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Vampire: the Masquerade
The Player's Guide
"They drove me down, used me as their pawn. Never again, never more shall I be used by another. They thought I had all the power, that they pulled all the strings, but now their strength is mine. Now, with the new might coursing through my body, I will have vengeance."
-Juggler, No Apologies
In the Goth-Punk world of the Vampire, any advantage can mean the difference between survival and final, permanent death. Thus The Players Guide - new clans, archetypes, skills, abilities and equipment. Learn what it means to be one of the powerful Elders, with Disciplines far surpassing those of the younger Kindred. Add Merits and Flaws to your character, balancing out mighty new powers with fascinating weaknesses. Learn new techniques for roleplaying in Vampire, written by some of the industry's leading designers. Prepare yourself for a whole new role in the immortal Jyhad.
-Juggler, No Apologies
In the Goth-Punk world of the Vampire, any advantage can mean the difference between survival and final, permanent death. Thus The Players Guide - new clans, archetypes, skills, abilities and equipment. Learn what it means to be one of the powerful Elders, with Disciplines far surpassing those of the younger Kindred. Add Merits and Flaws to your character, balancing out mighty new powers with fascinating weaknesses. Learn new techniques for roleplaying in Vampire, written by some of the industry's leading designers. Prepare yourself for a whole new role in the immortal Jyhad.
191 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
23 people want to read
About the author
Bill Bridges
124 books57 followersBill Bridges is a writer and game designer, most known for developing White Wolf’s World of Darkness setting and the Fading Suns science-fiction universe.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 16, 2025
This is the second published work of the storytelling RPG Vampire the Masquerade, like the rulebook it was also published in 1991 and led by Mark Rein-Hagen (joint coordinating with Greenberg and Timbrook, an excellent team of several writers/game designers). It is a product that paradoxically has the best and the worst of this type of sourcebook, but always with the proviso of the "golden rule", where each group uses what they like, there are no "canonical" rulings.
This Guide introduces the concept of character templates (that will be used in many products, including clanbooks, tribebooks, etc...they are quite useful as ready to play characters or even NPC's), in this case showing archetypal examples.
The merits and flaws should be used with great caution or they can create pathetic and caricatured troupes ; maximum 7 points of flaws is my view excessive and may lead to authentic "circuses" where each character has huge weird flaws and rare merits, some flaws are very peculiar (and could be inserted in the backgrounds section) and/or potent .
The secondary abilities are an interesting addition which can be used in two ways: as a ' specialization', which would be paid cheaper in XP, Freebies, etc than a normal, more generic ability, but would be more selective, or as something that provides lower difficulties and the normal cost . New archetypes for Nature and demeanor are generally quite useful, providing a welcome addition to the basic book.
The description of the power level 6-10 for the basic disciplines doesn't make much sense on the " players guide "; in 91 the game had just been released and certainly there wouldn't be many elders campaigns running; It would be far more appropriate to be published in the "storytellers guide". There are several new thaumaturgical paths and they are truly welcome, including : Conjuring , Neptune 's Might , Spirit , Elemental Mastery , Corruption . Almost seven pages of rituals fill one of the biggest gaps for the Tremere in the Base Rulebook.
The chapter of Vampire society could be ingenious: Status and prestige influences everything; social punishments that can range from simple ostracisms to owing big favors to the prince; clan Prestige Vs Status is another interesting feature. Obviously all the interaction described is curtailed by the fact that there are only 5 stages of each background (e.g.: so you sneezed (I know Vampire PC's can't sneeze, it's just for fun) in front of your Elder, you just lost half your status...). It truly only works if the storyteller makes a considerable adaptation of those backgrounds.
Another very interesting sub-chapter in this guide is about the organization of each clan, divided by several subjects such as earning power, breaking the rules, feast and assembly days, rumors and ideas for building a PC.
There are new clans and bloodlines that the player can choose; including Assamites, Followers of Set, Giovanni, Ravnos and Salubri.
The chapter on " Roleplaying " is very interesting , with many essays on the subject and the personal perspective of several designers and authors on Vampire and the hobby; including: Graeme Davis , Stewart Wieck , Josh Timbrook , Daniel Greenberg , Andrew Greenberg , Sam Chupp , Mark Rein - Hagen.
The equipment section is thorough (though somewhat excessive in terms of weapons) and includes everything from electronics equipment, computers, several vehicles both military and civilian, and also Havens (this part could be much expanded) among several other subjects like surveillance, camping, etc. Remember, the Tech Level is 1991! No widespread cell phones, no easy and portable internet connections, etc.
The last chapter give some useful advice to neonates for long term survival, including hunting how to find (and keep) residence as a new vampire, choosing the neighborhood, etc.
The art is very variable both in style and quality: From absolutely brilliant by Tim Bradstreet , to the simpler art of Seri (although portraying the mood remarkably well ).
This product is still useful for the collector or anyone wanting to start a campaign in a 90's setting.
This Guide introduces the concept of character templates (that will be used in many products, including clanbooks, tribebooks, etc...they are quite useful as ready to play characters or even NPC's), in this case showing archetypal examples.
The merits and flaws should be used with great caution or they can create pathetic and caricatured troupes ; maximum 7 points of flaws is my view excessive and may lead to authentic "circuses" where each character has huge weird flaws and rare merits, some flaws are very peculiar (and could be inserted in the backgrounds section) and/or potent .
The secondary abilities are an interesting addition which can be used in two ways: as a ' specialization', which would be paid cheaper in XP, Freebies, etc than a normal, more generic ability, but would be more selective, or as something that provides lower difficulties and the normal cost . New archetypes for Nature and demeanor are generally quite useful, providing a welcome addition to the basic book.
The description of the power level 6-10 for the basic disciplines doesn't make much sense on the " players guide "; in 91 the game had just been released and certainly there wouldn't be many elders campaigns running; It would be far more appropriate to be published in the "storytellers guide". There are several new thaumaturgical paths and they are truly welcome, including : Conjuring , Neptune 's Might , Spirit , Elemental Mastery , Corruption . Almost seven pages of rituals fill one of the biggest gaps for the Tremere in the Base Rulebook.
The chapter of Vampire society could be ingenious: Status and prestige influences everything; social punishments that can range from simple ostracisms to owing big favors to the prince; clan Prestige Vs Status is another interesting feature. Obviously all the interaction described is curtailed by the fact that there are only 5 stages of each background (e.g.: so you sneezed (I know Vampire PC's can't sneeze, it's just for fun) in front of your Elder, you just lost half your status...). It truly only works if the storyteller makes a considerable adaptation of those backgrounds.
Another very interesting sub-chapter in this guide is about the organization of each clan, divided by several subjects such as earning power, breaking the rules, feast and assembly days, rumors and ideas for building a PC.
There are new clans and bloodlines that the player can choose; including Assamites, Followers of Set, Giovanni, Ravnos and Salubri.
The chapter on " Roleplaying " is very interesting , with many essays on the subject and the personal perspective of several designers and authors on Vampire and the hobby; including: Graeme Davis , Stewart Wieck , Josh Timbrook , Daniel Greenberg , Andrew Greenberg , Sam Chupp , Mark Rein - Hagen.
The equipment section is thorough (though somewhat excessive in terms of weapons) and includes everything from electronics equipment, computers, several vehicles both military and civilian, and also Havens (this part could be much expanded) among several other subjects like surveillance, camping, etc. Remember, the Tech Level is 1991! No widespread cell phones, no easy and portable internet connections, etc.
The last chapter give some useful advice to neonates for long term survival, including hunting how to find (and keep) residence as a new vampire, choosing the neighborhood, etc.
The art is very variable both in style and quality: From absolutely brilliant by Tim Bradstreet , to the simpler art of Seri (although portraying the mood remarkably well ).
This product is still useful for the collector or anyone wanting to start a campaign in a 90's setting.
Displaying 1 of 1 review