A power vacuum among vampires in Seattle puts the Emerald City at the brink of an all-out vampire war, withVampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2positioning players as the wildcard to determine the city’s fate. Courtesy of the game’s new devs in The Chinese Room,Bloodlines 2players now take the role of an Elder vampire, a Kindred who’s spent considerable time roaming the World of Darkness.
This stark change from the original protagonist being a freshly-turned vampire means players are in for an in-depth story, especially with how Elder Kindred are expected to know the ins-and-outs of vampire society at their age. DespiteBloodlines 2featuring an original story, World of Darkness newcomers might find it overwhelming to jump in the middle of Seattle as an older vampire. Thankfully, certain books within theVampire: The Masqueradefamily may bring players up to speed with Kindred society’s history and activities.
10Vampire: The Masquerade - Corebook, 5th Edition
Before diving deeper into novels within theWorld of Darkness, readingVampire: The Masquerade - Corebook, 5th Editionshould give players much-needed context in the current standing of the Kindred in modern nights. Players ofBloodlines 1would immediately notice a shift away from its source material’s (V20) blend of mythological doomsday cynicism and towardsV5’s focus on personal horror.
The consolidation andstreamlining of Kindred Clansalso coincided with meta subplots, such as the Second Inquisition’s more aggressive hunt for supernaturals, the Beckoning that compelled Elders to travel to the Middle East, and their absence motivating younger Kindred to further destabilize existing political powers.
9Walk Among Us: Compiled Edition
First released as an audiobook,Walk Among Us: Compiled Editionis the book format of a 2021 short story anthology thatintroduces the world of Kindredin personal stories of curiosity, hubris, and moral dilemmas. Genevieve Gornichec’s “A Sheep Among Wolves” has a college student stumble upon the World of Darkness through loneliness and the company of a strange man. Meanwhile, Cassandra Khaw’s “Fine Print” has a vampire hopeful whose hubris will put him to the test. Lastly, “The Land of Milk and Honey” explores the moral ramifications of a Camarilla “blood farm” where Vitae is “harvested” and not forcibly taken from humans.
These stories having three different authors offer three different takes on theWorld of Darkness, hopefully introducing players to varying themes of stories their Kindred can encounter inVampiregameplay. The anthology’s more personal take on a vampire’s story can make them decent starting points for Kindred lore outside sourcebooks.
8Lore Of The Clans
AlthoughLore of the Clansis primarily a book within theV20continuity, its contents serve as a major primer on thedifferent Clans ofVampire: The Masquerade. As a supplement, theLore of the Clansis the most comprehensive source of specific information about the TTRPG’s Clans, especially since much ofV5’s Clan guides are still scattered across its rulebooks.
While the officialClanbooksoffer more pages’ worth of in-Clan lore, having to acquire all 13 of them can be quite the exhaustive read for a newcomer to the TTRPG. Moreover,Bloodlines 2could contain Clan-specific Easter Eggs in dialogue and visuals that fans may not be able to spot unless they know what they’re looking for.
7Clan Novel Saga
With a TTRPG likeVampire: The Masqueradepossessing quite the large world, one might wonder how Kindred society actually “functions” within the context of a given incident. Such is the case of theClan Novel Saga, a 13-book series depicting an all-out secret war between the Camarilla and the Sabbat for control of the East Coast while a mysterious artifact with vast ramifications to all Kindred slip past their noses.
Given how theClan Novel Sagalets players see notable Kindred such as Victoria Ash, Jan Pieterzoon, and Ramona in action, the series becomes a fitting next “stage” after reading about them inLore of the Clans. A besieged East Coast beginning with Atlanta is akin to Seattle’s situation inBloodlines 2orPrague withBloodhunt, with the series potentially helping players make more nuanced decisions as their Elder protagonist decides the fate of the city in theVampiregame.
6Trilogy Of The Blood Curse
WhereasWalk Among Usexplores Kindred society from the perspective of metaphorical “cogs in the machine,”Trilogy of the Blood Curseexplores the way vampires do things on a larger scale. The trilogy centers around Owain Evans, a morally-embattled Ventrue Sabbat Elder spying on the Camarilla, as he investigatesa mysterious Blood Cursethat seemingly brings Kindred to madness before destroying them.
Gherbod Fleming’sTrilogy of the Blood Curseserves as a decent “intermediate” reading for players waiting forBloodlines 2. The books’ plunge at the heart of Sabbat and Camarilla politics alongside the events of theClan Novel Sagahas theVampiregameplay equivalent of the midgame, wherein players know enough of the metaplot to actively indulge in more complex affairs.
5The Book Of Nod
Existing as both a TTRPG supplement and an in-game item,The Book of NodenhancesVampiregameplay with a detailed mythological account of Caine’s journey, commandments for believers, as well as omens describing the end of times. The material itself has commentary from various Kindred scholars, including the iconic Cuthbert Beckett and his mentor, Aristotle de Laurent.
WhileThe Book of Nodis not an “accurate” count of Caine’s journey, its mythological take onVampirelore can provide players withsupplemental knowledge on Clan origins and Disciplines,and their ties to Kindred politics. Symbolisms provided inThe Book of Nodcould be present inBloodlines 2, making for neat Easter Eggs or even plot points that only the sharpest of eyes could detect.
4Gehenna
Although more of a sourcebook than a novel,Gehennais unique among TTRPG media in that it puts an “end” to theVampireside of the then-metaplot of theWorld of Darkness. At its core,Gehennapresents doomsday scenarios players could enact in their own games, showcasing what might happen during the prophesied vampiric apocalypse.
As expected of a sourcebook,Gehennaoffers a multitude of scenarios as to how Caine’s childer would meet their end ranging from a mysterious red comet to an all-out war between man and vampire. While its depiction of the Time of Judgment has been declared non-canon, players may want a glimpse of the “manifestations” of the fears of Elders inVampiregameplay, especially withBloodlines 2hinting at a breaking of the Kindred status quo.
Courtesy of a Kickstarter campaign in 2016,Beckett’s Jyhad Diaryexplored a storyline beyond the now non-canon Time of Judgment. The book is named after the Kindred concept of the Jyhad, a secret war fought by the mysteriously-powerful Methuselah against their even-more-powerful ancestors, the Antediluvians, as reflected by the Camarilla and Sabbat. It’s posited that all events inVampire: The Masqueradeare a part of this eternal “game,” with Beckett’s adventures likely tied to this phenomenon as well.
Essentially an adventure book forVTM 20th Anniversary Edition(V20),Beckett’s Jyhad Diaryshares the worldwide exploits of the notable Kindred historian. Courtesy of this book, players now have a means of seeing things from a Kindred’s perspective, potentially shedding light to thought processes of NPCs inBloodlines 2gameplay.
2Time Of Thin Blood
WhileBeckett’s Jyhad Diaryofficially “cancels out” the events of Time of Judgment, its prelude inTime of Thin Bloodgives a glimpse of events prior to the escalation of vampire affairs inV5. Due to their nature as recent-generation vampires, Thin Bloods in bothV20andV5gameplay exhibit more filtered Vitae, being able to walk safely on daylight at the expense of weaker abilities.
Much of the book’s events take place during the Week of Nightmares, a horrific ordeal involving the near-eradication of the entire Ravnos Clan at the hands of its reawakened Antediluvian. Both the Week of the Nightmares and the eponymous Time of Thinblood are “signs” of Gehenna, the vampiric endtimes. While the first iteration of Gehenna has been retconned inV5, the Week of Nightmares remain canonical in the new edition, makingTime of Thin Blooda worthwhile read for a better context.
1Fall Of London
Set under the backdrop of Operation Antigen in 2012,Fall of Londontasks players in finding five artifacts that may awaken Mithras, a powerful Methuselah and former Prince of London. However, this take onVampiregameplay has players race against time, as their mission happens during the Second Inquisition’s eventual success in exterminating all of London’s Kindred.
A similar Kindred-versus-Kine situation happens inVTM: Bloodhunt, a battle royale set in 2021 just after the Convention of Prague. With Seattle ofBloodlines 2also besieged by the Inquisition,Fall of Londoncan be a player’s guide of what not to do when dealing with these new threats in theirVampiregameplay.
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