Why did White Wolf feel the need to totally and completely redo the Old World of Darkness?
Playing in the World of Darkness is all about telling stories. There have been some great ones told in the old WoD, but there were some that COULDN’T be told there. The mechanics didn’t match between brands, the histories were all independant, several decades of back story needed to be resolved. The answer that White Wolf took was to say “We have said everything we feel needs to be said about this world in order for gamers everywere to enjoy this setting. Now, we’re going to make a new setting to tell Other stories in.” Now, it doesn’t hurt that by creating a new World, they opened a whole market full of new sales, but to be fair a 5th edition om Masquarade would have made just as much. AS to why religion has a bigger role, I don’t think it does. Note that your favorite clan, the Assamites, is the Religion of Islam through the eyes of the Vampire. The same can be said of the Bahli, the Ravanos, the Followers of Set, and the Samedi. The Sabbat, with thier bishops and Cardinals, is a dar
