Teylen's RPG Corner

Since 28.04 the pre-order for the 5th edition of Vampire: The Masquerade (V5) via the Modiphius website started. I’d like to use this article to explain and show what you can get, offer advice and answer potential questions.

If you prefer to read the article in German, just click the link to my blog WODnews.

Table of Content

• Which products for V5 are offered?
  • Role-Playing Game Books
    • V5 Core
    • V5 Anarch
    • V5 Camarilla
  • Role-Playing Game Accessoires
    • Storyteller Screen
    • Dice Set
    • Notebook
    • Slipcase Set
  • Special Edition Books
    • Deluxe Edition
    • Luxus Edition (limitiert)
• Which bundles for V5 are offered?
  • Neonate Bundle
  • Ancilla Bundle
  • Elder Bundle
  • Methuselah Bundle
• Frequently Asked Question
  • Are there alternatives to a pre-order at Modiphius?
  • How can one save money (at Modiphius)?
  • What about PDFs?
  • How can I pay?
  • What about the foreign currency?
  • Where are the shipping costs?
  • Oh my god, the shipping costs: Help!?
  • When will the pre-order stop?
  • Will it be translated?
  • Quick,.. about the System?
  • Quick,.. about the Setting?

Which products for V5 are offered?

.

Role-Playing Game Books

The 5th Edition will feature three books for its start:

First there is the V5 itself: Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition CORE BOOK.
The core book will contain all rules and systems you’ll need to play, as well as an outline to the setting that should be suffizient to start playing.
In regards to the system, you’ll find that V5 still uses traditional, ten-sided dice (d10) with a pool system as before. The system will be streamlined and you’ll find a few changes and new thing. There is for example the innovative Hunger circle, which you could check out in the playtests in its first incarnations. Loresheets shall directly involve the players with the favorite of the setting. The Memoriam should integrate the characters background into the game and expand upon them during the sessions.
In regards to the setting, you’ll find that V5 will still be Vampire: The Masquerade. The core book will offer players to have their character to belong to one of the 7 original clans – Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavianer, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, Ventrue -, be a Caitiff or a Thin-Blooded kindred. The remaining 6 clans will be introduced in future books to come. You will find that the Camarilla, Anarchs and Sabbat are still around and active. Even though the Sabbat will be opened up to gamers in a later book. The metaplot will be picked up where it has been left of and be brought into the twentieth century.

The book, as well as the supplements, has been developed, designed and written by Kenneth Hite, Mark Rein-Hagen, Matthew Dawkins, Juhanna Peterson, Martin Ericsson, Karim Muammar, Karl Bergström, Jennifer Smith, Jason Andrew, and Jason Carl.

The V5 core book, costs $55,99.
The PDF of the book as well as a digital wallpaper is included.
It will be delivered in August 2018.

 

 

 

 

I addition to the core you can the Anarch sourcebook.
The supplement offers insights into the Anarch movement of Vampire: The Masquerade.
After centuries of enjoying an uneasy truce with the Camarilla things changed. The Unbound refuse to continue bowing to the sickening hypocrisy and tyranny of the ivory tower. They try to seek independence from the despotic elders. Claiming the nighttime streets by any means necessary.
The description uses the term blood thriller in regards of the mood and style of the book.

My personal take is, that the Anarchs will manage to do an impressive uprising. To an extent that it is possible to reasonably start with Anarch characters opposed to default to Camarilla ones. With a faction that is able to do more than barely if even maintaining an hold over Los Angeles. I am curious how close my vision gets to the actual book.

The book will be written with Juhana Peterson as lead writer.

The Anarch source book, costs $47,99.
The PDF of the book as well as a digital wallpaper is included.
It will be delivered in Fall 2018.

 

 

 

 

I addition to the core you can the Camarilla source book.
The supplement offers insights into the Camarilla sect of Vampire: The Masquerade.
The Ivory Tower starts to crack under the weight of its own decay as the eldest vampires begin to vanish. The Camarilla was once the mightiest faction of vampires in the world, a stronghold of immortality. Now it retreats into a maze of neo-feudal conspiracies to protect itself against the deadly threat of the Second Inquisition and struggles to enforce and maintain the Masquerade in the face of modern technology.

My personal take is, that the Camarilla will still have an impressive hold of power, yet with the struggles of the Second Inquisition and something that might as well just be a second Anarch revolt, retreats to more of an elite club than a „catch all vampire government“. Which is, I think, quite an interesting take. One could probably still run a mostly unchanged Camarilla,… or add some nice spice to it. I am curious how close my vision gets to the actual book.

The book will be written with Mark Rein-Hagen and Matthew Dawkins as lead writers.

The Camarilla sourcebook, costs $47,99.
The PDF of the book as well as a digital wallpaper is included.
It will be delivered in Fall 2018.

 

 

 

 

Role-Playing Game Accessoires

White Wolf does offers four, cool additional products next to the books to potentially and optionally enrich ones play experience.

White Wolf does offer a Storyteller Screen for Vampire: The Masquerade 5th edtion.
The Storytellers Screen overs a four panel portrait that features beautifully rendered artworks from V5 on the exterior. You might recognize the artworks from the now dead WoD-MMO. The interior will offer useful rules references, tables and charts for the storyteller.

The screen will come with the addition of a 32 pages strong booklet, containing tools and advice on creating and running Vampire: The Masquerade 5th edition chronicles.

The Storyteller Screen costs $27,99.
It will be delivered in September 2018.

White Wolf offers a Dice Set for Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition
The set set contains a total of 20 dice, 15 of those are black, 5 are blood red.
The dice feature three different symbols:
One where there would be the 10.
One where there would be the 1.
One for every number that is a success but not a 10.
You will be able to play with 5th edition with totally normal ten-sided dice!

I do really like the dice, they do look nifty, beautiful and I really do like the Mock Ups.

The Dice Set costs $20,99

 

 

 

 

White Wolf offers a Notebook.
The notebook will feature 160 page and has a format of 5.5″ x 8.5″. It will have stylized borders and features journal, map and others pages to contain your writing.

I do really like notebooks, in general. Plus the design looks nicely done.

The Notebook costs $13,99.

Last but not least White Wolf offers a a (filled) Slip Case.
The Slip Case does offer plenty of space for the normal edition of the core book as well as the Anarch sourcebook and the Camarilla sourcebook. It can only be ordered including all three books.

The Slip Case Set costs $135,99.
The PDFs of the books as well as a digital wallpaper are included.
It will be delivered in Fall 2018.

Special Edition Books

For those who want to invest more into the new edition of Vampire, who do like special edition or who value books that come with whistle and bells White Wolf does offer two special edition of the V5 core book. They don’t have additional content but look their part..

First there is the 5th Edition Deluxe Rulebook.
The edition sports a special marbled faux leather cover finish with red foil print.

The V5 Deluxe Edition costs $136,99.
The PDF of the book as well as a digital wallpaper is included.
The book it self will be delivered in Fall 2018.

Then there is the 5th Edition Luxury Rulebook.
The luxurious edition will be strictly limited to 500 editions, once those are gone that’s it. It will have a hand-crafted cover, be hand numbered and will come with a certificate of authenticity.
The books will be hand bound by the renowned Spanish Artesan ‚El Artesano Del Rey‚ company and shall have a sumptuous leather binding as well as a gold and metal finishing. 250 of the luxury editions will be issued in 2018, and a further 250 in 2019.

The V5 Luxury Edition costs $678,99
The PDF of the book as well as a digital wallpaper is included.
The book it self will be delivered in August, when its ready.

White Wolf did provide a Facebook Album with examples of the creation process to convey an image what it may look like and why to drop so much money on a book:

 

Which bundles for V5 are offered??

White Wolf offers four Bundles via Modiphius:

1. Neonate-Bundle – $67,99
   It contains the core book and a dice set.
   You’ll save $7,99 on buying the items separately.
   The bundle will be delivered in August.
   .
2. Ancilla-Bundle – $149,99
   It contains the Slip Case Set (Books: Core, Anarch, Camarilla), the Notebook and a Dice Set.
   You’ll save $20,98 on buying the items separately.
   The bundle will be delivered in Fall.
   .
3. Elder-Bundle – $169,99
   It contains the Slip Case Set (Books: Core, Anarch, Camarilla), the ST Screen, the Notebook and a Dice Set.
   You’ll save $21,97 on buying the items separately.
   The bundle will be delivered in Fall.
   .
4. Methuselah-Bundle – $814,99
   It contains the Luxury Edition, the Slip Case Set (Books: Core, Anarch, Camarilla), the ST Screen, the Notebook and a Dice Set.
   You’ll save $62,94 on buying the items separately..
   You’ll save $33,99 on buying a luxury edition and the elder bundle.
   The bundle will be delivered in Fall.

Frequently Asked Questions

I did notice quite some questions in the comments and discussions regarding the announcement. I would like to answer them to the best to my abilities. If you got more, just ask. I may extend the list.

Are there alternatives to a pre-order at Modiphius?

You might be able to order the books via a retail store online, for example over at Spheremaster Games. The shop basically does a pre-order on the pre-order.

The books and accessorizes at Spheremaster Games are a bit cheaper and the shipping costs within Germany and towards other countries are a bit cheaper. You will be paying in Euro instead of in Great British Pounds and you might find alternative payment options based on your location:

Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition at Spährenmeister Spiele

You might as well contact a local shop or a local online shop and ask them whether they would order it for you. Modiphius does have a retailer program with fitting rates.

How can one save money (at Modiphius)?

There are two options:

1. Modiphius has a Referral-Program.
   If you haven’t got an account at Modiphius yet, you might like to create one using a referral link. Given you take this route your first order will have a discount of 10% of the cost before shipping.
   .
   You might like to use the referral link of a friend or acquaintance. If you go through with your order the person who referred you will obtain 10 reward points. Which are 2% of a 5£ discount.
   .
   If you don’t know someone with an account at Modiphius you may use my link:
   http://r.sloyalty.com/r/wdGNpsbVTad7
   .
2. Buying more than one object might be done in the following steps:
   1) Create an account
   2) Order the most expensive object first
   3) Wait till your reward points manifest (about 2-4 hours)
   4) Convert your reward points to a discount and buy the next object.
   .
   For example, buying the Methusaleh-Bundle granted me 6.000 reward points, which I could turn into 3×20£ discounts. I used them to reduce the next order (a Deluxe book) by 20£. One can only use one discount per order.

What about PDFs?

• For each book you buy you will get the corresponding PDF
• You will get the PDF as soon as it is available
• The PDF will be made available via WorldOfDarkness.com
• The pre-order offers no PDF-only option
• There will be the option to buy just the PDFs after they have been sent to the pre-order buyers.

How can I pay?

You can pay with credit card, PayPal or Amazon Pay.

What about the foreign currency?

Modiphius is a company located in England and thus will bill your card in GBP (Great British Pound). Thus you will have to pay a conversion rate. Something that can’t be avoided.

Yet the prices shown aren’t based on the conversion rate of Google but a bit more conservative. For example the core book is £39,99 and $54,99 USD while it should be $53,99. Thus, with a bit of luck, the difference will be covered by your credit institute fees and conversions.

Where are the shipping costs?

You can check the shipping costs once you check out your cart, enter your shipping address and click on „continue to shipping method“. You will still be able to change your order.

Oh my god, the shipping costs: Help!?

Depending on your location the shipping costs might be quite high. I myself had to pay between 9£ and 20£ for my orders, yet I heard reports of people looking at 60£. Which is tough.

I came up with three strategies:

1. Contacts your Friendly Local Gaming Shop.
   Go to your local store, where you get all your role-playing game stuff, and ask them to pre-order via Modiphius.
   Modiphius does offer a retailer program, that should be okay for your shop/store.
   As a side effect this strategy will help to get the 5th edition of Vampire: The Masquerade into the stores, where a lot of people hopefully may find it.
   .
2. Order via Spheremaster Games.
   You might get all the V5 books and products via his online shop. You might as well motivate a online shop local to your country to do a pre-order on top of the pre-order.
   .
3. Organize a Group Order
   Trying to order 10 books instead of 1 should see the shipping costs increasing at a lower speed. Thus everyone has to pay less for shipping. Just like it was done in 2011 with the „V20 Europe“ group. People got together, ordered together and saved shipping.
   Though you will need people you trust and – from my experience – it will take some effort organizing and all.

When will the pre-order stop?

The pre-order will be open till a few weeks before the first books start to ship. Thus till mid July. Except for the Luxury edition, once the 500 are gone they are gone.

Will it be translated?

White Wolf announced that they would love to see the V5 translated by the end of 2018. In which languages? I would say, in as many as possible. Yet, to my knowledge, no official announcements have been made.

Quick,.. about the System?

It will still have a d10 pool system.
There will be a Hunger Circle, Loresheets and Memoriam.

I extended upon it a bit more in the description of the rule book.

Quick,.. about the Setting?

The core-book will offer the original 7 clans, Caitiff and Thin Bloods.
The 6 remaining Clans will follow in time.

There is a second inquisition on the roll, and apparently something that could be called a second Anarch revolt.

The Sabbat will be extended upon in future books. It will already be mentioned in the three books.

I extended upon it a bit more in the description of the rule book.