[WoD 2.0] Moral(ity) [split]

[Robert Bohl]

So far, no one has gotten a derangement in my game.  However, so far they have been okay with the Morality system.  One player has a problem with regarding killing vampires as the same thing as killing people.  It seems to me this is just a character thing, but there may be an extent to which he also, as a player, thinks that killing vampires shouldn't count the same.

However, if that's true, then it's just a disagreement in perspective.  We'll have to agree to disagree and since I've been clear about my intent, and I'm running the game, we seem to be agreed that we're going to go with my (and the book's) interpretation: sentient beings are sentient beings, regardless of whether they have a pulse.

I do think it's mostly a character thing, since he said he likes the view that hunters ought to be psychologically damaged people.

--

There's a lot of flexibility to the Morality system.  Not quite at the level of Sorcerer's Humanity system, but the room is still there.  You can determine what constitute "sins" at any given level, and really all it says is "this kind of thing" at a certain level, and nothing more elaborate.  There is some discussion in the book of how relatively important you can make Morality.  If people are routinely acting in furtherance of their Virtue, they'll also forstall consequences for a long time.  And the game encourages you to give "free" Morality points to players who seem to be RPing at a higher Morality (though this is specifically advised against for Vampires).

What is your specific concern about the Morality/Humanity system that's holding you back from embracing the game?

[Monosodium Glutamate]

The idea that morality follows any kind of progression.  I don't particularly like Kohlberg's Moral Stages, either.

In general, I think my experiences with alignment in D&D are somewhat relevant to WoD Morality... and I've found that people tend to either perceive  alignments as straitjackets, or ignore the actual alignment and concentrate on roleplaying.  It's quite difficult to classify iconic characters from stage and screen as falling into the alignments.  The WoD's system seems a bit more flexible than that, but not by much.

[Robert Bohl]

The idea that morality follows any kind of progression.  I don't particularly like Kohlberg's Moral Stages, either.

In general, I think my experiences with alignment in D&D are somewhat relevant to WoD Morality...

I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate alignments.  I have since before 3E.

There's a real change in it, this time.  For example, seeing the way Virtues interact with the Morality system, you get very encouragd to play up that part of the character.  And again it's mostly descriptive.  You're not doing the "wrong" thing when you are low-morality, you're just doing the thing that lacks general compassion.

I might recommend taking the pdf demo off the website and trying a one shot with it.  It is a pretty linear story, but all the rules are there and you can get a feel for how it plays for real, all without any monetary investment.