Vampire: The Masquerade – Vendetta Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Components
• Setup
  • Ambition Token, Turn Order, and Breaking Ties
• Playing the Game
  • The Phases in Detail
    • 1. Feed
    • 2. Location Setup
    • 3. Hand Building
    • 4. Planning
  • Playing Cards
    • Active Clan Cards
    • Passive Clan Cards
  • Playing Blood
  • Draining
  • Diablerie
    • 5. Resolution
      • 5.1 Withdraw
      • 5.2 Revelation
      • 5.3 Preparation
      • 5.4 Conflict
      • 5.5 Aftermath
  • Frenzy
  • 6. End of the Round
• End of the Game
• Contradicting Rules?
• Game Variants
  • 3-Player Mode
  • Location Cards
  • Relic Cards
  • Tag Team Mode (4 or 6 Players Only)
• A World of Darkness
• Card Glossary
• Credits
  • Special Thanks

Game Overview

Vampire: The Masquerade - Vendetta is a competitive card game of strategy, bluff, and deduction set in the World of Darkness, a world not unlike our own, seen through a darkened lens (see A World of Darkness). During the game, you take control of a scheming vampire and fight to win the support of influential allies and ultimately challenge the throne of Chicago. You choose a clan at the beginning of the game and you progressively build your hand of cards over three rounds, crafting your strategy... and reacting to those of your opponents. During each round, you play cards and blood at locations around the city, to increase your strength during the upcoming conflicts. Cards can be played either face up or face down, with plenty of possibilities for bluffing and deception.

Conflicts are resolved at each location, one at a time, at the end of the round, by revealing all cards and applying their effects. The player with the highest power wins control of the Ally at that location, earning a new source of blood income, new abilities to exploit, and precious influence points. But beware: even if you win a conflict, the losers may still damage you, and if you run out of blood, you will go into a frenzy and be forced to drain one of your hard-earned allies!

At the end of the third round, the player with the most influence will be the winner... and the new Prince of Chicago!

Components

• 7 Clan sheets, 1 for each Clan
• 63 Clan cards, 9 for each Clan (2 Starting cards and 7 Clan cards)
• 8 Relic cards
• 30 Ally cards
• 35 Victim cards
• 7 Location cards
• 4 Location tiles (4 for each Clan)
• 28 Position tiles (4 for each Clan)
• 1 Ambition token
• 7 Withdraw tokens
• 7 Stay tokens
• 50 Influence tokens (15 value 3 Influence, 35 value 1 Influence)
• 40 Blood tokens (15 value 3 Blood, 25 value 1 Blood)
• 8 Diablerie tokens

Setup

1. Randomly determine which player will be the first player at the start of the game. This player takes the Ambition token. The Ambition token is used to determine the turn order and break ties, see the box below.

2. Place the Location tiles for this game in the middle of the table. The number of Locations in play depends on the number of players: Locations must be placed next to each other in a line, in increasing order (#1 first, then #2, etc.), with the Prince's Haven always being the last Location.

   Players	Locations
   3 players	Locations 1, 2, and Prince's Haven
   4 players	Locations 1, 2, and Prince's Haven
   5 players	Locations 1, 2, 3, and Prince's Haven

3. Shuffle the Clan sheets, randomly draw 1 more than the number of players, then place them, face up, in the middle of the table. Starting with the player with the Ambition token and going clockwise, each player chooses 1 Clan sheet. This will determine your Clan for this game; for a brief introduction to the play style of each deck, see A World of Darkness. Place your Clan sheet in front of you. After each player has chosen their Clan, put any unused Clan sheets back into the box, they won't be needed.

4. Each player takes 1 Stay and 1 Withdraw token. Place these tokens in front of you, face down. Any unused tokens can be put back into the box.

5. Place 1 Position tile for your Clan next to each Location. This is where you will play your cards at each Location during the game. Put any unused Position tiles back into the box, they won't be needed.

6. Place the Victim cards in a face-up stack in the middle of the table, next to the Locations, in reach of all players. This will be the Victims deck.

7. Shuffle the Ally cards (both Humans and Vampires) and place them in a face-down stack next to the Victim cards. This will be the Allies deck.

8. Take the Clan cards for your Clan, then find the 2 Starting cards ("Hunt" and "Ready") and set them aside. These cards will be in your hand at the beginning of the first round. Shuffle the rest of your Clan cards and place them, face down, on the relevant space of your Clan sheet. This will be your Clan deck.

9. Place the Blood tokens and the Influence tokens in the middle of the table, in reach of all players. This will be the Bank.

10. Take 6 Blood tokens and 3 Influence tokens and place them on your Clan sheet. This will be your starting Pool.

11. Draw 1 Victim card and place it face up to the right of your Clan sheet. The cards here are called your "Alliance." Any additional Victim or Ally cards that you acquire during the game will be added to your Alliance.

Ambition Token, Turn Order, and Breaking Ties

The turn order is determined by the position of the Ambition token: during a round, players take turns starting with the player with the Ambition token and going clockwise. This is also important when breaking any ties that occur during the game: the player who comes first in turn order wins the tie.

Playing the Game

These are the rules for games with 4 or 5 players. For the 3-player mode and other game variants, see Game Variants.

The game is played over 3 rounds, with each round divided into 5 phases, played in this order:

• Feed - Collect Blood from your Alliance
• Location Setup - Add new Allies to all Locations
• Hand Building - Choose a Clan card to add to your hand
• Planning - Play cards/Blood in turns; optionally, Drain cards from your Alliance
• Resolution - Resolve conflicts at each Location, one by one

The Phases in Detail

1. Feed

Players collect Blood from their Alliances.

The Allies and Victims in your Alliance provide Blood in this phase (see below). Take the amount of Blood your Alliance allows you to Gain and add it to your Pool.

Ally/Victim Cards

1. Name + Description.
2. Amount of Influence the card awards you at the end of the game if it is still in your Alliance.
3. Amount of Blood you Gain from the card during the Feed Phase.
4. Amount of Blood you Gain from the card when you Drain it (see Draining).
5. Amount of Influence the card awards you at the end of the game if you Drained it (see Draining).
6. Ally's Special Ability (if any).

Note: All Victim cards have the same values and no Special Abilities; Human Allies may have different values, and some grant you Special Abilities you can use as long as they are in your Alliance; most Vampires grant Special Abilities too, but if you are forced to Drain them, you commit Diablerie, the most heinous crime a vampire can commit in the society of the Camarilla (see Diablerie).

2. Location Setup

New Allies are added to all Locations.

Place 1 Ally card randomly drawn from the deck, face up, on each Location.

Note: The Allies are one of the most important things to consider when choosing which Location you want to play your cards at during the round. You may want one because it grants more Influence than the others, or you may prefer one that has a Special Ability over one that doesn't.

3. Hand Building

Players choose Clan cards to add to their hands.

Draw the top 2 cards from your Clan deck and secretly look at them. Choose 1 of these cards and add it to your hand, then put the other card at the bottom of your Clan deck.

In the first round, each player's hand will contain their 2 Starting Clan cards ("Hunt" and "Ready") plus 1 other card from their deck (which will be different for each player).

At the end of each round, you will take all of the cards you played back into your hand. You will then add another card in the following Hand Building Phase.

For a more detailed look at the different kinds of Clan cards you may find in your deck, see Playing Cards.

Note: Since you take all of your played cards back into your hand at the end of each round, and you will be replaying them over and over during the game, your opponents will start to learn your possible strategies. However, since you will also gain a new "surprise" card each round, you'll have ways to be unpredictable and catch your opponents off guard.

"Using Blood Sorcery, the Tremere can convey devastating attacks on an opponent's mind and body."

4. Planning

Players take turns playing cards (and optionally Blood) at Locations. Additionally, at any point during this phase, you may Drain cards from your Alliance.

Unlike the earlier phases, the Planning Phase is played in turns. Starting with the player with the Ambition token, players take turns in clockwise order. During your turn:

• you MUST play 1 card at one of the Locations (see below)
• you MAY play up to 3 Blood at the same Location (see Playing Blood)
• at any point during your turn, you MAY Drain one or more cards from your Alliance (see Draining)

The number of Planning turns you will play each round increases during the game:

Round	Number of Planning Turns
1	2
2	3
3	4

Note: Basically, unless the effect of a card changes the amount of cards in your hand, you will play 1 card each Planning turn until you are left with just 1 card in your hand.

There are a few terms on the Clan cards that you should be familiar with before playing your cards—see the Card Glossary.

Playing Cards

During your turn, you must play 1 Clan card from your hand on your Position at one of the Locations. After a card has been played, it becomes a "Deployed card" (see Card Glossary). During later turns, you may add additional cards to the same Location or play them to other Locations, as you wish.

You can play your cards either face up or face down. Playing a card face up carries no extra cost; to play a card face down, you must Spend 1 Blood from your Pool to the Bank (this does not count against your limit of playing 3 Blood on that Location this turn, see below).

Note that even though it comes with a cost, playing your Clan cards face down may be extremely useful: you can keep your moves secret; or it may allow you to bluff and play with your opponents' minds. But you also need to keep in mind that face-down cards don't have any effect until they are revealed (see Revelation).

There are two main types of Clan cards: Active cards and Passive cards (see below).

Active Clan Cards

Cards with a black background

These cards only take effect during the Resolution Phase, regardless of whether they were played face up or face down during the Planning phase. They are often more effective when played face down, as you can surprise your opponents, but you may also want to play them face up to act as a deterrent, or you can still use them to bluff or confuse your opponents.

Passive Clan Cards

Cards with a white background

These cards have effects that are triggered by specific conditions, but only if they are face up when that condition occurs. If you play them face down, they will only be revealed in the Revelation Step of the Resolution Phase, and if their triggering condition has passed they have no effect—but you can still use them to bluff or confuse your opponents.

Playing Blood

When you play a Clan card, you may also play up to 3 Blood from your Pool on your Position at the same Location. Blood played at a Location in this way becomes "Deployed Blood". You can do this for each card you play (so, up to 3 Blood each time you play a card). Each Deployed Blood will add 1 to your total Power at that Location during the Conflict Step of the Resolution Phase (see Conflict).

After playing a card, you may play up to 3 Blood at the same Location. Take the amount of Blood you want to play from your Pool and move it to your Position at that Location.

Draining

At any point during your turn in the Planning Phase, you may Drain one or more cards from your Alliance to gain some extra Blood, but doing so usually causes you to also lose some Influence.

To Drain a card from your Alliance, rotate it and place it under the left edge of your Clan sheet so that its top left corner is still visible. You immediately Gain the amount of Blood indicated in the corner of the card. At the end of the game, you will receive the amount of Influence indicated there (instead of the original value granted by the card before you Drained it). Draining a card also makes you lose any Special Ability it may have granted.

Beware, though: The most heinous crime a vampire can commit in the society of the Camarilla is to Drain another vampire. This is called "Diablerie." If you Drain a Vampire card, you must add 1 Diablerie token to your Pool—which will cost you Influence at the end of the game (see Diablerie).

Example: Claudia decides to play her card for the turn face down, which costs her 1 Blood. She would also like to play 3 Blood at the Location to increase her Power, but she only has 2 Blood left in her Pool (A). She decides to Drain a Victim card from her Alliance, immediately gaining 3 Blood (B) that she can now play at the same Location to complete her turn, a move she hopes will allow her to win a much more valuable Ally (C). On the other hand, this card was worth 1 Influence before Draining, but it's now worth 0 Influence.

Diablerie

Diablerie is the term used by vampires to describe the act of drinking all of another vampire's blood and drawing their soul into one's own, to absorb their strength. The process causes the "final death," i.e., the permanent destruction of the victim of this foul deed. As such, most vampires consider it the most heinous crime a vampire can commit, akin to cannibalism. Still, the practice holds a great deal of allure for some, because absorbing another vampire's soul can grant greater power to the "diablerist."

In this game, you commit Diablerie whenever you Drain a Vampire from your Alliance (either willingly or during Frenzy—see Frenzy). You must take 1 Diablerie token for each Vampire that you Drain.

Be careful! Because of the stigma of Diablerie, each Diablerie token you have counts as -1 Influence at the end of the game. Also, if you ever get a third Diablerie token, you are immediately out of the game!

Despite the risk, Diablerie can give you more power. You can use your Diablerie tokens to your advantage: During the Planning Phase, when you play a Clan card at a Location, you may also flip 1 or more of your Diablerie tokens face down. For each Diablerie token that you flip, you take 1 Blood from the Bank and place it on your Position at the same Location, turning it into Deployed. This is in addition to the normal 3 Blood you may play during your turn.

Face down Diablerie tokens are flipped back face up at the end of the round (see End of the Round).

Example: Louis is playing a Clan card. He decides to also play 3 Blood from his Pool to the Location. Additionally, he flips his 2 Diablerie tokens to take 2 additional Blood from the Bank and play them at the Location, for a whopping total of 5 Deployed Blood played in a single turn!

5. Resolution

Players resolve the conflicts over Allies at each Location, one at a time.

The resolution of each Location follows these 5 steps:

• Withdraw
• Revelation
• Preparation
• Conflict
• Aftermath

All steps must be resolved, in order, for each Location—so, you will play Withdraw, Revelation, Preparation, Conflict, and Aftermath for Location #1, then again for Location #2, and so on. The Prince's Haven is always resolved last. After all Locations are resolved, the round is over.

5.1 Withdraw

Players may choose to Withdraw from a Location and abandon that conflict.

All players who are "at" a Location (i.e., they have at least 1 Deployed card and/or 1 Deployed Blood on their Position there) have a chance to Withdraw from the Location before the conflict actually starts. Normally, this is done to fake out the other players or if you think the Location has become too dangerous.

All players that are at the Location currently being resolved secretly choose either their Stay or their Withdraw token and place the chosen ones, face down, on their Positions. When all players are ready, reveal your tokens: if you reveal your Stay token, you will join the conflict; if you reveal your Withdraw token, you will go away without taking part in it.

If you choose to Withdraw, immediately take your Deployed Blood from that Location, if any, and put it back in your Pool. Then, reveal the Clan cards you have played at the current Location and move them all, face up, to your Position at the Prince's Haven. You will not take any part at all in the conflict at the current Location.

If you Withdraw from the Prince's Haven (the final Location to be resolved each round), you simply take back all of your cards together with your Blood.

5.2 Revelation

Players reveal the Deployed cards that are still present at the Location.

After all the Withdrawing players have moved their Clan cards away, reveal the face down cards of all the players who Stayed.

Note: The effects of some Passive Clan cards may be triggered before or during this step (as stated on the cards themselves).

Active Clan cards, on the other hand, will only take effect during the following steps, depending on the type of card. There are 3 kinds of Active Clan cards: Preparation cards, Conflict cards, and Aftermath cards. They all have a Power value that will add to your total Power during the Conflict step, but they often also have an effect which is only applied during a specific step of the Resolution Phase:

• Preparation — Effect applied during the Preparation Step
• Conflict — Effect applied during the Conflict Step
• Aftermath — Effect applied during the Aftermath Step

Preparation and Conflict cards can often change who's going to be the winner at the current Location; Aftermath cards are only applied after the winner has been determined at the end of the Conflict step, but they affect the outcome of the conflict, often making victory painful for the winning player.

5.3 Preparation

Players resolve the effects of their Preparation cards.

Starting with the player with the Ambition token and proceeding clockwise, apply the effects of each Preparation card you have at the current Location. If you have more than one card at this Location that triggers during this step, you may decide the order in which you activate them. Each card must be entirely resolved before activating the next.

5.4 Conflict

Players resolve the effects of their Conflict cards, then the winner at the current Location is determined.

This step is divided into two sub-steps:

• Trigger the effects of Conflict cards
• Determine the winner of the Conflict

Apply the Effect of Conflict Cards

Starting with the player with the Ambition token and proceeding clockwise, apply the effects of each Conflict card you have at the current Location. If you have more than one card at this Location that triggers during this step, you decide the order in which you activate them. Each card must be entirely resolved before activating the next.

Determine the Winner of the Conflict

After the effects of all Conflict cards at that Location have been resolved, it's time to determine the winner of the conflict there. Each player must calculate their total Power, which is the sum of:

• the Power of all their Deployed cards at that Location after applying all effects, plus
• the amount of Deployed Blood they have on their Position at the current Location.

The player with the highest total Power at that Location is the winner of the current Conflict. In case of a tie, the player who comes first in turn order wins the tie.

Note: If only one player has Clan cards at a Location after the Withdraw Step, they automatically win, but they receive only the reward for ranking first (A). If no players have Clan cards at the current Location after the Conflict Step, no rewards will be awarded at that Location (and the unassigned Ally is removed from the game) (B).

Conflict Rewards

The winner of the conflict (the player with the highest total Power) takes the Ally card from the current Location; the player with the second highest total Power takes a Victim card from the deck; the player with the third highest Total Power doesn't get a card. When you obtain a new Ally or Victim card at the end of a conflict, you immediately add it to your Alliance.

These players also receive Influence depending on their position in the ranking, the round you are playing, and which Location is being resolved (see the table below).

Rewards for the Prince's Haven

The player that wins a conflict at the Prince's Haven gets 1 additional Influence. Additionally, after taking the Ally card from the Prince's Haven, they take the Ambition token from the player who had it before. They immediately become the new First Player.

	1st (Winner)	2nd	3rd
Round 1	Ally + 1 Influence*	Victim + 1 Influence	1 Influence
Round 2	Ally + 2 Influence*	Victim + 2 Influence	1 Influence
Round 3	Ally + 3 Influence*	Victim + 2 Influence	1 Influence

* The winner of a conflict at the Prince's Haven always gets an additional 1 Influence; they also take the Ambition token.

5.5 Aftermath

The effects of Aftermath cards are resolved.

Starting with the player with the Ambition token and proceeding clockwise, apply the effects of each Aftermath card you have at the current Location. If you have more than one card at this Location that triggers during this step, you may decide the order in which you activate them. Each card must be entirely resolved before activating the next.

After the Aftermath Step has been resolved at a Location, leave any Deployed cards and Blood there for now. Cards will be taken back only at the end of the round.

Frenzy

When a vampire is "Embraced" (which is the name vampires give to the act of turning a human into a vampire), an innate demonic predator awakens within them. Vampires call this inner demon the "Beast." The Beast is responsible for many of the debased urges vampires feel on a nightly basis. In times of extreme distress, the Beast can overwhelm a vampire, forcing them into a state of pure animalistic fight or flight, which is referred to as "Frenzy."

In this game, you immediately enter Frenzy whenever you find yourself with no Blood left in your Pool (this usually happens because of the effects of Clan cards played by your opponents, which may force you to lose Blood in various ways). The player who caused you to enter Frenzy immediately gains 1 Influence.

Note: If you are required to lose an amount of Blood greater than the amount you currently have in your Pool, you simply lose all of your Blood before entering Frenzy, the excess "damage" does not "carry over."

When you enter Frenzy, to quench the thirst for blood of the Beast within, you are forced to Drain one of the cards from your Alliance chosen at random. Take all of the cards from your Alliance (Victims, Humans, and Vampires, ignoring any you have already Drained), shuffle them, randomly pick 1 and Drain it (see Draining). If you don't have any cards available in your Alliance when you enter Frenzy, you must lose 1 Influence from your Pool, and you Gain only 1 Blood from the Bank.

Entering Frenzy may force you to randomly Drain a Vampire; if this happens, you commit Diablerie (see Diablerie).

6. End of the Round

Once the Resolution Phase has been resolved at all Locations, if it is not the end of the third round, follow the procedure below to prepare for a new round:

• discard any Deployed Blood from all Locations to the Bank
• take all of the Deployed cards you have on the table (on your Position or your Rivals') back into your hand
• if you have any face down Diablerie tokens in your Pool, flip them face up

If you just completed the third round, follow the End of Game procedure instead (see End of the Game).

"You place your order like everyone else and I'll get you exactly what you need." -Bronwyn

End of the Game

At the end of the third round, the game ends immediately.

Add up the Influence you gain from the cards in your Alliance, from your Drained Allies and Victims, and the Influence tokens in your Pool. Then, subtract 1 Influence for each Diablerie token that you have in your Pool.

The player with the most Influence is the winner! In case of a tie, the tied player with the most Blood left in their Pool wins. If this is also tied, the tied player playing first in turn order (starting with the player who took the Ambition token at the end of the last conflict of the game) wins.

Contradicting Rules?

This is a game about rule-breaking. As such, there will be times where cards seem to contradict each other, or this rulebook! Here's how to resolve these inevitable disputes:

• The text on the cards always prevails over the rulebook.
• In case of timing issues between cards (i.e., two cards have the same symbol), they are resolved in turn order, starting with the player holding the Ambition token and proceeding clockwise (i.e., card(s) played by the player holding the Ambition token take effect first, then cards by the next player in turn order take effect, etc.).
• Remember that ties are always resolved in turn order.
• If a single player has multiple cards that trigger at the same time, they choose the order in which they are resolved.
• If an effect cannot be fully applied to its target, apply as much as possible. For example, if a card says you Steal 3 Blood from a player that has only 2 Blood left, you only Steal 2 Blood.
• If an effect can't be applied, ignore that effect.

"Let me talk on your behalf and we'll get this sorted out." -Marcel

Game Variants

This section of the rulebook includes special rules to play with 3 players (see below). It also contains more advanced rules meant to offer a new, challenging way to play the game for experienced players. We recommend that you use these variants only after you have played at least a few times with the basic version of the game. You can play with just one variant, with more than one, or even use all of them together.

3-Player Mode

This game mode allows you to play games with only 3 players. It mostly follows the regular rules of the game, with a few exceptions:

• ONLY IN THE FIRST ROUND, during the Hand Building Phase, you must draw the top 3 cards from your Clan deck instead of just 2, then you must add 2 of them to your hand instead of just 1. Your starting hand will thus have 4 cards instead of 3 (your "Hunt" and "Ready" Starting cards, plus 2 more).
• The number of Planning turns you will play each round follows the table below instead of the regular one:

Round	Number of Planning Turns
1	3
2	4
3	5

"This existence can be glorious fun, if you let it." -Portia

Location Cards

Location cards add a special effect to each Location during the game. To play with this variant, during step 2 of the regular game setup, place 1 randomly drawn Location card on each Location (except the Prince's Haven, which already has its own special effects even in regular games).

During the game, you will need to apply the effect of each Location card, as described on the card itself. These effects may make playing at a Location more rewarding, or sometimes, add extra penalties or costs!

Relic Cards

Relics are powerful items that you can use to gain an advantage during the game. To play with this variant, during step 2 of the regular game setup, randomly draw 1 Relic card more than the number of players, then place them, face up, in the middle of the table. After each player has chosen their Clan, starting with the player to the right of the player with the Ambition token and going counter-clockwise, each player chooses 1 Relic card and places it in front of them. After each player has chosen their Relic, put the unused Relic cards back into the box; they won't be needed.

Relic cards are very powerful, but you can only use yours once during the whole game, so you must use it wisely. The details on when and how you are allowed to use your Relic are described on the card itself. When you do use your Relic, flip it face down to remember that you can't use it anymore this game.

Additionally, at the end of the game, your Relic card will be worth the amount of Influence shown in the lower right corner of the card. You gain these points whether you have used your Relic card or not.

Tag Team Mode (4 or 6 Players Only)

This game mode allows you to play as a team with another player against other teams (as such, it is available for games with 4 or 6 players only).

To play with this variant, you follow the regular setup procedure (if playing with 6 players, play with the maximum number of Locations, like in a game with 5 players). We recommend that you determine the teams before choosing your Clans.

When you place your Position tiles at the Locations, make sure that you and your teammate are on the opposite sides of each Location. The order of the Position tiles also determines the turn order (1 player from Team A, then 1 from Team B, then 1 from Team C, then the other from Team A, and so on).

During the game, you must follow the regular rules, with these changes:

• Whenever you apply the effects of one of your cards that target "opponents" and/or "Rivals," you choose whether this includes your teammate or not (whatever you think is most advantageous for you). However, you don't gain any Influence if you send your teammate into Frenzy.
• When determining the winner of a Conflict, the two members of a team are ranked separately; ideally, you would like one of you to rank 1st, and the other to rank 2nd.

At the end of the game, the team with the most Influence (summing up the Influence obtained by the two team members) is the winner! In case of a tie, the tied team with the most Blood left in their Pool (again, summing up the totals of both team members) wins. If this is also tied, the tied team with the player playing first in turn order (starting with the player who took the Ambition token at the end of the last conflict of the game) wins.

In this example, Toreador and Tremere are team "A", Gangrel and Ventrue are team "B", Brujah and Nosferatu are team "C".

A World of Darkness

Vampire: The Masquerade - Vendetta is set in the World of Darkness. It is a world not unlike our own, seen through a darkened lens. As the unknowing humans sleep, monstrous vampires prowl, sustaining their undead existence with human blood. Over the years, these master predators (or Kindred, as they refer to themselves) have organised themselves in a neo-feudal structure, built on bonds of blood and favor.

According to Kindred mythology, the first vampire was Caine, eternally cursed to escape sunlight and prey on the living for the murder of his brother Abel. According to the myth, Caine eventually sired three childer, who in turn sired childer themselves. This third generation came into being before the Great Flood – and some say it was their sins that called it down. The survivors, known as the Antediluvians, became the progenitors of the modern clans (as their descendants are called). Each Antediluvian's blood endures in their descendants, feeding their common powers, weaknesses, and perhaps even their behaviors and beliefs.

"Without a puppeteer to pull the strings, the puppet would not know how to dance."

Seven such clans are included in this game, each represented by a Clan deck with a scheming vampire of that clan and the powers and disciplines typical of that clan. This is also reflected in the play style of each deck:

The Brujah, who rebel against power and rage against tyranny. Sympathetic to counterculture and revolution, the Brujah seek out allies who question normative ideas, and recognizing the fire of the oppressed, they gravitate toward the underdog. In this game, they are represented by Jayla Parker, a rebellious young woman with an attitude. The Brujah deck is all about high power and heavy damage; try to send your opponents into Frenzy for bonus points.

The Gangrel, feral outlanders who blend vampire and beast. Crossing borders between species, nations, and domains with the ease of perfect predators, they belong to the wild and the wild belongs to them. In this game, they are represented by Clayton Jones, an ungroomed former alcoholic who found peace by communing with the creatures of the wild. The Gangrel deck uses the clan's shape-shifting abilities to manipulate Blood and increase Power.

The Malkavian, whose madness conceals and reveals truths. Malkavians claim that they are all psychically linked through a shared consciousness of sorts, and they look for people with "special gifts" to add to their ranks. In this game, they are represented by Sol Thurman, a huge Chicago Cubs fan whose placid nature alternates with spurts of violence. The Malkavian deck is all about surprising opponents with unpredictable moves and quirky (but powerful) effects.

The Nosferatu, who hide their disfigured forms in the darkness to gather secrets. They are the most humane of the Kindred, wearing their curse on the outside rather than the inside. In this game, they are represented by Yeongi, a determined woman who is not deterred by her disfigured face or prosthetic arm. The Nosferatu deck is capable of devious strategies, like withdrawing in the middle of a conflict or even using cards twice during the same round.

The Toreador, who seek thrills of art, romance, and cruelty amidst stagnant undeath. This clan courts the greatest artists, but their fixation on beauty and innocence also brings in new members who emerge as just a stunning body with nothing else to offer. In this game, they are represented by Winston Deville, a middle aged professional top model. The Toreador deck exploits the numbers of its sizable Alliance to make the effects of your cards more powerful.

The Tremere, who research the secrets of blood to fuel their sorcerous powers. They see true power as knowing the ways of shaping the world, having access to the right blood, and owning the rarest of ancient artifacts. In this game, they are represented by Ajit Talwar, a ruthless scholar of the occult arts willing to work as a "mercenary magus." The Tremere deck makes you spend Blood to unleash phenomenal powers, and it pushes you to play on the brink of Frenzy.

The Ventrue, who enforce the Masquerade on those whom they consider the lesser breeds. They have long been the leaders of the Camarilla, holding more positions of power than any other clan, and they are loath to give that up. In this game, they are represented by Sofia Alvarez, a stern and commanding business leader with exceptional diplomatic skills and political savvy. The Ventrue deck forces your opponents to either bend to your will or pay the price!

Most of the clans available in this game formally belong to the Camarilla, the most widely influential organization Kindred history has ever known. Its stated purpose is to preserve the Masquerade, an elaborate veil of deception pulled over the eyes of the living to hide the existence of the Kindred.

A Camarilla city is run in the fashion of a feudal court, even if their gatherings may look more like slick boardroom meetings or rough gatherings of criminal cartels. The hierarchy is absolute. At the top we find the Prince, a creature impressive or cunning enough to be acknowledged as the absolute leader of their domain.

Card Glossary

There are a few recurring terms on the Clan cards that you should be familiar with:

POSITION - A player's Position is the "slice" around a Location that corresponds with that player's Position tile at that Location. Both Clan cards and Blood can be played "on a player's Position." Everything that is on a player's Position is considered "theirs," even if it is not actually owned by them (i.e., cards moved there because of an effect).

PLAYING CARDS - When an effect refers to a card being "played", it refers to the actual action of playing it at a Location, in the moment it is happening. Once a card has been played, it becomes a Deployed card.

DEPLOYED CARD - A "Deployed card" is a card that is on a player's Position. As such, it may be the target of the effect on other Clan cards (sometimes even itself). When applying effects that target Deployed cards at a certain Location, it is irrelevant where that card was played originally, only where it is at that moment counts.

PLAYING [Blood] - Whenever you play a Clan card at a Location, you can also play up to 3 Blood from your Pool on the same Position (see Playing Blood). This Blood then becomes Deployed. As such, it may be the target of the effects on Clan cards.

DEPLOYED [Blood] - Each Deployed Blood will add 1 to your Power at that Location (see Playing Blood). You are allowed to have only Deployed Blood at a Location (without any cards) and still take part in that conflict.

GAIN [Blood]/[Influence] - Take the indicated amount of Blood / Influence from the Bank and add it to your Pool.

SPEND [Blood] - Discard the indicated amount of Blood from your Pool to the Bank, as a cost to use an effect. Note: You may never Spend the very last Blood in your pool (i.e., you can't willingly send yourself into Frenzy, see Frenzy).

LOSE [Blood]/[Influence] - Discard the indicated amount of Blood / Influence from your Pool to the Bank, as a result of an effect applied to you. Note: If you Lose all of your Blood, you enter Frenzy (see Frenzy).

STEAL [Blood] - Take the indicated amount of Blood from the target player's Pool and move it to your Pool. Note: It is possible to Steal the last Blood token from a player's Pool. If this happens, that player enters Frenzy (see Frenzy).

POWER - Each Clan card has a Power value printed on it. This value may be altered by the effects of the card itself and/or other cards. When a card refers to the "printed Power value" of another card, it refers to the number written on the card, before any modifiers are applied to it.

FACE UP / FACE DOWN - Deployed cards can be face up or face down. When a card is face down, none of its effects are active and they are considered to have 0 Power (unless otherwise specified by the effect of another card).

RIVAL - An opponent who has Deployed cards and/or Blood at the same Location as the card mentioning this effect. Opponents who don't have anything Deployed at that Location (either because they didn't play anything there or they Withdrew; see Withdraw) are not considered Rivals at that Location.

Credits

Game Design: Charlie Cleveland, Bruno Faidutti Artwork: Martin Mottet Development: Lorenzo Silva, Hjalmar Hach, Flavio Mortarino Project Manager: Pietro Righi Riva Production Manager: Flavio Mortarino Art Direction: Lorenzo Silva Graphic Design: Noa Vassalli, Rita Ottolini Rulebook: Alessandro Pra', Flavio Mortarino, Charlie Cleveland Editing: William Niebling, Alessandro Pra' Additional Playtesting: Pasquale Facchini, Ferdinando Ambrosio, Giovanni Bernardis, Federico Latini, Federico "Toy", Paolo "Banda" Andrighetto, and many more!

Paradox Licensing Business Developer: Mats Karlöf

World of Darkness Brand Management Art Director: Tomas Arfert Brand Marketing Manager: Jason Carl Brand Manager: Sean Greaney Brand Editor: Karim Muammar Community Developer: Martyna Zych

Special Thanks

Charlie Cleveland would like to thank: Eric Hautemont, Manuel Cuni, Luca Marchetti, Giacomo Gilli, Lorenzo Casanova, Marco Di Timoteo, Maurizio Di Timoteo, Emanuele Ornella, Brian Cummings, Lilly Baker

Horrible Guild would like to thank: Laura Severino, Camilla Muschio, Matteo Carioni, Alberto Putignano, Paolo Tajé, Nicolò Sala, Andrea Pennati, Andrea "Sgananzium" Bianchin, Sara D'Arca, Valentina Salimbeni, Karim Khadiri, Fabio Leva, Alessio Vallese, Alessio Lana, Mauro Marinetti, Carlo Burelli, Nicola Bocchetta