The Art of Vampire: The Masquerade (1990s)

The first edition of Vampire: The Masquerade was published in 1991, introducing the concept of "Storytelling" to the rpg world. Storytelling is roleplaying using streamlined rules that strip out most of the loot and adventuring of games like D&D and then using those simpler rules to resolve pretentious arguments about who is in charge of vampires in Milwaukee. Vampire should also be credited with mainstreaming gays in roleplaying games. Even elves in games like D&D were macho men, but in Vampire even the macho men wear leather daddy gear and carry around braces of twinks on leashes. To call Vampire's art overwrought is to miss the entire point of the game. There's no such thing as "too wrought" in Vampire.

Zack: Here we go. Everyone's favorite.

Steve: Bro, I am going to stick up for Vampire all through this one. I played the crap out of this and Werewolf back in the day.

Zack: Speaking of back in the day, we focused specifically on early and mid-1990s Vampire products for this article. That would be 1st and 2nd edition Vampire.

Steve: I don't know what edition is what, but you have gotta admit they pretty much nailed it with that cover. Rose on marble. You know what you're in for.

Zack: A jewelry catalog?

Steve: You know what my two favorite things were about Vampire?

Zack: I'm just going to guess the two absolute worst things, which would be all the horrible music quotes littered through the books and the huge chunks of terrible fiction.

Steve: Nah, I was gonna say all the babes dressed with taped nipples and the cool powers like that one where you can boil a dude's blood.

Zack: What, no love for opening a chapter of a vampire book with a quote from Bauhaus referencing a vampire book?

Steve: What's a Bauhaus?

Zack: There's some hope for you yet.