Player Driven vs Game Master Driven. Sandbox vs Mission-based. Freeform vs Railroaded. People separate types of campaigns or types of adventures in different language, but I think the first language set is probably most useful. We are determining who is driving the particular story beats that are central to a given setting - is this an adventure that a party is going down (a la traditional D&D)? Or is this a open world where players choose what is interesting to them to explore.
I intend to argue that most campaigns have a default state - one or the other - but most are best served by combining both. I think Vampire the Masquerade V5 tends towards Player Driven play, but I believe that Chronicles can be well served by mixing in Game Master driven play as well.
Let's describe what each style really means.
In Player-Driven play, the Story Teller often takes a reactionary role. The Players understand their characters' motivations, missions, and intentions, and use those to drive the plot forward, making decisions about how those players affect the world. They move to interact with the world, with Storyteller Player Characters, and with plot points and stories from their backgrounds or from previous experiences. They make the decisions about what is important to them, from information agreed with the Story Teller previously. The Story Teller presents obstacles and complications and responds for the Story Teller characters. Preparation for sessions driven by players involves considering motivations for SPCs, complications from anticipated actions, story beats that might emerge from characters moving and plotting "off-screen", and considering events that come from other sources.
In Game Master-Driven play, the Story Teller takes the driver's seat. They lay out plot hooks, paths, and adventures. They offer adventures or dungeons or defined paths forward for players to follow. Story tends to be more linear, with defined story beats and an expected series of events that will occur. While players still have agency, there is an expectation they will bite on the plot hooks and grab the adventure offered. Preparation for Game Master-Driven play includes more traditional adventures, maps, scenes, specific new SPCs or adversaries, and new information.
While I consider Vampire the Masquerade V5 to be well-served by Player-Driven play, I have realized I often start a Chronicle with Game Master-Driven play. I have found that it is an excellent way to introduce players (and their characters) to the world of the Chronicle. A mission can give reasons to interact with SPCs, with specific locations, with particular adversaries or allies. For example, in my current Chronicle, Session 1 started with each character's Sire charging their Childe with making a good impression at Elysium, as each character was introduced to the Court. This gave players a reason to go to Elysium, to interact with members of the Court, to introduce themselves to the Prince, and to acquit themselves well. From that interaction, a second mission was provided - this time from the Prince, to investigate a series of murders that seemed caused by vampires. This gave reason to interact with SPCs, to gather information, and to make themselves known at Court. Beyond the first session, it gave a reason to interact with the world, to explore new areas of the city that would become important later, and to meet new characters. This mission based gameplay gradually transitioned to player-driven play, as the characters worked to solve the mystery and as their backgrounds and back-stories began to surface.
You can also transition from one to the other repeatedly - start mission-based, for instance, to give the players a reason to interact with elements of the city and to build relationships (positive and negative) with characters in the Chronicle. Once the players have done some things, they've probably messed some things up and have some problems to solve; they've probably met some folks, and have reasons to go after some or help others; and they are able to see how their back stories will interact with the city and how they will drive more actions. Once in that mode, you are in 'sandbox' or relationship based play and very player driven.
Vampire has a 'boon economy' - which is a great reason to interject a new mission into a primarily sandbox Chronicle, to bring in new elements of the story when the ST wants to throw some wrenches in. Additionally, SPCs are plotting in the background, and events are ticking. When the players are getting too comfortable, a powerful SPC can call in a favour - or offer one - and push them in a particular direction where they will encounter something interesting to drive back to mission-focussed play. Or the City can change in ways that are not anticipated by the characters that necessitate response. Or important SPCs can plot against the players or against their allies or against their enemies. These elements present a mission for the players to accept and to drive to completion, positively or negatively. When that mission ends, the Chronicle can transition back to relationship, player-focussed play for a time, now with those new elements from that completed mission in play and changing the circumstances around the players.
Back and forth - Game Master-Driven to Player-Driven and back to Game Master-Driven. When players are comfortable or when they are uncertain of their next course of action, the Game Master can step in and provide a more focussed session of game play. When the players have a plan, the Game Master can step back and respond to those actions. To me, in Vampire the Masquerade V5, the Chronicle succeeds best when the Players drive most sessions, but the Story Teller should keep Game Master-Driven options in their toolbox to add complexity, uncertainty, interest, characters, locations, and lore to the story.
Hopefully, this perspective will help you make decisions about how to run your games and sessions for Vampire the Masquerade V5.
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