Summary
Changes in the development ofVampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2resulted in Seattle being besieged by a new conflict, this time involving a mysterious cult and the supernatural-hunting Second Inquisition. With new devs from The Chinese Room creating an Elder as the game’s protagonist,Bloodlines 2players will taste what it’s like to become a powerful vampire akin toVampire: The Masqueradenovels.
However,newcomers toVampire: The Masquerademay be interestedin how similarBloodlines 2could be to stories featured in the TTRPG. With the depth of the story implied inBloodlines 2, players may be interested to learn what otherVampire: The Masqueradebooks are worth the exploration in video game format.
10Winter’s Teeth
Despite being a comic book,Winter’s Teethreleased within the timeline ofV5can make for a perfect introduction to theworld ofVampire: The Masquerade. In its story, ex-Anarch-turned-Camarilla Hound Cecily Baine is thrust into the middle of a conspiracy when his new charge, the Fledgling Alejandra, ends up being more than what she seems to be.
With much of the comic books detailing Cecily and Alejandra’s struggle for survival amid sieges and political moves,Winter’s Teethcan become a vampiric take onThe Last of Uswhere Cecily becomes the Joel to Alejandra’s Ellie. Set under the backdrop of the massive Twin Cities, aWinter’s Teethgame should have a lot of regions to explore in an open-world RPG.
9Fall Of London
In theFall of Londonsourcebook, players take on the role of a Coterie tasked to obtain five artifacts that will lead to the return of Mithras, the previous Prince of London. Unfortunately for them, this all happens during the canonical Operation Antigen, where the vampire hunters of the Secret Inquisition manage to eradicate most of London’s Kindred in 2012.
With theSecond Inquisition already an enemy inVTM: Bloodhuntgameplay, featuring their success in besieging a city can cement their reputation. The hunt for Mithras’s artifacts could be in the guise of a full-blown adventure game, or a cooperative experience that would have players hunt for the artifact while avoiding the Second Inquisition and other vampire parties.
8The Second Inquisition
Players who want to experience the sheer power of vampires could play a game starring their newest enemies:The Second Inquisition. The book of the same name is a sourcebook detailing the human faction, revealing the Second Inquisition as a secret group of agents across intelligence agencies who were made aware of the existence of Kindred.
In the pursuit of these so-called “Blank Bodies,” the Second Inquisition employed a number of weapons and technologies to pursue their targets. A game based onThe Second Inquisitioncould be a team-based shooter, where players form SI teams deployed in various missions where theyface Coteries of powerful vampire opponents.
7The Victorian Age Trilogy
Originally released as a tie-in toThe Victorian Age: Vampiresourcebook,The Victorian Age Trilogyby Philippe Boulle gives a stellar view of a burgeoning vampire society in the aforementioned era through the eyes of Regina Blake, a noblewoman slowly inducted into the World of Darkness. Regina’s reluctance in her newfound immortality and her unintended involvement in Kindred politics make for a compelling story, showing a more politically fueled take on an otherwise drama-slash-actionVTMchronicle.
Regina’s tale across the three books could become a compelling RPG, much in the tone ofVTM’s own slate of narrative games such asSwansongset in the modern era. With the non-VTMgameVampyrperhaps being the only vampire video game set before the 21st Century, aVictorian Age Trilogytitle could give a fresh take on how the Kindred had affected history with the backdrop of rich lore.
6Gehenna: The Final Night
Tying in to theGehennasourcebook isGehenna: The Final Nightby Ari Marmell, a novel that officially puts an end to the then-metaplot of theVampireside of theWorld of Darkness. Majorly told from the perspective of Kindred historian Cuthbert Beckett,The Final Nighttakes a tour around the world asvarious notableVampirecharacterssettle their affairs. Its premise can give players a renewed sense of dread as Caine’s story is put to a close - with perhaps the rest of the world dragged with him.
Set around the same time asBloodlines 1, a game surroundingThe Final Nightcould make for a compelling direct sequel to the game. Its story can also mesh together with the originalBloodlinestitle, wherein the mummified king residing in the Ankaran Sarcophagus could become a plot device that contributes to the end of Kindred society.
5Clan Novel Saga
One of the most surprising works of fiction to come out of theWorld of Darknessis theClan Novel Saga, a 13-book story told from the perspective ofeach of theVampire: The MasqueradeClans. The novels themselves show the story of the Camarilla and the Sabbat’s hidden war to control the United States East Coast, beginning with the fall of Atlanta to the Sword of Caine, all while a small contingent of vampires try to stop an artifact that can decimate Kindred-kind from falling to the wrong hands.
Similar to how the player is inserted in the bigger narrative inBloodlines 1, a game based on theClan Novel Sagacould have players do errands for relevant characters such as Ramona, Victoria Ash, Jan Pieterzoon, Lucita de Aragon, and even Sascha Vykos. Considering the impact of theClan Novel Sagaon the rest ofV20lore, a game of such depth could give players a larger-scale view of overarching Kindred politics.
4Masquerade Of The Red Death
Players ofVampire: The Masqueradewho want a more suspenseful take on theirVampiregameplay could benefit from a game based onMasquerade of the Red Death. Written by Robert Weinberg, this trilogy will have detective Dire McCann and socialite Alicia Varney join forces as they unravel the true nature of the mysterious Red Death.
When the entity makessimultaneous attacks against the Camarilla and the Sabbat, it’s made evident that this entity is either powerful or insane enough to even lay a finger on these powerful individuals. This potential “whodunit” take on an investigative game can make this trilogy a decent entry-point to the intrigue, suspense, and horrors surrounding theWorld of Darkness.
3Trilogy Of The Blood Curse
With immortal physiology practically immune to disease, theTrilogy of the Blood Curseexplores the origins of a disease that seemingly drives Kindred mad before inevitably killing them. At the center of it all is Owain Evans,a VentrueElder in a moral dilemma as his growing affection towards the Camarilla Sect has begun interfering with his mission as a Sabbat spy.
Events in theTrilogyhappen around the same time as theClan Novel Saga, giving devs an incentive to make a potential sandbox that should go in line with the canon’s ongoing East Coast conflict. Owain is also another example of an Elder with more fluidity to move around both the Ivory Tower and the Sword of Caine, which mirrorsBloodlines 2’s new plot also starring a vampire Elder.
2Prince Of The City
Fans ofVampire: The Masqueradewho watched theL.A. By Nightweb series might be surprised at the stark difference in how Vannevar Thomas was depicted inPrince of the City. Keith Herber’s take on Vannevar’s rise as the up-and-coming Prince of San Francisco seems something straight out of a crime story.Prince of the Cityshows an ambitious former aristocrat who has set his sights in theglory of immortality as a Camarilla prince.
Similar toThe Godfatherwhich depicted the player’s protagonist’s rise in power, Vannevar’s rise to princedom can have a supernatural twist involving combat and politicking. The book’s plots chronicling the periodic rise and ebb of Vannevar’s power could be depicted in periodic fights against vampires as well as territory management.
1Grails Covenant Trilogy
With more modern vampire fiction depicting these immortals in recent times, a game inspired by theGrails Covenant Trilogycould be a much-needed change of pace in the supernatural genre. David Wilson’s trilogy explores the Lasombra Elder Montrovant’s quest in acquiring the Holy Grail for the glory of his Clan. This quest led to the creation of the Knights Templar, the ire of the Catholic Church, and activities involving the mysterious figure known only as Kli Kodesh.
TheGrails Covenantbringing Montrovant from Europe to the Middle East could be the site of a historical fantasy game akin toAssassin’s Creed. Instead of hiding from enemies through stealth, Montrovant would need to use hisvampiric Disciplineswith care to avoid suspicion and breaking the Masquerade, or else have his very own organization pitted against him.
