While the dark appeal of vampire fiction has technically attracted gothic horror fans for centuries, Vampire: The Masquerade successfully translated this concept into the tabletop RPG format. With more and more bloodthirsty creatures of the night finding prominent roles in media in recent years, the only other franchise of similar standing currently is the ever-growing Castlevania. Both series are giants in their respective mediums despite their vast differences, but their overlapping themes and lore would create a crossover with Vampire: The Masquerade only natural.
As an action video game series versus a narrative TTRPG, these IPs contrast each other like two pillars of long-running vampire media. Revived in recent years via Netflix Castlevania series and several guest appearances in games saw the Konami property grow VTM maintains consistent releases that could support a new sourcebook based on a concept other than the extended mythos.
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Castlevania's recent Slew of Tie-Ins should not be missed at Vampire: The Masquerade
The union of two enduring Gothic legacies
Featuring atmospheric tales of the Belmont clan's fight against Dracula since the 1980s, Castlevania retained its role as a hallmark of the entire genre. After the characters appeared Dead by Daylight'with Castlevania chapter and the entire main content pack The surviving vampiresit's safe to say that the franchise has maintained its relevance in modern times by adapting to new developments. Between a large backlog of games across console generations and Netflix shows still running, Castlevania continues to keep vampires in the spotlight.
Of all the different approaches to tradition in all interpretations, VTM it potentially maintains the richest and most comprehensive version of the vampire story. With ancient origins from Caine and the many clans that have since derived from that starting point, the franchise combines elements of everything from Bram Stoker's Dracula to the novels of Anne Rice. If World of Darkness gets another take on vampire storytelling, it could provide a welcome boost to its mainstream appeal.
The Castlevania-inspired sourcebook for Vampire: The Masquerade has two obvious paths you can take
Netflix's ongoing Castlevania: Nocturne Lore provides recognizable inspiration
As a successful continuation of the series' original run, Castlevania: NocturneThe 1792 setup offers a large number of reference points VTM interpret. The political upheavals in 18th century Europe are full of drama for him to lead MasqueradeIntrigues and actors like Richter, Annette or Alucard could be reworked as NPCs in the context of RPG mechanics. Existing VTM accessories like In memoriam have already explored the depth of historical flashbacks in past mortal eras, so the prospect of a period piece is nothing new for the IP. For example, the centuries-old Alucard's internal struggle is a conflict ripe for the typical drama the Kindred usually encounter. Depending on how the timeline is used, there's even a chance for a compelling interplay between past and present through immortals Castlevania characters that make it to the present day.
The wider history of Castlevania is a deep well of source material
Documented eras of the franchise span from the medieval adventures of Simon Belmont to Soma Cruz's future in Castlevaniawhich leaves plenty of time frames to explore even outside of the basis of the Netflix adaptation. Different views of Dracula's influence in these different scenarios provide enough angles for several new vampire clans to explain the transition, or even new hunter archetypes based on the Belmonts. Alternatively, if a story closer to Dracula's own ends up showing up, Brotherhood of Light could be an option.
- Released
- 2025
- Engine
- Source
- ESRB
- M For Adults 17+ // Intense violence, blood and gore, sexual themes, nudity, drug references, strong language
