Vampire the Masquerade - 20's-30's in the Divided City.

[Blackrat]

Well this game will be partly invitation, partly open recruit. So there's couple of my friends joining in and I'm looking for three more players interested in playing RP-heavy Vampire the Masquerade game set in New York City in the 20's or 30's. The PC's will all be less than 100 year old vampires belonging to Camarilla or being independent/anarch members. Sabbat clans are possible but those will be antitribu's. Tremere is the only clan I'll say no to. The reason for this may or may not become apparent during the game . Standard character creation rules. I do own most of the clanbooks so if you want something from them ask and I'll see if it's okay. Camarilla, Sabbat, Anarchs and all the Independents will have influence in the city and this will be RP/politic intrique campaign. No power-gaming. Currently there is a truce between all the factions.

Interest? Questions?

EDIT: Oh and I'll be doing some houseruling with the Celerity. I don't know what yet. I have to check out all the alternative rules, before deciding. I'll let you know when I've made my mind.

 

[Festy_Dog]

I'm not terribly well read on Masquerade, but I'm a fan of Requiem, familiar with OWoD and this game seems very appealing.

I've got an idea cooking away already, so I thought I'd throw what I've got thus far out there and see if it matches what you're looking for in characters:

After the Great War, Iamys Gray just wanted to forget about the role he played in it. He felt guilty, because he never shared the hardships that ordinary soldiers had faced in muddy trenches and across acres of bloody barbed wire. No, his battles, while still deadly, had been fought in clubs, bars and hotels. His mind and a beguiling smile were his preferred weapons, information and his instincts his best defense. That was a number of years ago, and to get away from his treacheries and the self-loathing brought on by such a role he decided to leave England and find himself a fresh beginning in New York. He entertained the thought of, if he was lucky, earning a living through pen and cello. He found great enjoyment in string quartets, and fiction was always his favoured form of writing. They were passions he had enjoyed since childhood.

He had spent but a few nights in New York when a twist of fate worked itself into his plans. Iamys encountered a girl. Delicate, pale, intriguing and yet there seemed an unearthly energy to her, an almost mischievous vigour. On the night they met she never uttered a word to him, but led him on a game of cat and mouse across the city. From oasis of nightlife to oasis of nightlife, he chased her like a mirage through a desert of colours that paled next to the richness of her monochrome. Black hair and dress against porcelain skin. There was something exotic about her. Their chase ended in a small apartment. Still, no words were exchanged. He forgot the rest of that evening, despite his best efforts to remember. The next night he woke up alone. He had changed.

Iamys wandered for a time, hungry and confused, easily distracted. Anything he ate or drank made him sick, and yet he hungered for something he couldn't readily define. A Kindred found him before the sun did, and realizing their respective predicaments took Iamys under his wing. Iamys, a Malkavian, needed someone to show him the ropes. Also a Malkavian, Iamys' rescuer sought perhaps a kind of understanding from one of his own blood. Effectively sire and childe, but Iamys still searches for the girl who sired him.


That's perhaps an abstract of sorts for what I have in mind for the character: A Malkavian musician and/or writer of Scottish heritage (although he's not much sure of that). Hopefully all the potential hooks for the character will properly unfold once I give the story some more meat. If there's changes you'd like to see or if you think it wouldn't sit right I'm very much open to opinion.

 

[Isnaard]

Aye. I suppose I am in, albeit I am not quite sure I will enjoy message-board RPing due to it's very slow nature.

I haven't got even a sketch of a character suitable for this chronicle, and I suppose I need "a bit" information on the city, like the places where the kindred hang out, the social highs of the kindred society and such in order to plan for the character's future and plans. Depending on many factors, it will or it will not be a power seeking character.

Btw., I think we should keep most of the information about our characters between ourselves and the GM. I think it ruins a lot of mood and flavor if we know something (that our characters couldn't possibly know) about someone other's past or secrets.

Oh, and Vampire: the Dark Ages presented an ok errata for Celerity. You can spend maximun number of blood points per dots in Celerity, gaining an extra action for each blood point spent. Generation has no effect, as also a "younger" vampire can spend points in this manner without the normal limitations of her generation. This pretty much solves the 15 attacks/round problem, but I also think it might nerf the discipline to almost unusable. I suggest we use it, nevertheless.

 

[Bloodweaver1]

I would be interested in playing a Gargoyle if possible.
If not, how about an Assimire?


-Blood

 

[Blackrat]

Isnaard is one of the friends I mentioned. Welcome aboard ol' lion.
And yeah. Don't post specifics on this thread. For now I just want consepts. Festy_Dog's is good example of good consept.

Festy_Dog, sounds good. A malkavian is always interesting addition to any group. Just be warned that I may describe things differently for you. Your insight might make you see some things very differently.

Blood, do you mean Assamite? And yes, those would be good. Make a short consept, akin to the one by Festy_Dog's. A gargoyle is a no no. For the same reason as the tremere, since they are essentially pawns of tremere.

I'll keep recruitment open until the start of next week. After that I'll choose three or four whose consepts works well together or intrique me the most and then you can begin making sheets and writing complete backgrounds.

 

[Blackrat]

To answer some of Isnaard's questions:

The lay of the City:

Manhattan, western part of Queens and north-eastern Brooklyn: Camarilla territory, led by the iron fisted Toreador Prince D'Argent. If you wish to spend time here, it is advised to present yourself in her court as the first thing.

Rest of Queens: Sabbat area. 'nough said? Not a good place to hang around.

Rest of Brooklyn: Anarch Free City and Independent domains. Probably the most nonhostile area for young-ones to live in. The leader of Anarchs, a Brujah named Sebastian and his gang does a good job keeping the area free of Camarilla.

The Bronx: Domain of Bloodmage Manfred von Teufelwald, either a Tremere or Tzimisce of considerable power. No one knows for sure from which clan he hails but either way he is territorial to the extreme and doesn't allow any other vampire in his domain. So Bronx is a not good place to wander to.

Hot spots:

Club Raven: A jazz club and the favourite place of many young vampires in Anarch City. Feeding on the premices is frowned upon: You would do good to take your victims somewhere else before feeding.

Club Lune: A very different kind of club. Classic music, cream of society and the court of D'Argent. No hunting without the permit of prince.

Theatre la Lune: A theatre next to the club, this place works as Elysium.

The museum of egyptian arts: A building that mimics ancient egyptian temples, this is the temple of New Yorks Setites. No entry without invitation.


Well that should give something to work on.

 

[Festy_Dog]

One query: I'm guessing that Malkavians have Dominate since the game is set (well and truly) before they develop Dementation? I have no preference either way, but I wanted to double-check.

 

[Blackrat]

One query: I'm guessing that Malkavians have Dominate since the game is set (well and truly) before they develop Dementation? I have no preference either way, but I wanted to double-check.

Actually you could very well decide which you want. Since about ten percent of malkavians were never affected by the events that held dementation from them for few hundred years. Of those, majority joined sabbat but that leaves us with a few who know Dementation and are still within Camarilla or most likely anarchs. No objections on either one.

 

[Festy_Dog]

Hmm, that there's some interesting food for thought. Many thanks.

 

[Voadam]

Which edition of VtM?

I played in the original edition and up through the second (I think, did it go original, revised, second, third?). I am familiar with a bunch of stuff but I never had the core books, only the original brujah and anarch books.