new Storyteller, lover of the World of Darkness

Hello Happy! I'm actually just starting to get into VtM. I don't know what edition I like best, I actually just applied to my first game a few days ago. I've always liked representing my trans lesbian self in my TTRPGs but I feel nervous doing it in a game where the GM and other players might not understand those issues. I hope you have a lot of fun gaming!

Hello Morphling!! Welcome to the World of Darkness, I hope you enjoy your time playing.

I totally understand what you mean. I remember taking a creative writing class where another student was very ignorant about my genderfluid/trans identity that I was putting into my work, and it was an uncomfortable experience. It's okay that people are still learning, but it can be a lot for us to explain. But I play with a lot of queertrans folks IRL, and that makes me feel really comfortable being myself.

I like being a GM for this reason, I want queertrans players to feel comfortable being and exploring themselves in my games.

Have you already begun forming a character for the game you've applied for? I'd love to hear more about the VtM chronicle you're joining!

Welcome Happy! I'm curious about your thoughts on learning about the WoD and VtM systems through the Choice of Games medium, a text-based multiple choice game that tries to imitate some of the TTRPG systems.

Hi, witchdoctor! Thank you for the welcome!

Absolutely, I'm a longtime fan of historical fiction (books, movies, TV shows) so I'm familiar with balancing that sort of verisimilitude.

Well, V5 calls itself "a game of personal and political horror." V5 was my entrance to the WoD, so my perspective has been colored by that experience. I think that V5 especially considers the vampire and its relationship to/how it symbolizes power and predation--because of that, those of VtM are often tied to, and exploring, their relationships to power and hierarchy, especially historical systems of power.

My first V5 game was run by a Black man who was exploring the Roaring Twenties. One session involved a lynch mob, forcing the co-players to act. I vividly remember the dread and stress at the table--none of us wanted to sit back and be complicit to the violence unfolding. I think that experience showed me how powerful TTRPGs could be in exploring historical trauma.

My home game is centered on two historical events: the Watsonville race riots of 1930 (which targeted Filipino immigrant men) and the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 (where white Angelenos and servicemen assaulted mainly Mexican-American youths.) I am particularly interested in the former event as a Filipino-American--and it's a way of educating my co-players and friends about American history and sharing a piece of history I'm deeply connected to.

I hope that somewhat answers your question--I know that there are rules regarding discussing politics in the forum, I have a lot of thoughts on this. I suppose that the alternate history of VtM interests me greatly as a student of American history, there are a lot of interesting and creative ways to explore slavery, colonialism, segregation, etc. through the game.