19V: THEME
Vampire: The Masquerade emphasised its themes from the beginning, more than many RPGs. Outsiders doing immoral things to survive in a system stacked against them. Not every subsystem or sourcebook supported the themes equally successfully, but they still count.
My current Masquerade game gained a theme because four of the five PCs are still in contact with mortal loved ones and two are staying with them while none have revealed what they are. “How long can you sustain a lie?”
Last Dance has vampires at the edge of life, taking from people trying to enjoy the night, and also on the outside of vampire society, maybe trying to make it less dangerous for the people around... maybe.
In between the political plots and personal schemes, drop in little reminders of how cut off the characters are even if they work to stay in touch with the living.
Emphasise the themes of the games with systems like Touchstones, where every personal conviction is connected to something, or someone.
I keep a list of NPC names to use on the fly. One use for them is to give names to some of the people that vampires drink from.
2.07: Playing Your Song
Kelly has been one of the bar staff at Nocturne for the last few months. About to head back to college for junior year, not really sure what to do next. And tonight the vampires in the coterie can tell she’s pregnant by the scent of her blood. And she doesn’t know.
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