Review after actual play.

It took two evenings to complete, including generation of custom characters instead of using the pre-generated ones given in the scenario. Total actual play time was about 6 hours (not including character generation and chit-chat).

I am an experienced GM/DM/Keeper/Storyteller.

Players of mixed experience: two veteran roleplayers (but with little WoD experience), one less experienced one, and the last one was at his very first foray into tabletop roleplaying games.

We had a very good and interesting time, especially the second evening, so it's 5/5 stars.

As per description it is indeed perfect for one-shots and convention plays. But it's not very short, if the players are left to decide their line of action to some degree and without heavy-handing suggestions, so consider at least a 5 or 6 hours playtime.

The scenario is great in concept. It has a nice set-up, a short but fitting slow burn beginning, a few good plot twists that come up soon enough, an interesting situation playing out, a great final act. It is especially good for inexperienced roleplayers or players without a broad experience of rpgs.

In the helpful description department it is not that great. It would have been nice to have a description of the house, in less broad strokes, right at the beginning and for the storyteller only, instead of leaving it mostly to players' imagination by choice of design. Instead you have some descriptions all over the place. Same goes for the description of most of the ghosts and their motivations and desires and personality traits.

Also for a jumpstart I feel there is really a lot going on behind the scenes and with npcs motivations. So a storyteller really has to study the scenario a few times over before running it. It is also somewhat lacking in a few small plot points. Yet the good surpasses the bad and so it's worth to play the scenario with your friends.

The last act of the story feels a bit too much railroad-y, but at the same time it is extremely cool and fun and unexpected and so I ended up running it as it is anyway. If it weren't a one-shot proably I wouldn't have handled it that way, and I still think the last act suffers of lacking a few more options or suggestions to give the storyteller if the players choose a valid path out of the supposed final stage. At the same time I understand the final stage is a banger and it's really hard to give up on it (personal experience).

So it is not a very friendly scenario for inexperienced storytellers. But if you are a veteran storyteller, it is a perfect choice to propose to a group of friends for a one-shot, good time and horror fun. Also it's a well made product and a cheap one. Recommended.

If you're a longtime fan of both Vampire the Masquerade and comic books, this is a must buy. Finally you can read a high quality comic book set in the VtM universe. -The tone is good, there is no shunning of the darker elements but also no puerile indulging on them. The personal drama is there, but in a measured way which is good in my book. -There is not much meat of the story in this first issue, due the decompression techniques of modern comic books. So it's hard to give an opinion on the main plot. -The two main protagonists aren't that great or original, but they work and they're cool enough and they avoid the usual tropes and stereotypes overused for female leads. So overall it's a good point for me. -There are a few very good strong sequences that can inspire your games if that's what you're looking for. Really liked them.

Four stars instead of five because: -From this starting point it looks like the scope of the story will be rather limited. Kinda feels like a "test" to see if comic books set in the WoD can sell. What I mean is the book doesn't seem to aim too high. -As first issues goes, it doesn't make a very good job at introducing you to what the series will be about. Sure if you're watching a movie it's fine not to know what the movie is really about just by watching the first 15 minutes. But we're talking about serialized fiction here. I get it's a common flaw in the american comic book media, but the fact that it's common doesn't make it less of a flaw. -There is some humor that feels forced. And it's there because all the modern fiction seems in need to put humor at any cost. Maybe it's just that I'm not american and so the more humorous aspect of the joke was lost on me, or maybe it was really forced. Anyway this need to make humorous commentary in any kind of fiction is becoming tiresome.

Overall my issues with this first issue are the same issues I have with the media as a whole. Seriously if you like comic books and Vampire, just buy it because it's worth a read.

It is definetely a very good addition to the monster manual. A little description for the bomber and viper entries would be appreciated a lot. What's a bomber? Why the recharge trait? Same as the viper, why the recharge? I understand that a DM worth his/her salt can use them anyway and just decide, but from a common reader point of view it would have been interesting to know.

Also some very powerful NPC to the lot would be appreciated greatly. Something of higher challenge rating, like a CR 5 Goblin King, or a very powerful witch doctor or a powerful CR 8 cleric of Maglubyet.

Monster art from old manuals given for free to the community of creators. Simply wonderful. Now I hope someone will make a Thoqqua conversion. I always liked that little guy.