Vampire: The Masquerade (Vampire)

Rating:
Summary: Vampire: The Kool-Aid
Review: Despite all the good reviews, this game is pathetic. Here are the reasons:

Horrible Stereotypes: If you're a Brujah character, you'll be like every other Brujah in existence. It's just that simple, if you want Celerity and Potence you play Brujah, if you want Presence you play Ventrue (those who've read the book understand the last sentence). The only good way to get a nice mix is to make a Clanless (Munchkin Alert!) or make up your own Clan (which Vamp players hate, because it forces them to think)

LARPs: I've chased LARP groups out of the graveyard near my house more than once. I hate them only because they don't respect the dead (or those that work during the day and SLEEP at night). You all don't have to LARP to play the game, I read the book. Sit around a table and eat pretzels like all other RPGers. Don't be afraid, it might develop your character and imagination to not run around at midnight and annoy all your neighbors and people who think you're in a dark section of the SCA.

Too expensive: For a book with no color whatsoever (and barely a system), it's as much as all the other RPGs on the market. Did I miss something? No color is stylish? That costs Extra?

Munchkin Factor 3: You'll have at least 3 munchkins in your group if you play with 4-6 characters. These munchkins usually have goth tendencies. No offense to goths, but y'all force normal people to hate you.

Game Mechanics are weak like a wet paper towel: the Soak die rules leave much to be desired, as two combatants could pound on eachother forever (I believe I had combat with 2 combatants last 3 hours once). The skills system is dumb, making a weak character able to do great things if he has enough of the skill.

Uncompatibility: All the WOD games CANNOT be played with one another. Mages are more powerful than Werewolves are more powerful than Vampires are more powerful than Hunters. Have fun you amalgamers!

We're Roleplayers!: The pompusness of Vamp players is quite annoying, since the system roleplays for them. Anyone could game Vampire. It's the same reason d20 has no respect with the game community elders (at least in my mind).

Finally, Suggestions: Don't play Vampire the Masquerade. If you really want a vampire game, upgrade to Vampire: the Requiem. It's done much better than this trash

Rating:
Summary: GURPS VtM vs. White Wolf VtM: The Comparison
Review: For some reason the reviews for the GURPS version of Vampire the Masquerade here are reviews for the original White Wolf product. The two games use completely different rule systems and are, well, completely different.

The White Wolf version of VtM is stand alone, you buy the book, some 10 sided dice (from a hobby store or White Wolf's website)and you're ready to play. The "Storyteller" rule system is pretty simple and has been revised and improved. There are many other White Wolf products that use the same Storyteller system (Werewolf, Demon, Mage and so on) so your World of Darkness can grow and expand. White Wolf's emphasis on Role Playing instead of dice rolling and complex rules probably make this a great choice for someone new to RPGs. Be warned however, White Wolf's products and website can be very, very dark and profane. Probably not a good choice for children in my opinion. The game itself is very original, imaginitive and popular.

GURPS (Generic Universal Roleplaying System) by Steve Jackson Games is a fairly detailed RPG system. The GURPS version of VtM is NOT a stand alone product. You must first own a copy of "GURPS Basic Set" (availabe here at Amazon.com) to play GURPS VtM. One difference is that GURPS uses 6 sided dice which are readily available (bonus). The GURPS system was developed as sort of an answer to everything thing that was annoying about the grandaddy of RPGs, Dungeons and Dragons. D&D was an immense rules system that spaned many tomes and modules, required many types of dice and was stuck in sword and sorcery mode. GURPS allows you to play any type of character, in any type of setting imaginable all from one book (GURPS Basic Set and some six sided dice). The GURPS rules system is going to be a larger investment in time to master than Storyteller, but it is detailed and logical. I personally like it.

Two last thoughts, you don't necessarily have to play a Vampire character in the GURPS version of VtM. You could play a Psychic or Combat Specialist who gradually learns about the Vampires and begin to unwravel the Masquerade. Eventually the characters could be embraced by Sabbat Vampires or attacked by the Camarillan Vampires. You could play a Vampire who goes into Torpor for a few centuries and wakes up in a post apocalypse future. Only the Game Master would be allowed to use the Vampire book as a source, and the game would run from the Basic Set. The players would gradually be drawn into the shadowy, secretive World of Darkness. Also the GURPS version is toned down a bit and is more appropriate for young people.

Rating:
Summary: dont take the whinig of Jonnhy truant. Buy this Book
Review: I wasn't a vampire player at first in fact a freind and I were at each others throats for a while over the diferences between mage and vampire. but after taking a closer look at the two games I have come to realize that they coenside with each other quite well and are very easily mixed together.

And as for the stupid assumptions of this Jonnhy traunt character he probably hasn't even played the system under a descent game master. His arguments are pethetic as well and heres why.


1)you are of course going to run into a lot of gothic players. if he read the book then he would know that it says you are playing in the gothic punk world of darkness on page# 28 the paragraph labled in BIG BOLD LETERS stating "Gothic punk isperhaps the best way to describe the physical nature of the World of Darkness". So thus endeth that stupid assumption. I think I speek for all of Us Goths out there Christian Goth or not that this is definatly a Highly goth game and that this guy has just insulted the population of Goths.

2) Munchkins, Power gamers, Rules lawers, and Dicers are all varyiants that the Game master should have to syphon through. I know this because I am A GM for vampire, Mage, Werewolf, Shadowrun, and heros unlimited. It even states in the GMs guide that the GM has to take care of that problem and Either remove them or deal with it. Note that comprimises are acceptable.

3) This game is set for mature gamers not for beginners. This jonnhy guy really must of started with it and thought that its rules were to complex. Wrong the rule are simple. you just gotta be smart.

So last Dont take any of the whining gibering of Jonnhy truant. BUY THIS BOOK. Oh yeah and Jonnhy be smarter than the equipment you opperate, or, in this case learn to read the whole book before you try to give a stupid opinion that has no good reasoning. can we say hollow?....... Come on I know you can do it. never mind.


To the rest of you i leave this


Life is short, But death is eternal.



Rating:
Summary: "A Storytelling Game of Personal Horror"
Review: This is a great start to the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade

Rating:
Summary: A GURPS Version of WOD
Review: This is not a white wolf book, rather it is the conversion rules for people who are interested in playing vampire but not in learning a new system and who are already competent with the GURPS rules. If you are new to role playing and want to play a vampire then I suggest you find the world of darkness rules for this game as they are more expansive and complex.

However, if you already know GURPS and are interested in playing a vampire then I strongly suggest this book. The rules are clearly laid out for people to read and understand. Though it is not a stand alone product, it's not trying to be. And it allows people who like WOD but who don't want to learn a new system to use a system they already know to play it.

For those unfamiliar with vampire I'll do my best to give a rough over view. There are many different types of vampires known as Clans. Each clan has separate special powers which give them an edge up on one another. Some people find this system to be stereotype based, I have found, however, that the point is not to play a typical Brujah, Tremere, Venture, Lasombra or Toreador (just to name a few), but rather to create one who falls with in the lines of the clan but also is a unique individual. The Storyteller then guides the players though an advanture just like any other roleplaying game.

As for the format of the book it is a bit confusing for those who aren't used to the way White Wolf sets up books. Unlike most WOD books, however, the index is surprising useful and can be used to find just about everything that is needed in the book. I do suggest the use of sticky notes for some sections as quick reference or your can write in the margins if you don't mind writing in books.

One last thing for those with young children, Vampire is an intense rather dark game. It's not happy or light and fluffy. The plays are playing vampires who do kill people, and it is a horror based game. The book is dark and intense and probably not suitable for children under the age of 14.

Rating:
Summary: The Start of RPGing for me
Review: Vampire is a very interesting game. When I was in 4th Grade me and my friends used to make up games in our heads but something was lacking a cohesive setting. By the time I was in 7th Grade we decided to buy an RPG book, just to get the gist of things. We ended up buing Vampire, and I must say it is great! I've bought 40 other books by White-Wolf in the last few years.

This game is a modern game in the Modern World, not a D&D type of Fantasy. Vampires are real in this game, they live in all the major cities, they pull the strings of politics. They hide from Humanity though, because they fear discovery. Yet they have to interact with humans, because as Vampires they eternally need blood to survive and even more to power their dark powers.

Vampires are arranged into clans, 13 to be exact all created by Ancient founders. These clans are divided into three groups. The first is the Camarilla, most obsessed with secrecy and having 7 of the Vampire clans. The next is the Sabbat, a group of Vampires who believe they should rule humanity and arch-Rivals of the Camarilla. They only consist of two clans but their are other clan members who have decided to join. Finally their are 4 Independent clans who try to avoid keeping any alligence to anyone.

The Rules of this game are simple as well. All a person needs is a copy of the sheets, a pencil and maybe ten 10-sided dice. The rule system is rather simple and the game doesn't revolve around pointless hours of combat but story purposes. This adds more enjoyment to the game, if your interested in weaving a story.

The Vampire game is a good introduction to White-Wolf RPG's and it is not only an interesting play, it is an interesting read as well. I have bought many books just to read them, and even if you don't have a group, their is a huge online community.

Rating:
Summary: A GURPS Version of WOD
Review: Vampire: The Masquerade is a one of the better World of Darkness series out there. Although I reccomend Hunter: The Reckoning for ideal beginnings, V:TM is truely fun for player and storyteller alike.

I'd also like to point out that, in order to get the right enviroment for a lot of these games, you might want to pick up some (if not all!) of the CDs the reccomend. It's good music, too.

As to the complaints that all WoD games are stand-alone: you storyteller can fix that. Get on their case about it. I know mine did.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome RPG, Great Book
Review: Vampire: the Masquerade is an amazing game to play with your friends. In stark contrast to RPGs like AD&D and Shadowrun, where your player attempts to be the coolest (and you live out a dream of, "if only I were my character"), V:tM dooms your character from the beginning. You are a vampire, cursed to prey upon the living, cursed to lose your friends, living out a solitary existence. Vampire emphasizes true drama--either comic or tragic, the game MOVES you.

If you have read this far, DO NOT TAKE THE SOFTCOVER VERSION. The �softcover edition� that Amazon.com advertises is a GURPS adaptation (GURPS stands for Generic Universal RolePlaying System). It tells you how to turn Vampire characters into GURPS characters, and how to run a GURPS campaign with Vampires engaged in the Masquerade. It is loosely a rulebook for the game, but its rules make much less sense if you�ve never played GURPS.

Now, on to the rest of the game�

The storyteller has the best time with the game. She runs the chronicle with the pride of a playwright, knowing that she touches her audience. She has all the power; she also has all he responsibility. The storyteller has to invent the chronicle, plotting out each week�s saga for the rest of you to endure. While the most rewarding, it�s also the hardest job in V:tM. And somebody has to do it.

You�ll probably notice the oddness of the feminine pronoun (She runs, she has, etc.). The writers of this manual have distributed the pronouns in the book to be roughly 51% female and 49% male, to accompany the national division of the sexes. If you�re a male, it�s a reminder of the alienation that female scholastics must endure. This book pulls that off flawlessly.

I have two complaints. The first is dice. Most pen-and-paper roleplaying games use dice, with the exception of Amber. AD&D uses seven different types of dice, and three to five of each. Shadowrun and V:tM are each more forgiving; they just use one. This is nice. Shadowrun dice are your normal 6-sided dice, which is awesome. In Vampire, the die is ten-sided, which is much harder to come by. This means no buying in bulk; I�ve simply found it impossible to get a package of 10-sided dice without extra AD&D dice added on.

My second complaint is that the book has almost no structure. I�d recommend putting post-its in as tabs for the sections that you want to have quick reference to; character generation alone involves swapping between different parts of the book 5-6 times. God forbid you have a rule conflict in a game; my group partitioned the book into sections to skim through whenever people were uncertain about a rule.

Once you�ve read the rulebook, though, you don�t need it in the game. The most I�ve ever done is have the lexicon open so that I have my terms straight; you get a feel for what each level of each vampiric power does, and you don�t have to look up Natures and Demeanors all the time. (Natures and Demeanors are personalities that you�re required to take. There is a list of 30 and you take different ones for nature or demeanor).

Overall, this game is splendid. It has advanced over other RPGs to give true entertainment. Focused, fast-paced, and fantastically horrid, some gaming might give you nightmares, depending on who your storyteller is. Some gaming will be a lot of jokes and mudslinging at authority. Either way, you�ll scare yourself with how casually you say, �I suck down all the human�s blood and kill him.� At some level, the horror of catching yourself saying that phrase is what the game is all about.

Rating:
Summary: An RPG to last through the ages.
Review: Vampire: The Masquerade is by far, the best role-playing game I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Created by the amazing minds at White Wolf, this game is perfect for beginners to role-playing or veterans with years of experience.

First lets explain exactly what V:tM is as a game.
Some of you may be familiar with the biblical story of Caine and Abel (and if you aren't, you will be after reading both, this review and the core-rulebook). Sons of Adam and Eve, Caine slew his brother Abel, and was marked by God and banished from eden. In V:tM, that mark was the curse of vampirism. Over the ages, Caine sired more Kindred, before he eventually fled the earth. These "Childer" of Caine began to sire more vampires, and eventually, they started splitting off into 'clans', thirteen of them. Each clan has it's own unique characteristics, and certain 'disciplines' that they are more attuned to. Disciplines are the vampires' powers in V:tM, and while some mirror the hollywood image of vampires, many are totally different, all creative and a wonderful tool for you to create powerful, intriguing characters that are apart from the normal mish-mash of much of role-playing. If you look at the second part of the title, you may ask yourself what is The Masquerade, and what's it have to do with Vampires? Well simply put, there are two 'sects' of vampires (as well as those clans who fall into neither sect), essentially the 'good' and the 'bad'. Who is good and bad is for you to decide. One, The Camarilla, focus's on the upholding of the Masquerade, the global act put up by Kindred so humans don't find out about them. The second, the Sabbat, cares nothing for the MAsquerade, and believes that Mortals should fear Kindred, and serve them as slaves, blood bags.. All this takes place in the White Wolf, World of Darkness, a techno-gothic punk sort of world, cruel, unforgiving, and extremely real.

Now that that's out of the way, why should you buy it? So it's got a great story, a richly detailed setting with a huge amount of supplement books to enrich it even further, and endless opportunities for fun. On top of all this, as an appeal to beginners, the dice system is excedingly easy to learn, and one need only buy the core rulebook (where in things like Dungenons and Dragons you need to buy -three- books to have a game as successful as one book of vampire). The dice system uses only one dice, and a very basic, but extremely effective 'point' system that allows for any type of game you could desire. While it doesn't require a huge amount of dice rolling and stat checking, you can have a game that revolves entirely around social interaction, or, if battle is more your thing, you need not spend countless hours of rolling just to figure out a simple action.

As an Experienced gamer, you'll find that Vampire: The Masquerade is loaded with creativity which can offer insight to your other games, as well as a vast amount of plot detailing in the core rulebook, definately enough to make a very in-depth campagin with whatever mood you want. In addition, the very way it's written, with examples being 'In Character' often, can be a huge push toward creating your own interesting campaign, an idea describing a simple skill can spark up an entire scenes creation.

Above all else, it's just downright a great read. I bought this game when I had my group of friends that we could all RP with in highschool, but as college came the troupe split up. I still read this book, as well as a great many other books by the White Wolf team, and enjoy every bit of them, even if I don't even play the games.

Besides...Amazon[.com] has a great price on White Wolf products, 30% off most (if not all) their titles..What have you got to lose?...I mean..aside from your time for being addicted to reading and playing this game.