Vampire The Masquerade

Vampire the Masquerade is a role-playing game filled with political and personal horror. Here, you are the monster – a person who has recently been transformed into a vampire, now struggling against the thirst for blood and to hide your true nature from the outside world. However, your own inner conflict is not all that fills your existence. Vampire hunters are constantly in search of their next trophy, and political power struggles between the different vampire clans also pose a threat. If you can figure out how to navigate this perilous world, you might not have to settle for just surviving - perhaps you can fight your way to power.

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In Vampire the Masquerade, you become part of the well-known "World of Darkness" – a universe very similar to our own, but filled with monsters such as vampires and werewolves, and with a dark goth-punk aesthetic. World of Darkness has a long and deep history, which has evolved as new editions of Vampire the Masquerade and other games in the same universe have been released. This can be a bit overwhelming for new players, but fortunately, the game's rulebook contains both information about the world the game takes place in and about the history of vampires. A history that stretches back to the legend of Cain and Abel. It is told here how Cain had 13 children, all of whom were cursed and transformed into vampires by God, as punishment for Cain murdering Abel.

These 13 children have since spread their curse to others, thus creating 13 clans of vampires, or Kindred as they are called in the game. These clans have fought among themselves and with humanity for thousands of years. In this connection, the clans have collectively created a series of rules, of which the most important is "The Masquerade" – You must not reveal your true nature to humans. Some clans work partially together in larger sects, of which the two most important are Camarilla and Anarchs. Camarilla still wishes to maintain The Masquerade and dominate over humanity, while Anarchs want to rule over humanity openly.

How do you play Vampire the Masquerade?

Unlike many other role-playing games, here you do not play as the heroes fighting the monsters, but rather as the monsters themselves – specifically as vampires. Each player takes the role of a single vampire and creates their own character. The game proceeds as a kind of verbally improvised drama, where players in collaboration with a Storyteller (also called a Game Master) create a story with the players' characters in the leading roles. It is the Storyteller's role to control the rest of the people and monsters the players meet, as well as to create and elaborate the cities and locations the players visit. It is important to keep in mind that the player and Storyteller are not against each other even though the Storyteller controls the game's enemies. Tabletop role-playing games like Vampire the Masquerade are primarily about creating an exciting narrative together.

When creating your vampire, you also choose which clan you wish to belong to. If you have the standard rulebook, only 7 of the clans are available: Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, and Ventrue. The remaining 6 clans are spread among some of the game's other books.

How do I start with Vampire the Masquerade?

To begin playing Vampire the Masquerade, you only need the core book, a handful of 10-sided dice, and possibly paper and pencil. Of course, you also need a group of friends to play with and someone willing to act as Storyteller. A good group size is usually 3 - 4 players and a Storyteller, so no one ends up feeling left out.

When you get more "blood on your teeth," we have more recommendations - just write and ask, or come by and visit us in our physical store in Aalborg.