Chimerical Realm

This is a supplementary post to my overview of the Pre-Alpha Rules for the 5th Edition of Vampire: The Masquerade. One element of the game that's been talked about by various sources ia a rule generally referred to as "You are what you eat."  It seems like different mortal provide different minor bonuses to the vampire that feeds on them. Someone outgoing and gregarious might give you a use of Presence without needing to Rouse the Hunger, while a young and innocent mortal might give you a free use of "Blush of Life." Now, I have no idea if this is a good idea or not, which is one of the reasons I'm about to run a play test for these rules. The problem is--this rule isn't described in the rule packet. I had heard about it, and it's a recurring mechanic in the adventure that comes with the rules. In fact, I was going through that adventure, The Last Night , when I realized I wasn't quite sure how this mechanic is supposed to work. He...

On June 15th, White Wolf released the "pre-alpha" rules set for the upcoming 5th Edition (download the rules and read the official blog post  here ). I've been quite interested to see which direction they intend to take the game, but aside from a few dribbles here and there, information has been hard to come by. I download the rules immediately, but have tried to stay out of the wider discussion until I've had a chance to get my own thoughts in order. Here then are those thoughts, with particular attention being paid to the changes from previous editions, what my initial thoughts are on them, and my reservations (if any) for how to implement this new rules. Of course, this is a Pre-Alpha  rules set, which means a lot can change between now and Beta, and even more before the actual release. They are trying a few different things, which is exciting, but there no reason to get too excited or melancholic about these rules. It's possible that any or even all of these m...

A little while ago, I went through and compared the various editions of Vampire: The Masquerade . Unlike, say, D&D, Vampire has, at its core, relatively consistent throughout its versions. But, there are still a number of distinct differences. Some of these were unique to 1st Editions, others occurred as the game shifted from 2nd to Revised . V20, the fourth and (for now) final edition of Vampire  is a bit of an odd beast.  Not really a proper game in its own right, or at least something too large and unwieldy to hand to a new player and say "make a character." It's more properly viewed as an encyclopedia and rules update. While mainly based on Revised , it also borrows a number of ideas from 1st--most notably how Celerity functions. Which is my favorite? Honestly, I pick and choose from all the versions myself. I generally prefer 1st, but I do use the Thaumaturgy and Path rules from Revised/ V20. Which is the best? Well, that's for you to discover. Let...

Let’s Compare the different editions of Vampire: The Masquerade Examples of Play Pretty much every role-playing game contains some section which serves as an "Example of Play." These short vignettes serve to show the rules and mechanics "in action," and can serve as a wonderful learning tool for the reader. For some, particularly those new to RPGs in general, these can help to give some idea of what, exactly, one is supposed to do with this bizarre book you find in front of you. For veterans, they help to show off what makes this particular game different or unique from the other games you might be familiar with. Some use a simple example of a round or two of combat. Understandable, as combat is often the trickiest and most complicated part of any given RPG. But even at its most basic, some form of narrative inevitably is involved in these examples. After all, even a battle against orcs in a dungeon implies some sort "dungeon" and "adven...

Let’s Compare the different editions of Vampire: The Masquerade Disciplines Ah, Disciplines, the "fun" part of the game. Why bother playing Vampire if you don't get to play around with crazy and bizarre supernatural powers? Normally, I wax a bit philosophical before getting into the "meat" of any particular issue, but this time it's all about the mechanics and the fun. One thing before we get started, though. In the earlier editions, the Disciplines weren't all published in the base book; most of them were scattered throughout various supplements. I've tried to stick with some of the more or less "core" disciplines, and only those of the the modern/non-Dark Ages Kindred. In addition to the various "core" books, here's the sources: Players Guide, 1st Edition , Players Guide, 2nd Edition , Hunter's Hunted , Dirty Secrets of the Black Hand , Players Guide to the Sabbat , and Storyteller Handbook . Also, the v...

Let’s Compare the different editions of Vampire: The Masquerade Degeneration Back when we were looking at Derangements , I went on a bit of a rant about how Vampire is fundamentally a different kind of Horror game. While it has the classic tropes of horror--vampires, werewolves, witches, oh my--it's really all that horrifying for a player.  There's something very different in being the victim of supernatural evil, and the perpetrator of it. When you start rooting for the undead killing machine, it stops being horror and becomes something else. If you want to keep the horror alive in the, it can't come from outside, from something targeting the characters. Classic horror is the result between the average man confronting the horrific, and struggling against it. Personal Horror comes from within, from committing the horrific.  Probably the most famous and iconic horror role-playing game is Call of Cthulhu . One would be hard pressed to find a horror game out there ...

Let’s Compare the different editions of Vampire: The Masquerade Combat Despite the fundamental basics of gameplay not having changed significantly between the various editions, each has their own rather unique take on Combat for Vampire . Given this variation, I'm going to do a brief overview of how each Edition handles Combat, saving the comparison and analyses for this end. Let's get to it! 1st Especially in 1st, DODGE! Dear Lord, DODGE! Initiative is generally a Wits + Alertness (Diff 4), but any other appropriate Ability (Brawl, Melee, Firearms, etc.) can be used. Combat is divided up into two different categories-- Hand-to-Hand and Firefight. Initiative is generally not rolled for Hand-to-Hand  but is for Firefights.  For Hand-to-Hand , each combatant rolls Dexterity+Brawl/Melee, with a difficulty based on the maneuver they are using or the weapon they are wielding. The one with the most success manages to make contact. The Damage is deter...