Ever since Bram Stoker created the character of Dracula - an undead vampire who was also an old-world, predatory aristocrat - horror writers and storytellers have used the archetype as a metaphor for oppressive upper classes, with the profession of vampire hunter being an analogy for rebellion and resistance. The following paranormal tabletop RPGs take this metaphor and run with it, featuring game settings and rules designed to cover both the challenges of monster hunting and of direct action and social activism.
Vampires, particularly the European mythical creatures popularized by Western fiction, are metaphors for many social fears: fear of strangers, fear of disease, fear of the night, and fear of predators both animal and human. Early depictions of vampires in folklore portrayed them as grotesque corpses who crept from their graves at night to drink the blood of victims as they slept. The "vampire as oppressive aristocrat" trope then appeared in 19th century popular literature, with vampire characters like Dracula, Lord Ruthven, Carmilla and Varney displaying a haughty disdain for the human populations they manipulated and fed upon.
The arrogance of aristocratic, oppressive vampires in fiction and their smug sense of superiority towards the "cattle" they feed off makes it all the more cathartic when mere humans drive stakes through their hearts, chop off their heads, or burn them to a crisp. The following monster-hunting tabletop RPGs fully embrace this catharsis in gameplay, while also providing moments of social commentary more nuanced than simply "kill the rich vampire."
Vampire-Hunting Tabletop RPGs - iHunt
iHunt, an urban fantasy RPG built using the FATE system, takes place in a modern world with hidden magic and supernatural creatures and is focused on lower-class Millennials who take monster-hunting jobs using a phone app called iHunt. These gig-economy protagonists may be hunting monsters for money rather than grand ideals, but iHunt is full of social commentary about the impact of late-stage capitalism on marginalized communities. Gameplay, accordingly, is half about researching, tracking and hunting monsters and half about struggling to pay rent, trying not to get bankrupted with medical bills from hunts gone wrong, and other social struggles that make monster hunting feel like a walk in the park by comparison.
Vampire-Hunting Tabletop RPGs - Brinkwood: The Blood Of Tyrants
Blending together elements of gothic horror, dark fairy tales, and Robin Hood myths, Brinkwood: The Blood Of Tyrants is a Forged In The Dark RPG about a haunted kingdom ruled over by cruel, vampiric aristocrats, with players taking on the role of hunters and rebels who fight back against their tyranny, powered by special masks enchanted by faerie magic. In this "Castlepunk" RPG's setting, vampires are uniquely portrayed as alchemical immortals who prolong their life using special elixirs brewed from quicksilver and fresh human blood. To become human again, a vampire merely needs to stop consuming their elixirs of immortality, making vampirism in Brinkwood: The Blood Of Tyrants a continuous choice to commit violence against human beings for the sake of power and immortality.
Vampire-Hunting Tabletop RPGs - Clown Helsing
Most depictions of vampires in popular media like to play with the rules of vampirism, giving vampires different powers, weaknesses, and characteristics. In Clown Helsing (via Dicebreaker), a narrative zine RPG, vampires can only be slain after being humiliated in a hilarious matter, making clowns their natural enemy. Players take on the role of vampire-hunting clowns upholding a centuries-old duty to slay creatures of the night using the power of laughter. To do so, they must couple a rock paper scissors-based conflict resolution mechanic with special abilities called Schticks, anti-vampire fighting techniques centered around slapstick and traditional clown humor. Clown Helsing doesn't explicitly focus on the theme of vampires as social oppressors; humor, however, has always been a tool used by lower-class communities to "punch up" at their oppressors, and the majority of clown archetypes are characterized as working class transients, rustics, and anti-authoritarian "fools."
Vampire-Hunting Tabletop RPGs - The Hammer And The Stake
The Hammer And The Stake takes place in an alternate history where Dracula is a fascist dictator ruling over a vampire-controlled police state in central Europe, and players are members of various vampire-hunting resistance movements trying to destroy their undead oppressors. This RPG's tense gameplay is supplemented by bold artwork styled after socialist propaganda posters from the 20th century. An interesting narrative element of The Hammer And The Stake is how it explores the challenges of collective action - that is, how fractious revolutionary movements must transcend their ideological divides in order to achieve the ideals they do hold in common.
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Sources: Dicebreaker