Humanity [Vampire Open Development]

Open Development, Vampire: The Masquerade

Wow. My last open development post for Vampire 4th Edition got over 250 comments! That’s an amazing response! Granted, a few folks had some comments that were a bit off-course from what I asked, but I got a lot of great feedback and input that I’m still making my way through (and even the unrelated comments sparked a few thoughts).

This time, I want to focus on something a little less controversial. Humanity has always been a central aspect of Vampire: The Masquerade, since the very first book. What Humanity actually is has been a bit fuzzy, sliding between a pure system of morality and something hard-wired into a vampire’s psyche, but it’s always been a core tenet of the Kindred makeup. Even the Sabbat, acting as inhuman monsters, have their Paths of Enlightenment as a refutation of Humanity, and that desire to divorce Cainites from Humanity shows how integral the concept is.

However, in my experience the amount of impact Humanity has on the game seems to diminish over time. I hear a lot of stories about amazing roleplay that comes from the steady loss of Humanity, but I also hear of (and have played in) games where Humanity is really just a number of points you can spend to commit atrocities before you hand your character over to the Storyteller. Both styles are, I think, valid — some vampires can certainly lean into their personal damnation and decide to burn the candle at both ends — but over the years it seems the game has unintentionally moved Humanity out of the spotlight.

I want to put the light back on it. I want to get back to the that first book, which spent so much time talking about The Riddle (yes, in capital letters) of doing monstrous things in order to prevent yourself from becoming a monster. “A Beast I am lest a Beast I become” can be so much more than a tagline.

But it could be that I’m mistaken. Maybe I’ve misread the community, and today Humanity isn’t as central as I perceive it to be. I’d like to hear your thoughts.

My question is: Is Humanity important to your game, and what could a new edition do to make it more/less central for you?

As always, I appreciate your thoughtful feedback!