Do I need another huge campaign game coming in, unlikely, but one is getting closer. And that is Vampire the Masquerade – CHAPTERS. Please don’t ask me why it’s capitalized, it just is. But this is a blend of the RPG system into a big grand storytelling game. When this came out to crowdfunding I originally passed on it, and I picked it up, which is why I don’t have it, after the fact from one of the online retailers who buys games. Because what I need is another large campaign game. So let’s take a closer look at why I bought this one.

Vampire the Masquerade – CHAPTERS – Crowdfunding Campaign

So is there is a reason that I didn’t back it originally? And honestly there wasn’t much of one. If I remember correctly it is a newer company. So fewer games under the belt, which shows in how long the development took, meant that there is higher risk. Now that the game is delivering to backers, the risk seems to have been worth it.

But Vampire the Masquerade – CHAPTERS offered an interesting game play loop. You play with story and then get down to a tactical map. And a decision you make in the first one might influence things in the second part. Plus there are elements of the story tied to which faction of vampire that you are. And that is what drew me into the story and intrigue of the game.

Early Coverage

The Setting

So it is interesting, for a lot of people the intriguing part of this is that it is based off of the Vampire the Masquerade RPG. Maybe not mechanically but the setting. So it is a setting that I didn’t know that much about. It was through the GloryHoundd YouTube channel (currently on hiatus) that I really got to learn about that world through the conversations they had on the setting.

So I come at it from an angle where I don’t know as much about it. But there are elements that I really appreciate about what I do know. This isn’t a chomp a random persons neck in front of everyone and then fight sort of game. The setting is one of working in the shadows, protecting vampire kind by not letting people find out the influence that different factions are putting on society. And then chomping on a neck when needed in a way that won’t expose everything.

And I think those different factions are what really sold me on the game. It offers replayability as you play with the different characters. But also it allows you role play the character that you want to in the game.

Story Driven

When this was on Kickstarter it was also early in me getting in a lot of board games. Campaign or story heavy ones really. So that is another thing to know about Vampire the Masquerade – CHAPTERS is that it’s heavy on story. A lot of books of story that all tie into different scenarios and paths through your campaign. I’m not sure how linear it is, but I like it when games have a lot of story. I know there are some, Middara that have a ton of story, but I do want it.

This is also one of the negatives that I’ve heard. Basically that the proof-reading wasn’t where it needed to be. There are typos throughout the books and you need to use your RPG playing lens to interpret some of the game and story because of that. Things might not be as clear as they should be. I give the company some grace, playtesting the past few years to catch all of that has been harder. But also not that much grace, because proof-reading stuff can be done by a good copy editor no matter the circumstances.

Final Hype on Vampire the Masquerade – CHAPTERS

I can’t wait for this one to come in. That said, even if when does, I know that I will wait to play it. That comes down to the other games I am playing right now versus anything making me hesitant to play the game.

What the game promises sounds really cool. And I want to checkout some of the playthroughs that are out there. I wish that GloryHoundd had one up, but since they don’t, I’ll recommend Meet Me At the Table and their playthrough. It’s always fun to watch them, so I am excited to see what will happen in it. And I am excited to get it to my table. It’s one that might jump towards the top of the list of games to stream after playing The Isofarian Guard.

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