One Vampire: The Masquerade podcast I love is The All Night Society. I don’t normally pay attention to the soundtrack on podcasts, but the music that plays during the intro to each episode is so good. It fits the game’s aesthetic. The All Night Society takes inspiration from the Chicago By Night rule book. I finished reading the rule book, and it was one of the most interesting TTRPG rulebooks I have read.

Chicago By Night is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a rulebook of Chicago, including all the kindred NPCs (non-playable characters), a map showing which clan has dominance in parts of Chicago, and various story beats for storytellers to use in their story. The main story beat is how the coterie will react to the Lasombra wanting to join the Camarilla. The Lasombra is a vampire clan that wields shadows and is also a social heavy clan. The coterie can either accept the Lasombra or decline their access to the city. Chicago By Night has a ton of resources. I loved all the kindred NPCs. I think what’s exhausting about being a storyteller or a dungeon master is the amount of planning. Chicago By Night eliminates much of that, as everything is already established. It’s also emphasized throughout that you could take this lore and adapt it to any city, not just Chicago. I wish White Wolf would publish more books like this because I think it builds interest in the game when you can read about different kindred politics in other major cities.

Chicago By Night was fascinating! I’m glad I took the time to read it. Vampire: The Masquerade is one of those systems I’d love to be a storyteller for.