Summary
Of the three main factions in the tabletop RPGVampire: The Masquerade, it’s perhaps the Anarchs that other Kindred could proclaim to be both a faction and not a faction at the same time. Carrying over the belief towards unrestricted Kindred independence, Anarchs would stop at nothing to ensure that neither the restricting Traditions of the Camarilla nor the disruptive measures of the Sabbat could weigh down Kindred freedom.
However, before fans ofVampire: The Masqueradecreate Anarch characters for both their TTRPG experience and in preparation for games like theBloodhuntbattle royale, it may help fans to get to know more about one of the largest groups in the organization. Here’s what’s important to know.
Updated on June 21, 2025 by Rhenn Taguiam:With Seattle plunged into the brink of a Kindred war inVampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, players are treated to a new premise as devs The Chinese Room handles the Bloodlines sequel. This time around, players take on the role of a veteran Vampire Elder whose experience and power have the potential to turn the tide against the many forces eyeing the Emerald City. Should players abscond the Ivory Tower that is the Camarilla and reject the temptations of the Sabbat, perhaps staying as an independentAnarchmay be the best way of retaining their freedom. However, players may want to get to know more about the Sect before joining it, including a general description of the Anarchs, its roots, as well as traces of Anarch activities across history.
15A Primer On The Anarchs
Informally named after the first “Anarch Revolt,” the Anarchs represent the group of Kindred who fought back against Camarilla “oppression,” particularly at the time of the latter’s founding wherein all vampires who fell outside their control were considered enemies. Instead of hiding like other independent groups orindulging in their vampiric urges like the Sabbat, the Anarchs fight back against the Ivory Tower to maintain their freedom.
In the Modern Nights ofVampire: The Masquerade, younger Anarchs find it harder to cling to traditions as their older counterparts seem to unnecessarily throw them into harm’s way. However, with other Elders and older vampires disappearing due to the Beckoning, newer Anarchs are beginning to fight back against the Ivory Tower that desperately tries to keep them in line.
14Early Signs Of The Anarchs
While the Anarchs only received their “designation” in the First Anarch Revolt againstthe Camarilla’s control, activities prevalent among Anarch Kindred today have already been present in ancient times. Signs of vampires coexisting freely with mortals have been found in ancient Carthage, where Brujah and Banu Haqim supposedly served as rulers and the majority vampire population.
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Unfortunately, the demise of Carthage was tied to Malkavians and Ventrue backing a rising Rome, with Brujah Antediluvian Troile being buried under the earth. Regardless of conflicts on the accuracy of Carthage’s existence, the ancient city stands as a status symbol of what Anarchs believe should be the norm.
13The Threat Of The First Inquisition
Although the majority of Kindred remotely aware of supernatural history would tie the creation of the Anarchs to the First Anarch Revolt, it’s also important to understand what event led to such an occurrence. What’s known as the Inquisition today was referred to as the “Burning Times” by the Tremere scholar Aisling Sturbridge, with the term describing the method used to kill vampires.
It’s unknown what exactly led to the creation of the First Inquisition from the perspective of anti-vampire affairs. However, it’s rumored that a campaign in the Catholic Church known as the Shadow Inquisition “unofficially” began the extermination of supernatural creatures due to their “ties with Satan.” This is also wherethe Second Inquisitiongot its name in modern times, as their existence has been made known to vampires after recent hits in power bases such as Prague.
12The First Anarch Revolt
During the days of the First Inquisition (the one that led to witch-hunts and the hunt of “heretics” within Roman Catholics), the roots ofthe Anarch Movementbegan. This was especially during the times when elders began siring neonates simply to become cannon-fodder against hunters of the Inquisition.
A Brujah named Patricia expressed to the Ventrue Hardestadt the Elder that it was time vampires rose to fight the Kindred. When Hardestadt and his inner council elected to form the Camarilla as a secret society of vampires during the Council of Thorns, Patricia took the name Tyler, formed a Brujah resistance, and encouraged others to start an uprising against their elders for the sake of survival.
11The Convention Of Thorns
After Tyler’s initial attack against Hardestadt, the Convention resumed, resulting in theTreaty of the Convention of Thorns. This text, agreed upon by all members of the Camarilla and other independent groups present, began the formality of the presence of the Camarilla and the Anarchs, as well as their obligation towards maintaining peace.
The text stated that the Anarchs would be an accepted part of the Camarilla, and work peacefully to achieve their own goals. They would benefit from the Camarilla’s privileges for as long as their defense of Kindred freedom extends to “all Kindred.”
10Revolts In Paris
While it’s known that the “original” Anarchs joined forces in the First Anarch Revolt, their independent nature meant various Anarch factions believed in different doctrines. This disparity resulted invarious vampire uprisingsacross the globe, with Paris becoming one of the most contested territories throughout decades.
Being a “crown jewel” of Camarilla’s Old World influence, Paris became the site of two infamous revolts. The first one occurred in the French Revolution, with Prince Francois Villon forced to flee the city and only to return decades later. Upon the return of Paris to Camarilla control, the May 68 period of civil unrest once again attempted to wrestle the city out of the Ivory Tower, although this failed to become a full-fledged revolt.
9The Failed Soviet Experiment
Another similar attempt of the Anarchs to control a Camarilla city occurred in the USSR, which was considered a success by the Brujah Council which ruled it. Unfortunately, younger Kindred created the October Revolution as a means to wage war against their Anarch elders. This conflict centered around the treatment of mortals, with Elders reinforcing the idea of mortals as just food and tools compared to the younger Kindred’s desire to create a more equal society with humans.
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Unfortunately, the Elders winning the conflict meant extreme rules applied across the Soviet Union, to the point of exterminating Kindred who showed sympathy to humans. While the Soviet Union – and Kindred control over it – collapsed due to mortal events, some Anarchs still want to exact revenge on members and sympathizers of the old Brujah Council.
8The Second Anarch Revolt
While the First Anarch Revolt led to the rise of the Sabbat, it was the Second Anarch Revolt that fully recognized Anarch presence in the Kindred’s modern world. Although the idea of Anarchs had persisted since the rise of the Camarilla, they were true to their sense of freedom. Unfortunately, a lot of Anarchs had brought the fight to their eldersin separate groups.
The Kindred who made their way from Europe to the United States laid roots to a more organized Anarch presence, particularly in Los Angeles. Through the leadership of MacNeil, the Second Anarch Revolt began in the liberation of Los Angeles, namely by killing Camarilla elders scattered throughout the city.
7The Contested Anarch Free State
While Los Angeles was perhaps the first solid example of the Anarch Free State, the terminology is more of a concept than an actual location. The Anarch Free State describes the desired freedom of Kindred among the politics and control the elders have over the younger Kindred. This was first established after Jeremy MacNeil, who started supporting underdogs in their rise to power.
After Los Angeles’s liberation from thedangerously out-of-controlCamarilla Prince Don Sebastian Dominguez, more Anarchs began rising against the Camarilla in their respective territories. This largely shaped the modern political map of the Kindred’s version of the world today, where Anarch Baronies have begun sprouting in cities across the world.
6A Power Struggle At Large
Whereas Mexico remains the most prominent stronghold of the Sabbat, the Anarchs have San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles as theirs. Of the three largest Anarch cities, Los Angeles holds perhaps the most importance among. During the establishment of the Free States, Jeremy MacNeill held the Barony of Los Angeles. However, events revealed that Eastern supernaturals known as the Kuei-jin managed to secure parts of San Francisco, forming their New Promise Mandarinate.
Interestingly, the Camarilla also managed to strike Los Angeles and defeat much of the Mandarinate’s presence there,establishing control over the regionand parts of San Diego. As such, Los Angeles prior toV5was under a constant power struggle between the Free States, the Mandarinate, and Camarilla.
