Vampires: The Masquerade

Vampires: The Masquerade (Vampires: The Masquerade)

publication
Original publisher	White wolf
Original publication	1991
original language	English
German publisher	Pen and sword
World and system
genre	horror
Game world	World of darkness
Basic system	Storyteller system
Ascent	Experience point purchase system
cube	W10 (storyteller system)

Vampire: Die Masquerade (English Vampire: The Masquerade ) is a pen & paper role-playing game by the White Wolf publishing house , which was translated into German by a pen and sword and distributed. The game was designed by game designer Mark Rein Hagen.

The game world of Vampire: The Masquerade is set in an alternative present and is strongly inspired by the world of the Chronicle of the Vampires . It is part of the so-called World of Darkness (German "Welt der Dunkelheit"). Offshoot systems have also been produced that include the game in other eras, the most famous of which is vampires from the Old World . The American publisher Activision published a total of two computer role-playing games, Redemption (2000) and Bloodlines (2004). The game's background world also served as the basis for the television series Embraced - Clan of Vampires , which was produced by Aaron Spelling .

General

Vampires: The masquerade describes itself as a “narrative role play” and a “game about personal horror”. The main focus should be on an interesting story and the creation of a gloomy atmosphere. The characters are mostly vampires in the sense of the game themselves . Players grapple with their dark instincts and observe the moral decay and the process of how a normal person becomes a monster. In addition to vampires, their human servants and allies can also be played, but in any case all characters are integrated into the vampiric society.

There are also LARP groups in many larger cities that play this game.

background

In Vampires: The Masquerade , ancient vampires rule civilization from unseen and struggle for supremacy in a power struggle that has been going on for thousands of years. Humans are just as much her puppet as younger vampires.

Vampire picture

The western vampires attribute their existence to Cain , the first murderer , and therefore also refer to themselves as "Cain children" or "Cainites" (not to be confused with the sect of the Cainites ). Vampirism is therefore the mark of Cain imposed by God as punishment . In Africa there is a group of vampires called Laibon . They have a different culture and different traditions, but are related to the Cain children. In the Asian region there are completely different vampires who call themselves Kuei-jin and differ in many ways from the Cainites and also kill them; Both are not the focus of the game.

Cainites are walking corpses. They don't have a heartbeat, they don't age, and they stop eating. Only the blood in their veins, the so-called vitae , animates the dead body. Since the vitae is used up over time, a vampire has to drink blood regularly in order not to fall into a state of rigidity. As in most versions of the vampire myth, kainites are burned by sunlight, but they usually have a mirror image and cannot fly. Silver and garlic also have no significant effect on most vampires. The stake through the heart is very dangerous for the vampire, even if he does not kill him, but only paralyzes him.

Humans become vampires by being created through what is known as the "kiss". To do this, a vampire must first withdraw all of his blood from a person. Then the vampire lets the person drink some of the vampire's blood shortly before he dies; the popular bite - or the three bites on three different nights - are not enough. The vampire blood becomes weaker from generation to generation. While the second and third generations (after Cain) are still described as beings with almost divine powers (antediluvian), the representatives of the fourteenth and fifteenth generations are almost indistinguishable from normal people. However, a person who is "kissed" by a 6th generation vampire is a 7th generation vampire. The generation is therefore dependent on the generation of the "father". The fifteenth generation is also unable to create Cainite children themselves. To strengthen the mystical power of his own blood, some vampires commit diablerie . Here one vampire drinks from another until his final death occurs. If the generation of the person killed in this way was more potent than that of his murderer, it permanently strengthens his or her vitae and thus increases his power. In most contexts, however, diablery is considered a serious offense and perversion, as it robs the victim's soul and denies him any opportunity for salvation.

Vampires have several so-called disciplines , depending on their clan membership (see below) , which give them further, supernatural powers. The discipline “domination” gives power over others (comparable to hypnosis), while the discipline “shape change” enables the vampire to transform himself into animals or let deadly claws grow out of his fingers. At the start of the game, each clan has three disciplines that are typical for the clan. Some of these disciplines are strongly associated with a particular clan (e.g. "necromancy" with the Giovanni or "thaumaturgy" with the tremers) and are often difficult to learn for outsiders, others are available to all Cainites. Very few disciplines are really exclusively reserved for a particular clan or bloodline.

society

Vampire society is essentially made up of two structures: clans and sects. Clans trace their ancestry back to a powerful founder, mostly a member of the third generation, also known as antediluvian . The members of a clan have a close social and family relationship and share certain mystical strengths and weaknesses. Most clans throughout history have also seen members split off who no longer conformed to the mainstream. In this way, "Anticlans", known as Antitribu , were created, which, although they usually do not differ from the parent clan in terms of their degree of relationship, are politically and philosophically contrary to them. There are also a number of small bloodlines, most of which are descended from one of the large clans, but are often of unknown origin. The main difference between a bloodline and a clan is mostly only in the political power of the group. There are precedents of bloodlines that have risen to become clans and of clans that have lost their status as such.

In the present there are only two sects of any significant importance, the Camarilla and the Sabbath. The majority of the Cainites count themselves at least nominally to one of the two organizations, which means that they represent the actual power blocks of society. While the Camarilla upholds traditions and veils the existence of vampires from humanity, the Sabbath is open, violent and animal-like. Theoretically, there is another “group” or classification, the “independents” (called anarchs), who do not place themselves under any form of umbrella organization, but in which each clan acts for itself (more or less) alone.

Humans also have their place in vampire society. Since the consumption of vampire blood ties a person emotionally to the donor, they usually play the role of mindless slaves called ghouls .

Clans of the Camarilla

Brujah: Brujah have a very low stimulus threshold. Therefore, members of the clan are often decried as rioters. Basically, Brujah are born revolutionaries who always dream of a social change and usually work towards it in one way or another, albeit extremely uncoordinated and rarely crowned with success. A common goal that the Brujah have been pursuing since the earliest days of the Cainites is a society in which humans and vampires live in harmony and harmony. In the past Brujah should have been less violent and more convinced philosophers and thinkers. There are rumors that the Brujah were destroyed in their old form in the fall of Carthage (their stronghold at the time) and only a very violent bloodline remained, from which today's Brujah are derived. The Brujah clan belongs to the Camarilla, but there is an extremely brutal anti-tribute on the Sabbath.; The Brujah clan disciplines are presence, strength and speed. The clan's weakness is the low frenzy threshold.
Malkavians: Malkavians have in common that they are all crazy and each of them has at least one particular mental illness. Since that can be pretty much any form of disorder, the characterization of the “typical” clan member is exhausted. Since they also have the ability to drive other beings insane, they are mostly feared, but their opinion as advisors is also valued, as many of them receive some kind of enlightenment through their crazy view of the world. They also like to refer to themselves as the Clan of the Enlightened or the Clan of the Moon. They are active in the Sabbath and the Camarilla. Although the Sabbath Malkavians call themselves Antitribu, there is seldom a noticeable difference between the two branches. For several centuries, the Malkavians of the Camarilla lacked the ability to transmit their insanity through the discipline of insanity. Instead, they wielded the hypnotic power of control. In 1997 that suddenly changed. Madness spread among the Malkavians like a contagious disease, so that today almost everyone has this terrifying gift again. Since then, the Malkavians have also had what is known as the network of madness - a type of mental connection based on madness that enables them to communicate with one another.; The Malkavian clan disciplines are madness, obscuration, and auspex. The clan's weakness is the mental disorder that everyone carries with them. Up to the 3rd edition, Malkavians had the discipline of domination as a clan discipline instead of the discipline of insanity, since when the Camarilla was founded they were forbidden to pass on the dreaded insanity.
Nosferatu: Nosferatu are outwardly ugly and repulsive creatures. Only their extraordinary ability to hide and disguise their presence prevents them from being recognized for the monsters they are. This talent also makes them excellent spies who have built up an information network within the clan that, despite moral disagreements, extends beyond the borders of the sects. Nevertheless, the Nosferatu clan is assigned to the Camarilla with an antitribu on the Sabbath. Other vampires tend not to like the nosferatu, look down on them and feel extremely uncomfortable around them. This is sometimes because the Nosferatu remind them of their monster nature and their inner ugliness, which the Nosferatu wear on the outside. Besides, you never know what a nosferatu knows about you, which is why they are so valuable. The Nosferatu mostly live in the sewer system, which they have mastered from the ground up and where hardly any other vampires dare to go, but in return they rarely dare to go to the surface.; The clan disciplines of the Nosferatu are strength, darkening and animalism. The clan's weakness is its repulsive appearance.
toreador: The Toreador generally see themselves as artists who actually interact best and most with human society (at least their better circles) of all clans. Beauty can completely cast a spell over you. They are a cornerstone of the Camarilla. The main difference between the Toreador Antitribu on the Sabbath is that pain and cruelty are art for them.; The Toreador clan disciplines are Auspex, Presence and Speed. The clan's weakness is the "spell of beauty" that temporarily makes them unable to perceive their surroundings when their attention is caught by something that they consider beautiful. This can be a person, a picture or (in the worst case) a picturesque sunrise.
Tremors: The tremers were once mortal magicians . In search of immortality, they first stole the vitae of some Tzimisce and thus became Cainites in their experiments, which was not originally their goal. Out of lust for power, its founder Tremere tracked down several antediluvian men, chose Saulot, the founder of Salubri, and committed diablery on him. The tremers, who developed a form of blood magic, were despised as usurpers in the past , but have become an integral part of the Camarilla. Their Sabbath anti-tribute was (officially) completely obliterated by them.; The clan disciplines of the tremere are thaumaturgy, auspex and domination. The weakness of the clan is the self-imposed bond of all members of the clan to the clan.
Ventrue: The Ventrue are the leaders and rulers of the vampires. You slip into the role of nobles and politicians of the night. In this role they are completely absorbed in the Camarilla. The Ventrue Antitribu on the Sabbath see themselves more as crusaders in war against the sect's enemies.; The Ventrue clan disciplines are presence, domination, and fortitude. The weakness of the clan is the "exquisite" taste. You are picky. Each Ventrue specializes in a particular prey scheme. This could be blonde women, for example, or members of a certain social class. Ultimately, this limitation depends on each Ventrue personally. The person is unable and / or unwilling to accept blood from another source of food.

Sabbath clans

Lasombra: The Lasombra are the heart of the Sabbath. Many of them are extremely skilled at manipulating people and organizations, but a large number are cruel and violent even in the best Sabbath tradition. They are able to control shadows, which they use as weapons, helpers and powerful tools. The members of the clan have in common that they have no reflection. The Lasombra Antitribu of the Camarilla are the stark opposite of their Sabbath brothers. They uphold traditions and are prime examples of the discipline. However, they are mostly all great manipulators. In the beginning of the Sabbath they had almost absolute control. However, the Tzimisce contested their position over time and are now regarded as the secret leaders of the Sabbath.; The Lasombra clan disciplines are shadow games, domination and strength. The weakness of the clan lies in the fact that its members do not have a mirror image, as well as in the increased sensitivity to sunlight.
Tzimisce: Tzimisce are the soul of the Sabbath. To be cruel, monstrous, and superior is the only ideal for most. They also prefer intelligent, even brilliant people as “newcomers”, although they would rather take on someone of the caliber of Hannibal Lecter than that of Albert Einstein. Their home lands are in the Carpathian Mountains , which makes them the archetype of the Transylvanian aristocratic vampire. You can sculpt live and vampiric flesh, which many of them use to transform themselves over and over again. Often this gift is also used as a horrific weapon. In the Sabbath they gradually took control over time. Almost no tzimisce exist outside of the Sabbath.; The clan disciplines of the Tzimisce are meat forms, auspex and animalism. The clan's weakness is that they become increasingly weak unless they are surrounded by homeland. This property may be the cause or the result of their pronounced territoriality.

Independent clans

Assamites

Major bloodlines

Cappadocians: The Cappadocians studied death long before the Giovanni existed. Up until the Middle Ages they were a fixture in vampire society, as they were reputed to have great wisdom and power. Today they are thought to be extinct, but occasionally one encounters vampires who seem to come from this once powerful clan. There are some Giovanni who share the corpse-like pallor of the Cappadocians. The Samedi bloodline, which is reminiscent of zombies and also practices a cult of the dead, is clearly a descendant of the Cappadocians; likewise the messengers of death who are active in the Sabbath and appear like walking corpses. Finally, there is a group in Africa that calls itself Mla Watu. They are indeed Cappadocians who managed to flee from the Giovanni attack and gain an outsider position among the strange vampires of Africa.
Salubri: The Salubri once had a reputation for being honorable, noble beings. They were divided into warriors who could not turn down a request for help and healers who were unable to harm a being against its will. Its founder Saulot is said to have been a wise, powerful and noble world traveler. What they all had in common was that when they applied their discipline, a third eye opened on their foreheads. When Tremere became a vampire, he denigrated this clan as soul thieves and managed to get them hunted all over Europe. This eventually weakened the clan so much that Tremere was able to diablerate Saulot, the founder. Two forms of Salubri still exist today: On the one hand, a handful of healers, probably fewer than ten individuals. On the other hand, the Salubri Antitribu of the Sabbath, who are numerously well represented and, like most of the members of this sect, have developed into cruel monsters who use their powers to wreak pain and destruction. The Nkulu Zao in Africa are descendants of the Salubri, who found a vanishing point here, similar to the Mla Watu (Cappadocians). Many legends revolve around Saulot, so he is said to have penetrated as far as Asia on his travels. He is also spotted again and again and there are presumptions that he should play an important role in Gehenna.
Baali: The Baali are infernalists. They worship demons and strive to become more and more demonic. If there is one thing they are not, it is Satanists. They do not celebrate black masses and sacrifice animals wrapped in robes, but they decompose and spoil the entire society from within in an extremely skillful way. If they were still hunted in the Middle Ages, one is hardly aware of their existence in the present, which makes their game much easier. Their origins are mysterious, it only seems clear that they have existed for an extraordinarily long time. The question of a founder of the line also lies in the fog of history, but there are rumors and indications that they are children of the so noble Saulot.

Vampire settings

While in Vampire: The Masquerade the players act as vampires with a western-modern character against the background of the modern world, different epochs and rather unfamiliar regions with sometimes very different vampires were presented in further background volumes.

Middle Ages: Vampires from the old world

Vampires: The Dark Ages was published in 1996 and described the world of vampires in 1197 in Europe during the dark ages. The basic political structures in Vampire: Die Masquerade have not yet been created, the two major sects do not yet exist and the 13 playable vampire clans include new names (Cappadocians), while others still exist as bloodlines (Giovanni) or around their young ones Having to fear existence (tremors).

In 2002, Dark Ages: Vampire was a kind of restart of the setting, which set the season to the year 1230 and at the same time functions as the beginning of the Dark Ages series - the world of the dark Middle Ages was subsequently expanded with additional volumes to include the others known from modern times Playlines of the world of darkness expanded ( Dark Ages: Werewolf , Dark Ages: Mage , Dark Ages: Inquisitor , Dark Ages: Fae ). They only brought with them the rules necessary for the special creature and referred to Dark Ages: Vampires for the basic rules , which are now available as a free PDF download.

The German publisher Feder & Schwert brought out both vampire games under the title Vampire aus der Alten Welt ; however, only the land register was published for the new version from 2002.

Asia: Children of the Lotus

In 1998, Kindred of the East was a background volume on the Asian vampires that have already been mentioned on various occasions. It was published in German by Feder & Schwert in 1999 under the title Kinder des Lotos .

The Asian vampires, who mostly call themselves Kuei-Jin , which is described as "Chinese for ten thousand devils ", are a completely different supernatural species than the well-known western vampires. They are dead souls who have returned to their bodies, who have already been tortured in hell and have found a way back. Their “moral compass” is not humanity as with the vampires, but various paths that go back to Asian philosophers, called Dharma . Their weaknesses are also different from those of western vampires and they have completely different powers - and goals. For the western vampires they have only contempt in general, since they are actually only walking dead and do not take up any place in the "heavenly plan".

Kindred of the East was the opening for the Year of the Lotus , followed by other source and background volumes about the Asian part of the world of darkness, including its supernatural inhabitants, some of which were very different from their western counterparts. These subsequent volumes were no longer translated into German.

Victorian Age: Vampires

Another historical setting that illuminates the Victorian era . Many of the settings known from Vampire: The Masquerade can already be used here.

This background volume was published in 2002 and has not been translated into German.

Africa: Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom

In 2003, Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom was published, a source volume about the vampires of Africa , a continent that has so far only been very sparingly illuminated in other White Wolf products . The African vampires share their origins with the Western vampires (they are technically the children of Cain , unlike the children of the Lotus), but they were isolated from them for a very long time and have developed differently. The Cain myth is generally completely unknown to them and their clan-like families, known as "legacies", are related to the clans, but have slightly different clan disadvantages.

The Laibon , as the African vampires call themselves, in contrast to the Western vampires, also have a strong connection to the spirit world, which has an influence on their appearance and their clan disadvantages.

This background volume was also not published in German.

End of the world

The book of Nod, an ancient collection full of legends and traditions of the Cainites, prophesies the night of Gehenna , in which the antediluvian rise and usher in the end of the world . In the official White Wolf publications, this actually occurred in 2004 and let the whole game world go under. To this end, a novel has been published as well as a source volume offering various scenario options for the end of the game world within the Vampire: The Masquerade game. For other games in the game world, e.g. T. comparable books.

The novel at the end of Vampires:

Gehenna, The Final Night (2004, White Wolf ) ( ISBN 1-58846-855-0 )
Gehenna, the last night (2004, pen & sword ) ( ISBN 3-935282-98-2 )

The source volume:

Gehenna (2004, White Wolf) ( ISBN 1-58846-246-3 )
Gehenna (2004, pen & sword) ( ISBN 3-935282-97-4 )

Other versions

There are also two GURPS - source volumes , which adapted the game to the GURPS rules. One of them was also published in German ( Pegasus Spiele ).

Vampire: The Masquerade (GURPS: Generic Universal Role Playing System), ISBN 1-55634-275-6 (1993)
Vampire: The Masquerade Companion (GURPS: Generic Universal Role Playing System), ISBN 1-55634-285-3 (1994)
Vampires: The Masquerade (GURPS), ISBN 3-930635-09-7 (1996)

With Redemption and Bloodlines there are also two computer game adaptations of Vampires: The Masquerade .

The trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle also uses elements from the World of Darkness , but White Wolf stopped production in 2010.

Anniversary edition

On September 27, 2011, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the appearance, a new edition of Vampire: The Masquerade was published, which is also known as the V20 . The book, which has more than 500 pages, is available as a PDF download and in a print-on-demand version. In the new edition, some rules have been revised. In general, the entire work on the project was accessible to the fan base through a blog and podcasts, so that criticism could be made.
There are four versions of the V20 book:

Deluxe / Preorder Edition (color print with leatherette cover)
Print-on-Demand - black and white printing without full bleed with hardcover
Print-on-demand - black and white printing without full bleed with soft cover
Print-on-demand - color printing with hardcover (formerly divided into two volumes, today one volume)

Anniversary editions of Werewolf: The Apocalypse and Mage: The Ascension have been announced.

Additional books for V20 have also been published or announced: V20 Companion , From Dust to Dust , Hunters Hunted 2 , Anarches Unbound and Children of the Revolution .

With regard to the state of the game world, V20 is kept neutral. Aspects that have changed within the game world over the previous editions (e.g. the clan disadvantage of the vampire clane Assamite ) are mentioned in the form of side notes and listed as options.

Web links

White Wolf (English)
Pen and sword
World of Darkness (English)
List of all cWoD books with ISBN and PoD information
Overview of different domains

Individual evidence

↑ Vampire Player's Guide 2nd Edition
↑ Dark Ages Basic Rules on rpg.drivethrustuff.com
↑ White Wolf Forum ( Memento from July 12, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
↑ V20 Developer Blog ( Memento from February 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
↑ ^a ^b ^c DriveThru V20 catalog page
↑ White Wolf Release Schedule 2011-2012 http://www.white-wolf.com/community/news/white-wolf-release-schedule-2011-2012 ( Memento from September 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
↑ DriveThru V20 Companion catalog page
↑ DriveThru From Dust to Dust catalog page

[1] Vampire Player's Guide 2nd Edition

[2] Dark Ages Basic Rules on rpg.drivethrustuff.com

[3] White Wolf Forum ( Memento from July 12, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )

[4] V20 Developer Blog ( Memento from February 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive )

[V20_DriveThru-5] DriveThru V20 catalog page

[6] White Wolf Release Schedule 2011-2012 http://www.white-wolf.com/community/news/white-wolf-release-schedule-2011-2012 ( Memento from September 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive )

[7] DriveThru V20 Companion catalog page

[8] DriveThru From Dust to Dust catalog page