What Edition of VtM?

[Legato Endless]

I've got a gaming group of 5-6 people preparing to play a game of Vampire the Masquerade. It'll be set in the Baltic States on the cusp of World War 1. The DM has already worked out the backstory, and she and another player are already very familiar with the lore, but we're not sure which edition hashes out the best mechanically.

A quick bit of google-fu seems to prefer the Revised Edition and to a lesser degree the 20th Anniversary, but part of that preference seems to come out of them being more bang for your buck and not needing the same degree of splat support. Also apparently 1st Ed is an unreadable mess or whatever.

Anyway, Esteemed Playgrounders, what is your view of the advantages and problems of each, and what would you recommend best as a system? As it'll be an independent setting to a degree, Lore considerations are deemed less important on their own save where they directly interact with the crunch, but if you want to let me know your fluff preference, I'll appreciate knowing where to pluck good ideas from.

We only have one new player in the group, so complexity shouldn't be an issue, and two of us are fairly familiar with Exalted, so I'm used to White Wolf's 'notions' of balance and the like.

[Balain]

It's been a long time since I have played Vampire. I started with 1st edition and recalling it being okay. We never used anything but the core book.

Years later, after not playing for awhile, we started Vampire again, this time third edition. We played it a lot, from dark ages, to modern times. We had all the clan books. Played both Camirilla and Sabbat. Mixed in all the other systeems, a couple at a time(my personal favorites were Mage, Mummy and a modified Hunter).

I recall hearing people think third edition got to unwieldly. One book contridicted another, that sort of hing. Personally I think the contradictions were on purposes, they fit in with the settings.

From my personal experience I woulsd say third edition, but I have only played first and third, and it has been a long time since I played either.

[Asmodai]

Rules-wise all the editions are compatibile and very similar. The only noteable differences are in how multiple actions work and how damage is tracked. Revised and V20 have the cleanest rules. V20 is essentially the ultimate Vampire editon with all the powers and factions crammed into it, and with all the metaplot noted but treated as optional.

Essentially I'd see what you can get. Revised and V20 are both good, it's just that V20 gives you way more options and has in it everything that was spread about a solid 20 books before.

Now the thing that people will fight and argue on is the metaplot. Revised introduced a lot of changes in the metaplot (not in the core but in the supplements) that didn't sit well with many people. It also led to the end of the line with more and more apocalyptic events that led to Gehenna.

Since you have your own game and are not chasing the metaplot, nor you seem to have any strong feelings about the metaplot, both will be good for you. I'd go for V20, because you have everything you will need in there for years to come.

[McStabbington]

Asmodai tagged most of what I had to say. Beyond multiple actions during a single game turn, the rules honestly haven't changed that much.

What has changed between original and V:20 is the metaplot. The original stuff had a definite story, but spread over 30 supplements, with a few splats that occasionally introduced stuff that was really unpopular with the fan base, as for example the idea that the Tzimisce power of Vicissitude was actually an infection of the Clan by eldritch abomination space aliens (Perhaps you can see why these later additions were unpopular). V:20 essentially condenses all the good stuff into one book, edits out the crazy or terrible stuff, and resets some of the impending doomsday deadlines.

All in all, probably want to go with V:20 if you can.

[This be Richard]

V20 is also better balanced, in my opinion. They didn't make too many changes, but the ones they made generally seem wise.
Such as the adjustments they made to, say, Celerity and Potence: they disincentivized the abuse of the massive power they offer while still both allowing for that power to be brought to bear when necessary and provided benefits that are nice to have in a fight even when you aren't hemorrhaging blood.

[Legato Endless]

Thanks all. This has been very helpful. :smallsmile: V20 it is.