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The only downside to this product is that it presents three choices, which for some Storytellers is too much. Unless the Storyteller mixes and matches (which can be easily done) between the three VIIs 2/3 of the product wont be used in a given Chronicle. I’m happy with this, as it provides me a lot of options and prevents players who have read the product from knowing which VII is being used. However, it may not be ideal for some consumers.
The Physical Thing
This 168 page black and white hardcover showcases above average production values. The formatting and text density are both excellent, leading to an easy to read book with a lot of information. The art is of Good quality and very atmospheric throughout the product. While there is no index here, the product does not need one.The Ideas
VII is a group of vampire hunters that exist as a mystery to the Kindred world. The few vampires who do know about VII know little more than that at the murder scene a “VII” mark is left, that some vampires are immune to mind reading and only give the reader the image “VII”, and stranger stories still. VII expands upon the mysterious group barely mentioned in Vampire: the Requiem by providing three different takes on this strange group.Under the Cover
This product opens with an appropriate piece of setting fiction.Introduction 12 pages.
As you would imagine, the Introduction explains the product generally. However, it also provides designer notes and a “behind the scene” discussion of how the writers approached this product. The discussion of VII also presents different ways of looking at the number seven and suggestions on how to incorporate the mystery of the number seven into the game.
Chapter One Princes of the Fallen City 44 pages.
A vampire visitor corrupted a king, turning him against his three sons and bringing a darkness to the realm. The brothers swore to wreak vengeance on these vampires, and as they fled their infested city of Gomorrah God destroyed it. These brothers each founded a long lineage, and their descendants carried on a war against the vampires. One of the brothers, however, had discovered the longevity of vampire blood and guided his family for millennia as a rogue ghoul.
When the nature of this ruler was finally revealed, the family broke apart and began warring with itself. In this desperate hour a new and visionary leader, Ansuara, emerged and united the family against their vampire foes. Under her leadership the family entered into allegiance with Shaddad, a powerful and ancient demon. Shaddad offered these mortals the power they needed to overcome their foes in return for worship, creating a new race of vampires different from all those who had come before.
Tonight these vampires are both a Clan (called the Akhud) and a Covenant, as they’re a large supernaturally loyal family who continues their war against the old vampires. They also bring in rogue ghouls and some outside vampires, and so are also a political organization like a Covenant.
Akhud have Strength or Wits as a Favored Attribute, Celerity, Praestantia, and Obfuscate as Clan Disciplines, and a supernaturally strong loyalty to other Akhud as their Clan Weakness. In addition, they have several unique qualities. Their minds can not be read, as the demon Shaddud lives in their veins and prevents such powers. Second, they do not provoke Predator’s Taint since the demon Shaddad (and not the Beast) lives inside them. Third, they all have the Unseen Sense Merit but it only works on vampires. Fourth, they can not be diablerized (upon Final Death their soul goes to Shaddad). Fifth, they can not diablerize others (the souls go to Shaddad). Finally, their blood can not support a blood bond with mortals.
The new Discipline Praestantia makes the vampire supernaturally skilled in physical actions. The Akhud also use Ahranite Sorcery, a powerful but difficult to use form of blood magic oriented around keeping the Akhud secret.
This version of VII is extremely dangerous because of their loyalty to one another. Additionally, they’re very careful to uphold the Masquerade and protect their identities – carefully gathering intelligence before making a strike. They can and will recruit other vampires into their fold, especially those with mental powers like Dominate and Auspex. This is one of the few global organizations in the World of Darkness, and their power is considerable.
This version is also the best for any Storyteller who wants something closer to open warfare between Kindred and VII. This group tends to take over entire towns and use them as a base of operations to continue their war, like a real army slowly spreading across the world. Large scale (by vampire standards) battles involving fifty or more vampires can easily be accommodated in a VII game using this variant.
As protagonists this version is also excellent. The player characters are all kept together with bonds of supernatural loyalty, and as powerful as VII is it pales in power compared to the force they would face if the Covenants were united to destroy VII. This is an especially good variant for any group of players who like the nifty powers of vampires, but would prefer a more action packed “destroy the blood suckers” sort of game. A variety of different, interesting factions and internal problems are briefly described to provide plenty of fodder for exactly this sort of game.
On the whole this chapter is incredible. The Princes variant maintains a sort of subtle supernatural wonder (thanks to Shaddad), provides an easy to understand and sensible foundation for the group, and adds enough inner conflict and examples to make this a surprisingly detailed and interesting group.
Chapter Two The Betrayed 50 pages.
A Russian King discovered that a vampire was preying upon his lands, so he orchestrated a hunt that ultimately drew the vampire to his court. Impressed, the vampire bargained with the king – immortality as a ghoul in return for the safe sheltering of the vampire and its progeny. The King accepted, and for generations all lived happily. Eventually the vampires killed a member of the King’s family, for his family had grown large and almost everyone in his domain was a part of it now. Angered, the King ordered a vampire slain in response. The vampires then slew seven of the King’s family in return, for they valued a vampire life much more than a human life.
Angered, the King broke open the crypt where the original vampire who made the bargain with him slept in torpor. There the King consumed the heart of the sleeping vampire, desperate for the precious vampire blood the current generation was denying him in punishment for attacking them. Upon consuming the heart the vampires perished, but the King and his progeny immediately took on the properties of vampires. The great difference being that they lusted for the destruction of vampires everywhere, and so they went their separate ways into the night to end any and all of the undead that they could.
Tonight there are six Houses descended from these vengeful nobles, and they carry on their ancestors’ retribution. Each of these Houses is like a Clan and Covenant. They’re a Clan because each House *is* a Clan. It grants Clan Disciplines, Weaknesses, and otherwise occupies the same role. However, each House is also a political entity. This means they can and do recruit other vampires (both the Betrayed and normal vampires) into their House to serve. So a vampire could be born into House Petrovnavich, later join House Semeonovic, but retain their original House Disciplines and Weakness.
It’s worth mentioning at this point that this version of VII in particular is very suitable for players to play as and it could even be used to replace the entire Clan/Covenant system introduced in Vampire: the Requiem if a Storyteller wished to do so. Each of the Houses is interesting, but still occupies a nice role (such as being particularly religious, politically active, etc).
Basic character creation here is somewhat different as well, generally resulting in somewhat more powerful vampires. They lack Predator’s Taint, but have the Eyes of Wrath which allows them to spot other (they could say corrupt) vampires. They are also highly resistant to mental intrusion.
There is one huge difference, however. These vampires have Specters. The seven noble women that originally set this quest for vengeance into motion when they were slain by vampires still haunt the souls of the family. Every player chooses a Specter at character creation. In return their character gains a Benefit and a Derangement. Those associated with Xenia, for example, gain the Melancholia Derangement. In return they may spend one Vitae to become completely insubstantial so long as they don’t move (objects and small creatures pass through them, they are nearly invisible, etc.). The Specter system is extremely flavorful and is a welcome new mechanic.
While there is a distinctly Russian feel to the Houses, they offer an entirely new and fresh way of approaching Vampire for those who looking for that. As an antagonist this variant of VII is highly coordinated, but has more internal strife and politicking than other versions. However, given their wide range of Disciplines and flexibility the Betrayed have an easier time using a wide variety of tactics against their foes than the Princes do. In sum, this is another incredible chapter that I would be happy to use in my Vampire games.
Chapter Three The Sleepers 46 pages.
Far more insidious than the other versions of VII, the Sleepers were born in psychic experimentation. A group of doctors and would-be psychologists was born in Victorian England and, over the years, learned to alter the brain so as to change the personality and even create psychic power. Eventually this group stumbled upon a vampire, who spent time learning the group’s secrets and ultimately took over. He found a way to encode a new personality into other vampires, both altering their minds and blood through a horrific period of re-programming. The result was Sleeper agents who would go about their night to night lives most of the time, but on occasion activate and function as the programming directed. False memories were implanted by the programming, so the Sleeper never became aware as the programming carried out murders and other horrible acts.
The primary function of the programming is to eliminate sinful vampires. When a Sleeper encounters another vampire, that Sleeper secretly uses a special Discipline called Psychogenics to determine the new vampire’s Humanity. Vampires of low Humanity are marked for destruction, so as to purge sin from the world. In some instances the programming becomes corrupted, and high Humanity vampires are targeted for destruction instead. The programming is different from place to place, so even if someone figured out what VII truly was (almost impossible) that information would not help them much.
Vampires with useful abilities (what useful is varies substantially depending on the local needs of VII) are targeted by members of VII, who leave secret messages for one another by briefly taking over their hosts from time to time. These vampires are abducted, fed encoded vitae, and then subjected to brainwashing over the period of an entire evening. Once the process is over, VII has another member and it continues its mission of destroy the most (or, for corrupted VII, least) inhuman Kindred.
To support these abilities VII has access to new Hypnosis Merits and the Psychogenics Discipline which grants a variety of classic psychic abilities (such as Telekinesis) along with the ability to discern a vampire’s Humanity. They also gain the same basic bonuses as other groups of VII, such as resistance to mind reading. That this version of VII passes on its Sleeper programming to any vampire who diablerizes a member of VII is particularly interesting, and could even result in a member of VII who intentionally maneuvers his host into a situation where he is diablerized in order to get a new body.
Unlike the other two versions, this version of VII is less playable for interested groups. While it is possible, the actions of VII are inhuman and more the end result of a computer process than the sort of choice-based roleplaying most folk are used to. The book does offer suggestions on playing a Sleeper Chronicle as the Sleepers.
The Sleepers are by far the most terrifying of all the versions of VII. They could be anyone, anywhere. There is no negotiating or bargaining. Their goal may be virtuous, but their methods are vile and sinister. Unfortunately, I found them to be the weakest group as well. This chapter repeats a lot of information and tends to drag out the major ideas. While I certainly love the idea of the Sleepers, I found the presentation to not be on par with the other two groups. I also feel like Sleepers are more difficult to introduce into most games, as the paranoia element they create will continue throughout the Chronicle. Nevertheless, this is another excellent entry that gives a Storyteller even more options for running VII.
