The Dark World of Enlightenment in Blood: What Everyone Knows about Vampire Revolution

So what does revolution mean in the vampire world? After all, there have been many revolutions among the Kindred, so this is what your character believes to be true.

1 - Revolutions happen in the periphery

Berlin, Paris, London. These are the cities of the Camarilla heartland. These are not the cities of revolution. The Anarchs can rise, but they do it in places like Los Angeles, far away from the Camarilla's centers of power.

A revolution in Berlin? Unthinkable! The very idea is strange and new, a sign that something has shifted in the world.

2 - Revolutions easily turn against the hated and the feared

Malkavians and Nosferatu have a tendency to get killed in vampire revolutions. Malkavians are scary and spread madness. The Nosferatu are plain ugly and know too many things. When everything is in chaos, it's easy for the lowest impulses among the crowd to take hold, and that leads to lynchings of young Malkavians and Nosferatu.

This is the revolution at its most miserable. Remember that if things go badly for your character, you can choose to give in to the hate and the fear.

3 - Those who surrender first, win

At least if you're an Elder. Vampires are devious creatures, and sometimes it pays to let go of your personal pride and take a hit. This way, you can still get ahead in the long game. After all, the revolution needs political advisors. Of course, not every Elder can stomach the indignity of it anymore.

This is especially relevant if you play a Camarilla character. Don't be afraid of making seemingly counter-intuitive moves. The revolution may surprise the Elders, but they're still devious creatures.

4 - For vampires, political games never stop

You'd think a revolution would be one giant celebration, a joyous affirmation of your freedom. You'd parade the vanquished Elders of the Camarilla around your Anarch hideout and get drunk on the blood of liberation. In reality, the fastest and the most astute are already shaping how the revolution will end up. After all, it will be followed by a status quo, and the winner is whoever gets to define that.

What this means is that there's no time to waste if you want a say in how Berlin shapes up. Others are already making their moves, and you need to do so too. Tomorrow night may be too late.

5 - Being careful is the way to win, except when it's not

Vampires are conditioned to be careful, to plan and to wait. Yet sometimes things move so fast, the only way to get what you want is to react now. Only a fool believes in plans that unfold across the centuries. In reality, you need to adjust to the surprises of the world. Otherwise, you'll end up being the target of a revolution.

Play recklessly. It's more fun in a larp, but makes sense in-game too. Those who are too careful find themselves sidelined by the momentum of the revolution.

6 - Compromise is weakness

Only a strong revolutionary city can withstand the inevitable backlash from the Camarilla. A weak compromise where nobody really gets what they want leads to a disaffected, confused Anarch population who don't stand a chance when the Justicars come knocking. You need to stand behind something real to galvanize the city and make it work.

It might even be preferable to concede to your opponents to avoid a compromise.

7 - The Masquerade is survival

Every revolution has a chance to eat itself, to descend into madness and blood. The easiest way for this to happen is for the Masquerade to break in a catastrophic fashion and for the mortal world to destroy the Kindred in a backlash. For a revolution to be successful, it has to stay under the radar, no matter what.

This is an in-game rule, but also part of our larp design. The game is played partially in public, and we don't want to confuse and alarm non-participants. The Masquerade keeps things running, in-game and off.