Vampire: Blood And Smoke - Theme

From a query about the niche vampires fit into in Requiem and whether it might change, Rose Bailey writes:

Here’s the intro to the writer’s guide that we’re using on Blood and Smoke and future Vampire books.


Vampire: The Requiem is a game of visceral drama and personal horror.

Vampire is about sex and murder, about power and wild defiance. It’s about urban squalor and the romance of the city. It’s about what’s wrong with you -- yes, you -- and how that shapes the monster you’ll become.

Vampire is also about thrilling action and nail-biting paranoia. It’s about dying young and being a great-looking corpse. It’s about acting out in all of the ways we imagine we would, if only we couldn’t see ourselves in the mirror.

Vampire is a game about dead people and it should make you feel alive.

Themes

Vampire is built on contrast, taking place in a World of Darkness with blinding whites and pitch black. Characters try to stay in the cool, comfortable grays, but they can’t hide all the time. And, hey, they look good in black.

Requiem + Masquerade

What are you going to do to make it through tonight? What about tomorrow night? And after the deeds are done and your belly’s full, how are you going to live with yourself? What are you going to do with your damnation that makes it worth all the sins along the way?

That’s the Requiem.

Only half the question, though. Mortals are dinner but they’re also what you’ve got for dates. No matter how callous you become, you’ll need to move among them. How will you keep your connection to Humanity, even as a sham?

That’s the Masquerade.

The song and the dance don’t always play well. Devote yourself to redeeming human sinners and you may discover they’re the only creatures you understand. Spend your nights in a vault perfecting your monstrosity and you may find yourself trapped, unable to flee through the masses when the hunters bash down the gates.

Old + New

Established 1856. That’s what the firm’s sign says. The owner was established 1856, too, even though his sharp-cut suit was made tomorrow. He’s one of your guys. One of the sharks you swim with.

The Kindred are the real predators of the modern age. They’re hip to our tricks but they’ve got a hundred years of history behind them. You’re one of them. So, congratulations: you are the child-stealer, the plague-bearer and the faceless corporate titan sucking the life out of your own home town.

Piety + Blasphemy

How did you get to be what you are? Were you a good girl, dragged kicking and screaming from heaven? Or a bad boy, brought back from the grave ’cause hell didn’t deserve you?

Little of both, probably.

Somebody cheated death to bring you back, and now you’ve got to make up the debt. You can devote yourself to faith and good works. Play philanthropist. Play superhero. Or you can accept that you’re damned and get the party started, already. Piss on the cross. Get some head.

Little of both, probably.