a deathlike sleep called torpor, caused by near-fatal injuries, loss of blood, or ennui. In-game, the level of the Cainite's humanity determines how long they sleep for. Kindred cannot die of old age, but they can die. Fire, sunlight, decapitation, supernatural powers, or succumbing to a clan weakness can cause Kindred to reach what is referred to as Final Death.
The Kindred refer to their own supernatural blood as vitae, which they gain by feeding on humans. In-game, vitae is measured in blood points, which can be spent to fuel supernatural powers, to heal wounds, or to increase their physical strength, agility, or stamina. A vampire's vitae can be fed to others to inspire false feelings of love and obsession, creating a dependency called the Blood Bond. In most cases, a victim must drink three times from the same vampire on three separate nights to become bonded to them. Once bonded, the victim feels a twisted sort of love for the vampire and they become the most important person in their life. The victim also becomes more susceptible to mind control by that vampire and are willing to do anything, even risk their own life, to aid them. Mortals, animals, and even other vampires may also be bound. The Sabbat practice a form of group blood bonding called the Vaulderie, which inspires loyalty among the sect. It will also instantly break conventional blood bonds if performed correctly by a trained vampire, typically a Pack Priest. Blood bonds can usually only be negated with time and effort, depending on how strong the bond is and whether the victim can avoid the vampire for long enough.
Vampires create more of themselves by draining a human to the point of death and then feeding the victim some of their blood, in an act known as the Embrace. The creator vampire is known as a sire and the newly created vampire a childe. Very little vitae is required to trigger the metamorphosis but the victim must be freshly dead (no more than a few minutes old). A vampire's relative power is limited by their generation, which is their relative distance from the race's mythical founder, Caine. A ninth generation Kindred is eight steps removed from Caine by descent; their own progeny would always be nine steps removed, and hence of the tenth generation. Characters can only lower their generation by committing diablerie—the consumption of the soul of a vampire of lower generation. Most Kindred see diablerie as a criminal act.
In some sects, such as the Camarilla, the creation of new Kindred is tightly controlled. Among the Sabbat or the Anarchs, the norms are much looser. Individual clans, especially the independent clans, have different norms, rituals and restrictions surrounding the Embrace.
Vampires in the World of Darkness believe their race originates from the Biblical figure of Cain, or Caine, Caine was said to have been cursed by God with a vampiric state for murdering his brother. The vampires of this canon believe themselves to be descended from this Biblical progenitor. Caine passed on his cursed state to others, thereby making them like himself, only somewhat weaker. These first childer, known as the second generation, were made to keep him company, and they in turn made the third generation, known as the Antediluvians. There were supposedly 13 Antediluvians, who are the semi-legendary founders of the 13 original clans. According to in-game legend, all of these vampires lived in peace under Caine's rule in the legendary city known as Enoch, or the First City. When God caused the Great Flood, the city was destroyed and Caine disappeared, leaving his children to fend for themselves. The third generation eventually rose up and slew their sires. Caine, upon discovering this, cursed them, giving each clan its own unique weakness. These myths are collected in an in-game document of dubious reliability known as the Book of Nod. Those who study the mythical vampire origins are called Noddists. Noddists claim Caine will return at the end of time to judge his descendants: the Antediluvians and all vampires descended from them. This event is known as Gehenna, the end of all vampires. Others claim that Gehenna is simply the awakening of the Antediluvians who have returned to feed on the blood of their descendants.
Differing interpretations of the myths divide vampire society. The Sabbat take the myths quite literally and believe it is their purpose to defend vampires from the ancients. The Camarilla is more dismissive, either claiming that Caine is a myth or metaphor, or outright suppressing the myths and their study. Contentions between the different societies surrounding the origins of vampires and Gehenna are important in-game motivations for the Jyhad that color each character's understanding of their world. According to the game's creators, the myth of Caine represents several important themes in the game's metaplot, such as sins of the father coming back upon his children, the threat of apocalypse, questions of faith, conspiracies, and the war between the young and old. In contrast to Gehenna, Golconda is a fabled state of enlightenment which offers Kindred a release from their struggle with the Beast. Golconda is presented as an elusive and mysterious state, and there is very little information in-game or out as to how to achieve it.
In Vampire, the Masquerade refers to an organized conspiracy, primarily maintained by the Camarilla, to convince the general public that vampires do not exist. The Camarilla believes the Masquerade is the cornerstone survival strategy for Kindred and fear that without it the kine (humans) would rise up and exterminate them. Prohibitions against exposing the existence of Kindred existed prior to the Camarilla's formation, however, in a set of ancient laws known as the Traditions. The First Tradition reads: "Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the Blood. Doing such shall renounce thy claims of Blood." This stricture was not consistently nor as strictly enforced until the Inquisition of the 15th century required it. During this period, Kindred were destroyed in large numbers by vampire hunters, prompting the formation of the Camarilla as a sect whose primary purpose was to promote and enforce the Masquerade.
The Masquerade is largely enforced through self-policing, but it is primarily the job of the Prince in Camarilla controlled cities to enforce it. Princes may use any means at their disposal to ensure vampire society stays hidden. Punishments for breaches are usually draconian in nature due to the seriousness of the Masquerade. Final Death, often by means of a ritualized "Blood Hunt" by other vampires, is not uncommon. When breaches do occur, the Camarilla takes great pains to repair them. This could include anything from erasing a mortal's memories using supernatural powers to manipulating mortal pawns in order to keep events out of the media. The Masquerade is one of the main in-game points of contention between the two major factions of vampires in the World of Darkness. While many vampires see the pragmatism in the Masquerade, some do not agree with it. The Sabbat do not uphold the Tradition that justifies the enforcement of the Masquerade but behind closed doors even they take some steps to contain breaches.
In-game, around the early 2000s, after the intelligence agencies of the world discovered the existence of a clandestine computer network known as the SchreckNET, they formed the Second Inquisition. Utilizing the knowledge of the Society of St. Leopold, which had been canonized under the Vatican, they killed thousands of vampires the world over. This forced a secondary level of secrecy in the game world. Vampires now use everything from burner phones and disposable email, to the use of carrier pigeons and information dead drops, sometimes using hypnotized or enslaved humans to pass information. The Camarilla has also become more insular, only accepting notable Kindred, and leaving the recently Embraced to be slaughtered or adopted by the Anarchs, who have also adopted tenets of the Camarilla's masquerade to protect themselves.
Vampires in the World of Darkness have a complex and diverse secret society with a range of ideologies, goals, and backgrounds. Sects largely divide along ideological disputes surrounding the distribution of power among vampires, the role of vampires in the human world, and the ancient myths that allegedly explain the origins and purpose of vampires.
An important means of social distinction among vampires in this setting is through age. Younger vampires wanting respect and power must prove themselves to their elders. While ambition can provide a degree of upward mobility among immortals, oftentimes respect comes to those who can prove they can survive. Characters are loosely divided into several age groups. Ages are not titles or jobs but rather loose descriptions to describe a vampire's development and the social expectations that come with aging.
Vampire: The Masquerade gives players the opportunity to play in a politically diverse world, divided by sect, clan, and bloodline.
Vampire: The Masquerade offers the players the opportunity to play in a politically diverse world in which sects rule over all of vampire society. While many factions and sub-sects exist in the game, the main focus is the conflict between the Camarilla, the Sabbat and the Anarchs. These sects are divided based on their laws and norms, feeding, the treatment of vessels, vampiric morality, secrecy, feeding grounds, Gehenna, and the distribution of power. For most of the game's publication history, the two major sects were the Camarilla and the Sabbat, but there are other sects as well, such as the Inconnu and the Tal'maha'Re. A sect is something a character may choose in-game, though this decision is often chosen for them by their sire. Defection to one side or the other comes with great risk, as much of what motivates the Jyhad are the ideological differences between the Camarilla and the Sabbat.
A clan is the character's vampire family. All members of a clan allegedly descend from the same founder, known as Antediluvian (since they existed "before the Flood"). It is widely accepted that there are 13 clans with 13 founders, though not all of them predate the biblical Flood. Some clan founders, such as Giovanni or Tremere, usurped their position via diablerie. Clans may have a social or political component to them, but a clan is something a vampire is Embraced into rather than choosing. Those without a clan are known as Caitiff, and are considered outsiders. Each Antediluvian is a grandchilde of Caine. In the back story of the game, the Antediluvians started a war among themselves, called the Jyhad, and use their clansmen to fight this war for them.
Each clan has a unique set of powers called Disciplines, and their own set of weaknesses. Two of the original clans, the Salubri and Cappaodcians, were usurped by newer bloodlines—the Tremere and Giovanni, respectively. The 13 major clans are:
Most Sabbat vampires consider themselves to be "anti-clans" or antitribu, in rebellion against their parent clans' values, goals, or loyalties. For example, Toreador within the Sabbat consider themselves Toreador antitribu. Some subvert or twist the expectations of their clans, while others take a more radical view of their lineage's core ideas. Some are so different that they are considered different bloodlines, manifesting different Disciplines or weaknesses, or even a different name. Until Fifth Edition, the Lasombra and Tzimisce did not consider themselves antitribu, as most of their members were within the Sabbat. Lasombra outside the Sabbat were considered antitribu while the Tzimisce outside the Sabbat were referred to as the Old Clan. A Sabbat offshoot of the Followers of Set is known as the Serpents of the Light, and have rejected both the clan founder and his Egyptian origin, in favor of the cultural trappings of Caribbean voodoo.
Bloodlines cannot trace their lineage to an Antediluvian founder or are too few in number to be considered a major player in the Jyhad. Some bloodlines are considered to be offshoots of existing clans, while others have no known origin—and in some cases, they are remnants of "true" clans who were replaced or usurped by another bloodline (such as the Salubri, who were usurped by the Tremere). All bloodlines are exceptionally rare in the game, leaving most of the interactions and storylines centered around the clans.
When released in 1991, Vampire: The Masquerade was one of the top ten best selling tabletop role-playing games of the year in the United States. Martin Wixted reviewed Vampire: The Masquerade in White Wolf #29 (Oct./Nov. 1991), rating it 5 out of 5, and said: "Vampire: The Masquerade is a game which will leave you thirsting for campaign-style play. Its character development elements are particularly rich and satisfying over a period of extended adventuring. But with pregenerated characters and the possibility for mayhem that the power of a vampire persona offers, don't forget to try a simple night out."
In the November 1991 edition of Dragon (Issue 175), Allen Varney said the production values were unprofessional, including "amateurish" artwork and poor copy-editing. Varney also found the rules lacking in sufficient detail. However, he applauded the wide-ranging campaign advice, saying: "There are whole chapters on how to plot stories, maintain suspense, handle players, and so on." He concluded, "If you're up for a potent and even passionate role-playing experience, look for this game." Steve Crow reviewed Vampire: The Masquerade (2nd edition) in White Wolf #34 (Jan./Feb. 1993), rating it 5 out of 5, and said: "The layout has been cleaned up, the text is crisp, clear and fully intact from the original, and the MOOD! Yow!"
In a 1996 reader poll by Arcane magazine, Vampire: The Masquerade was ranked 6th on a list of the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time. Editor Paul Pettengale said that, although it had a tendency to take itself a little too seriously, Vampire's success was due to "the continuing appeal of the vampire itself, and to the structure and design of the game". He said that while the game was often hard to get right, "it can be an immensely interesting and thought-provoking game, and one of the most effective horror RPGs around" with the right group.
Scott Taylor for Black Gate in 2013 rated Vampire: The Masquerade as #10 in the top ten role-playing games of all time, saying, "I don't like vampires, be they shiny or horrific, this game has to be given its props as it propelled White Wolf into a full-fledged gaming company when gaming companies were in the process of dying in droves."
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle (first published 1994 as Jyhad), a traditional collectible card game based on Vampire, was produced by Wizards of the Coast and later by White Wolf. It is currently produced by Black Chantry, a company founded solely for this purpose, under license by Paradox Interactive, by republishing old cards and making minor balancing adjustments to the rules or card texts. The relaunch by Black Chantry changes the mode of distribution by scrapping booster packs in favor of non-randomized precompiled card sets. A fifth edition was released in 2020.
In 2020, Paradox licensed the setting to several game production companies, leading to multiple Kickstarter campaigns.