Masks: A New Generation vs Vampire: The Masquerade
Compare Masks: A New Generation and Vampire: The Masquerade side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Masks: A New Generation | Vampire: The Masquerade | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Modern, Superhero | Horror, Modern |
| Play Style | Narrative, Rules-Light, Character-Driven, Drama, Beginner-Friendly, Open Source | Social Intrigue, Drama, Roleplay-Heavy, Atmospheric, Faction Play, Investigation, Collaborative, Character-Driven, Urban Fantasy, Corruption, Lore-Heavy, Noir |
| Core Mechanic | PbtA moves: roll 2d6 + Label. 10+ = strong hit, 7–9 = hit with complications, 6− = miss (GM makes a move). Five shifting Labels (Danger, Freak, Savior, Superior, Mundane) represent how the hero sees themselves — and others can shift them. Influence and team mechanics drive interpersonal drama. | Roll a pool of d10s (attribute + skill), count successes (6+). Hunger dice replace regular dice in the pool — their 10s trigger Messy Criticals and their 1s trigger Bestial Failures, making the Beast an ever-present threat. |
| Dice | 2d6 | d10 dice pool |
| Complexity | Low | Medium |
| Accessibility | High | Medium |
| Community | Medium | High |
| License | CC BY 4.0 | Proprietary |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Magpie Games | Renegade Game Studios |
| Year | 2016 | 2018 |
| Best For | Teen superhero drama where identity, relationships, and emotional stakes matter more than punching villains. | Drama-heavy campaigns exploring themes of addiction, power, and losing your humanity. |
| Highlights | Labels system makes identity the core conflict, 10 distinct playbooks, low prep for GM, encourages drama and character growth | Hunger system mechanically integrates the vampire's predatory nature into every dice roll. Detailed social and political frameworks with clan-based faction play. Humanity and Stains system tracks moral erosion with narrative consequences. |
| Considerations | Labels shifting can frustrate players who want a stable character identity, Influence mechanic requires careful tracking, adult moves can overshadow teen PCs, limited mechanical growth beyond Label shifts | Hunger dice introduce high randomness at critical moments, dense lore spanning 30+ years can overwhelm new players, predator type and clan choice during character creation require setting knowledge to make informed decisions |