Modiphius Entertainment Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Ed. RPG for Adults, Family and Kids 13 Years Old and Up (Hardback, Full Color RPG)

So firstly about the shipping: my copy arrived 3 days early of the "Arrives by" date, so already we're off to a great start! and the "very good" condition is no joke, this tome looks nearly brand new, the cover is shiny and glossy, doesn't look like it's had much travel in an RPG go-bag at all. soon to change, to be sure, but it's a very nice thing. Now the main course; is this book any good? I'm assuming you as a buyer are looking to pick this up because you know what a TRPG is and have played several before hearing about White Wolf's flagship game and setting. vampire: the masquerade is a (10 sided dice based) fail/success system, meaning each dice rolled counts as a success and whether you do the thing or not is determined by successes minus failures. it's a good deal different than everyone's first TRPG dungeons and dragons. I haven't had the chance to read it cover to cover yet but I'll give you the highlights: >varied vampire clans and organizations: vampire boasts a wide range of options for your character to ally with/against groups, something many games don't always detail well in their core rulebook. >G O R G E O U S art and layout: none too photo-realistic this book's art is stylized and well made, but what really got me was the opening pages of atmospheric prose, each of which had a light silver illustration superimposed below the text. when reading it might cause slight difficulty in reading but nothing too heinous, but the real treat is when you tilt the book and a subtle watermark image explodes off the page in shining silver as it catches the light. it was a real treat. the rest of the book is in stark black, white and greyscale (at least the volume i bought was) but honestly it's better that way, as you have to actually use your mind's eye for reading the chunks of mood writing and in-game prose, which is important that you and your players learn to do for when you actually play. >an unexpected alteration: when i first flipped through i found that the character sheet printed in back had been snipped loose and then loose-leafed in the back cover. At first i thought it was a print out, and upon realizing it i was a little distraught, but honestly it makes sense to do that now that i think about it. overall you probably know whether or not you want this book and now you're really just teetering on whether or not to take the dive. so let me make it easy for you: vampire: the masquerade is a far cry from the higher profile Table top Role Playing Games in a very good way. D&D in it's various editions and transmutations will probably always be what people think of, along with nerds and weird dice. But if you've been to that Tolkein saturated fantasy world for years and you want something more modern and just as fantastic, get this book.

Book came as advertised for a good price

Nice edition and the hunger system works for me.

Well, first a small word to first time role-players in Vampire the Masquerade. If you have never tried the game, you don't know what you are missing in your life. Now here are the things I found to be sooo much better and distinctively different in the third edition than the second. Note how much the rules are so much better as well when you read them. a) Assimite Disciplines fixed to be useful b) Presence has a kick to it when used against some much lower generation. c) Fortitude is so much better explained now (some used to claim it as automatic soaking all the time). d) Combat has some good changes. e) Obfuscate limits are actually explained! f) Serpentis III is different and so much better. g) Celerity uses one blood per round to activate, was worded before as if it used one blood for each celerity point. There are so much more I can go on with but I figured if you went this far down I probably got your interest enough to go get it.

When Vampire: the Masquerade came out many years ago, it defined a whole new genre. It gave the players an opportunity to role-play as vampires, powerful and immortal creatures of the night, dwelling in modern cities. At the time of its release, Vampire: the Masquerade was a refreshing change from games of medieval fantasy, like D&D. Even now it remains unique for its focus on characters, morality, personal horror, intrigue, secret societies, and occult mysteries in a modern setting. Vampire: the Masquerade is a part of a larger setting - the "classic" World of Darkness, which also includes games about other supernaturals like Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Mage:the Ascension, Changeling: the Dreaming, Wraith: the Oblivion, and others. This is the Revised Edition, also unofficially known as the 3rd Edition, and it is the most well-known and widely used version. I bought it because I like many things about it: - I like the difference between vampire clans, both in flavor, and in how they play. - I like the detailed world with secret societies, laws, factions, internal and external conflicts. - I like its post-modernistic feel and the "gothic punk" style. - I like that both the setting and the rules system provide opportunities to explore darker and edgier themes like misuse of power, oppression by you "parent" and by your "government", morality, crime and punishment, intrigue and betrayal, and what would happen to you if you let loose the monster inside you, and do whatever you want to whomever you want. - I like that it's flexible: you can play it as a slow-paced detective mystery, as a intrigue-filled thriller, as a creeping horror, or you can just play it as a high-octane action adventure with Hollywood-style combat. What I DON'T like is that the rules system is overburdened with detail. In comparison to modern narrative systems like Apocalypse World (which is more rules-lite), Vampire: the Masquerade is over-complicated. It has too many rules, too many nuances, and the structure of the text sometimes makes it hard to find an answer to a particular question. In a game it is an important downside. This is why I gave it 4 stars, instead of 5. Overall, Vampire: the Masquerade is a unique role-playing game, offering an opportunity to touch upon dark and personal themes, and set in a fascinating complex world. Despite it's over-complicated rules system, I very much recommend it.

I've been playing Vampire the Masquerade since the early 90s, and I didnt really enjoy the direction the newer editions took it. To me, this is a fresh start, back to basic and to the well known, but in a modern setting, with very true to its beginning-rules. The book itself is a heavy, richly illustrated (And photos) walkthrough of who the vampires are, how they are dividied, game rules and settings. Highly recommended.

I initially thought I was getting the 20th Anniversary Edition of Vampire: The Masquerade, but I was surprised to find it was instead an original version that came out in 1996. For a nearly thirty-year-old book, it is in very good condition, and I was very satisfied with the packaging as well. I would definitely recommend ordering from here, if they're selling anything else.

Changes to Humanity systems are good. New Hunger system is an excellent way to tie the concept into moment to moment gameplay and makes players focus on their character's condition instead of an externalized point pool. Light on lore, heavy on mood. Disciplines have a good system tied to the new system of Generation but the powers are largely lack luster. Over all an excellent edition which I will be modifying for my games.