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time and how much she can spend in a turn-more to the point, it's no longer something a character is "born" with and can only increase through diablerie. Of course, as Blood Potency increases the vampire gains a few weaknesses, like only being able to feed from other vampires, and when it hits 11 she automatically enters torpor until it drops again...at a rate of 1 point per 25 years, so it'll be a bit before the character re-enters play.

Mechanically, the game still has things like fear frenzy and the ability to create ghouls; it's still a bad idea to let humans know vampires exist or to create a new vampire without the Prince's permission. But it's obvious that things are just more thought out in the Requiem than they ever were in the Masquerade. There's a much better guide to what causes the loss of Humanity, and what the consequences of losing it are, not to mention a guide to what it's like to be a vampire and, frankly, why it sucks.

And that's the thing about Vampire: the Requiem. If you're not up for a constant bleak struggle against the Beast within, you're just not going to enjoy the game; it's very focussed on making it clear that vampires are not superheroes with a weakness against sunlight. A good fifth of the book is dedicated to telling Storytellers and players why it's not supposed to be fun to be a vampire, and while that sort of exploration can be fun for the players, it's never going to be for the characters. If you want your games with a minimum of angst, the Requiem is not the way to go. Which is not to say it's a bad game, but its flavor is something of an acquired taste.

Learn more about this author, Carrie Schutrick.
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