Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition Announced

Those of you who thoroughly enjoyed Redemption and Bloodlines but have yet to dabble in the tabletop version of Vampire: The Masquerade may want to consider picking up the 20th Anniversary Edition, a new “400+ page ultra prestige edition” that includes virtually all twenty years of White Wolf’s content packed into one book. Interestingly, the Q&A that accompanies the announcement mentions that this original content will not be tied into the World of Darkness MMORPG being developed by CCP:

White Wolf is making a 20th Anniversary Edition of Vampire: The Masquerade and we want your help!

Why are we? Vampire: The Masquerade changed everything! Exploding into hobby games in 1991, it evoked and inspired a generation of fans of which the game industry had never seen before or since. The gothic and punk subcultures from which it drew, previously unseen in the gaming world, created an unparalleled worldwide phenomenon that spanned novels, TCG’s, LARPs, video games, and television. But it all started with one RPG. The cultural significance Vampire left on not just the gaming world but on modern vampire-related pop culture can be seen and felt at virtually every turn and in every medium today. This combined with the unwavering sheer dedication of an unparalleled fan base is the reason this book is being published. Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition brings the entire World of Darkness experience full circle and will serve as the perfect anniversary milestone to celebrate two decades of gaming after dark.

Who’s it for? This book is for all of the White Wolf fans who have lived, loved, and taken the long road with us for the past two decades. For the diehards who never gave up, never stopped believing and kept the World of Darkness alive. This is for all the saints, sinners, miscreants, punks, poets and outcasts who have been with us all this time. This is their original Masquerade in all its glory, and our way of saying thank you and welcome home.

What’s in it?

‘¢ All thirteen original clans, clan variants and bloodlines, with their signature Disciplines
‘¢ Rules for character creation and advancement from Neonate to Methuselah
‘¢ All the Disciplines from level one through nine
‘¢ Updated setting to the modern nights
‘¢ New full color original art by Tim Bradstreet & other classic (Masquerade) artists
‘¢ An (open community play test) development process

Where do I get it? The Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition is a 400+ page ultra prestige edition that includes virtually every clan, bloodline and variant ever produced for the Vampire: The Masquerade game setting and is available to attendees at The Grand Masquerade 20th Anniversary Convention, September 15-18 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

When Can I Get? Currently we are only reserving hotel room reservations for the convention but event registration and the ability to order a book will be available very soon. For more information on the Grand Masquerade, please visit thegrandmasquerade.com.

We know you have some questions.

Q: What is an (open development) process and how do I get to be part of the playtest?
A: An open development process means that we will be developing this book in sections and as transparently as possible. This is a book for the fans, and we want to know what’s worked in your games for the last 20 years; what rules need to be tweaked, what suggestions you have, and what would you like to see included. This book will have all new full color art, which means we are also very interested in who your favorite artists were Let us know and we’ll work toward getting them to contribute pieces. The developers will be posting sections of the book online on this blog. Fans that want to be part of the playtest are encouraged to submit their thoughts and comments for discussion or to send them in for review to vampire20@white-wolf.com.

Q: Is this the beginning of a new Vampire: the Masquerade game line?
A: No, we do not currently have any plans of this nature. This is a unique 20th Anniversary special edition release, designed to be an engaging stand-alone title.

Q: Is this new edition tied into the upcoming World of Darkness MMO?
A: No. This book is based on the first 20 years of classic Vampire: The Masquerade role playing. This is a (best of) compendium of the first two decades of Vampire, not a preview of things to come.

Q: What do you mean (virtually all of the clans, variants and bloodlines) in the expanded edition? What is being left out and why?
A: This product will be the single most comprehensive and complete Vampire: The Masquerade book ever published. With that being said it’s easier to say what you *wont* find in it than what you will. This book will not include the following: Kindred of the East, Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom and the defunct/retconned Gaki and Bushi Bloodlines. Other than that, if we missed a clan please let us know.

Q: When is this book set? Does it advance or change the metaplot from previous editions of VTM?
A: The best answer for this is, “Whenever you want.” Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition assumes that the events of Gehenna have yet to occur, and advances no larger metaplot storylines. The story developments from previous editions remain open-ended elements in the setting for players to use or ignore as they choose. The overall themes and historical elements remain fundamentally the same, but in the modern nights, the players’ stories are what are important.

Q: Why are you making this book? White Wolf stated in the past that Vampire: The Masquerade was never coming back?
A: The most simple and honest answer is that it’s what our loyal fans have desperately wanted and we believe they deserve it. Vampire: The Masquerade has been and will always be White Wolf’s most defining accomplishment and like many great musicians, actors, or filmmakers who need to step away from something that they have invested an immense amount of time and passion in they always inevitably come back to it because they love it. And such is the truth for Vampire. This is a labor of love for everyone involved. It’s our way of putting the makeup back on, getting the band back together, and playing the hits that the fans love, because in the end we love and miss them too. This is our way of celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Vampire: The Masquerade in the most dynamic way possible and in such a way as to be befitting of its legacy.