Second Inquisition is a sourcebook for use with the fifth edition of the horror tabletop role-playing gameVampire: The Masquerade,[1] where players take the roles of vampires.[2] It describes the Second Inquisition and its backgrounds – globally connected churches and agencies in the setting that hunt vampires, including the American black project Firstlight and the Society of Leopold[3][4] – with information for storytellers[a] to use to create antagonists from the Second Inquisition for their game campaigns. The book also describes artifacts and coterie tactics that players can use to fight the organization.[6]
Production
Second Inquisition was originally announced in December 2018 by Modiphius Entertainment; World of Darkness series owner Paradox Interactive had licensed Vampire: The Masquerade to them after restructuring their subsidiary and the series' former publisher White Wolf Publishing a month prior due to White Wolf's portrayal of the anti-gay purges in Chechnya in an earlier book.[7][8] Modiphius Entertainment estimated that the book would be released in mid-2019, a window that was missed.[3][7] When Paradox Interactive again reorganized their handling of World of Darkness in November 2020, they partnered with another publisher, Renegade Game Studios,[9] who took over publishing duties for Second Inquisition and re-announced the book in June 2021.[4][6]
Like with the previous Vampire: The Masquerade book Sabbat: The Black Hand, Second Inquisition is produced through a different development process compared to older World of Darkness books, which involves working together with diversity consultants and diversity readers to ensure that themes and topics are depicted respectfully.[9] The book is seen by the production staff as a follow-up to both the core Vampire: The Masquerade rule book, which handles the titular organization abstractly, and to the adventure moduleFall of London, which portrays their activities in London.[10]
Second Inquisition was released by Renegade Game Studios on March 16, 2022, as a 140-page hardcover book,[4][11] following several delays.[4][12]
Notes
^The person leading the game is called the "storyteller" in World of Darkness games, a role called "gamemaster" or "dungeon master" in other role-playing games.[5]
