Discussion Vampire the Masquerade

[Kitter Bitters]

I am designing a VtM home brew and it got me to thinking that I haven’t seen too many discussions about VtM or WoD here.

So let’s change that! Has anybody played the bloodlines games? What’s your favorite clan? Best session stories you’ve had?

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

I played the tabletop once 30 years ago when I was young. I played a vampire called Logan, and all I remember of the one session we played is throwing a trash can at someone, missing, and being really angry about that!

I got the video game when it came out 20+ years ago but it never ran on my PC properly so I watched the open intro like three times then gave up.

Oh, and I briefly did VTM RPing on a forum where I wrote a 30,000 word bio for the character, then did very little else there before people drifted away.

 

[Shinma]

I am designing a VtM home brew and it got me to thinking that I haven’t seen too many discussions about VtM or WoD here.

So let’s change that! Has anybody played the bloodlines games? What’s your favorite clan? Best session stories you’ve had?

A few degenerates here and I played VTM 5e a few times. Of course, it was pure chaos. Played a thin blood in one campaign while everyone else went full Sabbat in what was pitched as an Anarch campaign. Then, played a Malkavian without explicitly telling the rest of the group and just acted on pure impulse from what the GM secretly fed me.

I got the video game when it came out 20+ years ago but it never ran on my PC properly so I watched the open intro like three times then gave up.

Considering VTM Bloodlines is ancient now, you could definitely play it on a potato. The unofficial patch is a must have, and even the Plus Patch so you don't have to go crazy from some of the horrible level designs.

 

[Kitter Bitters]

Oh, and I briefly did VTM RPing on a forum where I wrote a 30,000 word bio for the character, then did very little else there before people drifted away.

Man I would love to find a good VtM forum. I haven’t played on one in over a decade. I played a Brujah I believe.

Considering VTM Bloodlines is ancient now, you could definitely play it on a potato. The unofficial patch is a must have, and even the Plus Patch so you don't have to go crazy from some of the horrible level designs.

Have either of you played the bloodlines game that came out last year?

 

[Shinma]

Have either of you played the bloodlines game that came out last year?

What do you mean a game came out last year?

 

[Kitter Bitters]

Shinma

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Shinma]

Shinma

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Weird, link's broken.

 

[Kitter Bitters]

Hmm it should link you to Wikipedia.

But Bloodlines 2 came out October 2025

 

[Kitter Bitters]

The Swansong one came out in 2022 as well if you played that one?

 

[Kitter Bitters]

There were also a few virtual reality games in 22 and 23.

 

[Shinma]

Hmm it should link you to Wikipedia.

But Bloodlines 2 came out October 2025

Never heard of it~

I haven't looked into the Swansong game or the VR games, but I've heard that the visual novel games that have come out in the last few years are pretty interesting.

 

[Abbey Gailstrom]

I had the books on one computer... lost them in transit when that computer got either replaced or stolen... And yeah, I dunno what EXACTLY happened to the computer anymore either

 

[Amos]

I ran one of the two games Shinma is talking about and a few with some friends IRL.

VTM is a whole heck of a lot of fun, but it really falls down in the combat imo. I find that campaigns that focus more on the implicit political machinations of the universe generally thrive better.

Recently I was reading VTM Dark Ages, which is essentially the same system but the setting pulls you back to..well the dark ages and more medieval times. I haven't run that yet but I think in concept it would be very interesting to run. It has mostly the same powers, stronger vampires in general(no 13th generation around yet), but with the limitations of the times.

EDIT: Hunter is also fucking excellent. Really a great game that puts you into the WoD universe as a...hunter. It's very fun and creates a lot of tension because all the monsters are so dangerous.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Hmm it should link you to Wikipedia.

But Bloodlines 2 came out October 2025

Sadly it had some pretty big flaws and bugs. Not sure what it's like now.

 

[Darth Solipsis]

I am designing a VtM home brew and it got me to thinking that I haven’t seen too many discussions about VtM or WoD here.

So let’s change that! Has anybody played the bloodlines games? What’s your favorite clan? Best session stories you’ve had?

Funny enough, myself and several others on Chaos came from a gaming group together. We have been avid VtM players for about 13 years. Got hooked on the original VtMB game on PC in the 2000’s, then got introduced to the tabletop 2nd edition - revised edition - v20 - then eventually v5 when it came out.

I am a Sabbat player, primarily. Diablerie, Sword of Caine, F** the Tremere, all that jazz. My oldest character was a Tzimisce on the Path to Metamorphosis - started in the Dark Ages playing Transylvania Chronicles and persisted to Modern Nights by the skin of my teeth.

Outside of that, Camarilla wise. I dig playing Brujah, Banu Haqim, and the occasional Toreador.

 

[Amos]

Funny enough, myself and several others on Chaos came from a gaming group together. We have been avid VtM players for about 13 years. Got hooked on the original VtMB game on PC in the 2000’s, then got introduced to the tabletop 2nd edition - revised edition - v20 - then eventually v5 when it came out.

I am a Sabbat player, primarily. Diablerie, Sword of Caine, F** the Tremere, all that jazz. My oldest character was a Tzimisce on the Path to Metamorphosis - started in the Dark Ages playing Transylvania Chronicles and persisted to Modern Nights by the skin of my teeth.

Outside of that, Camarilla wise. I dig playing Brujah, Banu Haqim, and the occasional Toreador.

I haven't read the TC yet but I've heard absolutely amazing things about it.

Would you recommend it?

 

[Cassilde Vortayn]

Played a thin blood in one campaign while everyone else went full Sabbat in what was pitched as an Anarch campaign.

And they were the bestest Anarchs ever and not at all useless.

 

[Rik Perris]

I've never played the games or the tabletop, but certainly wrote on a couple (long since shut down) forums here and there over the years that employed VtM/WoD for part if not the entirety of the setting (one mixed it with Highlander immortals, and that was fun). Younger me went with Toreador, but these days I'd go for Tzimisce, or Hecata/Cappadocian/Giovanni (obvs depending on the era).

 

[Darth Solipsis]

I haven't read the TC yet but I've heard absolutely amazing things about it.

Would you recommend it?

If you have a dedicated Storyteller that can do it - I recommend doing TC as it is a full 1000 year run. It took us a few years to do it at length, but it was well worth it. Watch how your character - or several if you die - change during that period into something completely different than anticipated.

Start with TC: Part One or Dark Ages: House of Tremere if you are a Warlock ——> Under the Black Cross (takes place in one of the intermission periods of TC between books) ——-> TC: Part Two ——> Constantinople By Night (For any visits to the glorious Constantinople) ——-> Bitter Crusade (Particulate in Fall of Constantinople and try to survive) ——> TC: Book 3 ——> TC Book: 4 —-> Any V20 book ——> V5

If your RL is anywhere as busy as mine, as I’m sure it is lol - you probably might just want to power through TC books 1-4. It’s worth it, but so much more enjoyable to take your time and hit up everything along the way. You hit story beats like the OG Anarch Revolt, foundation of the Camarilla, Sabbat, and meet some Antediluvians (in disguise).

 

[Amos]

If you have a dedicated Storyteller that can do it - I recommend doing TC as it is a full 1000 year run. It took us a few years to do it at length, but it was well worth it. Watch how your character - or several if you die - change during that period into something completely different than anticipated.

Start with TC: Part One or Dark Ages: House of Tremere if you are a Warlock ——> Under the Black Cross (takes place in one of the intermission periods of TC between books) ——-> TC: Part Two ——> Constantinople By Night (For any visits to the glorious Constantinople) ——-> Bitter Crusade (Particulate in Fall of Constantinople and try to survive) ——> TC: Book 3 ——> TC Book: 4 —-> Any V20 book ——> V5

If your RL is anywhere as busy as mine, as I’m sure it is lol - you probably might just want to power through TC books 1-4. It’s worth it, but so much more enjoyable to take your time and hit up everything along the way. You hit story beats like the OG Anarch Revolt, foundation of the Camarilla, Sabbat, and meet some Antediluvians (in disguise).

Interesting! I'll definitely keep this in mind. It sounds like a blast especially because of the transitions through different ages. Watching the characters develop through all of that would be an absolute joy.

I would probably end up being the Storyteller for it, but I'll add it to the long list of AP's/Modules/Stories that must eventually be run before I die.