[Free RPG Day 2026] Tradition of Destruction

Now in its nineteenth year, Free RPG Day for 2026 took place on Saturday, June 27th. As per usual, Free RPG Day consisted of an array of new and interesting little releases, which are traditionally tasters for forthcoming games to be released at GenCon the following August, but others are support for existing RPGs or pieces of gaming ephemera or a quick-start. This included dice, miniatures, vouchers, and more. Unfortunately, due to vagaries of International Customs, Free RPG Day in the UK did not take place until Saturday, 22nd August.

This review is possible due to the generosity of Waylands Forge in Birmingham.

—oOo—

“Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind. The right of destruction belongeth only  to thine Elder. Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood Hunt.” This is the ‘Tradition of Destruction’, the Fifth Tradition of the Camarilla, and the theme front and centre of the release from Renegade Game Studios for Free RPG Day 2026. As well as, of course, its name. Tradition of Destruction is a scenario for Vampire: The Masquerade Fifth Edition, that explores what happens when members of the Camarilla break this particular tradition. Intended to be played in a single session—so good for a one-off, demonstration, or convention game—in which the Player Characters are vampires seeking revenge at all costs. A decade ago, and more, the Player Characters had a domain in the city which included an alliance, even a friendship, with the Tyros, a trio of Duskborn, or Fourteenth Generation Vampires. Then they betrayed the Player Characters and left them for dead, all in the name of a better deal with a more powerful figure in the city.

Tradition of Destruction opens with the Player Characters dealing with an information broker attempting to find out where the Tyros are now. They may be able to persuade her to tell them, but a deal may be needed or another means used to get hold of the information that they need. All of these are explored in detail, but ideally, the Player Characters should learn the location of one or more of the Tyros. Each of the three can be encountered in their own scenes and each of these scenes is very different. One is found in a auto salvage yard/chop shop where one of the employees is hiding a secret; another at home where he wants a quiet life with his husband, who knows he is vampire, but not all of his secrets; and a third who has effectively defected to Project, the secret joint programme run by the United States CIA and NSA to track and hunt vampires. Each scene varies in its challenges and the Player Characters are free to approach each Tyro in whatever way they want, the scene descriptions covering several options and their consequences. These options do include violence, but usually as the last option, and if it occurs, the Player Characters will likely have given into their bestial natures and broken the ‘Tradition of Destruction’. Though violence is always the answer, it is not necessarily the best one, and instead of killing the Tyros, the Player Characters are free to take their revenge in whatever way that they like. That can include sending them into exile, getting them to betray their current master, and so on.

The last scene will be with the important figure in the city who persuaded the Tyros to betray the Player Characters. This can play out at their rival’s domain or it can take place at the Elysium in the front of the city’s prince. As a one-shot, Tradition of Destruction ends there, but the scenario could be used to kick off a Chronicle and so explore the consequences of the Player Characters’ actions in subsequent sessions. The scenario includes notes on how those might play out if the Storyteller wants to continue the story. In addition, there is advice too on the tone and horror content in the scenario.

The scenario includes a coterie of pre-generated Kindred. They come complete with background, concept, ambition, conviction, and touchstone as well as the stats, a clan bane, and event a secret or two. They consist of a refined investor Ventrue, Coterie Mastermind Lasombra, Dedicated Sorcerer Tremere, False Death God Malkavian, Impulsive Punk Brujah, and a Domineering Voyeur Nosferatu. All six come with a character sheet that also includes a full colour portrait. 

Physically, Tradition of Destruction is well presented. It is clean, bright, and tidy. The artwork is excellent.

Whether run as a one-shot or a Chronicle starter, Tradition of Destruction is a good scenario for Vampire: The Masquerade Fifth Edition. It has scope for both action and interaction, multiple means of handling the situations that the Player Characters face, and is easily run in the city of the Storyteller’s choice.