cosmopolitan coteries 1
chapter one
by Mike Nudd
Vampire created by Mark Rein•Hagen
1. Introduction
Welcome to the World of Darkness. It seems a modern world
just like our own, but if you peel back the veneer, you find a
second, hidden world of crime, dark passion and unfathom-
able monsters. The World of Darkness is like a warped reflec-
tion in a broken mirror, where everything is stained and dirty,
crumbling on the outside and rotting on the inside. Missing-
persons cases are more numerous, and violent crime is more
widespread. Corruption of mortal institutions is rife, and su-
pernatural beings pull strings from behind the scenes.
At the top of the ecological, social and political food chain
are the Kindred, a race of undead, a society of blood-sucking
vampires that have existed alongside us for centuries, perhaps
millennia. Some of them claim they’re descended from a dark
progenitor such as Mithras, Baba Yaga, Longinus or even the
legendary Dracula. All vampires certainly share many traits,
strengths and weaknesses held in common. Hence the assump-
tion that they have a collective origin, and hence the appel-
lation “Kindred” for those who bear the gift (or curse) of vam-
pirism.
The Kindred divide themselves into familial groups called
clans, each of which claims a different cultural heritage and a
distinct blood magic of its own. Some vampires are supernatu-
rally strong and fast, while others wield powers over emotion
and the mind. Yet others master the arcane arts of telepathy,
invisibility or shadow manipulation. Each Kindred is in many
Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com
Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172)
ways unique, but all use their powers to prey on the unsus-
pecting, and all do their best to hide from mortal society.
Centuries ago, the Kindred participated in a society and
shadow-empire called the Camarilla. Tonight, that unity has
been lost. The vampiric world has fragmented into a number
of covenants that vary greatly in practices, beliefs and goals.
One social tradition remains commonplace throughout, how-
ever — that the Kindred of a city should be ruled by the most
powerful and most cunning among them, the Prince. Within
a city, the Prince’s authority is absolute and his word is invio-
late.
Few dare to challenge the Prince directly or openly, but
many covet his power for themselves. Beneath the Prince’s
station are the Primogen, elder vampires assembled to coun-
sel the Prince when he requests it, and who help carry out his
orders. The Primogen spend much of their time plotting and
scheming against one another in a constant game of one-
upmanship, back-biting and power-mongering that some call
the Danse Macabre.
Now your city’s Prince has been destroyed by mysterious
means and a new leader is needed. Each of your city’s Primogen
is the foremost of his or her clan, its elder and representative.
The single Primogen who can prove him or herself superior
to the others will win the mantle of leadership and be crowned
the new Prince of the city.
195.252.6
 Table of Contents 3. Game Contents and Components
1. Introduction 2 The following components are included in the game box:
2. Object of the Game 2 • one rulebook
3. Game Contents and Components 2 • one folding city board
3.1 City Board 3 • one deck of 100 playing cards
3.2 Playing Cards 3 • five character cards
3.3 Character Cards 3 • five unique character miniatures representing each of the
3.4 Character Miniatures 3 five Primogen vampires
3.5 Influence Tokens 3 • five 10-sided dice
3.6 Dice 3 • 3 sheets of punched counters and tokens (which should
3.7 Counters 3 be separated before play)
3.8 Masquerade Token 3 3.1 City Board
4. Setting up the Game 4
The game board represents the city over which players vie
5. Game Turn Sequence 4 for control. It is not so much a specific geographic map as an
5.1 Resource Phase 4 abstract representation of the areas of mortal influence that
5.2 Movement Phase 6 collectively run every aspect of the city. Each zone is clearly
5.3 Challenge Phase 6 demarcated on the board, and they’re all grouped into col-
ored zone categories.
5.4 Influence Phase 8
5.5 Resolution Phase 11 ZONE CATEGORY COLOR
6. Torpor and Leaving the Game 11 Religious Orange
Government Light Blue
7. Timing and Order of Game Effects 11 Business Purple
8. Advanced and Optional Rules 12 Arts and Entertainment Pink
8.1 “10-Again” Rule 12 Research Green
Industry Red
8.2 Exact Player Order 12
Transportation Yellow
8.3 Two-player Game Option 12 Community Dark Blue
9. Glossary 12 The zone in the middle of the board stands alone and rep-
resents Elysium, the one place in the city where vampires can
meet in relative safety.
Each zone (except Elysium) is marked with a number value,
2. Object of the Game which represents the prestige points won for controlling that
Prince of the City is set in the aftermath of a great tragedy zone with influence (as explained later). Elysium cannot be
(or opportunity, depending on your perspective). The former controlled.
Prince of the city has met with Final Death by unknown, A numbered track runs around the perimeter of the board
mysterious means. It’s assumed that one of the elder vampires and is used to track both the number of turns remaining in
of the city, the Primogen, will take his place. the game and each player’s most recently tallied prestige to-
Each player assumes the role of one of the five Primogen of tal.
the city, and his or her goal is to outmaneuver opponents to
become the new Prince. 3.2 Playing Cards
The Primogen who accumulates and holds the most pres- The deck contains 100 playing cards that come in five dif-
tige at the end of the game wins the struggle and is awarded ferent types.
the title of Prince. The game ends after a predetermined num- • Activation cards represent special game effects that play-
ber of turns is played (which allows you to set the length of ers may call upon if they control the zone described on a card.
each game). • Event cards represent a number of different events that
Prestige comes in two equally important forms: personal pres- would not only occur within a city full of vampires, but for
tige and city prestige. Personal prestige is gained primarily by which the local Kindred would turn to the Primogen for a
dealing with troublesome events that arise in the city and response and resolution. Any Primogen who expects to com-
that affect vampire society. City prestige is gained primarily mand the respect due to a Prince had best be able to solve any
by taking control of mortal institutions within the city as rep- crisis that arises. Event cards have a unique card back, but are
resented by zones on the board. At the end of the game, play- shuffled into the same draw deck as all other types of cards.
ers add their personal prestige and city prestige to determine
their total prestige — and who has become the new Prince.

2 vampire: prince of the city

Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com

Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172) 195.252.6

• Retainer and Equipment cards represent people and items
that convey die bonuses or other game effects to a controlling
player.
• Strategy cards represent the different methods that a
Primogen may employ to garner more prestige or resources.
Drawing and playing cards is explained later in section 5.
3.3 Character Cards
Five character cards represent each of the five vampiric clans
and the Attributes of each Primogen.
• Daeva: Sensuous, artistic and hedonistic. Daeva are the
socialites and party-throwers of Kindred society. They possess
supernatural physical power and grace, but it is their majestic
social presence that other Kindred fear most — even while
they cannot help but adore the Daeva for it.
• Gangrel: Animalistic, instinctive and shamanic. Gangrel
are the hunters and mystics of the Kindred world. Few Kin-
dred care to bring these vampires to violence. The clan’s physi-
cal power and toughness is legendary, as are its abilities to
transform undead flesh into the forms of beasts and to sum-
mon creatures of the wild.
• Mekhet: Ideological, intellectual and philosophical. The
Mekhet are the spies and prophets of the Kindred. These of-
ten aloof vampires are supreme strategists. They always seem
to be one step ahead in the Danse Macabre, and when other
vampires seek to oppose clan members, the Mekhet disap-
pear.
• Nosferatu: Monsters, outcasts and freaks. Nosferatu are
the brutes and terrors of the Kindred world, and also the hoard-
ers of its darkest secrets. Anyone opposing the Nosferatu who
is not wary of their physical power and mental cunning comes
to know terror from the clan’s nightmarish control of fear it-
self.
• Ventrue: Royalty, generals and autocrats. The Ventrue
are leaders and champions. These undead take command of
any man or beast as suits their whims.
The numbered Attributes on each character card represent
a vampire’s ability to perform mental, physical and social chal-
lenges. A high score represents good ability, while low score
represents poor ability.
Each character card also describes the supernatural blood
powers called Disciplines that a Primogen commands. Unless
noted otherwise in their descriptions, Disciplines cost one Vitae
to use and each Discipline may be used only once each game turn.
“Vitae” is the term the Kindred apply to blood, the cherished
fluid that animates their undead bodies.
3.4 Character Miniatures
There are five unique character miniatures included in the
game, each of which is associated with a particular character
card. These tokens are used to represent the physical location
of each player’s Primogen on the city board.
3.5 Influence Tokens
These pieces are used throughout the game to represent
the influence a Primogen wields. When a player has more
Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com
Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172)
cosmopolitan coteries 3
chapter one
influence tokens on a zone than any other player, he or she
controls that zone and the portion of mortal society it repre-
sents. A Primogen’s city prestige is determined by the total
prestige values of the zones he or she controls.
DAEVA GANGREL MEKHET
NOSFERATU VENTRUE
3.6 Dice
A number of 10-sided dice are used to resolve challenges,
influence contests and other game effects.
A player must abide by the most recent score rolled on any
die, and cannot opt to use a previous score if a game effect has
caused a die to be re-rolled. A die may, however, be re-rolled
any number of times should game effects call for it. Game
effects that call for a die to be re-rolled may be used on a die
rolled by any player in any challenge or influence contest,
not just on a die rolled by the player using the re-roll effect.
Players often assist one another (temporarily at least). Each
player rolls the dice he or she contributes to a challenge or
influence contest.
3.7 Counters
The bulk of counters used represents the amount of Vitae
(vampiric blood) and personal prestige a Primogen has at any
given time. These counters are paid out to players from the
“bank” as Vitae and personal prestige are gained, and paid
back to the “bank” as Vitae and personal prestige are spent or
lost.
VITAE PRESTIGE
3.8 Masquerade Token
As the Primogen engage in their struggle for the Prince-
dom, their activities inevitably threaten the Masquerade, the
formal name vampire society gives to its efforts to remain hid-
den from mortal knowledge. Lest the Masquerade and thereby
all vampires be threatened, Kindred society will not allow the
struggle to go on too long before a Prince must be chosen.
The Masquerade token serves as a turn marker, counting
down the number of turns remaining in the game on the num-
195.252.6
 bered track on the outside edge of the board (the same track
used to mark prestige).
MASQUERADE
(TURN MARKER)
4. Setting up the Game
Unfold the game board and distribute a random character
card to each player (or players may choose cards if they pre-
fer). Any spare character cards should be placed back in the
box, as they are not used during the course of the game.
Each player selects the miniature associated with his char-
acter and places it in the Elysium zone in the center of the
board. Each player should then take his set of influence to-
kens (the clan insignia on your tokens matches that on your
character card), as well as six Vitae counters.
Players then decide how many turns they would like to play.
A short game lasts six turns (approximately two hours), a
medium-length game lasts nine turns (approximately three
hours), and a long game lasts twelve turns (approximately four
hours). It’s not recommended to play for less than six turns or
more than twelve. Fewer players can play through turns more
quickly than a larger group, of course.
Place the Masquerade token on the numbered slot of the
scoring track on the perimeter of the board that corresponds
to the number of turns to be played. At the beginning of each
new turn (including the first turn of the game), players move
the Masquerade token down one space on the track. The
Masquerade token always indicates how many full turns re-
main to be played after the current turn ends. The game ends
when the Masquerade token rests on zero at the end of a turn.
Shuffle the deck of playing cards. Have a player cut the
deck blindly, and then place the deck facedown on the card
silhouette on the board. If an Event card is the top card on
the deck after the cut (recognizable by its unique card back),
put the Event card into play as normal per the rules on draw-
ing and playing cards, detailed below. Remaining Vitae
counters and the personal prestige counters should be placed
in two separate “bank” piles to one side of the board within
easy reach of all players.
5. Game Turn Sequence
Prince of the City is a turn-based game, with each turn
consisting of a number of separate phases that are played in
sequence. The order of each turn is as follows:
1. Resource Phase
2. Movement Phase
3. Challenge Phase
4. Influence Phase
5. Resolution Phase
4 vampire: prince of the city
Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com
Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172)
During each phase of each turn, play begins with the Re-
gent (see below), and then moves clockwise around the board
until each player has had the opportunity to act in that phase.
Play then moves on to the next phase.
The vampire with the highest total Prestige from the previ-
ous turn is the Regent for the new turn and play begins with
her. If this is the first turn, roll a die to see who goes first.
5.1 Resource Phase
The first phase of each turn is the Resource Phase. This
phase is when players marshal the tools at their disposal to
put themselves at an advantage. Before the Regent begins her
Resource Phase, players should move the Masquerade token
down one spot on the track. If the Masquerade token is moved
to the zero spot, then this will be the last turn of the game.
During the Resource Phase, each player may take two re-
source actions from the following list.
RESOURCE ACTIONS
• Draw a card from the deck
• Hunt to gain one Vitae
• Consume a retainer to gain two Vitae
• Recover from or rescue another Primogen
from torpor
• Perform an alternative resource action (as
defined by a card in play)
During the Resource Phase, in addition to taking resource
actions, players may also trade with or give away cards, Vitae
counters or influence tokens to each other (see below).
5.1.1 Drawing and Playing Cards
A player who opts to draw a card takes the top card from
the deck and places it in her hand. The card is hidden from
other players’ view, and the effects described do not take ef-
fect until the card is put into play face-up.
A player can hold no more than three hidden cards in her
hand at any one time (unless game effects dictate otherwise).
If a player draws more cards than her hand size allows, she
must immediately play, discard or give away cards until she
holds a legal number of hidden cards.
With the exception of the secondary effects of Strategy and
Activation cards (discussed below), cards held in a player’s
hand may be put into play only during the Resource Phase,
while the player is the acting Primogen (before she passes play
clockwise to the next player in the Resource Phase). If a player
should for any reason draw cards outside the Resource Phase,
she must hold them in her hand until a subsequent turn’s
Resource Phase, or she must discard them immediately.
To put a card in play, a player simply places it face-up in
front of herself in view of all others. Once a card is in play, the
effects described are considered active. A card in play cannot
be returned to a player’s hand, although it may be discarded
by the controlling player at any time.
A player may have no more than five cards face-up in play
at any one time (unless game effects dictate otherwise). If a
player plays or takes control of cards that would exceed this
limit, she must discard or give away cards immediately until
she is within the five-card limit.
195.252.6

Again, the limits are three cards in hand and five cards in play.
Most cards are not of any play value while held in hand.
Their effect is realized only once they’re put into play face-up
(timing when to put certain cards into play is an important
element of strategy). An exception to this rule is the second-
ary effects of Activation cards and Strategy cards. These cards
have a secondary effect printed in italics that reads:
Discard from your hand at any time to add or subtract one
from the score of any die.
Secondary
Effect
This secondary effect may be used during any roll in the
game, even during a roll by another player or during a chal-
lenge or influence contest in which the card player is not in-
volved. A player reveals and discards the Strategy or Activa-
tion card and announces on whom the card effect shall be
used. The card must be played from the hand to get the sec-
ondary effect. Once the card is put into play face-up, its sec-
ondary effect can no longer be invoked.
Event Card Draw Card
Event cards are handled differently than any other card type.
Event cards are easy recognizable as the reverse of each has a
different design from other types of cards. If an Event card ever
lies on top of the deck, it is drawn immediately and put into play
face-up near the game board. Thus, events unfold in the city
during the game as players use their resource actions to draw
cards from the deck and thereby reveal Event cards, which
are put into play immediately. Event cards are not controlled
by any player, and do not count toward the number of cards a
player may draw, hold or have in play. Resolving Event cards
is explained in the Challenge Phase rules. Finally, each Event
card lists a game effect that remains active for as long as the
Event card is in play. Follow the instructions for the event
shown.
Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com
Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172)
cosmopolitan coteries 5
chapter one
If a card leaves play for any reason, it should be placed face-
up in the discard pile. If the deck of playing cards ever runs
out, shuffle the discard pile, have a player cut the deck blindly,
and place the cards face-down in the deck silhouette so that
the cards may be re-used.
Any rule on a card that seems to contradict a standard game
rule written here takes precedence over these rules.
5.1.2 Hunting
All vampires need blood to sustain them and power their
supernatural Disciplines. As Primogen expend Vitae, they must
replenish their supply by preying on the city’s mortal herd.
Any player who opts to hunt as an action gains one Vitae
(he takes a Vitae counter from the bank).
A player may not possess more than six Vitae. Any extra
Vitae gained beyond six are discarded.
5.1.3 Consuming a Retainer
Once addicted to the power of vampiric blood, mortals live
and die to serve their undead masters. As an alternative to
hunting, a player may choose to use a resource action to dis-
card a Retainer card he controls to gain two Vitae (he takes
two Vitae counters from the bank).
5.1.4 Recovering or Rescuing from Torpor
Torpor is a comatose condition to which vampires succumb
when they are grievously injured or out of Vitae to nourish
their undead bodies. As explained more fully later, the char-
acter miniature of a Primogen in torpor is temporarily removed
from the board.
A Primogen in torpor recovers during the Resource Phase.
The player must use his first resource action of the phase to
return his Primogen to the board, placing his miniature in the
Elysium zone and gaining one Vitae from the bank. The player
will usually want to then use his second resource action to
hunt or to consume a retainer to gain more Vitae.
Any player may take a resource action to rescue another
Primogen in torpor, placing the roused Primogen’s miniature
in the same zone that the rescuing player occupies. The res-
cued vampire still receives one Vitae from the bank, and the
rescuing player may also grant or trade additional Vitae to the
rescued player (see below).
5.1.5 Performing Alternative Resource Actions
While in play and face-up, some cards provide additional
resource action possibilities as explained on the cards.
5.1.6 Gifting and Trading
Players who are within range (see definition below) of each
other during the Resource Phase may voluntary give away or
exchange Vitae counters or cards in any amount or combina-
tion.
Two players are considered to be in range of one another if
they occupy the same zone or two connected, adjacent zones
on the city board.
In addition, once each Resource Phase a player may choose
one (and only one) of his influence tokens in play on a zone
and give it to another player in range (so long as the other
player agrees to receive the gift). The granting player removes
195.252.6
 his token and the receiving player replaces it with one of her
own.
If two players are in range and both agree, they may also
swap one influence token. For example, Rob agrees to ex-
change his influence token on City Hall for Lucy’s token on
the Airport.
A player may give away or trade only one influence token
each Resource Phase, although he may receive any number of
tokens as gifts.
If the movement of influence tokens results in a new player
having more influence tokens on a zone than any other player,
that player immediately gains control of the zone (see the
Influence Phase for more details).
5.2 Movement Phase
In the Movement Phase, each player (starting with the
Regent and moving clockwise around the board) may place
his or her character miniature on any zone of the board.
Once placed, the character miniature cannot be moved
again until the Movement Phase of the next turn (unless game
effects dictate otherwise).
A player must place his or her miniature somewhere on the
board (unless game effects dictate otherwise, such as when in
torpor).
A player may place his or her miniature in a zone already
occupied by another player’s miniature, or in a zone that’s
occupied by any type of token (unless game effects dictate
otherwise).
A player is not forced to move. If she chooses not to, her
miniature is left in the same zone that it occupied in the last
turn.
5.3 Challenge Phase
During the Challenge Phase, each player (starting with the
Regent and moving clockwise around the table) declares one
challenge. A player may choose from two types of challenges:
a player challenge, which targets an opponent, or an event chal-
lenge, which targets an Event card in play.
A player may declare only one challenge each turn (unless
game effects dictate otherwise). If a player chooses not to (or
is not able to) declare a challenge, play passes to the next
player until each has had an opportunity to declare a chal-
lenge.
5.3.1 Player Challenges
A player challenge may be declared only if a designated
opponent lies within range (in the same zone or an adjacent
zone on the board) of your miniature. The acting player
chooses the type of challenge — mental, physical or social.
Both the acting player and the target roll one die each, add-
ing the appropriate matching Attribute from their character
cards. The player who scores the highest is declared the win-
ner, and may apply one of the following effects to the loser.
• Mental Challenge Effects: Steal one Strategy card of your
choice that the loser has face-up in play, or steal one influ-
ence token from the loser in the next Influence Phase (the
winner gets one additional influence token for bidding in the
6 vampire: prince of the city
Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com
Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172)
next Influence Phase, while the loser gets one less — see the
Influence Phase rules).
• Physical Challenge Effects: Steal one Equipment card
of your choice controlled by the loser, or steal up to three
Vitae counters from the loser.
• Social Challenge Effects: Steal one Retainer card of your
choice controlled by the loser, or steal up to two personal pres-
tige counters from the loser.
A winning player may decline to apply the winning effect
upon the loser (or reduce the effect) if he or she so chooses.
In the case of tied scores in a player challenge, there is no
effect on either party.
Note that if the winner of a physical challenge elects to
steal all of the Vitae the loser has left, the loser must go into
torpor (see rules for torpor in section 6). The winner never
receives more Vitae than the loser has counters remaining,
and if the loser’s Vitae loss is prevented (such as with the
Resilience Discipline), the winner receives no Vitae.
Anyone who declares a player challenge against a target in
Elysium (or if the challenger is in Elysium himself) loses per-
sonal prestige for breaking Kindred etiquette. If the challenge
is social or mental, the challenger loses one personal prestige.
If the challenge is physical, the challenger loses three per-
sonal prestige. This loss is applied on each challenge declared,
whether it’s successful or not.
Example: Lucy plays the Ventrue Primogen and during the
Challenge Phase opts to declare a player challenge against Rob (who
plays the Nosferatu Primogen). Their character miniatures are in
range of each other. Lucy chooses a social challenge. She knows it
puts Rob at a disadvantage since the Nosferatu have a low social
Attribute. Each player rolls a single die. After adding their social
Attributes and any other appropriate modifiers to the results of
their die rolls, Lucy gets a total of 18 and Rob gets a total of 11.
Lucy wins the challenge, and from her options elects to steal Rob’s
Professional Fixer Retainer card. The Ventrue Primogen easily
manipulates the fixer’s loyalties to her cause.
USING DISCIPLINES AND CARD EFFECTS
DURING CHALLENGES AND INFLUENCE
CONTESTS
Primogen have many tools at their disposal to
assist them in overcoming obstacles to their
ambitions, be it use of special equipment, the skills
of trained retainers, or the terrifying power of
their Disciplines. Unless the rules of a Discipline
or card state otherwise, their use and effect must
be declared and any costs paid before dice are
rolled for a challenge (whether it’s a player
challenge or an event challenge), or before dice
are rolled for an influence contest (see Influence
Phase rules, below). Players may keep declaring
game effects in any order until all players decline
to take further measures, at which point the
challenge or influence contest is rolled.
Some card effects may be used after dice are
rolled. These include re-roll effects and the
secondary effects of Strategy or Activation cards
played from the hand “at any time.” Any re-roll
effects obviously apply after the initial roll of a
195.252.6

die, and multiple re-roll effects can be used
sequentially such that the same die may be re-
rolled several times. All players have the
opportunity to keep playing game effects and
modifying the outcome of a challenge or contest
after the dice are rolled. Once all players decline
to play further effects, the challenge or contest is
resolved.
Example: Sarah is the Daeva Primogen, and during the
Challenge Phase chooses to declare a player challenge against
Jim the Mekhet (their character miniatures are in range of
each other this turn and Jim has not activated his Obfuscate
Discipline in the turn). Sarah chooses a physical challenge.
To help insure her victory, she lets her Kindred blood flow
and spends a Vitae to power her Vigor Discipline, giving her
one extra die to roll on physical challenges. Sarah rolls two
dice and Jim rolls one, and each adds his or her physical At-
tribute. Sarah rolls poorly and scores a total of 11, while Jim
scores 10.
Jim would normally lose. He decides to use his Lucky Talis-
man card, though, which allows him to force the re-roll of any one
die. Jim re-rolls his own die, and with his new die result his score is
12.
In response, Sarah discards two Activation cards from her
hand to use their secondary effects to boost her score from 11
to 13, so she’s beating Jim again. After exhorting promises of
future assistance from Jim, Lucy plays a Strategy card and an
Activation card from her hand for their secondary effects and
boosts Jim’s score up to 14.
No other Primogen has an effect to play, so Jim wins the chal-
lenge and elects to steal three Vitae counters from Sarah. Sarah
only has two Vitae remaining, so Jim takes both of those and Sarah’s
Daeva Primogen is in torpor.
5.3.2 Event Challenges
An event challenge is handled in a similar manner as a
player challenge. For event challenges, however, the type of
challenge (mental, physical, social or territorial) is dictated
by the card, and rather than rolling against an opponent, the
acting player must score equal to or higher than the given
difficulty number printed on the Event card.
If the acting player scores equal to or higher than the event’s
difficulty number, the player resolves the event challenge suc-
cessfully. The Event card is discarded, and the player may claim
the amount of personal prestige on the “Acting Player” line
of the card, taking that many personal prestige counters from
the “bank.”
If the acting player scores lower than the given difficulty
number, the player fails to resolve the event challenge suc-
cessfully. The Event card remains in play and any player with
challenges left to declare this phase may declare challenges
on it. The failing player suffers a personal prestige loss equal
to the amount listed on the “Acting Player” line of the Event
card. That many personal prestige counters are paid back into
the “bank.” If the penalty is greater than the player’s personal
prestige, his score drops to zero. Players never “owe the bank”
personal prestige beyond what they have to lose, and personal
prestige losses never affect a player’s city prestige.
Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com
Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172)
cosmopolitan coteries 7
chapter one
The personal prestige amount listed on the “Acting Player”
line of an Event card is both the reward if the player succeeds
and the penalty if the player fails. Kindred respect those who
take control of their worlds, but rumor-mongering Harpies
mock those who fail.
Example: It’s Rob’s turn to act and he chooses to challenge the
Event card Drunken Vandal. The card poses a physical challenge
with a difficulty of 18. Rob’s Nosferatu Primogen has a physical
Attribute of 7, and the Discipline of Vigor, so Rob spends one
Vitae to gain an additional die. In addition, Rob has the Brass
Knuckles card in play, which adds one point to his final score. Rob
rolls two dice (one base die and one for Vigor) and adds eight (7 for
his Physical Attribute and one for Brass Knuckles). He scores a
total of 21. Since his total is greater than the difficulty of 18, he
resolves Drunken Vandal successfully and claims the “Acting
Player” reward listed on the card (three personal prestige).
TERRITORIAL-TYPE EVENT CHALLENGES
In addition to the mental, physical and social
challenges that are applied in event challenges,
there’s a fourth type based on territorial control
of the city. If such an event challenge is attempted,
the acting player adds the number of zones he
controls to the roll, rather than adding an
Attribute. Similarly, assisting players (see below)
add the number of zones they control in lieu of
an Attribute.
Example: It’s Lucy’s turn to act and she chooses to challenge
the Event card Strained Vitae Supply. The card poses a territo-
rial challenge with a difficulty of 15. Lucy currently controls only
three zones, so the result of her base die gets a +3 modifier. She
spends one Vitae to use her Ventrue Primogen’s Dominate Disci-
pline to get an extra die for the territorial challenge. She also agrees
to let Rob’s Nosferatu Primogen assist her. Rob controls four zones,
so he lends an extra +4 to the total score on the challenge. Lucy
rolls two dice and adds 7, but scores a total of only 13, less than
the challenge’s difficulty of 15. Having lost the challenge, Lucy
and Rob consult the card to find that Lucy loses two personal pres-
tige as the “Acting Player” and Rob loses one personal prestige as
an “Assisting Player.”
5.3.3 Assisting a Challenge
Other players may assist during both player challenges and
event challenges.
When a player challenge is declared, and before any dice
are rolled or Discipline or card effects are used, any players in
range of the target may assist either the acting player or the
target player. Assisting players add their own Attributes (and
any other modifiers from cards or Disciplines, but not an extra
base die) to the relevant player’s score.
Any number and combination of players may seek to assist
either side of the same challenge. Players may announce, with-
draw or change their assistance. The player who issued the
challenge may even rescind the challenge in the face of in-
creased opposition (but the player cannot then make a new
challenge this phase in place of the rescinded challenge).
Once all players “pass” on committing, withdrawing or
switching sides, then play continues to the use of Disciplines
and card effects. Players are then committed to their chosen
195.252.6
 stance through the end of challenge. To be clear, it is possible
for a treacherous Primogen to announce his assistance and
promise his allies that he will use his Disciplines or other re-
sources in the coming challenge, but then once the challenge
proceeds, withhold the use of those powers and resources. The
treacherous player’s Attribute is still added to his side’s chal-
lenge score.
When players assist a player challenge and lose, the winner
may chose one of the challenge effects for each and every
losing player. For example, if a player wins a social challenge
against a target and one assisting player, the winner might
steal a Retainer card from the target player and steal personal
prestige counters from the assisting player.
The winner may also award any portion of cards, personal
prestige counters, Vitae or influence tokens won to players
who assisted her, but is under no obligation to do so (despite
what any conniving Kindred might have said when the alli-
ance was forged).
Any player, regardless of range, may also assist an acting
player who declares an event challenge. The assisting player
adds his appropriate Attribute (and any other modifiers) to
the score of the challenge, but does not contribute an extra
base die. Players assisting in territorial event challenges add
the number of zones they control to the score. Again, players
may withdraw their support and the acting player may even
withdraw the challenge at any point before Disciplines or card
effects are played or the dice are rolled. When players assist
an event challenge, they receive the personal prestige listed
on the Event card for “Assisting Players” as an award or a
penalty, depending on the outcome of the challenge.
A challenging player may always decline other players’ as-
sistance. Though that seldom happens in player challenges,
the acting player may not want to let certain opponents join
in the potential prestige awards of assisting in an event chal-
lenge.
Example: Sarah’s Daeva chooses to try and resolve the Influ-
ence Endangered Event card in play, which is described as a mental
challenge with a difficulty of 18. Her mental Attribute is only 3,
which alone is certainly not enough to resolve the challenge suc-
cessfully.
She asks Jim’s Mekhet for assistance since he can contribute his
mental Attribute of 7, a possible extra die with his Auspex Disci-
pline, and also an additional three points to the score due to the
Laptop Computer card that he controls. Jim agrees to assist, and
Sarah declines to allow any other player to assist her, so play con-
tinues.
Jim agrees to spend a Vitae to use his Auspex Discipline. Sarah
rolls the base die for her challenge and scores only 3. Jim rolls the
die gained from Auspex and scores a 6. The total score of both
dice, both of their Attributes and Jim’s Laptop Computer card
comes to 22. This is enough to resolve the challenge successfully.
Per the Influence Endangered Event card, Sarah gains three per-
sonal prestige counters as the acting player, and Jim gains two as
the assisting player. If they had failed the event, Sarah would have
lost three personal prestige and Jim would have lost two.
5.4 Influence Phase
8 vampire: prince of the city
Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com
Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172)
Kindred society is inexorably linked to the mortal world on
which vampires prey. Throughout the ages, Kindred have
found it beneficial to garner influence in mortal institutions
to both insure their safety and to gain standing in the Danse
Macabre, the undead power game. Indeed, a vampire who
controls the most influential elements of mortal society is to
be respected and feared. He or she is a Kindred worthy of
becoming the new Prince of the city.
The undead use any means at their disposal to gain power,
from making ghouls of mortals and loyal servants, to corpo-
rate-ownership shell games, to acting as anonymous benefac-
tors, to bribery, murder and coercion. The results of all of these
methods are represented in Prince of the City by influence
tokens.
Control of a city zone and thus control of the mortal orga-
nizations it represents is determined by the placement of in-
fluence tokens. When the game begins, no players have in-
fluence tokens on the board. During each Influence Phase,
each player may attempt to place influence tokens to lay claim
to zones and thereby gain city prestige. A player controls a
city zone when he has more influence tokens on it than any
other player.
At the beginning of the Influence Phase, each player takes
a number of influence tokens from her “bank” of spare to-
kens. A player normally takes three tokens, plus an additional
one for each of the player’s domains. A player has a domain
when she controls all of the zones of a certain colored. For
example, Sarah controls the Cathedral, the Synagogue and
the Mosque (she has the most influence tokens in each), so
she has a domain over the orange, religious zones of the city.
Domains can also be established with certain Strategy cards if
a player controls the selection of zones specified on the Strat-
egy card.
If an influence token was stolen as a result of a mental chal-
lenge between players in the turn’s Challenge Phase, the win-
ner draws one extra influence token in the Influence Phase,
and the loser draws one less.
A player’s “bank” of spare influence tokens is limitless, so
in the unlikely event that a player runs out of her clan-insig-
nia tokens, players can improvise others (coins, glass beads or
the tokens of a clan not being played in the current game).
Example: At the beginning of the Influence Phase, Lucy doesn’t
control any domains, so she draws the normal three influence
tokens.
Example: At the beginning of the Influence Phase, Sarah has
two domains. She controls all of the Industrial category (red) and
all three zones required by her City Services Domain Strategy
card. She therefore draws a total of five influence tokens (3+2)
this turn.
Example: At the beginning of the Influence Phase, Rob notes
that he lost a mental player challenge to Jim in the previous phase,
and as Jim stole an influence token, Rob draws only two influence
tokens (3–1), and Jim draws four (3+1). Neither Rob nor Jim
controls any domains.
5.4.1 Bidding Influence
195.252.6

Once all players draw their influence tokens, influence at-
tempts are made to get the new influence tokens onto zones
of the board. Beginning with the Regent and going clock-
wise, each player targets a zone for an influence attempt, bids
one or more of his available influence tokens and resolves
that bid attempt. Thus, unlike other game phases, play may
pass around the players several times during each Influence
Phase as players vie for the different zones to which they as-
sign available influence tokens.
When a player’s order in sequence comes around, she may
refrain from making an influence attempt, passing play on to
the next player. If a player ever opts to pass, she may only bid
influence tokens to contest other players for the remainder of
the Influence Phase (see below). She may no longer target
zones for bid attempts of her own that turn.
A player without any influence tokens remaining to bid
this turn cannot make an influence attempt and must pass.
Once all players have passed, the phase ends, and any un-
used influence tokens are discarded (they are not accumu-
lated from turn to turn).
During each Influence Phase, all players must keep the num-
ber of remaining influence tokens they have available for bid-
ding in view of all other players, and they may be counted at
any time.
For each influence attempt, the acting player targets a zone.
The targeted zone must either:
• Be in range (the zone the player’s miniature occupies or
an adjacent one)
• Or, be any zone of the same color as a zone the player
already controls
Once a target zone has been selected, the acting player bids
one or more of her available influence tokens that she wishes
to see placed permanently on that zone.
If the influence attempt is not contested by any other player
or game effect, then the tokens are placed on the target zone
immediately. If the bid is contested by any other player or
game effect, then an influence contest (see below) must be re-
solved.
5.4.2 Contesting Influence
During an influence attempt, any other player in range of
the target zone or who controls a zone of the same color as the
target may also bid one or more available influence tokens to
contest the acting player’s influence attempt. Players may also
contest an influence attempt using any existing tokens that
have already been made permanent in a designated zone or
zones of that same color, and/or with their character minia-
tures if they are on the target zone (see the rules below).
Once an influence attempt has been contested, all eligible
players (including the acting player) may bid additional in-
fluence tokens on the target zone. This additional bidding
may take place in any order and continues until all players
have declined to bid more tokens, or they use other special
abilities such as card effects or Disciplines. Once this bidding
ends, each of the opposing players must resolve an influence
contest. In influence contests, players receive the following
dice and bonuses for their rolls.
Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com
Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172)
cosmopolitan coteries 9
chapter one
INFLUENCE CONTESTS
• +1 die per influence token being bid
• +1 die for each of the Primogen’s existing
influence tokens already in play on the target zone
• +1 point bonus per existing influence token
already in play on a zone of the same color as the
target zone
• +4 point bonus if a participating player’s
character miniature is in the target zone
In addition, players may receive other bonuses or penalties
from other game affects (e.g., from the Dominate Discipline).
The highest scoring player in the influence contest may
add the influence tokens she bid (if any) to the target zone on
the city board. Any other influence tokens bid by other play-
ers are discarded. In the case of a tie for the highest score, no
player wins and all bid tokens are discarded.
Additional players may bid influence tokens or apply their
modifiers to assist the acting player, or to assist any opposing
players. When players combine their influence in this fash-
ion, all tokens bid by the successful players are added to the
target zone. A player may combine his influence token bid or
modifiers to another player’s only with that player’s permis-
sion. A player is never forced to accept assistance from an-
other during an influence contest. Once permission is granted,
though, the assisting player is not restricted on how many
influence tokens he may bid in the influence contest. This
flexibility becomes important as the assisting player could end
up controlling the zone (see “Influence and Zone Control”
below).
5.4.3 Influence Examples
The following is an example of a possible Influence Phase
early in a four-player game.
Example: Lucy, Rob, Sarah and Jim have just begun the
Influence Phase. Since no one has a domain yet and no mental
player challenges resulted in the transfer of influence tokens in the
previous Challenge Phase, each player draws three influence tokens
with which to make bids this turn.
Lucy is Regent, so she makes the first influence attempt. She
targets the Fashion Circuit zone. She chooses to bid one of her
three influence tokens. Since no player is in range of that zone,
and no players yet control any other Arts and Entertainment zones,
no player may oppose Lucy’s influence attempt. Lucy’s attempt is
automatically successful. She places her token on the zone.
Rob then chooses to target the University zone for his influence
attempt. He bids one of his three influence tokens. Sarah is within
range of the University and chooses to contest Rob’s attempt,
bidding two influence tokens. Rob decides to bid an additional
token of his own in response, and the remaining players decline
(or are unable) to participate. Both Sarah and Rob roll two dice.
Rob scores 12 and Sarah scores 7. As Rob achieved the higher
score, he places the two influence tokens he bid on the zone, while
the influence tokens that Sarah bid are discarded. If Sarah had
beat Rob, she would have placed her two influence tokens on the
zone instead (and Rob’s bid tokens would have been discarded).
It’s then Sarah’s turn. She only has one influence token left to
bid this phase and chooses to place it on the Morgue. Although
195.252.6
 other players have influence tokens available to bid and are within therefore score 5 or more on his roll to succeed. If Rob gets 1 to 4
range, they decline to oppose, allowing her to add this token (4 being a tie), he fails to influence the zone successfully and the
automatically. influence token he bid is discarded. If his character miniature had
also been on the Sewers, he could have added his own miniature
Jim is last and bids one influence token on the Nightclub Circuit.
bonus of +4 to succeed in the attempt.
Lucy objects and is in range of the Nightclub Circuit, so she contests
Jim’s influence attempt by bidding her remaining two influence Example (multiple players): Rob announces an influence
tokens against him. Jim then bids his two remaining influence attempt on the Corporate Sector. He bids one influence token,
tokens, giving him three dice to roll against her two. Lucy also but Sarah bids two of her own to contest him. Lucy decides to help
receives a +1 point bonus to her score on the influence contest, Rob, bidding two tokens, and Rob agrees to the assistance. Jim
because she has one influence token already in play on the Fashion then decides to help Sarah. With Sarah’s agreement, Jim bids an
Circuit zone (which is the same color as the Nightclub Circuit). additional token of his own. So, both teams of Rob and Lucy,
Nevertheless, Jim scores higher and gets to place all three of his Sarah and Jim, bid three tokens each.
tokens on the zone, while Lucy’s are discarded.
They check other possible modifiers. Rob’s character miniature
Since Rob has one influence token still available, play passes is at the Corporate Sector (+4 points) and Lucy has a total of
around the board once more. Lucy has no influence tokens three influence tokens already placed on other purple city zones
available and must pass. Rob chooses to influence the Docks with (+3 points). So, Rob and Lucy roll a total of three dice and add
his remaining token. Going unopposed, he places the token on the +7 to their score.
zone automatically.
Sarah already has one influence token on the Corporate Sector
All players have spent their available influence tokens for the zone (+1 die) and Jim is playing the Ventrue and elects to spend
turn, so play moves on to the Resolution Phase. one Vitae to use his Dominate Discipline (+1 die). So, Sarah and
Jim roll a total of five dice.
The following examples illustrate other rules about influ-
ence contests. Fate smiles on Rob and Lucy as they get the highest total. Sarah
Example (using bonuses from tokens in the target zone): and Jim’s bid tokens (but not Sarah’s token already in the zone)
Sarah makes an influence attempt and targets the Morgue. She are discarded. Rob places his one bid token and Lucy places her
already has one token in that zone, and Rob has two in it. Rob two bid tokens on the Corporate Sector.
declares that he will contest Sarah’s influence attempt with his two
5.4.4 Influence and Zone Control
existing tokens. Sarah bids one of her available influence tokens
for the turn, plus she gains a die for her influence token already on To claim control of a zone, a player must have more influ-
the zone, so both players roll two dice. Sarah scores higher than ence tokens in play on it than any other player. The player
Rob; his opposition fails. Sarah adds the token she bid to the zone controlling the zone moves her stack of influence tokens onto
so that she and Rob now both have two in it. If Rob had won, he the zone controller circle to mark her control of the zone (this
would not have added any tokens to the zone as he did not bid any makes tallying city prestige in the Resolution Phase a bit
new ones, and Sarah would have lost the token she bid but kept faster). In the Resolution Phase, players count the prestige
the one already in the zone prior to her influence attempt. listed on the zones they control to determine their total city
prestige.
Example (using bonuses from tokens in other like-colored
zones): Jim makes an influence attempt and targets Little Italy,
much to Lucy’s displeasure. He bids one influence token, which
gives him one die to roll. Jim does not control any Community
zones, but Lucy controls the Latin Quarter, Nobility Hill and
Chinatown, with a total of four influence tokens in play on those
three zones. Lucy announces that she will contest Jim’s influence
attempt. Although she does not want to bid any influence tokens
in the influence contest, she can still contest Jim using the +4
point bonus she gains from her tokens already play. Jim must
therefore score a 5 or more on his roll to win the influence contest
and add his bid token to Little Italy. Had Lucy decided to bid a
token, she would have rolled one die for the token and added her
+4 bonus to her score versus Jim’s single die for his bid token.
Example (using bonuses from character miniatures): Rob
chooses to make an influence attempt on the Sewers, and bids one
token in the attempt. Unfortunately, Lucy’s character miniature
is also on the Sewers, and she decides to contest Rob using only City prestiege Zone Controller
the +4 point bonus from her miniature to contest Rob’s attempt for controlling
(rather than also bidding influence tokens in opposition). Rob must
this zone

10 vampire: prince of the city

Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com

Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172) 195.252.6

A zone with no tokens on it is considered uncontrolled. If
two or more players have an equal number of tokens on a
zone, there’s no clear leader in the zone and it’s considered
uncontrolled.
If a player has an Activation card in play that corresponds
to a zone the player controls, he may utilize the activation
effect described on the card.
Whenever new tokens are added to or subtracted from a
zone, the zone should be checked for any change of control.
It’s possible for control of a zone to change hands several
times in one Influence Phase.
When multiple players bid influence tokens on a zone dur-
ing an influence contest, it’s also possible that an assisting
player rather than the acting one could gain control. In the
last example above, Lucy assisted Rob. She bid more influ-
ence tokens than he did, and they won the contest. After she
placed the tokens she bid, she gained control of the zone.
5.5 Resolution Phase
During the Resolution Phase, all players count and declare
their total prestige scores, combining any personal prestige
counters with any city prestige gained from any zones con-
trolled on the board. Each player records his new total pres-
tige score for the turn by placing a clan insignia influence
token on the prestige track running on the outside edge of
the board. Prestige is not cumulative turn after turn, but rather
is recounted and reset each Resolution Phase.
If this is not the last turn of the game, play continues with
the highest prestige player becoming Regent for the next turn.
If this is the last turn of the game, the highest prestige player
is the winner and new Prince of the city.
In the event of tied prestige scores, the player with control
of the most total zones on the board is declared winner (or
Regent for the next turn). If the number of zones is also tied,
count the number of influence tokens on the board. If the
number of tokens is also the same, then play continues for
another turn.
If a player’s character miniature is not present on the board
(he’s in torpor) during the Resolution Phase, his total pres-
tige should still be counted, but he cannot be declared Re-
gent or winner. The title goes to the player with the next
highest prestige total, and whose miniature is on the board.
If the game continues, each and every player must lose one
Vitae counter at the end of each Resolution Phase, returning
it to the bank. If a player has no Vitae left as a result, he
immediately goes into torpor (see below).
5.5.1 Counting Prestige
All players gain city prestige from the control of zones on
the board. The prestige value of each individual zone is marked
as a number on the zone. During each Resolution Phase, each
player should count this prestige to find his total current city
prestige for the turn. A bonus of three city prestige is gained
for each domain that a player controls. Like counting all pres-
Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com
Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172)
cosmopolitan coteries 11
chapter one
tige, this bonus is temporary and should not be recounted in
subsequent Resolution Phases if the domain subsequently is
lost (i.e., the player loses control of one or more of the zones
in that color category, or zones specified on a Domain Strat-
egy card).
In addition to city prestige, players gain personal prestige
counters from successfully challenging Event cards, stealing
personal prestige in a social player challenge, by performing
actions specified on Strategy cards they have in play, or from
any other prestige gain not linked to control of city zones.
Personal prestige is tracked by taking prestige counters from
the bank when prestige is gained, or by paying it back to the
bank when personal prestige counters are lost. If a player loses
more personal prestige than he has counters to pay back to
the bank, the surplus loss is ignored.
During each Resolution Phase, each player should tally his
new prestige total, recording this total on the tracker pro-
vided for all other players to see. The tracker should be used
only during the Resolution Phase, and players should not at-
tempt to adjust their prestige totals or keep a running score
during any other phase of the turn.
6. Torpor and Leaving the Game
If a player is reduced to zero Vitae, his Primogen goes into
torpor, a nightmarish sleep that vampires suffer to recuperate.
When a player is in torpor, her character miniature is removed
from the board. The piece may not be returned until the Re-
source Phase of a subsequent turn.
Players in torpor may not draw cards, exchange or bestow
resources, participate in challenges or bid influence tokens.
A player in torpor cannot be named Regent or win the game.
A player in torpor may still assist or contest influence at-
tempts made by other players if the torpid player has any rel-
evant influence tokens on the board, although she cannot
bid new tokens to initiate any attempt or to contest another
player’s influence attempt.
A Primogen in torpor may not be the target of a player
challenge, and is not subject to any positive or negative ef-
fects caused by any Event cards in play.
If a player leaves the board for any other reason, she is treated
as if in torpor until her piece is returned.
If a player must leave or withdraw from a game permanently
(e.g., due to time constraints or other commitments), her
character miniature is removed from play as above, although
it is never returned to the board. Any cards the player had in
play or in her hand are discarded. Any influence tokens she
controlled in play are left on the board, and they automati-
cally contest the influence attempts of other players until the
game ends.
7. Timing and Order
of Game Effects
All game effects are resolved in the same order in which
they are played or activated. There is no way to interrupt or
195.252.6
 reverse an effect once it has been declared (unless otherwise
stated by the game effect itself). If there is any disagreement
over which player declared first, and players can’t work it out
in a courteous manner, declarations are determined in order
from Regent, clockwise.
Example: Sarah has the Activation card for the Financial Sector
zone, and she decides to use it to draw a card. Although Michael
has the Activation card for the Power Plant, he cannot use it to
cancel the effect Sarah has just activated, because Sarah goes first.
If Michael had declared his use of the Power Plant before Sarah’s
action, he would have gone first, and she would not have been
able to draw a card.
8. Advanced and Optional Rules
In additional to the basic rules, above, the following two
can be added once players are experienced with the game. All
players should agree on which of these rules (if any) are to be
used before play begins.
8.1 “10-Again” Rule
The simplest of the advanced rules and one that is highly
recommended after an introductory game is “10-again” for all
dice rolls. On any roll of 10, the result is counted toward that
player’s total score for the challenge or contest, and the die is
rolled again with the result also added to the total. A player
can even roll multiple 10’s in succession and keep adding 10
to her total until another number finally comes up.
Cards such as Professional Fixer that require a die to be rolled
to consult multiple possible effects ignore the 10-again rule.
Results of 10 are not re-rolled.
Any power that calls for a re-roll can force a 10 to be rolled
again before the total is tallied. If a number other than 10 is
achieved on the forced re-roll, the effects of the 10-again rule
terminate.
Example: Rob rolls a 10 on his die during a challenge against
Lucy. Lucy has a card that can force a re-roll, but she decides not
to use it as she’s still winning the challenge by a decent margin.
Per the 10-again rule, Rob adds 10 to his score for the challenge
and rolls the die again, getting another 10! Lucy’s had enough and
uses her card to force Rob to re-roll the second 10 before he adds
it to his running tally and rolls a third time. Rob’s first 10 is already
added to his score and is not affected by being forced to re-roll the
second 10. If Rob’s forced re-roll results in a 3, he adds a total of
13 to any modifiers. If it results in another 10, the 10-again rule
applies once again, despite Lucy’s effort to break Rob’s momentum.
8.2 Exact Player Order
For simplicity’s sake, the standard rules consider that play
always proceeds to the Regent’s left. Since player order and
the timing of game effects can often be crucial, however, ex-
perienced players may wish to play in a more precise order.
Before the game begins, find or create some markers num-
bered one to five to record the player order for each turn.
12 vampire: prince of the city
Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com
Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172)
During each Resolution Phase, give out the order markers to
each player in descending order of prestige totals, with “one”
going to the player with the highest prestige, and counting
down in descending order. (So, the player with the lowest
total prestige gets number “five.”) Players then act in that
order during each phase of the next turn.
8.3 Two-player Game Option
Prince of the City can be played as a two-player game. The
diplomatic aspects of the game are lost in head-to-head play,
but it still has strategic value. The only suggested rules changes
for the two-player option are:
• Increase the base number of influence tokens drawn at
the start of the Influence Phase from three to five.
• Prior to play, remove any Event cards with a difficulty of
21 or higher from the deck.
9. Glossary
Here is a list of background terms for every player’s refer-
ence. Players interested in learning more about the world of
Vampire: The Requiem can check out
www.worldofdarkness.com or the Storytelling game and nov-
els by the same name.
ancilla: Kindred too old to be considered neonates, but not
yet elders, having spent roughly 50 to 150 years as part of the
Requiem. (The plural term is ancillae.)
ancient: The rare vampire who has existed for over a mil-
lennium.
childe: Kindred “offspring”; also used to refer to particu-
larly young neonates, or as a minor insult (akin to calling some-
one a “child” in mortal circles).
clan: One of five families of Kindred whose lineage links
back to times beyond Kindred memory.
covenant: A faction of Kindred that shares certain politi-
cal and theological beliefs. The covenants exist worldwide,
although details often differ from domain to domain.
Danse Macabre: The state of eternal infighting between
Kindred among clans, covenants and age distinctions.
Disciplines: The preternatural abilities and edges that Kin-
dred possess, allowing them to vanish, turn into bats and per-
form myriad other inhuman feats.
domain: A region ruled (ostensibly) by a single Kindred
authority. The largest domains correspond to cities and often
contain smaller domains within them. Domains (also called
tenurial domains) may be geographic (the Southside) or ab-
stract (city police). For the purposes of Prince of the City,
domain is a specific term used to denote when a player has
control of all zones of a particular color, or all zones listed on
a Domain Strategy card.
elder: A vampire who has survived for over 150 years; also
a term of respect.
Elysium: A location used for Kindred gatherings and de-
clared a neutral, “no violence” sanctuary by the Prince.
195.252.6

Final Death: A Kindred’s real, true, ultimate death; when
her unlife ceases and she never again rises as a vampire.
ghoul: A mortal fed Kindred Vitae, possessed of various
supernatural abilities, though far weaker than most vampires.
Harpy: A vampire in a position prominent or estimable
enough to raise or put down others in Kindred society.
Kindred: The modern (and most frequent) term by which
vampires refer to themselves and their race.
kine: A term for mortals; the phrase “Kindred and kine”
refers to everyone.
Masquerade: The efforts and system of laws required by a
Tradition of secrecy to hide Kindred existence from the mor-
tal world.
Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com
Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172)
cosmopolitan coteries 13
chapter one
neonate: A young vampire engaged in the Requiem for less
than 50 years.
Primogen: An elder who advises the Prince (also plural).
Prince: The ruler of or most powerful Kindred in a domain.
Regent: The Primogen with the most prestige at the end of
each turn and therefore closest to becoming Prince. He is the
first player to act each turn. The position of Regent is rolled
for in the first turn of the game.
retainer: Any individual who serves a vampiric master
(whether under thrall or not). The term hails from a time
when many vampires kept large estates with entire entourages
of servants.
torpor: A death-like sleep into which Kindred fall if in-
jured severely or starved too long.
Traditions: The primary Kindred laws, passed down through
the ages and observed inviolate due to the Kindred condi-
tion.
Vitae: Blood.
195.252.6
 Credits A Big Thank You
Game Design and Development: Mike Nudd Many thanks to White Wolf (and Steve Wieck in particu-
Developmental Assistance: Stephan Wieck lar) for giving this project the green light and seeing it through
to fruition. Thanks as well to all the playtesters and fellow
Editing: Ken Cliffe
gamers who have been an inspiration to me and my hobby.
Art Director: Pauline Benney
The biggest thanks goes to my mum, the one person in this
Layout & Typesetting: Becky Jollensten world who has always supported me and encouraged me, re-
Art: Sam Araya, Pauline Benney, Avery Butterworth, and gardless of the odds or circumstances.
Becky Jollensten — Mike Nudd
Graphic Design: Becky Jollensten
Playtesters: Justin Achilli, Tim Allan, Nick Ashton, Barny
Baker, Andrew Bates, Philippe Boulle, David Brain, Bernard
Bresnahan, Andrew Brown, Derek Brown, Dean Burnham,
James Chamberlain, Eric Chiang, Anthony “Bunter”
Coleman, Michael Correia, Simon Croome, Martin “Sau-
sage Fingers” Cubberley, Stafford Dinage, Clive Dolphin,
Joshua Duffin, Karsten Essen, Jackie Eves, Barry “Baz” Gibson,
James Goodman, Robert Goudie, David Hammond, Steven
“Jos” Joslyn, Seth King, Christopher “Salem” Kellahan,
Matthew Kirk, Paul Mansfield, Jonathon Martin, Chris
McDonough, Jenny Merrick, Benjamin Monk, Richard Orsler,
Pierre Rebstock, Dan Roe, Paolo Sammut, Rob Savill, Mike
Tinney, Haukur Valgeirsson, Ian Vincent, Stephan Wieck,
Stewart Wieck, Iain Wilson, Archibald Zimonyi, Darcy, all
the folks at Drexoll Games in Vancouver, and many others
that space and time don’t allow us to mention

© 2004 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. White Wolf, World of Darkness and Vam-
pire are registered trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. Vampire the Re-
quiem and Vampire Prince of the City are trademarks of White Wolf Publishing,
Inc. All rights reserved.
For a free White Wolf catalog call 1-800-454-WOLF.
Check out White Wolf online at
http://www.white-wolf.com; alt.games.whitewolf and rec.games.frp.storyteller
PRINTED IN GERMANY.

14 vampire: prince of the city

Copyright White Wolf Publishing, Inc. http://www.white-wolf.com

Igor Bilanovic (order #2288172) 195.252.6