Hunter: the Vigil is probably my favorite system in tabletop gaming. It’s definitely my favorite part of the Chronicles of Darkness series, the current name for the version of World of Darkness that I started with. The first edition (not to be confused with Old World of Darkness’ Hunter: the Reckoning) came out in 2008, and seems to have formed the bedrock of much of what Chronicles of Darkness would eventually become. The tiered play system, to the best of my memory, was first introduced in Hunter, and has since become an integral part of campaign design in every core rulebook. When poring over the pages of the recently-released playtest document for the second edition, I was interested in what changes they wanted to make to the system, and how they went about making them.
Happily, I discovered that the core of the game was 90+% the same, and the additions and changes made were largely welcome. The largest ones I’ve noticed are:
A Higher Interest in Personal Horror
Hunter 1e made overtures to the idea of personal horror, but they didn’t feel quite as fleshed out as they do in the current playtest version. Professional Training feels a bit better than it did before, and Chronicles’ use of Touchstones to represent ties to humanity and ‘normal’ life is a great way to remind players that they have to be at least trying to live normal lives outside of the hunt. There may be a werewolf in your neighborhood, but you have a job and family that take precedence. Touchstones are also useful as a tool for Storytellers; the threat of them being lost or harmed is subtle and ever-present, right up until it isn’t, and the vampire that you’ve been threatening starts coming after what you hold dear. Of course, these systems seem a little trickier at Conspiracy-tier play, but it’s worth noting that the Conspiracies could be just as interested in using Touchstones to control players as the monsters they hunt.
Haunted Places
The Haunted Places systems and mechanics are excellent, at least in theory. I’ve been trying for months to find a way to make some kind of spooky trap dungeon scenario work in Hunter without being incredibly unfun, and the new edition has provided. Haunted Places can be exactly what the name suggests, or something closer to a monster nest, or even a sinister area with its own designs. If that sounds a bit over-the-top, that’s perfect. That’s what I’m looking for. My games can often end up as pulpy action-horror, so systems that help accommodate that are great for me. They also look great for playing a group of reality TV-styled paranormal investigators, which is one of the short games I’ve already got in the works. For things a bit more tangible, Hunter 2e has also provided…
More and More Interesting Enemies
First edition Hunter sometimes felt like it expected you to have some of the other core rulebooks on hand to make interesting enemies that didn’t use spirit/ghost rules. The Dread Powers system existed (and still does!), but it didn’t feel great to use or help facilitate more interesting monsters. Hunter 2e solves this problem in a few ways. First, it adds Slashers to the core book, rather than being their own giant separate add-on. This has a couple of nice benefits; it gives you a smart, humanoid monster that can challenge your Hunters, while having a whole genre of horror to easily draw ideas from. It also lets VASCU, one of my favorite Conspiracies, be part of the core rulebook, but that’s more of a personal win. Second, the book adds cryptids, which were introduced in Demon: the Descent, but rewritten and modified for Hunter use. Do your players not want to hunt vampires, but are really into the idea of blasting sasquatches and mothmen? Cool, they’re really easy to make and modify here. How about a giant, man-eating worm? I don’t even have to make that; it’s an example monster. Do you want things to get even more frightening? Great, throw this awful thing you’ve made into a Haunted Place, to completely throw your players off their game and push them towards some risks they were definitely trying to avoid before. There’s so much potential with these new ideas, and I can’t wait to throw a few curveballs at my seasoned Hunter players.
There are plenty of other changes, big and small, across the book. Compacts and Conspiracies have been added to, Endowments have been separated from Merits and made a bit more unique, and The Code is a neat way to challenge and codify Hunters’ ideas on what makes them any different from the monsters they hunt. In a few weeks, time permitting, I’ll have an opening to test these new ideas with one of my gaming groups. With any luck, the ideas will be as good in practice as they are on paper.
Until next time, may you not be chased down by mothmen.