Вампир: Маскарад – настольная ролевая игра

Tabletop role playing game
the tabletop game

Vampire: The Masquerade is a tabletop role playing game (tabletop RPG) created by Mark Rein Hagen and released in 1991 by White Wolf Publishing as the first of several Storyteller System games for its World of Darkness setting line. It is set in a fictionalized "gothic punk" version of the modern world where players assume the role of vampires, who are referred to as "Kindred." and deal with their night to night struggles against their own bestial natures, vampire hunters, and each other. Several associated products were produced based on Vampire: The Masquerade, including live action role playing games (Mind's Eye Theatre), dice, collectible card games (The Eternal Struggle), video games (Redemption, Bloodlines, Swansong and Bloodlines 2, Bloodhunt), and numerous novels. In 1996, a short lived television show loosely based on the game, Kindred: The Embraced, was produced by Aaron Spelling for the Fox Broadcasting Company.

Vampire was inspired by role playing games (RPGs) such as Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, and Nightlife, as well as the writings of Joseph Campbell and vampire films such as The Lost Boys. Rein Hagen felt that hunting vampires, as a game premise, would get boring, so he came up with the idea of a game wherein the players played vampires instead of hunting them. Vampire was notably new in many respects. It was conceived as a dark, moody, urban fantasy game with a unique gothic feel that harkened back to TSR's Ravenloft. It would also be the first of a series of linked games sharing the same game world. In mid 2010, White Wolf switched exclusively to a print on demand model via online role playing game store DriveThruRPG, offering the new and classic World of Darkness source books through the DriveThruRPG web site starting with a number of formerly out of print Vampire: The Masquerade books and gradually adding more as they were ready for print. DriveThruRPG and White Wolf indicated that, eventually, all World of Darkness material will be available in this way.

On March 17, 2011, White Wolf announced the 20th Anniversary Edition, which was published during the Grand Masquerade event in New Orleans on September 15–17, 2011, and released to the attendees. Customers not attending The Grand Masquerade were offered a limited time preorder option. The 20th Anniversary Edition contains revisions of rules and is a compendium of most information provided in supplemental material in the game's earlier life. The 20th Anniversary Edition officially revived Vampire: The Masquerade as part of White Wolf Publishing's shift to a print on demand business model, and multiple new Masquerade products have been announced. All of White Wolf's tabletop roleplaying games were then published by Onyx Path Publishing, including Vampire through its 20th Anniversary Edition, while all of White Wolf's Mind's Eye Theatre products were published by By Night Studios.

In 2015, Paradox Interactive purchased White Wolf and all of its intellectual properties from CCP Games, and it was announced that White Wolf would remain a subsidiary of Paradox Interactive. A 5th edition of Vampire: The Masquerade (also known as V5) was then released in early 2018. Development of the new edition was led by game designer Kenneth Hite, and it was distributed by Modiphius Entertainment. After the release of the Anarch sourcebook in November 2018, Paradox Interactive announced it would no longer allow White Wolf to develop the series in house due to references in the sourcebook to the anti gay purges in Chechnya and other controversies surrounding White Wolf. In December 2018, Paradox Interactive announced that Modiphius Entertainment would continue the development of the series with final approval by Paradox Interactive. In November 2020, Paradox Interactive announced that Renegade Game Studios would become the publishing partner for the entire World of Darkness brand and that they would release Vampire: The Masquerade products. The company also announced it would bring IP development back in house under the World of Darkness team V5 was released on Roll20 in June 2021. The online toolset World of Darkness Nexus, which supports Vampire: The Masquerade and other games in the series, is planned to be released in 2022, with a rules and lore compendium, character creation and management tools, matchmaking, and video chat functionality. Early access to Vampire: The Masquerade Nexus was launched in June 2022; this launch includes bundles of both physical and digital game products.

The game uses the cursed, vampiric condition as a backdrop to explore themes of morality, depravity, the human condition (or appreciation of the human condition in its absence), salvation, and personal horror. The gloomy and exaggerated version of the real world that the vampires inhabit, called the "World of Darkness", forms an already bleak canvas against which the stories and struggles of characters are painted. The themes that the game seeks to address include retaining the character's sense of self, humanity, and sanity, as well as simply keeping from being crushed by the grim opposition of mortal and supernatural antagonists and, more poignantly, surviving the politics, treachery, and often violent ambitions of their own kind.

Vampire is based on the Storyteller System. In addition to the general Storyteller rules, it uses a number of specific mechanics aimed towards simulating the vampiric existence. A vampire has a blood pool signifying the amount of human blood or vitae currently in their body; this blood can be spent to power abilities and perform supernatural tricks. These tricks simulate many of those portrayed in film, such as turning into animals or mist, surviving and healing from grievous injuries or having unnatural charisma and powers of hypnotic suggestion. Close to the central theme of the game is Humanity. Vampires each have Humanity scores, measuring how closely in touch with human nature they are; as Humanity decreases, vampires become more susceptible to the Beast, the feral side of the vampiric soul that is driven entirely by rage, hunger, and hatred of God and humanity. Brutal, immoral actions risk lowering a vampire's Humanity score. If the individual's Humanity drops to zero, the Beast takes over and the vampire is in a state of constant frenzy known as Wassail. The actions taken during gameplay are expressed using ten sided dice. The number of dice used correspond to the player's current skill level, often based on two different skills that together represent the player's ability. For example, to land a punch, the character's dexterity and brawl skill are combined. The resulting number is the number of dice rolled to perform the task. It is up to the story teller to set how high a dice roll must be to be considered a success (usually 6 for standard actions).

Vampires in the World of Darkness make use of several familiar tropes of vampires in myth and legend such as immortality and a powerful thirst for blood. They are truly undead as their hearts do not beat, they do not require food or drink, they do not age, their skin is cold and pale, and the only sustenance they require is blood. Despite their undead status, vampires of this world are thinking, feeling beings capable of thought, emotion, and empathy (though this capacity may diminish with age, or through a desensitization caused by immoral actions, referred to as "loss of Humanity"). Other tropes or weaknesses are described as mere legends or superstitions, such as a vampire's victim becoming a vampire simply from a bite. Though they are typically not repulsed by garlic or holy symbols, there is a system of merits and flaws that can affect characters in this way, though they are not animated by some demonic spirit according to in game lore. This represents the amount of vitae the player has available to expend to fuel supernatural powers, to heal wounds, or to increase their physical strength, agility, or stamina. Characters can replace lost Vitae by drinking more blood. A vampire's vitae can inspire false feelings of love and foster dependency if drunk by others. This addiction to vampiric blood is called the Blood Bond. The vampire performing the bond is called a Regnant and the one being bound is called a Thrall. In most cases, a victim must drink three times from the same vampire on three separate nights to become bonded. Once bonded, the victim feels something akin to a very twisted sort of love for the vampire and they become the most important person in their life. They also become more susceptible to mind control by that vampire and are willing to do anything, even risk their own life, to aid their regnant. Mortals, animals, and even other vampires and other supernatural creatures may be bound. The Sabbat practice a different form of group blood bonding by incorporating ancient Tzimisce Blood Magic called the Vaulderie that inspires loyalty and sodality among the sect. It will also instantly break conventional blood bonds if performed correctly by a trained vampire, typically a Pack Priest. They can also be negated by extended amounts of time depending on how far the Bond has gone (steps one, two or three), willpower and the extended absence of the regnant in order to do so. These myths are collected in an in game document of dubious reliability known as the Book of Nod. Those who study the mythical vampire origins are called Noddists. According to Noddist mythology there are claims that Cain will return at the end of time to judge his descendants: the third generation Antediluvians and all vampires descended from them. This event is known as Gehenna, the end of all vampiric races. Others claim that Gehenna is simply the awakening of the Antediluvians who have returned to feed on the blood of their descendants. Gangrel: A clan of animalistic shape shifters who shun the cities for the wilderness beyond. Independent and more interested in their own survival, the Gangrel prefer to run with wild animals rather than play politics with others of their kind. Gangrel are masters of the Discipline Protean which allows them to change their bodies into bestial shapes. When Gangrel frenzy, they resemble the Beast, taking on animal features and disfigurements. Gangrel are one of the seven founding clans of the Camarilla, although their leadership broke from it close to the end of the 1990s in universe. Lasombra: Darkly aristocratic vampires, Lasombra see power over others and self mastery as their noblesse oblige. As one of the two founding clans of the Sabbat, they gained notoriety for allegedly destroying their Antediluvian founder. The Lasombra practice a Discipline known as Obtenebration that allows them to manipulate shadows and darkness. Perhaps as a result of their signature Discipline they do not appear in mirrors or on film that uses mirrors in its development. Malkavian: Malkavian are a clan of lunatics whose madness grants them strange insights. Their Discipline of Dementation allows them to spread their insanity like a plague (prior to the third edition, knowledge of this Discipline was suppressed within the Camarilla). All members of this clan are insane in some way. They are one of the seven founding clans of the Camarilla. Nosferatu: The clan Nosferatu are doomed to wear their bestial nature on the outside. The Embrace turns its victims into hideous and deformed monsters who are marginalized by their appearance and forced to dwell in the shadows of the sewers. However, their lives on the fringes of vampiric and mortal society inspire the clan to present a unified front, and their stealthy abilities allow them to learn secrets others would rather keep hidden; as a result, they often traffic in information. All Nosferatu are ugly and obviously monsters to the point that appearing openly would break the Masquerade. They are one of the founding members of the Camarilla. In a 1996 reader poll by Arcane magazine to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time, Vampire: The Masquerade was ranked 6th. Editor Paul Pettengale commented: "Vampire has always proved the most popular of the World of Darkness games, a testament both to the continuing appeal of the vampire itself, and to the structure and design of the game. Like all of the Storyteller range, it's not an easy game to get right, and it relies heavily on both the players and the referee putting a lot of effort and imagination into their roles. With a good group, though, it can be an immensely interesting and thought provoking game, and one of the most effective horror RPGs around. Despite its tendency to take itself a little seriously, Vampire: The Masquerade has a great deal to offer the more mature and serious gamer." In 1991, Vampire: The Masquerade was one of the top ten best selling tabletop role playing games of the year in the United States. Scott Taylor for Black Gate in 2013 rated Vampire: The Masquerade as #10 in the top ten role playing games of all time, saying "I don't like vampires, be they shiny or horrific, this game has to be given its props as it propelled White Wolf into a full fledged gaming company when gaming companies were in the process of dying in droves."

Steve Jackson Games published an adaptation of Vampire: The Masquerade using their popular GURPS generic table top roleplaying system. They followed this book up with a supplement called GURPS: Vampire Companion. Both books were produced for use with the Third Edition of the GURPS rules and are no longer in print. The Steve Jackson company also produced GURPS conversions of Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and Mage: The Ascension. Steve Jackson Games had the original copyright to the World of Darkness setting. Initially, SJ Games decided not to release their version; however, after the massive popularity the game setting received during the White Wolf Company's release, SJ Games, which still held their official rights of release on the system, published its version. Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Mage: The Ascension, Wraith: The Oblivion, Changeling: The Dreaming, Hunter: The Reckoning, Mummy: The Resurrection, Kindred of the East, and Demon: The Fallen are other RPG titles set in the Old World of Darkness, a setting which Vampire: The Masquerade first established. Vampire: The Requiem is a spiritual successor to the game, introduced when the original game was ended in 2004. Although it is an entirely new game, it uses many elements of the old game, including many clan and discipline names and a modified version of the Storyteller rules system called Storytelling system. At the White Wolf Camarilla meeting in October 2009 it was decided to re support the Storyteller games both in the official Camarilla fan club and outside to Table Top players. Under the title Mind's Eye Theatre: The Masquerade White Wolf also provided a live action role playing game in the same setting, using their Mind's Eye Theatre system.

Vampire: The Eternal Struggle (first published 1994), formerly known as Jyhad, a traditional collectible card game based on Vampire, was produced by Wizards of the Coast and later by White Wolf. It is currently produced by Black Chantry, a company founded solely for this purpose, under license by Paradox Interactive, who now own the White Wolf brand, by republishing old cards and making minor balancing adjustments to the rules or card texts, with a fifth edition scheduled for October 2020. The relaunch by Black Chantry changes the mode of distribution by scrapping booster packs in favor of non randomized precompiled card sets. In 2020, Paradox licensed the setting to several game production companies, leading to multiple Kickstarter campaigns. Vampire: The Masquerade – Rivals, a re interpretation of The Eternal Struggle, changing and simplifying some of the rules. It is produced by Renegade Game Studios and is marketed as an 'expandable card game', rather than traditional trading card game, with the initial release being a box including decks for four players as well as one set of 'city' cards, which are used by all players equally. This moves the game closer to a traditional board game where 'the game' (in this case the city cards) is required to play, as opposed to a traditional TCG, where any two players owning a deck can duel each other. Vampire: The Masquerade – Heritage, a legacy board game in which players control a clan vying over control for a span of 600 years. Vampire: The Masquerade – Chapters, a board game using miniatures which follows a story campaign, trying to emulate the experience of an RPG campaign without the need for a Storyteller (i. e. game master). Vampire: The Masquerade – Vendetta, a card based strategy game about controlling territories of Chicago. Vampire: The Masquerade – Blood Feud, a board game for up to 32 players which requires a Storyteller. Vampire: The Masquerade – Prince's Gambit, a card based game in which part of the players form a hostile faction whose membership is unknown, similar to the Werewolf or Mafia party games.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption, a video game based upon the Vampire milieu, developed by Nihilistic Software and published in 2000 by Activision. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. Developed by Troika Games and published by Activision in 2004, it uses Valve's Source engine. A sequel, Bloodlines 2, is in development as of 2024. Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York is a video game by Draw Distance, released in 2019 for Windows PC, and 2020 for other platforms. A sequel, Shadows of New York, was released in 2020. Vampire: The Masquerade, a line of interactive fiction titles developed by Choice of Games from 2020 to 2022. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt, a video game is a free to play battle royale game developed and published by Swedish developer Sharkmob. It was published on April 27, 2022. Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a role playing video game in development by Big Bad Wolf, released in 2022 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice, a virtual reality game was released on November 2, 2023.

Moonstone Books published a series of comic book adaptations of Vampire: The Masquerade beginning in 2001 which are now hard to find, but some of them made it into DriveThruRPG's Print on Demand service. There have been multiple novels published, the most extensive one being the so called 'Clan Novels', which came in a current time and a medieval series. Vampire: The Masquerade is an ongoing horror comic book published by Vault Comics since 2020. World of Darkness: Crimson Thaw (2021) is a limited series comic published by Vault Comics. It contains game "material for the fifth edition of the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop [ ] allowing gamers to actually play the events of the series in their own games".

Kindred: The Embraced, a 1996 television series based on Vampire, was produced by Aaron Spelling. A compilation album, called Music from the Succubus Club, was released by Dancing Ferret Discs to serve as a soundtrack for the Vampire RPG. L. A. by Night is an actual play web series using the Fifth Edition of Vampire, led by Jason Carl as the storyteller, which premiered in September 2018. The cast includes regular members B. Dave Walters, Cynthia Marie, Alexander Ward, Erika Ishii, Xander Jeanneret, and Josephine McAdam. The first three seasons were distributed by Geek & Sundry, but the fourth season onwards was hosted on World of Darkness' channels. Seattle by Night is an actual play web series using the Fifth Edition of Vampire, led by Jason Carl as the storyteller, which premiered in November 2019. "The show starts right after the protagonist coterie gets back to Seattle from Montreal, where they were involved in an incident that everyone would rather forget. The Second Inquisition is one of the principal antagonists of the show". who play as a group of "incompetent Anarch envoys trying to drive from L. A. to Seattle to back up a courier". NY by Night is an actual play web series using the Fifth Edition of Vampire, led by Jason Carl as the storyteller, which is scheduled to premiere in July 2022; it acts as a sequel to L. A. by Night. Before the premiere, World of Darkness announced the planned structure of the first three seasons. The first season will focus on four Anarch members, played by Alexander Ward, Mayanna Beren, Aabria Iyengar, Joey Rassool, who chafe under the Camarilla's rules. Season two will focus on an unannounced cast of Camarilla Kindred maintaining their power in the city. Season three will bring these parallel storylines together as the two coteries collide.