How to Play Vampire: The Masquerade - CHAPTERS

Your guide to Montreal's darkest co-op RPG-in-a-box

If you've been eyeing that hefty box on our shelves with the fangs on the cover, here's what you're signing up for: Vampire: The Masquerade - CHAPTERS is a cooperative, story-driven "RPG in a box" for 1–4 players, built around the World of Darkness setting. No game master needed - the game itself plays that role, guiding you through a campaign of investigation, conversation, and combat set in Montreal in the years after the fall of the Sabbat.

Here's how a session actually works.

What You're Playing

You and your coterie (that's vampire-speak for your crew) are neonates, newly Embraced vampires, navigating Kindred politics, feeding, and a sprawling mystery that unfolds over dozens of chapters. Character creation is quick, and the box includes eight playable characters (more if you pick up the expansions), each with their own clan, disciplines, and backstory.

New to the game? Start with a prologue. These short, solo-friendly scenarios each teach one core mechanic, dialogue, investigation, combat, disciplines, or feeding, so you're not learning everything at once.

The Three Core Sequences

Every chapter is built from three types of scenes, and most chapters mix all three:

Dialogue: You'll talk to NPCs, and most conversations include skill checks tied to your character's attributes. The choices aren't just about picking what you're mechanically good at; they're about roleplaying your vampire's personality. Good choices can earn XP, boons (in-game currency), items, and clue tokens - bad ones can backfire, or even risk breaching the Masquerade (the vampire world's cardinal rule: don't let humans find out you exist).

Investigation: You'll explore a tile-based scene, moving your character and interacting with objects, clues, and locations. Mental or social skill checks determine what you uncover, and piecing together clues often unlocks new dialogue or story paths.

Combat: When talk fails, it's time for cards and dice. Each character has a combat deck of action cards (think punches, dodges, grapples), and you'll select a hand for the fight, track initiative, and use your vampire disciplines alongside weapons and items. It's the crunchiest part of the system, so newer groups should expect combat chapters to run a bit longer and lean on whichever coterie member is built for a fight.

How a Chapter Runs

1. Set up the tile from the large-format scenario book, placing NPCs and your characters as directed.
2. Decide where to move and who/what to interact with. The scenario book and your chapter's individual booklet direct you to specific numbered entries as you make choices - much like a Choose Your Own Adventure book.
3. Resolve skill checks as they come up during dialogue or investigation, rolling your relevant attribute plus any automatic successes from disciplines or gear.
4. Drop into combat when a scene calls for it, using your combat deck and disciplines.
5. Wrap up: record any XP, boons, items, or story consequences before moving to the next chapter. Decisions carry forward, so the order you talk to NPCs and the choices you make can lock or unlock future scenarios.

A single chapter typically runs 35–70 minutes, not counting setup or bookkeeping like leveling up and shopping for gear -so budget accordingly if your group only gets one session in per game night.

Tips for Your First Sessions

• Play a couple of prologues first, even if you're eager to dive into the main campaign - they double as a tutorial and hand you starting XP and boons.
• Keep at least one combat-capable character in your coterie. Not every chapter lets you talk or sneak your way past a fight.
• Take your time with dialogue and investigation - this is where the game shines, and the order you gather clues and talk to NPCs genuinely matters to how the story plays out.
• Don't peek ahead in the storybook or chapter booklets. Half the fun is not knowing what's coming.

Why It's Worth the Table Time

CHAPTERS asks for a real commitment - a full campaign can run 40+ chapters and 50+ hours of play - but if your group loves branching narratives, moral gray areas, and slow-burn mystery, it delivers an experience closer to a tabletop RPG campaign than a typical board game night. Bring snacks. Bring patience. Leave the sunscreen at home.

Have questions about setup or which edition is right for your group? Stop by Detective Hawk Games - we're happy to help you get your coterie off the ground.