Earlier V:TM was good about that, but Requiem hit those notes perfectly for me. One of the things I give Vampire: The Requiem credit for was really showcasing the horror of being a vampire, both in the text and in the rules.

I was surprised with what I found, arguably the best expression of Vampire: The Masquerade yet. But as time went on the problematic elements seemed purged and things got a little cleaned-up, so after playing Bloodlines I thought to myself that I should at least check it out. The 20th Anniversary Edition provided everything a veteran Masquerade player like myself would want and I had a preferred toolkit vampire rpg in Requiem already.Īfter its release I read of controversies over certain content and it put me even more on the fence. When I first heard of Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition I was admittedly indifferent. As I got older I drifted away from it, enticed by a newer, redder version of vampire roleplaying, and converted over to Vampire: The Requiem. I played some tabletop, LARPed a lot, and played online frequently. As this was the ’90s, metaplot and setting sometimes took precedence over gameplay, and Vampire had a rich setting. I sunk my fangs into every book I could find and delighted with every new plot revelation. When I first got into the game at the age of 14, I was enthralled with the setting. I revisited my favorite ’90s tropes and a World of Darkness I hadn’t visited in a long time. It beckoned me into an alleyway and beat me about the head with nostalgia.

Recently, I completed my first run-through of the unfinished but amazingly-modded Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. It brought many more people into the hobby who had not previously been attracted to it. It focused strongly on style and attitude, storytelling and drama, and on playing what had traditionally been the “bad guys.” It was edgy and transgressive, it was also inclusive and progressive. When Vampire: The Masquerade first appeared on the gaming scene it was really different. Some people don’t like horror games, some don’t like vampires, some don’t like it when those vampires are revealed to be the monsters they are. In saying that I’m not commenting on its quality or trying to make any comparison between it and any other game, but rather that I cannot guarantee that every gamer will enjoy what this game provides, and that’s ok! Not everyone liked the previous editions either.

Vampire the masquerade age background