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Vampire: The Masquerade – 20th Anniversary Edition is a rulebook for Vampire: The Masquerade and the edition released by Onyx Path Publishing.

Summary[]

From the White Wolf catalog:

Vampire: The Masquerade exploded into hobby games in 1991 and inspired a generation of fans of which the game industry had never seen before or since. 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.
Vampire: The Masquerade - 20th Anniversary Edition brings the entire Classic World of Darkness experience full circle and will serve as the perfect anniversary milestone to celebrate two decades of gaming after dark. This is the original Masquerade in all its glory, and our way of saying thank you and welcome home.

Chapters[]

Introduction[]

This book is divided into several chapters, each of which is designed to explore and explain a specific area of the game. Remember, though, that in a storytelling game, the most important "chapter" is your imagination. Never let anything in this book be a substitute for your own creativity.

Chapter One: A World of Darkness[]

Describes the Kindred and the world in which they hunt.

Chapter Two: Sects and Clans[]

Describes the 13 great "Clan" of Kindred and the organizations to which they hold allegiance.

Chapter Three: Character and Traits[]

Gives step-by-step instructions for creating vampire characters as well as a description of the Traits that make them up.

Chapter Four: Disciplines[]

Delineates the wide variety of mystical powers of the undead.

Chapter Five: Rules[]

Provides the basic means of resolving the characters' various actions.

Chapter Six: Systems and Drama[]

Describes a plethora of ways to simulate everything from gentle seduction to brutal combat.

Chapter Seven: Morality[]

Describes Humanity and the various Paths of Enlightenment that more alien and inhuman vampires adhere to.

Chapter Eight: Storytelling[]

Tells Storytellers how to build entertaining stories in which to involve the characters.

Chapter Nine: The Others[]

Gives notes on the Kindred's (few) friends and (many) enemies.

Chapter Ten: Bloodlines[]

Details a wide range of minor bloodlines, Clan variations, and some of the strains of vampire thought lost to the mists of time.

Appendix[]

Provides addenda and miscellaneous rules.

Background Information[]

  • Everyone who had pre-ordered either version of Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition received a free PDF copy of the book, starting September 23, 2011. Several typos within the book and on the character sheet were fixed for the PDF. The PDF became available for general release on September 29, 2011.
  • This is the first World of Darkness book and Vampire: The Masquerade book to be released since the cancellation of those lines in 2004 (not including a 2011's April Fools joke). It assumes Gehenna has not happened (yet), and places the metaplot in the hands of the players. The presentation is setting-agnostic, allowing individual Storytellers to choose which metaplot events (Assamite schism, Gangrel leaving the Camarilla, etc.) have occurred and which have not.
  • The spine of the book bears the Roman numerals XX for 20, which is also a subtle reference to the notorious Page XX of previous editions.
  • Tony DiTerlizzi was left out of the credits initially for a piece of his in the Antagonist section. This piece is from the same section of Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition, for which he was likewise uncredited; Tony's piece was misattributed to Vince Locke. This may make the longest time (13 years) between a piece's first appearance and its eventual proper credit, which appears in the V20 PDF.

Memorable Quotes[]

"No one holds command over me. No man. No god. No Prince. What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What is a claim of power for ones who deny death? Call your damnable hunt. We shall see who I drag screaming to hell with me."
Günter Dörn, "Das Ungeheuer Darin"

"The Children of Seth will always hate us again and again, for we are their predators. We are their Masters and they know this, deep in their soul."
The Book of Nod

"All the Kindred hid from one another and from the humans that surrounded them. In hiding we remain today, for the Jyhad continues still."
— The Book of Nod

"When first I tasted the fruit of the Trees, felt the seeds of Life and Knowledge burn within me, I swore that day that I would not turn back..."
— From the Oath of Lilith

"For surely it is better to rule in the darkness than to humble myself falsely in the light."
The Erciyes Fragments

Mortals thought they were fighting their own wars, but it is for us that they spilt their blood."
— The Book of Nod

"Rape me into ashes if you will. I can take it."
Rachel Dolium, Revelations of the Dark Mother

"There will come a time, in the last days, when the Moon-Beasts will grow uneasy... and so they will find us and they will kill us."
— The Book of Nod

"Friends, friends... I thought we were committed to science, not mythology."
Albertus Magnus, Encyclopaedia Vampirica

Characters[]

(...)

V20: Grand Masquerade Edition[]

V20GM

published September 16, 2011

This book was only available to those who had pre-ordered and were attending The Grand Masquerade in 2011. "Antediluvian" pass holders got it a day early, pre-signed by many of the people responsible for creating the book.

Terminology[]

(...)


Previous release:
VTM: Paths of Storytelling: Vampire Buy it from DriveThruFiction!
Game Books
Vampire: The Masquerade books
Next release:
VTM: Dust to Dust Buy it from DriveThruRPG!
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