Fascism in Play
Vampire: The Masquerade is not a fascist-friendly game. If you are a neo-Nazi, "alt-righter", or whatever you’re calling yourself nowadays, we urge you to put this book down and call someone who you trust to talk about where you went so wrong in your life.
That said, Kindred culture is inherently monstrous. Part of the political horror of Vampire: The Masquerade is surviving in a culture that worships the Bad Old Ways. Large parts of Kindred society (especially the Camarilla and the Sabbat) adhere to cults of tradition, ascribes to the idea of humiliating their enemies with overwhelming wealth and force, and praises religious fundamentalism or even pre-modern ideals like feudal rule.
Many Kindred are old enough to remember WWII in detail and are bound to have opinions on what’s going on in the world right now. Even so, it’s pretty easy to steer the game away from totalitarian perspectives.
Emphasize the differences between individual vampires, and between factions as well as inside factions. Tell stories about infighting, surprising kindness, and new ideas. Play thin-bloods, Caitiff, Anarchs, or even Camarilla members in a Hellene city where most of the Ivory Tower’s traditions have been adapted to suit the present. Another way is to play is to portray Kindred society in all its malicious (and fascist) glory, but let the player characters oppose the system, from the inside or from without.
What if someone wants to play a fascist, though, or a Storyteller wants to introduce a fascist SPC? There are plenty of those throughout the World of Darkness — monsters, but many with pretty faces. They can be a tragic villain, or a former friend who fell, or even someone who the player characters think of as an ally. They might be the Brujah neo-Nazi, the far-right Ventrue billionaire, or the Tzimisce eugenicist.
Whatever face they present, the player characters should be given the satisfaction of redeeming or destroying them eventually.
After all, the player characters are something unique and special — something fascists cannot abide.
Remember: playing a character whose opinions you oppose can be a great way to understand how supremacist ideas work and how to spot and fight them in the real world.
Fictionally experiencing seductive perspectives like blaming the Other, conforming to norms and fighting for a grand purpose, can help you spot these tendencies in yourself and others and diminish their power over you.
This is all in character, of course. At the time of writing, the real world is currently inundated with far-right fascist ideologies being given free reign by wellmeaning people who want to preserve civility.
If you see people at your table opening up with altright talking points, we encourage you to shut that shit down. If you become uncomfortable with a storyline in game because of what’s happening out of game, use one of the techniques listed here.
You are not obligated to tolerate fascists in-game or out-of-game. This game is a way to tell stories about understanding and perhaps fixing some of the darkness in our own world.
Use that to your advantage.
