I think they are working from the mindset that somehow their WoD playerbase will be more mature and capable of having a set way of playing the game.
Instead of having a playerbase of random people that have interest in vampires that use the internet, also trolls.
All you need is Goons taking over one corner of the WoD and start to break the immersion and the whole thing goes tits up.
Also, in the spectrum of roleplayers the Vampire players are from the end that is closest to the histrionic and self centered part of the whole population. It may be for the reason that roleplaying a vampire can very easily be a Mary Sue which means that the player will consider the character to be a real extension of themselves, part of the process that makes it even more real for the player is the fact that for some people there is sexuality thrown into the mix which makes the IC/OOC divide even less.
On the permadeath thing... it is one of the ways that in WoD the prince actually can enforce her power. If you have the death sentence on your head, you can always leave the princes domain and go live somewhere where his enemies live. It will be used to keep the trouble makers out, especially the kind that do it purposefully and with malice, agents of their enemies. Paranoia is a big part of being a vampire, because mistakes cost your life, and usually a vampire wants to exist forever.