This irregular column seems at facets of design and system {that a} specific sport does particularly properly. On this case I’m taking a look at Vampire: The Masquerade fifth Version.
Creating Background
First off, kudos for the designers for not retconning the sport background within the re-creation. They took the present canon of the setting and moved it alongside a couple of years with surprisingly few momentous occasions. Whereas there are a whole lot of modifications, most are ripples from the arrival of the Second Inquisition and the beckoning. So you’ll be able to choose up this sport the place you left off as a substitute of attempting to relearn how all the pieces works (and has supposedly all the time labored).
The Tremere Downside
Clan Tremere is usually an issue in any sport of Vampire. Their shut knit construction and concentrate on clan loyalty usually pushed Tremere gamers to aspect with their clan over the participant character group (coterie). Whereas most clans provided a little bit of this, Clan Tremere not solely inspired this however demanded it. Fifth version solved this brutally however successfully, by blowing up Tremere central workplace. The principle chantry in Vienna is destroyed within the new timeline, eradicating the Tremere management. So Tremere characters nonetheless have clan backing and are completely viable, however their clan doesn’t have the identical central authority to implement loyalty as earlier than. As well as the destruction of the Vienna chantry is a wakeup name for a way harmful the Second Inquisition will be.
The Beckoning
The Beckoning is a wierd name that attracts highly effective vampire elders in direction of the Center East the place supposedly historic vampires are partaking in a shadow battle. This manages to resolve two points that usually got here up in earlier video games of vampire.
The primary was the concrete nature of vampire society. With elders lasting for hundreds of years, and clinging onto energy with an iron grip, there was nothing for brand new (participant character) kindred to attempt to declare. There was no outlet for vampiric ambition. In early video games that’s high-quality, educating the participant characters there are a lot larger fish out there may be good. Nevertheless it quickly turned clear that development was not simply troublesome however nearly inconceivable. The Beckoning solves this downside by making the elders stroll away. Huge energy vacuums open up once in a while, leaving the participant characters a gap, if they’re fast sufficient to say them.
The second challenge was that of coterie versus clan. Whereas Clan Tremere have been the worst, in most video games, most participant characters tended to shift their loyalty away from the PC coterie in direction of their clan. The Beckoning doesn’t cease that, however does give the participant characters a motive to stay collectively. If they’ll declare one thing an elder left, they’ll must do it collectively. One elder is value one PC coterie. To allow them to nonetheless stab one another within the again or be loyal to their clan, but when they’re to maintain their searching floor and different shared belongings they must work collectively.
Starvation Selections
Many video games in earlier editions moved in direction of ‘goth superheroes’ as a substitute of vampires. The brand new system for a way blood is used to energy skills is healthier at reminding gamers their characters are hungry predators. First off, the quantity of blood it prices to prompts any energy is now variable. You make a take a look at every time you employ it and it might, or might not, price you. So it’s inconceivable to essentially inform simply how a lot blood your character will want. However given your character won’t endure a price in any respect; this doesn’t nerf their powers or make them use them any much less.
Blood has additionally moved from a pool, to a starvation mechanic, which is certainly one of my favorite issues. Searching in earlier editions was mainly filling the gasoline tank. You bought some blood and the predictability of the price of your powers made it straightforward to inform how lengthy you’d want earlier than searching. In fifth version, when an influence prices you blood, your cube are swapped out for starvation cube. Provided that these roll sure outcomes do the extra bestial facets of your character come to the fore, however they nonetheless work as customary cube too. Feeding reverts these cube to regular, however every participant can determine for themselves when their character is “too hungry.” It’s as much as them to determine how a lot to danger their character dropping management. It additionally implies that you can’t ever overlook your character’s starvation. With a blood pool you can simply test often how full it’s. However with starvation cube your character’s starvation is a brooding presence in each cube roll.
It’s also value mentioning Predator Varieties are one other manner the sport pushes focus again onto the feeding and starvation facet of characters. These are usually not simply narrative choices, however grant the additional abilities and even self-discipline factors that permit the character to be efficient as that kind of hunter. This bakes the thought into character creation that your character is a predator and never simply an immortal.
Freeform Clans
Within the authentic sport the place solely seven of the 13 clans have been obtainable and all the pieces was targeted on the Camarilla, there wasn’t an issue. However as the sport has expanded and developed, extra clans have been revealed. Not each clan is in each sect, so totally different video games restricted clan alternative. Submit Second Inquisition the Camarilla and the Anarchs are on a recruitment drive. Whereas they anticipate a brand new degree of dedication, any character may be a part of both sect, opening up probably all of the clans for any sport as participant characters.
This sport of clan musical chairs additionally locations the Brujah and Gangrel among the many Anarchs, which additionally makes extra sense given how the sport has developed. The one downside there may be that the bodily clans are multi function sect, probably why the Lasombra (with Potence) have joined the Camarilla from a design perspective. However once more, with anybody probably in a position to be a part of any sect, the one distinction this makes is how a lot clan again up you may obtain relying in your selections.
Bringing the Masquerade Into the Fashionable Age
Vampire stays certainly one of my favorite video games of all time. However after years of sport play sure issues turned evident that fifth Version did a superb job of addressing. It is actually a masterclass of design, demonstrating how a sport can enhance from years of playtesting and suggestions.
YOUR TURN: What different new editions of a sport actually mounted a specific downside?
