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I'm really pumped to run a New World of Darkness (NWoD) Vampire game after purchasing the Vampire translation guide. I like the NWoD rule set, but the Classic World of Darkness had some interesting aspects I liked; hated the Metaplot though.
Anyways, I love Vampire games, and would like to know who'd like to play? I have a bunch of ideas, listed below. If any or all of them interest you, let me know, make a vote. If I can get even two people interested, that's enough for a coterie in my eyes. Also, if you've never played, that's great! NWoD is a very simple system to understand.
Los Angeles: Endless Nights of the 80’s
Concept: Everyday, the Kindred must lay themselves down and rest through the night. However, for a period in the 80’, the sun’s rays didn’t burn and didn’t require the Kindred’s rest. Truly, greed was good, and corporate vampires really did walk amongst the Kine.
Miami Nights: Cocaine Kings
Concept: Miami was the American gateway for Columbia’s Cocaine in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and the Kindred fought wars over not just domain rights to feed, but they also fought over drug territory with another supernatural group: The Changelings (This game would also include Changelings, possibly as a playable choice once the game got off the ground.)
Things to do in Denver when you’re (un)dead
Concept: Denver and the Rockies has never been friendly to the Kindred; those have always been the domain of the Wolves. But as Denver has grown into a legitimate urban city, the Kindred have gained a foothold. The Wolves won’t have any of it. (This game would also include Werewolves and other Shapechangers, possibly as a playable choice once the game got off the ground. Takes place now)
The Chicago Chronicles
Concept: Chicago has always had a thriving population of Kindred. It has also always had a thriving population of the others: Werewolves, Changelings, Mages, Sin-Eaters…Hunters. Many consider Chicago Kindred to be more cosmopolitan than others; Chicago consider themselves better able to litigate territory. (This game would also include a whole mess of other supernaturals, possibly as a playable choice once the game got off the ground. Takes place now)
What dies in Vegas, stays in Vegas
Concept: With nights even more alive than their days, it is easy for the Kindred to forget that they’re actually dead. And with the dice always rolling, with the wheels always spinning, and booze always flowing, it’s easy to make a mistake or two when it seems like there aren’t any consequences for your actions. And because of that, there are, more and more, new Kindred, without instruction, without training, without discipline…without respect for the masquerade. Breaches abound. Soon, the truth will be out. (Takes place slightly in the future and deals with the Masquerade coming down.)
The Final Tales of Pendros
Concept: The nights have been…awesome. The Kine only pay attention to their immediate lives, and they only ever care about themselves. The poor and degenerate live in the worst of housing, and are so easy to feed off of. Hell, get me to a night club! Nobody even notices there if you take a few bites, everyone is so wrapped up their social networks and MMORPGs. And us? We rule the night, we rule the day, we rule everything! The mages pander to us. The wolves protect us. The changelings are our servants. The sin-eaters and hunters? Bad memories of nights long past. What could possibly go wrong? (Takes place in a cyberpunk future where vampires now rule over humanity, in a fictional city.)
Clans:
Vampires belong to one of a number of clans. While an individual vampire does not choose her clan, the clan that she belongs to make certain assumptions and statements about her. The stereotypes about clans extend to what sort of person a given vampire might Embrace, and are reinforced by the clans’ weaknesses and selection of innate Disciplines. The history of the clans is fragmentary as best. Each has several myths about their own origins, and these myths usually suggest that each clan is a different, if similar, kind of monster. The common origin of the Kindred is that they all come from humanity, rather than a single supernatural force.
Clans I'm considering/you can vote to be in a game (you can pick as many or as few as your like):
*Brujah-Passionate, outspoken, and individualistic. Nicknames: The Rabble, Warrior-Poets
*Daeva-Emotional, sensual and desirable. Nickname: Succubi, Addicts
*Gangrel-Primal, hardy and savage. Nickname: Savages, Outlanders
*Giovanni-Respectable, genteel, and necromancers. Nickname: Necromancers, The Family
*Malkavian-Prophetic, psychotic, and adaptable. Nickname: Lunatics, Oracles
*Mehket-Quick, discreet and wise. Nickname: Shadows, Rogues
*Nosferatu-Quick, discreet and wise. Nickname: Haunts, Sewer Rats
*Pastularii- Wannabe, glamorous, and unbearable. Nickname: Posers, Admirers
*Ravnos-Deceitful, nomadic, and independent. Nickname: Deceivers, Scoundrels
*Toreador-Artistic, hedonistic, and visionaries. Nickname: Patrons, Degenerates
*Tzimisce-Rational, scientific, and inquisitive. Nickname: Fiends, Modders
*Ventrue-Regal, commanding and aristocratic. Nickname: Lords, Blue Bloods
*Zelani-Lucky, impulsive, and ambitious. Nickname: Lucky Stiffs, Blessed
Non-Playable Clans:
*Morbus-Diseased, outcast, and hated. Nicknames: Carriers, The Unwell
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Covenants:
Vampires are not solitary predators.
Oh, they like to think they are. Hell, some of them are downright proud of it:the lone survivor, the rogue hunter, the wild animal stalking the veldt.
It’s b@!%$+!#. Vampires need one another, whether they like it or not. (Hey, the Danse Macabre isn’t much of a dance when you have one pathetic vampire shaking his money-maker in the middle of an empty warehouse.) It’s why vampires gather in coteries. It’s why they engage in the political process in the city.
And it’s why they join covenants.
Here are the Covenants I'm considering/you can vote on to be in a game(you can pick as many or as few as your like):
* The Circle of the Crone venerates a variety of female figures as an amalgamated creator of vampires, the Mother of all Monsters. Nickname: The Acolytes
*The Camarilla are concerned with maintaining the Masquerade and keeping Kindred society as a whole safe. Nickname: The Inquisitors
*The Carthians seek to reconcile Kindred society with modern governmental structures and social systems. Nickname: The Young Turks
*The Children of the thorns believe that all vampires came from a powerful Fae known to them as Bloody Mary, a spirit who never was truly alive, and never truly died. They travel to her realm through the use of mirrors. Nickname: The Cryptwalkers
*The Invictus is the aristocracy of the night. Nickname: The First Estate
*The Lancea Sanctum seeks to influence Kindred society with the strictures of Longinus, who believe to have been turned into one of the Damned by the very blood of Christ. Nickname: The Sanctified
*The Lasombra, like the Sabbat, believe that all vampires are descended from Cain. The difference is that they do not give into the beast, nor do they reject it. They believe that vampires are destined to rule the night, and all of humanity, and that the embrace is Caine’s blessing. Nickname: The Keepers
*The Ordo Dracul commands rituals and mystical knowledge that allows the Kindred to transcend their vampiric states. Nickname: The Dragons
*The Tremere believe that all vampires are descended from mages, who were cursed for their excessive and irresponsible use of magic, and that they know how to tap into this ancient power. Nickname: The Warlocks
Non-playable Covenants:
*The Assamites are a clan of assassins and diablerists. They believe that other vampires are inferior and that taking the blood and souls of these lesser Kindred is akin to a sacrament. Nickname: The Assassins
*Balial’s Blood members are part of a raucous, reckless covenant of vampiric Satanists. Nickname: Satanists
*The Sabbat claims that all vampires can be traced back to the First Murderer. Sabbat packs perform rites to honor Caine, killing their prey and abandoning their Humanity. Nickname: The Cainites
*VII are vampires who kill vampires. Why? Who knows. Nickname: None. One should be clear when talking about VII
The Masquerade isn’t just disposing of the bodies, and not turning into a bat while a hundred school kids with camera phones stand by gawping; the fiction of life you present must run deeper than the bare-minimum caution needed to keep the mobs from remembering the torch and pitchfork routine.
Requiem is different. It’s a role you choose for yourself, inherit from a sire, or have thrust upon you by arcane tradition or a whim of the powerful. This is how you behave in Kindred society. Requiem isn’t impossible to change, but vampires are creatures of habit, and if your fellows are used to seeing you act as the Martyr, they may be slow to accept you if you assume the role of Enforcer. Requiem shapes the arenas of Kindred society and politics in which you frequently find yourself tested, and how other Kindred treat you.
What does this mean in terms of gameplay? At character creation, you must choose a Masquerade role and a Requiem role. Masquerade is your human mask. Requiem is the vampire face beneath that mask.
Masquerades:
Artist
Criminal
Executive
Guru
Healer
Junkie
Investigator
Scholar
Youth
Requiems:
Courtesan
Enforcer
Horror
Manipulator
Martyr
Magus
Nomad
I've been looking for a WoD game for quite some time (new or old). I haven't played as a vampire before, but I have the book and your story ideas sound great. In general I'm a sucker for changeling stories, so I think I'd find the Miami game very interesting- especially if we went with a Children of the Thorns covenant. I'm also partial to the idea of a cyberpunk vampire game, possibly influenced by a Carthian power play.
The clans that most interest me are Zelani, Toreador, and Bruja. My vote for the covenant would depend on what setting you decide to go with.
What power level did you have in mind for the game; would the PCs be newly turned, or some of the movers and shakers in the setting?
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So im interested, but have a question are you combining new and old world or athose just your suggestions up for vote or whatever?
So, I purchased the Vampire Translation Guide and used it to convert, mechanically, the Covenants and Clans from Masquerade to Requiem. I divorced the clans from their covenant ties and any philosophical beliefs that couldn't be explain as the general nature of the Clan (You'll noticed that the Followers of Set aren't up there.) The game is Local instead of Global; your actions in a city don't really extend past that city (usually)
As far as power/influence level, I'm going to say you have as much influence as you can buy.
Also, you are not just voting on which Clan/Covenant you'll play, but which ones will show up in the game. No need to worry about it if you don't care. You could even vote against them. Gotta dash!
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Well, I think there are enough people interested, so let me put down what I've seen so far for votes:
Settings:
Los Angeles: Endless Nights of the 80’s
Miami Nights: Cocaine Kings
Things to do in Denver when you’re (un)dead
The Chicago Chronicles
The Final Tales of Pendros
Clans:
Brujah
Daeva
Gangrel
Mekhet
Toreador
Ventrue
Zelani
Covenants:
Carthian
Children of the Thorns
Ordo Dracul
No over lap is needed for Clans and Covenants, but I do need input on a setting. I can cast a tie breaker vote if needed.
I am really interested in the Final Tales of Pendros setting. If nobody else is particularly interested in that game, then I think I would enjoy the Denver game as Invictus. Attempting to orchestrate the strategic takeover of a new territory and focusing on diplomacy and intrigue sounds like +a lot of fun.
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Volty? Like, Martin Thatcher Volty? Ha! Well, this is just an interest check thread, I'll make a new one for character creation, and I'll have all the info needed to generate characters there.
loimprevisto, I reread Final Tales, and I think that it sounds like vampires are out of the coffin in the setting; they are NOT. If that doesn't make a difference to you, then that is a vote for that, but since you also voted for Denver...
Wow, this is more interest than a thought I'd get.
Radavel, Jinchi, Volty, can I get votes on City/Settings? You can cast as many votes as you like, but I do need at least one. Once I know what the setting is at least, I will start a character creation thread. Don't get too ahead of me on this, I do character creation a little differently. Just a little though. Nothing weird, no vamps walking in the sun or anything like that; honestly, if vamps can always drink animal blood and walk in the sun, everyone in the world should be a vampire.
I hadn't assumed that vampires were public in Final Tales, I just love the idea of mixing supernatural horror with cyberpunk and WoD sounds like a good system to work it with... I've had a brush or two with it in Shadowrun but it takes a lot of work to make the system support that atmosphere.
My votes are still solidly with Final Tales of Pendros and Miami Nights. Everyone should be excited about the game's premise, and if neither of those stir the interest of the other players then I think that I would still have fun in the Denver game.
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In the 1940's a considerable amount of Uranium was also found near Pendros. In addition to bringing in more business to the town, Pendros's mayor, Alex Runner, opened up a University dedicated to mining, refining, and researching the material. To encourage growth, he was able to pass an initiative to allow gambling within the city. The tax revenue was invested into the school, and even though gambling was outlawed again in the 1970's , Pendros University had established a name for itself.
Tonight, in the year 2038, Pendros is now known for being the place for the growth of the cybernetic industry, home to both Barkovia Industries and Thinkbest. (BI makes cheap cybernetic devices and software, and also specializes in transportation technology. Thinkbest is like the Apple of cybernetics, and is sleek, expensive, and overly hyped.) Pendros is also known for it's Casino scene, reopened in 2024, nightclubs, college, and tourism related to the outdoors. It also more well known because it lies on an huge ley line intersection, making it a number one destination for the supernatural world. It's most notable feature is that the city is located on top of miles and miles of natural caverns, the largest and most developed section of these caverns are known simply as 'Underpendros' where the people of the supernatural world can live without the masquerade.
The city's dark ruler is a Vampire Queen who came into power in 2009. While her real name is unknown, she goes by Sasha Fierce, a name that elects a giggle from those who know the reference, but do not know of Sasha's power and influence. Sasha, a Zelani Carthian who overthrew the previous vampire prince, Alexander Runningwater, she lives it up in the city's nightclubs, and is actually known for allowing quite a few breaches of the old laws to go unpunished. Meanwhile, the Kindred rule the city, and even the least powerful vampire has some sort of economic control. And they have the supernatural population in their grasp, using werewolves as hunters and bodyguards, changelings as servants, mages as their grand architects, sin-eaters as pest control, the list goes on and on. And as for the Kine, they are now zombies to corporate control. They live in corporate housing, go to corporate schooling, live and die by private law. The public sector is virtually non-existent.
This is the way it is, and this is the way it has been for many nights.
Many say that this cannot continue. Many say that a change is coming. Many say that soon, the Kindred must pay for their abuses.
But the Kindred laugh and just take another sip.
"I remember it like it was yesterday, before our current sadness, before the dead wouldn't rest, before the end of days. Back when the night was a time of eternal bliss, back when we all 'lived' in prosperity. But those were the final days of prosperity, those were the final days of joy, those were the final days of our 'innocence'. Those...
Those were the Final Tales of Pendros,"
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Well, it is a Vampire game, so, vamps only. I'm still trying to figure out the clans and covenants, mainly how they work into the setting, but this is what I've figured out so far:
*Daeva-Daeva LOVE living in Pendros. The nightlife never sleeps, the casinos are always open, and the nightclubs host the greatest parties. Hell, maybe you don't go for that scene. But the rock climbing and skiing industry, being owned by the Kindred, offer the more thrill junkie Kindred plenty of opportunities to let loose. And it is a college town. More than a few Daeva are just Bros who never goodbye to the frat house. And the underground, literally, fight scene can't be beat. Toe to toe with a wolf? A mage?! A GOLEM!? Yes! YES! God it's awesome to be a vampire!
*Gangrel-One would think that Pendros is a hub for Gangrel activity, but in fact, the clan is hardly ever seen within or even near Pendros. The reasons for this remain unclear, but the common thought is that the Gangrel were never promenant within Pendros, and unlike the other clans, they haven't really increased their numbers. Those few Gangrel who are within the city find easy employement as bodyguards. Additionally, the Queen's personal guard is made up of Gangrel, or at least, so it is said.
*Giovanni-The Giovanni clan is most prevelant within the Maximoff family, whose control over the Casinos is total and complete. The Maximoff family is run by Nikos Maximoff, a nasty man who many say manipulates people like a chess players uses pawns. The next in line is Zoe Maximoff, whose thirst for mortal justice, it is said, is as great as her thirst for blood. It is rumored that she is a lover of Ella Barkovia, the CEO of Barkovia industries.
*Malkavian-The Malkavians are kept close to the Queen, who more and more readily relies upon their advice and insight. To be a Malkavian these nights is to truly be blessed. Those they embrace are carefully selected, not, as many believe, selected out of madness. By the Queen's mandate, all Malkavians are accompained by vampiric bodyguards, but many suspect that this is more to make sure that they don't do something rash when their madness strikes them.
*Mehket-The Mekhet's role is the same as it is within any domain; to be sneaky and hidden.
*Nosferatu-Unlike in other domains, the Nosferatu find themselves to be much more prominent members of Kindred society; the Queen's punishment for the rejection of Nosferatu within the city based on appearance alone is quite severe and harsh. She has named this law 'Embraced this way'. Opponents of this law say that the Queen doesn't consider that Nosferatu are offense because of their horrid state of unlife, not their appearance, that drives the hatred towards the Haunts, and point out that people do not shun the Tzimisce in the same manner. Queen Sasha points out that this is a myth, and makes a point of having more than one Nosferatu in her court.
*Toreador-Any vampire worth their while has a member of the Toreador working for them; after the Daeva, they are one of the most active clans in Pendros. The Master of Elysieum, Gauge, is a Toreador, the DJ of Club V, a member of the queen's coterie, and is drawn to the sound of Dub Step. Those he's embraced are known for their love of the oddest things, like viral videoes and independent movies, reinterpreating what it means to be obssesed with art; the older Toreador, with their love of paintings and statues, find Guage and his 'Hipster Tories' to be the death of what it means to be Toreador.
*Tzimisce-The Tzimisce are another clan who the Kindred Queen adores. Seen as hideous at worst and outlandish at best, the Fiends found themselves hated before Sasha was in power. After she had passed the 'Embraced this Way' law, the Tzimisce were elevated to their full worth, and Sasha has never regretted it. And the small scale, Tzimisce found themselves acting as 'beauticians' for the Kindred, but on a larger scale, their flesh warping abilities are highly saught for all sorts of purposes. It is said that the Ordo Dracul in Pendros is run primarily by Tzimisce.
*Ventrue-How is it that the Kindred run, nah, own, the entire world? Because the Ventrue are sleek and sly. They infiltrate every level of government, control every major business, amoungst the Kindred, they say behind every greedy & powerful CEO is a greedier Ventrue. The most powerful Ventrue in Pendros is Ella Barkovia, CEO of Barkovia industries. Her daughter, Annalise, is being groomed to replace Sasha on the throne, and just won her bid to be the city's Mayor. They say she was embraced a year ago, and considering how the acceptance speech is done in the afternoon, in Main Street park, on international television, no one knows how she'll do pull it off. When asked, she just laughs. "No one watches television anymore,"
*Zelani-30 years ago, no one knew who the Zelani were. Now, they are the number one Clan in all of Pendros. The Lucky Stiffs are everywhere. Like Daeva, they have passion, like Ventrue, they manipulate, and only like themselves, they are INCREDIBLY lucky, so lucky, in fact, that the Queen of the city is a member of the Clan. The Zelani is the only Clan who can not only remember who created them, but still talk to her. Zelana, the Clan's creator, flows and moves through unlife like a leaf on the wind. And her greatest childe, Sasha, has done the same.
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Their story, Khaibit, does not work well for the setting, and I'm not using bloodlines in this game anyways. I also almost didn't use the Mekhet in this setting, but decided there needed to be at least one other sneaky Covenant. However, if you wish to control darkness, the Lasombra, a Covenant in this game, have Obtenebration, the gift of darkness, and your Mekhet could be a member of this Covenant.
I'm interested in playing a Mekhet with an Investigator Masquerade and Manipulator Requiem.
It looks like folks are leaning toward Mekhet... if we end up approaching the story from that angle I'll probably go for the role of an influential information broker and rumor monger, perhaps the owner (behind several shell corporations) of a number of local news agencies. Probably Ventrue, perhaps Zelani.
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As many of you know, it's thanksgiving week, so expect me to respond slowly; perhaps only once a day, until Sunday. Also, I'm working on the Campaign/Character creation information for...
Vampire: The Danse Macabre (The Final Nights of Pendros)
When I'm finished, I will start the recruitment thread!
It shouldn't take too long to do...