Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines is a seminal RPG that many consider the peak of the genre. It’s a story-driven roleplaying game with memorable characters and questlines that resonate with people to this day. Some fans of Bloodlines turned to the tabletop RPG when they couldn’t get enough vampire action, discovering an outspoken community of eclectic and passionate fans with a flair for brooding characters and immersive roleplay. Because Vampire: the Masquerade is closely associated with storytelling, it’s challenging to accept a battle royale game that takes place in the same world, especially since people are becoming cynical of iconic IPs getting the battle royale treatment.

Bloodhunt has potential as a battle royale. People have an image in their heads about Vampire: the Masquerade being a game of shadowy intrigue where ancient Vampires manipulate the living into doing their bidding in centuries-long feuds with other toothy freaks. While that’s sort of true, people tend to forget that sometimes it’s fun to play as an undead mafioso with a Tommy gun.

I genuinely think that Sharkmob has actively thought about how their game fits in the Vampire: the Masquerade universe.

From what we’ve experienced of Bloodhunt so far, the game takes place during a pivotal event in Vampire: the Masquerade’s metaplot. Although Sharkmob hasn’t come out and said it directly,  Bloodhunt may be connected to Theo Bell’s rebellion against the Camarilla. Theo Bell is an important NPC in the Vampire metaplot, and in the latest edition of the Vampire: the Masquerade books, he’s responsible for a major event that causes the Brujah clan to rebel against the Camarilla, one of the game’s organizations and ideological pillars.

Bloodhunt being a battle royale ties in well to Theo Bell’s rebellion as an unintentional consequence that wasn’t discussed in the tabletop top game. It only makes sense then that Camarilla elders would call for a Bloodhunt to exterminate the rebels that supported Theo, even at the cost of the Masquerade. It’s something that’s hinted at in a live stream interview with Sharkmob’s Martin Hultberg. It’s a brilliant way to justify a Vampire: the Masquerade battle royale game without it distracting from what the tabletop game is known for or drastically altering the source material.

With that being said, some of these additions would greatly benefit the game’s gameplay and thematic structure.

I don’t think Sharkmob needs my assistance in creating a battle royale title. However, I think some changes would suit the Vampire: the Masquerade world and help it appeal to older gamers who are too stubborn to look past Bloodlines. A lot of these ideas come from having played the tabletop game for a couple of years and being obsessed with Bloodlines as a kid, as well as personal experiences I had while playing the Bloodhunt’s alpha test.

Blackouts – I think one of the things that irked me about playing Apex Legends or Fortnite with friends was how certain locations on the map just became “meta” for a little bit. I personally feel like too much fighting happens on rooftops, and that melee is difficult to justify against guns. Introducing area blackouts would not only make melee slightly more viable, but it would suit the setting of a game populated by supernatural predators that lurk in the darkness.

Once or twice per match, certain locations will have light effects extinguished, making it difficult to clearly see player models but increase the visibility of muzzle flashes and tracers. Since most people like to fight on rooftops anyway, there’s typically little reason to stay at street level unless you’re looking for NPCs to heal off of. Having blackouts affect visibility at street level but not on roofs would keep things sorta balanced.

Having an area shrouded in darkness could introduce new ways for players to approach each other and disengage. It would also give players a reason to hold onto melee weapons in case a blackout happens near them and they feel confident they can win a fight up close if they have the ambush advantage. This feature would also make scouting/vision abilities more important as they can be used to track down enemies who are hiding in the darkness.

NPC Density & Variety – Vampire: the Masquerade takes place in the World of Darkness where lots of supernatural creatures reside. It would be cool if these beings made cameos in Bloodhunt. Having named NPCs spawn on the map would be a great way to nod to the source material. There are plenty of memorable Sabbat NPCs from the tabletop game that could be brought into Bloodhunt and made into secondary objectives for players in the battle royale. It’d also be a great way to do some marketing for the upcoming Sabbat sourcebook.

I also think that Second Inquisition NPCs should have some variety as well, with strong NPCs spawning later into the game and dropping higher rarity items. These NPCs could be a “catch-up” mechanic for teams with weapons of lower rarity, and fighting them could spark fights between players who are trying to find better items vs players looking to deny those items. Also, I think you should be able to feed on Inquisitors.

If possible, I think having denser crowds of NPCs on a street would make the Masquerade mechanic a lot more relevant. Feeding on NPCs should feel like a risk-reward play to mimic how feeding works in the tabletop game. Feeding should feel tenser and more punishing, even for casual players.

Cosmetics – I typically don’t endorse pumping a game full of cosmetics, but one thing that Vampire: the Masquerade players really prioritize is embodying their characters as much as possible. It’s one of the reasons why Vampire: the Masquerade LARPs (live-action roleplays) are so popular. If there’s an abundance of cosmetic items for players to collect through gameplay, along with unique outfits that they can purchase in the in-game store, it’s going to appeal to Vampire fans because they’ll be able to recreate their characters in Bloodhunt. Having tons of cosmetic options available will greatly appeal to Vampire fans.

I think a battle royale set in the Vampire: the Masquerade universe is an ambitious project. I also think that it’s a great opportunity to introduce younger players to an immersive and story-rich setting that’s entertained fans since 1991. Games are more dynamic now than they’ve ever been, and it’s been proven that you can tell a story using gameplay alone. I think that’s something that Bloodhunt tries to achieve just by the nature of its battle royale gameplay.