Etiquette 101

Each time I gather with the kindred of an area I wonder to myself why oh why their sires did not teach them proper Etiquette. The amount of times I see their poor manners in evidence I can only wince and go my own way. It is much better to avoid these simpletons that seem incapable of grasping relatively simple manners. A few times I have tried to educate them individually but it often fails, perhaps a sign of their limited mental capacities. It may be foolish but perhaps I can educate en masse.

So what is considered bad manners in our society? Well I suppose we should start with the basics and then work our way up. First lesson, asking someone what clan they belong to is rude. One's clan can reveal a lot of information about themselves and therefore why should someone just merrily pass out such information? It is even considered the height of tyranny to demand to know the clan of an entrant into a domain. Acknowledging one's lineage can give power to someone else over you. So why would they do it? For every kindred who spouts off his clan without hesitation there is another kindred quiet in the corner eking out his existence without sharing the slightest tidbit about his blood. When one reveals their clan they also reveal what they can do. And if there is one thing that is important and secretive within this society it is power.

Second lesson, relying on disciplines to do something is vulgar and shows weakness not strength. Why you might ask? Well because it is a sign of a weak mind that overpowers others to force their will and in our society it is the subtle mind and the gentle touch which garners more respect. Sure, one could use potence and the strength of the blood to force others by physical means but you will only be seen as a lout without true skill. A lazy cainite dominates others into doing what he wants a shrewd kindred instead applies a more gentle touch that leaves nary a trace of their presence. Which would you respect more? Some people seem to think they can just leave morality behind once they are kindred but it just doesn't work that way. One can either through grace and wit achieve one's goals or they can attempt to club people into submission, which do you think is accepted by society? Do you go out and beat someone until they do what you want or do you use other means to coerce them?

Well that is all for now, wouldn't want to overload anyone with all these rules by which our society functions. Till next week.

Rafael Sforza

All in the Family

Clan, it is an important part of the Vampire venue. Clan is one of the most basic units for interaction between characters. The problem is that many players have a very mistaken impression about what Clan entails. Many see Clan as some mystic brotherhood, a fraternity of people united in purpose. Bullshit. Clan is the base unit for political interaction and it is the World of Darkness equivalent to one very dysfunctional family.

You hear it all the time, "Kindred meet with your clan and decide your primogen," "We clan X must work to strike at clan Y," "So and so, you better stay out of Clan X's business." I cannot count how many times I have seen such things during a LARP game. They expect that Clan entitles them to support, allies and access to power all because they share a bloodline. When trouble comes they expect a unified front. They become upset when people in the same bloodline works against them. It seems ludicrous to me because it does not match the material that we get this game from.

In reality Clan is more akin to a family then the brotherhood that some people have come to expect, a very dysfunctional family. Imagine a group of kindred all connected, forced to be around the same people for extended periods of time, siblings, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. Ever hear of sibling rivalry? Well most siblings have a limited time together. In vampire you are stuck competing with these same siblings for decades, sometimes hundreds of years. Then again, who would have a very good relationship with their sire? They killed you! Forced you to become a parasite so why would you want to work hand in hand with them? You may not hate them but they certainly do not make for a good father figure. And you are stuck with them, no way to get away; a constant tug of war between your own desires and what your sire wants. Vampire is a zero-sum game what one person gets you do not and the closest competition would be your own blood.

Now imagine years and years in these dysfunctional relationships. It is hard to then say that Clan is a united group. Why should it be? There exists only a tie of blood and time for each group, which contain many individuals that only want to do their own thing. The world of vampire is one of betrayal, intrigue, backstabbing, and similar. What a great family! Constantly surrounded by people who want the same thing you do and who have a serious control issue (aka The Beast). When taking in the big picture of a society of monsters it is hard to swallow a unified family unit that provides solid support and care. Why would it? Instead you have years upon years of bitter deals, backstabbing and paranoia all built into a nice family that doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Ages pass and you are still stuck with the same siblings who all want access to something there is a limited supply of.

So the next time you see some person trying to push the clan loyalty line you should scoff. You should probably question just why their character is so interested in getting your character to support them and you should really take a closer look at the level of politics that occur all in the family.

Note: Some of this is paraphrased from The Vampire Storyteller's Handbook. For more information check it out.

Andrew Hemond