Renegade Game Studios Takes Over World of Darkness

Renegade Game Studio is taking over the World of Darkness! They will be publishing books produced in-house by owner Paradox, starting in December with the free (digital) Vampire: The Masquerade Companion, which has rules for playing humans and ghouls, as well as the clans Tzimisce, Ravnos, and Salubri.

Modiphius took over the line in December 2018; there's no mention of whether that is continuing. Renegade Game Studios, which brought us Kids on Bikes, recently announced that it was producing D&D 5E-powered lines for various Hasbro properties, including Power Rangers, and possibly Transformers, G.I. Joe, and My Little Pony.

The new World of Darkness books are to be produced in-house at Paradox, under the leadership of Justin Achilli, from White Wolf. They won't only be making RPGs -- they're also creating video games, comics, and more.

The Vampire Companion is coming free in December.

The Vampire: The Masquerade Companion book brings three highly-anticipated Vampire clans into V5, and gives Storytellers more tools to enhance their chronicles, including:

• Three vampire clans: Tzimisce, Ravnos, Salubri
• Discipline powers representing each of the new clans
• Expanded rules and roleplaying information for ghouls and mortals
• Details on each clan’s view on vampire coteries
• New Merits for players characters
• Rules errata to Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition

 

[WisdomOfWombats]

So should we now refer to 14 Clans, or dis-include the Hecata?

That's a good question. I guess, Paradox will have to tell us. The Hecata are part of the 13. The Salubri aren't even mentioned so far anywhere, right?

 

[TrippyHippy]

That's a good question. I guess, Paradox will have to tell us. The Hecata are part of the 13. The Salubri aren't even mentioned so far anywhere, right?

Well, they’re going to be in the upcoming Vampire Companion. That is what left me confused. Actually, it was touch and go as to whether they were going to include the Ravnos this time round, although it looks like they are just going to remove heavy references to ‘Gypsies’ as in previous publications and include them as just ‘tricksters’.

 

[WisdomOfWombats]

Yeah, there've been issues around the Ravnos apparently. But I guess, in the end it is manageable. The Dark Ages Libellus Sanguinis and the Ravnos Revised clanbook took steps in the right direction, but didn't finish all the way.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Well, they’re going to be in the upcoming Vampire Companion. That is what left me confused. Actually, it was touch and go as to whether they were going to include the Ravnos this time round, although it looks like they are just going to remove heavy references to ‘Gypsies’ as in previous publications and include them as just ‘tricksters’.

Yeah, there've been issues around the Ravnos apparently. But I guess, in the end it is manageable. The Dark Ages Libellus Sanguinis and the Ravnos Revised clanbook took steps in the right direction, but didn't finish all the way.

This is what I wondered too, about how they would clean it up and deal with the baggage of them being tied to the Roma peoples. Strahd and Barovia weren't the only ones with this problem to fix.

 

[Stacie GmrGrl]

I also have found the StoryPath system a bit convoluted - they’ve added in some details that comes from games like Fate or whathaveyou - although I have hopes to be able to use it sometime. This is largely because the writing and ideas in Scion, especially, are really good - its almost like a mirror image of the WoD games as a more upbeat modern fantasy setting - so the system is a bit of a barrier in a way.

The thing about the StoryPath system is that it moves away from the looser, more freeform aspects of the original Storyteller system. What I like about V5 is that it manages to tighten up these rules while simultaneously keeping and, in fact, enhancing the freeform aspects (like diceless play).

I know. V5 has a really good rules system. The changes to the basic Storyteller System are good and Hunger dice are genius. I can see Werewolf 5 using Rage dice, or Mage 5 using Quintessence/Paradox dice.

I have never felt a disconnect with any rpg system like I have with OPP's Storypath System. They threw the entire narrative kitchen sink into the system and then applied gamey rules to every part of that; gamey rules that come off very discordant to me. I mean, they literally have a rule for Enhancement Drawbacks... I have never seen such an oxymoron in an rpg book like this before.

 

[MNblockhead]

I'm starting a new Mage the Ascension game using the 20th Anniversary ruleset. I don't really need a new version of the game, but boy would it be nice if would do more to bring their games into the modern era of online play. The lack of support for online character sheets and assets is a big downside to playing the game. You don't need much, I doubt I'll use a battlemap, but I would like to have online charactersheets and access to online content. I really hate using PDFs.

I love what Fandom is doing with Cortex. It would be much easier to digest and reference MAGE materials if there was something like D&D Beyond for it.

I'm starting to build out my campaign in World Anvil, but I gave up trying to create a charactersheet MAGE.

I'm hoping that the soon to be released Creative Suite for Role early access will give me an easy way to build MAGE charactersheets that players can use and reference in on-line games, with very basic roll automations.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

If I want bluff/lore/background I don't need the need editions. Mage is my favorite WoD line, and I would like a sourcebook about the Disparate Alliance, about the new crafts appeared in the 20Ann edition. Why to buy a rehash when I have bought it in the past? I bought Progenitors and Interaction X and after reading once I didn't want read them again. The had got some "crunch", but then I would rather to spend my money with d20 Future or Stardrive.

Really I would rather a mash-up, using WotC factions in other fantasy universes, for example an alternate version of Ravenloft+Innistrad.

I love the 20Anniversary books I bought, but I don't want new rehash. When White Wolf published the revised edition of vampire then I chose to not buy D&D until 3.5 Ed arrived.

 

[Ulfgeir]

Maybe Modiphius was always meant to be something “until we solve this mess”... aren’t Conan and John Carter also owned by Paradox?

Paradox at least claims to own the IP for Conan. I do seem to recall a few years ago when they came out with these claims, some discussions of whether or not Conan was public domain or not. It never got resolved in court as far as I know. The situation was a bit murky like the issue with Sherlock Holmes if I can recall correctly.

No idea on whether or not they also own John Carter, or if it is Modiphius, or if it is public domain.. Modiphius has at least made games involving both IP's.

--

I like some of the rules in V5. It is the first version afaict where it is a horror that the beast will take over, and make for personal horror, instead of super-critters with fangs and claws. However, the rules do have some drawback, in that your character WILL have he beats take over, very likely to risk breaking the masquerade, and that the difficulty for feeding is absurdly high.

 

[MGibster]

However, the rules do have some drawback, in that your character WILL have he beats take over, very likely to risk breaking the masquerade, and that the difficulty for feeding is absurdly high.

Yeah. If a character doesn't have access to a herd or hunting grounds then finding blood becomes very, very difficult. I think the likelihood of violating the Masquerade in mundane situations is mitigated by encouraging Storytellers to avoid having PCs roll for actions whose success or failure really don't matter to the game. When I ran my campaign, there were more than few times where I asked myself, "Why did I have them roll for that?"

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

For those talking about Cults of the Blood Gods, the PDF was released to backers yesterday. I am not a backer, just saw this posted to Twitter. Also, the Thursday episode of WoD News will be talking about this book and about Let the Streets Run Red.