Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt is a battle royale set in a world where vampires follow a law called the Masquerade, which involves keeping their existence a secret. If players are running around and acting like vampires in Bloodhuntthen how does the game handle the Masquerade?

The idea of vampires hiding from mortals is nothing new, but in Vampire: The Masquerade, it's key to the entire premise of the game. Imagine a game like Dungeons & Dragons, but where the players can't use any of their special abilities near townsfolk. The undead of Vampire: The Masquerade must always keep their powers in check and be wary about saying too much, which is made especially difficult by their never-ending hunger for human blood.

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There have been several Vampire: The Masquerade video games that have adapted the titular Masquerade in different ways, such as the strikes system in Bloodlines that would end with a game over if the player kept breaking the rules. Bloodhunt is a battle royale about vampires fighting each other on the streets of modern-day Prague, while openly using their powers to crush their enemies. It sounds as if the Masquerade would last about five minutes in the world of Bloodhunt, but the game does use it as a mechanic that is a major part of the experience.

How The Vampire Tabletop RPG Handles The Masquerade

In the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop RPG, the Masquerade is the first of six Traditions that nearly all vampires follow. The Masquerade is the law that states vampires should not reveal their true nature to anyone who isn't a vampire. This is the most important rule of vampire society and it's also the one that's broken the most. The Masquerade is maintained in modern times by vampires owning the media and squashing any attempt to reveal their existence before it gets out. The price for breaking the Masquerade is almost always death, with the perpetrator being staked to the ground and left to meet the sun. Luckily, there are several vampire Disciplines that act as mind control, so it's possible for accidental rule breakers to clean up their mess and make nosey mortals forget what they saw, before things get even more out of hand.

How Bloodhunt Handles The Masquerade

Vampire The Masquerade Bloodhunt Cover

Obviously, the intricacies of the Masquerade from the tabletop game aren't easy to translate into a battle royale, but Bloodhunt makes a valiant attempt. If the player breaks the Masquerade by doing something vampire-related around the mortals on the map (such as using a power), then they become visible to all other players for one minute. This is an incredibly dangerous situation to be in, as the point of Bloodhunt is that the player can hide from their enemies in a number of different places. All it takes is to crouch behind a parked car or scale the rooftops in order to escape from the sight of the enemy. If everyone knows where the player is, then they will have painted a massive target on their back.

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Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt is currently in development for PC and consoles, with a Q3/Q4 2021 release window.