Hey folks, I am an experienced storyteller of DnD like fantasy. Now me and my friend are trying out the old version of Vampire: The Masquerade RPG. This setting is kind of new for me so I would like to ask if someone here has some advice for me on how to start, what to use / avoid in the game world, or anything else connecting to the game.
Thank you so much!

Quote from: Raven Munin;1022236Hey folks, I am an experienced storyteller of DnD like fantasy. Now me and my friend are trying out the old version of Vampire: The Masquerade RPG. This setting is kind of new for me so I would like to ask if someone here has some advice for me on how to start, what to use / avoid in the game world, or anything else connecting to the game.
Thank you so much!

The supplement that really made the game click for me was Chicago by Night 1st Ed. It presents a sandbox campaign with many groups of NPCs that that players can ally with or work against. Even if you don't use the setting, it presents a useful model for what a setting of your own should look like.

Stay away from the 2nd Ed. of the book. That is a follow-up a couple of years later that assumes you made everything happen in your campaign according to a specific script rather than actually letting the players have an effect on the game. It is where the game line starts to go wrong.

Welcome to theRPGsite, Raven!

Quote from: Baulderstone;1022243The supplement that really made the game click for me was Chicago by Night 1st Ed. It presents a sandbox campaign with many groups of NPCs that that players can ally with or work against. Even if you don't use the setting, it presents a useful model for what a setting of your own should look like.

Stay away from the 2nd Ed. of the book. That is a follow-up a couple of years later that assumes you made everything happen in your campaign according to a specific script rather than actually letting the players have an effect on the game. It is where the game line starts to go wrong.

I would add that 2nd Ed Chicago By Night does have a lot of NPC's that were deposed prior to 1e Chicago By Night and are worth checking out just for background in case you'd like to introduce their machinations in your own game, in your own way without using the metaplot hijinks.

Some basics traversing into Vampire from D&D.


1) It's not D&D. Do not think of the conventions of D&D's Fighter/Wizard/Thief/Priest assumptions. The Vampire Clans do not normally operate that way, and the penchant for new players coming from D&D will be very strong to do this. "Oh look! The Tremere are magicians! I'll be the Wizard!" <--- don't do that. This is because just being from a specific Clan in Vampire *means* something in context to the setting and party-make up without you even have to roleplay.

2) Politics. It's high-school, Game of Thrones, Godfather, Narcos, Wall Street all rolled into one. When starting out, assuming you're sticking with the core assumptions of the game, your players will have Sires that have goals they created the PC's for. If not - or if the players thinks being Clanless sounds cool - understand that being a Caitiff (clanless) means you're lower than dogshit in Vampire community. And it is a community. A really fucked up community of immortal assholes with feuds that can run from decades to centuries (and in rare cases longer). The PC's will be thrust into a chessmatch with dozens of players while trying to survive their new condition. Leverage that for gameplay. All NPC's want SOMETHING. Information is currency and most starting characters are dead broke in that category and the NPC's know it.

Clan politics is a big thing. Do not disregard it or you will lose a lot of good gaming material. At the heart of the game is the trading of favors from powerful vampires to noobs (PC's) until the PC's can decide their place in the big scheme of things (which is the overall goal unless you're playing something left of center).

3) The Laws of the Land. Enforce them. Indulge your players in the basics of living as a Vampire. This is where they will inevitably make mistakes and where NPC's will help out as a "favor" (which is the currency of the land). Never hand-wave feeding. That's a big lesson. Making your players toil to figure out where and HOW they are going to feed establishes a LOT of the early game. There's lots of ways to do it. And most of them are wrong in some fashion. Until a player figures out how their PC can reliably get their hands on blood without pissing off some other vampire (territory is a bitch!) you should play it out. It makes for great and often intense roleplaying and action if they screw it up (or maybe that's how they like to roll).

4) Humanity. Remember, just because they're bloodsucking monsters doesn't mean they don't feel. That's the big danger, and while it is measured as a number on the page, it's terrifyingly easy to lose Humanity. And it's your job as the GM to enforce what that actually means. As they slide downward it's a slippery slope into becoming a murderous scrag that even humans will notice. Once your humanity dips below 7 you start looking more... un-normal. Some players might revel in that because it makes feeding easier. But it also hampers their social skills. And in a game where politics are extremely important, generally, this is a bad position. Enforce that.

5) Resist the Murder-Hobo. Players that descend quickly into just becoming murderous blood-sucking freaks will earn a reputation that under normal circumstances will attract the attention of the Powers That Be (the Prince and his minions - or worse). Don't be scared of putting a PC in their proper place - even if it means making an example of them to the other PC's and the Vampire community at large. You need to set the standards and all it takes is one PC to drag the rest into an endless murder-spree that will ruin your game. Don't be afraid to set an iron-standard. That *is* how Vampire society works.

6) Diablerie - The Road to Ruin. The first great killer of Vampire campaigns is when the PC's learn about Diablerie. Personally I think it's unavoidable. When the players find out they can cannibalize another vampire to potentially lower their generation (and possibly get free stats/Disciplines!) they *will* do it. Coming from D&D it would be like being given free levels for killing someone in a specific way. It's the great temptation that is irresistible. So let me give you some caveats on how I handle it...

a) Diablerie is publicly considered the *worst* thing ever. In Vampire society I try to have everyone react like it's cannibal-necrophilia. And arguably it is - you're not just drinking the blood of your own, you're devouring their soul and the ecstacy one gets from it (the Suspire) is *beyond* imagination. So yeah - cannibal sex. But privately... most Vampires would do it if given the chance. The key here is - to not get caught, right? Well Players when they first try it will almost ALWAYS get caught.

b) When you Diablerize your aura is stained. People with Auspex 2+ can see it in your aura. It takes a LONG time for those stains to go away. So treat those players like you would treat someone wearing a BIG FUCKING SIGN on their head saying "I WANT TO EAT YOU WHILE HAVING SEX WITH YOU" (assuming they know about the Diablerie.) Remember, Vampire normally is very social in the Camarilla. Being a known Diablerist is almost always a death-sentence if caught. But there are always some exceptions.

7) Play your NPC's smart. A big part of Vampire is survival. Any NPC you use or introduce that isn't a noob has learned how to survive - that means they have their hunting methods down, presumably a safe place(s) to sleep, and/or territory they have claimed. This takes some level of thinking so don't play your NPC's too stupid.

Hunters. Vampires aren't just only threat. Something that gets lost in a lot of mature Vampire games I've noticed is the threat of humanity. Early on, your PC's aren't terribly more powerful than a human. But this is a great opportunity for you to capitalize on the PC's mistakes when they predate on humans to turn the tables. Humans are smart and resourceful especially when motivated by vengeance and loss. You can and should emphasize how maniacally clever humans can be in trying to kill the PC's. Give the PC's something to fear from their own prey.

9) Slow Boil the Dragons. Don't introduce mega-powerful NPC's or weird shit too fast. Imply it. As mentioned earlier - Chicago By Night 1e is *FANTASTIC* and there are some real scary beings lurking in there. Don't be in a rush to use them. And if you do - be subtle. One of the most intriguing things about Vampire is letting your players run around with their newbie skills and feeling powerful (indulge them!) then when they have a close brush with one of the real powers-NPC's in the game... keep it cool. Let your players imaginations run wild like they brushed up against a Great White Shark in the shallows and didn't realize it. Keep it slow.

Thank you so much, people, this is extremely useful!