Vampires in

Lincoln
An intro to the game, it’s setting and more.

No you aren’t being tested xxx.

So what’s all this then?
So, ‘Vampire: The Masquerade’ is a tabletop roleplaying game, like D&D, Pathfinder, etc. The game has a
modern setting (although there are rules for medieval times if we ever wanted to play a spin-off), and is a
more gothic version of the real world, starring all sorts of supernatural things, but for us the focus is on the
vampires. We’ll be playing the ‘20th anniversary edition’ version of the rules.

This game has its own way of making characters, rolling dice, and so on. The dice you have are ten sided,
and instead of rolling one, you roll a whole bunch of them, and count how many meet the number you
want. Typically you want to score sixes or higher, with ones and tens having special effects.

The game is (generally) less about combat, and more about exploring the characters you’ve made, alongside
your other players; trying to get into their headspace, navigating the strange world they’re in, and seeing how
your characters will change over time due to their change into a vampire.

Of course playing is really about hanging out with friends and having fun, so we’ll be as light on rules as
possible, always tending towards making things easy to engage with, and enjoying yourselves.
 What’s important to know?
If you’re the type to browse wikis and scrounge up lore then go right ahead, otherwise,
I’ll list the most essential things to know about Vampire: the Masquerade.
● Yes indeed. That was Cain from the Bible. The first
● Vampires are real and you become one in the murderer was cursed to become the first vampire, and
‘normal’ way (they drain your blood and then give all vampires are his descendents.
you theirs)
● This does not mean that the Bible is ‘true’ though.
● Vampire blood gets diluted as it passes on. There are lots of wild things that coexist in the world
of Vampire, and in fact, lots of them contradict each
● Vampires are divided in several ways. One is your other. The story of Cain may just be a tiny nugget of
generation; if the vampire that made you is 10th truth, which doesn’t reveal the full story.
generation, then you will be an 11th generation
vampire, and so on. ● There is plenty of space for different beliefs to coexist,
and everyone is free to make up their own mind about
● That of course begs the question: is there an things.
‘original’ vampire? The 1st generation?
So vampires are divided by their generation: how close their blood is to the
original vampire. But they are also divided by some other things.

Vampires are a cantankerous bunch after all.

Let’s discuss the two other ways that vampires are divided:

Clan and Sect.

 This is what ‘family’ of vampires you are from.
Vampire blood changes a person, and the ways it changes you
is largely dependent on what clan you are inducted into.
Each clan has a particular
identity. Any person can be
inducted into any clan, and it
Your clan is the same as the doesn’t strictly ‘change’ your
person who made you a personality, but it does influence
vampire, and if you make your relationship with the
someone else a vampire, magical blood inside you, and
they will be the same as you. how you may interact with the
world.

Your supernatural powers (your People of the same clan will often group together, and clans tend
‘disciplines) and particular to have stereotypes about other clans.
weaknesses (your ‘banes) are
Here’s the official ‘clan quiz’ for your personality. It’s just a fun little thing
determined by your clan.
and not something you have to go by.
https://3z83mrcb8vh.typeform.com/vampire?typeform-source=w
ww.ecosia.org
Something to consider:
So becoming a vampire of a particular clan does change a person; because each clan has its own unique
‘curse’ (their Bane), unique abilities, a clan culture, and so on.

Typically, a vampire of a particular clan will seek out a human they think will fit-in well with their
clan; someone who matches the ideals of their culture. But not always.

Sometimes, a newly made vampire will find that they don’t fit in with their new ‘unlife’ at all. Perhaps
they were always averse to anger and confrontation, but now find that their blood runs hot
(metaphorically of course) and they find themselves wracked with fits of rage. Or perhaps, a person
who spent their whole life working with technology, is now unable to operate touchscreens, make
phone calls, or touch a plug without it blowing a fuse.

All of this to say: you do not have to make your clan fit your character perfectly. In fact, you’re likely
to have a lot of fun playing someone facing such internal struggle.
The following slides are some descriptions of the clans.
You don’t have to read them if they don’t interest you. xx

There’s a wealth of information online about the clans, so feel free to read
up on any that interest you. Some stuff is different between editions, so not
everything you read might apply.

If you’re new to the game, then playing one of the 13 clans will likely be
easier for you, but I’m more than happy to help make things work. xx
 Bane: Violent Temper
Clan Examples: Brujah Brujah vampires find it more difficult to control floods of
negative emotion, and will find it harder to control
(pronounced ‘Brew-Har’) themselves from entering a state of Frenzy.

(Frenzy is what happens when vampire is overcome by their

inhuman nature and loses self control. This might happen due
to being very hungry for blood, being exposed to something
Disciplines: that vampires are terrified of, like fire and sunlight, or a more
personal emotional trigger)
● Potence - Super Strength.
● Celerity - Super Speed. (Not everyone considers it a bad thing to enter Frenzy. In fact,
● Presence - Power over emotion; Weaponised many vampires consider it an important part of their identity
Empathy. and belief system)

Identity:
The defining part of a Brujah is their passion in their beliefs, or their drive to discover what their beliefs should be. A Brujah might be an
ACAB anarchist type that only preys on police officers to feed and protects their local community from police brutality. They might be a
mouthpiece for a cult, who truly believes in their doctrine and prowls bus stations for new recruits. Or they could be an easily impressionable
person, searching high and low for something they can believe in, but never being satisfied for long. These are just some fun examples to get
you thinking.
 Bane: Distorted Image
Clan Examples: Lasombra
Lasombra vampires cannot left a proper impression on the
(pronounced ‘Luh-Sohm-Bruh’) physical world: no mirror can show their reflection, no
microphone record their voice, nor any camera capture their
image.

Lasombra find it incredibly difficult for technology to obey

Disciplines: them; touchscreens will hardly ever work for them, and their
presence very noticeable by electric sensors, such as EMF
● Potence - Super Strength readers used by ghost hunters.
● Domination - Mind Control
● Obtenebration - Control darkness

Identity:
Lasombra are, typically, those who lurk in the shadows, pulling the strings of power. They are said to have a Darwinistic mindset, in
that the meek and feeble are tools to be used, competitors should be disposed of, and that power is the only currency that matters. A
Lasombra might be an army officer, who considers their troops to be disposable chaff, and insists on writing all their correspondence
with pen and paper. Another Lasombra might be a fashion student who dominates the minds of their peers to steal their ideas, and
has caught the interest of the university’s ‘Paranormal Investigation’ society.
 Bane: Fractured Perspective
Clan Examples: Malkavian
Malkavians perceive reality very differently from other
(pronounced ‘Mal-Kay-Vee-Uhn’) people; it might be right to say they often perceive a different
kind of reality altogether. For this reason, they frequently act
and think in ways that don’t make sense to other people.

The way this manifests can be different for each Malkavian,

Disciplines: and the specifics of your character’s condition will be worked
out between yourself and the Storyteller. (Me, Alice, hello).
● Auspex - Supernatural senses
● Obfuscation - Hide and walk unseen Typical symptoms are hallucinations (or what other people
● Dementation - Inflict mental anguish and confusion would call hallucinations), a particular manner of speech that
makes it hard to express yourself clearly, delusions (or what
seem like delusions to others), and so on.
Identity:
The greatest strength and vulnerability of a Malkavian is their relationship with reality. They are able to perceive things that others can’t, but
living in a different world makes it harder to interact with this one. One Malkavian might be a sculptor who finds that their hands make shapes
in clay which foretell the future, and is haunted by nightmares of indescribable, ancient beings. Another Malkavian might have visions that
random people need to be protected by them for the sake of ‘The Timeline’, so they stalk these people and try to keep them safe from danger. As
a final example; a Malkavian might see reality as nothing more than a projection, and they find it incredibly easy to make their image disappear
from the minds of others, but suffers from object impermanence.
 Available Clans:
In the spirit of letting you explore all the fun little
niches you want, you are allowed to pick any of the
main 13 clans, or any of the rarer bloodlines (if you
want to be more of a special snowflake). Some of
these clans will require a bit of back and forth with
Alice (me, hello) to make them work properly in
the game.

There is one major exception though. By

ancient decree, no Nosferatu shall be
suffered to enter the city of Lincoln. Hence,
you cannot play a character from the
Nosferatu clan. (I know, I know, but there’s
a lot of alternatives ok)
Finally, let’s discuss the last way vampires are divided;
by their Sect.
 A new vampire is inducted into the
The three ‘Sects’ are the three largest political sect that their sire serves, but vampires
groups of vampire society. These are: The can abandon the sect they’re ‘born
Camarilla, The Anarch Movement, and The into’. Doing so will of course make
Sabbat. you a sworn enemy of your old sect.

The three sects are explicitly Local, small ceasefires between

hostile to each other. They sects are fairly common, but
hate each other, and fight actual cooperation is
both openly and secretly over incredibly rare, and such
resources and territory. cooperation usually ends in
some form of betrayal.

The three sects are wildly different in their

philosophies, traditions, practices, and so on.
 They are organised a bit like the Catholic
church; they are ruled by one Pontifex, who
The Sabbat are a strange, militant, fanatical has a council of Cardinals. Below the
group of vampires. They have a holy book Cardinals are Archbishops, who rule over
(called the book of Nod), which explores the Sabbat controlled cities.
teachings and legacy of Cain, the alleged first
vampire. Archbishops are served by Bishops who are
assigned particular roles, like Bishop of War,
The Sabbat believe that humanity is Bishop of Study, etc. Ranks below Bishop
spiritually inferior to vampire-kind. They do include Archdeacon, Deacon, and Acolyte.
not value traditional human values, and
instead they adopt particular codes of conduct Sabbat members (except those of higher
and belief to navigate their un-lives. status) are formed into ‘covens’. These are
These codes/philosophies are called Paths, and loyal groups of vampires who work together
the variety of Paths allows for diversity of often, with at least one of their number being
belief within the Sabbat. given the spiritual training to be an Acolyte.

However, there are some Paths considered Cities controlled by the Sabbat usually
heretical, such as the Path of Evil Revelations, observe this hierarchy very closely, with some
which focuses on communing with Demons. deviation allowed for flexibility.
True to their name, the Anarchs are a decentralised group, with no enforced structure or
system of belief.

Each Anarch city is organised differently. Some cities are split into pieces by Barons, who
rule their pieces individually and hold regular meetings.

Some are split completely by Clan, which act like extended families, guided by the oldest
among them.

Others are ruled by individual dictators, who don’t interfere much with their subjects,
other than expecting gifts and favours.

Overall, the only thing that unites Anarchs is their

rejection of both The Sabbat and The Camarilla.
Everything else is up for nightly debate.
The Camarilla are the closest thing to The Establishment The Camarilla is a ‘high
in vampire society. They are ruled by the principles of society’ of vampires, who
adherence to tradition, control, and power. expect their underlings to
follow strict codes of
They are not religious, and strongly oppose study/belief conduct, while scheming
in vampire mysticism. how to undermine their
peers and rise to the top.
Camarilla cities are ruled by an assigned Prince, who is
served by their court. The court typically includes a
Camarilla vampires will
Sheriff (who is charged with maintaining peace and
sometimes join together as a
adherence to The Traditions), a Seneschal (the Prince’s
‘coterie’, either by their own
right hand), a Keeper of Elysium (who maintains a safe
choice, or as organised by
zone where violence against other vampires is forbidden),
their superiors.
and a council of Primogens (Primogens are the
representatives for the major Clans in a city).
 UK Sect Territories

Major Seats of Power:

Sabbat: Anarch: Camarilla:
Norwich Manchester Birmingham
Bristol Glasgow Oxford
Lincoln Liverpool Leeds
Exeter Sheffield Coventry
Plymouth Nottingham Leicester
Cardiff Bradford
(formerly London)
 Vampires in Lincoln: Brief.
● Our game is going to be set in Lincoln, which is one of the oldest seats of The Sabbat in the
UK.
● Your characters have all been vampires for less than a year (between 3-11 months, up to you)
● Your characters have spent some time being educated by your sires (the vampire that made
you a vampire), or by a stand in for your sire if you don’t want your character to know their
sire or for them to be active in your new life.
● The first session of the game will be your characters arriving at a ceremony held at Lincoln
Cathedral by the Archbishop of Lincoln.
● Your characters will be bonded together as a coven, including the act of ‘Vaulderie’, where
you each add your blood to a chalice, and drink it communally.
● As a twist to the affair, the ceremony is a masquerade ball. All vampires present will be
wearing masks styled as their sires. These masks can be humble paper-maché, gloriously
painted porcelain, or made of real skin and flesh fashioned as art. The details are entirely up
to you.
Vampires in Lincoln: The Bigger Picture
● One of the key mechanics of the game will be about transitioning from ‘Humanity’ to one of
the ‘Paths of Enlightenment’.
● Your characters will start out thinking in ‘normal’ human ethical terms, struggle with the
incongruence of their new existence, and (if they choose) work towards adopting a new code
of conduct to orient themselves.
● Your character can, of course, choose to reject this, and attempt to hold more strongly to their
humanity, potentially defecting from The Sabbat to The Anarch Movement or The Camarilla if
their road leads them in that direction.
● Ultimately I think it’ll be a story of people re-discovering themselves, learning how to be
something other than human, and navigating the incredible and horrible world they now live
in.
Okey Dokey! That’s all I’ve got written here. I hope
this was a fun and useful read. Feel free to message
me with any questions.

At some point in the future I’d like to organise a

group character creation session, or something
similar. I know some of you have made characters
before (I’m meaning Sam), so feel free to start when
you feel like it.

Also I’m going to work on a google form for content

warnings, discussing particular topics and
boundaries for comfortable play, and that sort of
thing.

Much love. Xxx - Alice