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Vampire: The Masquerade
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| Tabletop RPG Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Vampire: The Masquerade |
| Abbreviation(s): | VtM |
| Author: | Mark Rein-Hagen |
| Company: | White Wolf Publishing (1991-2018)
Onyx Path Publishing (2011-present exclusively for 20th anniversary edition and Vampire: the Requiem) Paradox Interactive (2018-Present) |
| Date(s): | 1991 (1st edition)
1992 (2nd edition) 1998 (Revised Edition) 2011 (20th Anniversary Edition) 2018 (5th Edition) |
| Medium: | Tabletop RPG |
| Genre: | Vampire, Gothic, Horror |
| Dice: | d10 dice pool system |
| Sourcebooks: | 1st Edition sourcebook
20th Anniversary Edition Sourcebook 5th Edition Sourcebook |
| Official Site: | Vampire: the Masquerade on Paradox Interactive.com |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Vampire: The Masquerade is a TTRPG created by Mark Rein-hagen and published by White Wolf publishing in 1991, it was the first tabletop game in the World of Darkness series where players play as Vampires, also known as "Kindred", or "Cainites" struggling to retain their humanity whilst also having to worry about supernatural Hunters and their own kind.
As of 2025, the system is in its 5th edition and no longer being published by White Wolf, with development instead being handed over to Renegade Game Studios by the rights holders Paradox Interactive in 2020.
History
During development, VtM was inspired by other similarly dark TTRPGs of the time such as Chaosiums Call of Cthulu and Runequest, and Stellar Games's Nightlife system, though also being inspired external media such as the writings of Joseph Campbell[1] And Joel Schumacher's 1987 movie The Lost Boys. Its official release would come in 1991 though it would be quickly superseded the next year with its Second edition with a revised edition of 1st edition coming 7 years later in 1998.
In 2004, White Wolf would end the Masquerade game line alongside the other original World of Darkness systems, replacing it with Vampire: the Requiem and the "New World of Darkness" (Later Rebranded to Chronicles of Darkness), with White Wolf merging with EVE Online developer CCP games in 2006 and shifting towards an Exclusively Print on Demand business model in mid-2010 hosted on Drive Thru RPG.
In 2011, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of VtM 1st Edition's release While Wolf would announce Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary edition.
In 2015, it was announced that Paradox Interactive had acquired White Wolf and all-related licenses from CCP with Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition (shortened to V5) releasing 3 years later in early 2018 with release of additional supplements being handled by Modiphus entertainment and Onyx Path Publishing. Following the release of the supplementary Camarilla sourcebook in November 2018, Paradox would announce that it would no longer let White Wolf act as a separate entity from Paradox or make books in-house after controversy surrounding references to the 2017 Anti-Gay purges in Chechnya being included in the sourcebook.[2]
2 years later in 2020, Paradox would announce Renegade Game Studios as the official publisher for all books in the World of Darkness going forward alongside the announcement of intent to bring IP development in house once again under the newly formed World of Darkness team.[3]
Spinoffs
Vampire: the Masquerades has a multitude of spinoffs, from the Tabletop spinoffs including Vampire: the Masquerade: the Dark Ages, and Dark Ages: Vampire, Video games such as Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, Swansong, and the Battle Royale Bloodhunt, to Television with the 1996 TV series Kindred: the Embraced.
VtM is also a predominate name in the LARP community with its Minds Eye Theater series of LARP books.
Fandom
Vampire: the Masquerade, like the rest of the World of Darkness fandom, has a silent but sizable fandom online, its tag on Ao3 currently boasting over 2,326 fics and its tag on Tumblr hosting a healthy 2.5k followers.
Fanworks
Vampire: the Masquerade has a plethora of Fan content made for it ranging from fan animations and fan series, Fanfic, and Actual-play podcasts
Fan Animation
- Hunter: the Parenting - a fan series set in the World of Darkness created by Ogre Poppenang productions and hosted on the Bruva Alfabusa YouTube channel.
- Vampire: the Masquerade V5- Fan Intro Animation by Smite or Flight
Fan Fiction
- Non-Playable by MsOuroboros
Of all the fictional worlds to wake up inside, the world of darkness as presented in Bloodlines is an awful choice. Sadly, Olivia didnt get a choice when she found herself there. Fortunately, she knows the game a little too well. Pity she doesn't know how to use that knowledge.
- December 18th, 1928 by SHKey
Two brothers running Canadian booze get caught in a trap laid for them. Only one makes it out alive-- And brings the other to damnation.
- I Wish I didn't Crave you (explicit content warning) by Lentement
A young Whip from the clan Brujah didn't exactly plan to share a blood bond with a Toreador Primogen, but she didn't mind either. The woman fucked her well and looked amazing. But tonight, the Primogen decided to spice it up.
- Blacklight by Night by NightingaleTrash
Alex Mercer wakes up in a morgue with no memory of his life before and no idea that there's an entire world of supernatural monsters that are hellbent on protecting their secrecy as they're pursued by the mortals that hunt them. As chaos unfolds in Manhattan, he finds himself pursued by worse than Blackwatch and realises that the web that entangles him is far more intricate and far more ancient than he could have ever imagined.
- Through a Mirror, Bloody by SomeoneWithNoAo3Account, and TheGreatBeardintheSky
Because who hasn't thought "Hey, what would happen if I dropped a politely, civilly ruthless blood mage on Brockton Bay around the start of canon Worm?"
Podcasts
- Vampire: The Masquerade Port Saga - podcast series which has developed its own fandom (2021-2022)
- LA by Night - An Actual-Play that ran from 2018 to 2021, it was originally hosted by the channel Geek & Sundry though in its final episodes, it moved to releasing on the official World of Darkness YouTube channel. It has grown its own sizable fan base, though the amount of Fanfics dedicated to it rather small (there are around only around 329 pieces of Fan Fiction with the tag)
- New York by Night - the official continuation of LA by Night; NY by Night is an Actual-play hosted on the official World of Darkness YouTube channel, it started in 2022 though as of January 2025 release of episodes have been paused. Its presence on Ao3 is rather miniscule at only 49 fics.
- Seattle by Night - an Actual-play podcast hosted on the Penny Arcade YouTube channel that ran from 2019 to 2023.
- Stitch of Fate - an Actual-play hosted by the PodbyNight podcast network that ran from 2020-2022
- Chicago by Night: the Sacrifice - an Actual-play hosted on the Red Moon Roleplaying channel with assistance from Onyx Path Publishing that ran from 2019 to early 2020
- Vein Pursuit - an Actual-Play hosted on the official Word of Darkness YouTube channel that was made to tie-in as a Prelude/Precursor to Vampire:the Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 that ran from January to March 2020
References
- ^ I am Mark Rein-Hagen, world creator and game designer. Ask Me Anything [1]
- ^ Paradox taking control of White Wolf after Vampire: The Masquerade LGBTQ+ controversy [2] (Archive)
- ^ Kids on Bikes studio becomes new publisher for World of Darkness RPGs as Paradox brings development in-house [3] (Archive)