Anyone with a penchant for dark, brooding monsters will be spoiled for choice over the next six months, with the final season ofWhat We Do in the Shadowsairing in October, the remake ofSalem’s Lotalready making the rounds in theatres, Robert Eggers’ remake ofNosferatuslated for December 2024 and the third season ofInterview With the Vampirewinging its way to us in early 2025.
TTRPG creators haven’t been slacking on the vampire stakes, though: if you are hungrily awaiting the return of Lestat and Count Orlok, consider checking out these ten vampire TTRPGs. Whether you’re playing alone or with your coven, you’ll find something to sink your teeth into!
10)Low Stakes(NerdBurger Games)
Shows likeWhat We Do in the ShadowsandBeing Humanbrought a fresh take on the vampire genre by playing up the comedy of vampire existence. InLow Stakes, you too can play a group of mismatched monstrous roommates who constantly struggle to engage with daily life. The challenges inLow Stakesare, as the title suggests, incredibly mundane. Your characters must master such dangerous situations as getting a new roommate, tracking down a lost pet, or having a very ordinary day.
9)Oops All Draculas!(Jessica Marcrum)
InOops All Draculas!, every character is a Dracula: an archetype based on one of the many depictions of Dracula across the decades. In this world, Draculas are stronger together, but alone, they are a danger to themselves and others, so they team up to solve problems. Unfortunately, their pack mentality often backfires spectacularly.Oops All Draculas!makes an excellent one-shot for a Halloween gaming session!
8)Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition(Renegade Game Studios)
The vampire daddy of them all,Vampire: The Masquerade(known asV:tM), keeps returning from the grave and is now in its fifth edition. Originally released in 1991,V:tMtapped into the vampire craze of the 90s and attracted role-players who craved the moral ambiguity of a monstrous protagonist in a world of supernatural politics. It also gave rise to the video gameVampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, a cult classic of the urban fantasy video game genre. Renegade Game Studio’s 5th edition ofVampire: The Masqueradeintroduces new mechanics for a modern audience, while nostalgia fans can check outV20, White Wolf/Onyx Path’s comprehensive version of the original game’s system and setting.
SAD VAMPIRE BOYFRIENDdoes exactly what it says on the tin: you choose whether your character is a vampire or a mortal, teaming up with others to fight some threat to your existence or that of your love. Your moves are powered by pure angst, and there are even mechanics that can help you regain angst through brooding. A loving homage as much as it is an ironic take,SAD VAMPIRE BOYFRIENDis rules-light and fits onto one page.
6)Thousand Year Old Vampire(Tim Hutchings)
One of the solo journalling TTRPGs that popularised the form,Thousand Year Old Vampireby Tim Hutchings, is about the endless slog of immortality. Play through centuries of life as the vampire protagonist loves, loses, and learns that eternity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. A story about grief and the slow loss of self in the face of an ever-changing world,Thousand Year Old Vampireis a unique take on vampire fiction.
5)Undying(Magpie Games)
InUndying, vampires are predators through and through. This diceless system guides players through the daily unlife of a vampire trying to survive in a city of predators, feeding on unsuspecting humans and warring over status and territory. Whether player characters succeed or fail against NPCs depends on whether they are higher or lower in status and how much blood they are willing to bet to achieve their goals. With downtimes devoted to the complex web of backstabbing,Undyingmodels the idea of territory, control, and callous inhumanity that so much vampire fiction strives to explore.
4)Paint the Town Red(SoulMuppet Publishing)
Described as a ‘sad vampire RPG,’ Paint the Town Red from Soulmuppet Publishing focuses on the best part of any vampire fiction: the parties. With an unashamed commitment to the melodrama of vampire romance, Paint the Town Red’s sessions are wild rampages through your hedonistic, blood-soaked unlife. Players are encouraged to make their characters vulnerable, driven by passions that go too far, and revel in the consequences. you’re able to get a free quickstart of the rules here, and check out the Backerkit campaign for the full releasehere.
3)Elegy(Moro de Oliveira)
For those who loveVampire: The MasqueradeandVampire: The Requiembut struggle to find a coven to play with,Elegyis the game for you. Other solo games on this list depict a very specific facet of vampiric existence, butElegyis the closest to the typical vampire TTRPG, with its webs of politics, conspiring factions, and mystical powers. Based on theIronswornsystem by Shawn Tomkin,Elegypresents a rich urban fantasy world and a variety of vampiric archetypes to live your bestInterview With the Vampireunlife.
2)HungerandThirst(HyveMynd)
While many other vampire TTRPGs have lengthy tomes,HungerandThirstfrom HyveMynd are two business card-sized RPGs that tell incredible stories within a few paragraphs. Both are solo journalling games about a relationship between a human and a vampire, withHungerfrom the vampire’s perspective andThirstfrom the human’s.HungerandThirstembrace the tension between desire and danger while also exploring consent in a mature and healthy way, all while keeping the rules streamlined and simple.
1)Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition(Onyx Path Publishing)
Vampire: The Requiemwas originally envisaged as a reboot ofVampire: The Masquerade, but very much became its own thing. Vampire: The Requiem introduces a range of political and religious ideologies that offer a multifaceted take on what a modern vampire society could look like. Driven by the personal Gothic melodrama of characters trying to retain their connection to humanity as their inner monster (and a predatory society) drives them to do increasingly inhumane things,Vampire: The Requiemremains one of the most nuanced explorations of vampires in TTRPGs.
