Vampire The Masquerade How to Run Camarilla Games

[@Comicsluvr]

I'm a Vampire veteran who has been out for a while but I'm starting up a new chronicle with some familiar players and some not. I think this channel will be very helpful. Have a sub!

[@DarthLoli]

Great vid, I never really could grasp what the essence of VtM, but this seems to simplify things.

[@MariahSyn]

I am so glad someone actually makes videos talking about a game that a few of us still seem to play! Thanks so much! You've earned a subscriber!

[@ulkem]

Finally I got some time to watch this video. Watched it couple of times. I like your fast talk. You talk fast and you don't talk empty. So it doesn't bore when you watch 2 or 3 times over and over. No matter how much one knows about WoD, you still can teach something. It was a nice call that you gave an example about bussiness world. That's one of the big catches in Camarilla I think.

[@MakCurrel]

I've actually made a masquerade campaign that is everything that he says it must not be. And it still works, and my players still says they like it. Just shows that it can come in all shapes and sizes. It's a party based, adventure style game, with 5 players. The three main sects are up for grabs. For my 5 showerheads who wake up with no sires. They have alot of liberty in my game where politics are low, and the personal journey as a group is high. If you take this video it should not work, jet some how it does. Just to prove that sometimes you can do something different, as long as they players buy the premise.

[@mukst1o]

He is talking about how to run a camarilla game. If you played mixed sects, it isnt a camarilla game. If you have some camarilla, sabbat and anarchs working together frequently as "friends", its probably not even a proper vampire the masquerade game (or the characters aren't actualy from those sects, they just claim membership) But of course you can play whatever you want the way you want. You can play "strip" DnD GMless with cards instead of dice in space. And it can be fun Its not the proper way to play DnD tough, not how the game was meant to be played and how normal people would believe to be the best way to get the best experience out of it. And if you are going to play without focusing on the main strenghts of the game, maybe you should try playing something else that was designed to be played more like you want.

[@hasturhastur]

I've never understood why some people smacktalk the Camarilla. The Cam has been keeping bitches in check since the 15th century. They are easily more ruthless and organized than the Sabbat. The Cam is the big dog that does not need to bark or act rabid to get it's way. Great vid btw! Thank you for inspiring me to revamp my Camarilla chronicle for San Francisco.

[@jeevesosiris]

I have played Vampire since 2000, initially as a player and then eventually running my own games this last five years. Always good to find another experienced player who has a similar take on the game as myself. Camarilla games are always the best I believe

[@woodwwad]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. The great thing about noticing mistakes in your game is that you'll find ways to work around them next time.

[@StellusBattersea]

Good job good sir, as a Masquerade Venue Storyteller I love what you posted and have shared it with my Domain! It's a good perspective on the game!

[@HeathbrookBadhwar]

My Main Man! This is an excellent video; all of your how to run/ gm videos are. I would really love to see one on "How to run Vampire: the dark ages." I'm putting together some ideas and npcs for a chronicle, I've never ran Vampire before (and have only played VtM) I would greatly appreciate your input. I figure that the Dark ages is best for my group and myself, as we're all fans of game of thrones and I love how isolated everything is, (Same reason I love CoC) :] among many others. Thanks.

[@woodwwad]

Thank you, glad you found it useful. The reason a lot of people like the sabbat better comes down to this, a Sabbat game is easy to run & a Cam game isn't. However, when run well a Cam game is so much better.

[@woodwwad]

Glad to see you over here Roy. You can do that but you need to make sure you don't pack the game too tight with stuff, it cannot be a huge event every few game session which is how most people seem to run it, if they use that sort of pacing. I think one of the problems with Cam games is they are a lot harder to run than other sorts of games.

[@BulvaiHammersson]

I completely agree. Pacing is incredibly important. The perception of a dense world is necessary, but, while you want them to feel somewhat overwhelmed, you can't let them actually get overwhelmed. That said, another major difference in my personal experience is running LARP as well as tabletop. LARP's tend to have more going on due to the larger group size, so a different animal. In the smaller tabletop games, I like slower pace. And, yeah, Cam games are harder to run. No doubt there. -Roy.

[@herkles1]

Ah cool,really helpful. As I know when I get back to college and find/start a gaming group. I will be playing VTM, and I will go with the camerilla first as the first few games of that system before I move on to doing a sabbat or independent game. so thanks for the advice.

[@jamescollins2068]

You make a good point. Pacing is everything in a game. In the past two decades games, both table top and electronic, have become more and more fast paced with no believable amount of time between the time your character starts and the moment they hit max power. The only time created a character in tWoD with the a short rise to power it was a member of 4th generation who diablerized his sire in a remote part of the world with no one close enough to his generation or power to challenge. That is the only scenario I could think of where a swift change from fledgling to price of a domain worked without coming of as cheesy or overblown.

[@TNK8]

This is really one of your better videos. Nicely done.

[@Onionkid99]

I have ONLY played/run Camarilla Vampire games. Every time I run it I make sure I have the scenario of: "The Camarilla is being buttrammed by the Sabbat and the Anarchs. We gotta band together to see another night." This is essential so the coterie doesn't devour itself. I've only used the Sabbat as villains but I allow characters to ally with (or join!) the Anarchs. The computer game "Vampire- the Masquerade: Bloodlines" did this same thing and did it well.

[@BulvaiHammersson]

And, wow, not a lot of characters available to respond with. And I'm not exactly concise. Wanted to say that I liked the video quite a bit, and am strongly in agreement with the idea that camarilla games are the pinnacle of the OWoD Vampire experience. Glad to see someone coming out in favor of them. -Roy.

[@woodwwad]

Thank you, it is a difficult game. When done right though, it is truly a pleasure to play.

[@savagetilley2782]

I played bloodlines the PC game. Then I found out about this being a RP like life game. And i'm like dying to learn more!!!

[@NutNapalm]

I prefer the Sabbat. Sabbat's great for introducing new players who don't really know the game - shovelheads get to learn as they go - and it has a wonderfully fucked up, monstrous culture that just keeps giving with it's diverse rites, paths, internal sects, and bloodlines. Just watch out for Friendly Diablerie, Infernalist Conspiracies, and the Inquisition! The Independent clans that aren't Ravnos are also a blast. Followers of Set are my favorite for a Politics-heavy game - Did you know other clans can actually join the Setites? They have the potential to become a full-blown faction of evangelical gnostic maltheists. The only unique draw the Camarilla has is the Tremere, and that's like saying "I wanna play Mage but without all the cool stuff."

[@WehrmachtLuftwaffe]

Good video. I always knew my love of the Godfather, Goodfellas, and Casino, would eventually mesh with my love of vampires! I like the Camarilla.

[@jamescollins2068]

Organized crime, you not a true Cainite unless mob boss scream in horror of how monstrous you are.

[@woodwwad]

Yes, they have a bunch of models. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get one and run it, just to give you as you said the feel for it. I'm not sure what sort of games you are use to running but VtM is deemed one of the more unique and often difficult games to run. It is highly rp and character based as opposed to story based.

[@Onionkid99]

@woodwwad We begin as Vampires with a "flashback scene" for the embrace. The embrace is too important to gloss over. Maybe my group and I are too impatient to play the Camarilla "properly", heh. We begin post-embrace and I rarely follow the century-long process of gaining half a dot of status! I can thank you/Rob Pepper/The Gent for getting me interested in the Sabbat though. Only having Cam books, they just seemed like frothing maniacs to me. You three opened my eyes to the Black Hand!

[@BulvaiHammersson]

Overall, I agree. The only exception I would take would be to the idea that one cannot run a cam game that has real-time action. While it's not likely to be nightly, or even weekly, it is possible to maintain a pace of sorts. But you have to work it, and the work takes place in setting creation. Deep Space Nine is an example of this. Star Trek universe is conflict-light, so they created a very specific spot to put the station in a high conflict spot. Artificial? Perhaps, but feasible. -Roy.

[@zachcarisse]

Still doing this and its a great game! earned my subscription! LOve it

[@woodwwad]

@ulkem Ah, thank you very much, I really appreciate it, I'm glad you found it worth watching more than once & got something out of it.

[@Onionkid99]

@woodwwad Bloodlines is the 2nd one, yes. The Gent is building a "Let's Play" of it, so that's going to be great. Oh yes! Another Camarilla setting I've used is the players begin in the aftermath of a Cam/Sabbat war. Most vampires are too busy being ash and now there's actually a chance for upward mobility as many positions need to be filled.

[@woodwwad]

@StellusBattersea Ah thank you very much, I'm always very pleased to have others send me new viewers & greatly appreciate that. Glad you found it useful. I'll have plenty of WOD videos coming in 2012.

[@TabletopTitan]

@woodwwad Sounds awesome man, that sounds like a really good time. Need to get myself a proper decent mic, though. If you saw my last vid, that ringing drives me mad! I think as GM's it's kind of our duty to usher in players and make it clear that there is more to the game than fighting and loot grabbing. When you really see that this sheet of paper is more an evolving persona than an avatar to a game, it becomes all the more important, all the more emotional when drama occurs in the game.

[@willneeley9504]

It's really about playing to strengths and theme both sects exemplify. A good Camarilla game can be thrilling in cloak and dagger intrigue kind of way. The Sabbat are great for stories that show how violent the OWoD can be.

[@willou8661]

Great vid. I would LOVE to have you as a storyteller for a Camarilla game (I play a french Toreador horror writer veteran of WWI). Could you do a video about how to run a Sabbat chronicle ?Cause Sabbat politics can be fun and tricky as well, besides while forming a pack I've always had a problem to put a Tzimisces, Toré antitribu and a Brujah antitribu in the same pack.

[@toshomni9478]

Fascinating video. I don't see why a coterie couldn't work in a Camarilla game though. You can't get anything done without allies in any political situation and there's no reason why vampires can't have friends and loved ones. Which is not to say that they can't betray each other if opportunities arise, provided everyone at the table is on board with that kind of thing.

[@woodwwad]

No and I don't know why, it certainly should have been. There is no more clearly Sabbat city in the US than the D. There is a New York, Chicago and LA by night for US cities. There is also an Atlanta but it is actually a split book with Wraith and published under the Wraith line. There is a mod that has everything you need to run Boston by Night which I used.

[@woodwwad]

@MisterShade Thank you & right, that's a very good way to do it. Vampire are never the good guys, they are monsters & the cam is just a collection of often old & powerful vampires. In some ways they are even more the bad guys than other sects. Thanks for a great comment.

[@woodwwad]

Ah very good, figured I might be able to give you some insight into your question with those. But I certainly will be doing a video on clan Baali at some point.

[@CrowRavenKavian]

I've been watching your content repeatedly for years. You give the best advice on Camarilla games there is. I'll be playing a Harpy with the Disciplines of the Ramanga and the weakness of the Ramanga and, Xi Dundo in an upcoming game. Do you have any advice on how to thrive as a Camarilla Harpy?

[@woodwwad]

@Burori1 I'm a big fan of the Malks, great clan. I think the Followers of Set was a quality clan book too. The Giovanni was also pretty nice.

[@woodwwad]

Thank you, I have a whole playlist on my channel with world of darkness videos. They include interviews with the creators of Vampire & Mage.

[@Burori1]

Love looking through your VTM videos = )

[@woodwwad]

@Burori1 What is that play by post? The campaign of VTM which I ran for about 2 years took place in Boston. It is a great city for Kindred.

[@woodwwad]

Yeah, I plan to do one once I've finished the clans. I've done vids on the nephandi and on devils though, which will both give you a load of info on playing a baali. It is pretty close to the same deal and I think those are 2 of my better videos.

[@connorbutler5045]

Hey dude I really liked this video IV been looking for info on how to play vampire masqarade for a while now.you make the game sound so interesting and I'd like to play. are you using the fantasy ground to play?

[@woodwwad]

@TabletopTitan That's right, power protects you & when it falls, it is time for those you've snubbed to get theirs from you, the axes fall. I like that level of paranoia too, it really adds a lot to the game. Yes, the usurpers are many. I've never been a fan of traps. You seem like you have it though, that you get it & that's really good, I like to hear that as I see so many that don't which is a jack to us all. We'll have to get you in on skype at some point, I think you'd fit right in.

[@Burori1]

@woodwwad Awesome! Can't wait to see those : ) Hey, which of the clan books is your favorite, btw? : D

[@woodwwad]

@herkles1 Sure brother, always happy to take request.

[@woodwwad]

@WehrmachtLuftwaffe Yes, all those sources of inspiration can give you loads of details to add to a Cam game.

[@woodwwad]

@Onionkid99 Is Bloodlines the 2nd one? I think I only played the first one. The one where you play a Brujah, I think.

[@woodwwad]

@boltorange excellent, I'm glad to hear that. Are you a sabbat player? I wouldn't have taken you for the type.

[@woodwwad]

Sure, I'll put it on the list. Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it. These video, how to run, do seem to get high views. I think you're right, I should make some more of these.

[@woodwwad]

I'm glad to hear that on both levels, thanks.

[@gaozhi2007]

Do you guys think the Camarilla Guidebook (hardcover) is a must buy? Some people say it's just a retread of things in the Corebook, but its like 224 pages so I don't see how that's possible. I'm just getting started, so I would appreciate any advice in allocating my meager spending dollars.

[@woodwwad]

no

[@woodwwad]

@Burori1 Ah right on. I've never played a play by post game. The Vampire site use to have a text based game on it New Bermin by night.

[@Burori1]

@woodwwad Cool. Baali, ah, those were great. Hmmm, I haven't read that one. My favorite has to be the Malkavian clan book. Favorite clan too~ = u =

[@woodwwad]

Since 2000, lol. That's when the game ended . . . at least for a while, it is back now. Have you had a look at my interview with VtM creature Mark Rein-Hagen?

[@TabletopTitan]

@woodwwad Oh yeah, I typically play very ambitious characters. It comes with its own rewards, you know? An axe to the head can be just as bad as losing face -which can often be followed by axes to heads- and prestige and power is a far greater reward than rubies and gold pieces. I really like how paranoid characters and players become once they get established. It adds a whole new aspect of the game, dark corridors and trapped chests are nothing compared to sycophants and would be supplanters.

[@thinkingabout0]

Best homework ever! Thanks :D

[@woodwwad]

Thanks, I have a load of wod vids there is a playlist on my page if you want to find them easily. You mean the old softbound book?

[@woodwwad]

@Burori1 thanks appreciate it, I plan to have some more world of darkness videos in the next group I record.

[@macabrederek9179]

Have a shot at running a couple of my Pathfinder players through Vampire, any ideas on how to offer a vertical slice of what the game is about in a session that runs about 5-6 hours?

[@woodwwad]

Angst, dread, self doubt, tragedy, and sorrow. Add in some politics and betrayal.

[@woodwwad]

I think you can certainly make a good point for that.

[@woodwwad]

@Catachan1brainleaf They are such a great clan. I think they are a little advanced for some players, the way you are talking about playing them (which is quality) will be lost on a vast amount of players. I know you do enjoy those types & do them well. I really think Auspex is a great disciple to pick up for a Nos. Of course animalism, the often dismissed discipline, really works wonders for what you are talking about doing. As you mention this character leads to a lot of additional mood IC.

[@woodwwad]

@QuinnSilver lol, right on, I'm glad to hear it. It is such a great game.

[@BulvaiHammersson]

As an aside, the Final Nights also lend themselves to faster pacing in my opinion. That is another discussion entirely though. -Roy.

[@woodwwad]

@23penguins32 You could make a mention in the box below your vid, if you wanted. I'll certainly check it out.

[@woodwwad]

I thought the Gehenna books was fairly poor. Yes, Vampire is a, as you say, "more in-depth game." That is the type of game I play and how I write RPG games when working on material for sale.

[@woodwwad]

Sabbat games can certainly be violent.

[@NairamAngel1]

Great description!

[@woodwwad]

@TabletopTitan They don't have Camarilla in the NWOD, they are from the original game. I would think they'd be happy to eat you though. You must taste wonderful. I've played Lost before, it is pretty good. Are you saying your players are the ballz?

[@woodwwad]

@Onionkid99 I've seen the idea of young vamps getting a push like that a lot. I've never liked that idea. I think it is better to advance a lot of time if you want the players to get power position, then they should be old & powerful themselves. Do you start your vamp games with the players as humans or vampires?

[@BulvaiHammersson]

Well, the majority of LARP PC's are all young'uns, usually still in their first lifetime. This leads to a still human sense of time's passage, and thus more frenetic, mortal-esque pacing. And, well, they're PC's. The vampire may have less worries about how long something takes to complete, but the player behind the lick wants it done yesterday. In a game where timescale is dilated, as you suggest, this is less of an issue, and I've run that way, but with LARP, things move... differently. -Roy.

[@woodwwad]

Right on, I just wasn't sure if you understood the difference. How much was it for a phf of that?

[@woodwwad]

@TabletopTitan Right on, I thought you might have been saying they were the ballz. I've heard several of the guys on here talk about not liking the players they have. Mythic themes & great challenges can certainly be fun though. You like the politics though yourself?

[@woodwwad]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

[@Sleepynotlazy]

I had a question that I'd hoped you could help with. Hopefully you'll see this even though I'm posting on an older video. Anywho... I'm a fairly new player to the oWoD but wanted to get my friends interested in it as well. My question would be, as a an all around group with some experience with roleplaying, What game should I look to start running in your opinion?' And, any tips to a newcomer to the game master seat?

[@woodwwad]

jonny4911 I would say Within the Ring of Fire - do a search here for it. You'll love it and it has the best rp teaching chapter you'll find.

[@Yora21]

What is he talking about at 15:49? Something about "great opportunity to use X" and "there was no X any time". What word is X?

[@woodwwad]

Certainly it'll be coming and thanks for saying that.

[@woodwwad]

@Samwise7RPG VTM is a very hard game to run well, & a game that requires a load of prep work before hand & it likely takes most a few games to get the hang of running it. That's right & that's something a lot of players don't really think about, they just want to make whatever they feel like, but they need to think why would someone embrace this person.

[@TheJDough1]

on a different topic are there any premade adventures that would help me get a feel for the game?

[@Mrkeaton3322]

I play dnd with my group currently and would love to start playing V:TM. I am just confused where to start. What books should i buy and how can i best learn the rules? Reply to this comment or send me a message if you have any time or suggestions. Thanks!

[@LPStarsoverstalingra]

Any chance we could get a how to run a sabbat game, main man?

[@Burori1]

Heh, sweet o A o Currently I'm trying to get back in this rp I'm in on a website, where the events take place in modern Boston and the prince has been killed by werewolves. Really interesting stuff : D

[@TheJDough1]

can i just search for Vampire the masquerade adventures? Since you said that its more character based does it make it easier to run a game? it sounds like it is the perfect game to be able to improv as a ST

[@woodwwad]

Sure there are a load of sites you can check for finding other gamers. white-wolf com meetups com facebook com and you can check your phone book to see if there are any hobby stores in your local area or if you live near a college if they have a gaming club. Also you might want to check out some of my other videos on the world of darkness, there is a playlist on my page to make it easy to find them.

[@woodwwad]

@Burori1 Baali, it is very well written. The original Ventrue CB was the worst.

[@woodwwad]

@Onionkid99 Yeah, Pepper might be the most knowledgable out of the 3 of us on them. Of course the Earl of RPGs & I know them well. I like to start my players as human & work them up. Status is hard won in VTM.

[@woodwwad]

@Robstailey Hmm, that does not sound familiar. Is that the full name of the game?

[@woodwwad]

No, it is a table top role-playing game, also called a story telling game. I have a whole world of darkness playlist on my page here. You might want to have a look through it, it'll walk you through a lot of parts of the game. In the game you take on the role of vampires and play them with other people playing other vampires. One person takes on the role of ST. Let me know what you understand here & what you aren't clear on & I'll try to point you to some videos or answer the questions.

[@woodwwad]

@MusicMan53100 Well, I certainly can understand getting sick of something, anything, be shoved down your throat. Since I was a small child, I've always thought Vampires were way cooler than Werewolves. I wouldn't ever use D&D stats for running a Vampire game, it just isn't a good idea. The VTM product hands it so much better.

[@woodwwad]

@NordtheBarbarian Yeah, sadly you'll run into that a lot. It's something I've bitched about for years. & the reason I started this channel. I figured if it bothers me & I can do something to help fix it, even in the smallest of ways, I need to try or stop complaining.

[@woodwwad]

Hmm, didn't I do one of those? You might want to type is woodwwad sabbat of course maybe I didn't.

[@RobCrowley85]

I'm writing a mystery game, but with politics in the background. I can't promise it'll turn out any good 😅

[@woodwwad]

@Samwise7RPG Well, I would but I think it would be a lot easier to address all your specifics point by point that way.

[@woodwwad]

Oh right on, well thanks for watching and always feel free to comment.

[@woodwwad]

Glad to hear it

[@woodwwad]

Yeah, you'd have more experience with LARP than me but from what I'd seen, it seems to really fall into the overly rushed. Often breaking believablity. with the amount of things that happen in such a short period of time. That's why I say let time advance, afterall vampires can be around for a long time.

[@woodwwad]

@23penguins32 Thanks, yes, you are of course correct, any game can have a heavy political bent to it. & all games should heavily encourage selling, sadly that's not often enough the case as far as I've seen, so I'll keep beating my drum & slipping it in, so it sinks in.

[@woodwwad]

@alokov Everything in gaming is doable. It is all about investing the time that it takes to get the job done, otherwise you'll be doing the job.

[@woodwwad]

Were you having trouble hearing it?