"I've always felt it was too obviously artificial anyway; as in vampires,
werewolves and mages who learn enough about each other would look at
the arrangement and say "Dude, that's just fucking weird."

Probably not, since vampires, mages and werewolves can't read the book to find out which of them are playable.

Carthian Vampire: So, there's, like, five types of mages? Weird, there's five covenants.

Adamantine Arrow Mage: Nope, only four. Us, the Mysterium, the Ladder and the Keepers of the Veil.

CV: ...plus the Free Council.

AAM: The Free Council aren't real mages. They're jagoffs.

CV: They make magic, though.

AAM: OK, fine, but if you're counting them, then you also have to
mention everyone I left out for being jagoffs: the Seekers, the
Banishers and the Free Council. So that makes seven, and not five.

CV: Heh..."seven."