Vampire the Masquerade TTRPG has been around since 1991 and has “bitten” many fans with its fangs in the past 30-plus years. Numerous video game versions have further popularized the famous goth tabletop, the latest being “Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2,” which is still in development at the time of writing.
Vampire: The Masquerade (VTM) has a modern setting, unlike other tabletop RPGs, which usually use particular historical periods, fictional worlds, or a combination of both (like the steampunk genre).
Players assume the roles of vampires from several clans, each with their skills and limitations, but all with a ravenous want for blood. The contemporary vampires are fighting to live in a world where humanity’s Second Inquisition is conducting a quiet war against them, and every magical race wants to wipe them out.
Because it is a game of repercussions, VTM is a tabletop RPG that is both dramatic and personal to play. In VTM, you play as strong and damaged supernatural creatures intricately linked to the mundane world yet doomed to never really be a part of it. Sessions are like a high-budget Hollywood drama coupled with a Greek tragedy, with everything condensed down to some basic dice-rolling and dialog.
Vampire the Masquerade RPG – Where it all began
Vampire: The Masquerade features a core rulebook (5th edition) that provides all the information needed to play the game. I recommend that the Storyteller (GM) have a copy of the rulebook on hand.
Since it is quite a complicated game, I also advise having a “zero session” where everybody would be introduced to the game.
Playing VTM requires little more than a pencil, paper, and a handful of 10-sided dice, making it ideal for remote play. It’s ideally suited to parties of three to four player characters to keep an attentive, engaged group where no participants are sidelined for an hour.
Clans
Whereas other tabletop RPGs may feature classes, vampires in VTM come from one of several various bloodlines, similar to a mystic ancestry. Every clan has its own set of vampiric abilities (called disciplines) and a terrifying blight that afflicts them.
This decision will also influence who your sire (the person who converted you into a vampire) is, as they belong to the same clan.
Mechanics
You can create characters in the VTM’s Storytelling System using character points, each corresponding to a Dot on their character sheets. A ten-sided dice (d10) is represented by each dot. The character is better at their skills and attributes if they have more dots in those categories.
Each player should have ten d10s of one color and five of a different color (ideally red) since this should cover most of the game’s scenarios. The game’s Hunger mechanism, which appears frequently, may be distinguished from conventional dice by using the two distinct colors of dice.
Hunger levels vary from zero to five, with zero being satiated and five being dangerously hungry. It can be caused by disciplines, powers, or even waking up, and it never goes away until you feed it. Because the only way to achieve zero hunger is to murder your victim, most vampires are constantly hungry. You must substitute one of your regular dice with a hunger die for every dot of hunger you have.
Your character utilizes a Dice Pool, a collection of dice that reflect the Dots in an attribute or skill, to determine whether they will succeed or fail at particular activities. For example, when I was in a roof-chasing situation, dexterity and climbing influenced my chances of success.
The Storyteller selects which qualities and abilities are most appropriate and how many victories you need to carry out your strategies.
Keeping it safe and fun for everyone
Before beginning a VTM game with new players, it’s critical to establish ground rules, as the setting lends itself strongly to dark subject matter that some people may find distressing.
The game is so versatile that you can lead it any way you like. Whether you want character drama, supernatural warfare, or a horror game, all choices are valid as long as everyone has fun playing the game.
Vampire the Masquerade video games
There are quite a few games inspired by the Vampire the Masquerade TTRPG, and I will go through some of the most notable ones.
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodhunt
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodhunt from 2021 is a free-to-play battle royale game focused on heavy fighting in the streets of Prague. Although it takes you to bloody battles out in the open, compared to the original TTRPG that will have you avoid exposing yourself too much, I would say it’s still a creative take on the genre.
You can pick between seven distinct classes from four different clans, each with various vampiric skills that function on a cooldown. The class skills, which range from tremendous jumps to disappearing into a swarm of bats that allow you to see past walls, are vital elements in VTM Bloodhunt.
It features one map so far (streets of Prague) that will have everybody running and climbing all over the place and surprise-attacking their opponents. I personally like that each class can both use guns and melee weapons which come especially handy in those final moments of the game when the map shrinking system, characteristic for battle royale games, will make you run at your enemies.
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines (1 & 2)
The installment called Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines from 2004 is one of the RPG classics in vampire gaming history, and it has caught my eye for a couple of reasons. Even though it didn’t pick up much attention upon release, it became popular via word of mouth.
At first, it was a game with bugs and glitches, but the community liked it enough to start modding it, and soon enough, the developers of the original game picked up on fixing the bugs. Keep in mind that if you play the game today, you should be sure to go for the incredible patches that have transformed it into one of the finest roleplaying experiences of its age.
What I, and all fans of TTRPGs, love is the fact that the game takes place in the original Vampire The Masquerade setting, where vampires, werewolves, demons, and other exotic creatures exist but keep their identities hidden from the public sight.
I particularly like that I get the experience for finishing a mission rather than killing creatures. However, the two may coincide, as this is more true to the original tabletop game. The points you get from completing quests will be divided among your preferred stats.
As far as Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2 is concerned, its launch was delayed a couple of times and we hope we will see it soon. What we know so far is that it will be located in Seattle and that it will feature seven vampire clans.
The way things stand right now, in early 2025, it seems we finally reached the release year, but let’s wait on it to actually come out before celebrating.
Vampire the Masquerade Swansong
Vampire the Masquerade Swansong has a decent linear story with a good choice of three characters to guide you through the game. Unfortunately, Swansong has little to entice you if you haven’t previously invested emotionally in the universe of VTM.
Characters have unique backstories, but the game drops you into its main storyline too fast, so you don’t get much time to weigh in on which decisions are right for you.
There is some fighting involved, but only through cutscenes where you are just a mere spectator. Not having combat isn’t bad by itself since there are a lot of RPGs that are awesome even without it, but it does require a really good story and other mechanics that will immerse you into the game. Vampire the Masquerade Swansong unfortunately lacks that.
Puzzle-solving will be fairly present in the game, but some illogical solutions threw me off from the enjoyment of brainstorming.
In the end, this detective RPG begins interestingly but takes far too long to develop its story and only the most patient players will see its end I’m afraid.
Conclusion
All things considered, as someone who enjoys the original Vampire The Masquerade TTRPG, I could confidently say that both the original game and its video descendants will continue to grab attention in the gaming world.
In spite of being released almost 20 years ago, I must admit that Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 1 is currently the best reflection of the original tabletop. If the second installment wasn’t delayed, I would possibly be praising that one instead.
Either way, I hope it will be released soon so that legendary VTM gets a more up-to-date video game that will delight fans with its inviting story and alluring graphics.
