At GenCon 2014, it was announced that Blood and Smoke would be re-branded as Vampire: The Requiem, Second Edition, with a new cover, index and very minor changes in November 2014.

[2]: 229  Greg Stolze was working on books for Vampire: The Requiem when he developed the One-Roll Engine dice system for Godlike (2002).

[4] The game takes place in modern-day earth where vampires form complex societies hidden from human awareness.

Vampires that have inherited common physical powers and qualities group themselves into "clans", but they also join "covenants" along religious, political or philosophical lines.

Kindred can use a variety of supernatural powers called Disciplines, reflecting such traits as inhuman speed, strength, or charisma, as well as other vampiric attributes such as control over vermin and predators.

Unlike many fictional portrayals, vampires in Requiem are not universally repelled by crucifixes, garlic or holy water, and they can enter any private domain without invitation.

Fire, sunlight and the claws and fangs of supernatural creatures inflict terrible injuries that take significant time and blood to heal.

During the daytime most vampires slumber; while their bodies will not begin to degrade (unless exposed to the sun or other means of harm) they cannot otherwise be distinguished from corpses.

When a vampire is sufficiently distraught, either through threat, injury, hunger, or humiliation, they enter a berserk rage called Frenzy during which the Beast takes hold.