I read Vampire: The Masquerade The Complete Series published by Vault Comics. This post was intended to be a graphic novel review because this book was hands down one of the best graphic novels I read this year. As I started writing the review, I was bored. It was me talking about how much I loved the graphic novel and that was it. I decided to pivot and talk about how I was introduced to Vampire: The Masquerade, why I love this system, and what podcasts or live streams I’d recommend watching.

It’s important to note how dark Vampire: The Masquerade is as a TTRPG system. I own the rulebook and in the beginning section it says and I quote, “This is not a roleplaying game where you play the good guys”. This is not Twilight where vampires sparkle and only feed on animals. This is not a game I would play with kids, this is a game intended for adults. While a vampire character can be designed to be as moral as possible, you are constantly fighting off the beast trying to influence you to feed all the time. I say this because I don’t think Vampire: The Masquerade is for everyone. It’s okay to recognize that Vampire may not be for you because of the above. I’m not going to discuss my previous stories in-depth with this paragraph serving as a content warning that this game is truly a horror game.

I was introduced to Vampire: The Masquerade at Gen Con in 2019. Me and my brother met up with a few of my friends who were also at Gen Con and they agreed to run a one-shot for us. The first character I created, I named Virginia. In Vampire: The Masquerade instead of classes like Dungeons & Dragons, the equivalent for this system would be a clan. Each clan has different abilities and strengths. Virginia is a Tremere, a clan in Vampire focusing on Blood Magic. I’d equate this to a Sorcerer or Wizard in Dungeons & Dragons. Since then, I have played in at least three one-shots; this could be higher. I only found three of my past Vampire character sheets to reference.

What impressed me the most about Vampire was the intricacies of vampire society. In Vampire: The Masquerade, vampires have to abide by a code. “The Masquerade” hence the name of the system, is secrecy in which vampires are forbidden to publically discuss their vampirism. If they do, they risk final death or their characters being killed. There’s a whole political system with “The Prince” being the leader of a particular area. There are Sheriffs, I’d describe them as being security guards who protect The Prince and The Masquerade. From there, there are several other important political positions to help enforce the vampire code. As a player, I think it provides the right amount of guidance. Without these rules, vampires would do whatever they want which would be quite frankly, a blood bath.

Another reason I like Vampire is the amount of customization with character creation. Besides choosing a clan, another choice to make is predator type. Predator type illustrates how your vampire will feed. For example, some players may choose Bagger meaning they will only feed by stealing blood from hospitals or other medical facilities. In some ways, this might be the moral high ground because you’re not feeding from people BUT you are stealing blood from someone who may need it in a transfusion. Another option is Siren where your vampire feeds during sex or feigning sex. I did say this was an adult game for mature audiences. Each predator type has advantages and disadvantages, but none of the choices make you good. There are many other characteristics to pick when creating a character, but the last one I wanted to touch on was beliefs. Each character chooses beliefs or convictions that they try to uphold. One common conviction I always take is “never expose children to violence”. These convictions offer a sense of humanity to your character because as long as I never expose children to violence, I’m not all bad. Vampire focuses on morality and what that means for the player. Do you try to be as moral as possible? or will you give in to the beast? The choice is yours.

The last time I played Vampire was a few months ago at Badwolf. To keep my interest, I find listening to podcasts or live plays helps to keep the rules fresh. The first podcast I’d recommend is Blood & Syrup by Dumb-Dumbs & Dice. Each episode is about forty minutes, so it won’t take long to listen to. There are three vampire characters which I find makes it easier to follow along. The podcast uploads episodes regularly. As a side note, I find it challenging to discover new Vampire podcasts since many podcasts don’t upload new episodes on a regular cadence. I’d hate to become invested in the story and not see how the story continues. Besides podcasts, I’m watching NY By Night, a live play of Vampire with Jason Carl as the storyteller. Jason Carl is the storyteller of LA By Night, another popular Vampire campaign. One last thing I would recommend would be to join the World of Darkness Discord. I joined a month ago and it’s a channel I read often. I don’t post my thoughts, instead, I have read about other players and the characters they create. It’s given me inspiration and determination to find my own game.

I’m glad I played Vampire: The Masquerade; it’s a system I thoroughly enjoy. I hope to eventually play Vampire again soon whether that be a one-shot or if I’m lucky, a longer-term campaign.