I was looking in the older players handbook and this was something they did in it. I really enjoyed having some pre-made characters ready to go.
1 thing I hope they don’t return though is secondary traits. I alway hated having to look in two different places for the traits that I had on my character.
The old books might not have had everything, but they had the lion’s share or at the very least had the majority of the clans and bloodlines, with their associated disciplines all in one place.
I understand that the financial motive might incentivise one to spread the information out, but I think that could also serve to put off newer players. If you’ve got to buy £200+ worth of books to potentially get the full experience, that might put a lot of people off.
Give them the chance to get the essential information in one place however? Charge more than a standard book, maybe £70 or so however, and that provides a gateway for those that want a thorough experience, but might not want to invest everything on a new game.
I am not sure we are looking at the same game:
1st edition-
Corebook- 7 clans + caitiff
Player’s Guide- 4 clans + 1 bloodline second have of the character creation rules.
Storytellers Handbook- 3 bloodlines
Hunters Hunted- 1 bloodline
a World of Darkness- 1 bloodline
2 clans never released and several bloodlines never released. but you needed at least three sources to play with what was available.
2nd edition-
Corebook- 7 clans + caitiff
Players Guide- 4 Clans + 3 bloodlines
Players guide to the Sabbat- 2 clans + 11 Antitribu(some had unique spreads) + Pander
Storytellers Guide to the Sabbat- 2 bloodlines + 4 revenants
Dirty secrets of the black hand- 3 bloodlines
Some of the first edition bloodlines were not present in 2nd edition and this does not mention Kindred of the east but they are not like regular vampires and replaced the Gaki in a word of darkness.
Revised-
Corebook- for the first time we have 13 clans
Storytellers Companion- 3 bloodlines
Camarilla guide- Caitiff + 1 bloodlines + 1 Antitribu
Sabbat guide- 10 Antitribu + Pander + 3 bloodlines
Storytellers handbook- 3 bloodlines
Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom - 8 bloodlines
Clanbooks- Several bloodlines in these.
V20 this was an omnibus and so i don’t count it as it wasn’t designed the same way an edition was. it was meant to have everything in one book and it delivers on that 13 clans + 13 antitribu and 18+ bloodlines, but basic story stuff was put off to the side so one book still doesn’t do it all.
Though Revised had the closest with 13 clans in a single book I wouldn’t cal this the lions share since there are more than 13 bloodlines in the game in addition to the 13 many of which had unique powers and were often spread between several supplements.
Basing my statement mostly off of the 20th edition corebook, comparing it to other RPG systems out there though I don’t think I’m off base by too much. But I’ll concede not all the old books had everything, nevertheless they had a lot, e.g. first edition you needed three books. Now you need five for V5.
Having the odd thing here and there in other books is fine, I’m not disputing that fact in the slightest. But at the same time having a lot of the popular clans in one place is simply going to be more appealing to new players, so that’s what I’m looking forward to with the player’s guide (or at least getting closer to that goal).
The core 13 clans however, I feel should be in one book, with their disciplines and a few of the more popular bloodlines as well, e.g. all the ones that are being amalgamated within the Hecata. That way if players buy that one book, and the storyteller has the corebook the group can start playing straight away and won’t need to buy say, Chicago just so one player can be a Lasombra.
1st edition is not a good comparison as it only had 11 clans and like 4 bloodlines in total. We have a lot more at this point to cover. And we are just looking at clans/bloodlines you also have to look at other things like the merits and flaws were not in the core book but in the PG traditionally until Revised. and there was a lot of material in many of the books like skills and powers and the like. No edition has had it all in one book you needed typically two to three books and others would have different ones than you and you shared at the table.
My point was that it is an unrealistic expectation of an actual edition to have it all in one book. 20th was an omnibus in which they thought they were only going to do one book. This is an actual edition which they plan on having multiple books.
please don’t get me wrong V20 was good, I didn’t buy it original because it just reprinted what I already had in Revised and was primarily a PDF so I didn’t see the point since I could just use the Revised PDFs that I was already familiar with and was much easier to navigate being that I was used to doing so.
I agree I think the PG should have the base 13 but unfortunately I don’t think that will happen so Whats the point in reprinting what is in the Core book? it just seems like a waste of word count at that point, why not just have the clans that are not in the Core rulebook and give that page count to other things we want making the book appealing ot those who have already bought all the books already as well.
To me a new player has to buy the core book no matter or else they don’t know the rules to the game or the basic powers of the game. They will not be able to play the game effectively unless they do. Buying the PG will give them more options and i don’t mind them getting the rest of the 13, though we are sure this won’t happen either. so like previous editions they will have to buy multiple books which is what it is and that is the way it was done int he past so I don’t see an issue with it.
Comparing it to other systems, since that is what nearly all the new players are going to do, we kind of have to compare it to D&D.
The Players handbook gives the new player, everything they need to GET STARTED playing with a group. Basic rules, most common: races(bloodlines), classes(clans), spells(powers), and backgrounds, etc…
By this rationale, all of the “pillar clans” could be included into one sourcebook, as well as the most prevalent blood lines, disciplines, and powers etc.
This is just my opinion, take it for what it is worth…
But I feel this should be the entry level book for players. The book that gives them what they must have to play. And gives them just enough information, to make them want more.
Yes ultimately, THE GROUP, will need all of the books in order to have access to everything. But EVERY PLAYER should not have to buy multiple books, just to be able to play the game.
It may not have been handled this way in the past, and that is fine. But that is no reason to remain in the past. Call it fan service, call it wasteful, call it whatever you want. It is still what the majority of gamers want.
Give me enough, to make me want to know more. Give me enough, to make me want to buy more. Give me enough, to make me want to get more people involved!
PS-I’m the guy that buys every book, just to make sure that I don’t miss out on anything!!! 
Very true, I fully agree that getting something more akin to what Revised was would have been better in my mind, a core book that is pretty good at delivering what a new player needs to get started, but we didn’t get that. We don’t have that.
And I think that is my point the PG will not be that even if we want it to because the core book is already printed. Having all 13 clans will not give us the rules to the game or the basic powers that are in the core book. new players will still need that.
Since they will need that then why are we reprinting material that is in the corebook. There is no need to print the nosferatu in the PG because we still need the core for obfuscate or the looks merit.
So we accept that this will be a two book at minimum system and try to get a PG the complements the core rather than the unrealistic expectation that it will somehow replace the need for the Core.
I persoanlly would like to see the PG get the Appendixes that were in the core PDF but not print books, I would like to see a playable version of the Hecata, Banu Hquim, Ministry, Lasombra, Old Clan, and Ravnos with enough powers for each that a new player can play them but not reprents of what is in other books so they don’t loose value to those that bought them.
Take the pages of reprinted corebook material and give me more merits and flaws more loresheets, alternate rules for bloop pools so I can play that way if I wish and even alternate rules for humanities so I can have Paths if I feel I need them. Alternate rules for non-mortal touchstones would also be welcome.
The PG will not be V20 core nor will it replace the Core rulebook so why expect it to? That just sets you up for disappointment and trying to change the past does not gives us a better future.
Personally, while it would be nice to have something like V20, I am not expecting it. There was different intent behind how it was created.
What I do want to see is Clans and Bloodlines that are associated with the material being covered.
This is kind of like how the older editions did it. Core book got us the dominant Clans. Players Guide gave us some secondary Clans and bloodlines ties to the Cam, because that’s what the main books were wanting people to play. Other books gave us Clans and Bloodlines found almost solely within their area or Sect.
As an example, unless Lasombra are only ever seen in Chicago, and rarely anywhere else, I think they should be included in the PG with enough info to be able to play them. Whetting the appetite, as mentioned before.
Then they can come back and do some type of updated Clanbook for those really wanting to dive into certain ones.
And they can still hold off Sabbat/Anarch/Region specific Clans and Bloodlines for their respective books.
Happy New Year to all! Has anyone heard any further word on the Player’s Guide? I’m very eager to see it, and especially eager to find out if the non-Sabbat Old Clan will be included.
"Very true, I fully agree that getting something more akin to what Revised was would have been better in my mind, a core book that is pretty good at delivering what a new player needs to get started, but we didn’t get that. We don’t have that.”
I disagree with this actually. I’ve been playing since the 1st edition, and although it’s a long time ago, I felt that the approach of Revised when it came out, made the game feel bloated. This was accentuated with V20, with an off-putting large encyclopedia that was unsympathetic to new players. For a core book, you want a complete set of rules and a clear vision about how to play. V5 has this. The extra Clans are expansions on the core game - you could play V5 from the core book exclusively if you want for years. The supplements add detail and depth to the world, as they should.
For all that, I think consolidating all the extra Clans into the Players Guide is a good idea - as the book is basically about fan service in it’s goals.
I have been playing since 1st as well and I never felt wanting in any of the older editions when I played in them, nor do I in V5. I think it does well for itself. I do prefer Revised and at only 30 some odd pages more than it predecessors I didn’t feel it was bloated. Personally I thought they hit the mark well. V20 though felt very bloated to me and it felt a bit lacking bu other books in the game line added in what the core missed. but I digress.
my point was that we will not have a one book to rule them all in V5 even if the PG prints all the clans, because you will still need the core book to play the game. printing the extra clans would be OK for me but I don’t’ see why we would need to print the base clans form the core since we will still need to use the core to play the game even with the PG.
I don’t really feel the need to squeeze everything into a single ‘one book to rule them all’ as a particularly useful design goal, is all. I’m happy to buy supplements to supplement my game accordingly, but I felt the core rules was complete enough to run satisfying chronicles with, while leaving room for later expansion.
lol, I think we are both trying to say the same thing. I am just failing at conveying my meaning. 
There has been no new word so far.
I’ll go back to eagerly waiting and hoping then lol. SI and Players’ Guide have been on my personal wish list ever since they were announced
So according to someone who emailed them and posted on the OPP forums, they were told by Modi ‘before Gencon’ but not before March. So we’ll have a 4-month April-August window. Not perfect, but better. Hopefully the additional time means not only will the Tzimisce be in it (and not stupid) but maybe also the Ravnos be in it.
I’m strongly for holding off until both the Tzimisce and Ravnos write ups are approved.
I would DEFINITELY love the Ravnos and Tzimisce to be in the Guide.
After getting the new blood starter pack, and loving it, I’m really looking to see: more lore sheets, bloodlines, clans, predator types, and of course discipline powers.
Still nothing and last official info was December 2019?