Vampire
The RPG elements of Vampire: The Masquerade will be very present in the new title Vampire: The Masquerade — Swansong
I hope by now that you know that Vampire: The Masquerade — Swansong is based on a tabletop and Live Action RPG system out there. It has been around for decades now and Big Bad Wolf is definitely trying to introduce more gamers to the IP on May 19th when the game hits the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC. New and old fans of Vampire: The Masquerade will be glad to see that we are getting more of the RPG elements mixed in even if some of them will be harder to mix into the video game space. Thankfully, with the latest that we have, it looks like they are diving deeper in and linking in the various systems to give us multiple ways to bring the story to its end.
It is not surprising that we will have the altering Vampire character sheets for this game, but it is interesting to see how some of the skills and talents will be used. Skills will be something we can use by spending our limited Willpower in the game, which will alter and change the way some scenes play out. Then you have Disciplines, which will use up Blood and thus make you hungrier and run the risk of Frenzy. Lastly, we have Talents that are different from the normal Vampire: The Masquerade thing. These will be more like perks that we can get rewarded with by sticking to specific playstyles in the mix. Given that we will have fifteen different endings, it feels like there will be so many solid styles to stick to.
Vampire: The Masquerade — Swansong — RPG Trailer
Vampire: The Masquerade — Swansong is developed by Big Bad Wolf, the very same studio which created the critically acclaimed The Council. Both those games share the same DNA: the Narrative RPG genre created by Big Bad Wolf.
In this adaptation of the pen and paper game, players of Vampire: The Masquerade — Swansong take control of three heroes with their own character sheet. Through their choices, they will shape the stats of their characters. Using their Skills, it is possible to pick a lock, intimidate an NPC or make more efficient deductions based on hints. The higher is the mastery level of a Skill, the more possibilities players will have.
Besides these Skills, the heroes also have vampiric powers, known as Disciplines. Galeb, the elder of the three protagonists, can use Fortitude to withstand physical assaults and NPC Disciplines used against him. Emem, stylish queen of the night, uses Celerity to reach inaccessible areas. Leysha, hyper-sensitive and followed by her daughter Halsey, can conceal her presence with Obfuscate… and with enough experience points spent, can even hide physical objects from prying eyes.
By customizing the character sheets, players will have numerous options. But if they focus on one single playstyle, they will develop Talents, which are permanent bonuses. The more they use a Skill or a Discipline, the higher their chances of success will be. Traits are positive or negative effects influenced by the success or failure of your actions, or impacted by certain decisions.
NPCs also have their own character sheets, with strengths and weaknesses. When players use Skills or Disciplines during interactions with them, the NPCs will defend with their stats. Inspired by the pen and paper experience, a die roll will decide success or failure in case of a tie.
With more than fifteen different endings for the main characters and the fate of Boston’s Camarilla, each Vampire: The Masquerade — Swansong player will experience their own adventure in this unique Narrative RPG.
Have you been hoping to see more of the RPG elements from Vampire: The Masquerade here or did you want to stick to an action title instead? How do you think we will get more of the Willpower back in the game and will it be similar to what we had in The Council? Will the different endings be vastly different or will they still boil down to three different ones with a few variants at most? Tell us all of your thoughts on this down in the comments and then feel free to discuss it all if you wish. We will have more for Vampire: The Masquerade — Swansong as we get closer to launch, so be sure to keep checking back here for more.
