YMMV / Vampire: The Masquerade — Parliament of Knives

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • While everyone is waiting for Qui to do interviews about the attack on Vivian, you can trigger a dialogue with Corliss where she says that relationships with other vampires will only ever be superficial and tools for advancement, but the sire-childe relationship is special because you're literally a part of her. How sincere is she being, particularly if you don't like each other? Considering the diablerie situation and the truth of your Embrace, is this a case of the lady protesting too much, or is that Grace pushing through?
  • Another one for Corliss: if you play as Lasombra, you can ask why she hid your clan from Lucca (who believes you all to be Malkavians masquerading as Ventrue), but not you, and she'll say that you're strong enough to handle it. Does she actually think that, or was she just worried that adding another layer of memory blocks would fry your brain past the point of usefulness?
• Funny Moments: On Qui's romance path, the night after you sleep together (for vampire values of the term), Qui gets a call that accuses you of working with the Anarchs. He informs the person on the other end of the line that their information must be wrong, because he's been monitoring you personally and he knows you aren't. That sure is one way to put it, Sheriff.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • Saving Robert from Adeline is a double serving (in addition to being a highly satisfying moment of awesome). At the time you do it, you have pretty much no assurance that it will get you anything at all besides this character's life. Pulling this in front of every powerful vampire in the city, when at least half of them are already suspicious of you, is pretty much suicidal...and you do it anyway. And then Arundel pulls you out of the fire and backs you to the hilt, despite the immense political mess you just made.
  • Jordan's cult of abandoned blood dolls can legitimately be either this or a Moral Event Horizon depending on your perspective. It's easier to feel that the whole thing is heartwarming if you take the time to have a full discussion with some of the human members. They were food sources long before Jordan came into their lives, and after being abandoned were unable to return to any semblance of normal life. The cult not only gives them purpose, but without Jordan's intervention it's highly probable that they'd eventually run afoul of either the Camarilla or the Second Inquisition.
  • If you treat her nicely enough, Lucca's reactions to the player character can be this. Her frustration at being neglected by her sire, insecurity about her Catholic faith, and just plain loneliness have her verging on Broken Bird territory. Show her genuine kindness and appreciation (and especially if you validate her faith) and she'll be adorably effusive towards you.
• Moral Event Horizon: A lot of the main characters have moments meant to break your faith in them.
  • Robert Ward crosses it for some when he blows up Elysium and engages in a bombing campaign across the city. This includes getting humans killed in the attacks. The fact he's focused on Alisha Grey, a fairly harmless Toreador (except for that VR operation, at least), also makes it extra cruel.
  • Prince Arundel crosses it for many in-universe when you discover the number of mortals that he's been brainwashing then lobotomizing. Arundel defends himself by saying he was engaged in Pay Evil Until Evil, which uncrosses it for some players.
  • Corliss crosses it for many players when she sets you up as the fall guy for all of her criminal activity up until this point. You only survive it by being rescued by one of your allies or convincing your "sibling", Lucca, that you're innocent.
  • Vivian Maier will do this for most player characters when she puts a secret clause in the letter she sends you to the sheriff with that asks for your final death (she doesn't actually want you dead and intends for Qui to decide to just arrest you, but she fully admits she's gambling with your life). Not to mention how she had all her servants killed just to get rid of one traitor among them and make herself look like a less likely suspect for Arundel's disapperance.
  • Alisha Grey is keeping a bunch of mortals hooked up to a Lotus-Eater Machine while she drains them continuously for the rest of their lives.
  • Jordan has reached out and taken over a cult of former blood dolls in order to provide "ethically sourced" meals. The morality of this is debatable, both in- and out-of-game: Jordan argues that it's a mutually beneficial relationship and morally superior to feeding on unwilling or unaware mortals and genuinely seems to care for the cult members, but ultimately they're still being treated as a form of cattle and the game gives you the option to voice your disapproval/horror regardless. And, for all that they're being careful, it's all skirting very close to the line of a Masquerade violation, and the Camarilla will treat it as such unless you manage to convince them otherwise.