The pen-and-paper game, Vampire: The Masquerade allowed players to create their own characters and create their own stories, each taking place in the World of Darkness. However, White Wolf Publishing's games had a larger meta-story that unfolded across different editions of the game and two video games, the latest being Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, which will soon see a sequel.
Following the events of Bloodlines, the story of the Kindred in L.A. continues in the ongoing weekly web series, Vampire: The Masquerade - L.A. By Night, which is played using the Vampire: The Masquerade Fifth Edition book. The series is considered canon, which means everything that occurs throughout the story regarding the state of Kindred society in L.A., or the rest of the world, will be reflected in future games, stories and the like. For those who wish to dive in and watch the meta-plot grow in real time, here's what you should know.
Background
The state of Los Angeles, where Kindred are concerned, can partially be explained by the events of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Here, the Camarilla -- a vampire sect that enforces the masquerade -- lost its Prince, LaCroix, and its foothold in L.A., a city that had been an Anarch Free State for much of the last century. In essence, this means that instead of a single governing body, the city has been split into small baronies ruled by different Anarchs.
However, the ever-persistent Camarilla has installed a new Prince, Vannevar Thomas, who threatens the Anarch Movement and the freedom of the Kindred in L.A. The city is now in a state of tension as the Anarchs struggle to combat the Camarilla, encroaching from within and around the city.
Cast and Characters
L.A. By Night features a multitude of different characters, but generally centers on a single coterie consisting of four vampires of the Anarch sect: former fashionista and Toreador, Nelli G; music mogul and Ventrue, Victor Temple; the enigmatic Nosferatu, Jasper; and finally, the rebellious Brujah, Annabelle. They are played by Cynthia Marie, B. Dave Walters, Alexander Ward and Erika Ishii, respectively. Other characters are played by guest players or World of Darkness Brand Marketing Manager Jason Carl, who also serves as the storyteller.
As both Bloodlines and L.A. By Night are canon, several characters from the video games have made appearances throughout the series, including the Brujah and de facto baron of downtown L.A, Nines Rodriguez; the Malkavian baron of Santa Monica, Therese/Jeanette Voerman; and the Toreador baron of Hollywood, Isaac Abrams.
Plot
The story of L.A. By Night began with an investigation into a mysterious outbreak on a college campus and the introduction of a mysterious fledgling, Annabelle. Over the course of the series, Annabelle discovered more and more about Kindred society in L.A. and, along with the rest of the coterie, dominated the Valley area. Victor and Nelli attempted to establish baronies of their own while fending off human Hunters and the Second Inquisition.
Success placed the coterie in the path of the Camarilla. That meant having to ensure their ties to fellow barons around L.A. were solid enough that an Anarch revolt could stand a chance, only none of it turned out the way anyone expected. Matters were complicated, not just by the political squabbles in L.A. itself, but by greater events such as the Beckoning. It was and continues to be a story about surviving the night in a society that constantly threatens to crush those who are unprepared, unwilling or too weak to attain power.
Where to Watch
The series was produced by Geek & Sundry until late 2019, when World of Darkness took over. The web series' episodes are all available online but partially scattered across different sites.
The web series used to stream weekly on the Geek & Sundry Twitch channel every Friday at 8:00 p.m.. Episodes from Seasons 1-3 of the series have been archived and are still available on both the Geek & Sundry website and YouTube channel. Starting with Season 4, the web series will air exclusively on the World of Darkness Twitch channel before being uploaded to the WoD YouTube channel.