this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2026
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[–] Sir_Gkar@lemmy.world 80 points 1 day ago (3 children)

From what I recall (and this may vary between editions), the game tends to assume that most people are playing younger vampires who aren't anything like an aristocracy. By default, you play as the bottom rung of vampire society, the youngest generation in a system where the older generations will never grow old and die. The aristocrats aren't the protagonists, they are the ever present boot stomping you down.

More importantly, the core concept of the game is supposed to be about the "personal horror" of being a monster. You were a (presumably) ordinary person who has been violated, killed, and brought back as an abomination. Your existence is defined by the struggle against the beast within. You are desperately clinging to your humanity, and every time you slip up or compromise you risk losing a piece of yourself that you can't get back. You suffer mechanical penalties for becoming more evil, and if you ever lose your humanity completely you lose your character.

In short, the game isn't supposed to be the kind of thing that would appeal to a fascist. If anything, it has more in common with the experience of waking up to find yourself surrounded by fascists and trying to survive without becoming one of them.

[–] Barbarian@sh.itjust.works 34 points 1 day ago

Yup, this is pretty much it. I played a campaign of it. Essentially, you're so far down the hierarchy you're basically almost human, with older vampires being a far far greater threat than humans, struggling to understand and survive vampire society before it destroys you. As you said, there's also a fair chunk of trying to hold on to what humanity you still have left.

[–] Iunnrais@piefed.social 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That is entirely fair. I only know V:tM from people I knew who played it… but they were, as individuals, definitely more on the fascist side, leaning more into the glamour of being a monster rather than the horror of being a monster.

I hope more groups and players lean into the horror of it more than the glamour. Maybe this note is trying to encourage that.

[–] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net -4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think treating inhumanity as horror is pretty fascist. I'm in love with a very sweet monster who hates Nazis, and I'm a big fan of Guillermo del Toro's movies where humans tend to be more evil than monsters.

In My experience VTM players trend fascist because the game encourages you to accept the Camarilla's fascist idolisation of humanity.

[–] oatscoop@midwest.social 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Inhumanity meaning "extremely cruel behaviour or treatment of people."

Strangely enough it doesn't have the "not a human" meaning inhuman, but English is weird.

[–] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net -5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That's because we speak a language designed by human supremacists.

[–] oatscoop@midwest.social 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

True, but in fairness I tried to discuss utilitarianism with my cat over dinner and his response was trying to steal food off my plate.

Which in hindsight could have actually been a rather profound commentary on the pursuit of happiness in a utilitarian framework.

[–] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net -4 points 17 hours ago

You can come discuss utilitarianism with the good creatures at !transspecies@lemmy.blahaj.zone