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, Superhero | Social Intrigue, Faction Play, Urban Fantasy, Corruption, Drama, Investigation, Lore-Heavy |
| 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 | Medium | High |
| Runnability | High | Very 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. Clan membership and sect politics structure who a character allies with and opposes, giving the social game mechanical weight. 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 inject swingy results at the worst moments, since a Bestial Failure can surface on a critical roll. Play leans heavily on social and political maneuvering, so groups expecting frequent combat will find that side of the system thin. Choosing a clan and predator type at creation assumes setting knowledge the player may not have yet. |