Vampire: The Masquerade

Vampire: The Masquerade is a role-playing game (RPG) 2 Game system

created by Mark Rein-Hagen and released in 1991 by
White Wolf Publishing as the rst of several Storytelling Vampire is based on the Storytelling System. In addiSystem games for its World of Darkness setting line.[1]
tion to the general Storytelling rules, it uses a number
It is an RPG set in a ctionalized gothic-punk version of specic mechanics aimed towards simulating the vamof the modern world, where players assume the roles of piric existence. A vampire has a blood pool signifying the
vampires, who are referred to as Kindred, and deal with amount of human blood or vitae currently in their body;
their night-to-night struggles against their own bestial na- this blood can be spent to power abilities and perform
tures, vampire hunters and each other.[2] In 1992, Vam- supernatural tricks. These tricks simulate many of those
pire: The Masquerade won the Origins Award for Best portrayed on lm, such as turning into animals or mist,
Roleplaying Rules of 1991.[3] The game line was discon- sleeping in the ground or having unnatural charisma and
tinued in 2004 followed by a revision of the setting in powers of hypnotic suggestion.
Vampire: The Requiem.
Close to the central theme of the game is the Humanity
mechanic. Each vampire has a Humanity score, measuring how closely in touch with his human nature the vampire is; as it decreases, the vampire becomes more susceptible to his Beast, the feral side of the vampiric soul that
is driven entirely by rage and hunger. Brutal, immoral
actions risk lowering a vampires Humanity score. If the
individuals Humanity drops to zero, the Beast takes over
and the vampire is in a state of constant frenzy known as
Several associated products were produced based on
Wassail.
Vampire: the Masquerade, including dice, collectible
card games (Vampire: The Eternal Struggle), video games The actions taken during gameplay are expressed using
(Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines and Vampire: ten-sided dice. The number of dice used correspond to
The Masquerade Redemption), and numerous novels. In the players current skill level, often based on two dier1996, a short-lived but successful television show loosely ent skills that together represent the players ability. For
based on the game, Kindred: The Embraced, was pro- example, to land a punch, the characters dexterity and
duced by Aaron Spelling for the Fox Broadcasting Com- brawl skill are combined. The resulting number is the
number of die rolled to perform the task. It is up to the
pany.
story teller to set how high a dice roll must be to be considered a success (usually 6 for standard actions).
A 20th Anniversary Edition of Vampire: The Masquerade
was printed in 2011 and the game was ocially revived
as part of White Wolf Publishings shift to a print on demand business model,[4] and multiple new Masquerade
products have been announced.[5] All of White Wolfs
tabletop roleplaying games are now owned and published
by Onyx Path Publishing, including Vampire.[6]

Concept

3 Vampires in World of Darkness

The game uses the cursed and immortal vampiric condition as a backdrop to explore themes of morality, depravity, the human condition (or appreciation of the human
condition in its absence), salvation, and personal horror.
The gloomy and exaggerated version of the real world
that the vampires inhabit, called the extquotedblWorld of
Darkness, forms an already bleak canvas against which
the stories and struggles of characters are painted. The
themes that the game seeks to address include retaining
the characters sense of self, humanity, and sanity, as well
as simply keeping from being crushed by the grim opposition of mortal and supernatural antagonists and, more
poignantly, surviving the politics, treachery, and often violent ambitions of their own kind.

Main article: Masquerade society

In the World of Darkness, most vampires in the game
refer to themselves and their race as Kindred although
some vampires, specically members of the Sabbat faction, refer to themselves as Cainites as the curse that
transforms them into vampires is said to have originated
from the blood of Caine. The term extquotedblKine extquotedbl, an archaic term for cattle, refers to humans.
Characters within the Vampire setting are members of
one of the vampiric clans or minor bloodlines and usually belong to factions associated with these or that reect a general ideological stance the characters happen to
1

THE 13 CLANS

Ravnos: A clan of gypsies and charlatans who hail

from India. Their Discipline of Chimerstry allows
them to alter perceptions to create illusions.
Nosferatu: A clan of deformed vampires who often
dwell in the shadows of the sewers. Their Discipline
of Obfuscate allow them to hide in the shadows.
Lasombra: A clan with the power to control shadows. Their Discipline of Obtenebration allows them
to command darkness and shadows.

A diagram of the genealogy of the Assamites

share. For example, a vampire of the Brujah bloodline

might identify as a member of the Camarilla, Sabbat or
Anarchs sects but very few Tremere vampires would be
found among the Sabbat and even more rarely among the
Anarchs. Some clans and most of the minor bloodlines
declare themselves independent from any sects. A vampire who rejects all associations with any sect and clan
is known as Autarkis. Laibon, called Kindred of the
Ebony Kingdom by Western Kindred, are not so much a
sect as a cultural group bound together loosely by a powerful spiritual bond to the land and the people of Africa.
The Kindred of the East, while sharing some supercial
similarity to the western Kindred, are actually an entirely
dierent variety of supernatural being.

The 13 Clans

Vampire: The Masquerade introduces the use of 13 clans

(or major bloodlines) in the game:
Assamite: A clan of Middle Eastern assassins. Their
Discipline of Quietus allows them to move soundlessly and gives them power over the blood of other
vampires.
Ventrue: A clan of aristocrats and bureaucrats. Most
princes come from this clan. Their Disciplines of
Dominate and Fortitude allows them to control the
minds of mortals and vampires alike and grants them
supernatural resilience respectively.

Giovanni: A clan of mostly Italian merchants and

gangsters, who Embrace within their own human
family. Their Disciplines specialize in Necromancy.
They were originally a bloodline of the former Clan
Cappadocian, who they have since usurped.
Brujah: A clan of hot-headed malcontents, rebels,
rogues and anti-authoritarians who strive for freedom from societal restraints. Their Disciplines
of Potence and Presence grants them superhuman
strength and supernatural charisma respectively.
Toreador: A clan of sensualists and artists. Their
Discipline of Celerity gives them superhuman
speed.
Gangrel: A clan of animalistic vampires highly intune with their Beasts. Their Disciplines of Animalism and Protean allow communion with animals and
the power of shape-shifting respectively.
Tzimisce: A clan of scholars and esh-shapers. Their
Discipline of Vicissitude allows them to reshape the
esh and bone of themselves and other creatures.
Tremere: A clan of blood sorcerers. They were
originally a bloodline of Clan Tzimisce until their
founder, a mage named Tremere, diablerized the
Antediluvian of the former Clan Salubri, Saulot, solidifying the Tremeres status as a clan. Their Discipline of Thaumaturgy allow them to use the power
of their blood to cast spells.
Each Clan can trace its origins to one of 13 elder vampires
known as an Antediluvian, for they survived God's biblical ood. Each Antediluvian is a grandchilde of Caine,
who killed Abel and was cursed by God into becoming
the rst vampire. Through the back story of the game,
Antediluvians started a war among themselves, called the
Jyhad, and use their clansmen to ght this war for them.

Followers of Set: A clan of cultists who worship

their Antediluvian progenitor, the Egyptian snake Bloodlines, on the other hand, either cannot trace their
lineage to an Antediluvian founder or are too little in
god Set.
number to be considered a major player in the Jyhad.
Malkavian: A clan of lunatics whose madness grants Some Bloodlines are considered to be o-shoots of existthem strange insight. Their Discipline of Demen- ing clans. All Bloodlines are treated as exceptionally rare
tation allows them to spread their insanity like a in the game, leaving most of the interactions and story
plague.
lines centered around the Clans.

3
Each Clan and Bloodline has a unique set of powers called
Disciplines, and their own set of weaknesses, also unique
to that particular branch of vampire.

Factions

Vampire: The Masquerade oers the players the opportunity to play in a politically structured world in which sects
(large factions) rule over all of vampire society. While
many factions and sub-sects exist in the game, the main
focus is the conict between the Camarilla, the Sabbat
and the Anarchs.
The primary sect is the Camarilla (see camarilla), sometimes called extquotedblthe Ivory Tower extquotedbl.
They originated in the rst attempt for control over the
entire vampire population. Through their use of the Six
Traditions, Camarilla Kindred survive the night, hiding
their existence from humans.

Moonstone Books published a series of comic book

adaptations of Vampire: The Masquerade which are
now hard to nd, but some of them made it into
DriveThruRPG's Print on Demand service.[7]
Steve Jackson Games published an adaptation of
Vampire: The Masquerade using their popular
GURPS generic table-top roleplaying system. They
followed this book up with a supplement called
GURPS: Vampire Companion. Both books were produced for use with the Third Edition of the GURPS
rules and are no longer in print. The Steve Jackson company also produced GURPS conversions of
Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and Mage: The Ascension. Steve Jackson Games had the original copyright to the World of Darkness setting. Initially, SJ
Games decided not to release their version; however, after the massive popularity the game setting
received during the White Wolf Companys release,
SJ Games, which still held their ocial rights of release on the system, published its version.

The second most populous sect is the Sabbat. The Sabbat,

sometimes called the Sword of Caine, is the archenemy Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Mage: The Ascension,
of the Camarilla; their goal is rule over humanity, which Wraith: The Oblivion, Changeling: The Dreaming,
they see as their birthright.
Hunter: The Reckoning, Mummy: The Resurrection,
The third major sect is the Anarchs, who oppose the rule Kindred of the East, and Demon: The Fallen are other
RPG titles set in the Old World of Darkness.
of the Elders and wish to manage their own lives.

Other minor sects include The Black Hand and the In- In August 2004, the now-defunct game set in the original
connu. Independents are those who take no sides with World of Darkness was replaced by Vampire: The Reany of the factions but have their own goals and agendas. quiem. Although it is an entirely new game, rather than a
continuation of the old, it uses many elements of the old
game, including certain clans and disciplines.

Tie-ins and adaptations

At the White Wolf Camarilla meeting in October 2009

it was decided to re-support this game system both in the
Under the title Minds Eye Theatre: The Masquerade ocial Camarilla fan club and outside to Table Top playWhite Wolf also provides a live action role-playing ers.
game in the same setting, using their Minds Eye
Theatre system.

7 20th Anniversary Edition

Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, a collectible card

game based on Vampire, was produced by
On March 17, 2011, White Wolf announced the 20th AnWizards of the Coast and later by White Wolf.
niversary Edition, which was published during the Grand
Kindred: The Embraced, a television series based on Masquerade event in New Orleans on September 1517,
2011, released to the attendees. Customers not attendVampire, was produced by Aaron Spelling.
ing The Grand Masquerade were oered a limited time
A video game based upon the Vampire milieu is preorder option. The 20th Anniversary Edition contains
Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption, developed revisions of rules and is a compendium of most inforby Nihilistic Software and published in 2000 by mation provided in supplemental material in the games
earlier life.
Activision.
Another game followed in 2004: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Developed by Troika Games
and published by Activision, it uses Valve's Source
engine.

8 Print on Demand

As of fall 2011 White Wolf and online role playing game

A compilation album, called Music from the Suc- store DriveThruRPG.com began oering the new and
cubus Club, was released by Dancing Ferret Discs classic World of Darkness source books in a print on deto serve as a soundtrack for the Vampire RPG.
mand format through the DriveThruRPG web site start-

12

EXTERNAL LINKS

ing with a number of formerly out of print Vampire: The

Masquerade books and gradually adding more as they
were ready for print. DriveThruRPG and White Wolf
have indicated that eventually all World of Darkness material will be available in this way.

Dean Shomshak & Ari Marmell, Blood Sacrice:

The Thaumatrugy Companion, (White Wolf Game
Studio, 2002, ISBN 1-58846-222-6

Justin Achilli et al., Guide to the Sabbat, White Wolf

Game Studio, 1999, ISBN 1-56504-263-8

See also
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines
Vampire: The Masquerade Redemption
Kindred: The Embraced

10

Notes

James A. Moore et al., Blood Magic: Secrets of

Thaumaturgy, White Wolf Game Studio, 2000,
ISBN 1-56504-246-8

White Wolf Publishing Children of the Night, White

Wolf Game Studio, 1999, ISBN 1-56504-244-1
Justin Achilli, Clanbook: Cappadocian, White Wolf
Game Studio, 1997, ISBN 1-56504-280-8
Justin Achilli, Clanbook: Giovanni by White Wolf
Game Studio) (1997) ISBN 1-56504-218-2
White Wolf Publishing et al., Vampire Storytellers
Handbook, White Wolf Game Studio, 2000, ISBN
1-56504-264-6

[1] Vasilakos, George (2007). Vampire: The Masquerade.

In Lowder, James. Hobby Games: The 100 Best. Renton,
WA: Green Ronin Publishing. pp. 348351. ISBN 9781-932442-96-0.

Sven Skoog & Lucien Soulban, Clanbook: Baali,

White Wolf Game Studio, 1998, ISBN 1-56504213-1

[2] Melton, Gordon (1994). The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead (1st ed.). Detroit, MI: Visible Ink
Press. p. 852. ISBN 0-8103-2295-1.

White Wolf Games Studio et al., Vampire Storytellers Companion White Wolf Game Studio, 1998,
ISBN 1-56504-259-X

[3] Origins Award Winners (1991) extquotedbl. Academy

of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Archived from the
original on 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2008-01-12.

Andrew Greenberg, Vampire Players Guide, White

Wolf Game Studio, 1993, ISBN 1-56504-053-8

[4] At GenCon we announced our partnership with DriveThruRPG in their Now in Print program, oering outof-print and PDF-exclusive products as physical books
through print-on-demand technology. White Wolf Publishing. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
[5] White Wolf Release Schedule 2011-2012. White Wolf
Publishing. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
[6] http://theonyxpath.com/vtm/.
[7] DriveThruRPGs List of Moonstone Comics with World
of Darkness Theme

11

References

Achilli, Justin. Vampire: The Masquerade Revised

Edition. White Wolf Game Studio, 1998. ISBN 156504-249-2.
Justin Achilli et al., Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom,
White Wolf Game Studio, 2003, ISBN 1-58846239-0
Robert Hatch et al., A World of Darkness (Second
Edition), White Wolf Game Studio, 1996, ISBN 156504-207-7

Lucien Soulban & James Stewart et al., Clanbook:

Tzimisce, White Wolf Game Studio, 2001, ISBN
1-58846-202-1
Justin Achilli et al., Guide to the Sabbat, White Wolf
Game Studio, 1999, ISBN 1-56504-263-8
Justin Achilli al., Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition, White Wolf Game Studio, 1998,
ISBN 1-56504-249-2
Steven C. Brown & Ken Meyer, The Storytellers
Handbook to the Sabbat, White Wolf Game Studio,
1995, ISBN 1-56504-042-2
Steven C. Brown & Je Starling, A Players Guide to
the Sabbat, White Wolf Game Studio, 1995, ISBN
1-56504-042-2
http://www.white-wolf.com

12 External links
Vampire The Masquerade in The ocial World of
Darkness wiki
Vampire the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition
Ocial blog

13
13.1

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