The focus on emotion and storytelling in this edition of Vampire is more married to the mechanics of the game than it has ever been. “We talked about emotions long before we looked at anything else.” “It was actually the first thing we talked about: What emotions should you feel when looking at a copy of the game?” Jason Carl added. A casual flip through its 400-plus pages will have any roleplayer's mind whirling with possibilities for exploring this latest iteration of The World of Darkness. So how do we, today, in our visually-progressed field produce something that feels just as good? We want the 'Holy ****!' reaction.”Īnd White Wolf have got that reaction- There is no game on the market as visually stunning as V5. There were no huge fangs or anyone that looked like Dracula. “In '91 when Vampire came out, it was unique,” Ericsson said. V5 takes a new approach to its visual design- the pages are filled with both photography and traditional art, depicting the different Vampire clans in a way that directly brings the visceral mood of the game into our reality. The original game was praised for the moody art of Tim Bradstreet, which went on to directly influence the look and feel of Blade (1998). In 1991 it stood apart from all other games because there was nothing like it. Vampire is an evocative game that has the power to leave a long-lasting mark on its players. Lastly, Lead Storyteller Martin Ericsson simply turned his wrist to show me the still-fresh tattoo of the clan Toreador symbol. “ Ventrue, always.” Producer Jason Carl said, handing me his White Wolf business card with the symbol of clan Ventrue printed right alongside his name.
Be it clan Brujah- gutter-punks throwing the seeds of anarchy, or clan Nosferatu- those cursed with hideousness, but retain more of their otherwise-lost humanity. Selecting your clan is arguably the most important decision when making a character for Vampire, and players often form a personal bond with a clan that speaks to them. “In that I'm a smartass and an occultist.”Ī Tremere is one of the 13 Vampire Clans, which are analogous to character classes in other roleplaying games. “Oh, I'm probably a Tremere,” he told me. Kenneth Hite is the designer of V5, and is well known for his work on the Call of Cthulhu. The fifth edition of Vampire (commonly referred to as V5), released on the first day of GenCon 2018, and I had the opportunity to sit down with some of the team from White Wolf Publishing and talk about the game. If you've ever watched True Blood, the Blade films, or played a narrative-driven tabletop game, you likely owe that experience to Vampire: The Masquerade. The revolutionary effect the original Vampire had on both the gaming industry and popular Vampire myth is unparalleled. Whether you've been following Vampire: The Masquerade since its release in 1991, or joined your first Dungeons & Dragons group a month ago, this monumental game from White Wolf Publishing will have touched your life in some way- and you probably don't even realise it.