Continuing my series of posts in honor of Vampire: The Masquerade’s (VtM) 35th anniversary—both here and on my Facebook page, Sunglar’s Musings—today I’ll revisit a Vampire campaign idea I wrote about here on the blog back in 2012, exactly 14 years ago!
The idea behind the campaign came about in this long post about my experiences playing VtM. That post is a good companion to this week’s topics if you are interested in a deeper dive into my history with the game, which serves as the framing for my post about it last Monday.
That was followed by a post where I wrote up the timeline for the campaign concept; bits of it were the future then, but they are the past now. There are elements like a pandemic in 2022, which is eerie when we think of what we lived through recently, but also lots of wild things that never happened.
I did say in that second post, titled “Vampire Cyberpunk,” that my intent was NOT to mash up the Cyberpunk TTRPG and VtM for a game called Masquerade 2020 (playing on the old Cyberpunk 2020 name). But now, with Cyberpunk Red being such a popular version of the game, and my timeline featuring a “Red Plague,” I’ll go all in and call this possible campaign (one of dozens I keep hoping to play one day) Vampire, the Red Masquerade!
So, I’ll revisit and rewrite the campaign to fit the timeline I outlined earlier and update it for today. I hope this is interesting for our readers.
Pre-Campaign Considerations
These are my considerations and ideas for running the campaign, even before thinking about the plot:
- Vampires Only: The players would all play vampires, no other World of Darkness creatures. It’s challenging enough to get vampires from different clans working together, so no Garou or Mages from other books. All characters will be vampires or vampire-related, such as ghouls.
- Established Connections: The players must have some pre-game connections. They don’t all have to be friends, but they must know at least two other characters in the game. Be it a friendship, a relationship, or a shared mentor, the connection can be one of friendly competition rather than animosity or rivalry. If this proves complicated, I have an idea for a conciliatory figure within Camarilla circles who could bring them together initially.
- Manageable Group Size: Just as 14 years ago, there are currently seven official players at my table. (This may seem like a lot to some of you, but we already do a lot of role-playing and manage our time so that everybody feels included, and I think the group can manage.) I just can’t add another player to the mix, or my players will kill me!
- Jettison the Metaplot: As much as this is a draw for hardcore VtM fans, I don’t want it! I believe my players trust me and would embrace this storyline (pun intended).
- Camarilla Focus: The campaign would be focused on the Camarilla. I know many people adore the Sabbat, but the secrecy and politicking of the Camarilla seem more interesting to me. I’m not saying the Sabbat wouldn’t exist, only that, at the beginning, all characters are in the Camarilla.
- Near-Future Setting: The campaign is set in the near future, making it recognizable, but getting rid of some real-world preconceptions and giving it just a little Cyberpunk/Blade Runner edge without making it full-on sci-fi.
- System Choice: As far as systems go, I’d likely use the VtM 20th Anniversary Edition or see what new edition White Wolf is set to announce at GenCon 2026. A very possible alternative would be to adapt the setting to Savage Worlds (no surprise there!). I think the rules could easily handle that, and there are some books and fan-made conversions that could make it easy.
The Timeline of New Uruk (What Mortals Know)
US Economic Collapse (2033-2036): The US economy suffers a massive downturn; India, Brazil, the Republic of Ireland, and the Asian Tigers (China, Singapore, and Korea) emerge as global economic superpowers.
The Breaking of the EU and the Creation of the EIBC (2036): The Republic of Ireland abandons the European Union, causing fractures and dissension within the organization and plunging Europe’s economy into a tailspin. Ireland joins the Eire-India-Brazil Cooperative Consortium (EIBC).
The Beginning of the African Wars (2038): US President Clayton Arthur Brooks is visiting the African Initiative Industrial Center in Wilmington, Delaware. As part of his Re-industrialization of America Initiative, African natural resources are brought to the United States for processing and manufacturing. Abroad, the perception is that the US is helping international conglomerates exploit Africans with the collaboration of their governments. A series of bombs detonated by Pan-African rebels and local sympathizers cause widespread destruction in the city, and President Brooks is injured, dying soon after. Vice President Matt Vargas is sworn in as President; he cracks down on local activists, and Congress declares war on the Pan-African rebels. Thus begins the Africa Wars.
The Mexico-Venezuela War (2040-2042): With more US troops deployed in Africa and a worsening oil crisis, oil tankers flying the Mexican flag are detained in Venezuela, accused of buying oil illegally. Mexican Special Forces liberate the ships, and soon after, Venezuela declares war on Mexico, dragging most of Central and South America into the conflict. Aggressions escalate over seven months, and after the Venezuelan carpet bombing of Mexico City, a Coalition of Mexican, US, Brazilian, and Argentine armed forces invade Venezuela and depose its president. The invading forces remain in the country to ensure a peaceful transition but are accused of exploiting the oil resources of Venezuela. The United Nations does nothing to intervene, and many countries leave the organization.
The First Female US President and the Race to Mars (2042): New York State Governor Naomi Diallo-Hayes runs a campaign promising to restore the US economy and end the African Wars, winning by a historic landslide. The EIBC Space Agency (EIBC-SP) announces its plan to establish a permanent Moon colony as a stepping-stone to the eventual exploration of Mars within the next twenty years.
The End of the African Wars and the NYC Pandemic (2043): Naomi Diallo-Hayes is sworn in as President of the United States and fulfills her promise of ending the African Wars. By summer, as the last POW returns home after the armistice, the US economy shows early signs of recovery, and Americans look optimistically to the years ahead. Then the Pandemic of 2043 begins in New York City. Panic grows, and the city is placed under martial law and quarantined by the end of the year. Other US metropolitan areas are quarantined, but the infection is controlled quickly in America and Europe.
The Year of the Red Plague (2044): Mexico and Canada are the only other two countries in the Americas that experience major outbreaks. As tensions grow in quarantined New York, unidentified terrorists strike and release a biological weapon, thought to be the cause of the initial Pandemic outbreak, killing 96% of the remaining population of the quarantined zone. Called the “Red Plague” because the infected hemorrhage massively before dying, it decimates New York City and surrounding areas; millions die, and authorities declare the zone a biological hazard, condemning and abandoning the city. The state’s and its neighbors’ economies collapse, causing mass migration and widespread fear. The Pandemic hits Asia the hardest, with China the most affected; millions die, and Chinese prosperity is dealt a devastating blow.
The Reconstruction (2045-2067): President Diallo-Hayes refuses to let these events define her presidency and launches a massive reconstruction initiative. Wilmington, Delaware, is rebuilt, and former residents of New York, Connecticut, Long Island, and New Jersey are all granted incentives to relocate. The city is reconstructed with a massive influx of federal funds, the architecture a mixture of classic and cutting-edge, led by the Wilmington Reconstruction Endeavor Director, famed architect Hassid Rosenberg, of mixed Iraqi and Jewish descent. The New York Stock Exchange officially relocates to the rebuilt city, and the city becomes a melting pot of many cultures, with growing Muslim and Jewish communities. Following a citizen’s referendum, Wilmington is renamed “New Uruk.”
The Crash of 2068 and its Aftermath (2068-2070): The EIBC-SP Moon Base is fully operational, and plans for the Mars Mission are underway. Despite the long-term plans of the Diallo-Hayes Administration and the best efforts of the administrations that followed, regional conflict, worsening climate change, a ravaged ecosystem, and economic instability bring about a new wave of the Red Plague, leading to an economic collapse that reverberates worldwide. The poor become poorer while the rich become entrenched in their towers of privilege. Many projects in New Uruk remain unfinished, and the world’s rot infiltrates the new city, marring the dreams of those who envisioned them. Such is the world of 2070!
The Campaign Pitch (The Truth Behind the Devastation)
In 2043, after President Naomi Diallo-Hayes’ inauguration, the last POWs of the Africa Wars had returned home. After decades of hardship, the United States looked with optimism to the years ahead. This was not to be.
The plague struck in New York, and soon panic grew. Fearing a pandemic, the city was placed under martial law and quarantined. Other major metropolitan areas were also quarantined, but the infection was controlled quickly. Not so in New York. Millions were trapped inside the quarantine zone. Riots erupted, chaos ensued, more people died, and then the terrorists struck. A bacteriological weapon, believed to be the original cause of the plague, was released in the city and killed 96% of the people inside the quarantine zone. The city was declared a hazard, condemned, and abandoned.
The plague was soon brought under control, and Mexico and Canada were the only countries with significant outbreaks. The US economy suffered a major setback, but President Diallo-Hayes’ initiative to rebuild Wilmington, Delaware, after the 2038 bombing was a success. Soon, the New York Stock Exchange moved to the rechristened Wilmington, and the once-almost-abandoned city became New Uruk.
What the people don’t know, not even some of its leaders, is that the events leading up to the destruction of New York, the plague, and the rise of a new metropolis on the eastern seaboard of the US were all the machinations of the Kindred.
Specifically, a member of the Camarilla created the plague that killed many humans, but also decimated many Sabbat gathered in New York through his machinations. The Cainites have driven back the Garou, who fight to save a dying world. The Mages have all but disappeared, but whether this is the action of their enemies or a sign of impending doom is unclear.
It is 2070. Come to the new city built by the triumphant Camarilla as they plot to impose their rule upon all the children of Caine. But deep in the bowels of the shining new city, a man stirs; he cannot remember his name, but his return foretells dark times ahead.
Postscript
While writing this post, I found out about a World of Future Darkness outlined in White Wolf Magazine in the early 90s. Click on the previous link to read about that campaign on the White Wolf Fandom wiki. So, I guess I was about 20 years too late with my idea! Nothing new under the sun. Regardless, the above would be the campaign I would play.
