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Vampire Translation Guide $3.99
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 06/10/2016 08:51:27

When I reviewed Vampire: The Requiem 1e I wrote "If you played Vampire: The Masquerade forget everything you know about vampires!" Now, Vampire: The Masquerade was launched in 1991 and ran through three editions... and in 2004 Vampire: The Requiem came along, part of the New World of Darkness, and established itself as a popular game in its own right. But although both deal with vampires in a dark and twisted contemporary world, each game has a different vision of that world. The rules are a bit different too, but for many players, they have wanted to bring concepts across - a favourite clan or bloodline, perhaps - into the other game. This work seeks to make some of that possible, or at least to suggest ways of doing so for those players who are not happy with hacking systems for themselves.

The important guideline, however, is that the story is more important than the rules, and that whatever you do should enhance your game, make it more fun. They are two different game systems, and you may have to twist things a bit to elbow-wrestle a concept from one to the other. Don't be afraid, just dig a bit to work out what the intended effect of that concept is and then run with it. Maybe the biggest difference is that Vampire: The Masquerade is a stand-alone game in its own right and in Vampire: The Requiem we merely have the vampire source book for the New World of Darkness. Crossover games were possible - indeed my group mixed Vampire: The Masquerade vampires with Werewolf: The Apocalypse werebeasts with gay abandon - but you were mixing two separate games with the associated effort of twisting game mechanics into compatability.

There were conceptual differences too, and these are explored here, from the theological (just how did vampires come about anyway?) to how wide ranging the game is in scale, the tone of the game and whether or not there's an underlying metaplot going on.

Next, a look at Clans - something a vampire doesn't get to choose (although the player usually does) but other people, vampires or not, tend to make assumptions about a vampire based on their clan affiliation. The real difference between the games is that Vampire: The Masquerade clans are based around the creation myth, common to all, that vampires are all descended from Cain, cursed after killing his brother Abel, and that Cain had thirteen childer, hence thirteen clans. In Vampire: The Requiem each clan has its own creation myth, it's possible that vampires from different clans are actually subtly different kinds of monster, a form of convergent evolution. An analysis of all the clans from both games follows, with detailed notes on how to move them to the other game to best effect. This section ends with some comments on bloodlines, which are also dramatically different between the two games.

Then Sects and Covenants get the same treatment. In Vampire: The Masquerade there were but two sects (Camarilla and Sabbat) and they were at war, individual vampires identified themselves by their clan. In Vampire: The Requiem clan is less important, and vampires define themselves by the covenant they choose to join. Again, each group is gone through with an eye to using it in the other game.

Whilst both games have Disciplines, there too differ and there's some detailed analysis on how to tweak game mechanics to have the discipline you want within the game system you have chosen to play. Traits and Systems then get the same treatment.

Finally, Character Conversion. Never mind having your favourite clan or discipline available, what about that treasured vampire character? Here is a step by step process, or actually two processes, Masquerade to Requiem and Requiem to Masquerade. What would that character you know and love be like if you played the other system... here is your chance to find out, with the sample characters from the respective rulebooks used as examples.

This may be a rather nit-picking approach for some, but if you want the rules to work seamlessly and to best effect rather than just grabbing concepts and winging it, this book provides all the tools that you need.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Chris H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/30/2014 07:43:48

Originally I was going to give it a one star rating, but to be fair to WW, which I have been a ravenous supporter since 1991, and especially Matt McFarland, I revisited it to be sure what I remembered was still the case. I got the VTG because I had been putting together an old WoD TT game but wanted to use the new WoD system because at the time I thought it was better and this book would be invaluable. Obviously, right?

Actually no, not so much. Hence my bitterness. I had put so much thought and research into my new hybrid system that by the time this book came out I simply could not accept what Matt had done. Up to that point I had no problem with his previous work. Primarily my displeasure was, and still is, for the disciplines. In my extensive investigation regarding them, I had eventually come up with a very unsatisfying answer from the developers and authors of disciplines. The concluding reason for the seemingly random array of Attribute+Ability+whatever else that were sometimes and sometimes not vs a multitude of the same type of combinations that were also sometimes subtracted dice and sometimes contested rolls was......”just because” and/or “that's what we felt like doing”.

I know that the editing from WW has been lacking (minor or otherwise) since the beginning of time, but the new WoD seems to have taken it to a whole new level of frenzied C&P without regard for formatting. I am happy though that they stopped using the font for subheadings they did in the Vampire core book and the frequency of offensive mishaps also seems to have lessened of the years.

Also, the first time I read VTG, it felt like it was written in a weekend and till now had held onto that thought. This was evidently successfully done with H.O.L. And that book was friggin' awesome, but in this case I did not like. It gave the impression that it was pushed out for publication as a place holder or to fit a quota or something like that. After looking at it again, I have to rescind that thought, but not completely. It still seems to lack “Quality” (for lack of a better word) and that disappointed me quite a bit. I do acknowledge that a .99 cent price tag could alleviate a lot of that perception, I am a collector as well and purchased the dead-tree format.

Along those same lines, I think there could have been a lot more to it. Both crunch and meat for both the content that is there and that which was missed or left out intentionally. There may have been at one time, but what they published simply seems inadequate at best. I would have gladly payed more for more and would have been happier for it.

All that said, my favorite rule in all of the WW games is “the golden rule” which is basically, if you don't like a rule, toss it and make something that works for you. I have been using this almost as long as I have been storytelling and it works well. I have spawned quite a few ideas in other ST's from my own. In one instance, a completely new WoD setting was dreamed up from an idea I had. My point here is, even if the ideas and rules in this book are not for you (me), it still does have the potential to procreate others simply by presenting them. I get ideas for games from some of the strangest places sometimes.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Matthew E. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/08/2012 14:05:42

I absolutely love these Translation Guides! Being able to bridge two great ages of gaming is extremely enjoyable, especially with the 20th Anniversary CWoD books coming out. I admit to being a little put out that the Masquerade Disciplines were converted without being scaled to Requiem's relative power level, but overall I am extremely satisfied.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Andrea C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/17/2012 15:38:08

I mostly use it as the foundation of the ruleset I use when I run Masquerade using Requiem rules and in this regard I find it a solid product, although it does bother me that a few things were left out or given little love.

Specifically, the Giovanni clan weakness isn't discussed at all, which is a shame. Moreover, the author dismisses the idea of the Tremere as a clan, claiming that "the Tremere don't really work as a clan in Requiem", thus presenting as playable choices Tremere as a sect and Tremere as a bloodline. I feel that this really doesn't do them justice.

My biggest concern, however, is with the way the conversion from Generation to Blood Potency was handled - or, rather, should I say, handwaved. While the "Blood Potency system to represent Generation" idea might be reasonable for neonate characters, the system quickly breaks down for lower generation characters: as written in the Translation Guide, every 7th Generation vampire - including a fledgeling embraced two years ago - would suffer from the Methuselah's Thirst. This clearly makes for an unplayable rule in the sense that it would not give rise to a self-consistent world.

Some discipline resistance rolls (specifically Voice of Madness, Total Insanity, Eyes of the Serpent) ought to be errata'd, since related dice pools are formed by combining two attributes and supernatural tolerance, which is kind of an anomaly in the new World of Darkness ruleset.

Lastly, the writeup for Vicissitude Horrid Form is a little unclear, I believe. Masquerade's Horrid Form featured, among other things, becoming bigger (as in eight feet), while in the Translation Guide there is no mention of a Size increase. This is a little ambiguous, since it doesn't specify whether a "Requiem-ish" Horrid Form should actually including a stature increase or not.

Apart from what I just mentioned, however, this is a rather solid product and I am really happy with its purchase. Introductory remarks on tone, scope and metaplot capture both games quite well and suggestions about depiction of clans and covenants are usually well-written and compelling; references to third products are meaningful and useful. The writeup for some disciplines - especially as regards Necromancy, Obtenebration, Quietus and Thaumaturgy - is nothing short of fantastic.

I believe that this product truly deserves a 1.1 version, including errata and info to ensure compatibility with V20. Should any of the above stated concerns be addressed, I would not hesitate to change my opinion on what I now consider a masterpiece missed by a hair.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by William W. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 02/17/2012 11:14:04

I'm very glad to see White Wolf release this product. I see it as a recognition that there are players who still prefer the old World of Darkness setting and system, but would like to add elements of the new setting, and vice versa. It's also a very good primer on the differences between the settings and systems.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Sammy G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/29/2012 12:55:44

I like it. It helps give you options to decide what type of game vampire game you want to run. You can decide on your mix of class, whether or not you want to use Blood Potency or Generation, and whether or not you want to use covenants in your Masquerade games or put the Camarilla in its worldwide glory in your Requiem games. It does try to tell you what kind of story you should run with the addition of each factor into a new game, but that can be ignored. And I want to know when it will be updated to include the new rules from the 20th Anniversary Edition of Vampire the Masquerade.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Benoist P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/01/2011 14:28:13

This is a stellar product. If you are interested in either one of the two games, Mascarade or Requiem, and think anything could be salvaged from the other game to use in your Chronicle, get this. If you want to run one game with the rule of the other, get this. If you want to build your own custom WoD rules, get this. If you want to understand the core concepts behind the design of either one, or both, of those games, get this.

It's really that good, despite the quirky layout. At this price, it really is a must-have.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Holden S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/27/2011 15:15:28

There are some excellent reviews of the product's contents below this one, I'll let them speak for themselves (short version: if you want Requiem in your Masquerade, Masquerade in your Requiem, or to run one game with the rules of the other, get this). I just bought the Print-on-Demand version of this book, so that's what I'll be reviewing here:

In short, it's lovely. The PoD book is full-color, with paper that feels rich and slick to the touch, but isn't glossy or cheap magazine-paper. It's a slim but sturdy book with a real binding--no staples. The colors are vivid and pop out, especially the red wash at the margins-- and the margins themselves are very clean. No dead white space around the edge or anything. It looks like traditional print.

Anyone with worries about print-on-demand quality, forget about them. The serial page added to the back of the book is the only giveaway that this wasn't printed by traditional means. I've gotten similarly-sized products from Lulu before, and this is markedly better quality.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Adrian S. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 01/14/2011 04:01:44

I'm an old World of Darkness storyteller, using the nWoD to cherry ideas and concepts that can be adapted back to my chronicles. As such, this is the best book I'm likely to see this year. It has been noted that storytellers could have done a lot of this work themselves, but that is definitely a matter of opinion. The Translation Guide gives you access to more ideas than anyone could reasonably devise alone. This is the type of document that players and storytellers alike can mine for ideas. I especially like the idea of turning some of the oWoD Clans into Covenants - such as the Assamite and Tremere. Taking this approach does inject a level of mystique back into these Clans. That is simply one of the approaches in a consistently well-developed product that has been long overdue.

At the asking price, I can see no reason whatsoever why every Masquerade and Requiem storyteller shouldn't purchase this immediately.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Scott R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/08/2010 10:02:41

This is an excellent supplement for any White Wolf and Vampire fan and it signals a trend the CCP-owned company has been taking lately of giving the fans the tools they want to play the game they want, whether the interest lies in the old or new version of the World of Darkness. After all, nearly all Vampire: the Masquerade titles are currently in print if you count the digital versions.

Here you have total freedom to plug-and-play game elements from Masquerade into Requiem, or visa versa to suit your tastes. I prefer the streamlined rules, claustrophobic lack of world-spanning organizations, and more versatile options of Requiem but I really miss playing Tremere. Now I am given enumerated options on how to include them and the discipline of Thaumaturgy using the current rules system in an officially published supplement. Likewise I think Masquerade would be so much more fun to play if I could add in the Meket, the revised version of Nosferatu, and the various political factions of Requiem. I can do that now without any arguments over rules.

If you want the freedom to play the vampire you want to play, or the ghouls who love them this is a wonderful collection for your library at a very fine price point. I hope they produce more of them for the other game lines. For example Geist/Wraith translation document would be a fine way to open up the limited library of the former while attracting a fresh audience to the latter.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 11/29/2010 15:38:52

I like this product on concept alone. While this book is not the Rosetta Stone between the games, it is a good translation guide. If you are fan of one of the game then this book gives you the chance to double your stuff. For fans of both games this is a good way to open up your world of darkness a bit more. It is lacking on some crunch, but I think I can be OK with that. I also like this product for what it means. White Wolf is basically saying something new now, the world is yours do with it as you please. No more meta-plot no more rigid distinctions that always come in 5's. I like the converted characters, but would have also liked to have seen the same character in both systems. Now lets get one of these done for the Mages!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
The characters mentioned are actually the example characters in Masquerade and Requiem (in the various character creation example sections), so if you want to see how the original character looked, you can reference them in the appropriate core rulebook. Thank you for the kind words!
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Kjetil K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/27/2010 18:17:10

I give it a four... basically this does very little work which most people could do them selves.... And Im a bit sad to see that the dark age vampires did not have a translation, no love for the cappadocians... The layout is a bit horrible and is mostly a block of text. And I must say i would like more actual translations then the analysis of how this and that works in the different settings. Its a good product, very good in fact from its price range, but offers little actual help and insight that have not been done for a few years by the fans already. But still, worth to own for the 99 cents...



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Vampire Translation Guide
Publisher: White Wolf
by Mike A. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/26/2010 19:12:42

The Vampire Translation Guide marks a monumental shift in White Wolf's approach to the World of Darkness line. Rather than ignoring their discontinued Vampire: the Masquerade products, this guide allows players and storytellers to import both ideas and rules from one Vampire setting to the other.

What it is:

-The translation guide provides guidance to either combine the Masquerade and Requiem settings or simply cherry pick elements that you like.

-The 18 clans of both game lines are discussed with multiple alternatives for each. For Requiem I felt that the Caitiff, Assamites, and Lasombra were given the most interesting treatment. For Masquerade the Daeva and Mekhet are given very cool niches. The Tremere entry feels lacking, but they're pretty entrenched in Masquerade's background.

-The three main sects and five covenants are included. For Requiem the Camarilla has a very cool niche while the Sabbat receive an interesting take. For Masquerade all but the Ordo Dracul have great ideas. The Ordo Dracul idea seems lacking, however, especially since Dracula is active in Masquerade's final nights.

-Disciplines not present in both settings are given new rules. To know the exact effect of a power, you'll need the corebook it is from. The Thaumaturgy and Necromancy conversions are handled very well. It's also very nice to see the Cruac and Theban Sorcery converted into Masquerade's rules.

-Rules reconciling Blood Potency and Generation are provided. I think there could have been more discussion, but it basically boils down to BP = 14 - Generation.

-Theres also some discussion of Nature/Demeanor vs. Virtue/Vice and Merits vs. Backgrounds. Basically, enough to convert entire character sheets from one system to another.

-Finally, the book ends with a process of converting existing characters from one system to the other.

What it isn't:

-It's not a complete rulebook but if you only want to grab a few clans/covenants from Requiem and put them into Masquerade you don't need the Requiem corebook. However, if you want to play Vampire: the Masquerade with the new Storytelling system you will need both corebooks.

-There's not much discussion of skills. This isn't too much of a problem, but you won't be able to easily convert a VtM Second edition character (Who has Awareness and Alertness) to a Requiem character.

-Fighting Styles and other unique mechanics from the World of Darkness rulebook are not discussed.

Conclusion:

I like this. A lot. It really has everything I want - Fighting Styles are stupid anyway - and it gives me some cool new ideas to run Vampire games. I haven't tested out any of the new Discipline systems to make sure they're balanced but I think they can be easily tweaked for your game.

I guarantee you'll enjoy this product… and it's only 99 cents.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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