Under a Blood Red Moon
A crossover module pitting vampires against werewolves in Chicago.
In June 1993, White Wolf Publishing released Under a Blood Red Moon, an adventure module for Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse within the World of Darkness series. Set around Chicago, it pits local vampire and werewolf factions against each other, with players taking roles as werewolves or vampires from the Camarilla or Sabbat. Developed by Bill Bridges and Andrew Greenberg and written by Steven C. Brown, it was an early crossover between different role-playing games. Critics praised its writing and role-playing potential but later noted mechanical mismatches between the two game systems. Commercially successful, it also donated part of its profits to environmental protection, like other Werewolf books.
Quick Facts
- Designer
- Bill Bridges, Andrew Greenberg
- Illustrator
- Tony Harris
- Jeff Rebner
- Dan Smith
- Richard Thomas
- Joshua Gabriel Timbrook
- Ron Spencer
- Writer
- Steven C. Brown
- Publisher
- White Wolf Publishing
- Date
- June 1993
- Genre
- Tabletop role-playing game supplement
- System
- Storyteller System
- Parent game
- Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse
Facts from the source article.
Overview
Under a Blood Red Moon is a crossover adventure module for the World of Darkness games Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse, set in and around Chicago. Players take roles as either vampires or werewolves in a conflict between the local communities. The book is divided into chapters, each offering three viewpoints: werewolves, and members of the Camarilla and Sabbat vampire sects, who are also in conflict with each other. It also includes information for playing as human vampire hunters or mummies from the book Mummy. The story begins differently depending on player roles: werewolves start with a meeting about vampire activity; Camarilla vampires begin with a werewolf attack on the Succubus Club, after which Prince Lodin calls a blood hunt; Sabbat vampires start with an envoy to collaborate with the Black Spiral Dancers. The adventure proceeds with attacks and counter-attacks, including Lodin's death, with the outcome affected by player actions. The book also contains details on sacred werewolf sites in Chicago, intrigues, and rules for werewolves embraced by vampires, called abominations.
Production
Under a Blood Red Moon came from the minds of Bill Bridges and Andrew Greenberg, with Steven C. Brown handling the writing. Richard Thomas directed the art, while Jeff Rebner, Dan Smith, Joshua Gabriel Timbrook, and Ron Spencer contributed interior illustrations, and Tony Harris painted the cover. War sits at the core of this book, which digs into loyalty, fear, chaos, power, and death. The creators wanted players to feel their characters were small and vulnerable within a much bigger conflict, forcing them to weigh what their loyalty and lives are truly worth, and what it means to kill or die for a cause. This module was an early crossover between different role-playing games, coming after only a few like TSR's Spelljammer from 1989. According to writer Shannon Appelcline, White Wolf had a unique advantage because all their games shared one fictional universe, making crossovers easier to pull off. Even though it works with Vampire: The Masquerade, the team built it mainly for Werewolf: The Apocalypse. White Wolf first put it out in June 1993 as a 96-page softcover. Later, in July through September 1996, it was reprinted without changes alongside the second edition of Chicago by Night in the second volume of the Chicago Chronicles series. Both the standalone book and that compilation have come out as e-books. Following the pattern of other Werewolf: The Apocalypse releases, 3% of the profits went to environmental protection. The story in this module pushed the World of Darkness narrative forward. Chicago by Night's second edition, released the same year, updated its setting to show how the werewolf attack affected the city's vampires. Other crossover books, both in rules and theme, followed Under a Blood Red Moon, serving as gateways for players to explore different games in the World of Darkness line.
Reception
Critics and players alike embraced Under a Blood Red Moon, and it sold so well that by 1996 it was completely gone from shelves, prompting a reprint in the Chicago Chronicles. Reviewers consistently praised the quality of the writing. The French magazine Casus Belli gave it a strong recommendation and expressed regret that it never received a French translation. Magia i Miecz highlighted the scenario and its grim atmosphere, calling it a solid entry point into the World of Darkness setting. Both Lider and Dragón noted that while the book wasn’t essential for a Chicago-based campaign, it paired beautifully with the second edition of Chicago by Night. The role-playing flexibility was a big draw: Saga liked being able to play both vampires and werewolves, and Magia i Miecz enjoyed taking on werewolf roles to fight vampires. Shannon Appelcline pointed out a significant mechanical flaw, observing that Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse don’t mesh well in gameplay, a problem he saw in later crossover books; he felt only thematic crossovers truly succeeded. Berin Kinsman, writing in White Wolf #38, gave it a 4 out of 5 and praised the final appendix, which finally reveals what happens when a werewolf is Embraced by a vampire, calling the resulting undead Garou—known as Abominations—fascinating and well-crafted.
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