No one expects the Second Inquisition!

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

So, according to posts over at the White Wolf RPG Reddit, the PDF version of the Second Inquisition book is on sale.

There is a tweet about it as well.

All of which go to here.

I didn't feel compelled by the Sabbat book, but I will probably get the S.I. book.

[CTPhipps]

Yay!

https://renegadegamestudios.com/blog/the-second-inquisition-sourcebook-pdf-is-now-available/

[MarkK]

Is there some way to just get the pdf or can you only get it if you pre order the hardcover?

[CTPhipps]

Okay, after my first read through, I have some thoughts:

+ The book is, again, way too short at 166. If this is the new style of doing these books (and 5th Edition is doing it as well) then it is a pretty bad idea all round.

+ This book will be FAR less controversial than the Sabbat: The Black Hand book since I don't think anyone will object to an antagonists book with hunters. But it's also got plenty of information if you want to be a hunter.

+ The Second Inquisition is portrayed as much-much SMARTER than it was before and not like cannon fodder. The Second Inquisition of this book gathers information, sorts out everything they can about its targets, and then....doesn't attack. The SI here prefers to actually set vampires against one another.

Which is genius and good storytelling.

The SI DOES pick off lone stragglers whenever possible but this is almost like a way to throw bones toward the SI soldiers who HATE this slow paced undermining of Kindred society. It's not their modus apparandi. Which is to be invisible, discreet, and well aware they're the underdogs.

+ The SI is a bunch of assholes. This is emphasized many many times that they're full of bigots, fanatics, and people who treat the victims of vampiredom as either potential recruits or collateral damage.

They use torture, human experimentation, and brainwashing themselves. They also don't mind threatening families of vampire victims or tools as an alternative to mind control.

+ The SI loves "Auto de fe" which is actually their nickname for simply finding whatever building a vampire is located in (or multiple vampires) then burning it to the ground with all of their ghouls, herd, and any innocent bystanders.

The Inquisition does this as a terror tactic because Kindred freak the fuck out about it so they tend to do it to well-known Kindred and Elysium if they can.

+ Lots and lots of equipment.

+ Qanon is parodied with COG and basically is a Right Wing conspiracy nutjob that is ruining the Second Inquisition's life as it draws attention to their actions and members with his rambling 4chan posts.

+ The SI is made of the UK, United States, Russia, and Brazil plus friends in other nations. The Vatican is sort of its own thing and basically just taking SI money and a free pass to get all their operatives out of jail and through customs. No one else has any significant SI presence.

+ The UK has utterly failed since London and doesn't know WHY its utterly failed.

+ The Arcanum is pretty much carrying a huge chunk of the SI's load as without them providing all their magic and protections then the SI would have been fucked over a long-long time ago but they don't want to be OFFICIALLY seen helping them.

+ The Arcanum was the one who brought down the Vienna chantry's wards--but are far weaker than vampire mages as a general rule. They just worked collectively to do it. They also got stiffed for their payment by the Inquisition.

+ Russia is portrayed as an incredibly efficient and deadly military force with advanced technology. This did not age well.

+ Tokyo's Tzimisce Prince from THE CAMARILLA is dead.

[Vilenecromancer]

+ The book is, again, way too short at 166. If this is the new style of doing these books (and 5th Edition is doing it as well) then it is a pretty bad idea all round.

And yet the hard cover is $45. While I can find that, somewhat, reasonable given modern events, I have a sneaking suspicion the pdf will be around $31.50 when it is sold alone. Welp so much for me buying it.

[SetiteFriend]

+ Tokyo's Tzimisce Prince from THE CAMARILLA is dead.

Shame, she seemed like an interesting character for the V5 Tzimisce. She wasn't Prince though, not officially anyway.

[SetiteFriend]

Is there some way to just get the pdf or can you only get it if you pre order the hardcover?

https://renegadegamestudios.com/pdf-second-inquisition-vampire-the-masquerade-roleplaying-game-pre-order/

You can still pre order the PDF apparently

[MyWifeIsScary]

+ Russia is portrayed as an incredibly efficient and deadly military force with advanced technology. This did not age well.

Ha
Clueless. It's amazing what the appearance of modernization can do. (and also I'm surprised they didn't do a rewrite given we're three weeks into war)

+ The SI is made of the UK, United States, Russia, and Brazil plus friends in other nations. The Vatican is sort of its own thing and basically just taking SI money and a free pass to get all their operatives out of jail and through customs. No one else has any significant SI presence.

So my main issue is thus: These are some of the LEAST likely countries to hunt vampires. They are the Vampires (the Goverments, not the people of course)

+ Tokyo's Tzimisce Prince from THE CAMARILLA is dead.

Wow imagine if you liked him. Books that aren't about cities should really not get involved in cities.

[Reasor]

Introducing characters just to kill them offstage that quickly isn't even metaplot. It's more like whack-a-mole.

[CTPhipps]

So my main issue is thus: These are some of the LEAST likely countries to hunt vampires. They are the Vampires (the Goverments, not the people of course)

From the very beginning, the SI has been eliminating competition, not fighting evil.

But yes, MyWifeIsScary, the SI is a very Right Wing conservative and authoritarian organization that is motivated by power as well as oppression.

So they're making these nations into SI nations because they want to make an RL point.

Introducing characters just to kill them offstage that quickly isn't even metaplot. It's more like whack-a-mole.

It was a sign Tokyo wasn't safe!

[monteparnas]

But yes, MyWifeIsScary, the SI is a very Right Wing conservative and authoritarian organization that is motivated by power as well as oppression.

So they're making these nations into SI nations because they want to make an RL point.

From such a perspective I have to agree. Especially since the upcoming Hunter: the Not-Imbued-Just-'Cause confirms they're antagonists even from other hunters PoV.

We basically have one major power from every continent except Oceania (and Antarctica, evidently) if we count Russia for Asia.

On the other hand I have to agree that for a RL statement joining Russia to them will be tricky, unless they confirm that the SI is more linked to conservative power structures within governments than to the governments themselves.

[AnubisXy]

+ Tokyo's Tzimisce Prince from THE CAMARILLA is dead.

That was incredibly fast.

[MarkK]

https://renegadegamestudios.com/pdf-second-inquisition-vampire-the-masquerade-roleplaying-game-pre-order/

You can still pre order the PDF apparently

Does that actually give the pdf currently or just pre orders it for when it later otherwise releases (presumably in April)?

[CTPhipps]

Does that actually give the pdf currently or just pre orders it for when it later otherwise releases (presumably in April)?

Renegade Studios is kind of, well I'm not going to be insulting, but I'm giving it some sideeye regarding copyright.

This is at the bottom of my downloaded copy that I paid for.


ITS AT THE BOTTOM OF EVERY PAGE.

On the other hand I have to agree that for a RL statement joining Russia to them will be tricky, unless they confirm that the SI is more linked to conservative power structures within governments than to the governments themselves.

The Second Inquisition is a very loose alliance (and even that is stretching the definition) of organizations working together and sharing information. There is no heirarchy of nations or central organization among them. Which is actually stated to be a reason why the Camarilla couldn't contain or defeat the SI.

PROJECT: FIRSTLIGHT for example doesn't actually run the SAD or other vampire hunting branches of the US government. They just accumulate information from the legitimate branches of the US intelligence structure and then pass them down to the others. They also try and arrange attacks on vampires form people who don't KNOW vampires exist like freezing assets, blowing up buildings, or arresting minions so it becomes even more impossible to trace and more likely for vampires to assume other vampires are doing it.

The book also clarifies there's a kind of weird humor element like Buffy's musical episode.

HOW THE SECOND INQUISITION BECAME INTERNATIONAL

*CIA agent awkwardly walks into FSB office*

*looks around*

CIA Agent: Uh, guys, did anyone...last night...uh....run into vampires?

FSB: OH, YEAH! I DID!

CIA Agent: Oh thank God. When did you discover vampires existed?

FSB: 30 years ago?

CIA Agent: ...awkward.

FSB: Yeah, there was this ancient hag named Baba Yaga that killed like tens of thousands of people.

CIA Agent: Okay, that's just bullshit.

FSB: THATS WHY WE DIDNT TELL ANYONE!

(That's not in the book but it is the vibe I'm getting)

[SetiteFriend]

Does that actually give the pdf currently or just pre orders it for when it later otherwise releases (presumably in April)?

I imagine so, giving it later wouldn't make sense. Their policy is to release the PDF some weeks earlier anyway, the website probably just hasn't been updated