Quick start into the Dark Ages of Vampire - a Mephisto review

During the War of Princes, Marcus Verus, Prince of Chester, faces a tough decision in the world of Vampire: Dark Ages. If his plans become known, they could quickly force his opponents into action. To protect himself, he needs the help of some unknown, young vampires - and this is where the player characters come into play...

Legacy of Lies is the jumpstart book for Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition Dark Ages, designed to give a first impression of and a quick start into the game. The book, therefore, consists of two parts: a rules introduction and a complete adventure. On about 40 pages, a quick introduction into setting and rules is given, which presents a large part of the aspects of the game well, but doesn't contain the full set of rules, of course. For example, only five of the clans are mentioned, but their basic disciplines are included here.

The adventure is aimed at beginners, who can start directly with five ready-made characters (character creation is left out in this book). In several elaborate scenes, the vampires work in the service of the Prince of Chester. They have to enter into a multi-faceted conspiracy that needs to be solved. This mission may require diplomacy, as well as a few fights. The setting is well suited for a more extended chronicle based on the plot. A few starting points are provided for this.

Legacy of Lies is in itself an excellent starter package for Vampire: Dark Ages, which presents the essential rules and background information as well as an adventure to try out the setting and game mechanisms directly. In the electronic version, it has (in contrast to the more expensive softcover) a low price quite suitable for trying out the game. However, once you've tasted blood regarding Vampire: Dark Ages, you won't be able to get around buying the core book for the full anniversary rules.

(Björn Lippold)