1. The first Boston Requiem game will take place on Saturday,
January 29th.
The game site will be the Actor's Workshop -- Kevin has the directions, and
will provide them as soon as can be.
2. This is the Boston VSS, as taken from the database. I thought it would
be
nice to have on the site for people to see. Can you make that happen?
I. Information
Domain Name: Domain of Boston
Domain Number: MA 001 - D
Venue: Requiem
Venue Name: Shattered Heavens
Lead Venue Storyteller: Jason Schneiderman (werther@hilander.com or
bostonrequiemvst@gmail.com)
Storyteller Contact: As above. The Domain Storyteller is Jason Hoggatt
(jason@hoggatt.com)
Games Hosted On: The usual game date is the second Saturday of each month,
with game sites announced via the D-Boston Yahoogroups e-mail list, the
Domain web site, and Camarilla mailing lists like
us-ne-region@cammail.white-wolf.com.
II. Styles of Play
Action Combat and Challenges: 3
Character Development Personal Dilemmas and choices: 4
Darkness PC death and corruption: 2
Drama Ceremony and grand story: 4
Intrigue Politics and negotiation: 4
Manners Social etiquette and peer pressure: 4
Mystery Enigmas and investigation: 3
Pace (How fast stories emerge, develop and resolve): Moderate. The first
"story arc" is scheduled to run three sessions, with a possible
denouement
at NERE.
III. Venue Description (tentative)
As the Chronicle opens, Boston is governed by Marcus, patriarch of the Domus
Nocis Dirae (the House of Dreadful Night), a lineage of Sanctified
Nosferatu. The City has a Senate, a relic from the days when the Carthian
Movement was more prominent, and each of the five Covenants holds a seat.
The Sanctified are at the apex of a political triangle, challenged on one
hand by the rising Crone cults and flanked by the Invictus who covet the
political power of the Lancea Sanctum. At present, the Dragons have
withdrawn from the political arena, preferring to concentrate on their
studies, and the Carthians lick their wounds in the tunnels while
solidifying their base.
Boston in the world of the Requiem is much as it appears in the headlines.
The impact of the player characters has, thus far, been subtle and out of
the limelight. One might see the hand of the Kindred in the increased murder
rate (the highest in many years), but that's conspiracy theory at work.
As the story opens, the dueling Virtue and Vice in Boston are "faith"
and
"greed." Boston has always held itself in high regard -- a "city
on a hill"
that stands as an example to the rest of the nation and the world. However,
such lofty goals can be tainted by the baser natures of men... even dead
men. It remains to be seen which way Boston shall go.
IV. Storytelling Mechanics
A: Proposed Mechanics
* Storytellers on site may ask participants in a scene to resolved the scene
theatrically through roleplay rather than via tests.
* The city of Boston is, in many ways, as important as any other NPC you
might find. Actions that threaten to redefine the character of the city
(blowing up Faneuil Hall, subjecting the mayor to Conditioning, replacing
Fenway Park with an office complex, as examples) are more difficult to
accomplish. Actions to affect 'the city' must overcome a defense not less
than the number of Merit dots invested by PCs or database-registered NPCs
in
the relevant elements. (Appropriate "defense" Merits might be Allies,
Contacts, Fame, Herd, Haven, Retainers, Resources, and the Status background
as it applies to mortals.)
* Boston has a rich history, and we welcome the efforts of players outside
the domain to tie themselves to it. Please notify the VST and the DST of
your character's relation to Boston, so that we can take your character's
presence into account when crafting the history of the City. The
Storytelling staff of the Domain of Boston reserves the right to ask such
characters to take levels of City Status: Boston to reflect remaining
influence on the city.
* The Storytelling staff of Boston may judge a given test to be "routine."
A
"routine" test is one where there is no active opposition, and the
test pool
of the acting character is 5 or greater after all modifiers have been
applied. When resolving a routine test, no randomizer need be used, and a
single success (no more, no less) is attained. Willpower points may not be
expended to add three to the pool when resolving a routine action.
B. Proxy Rules
All proxy requests to Shattered Heavens must be received by the Venue
Storyteller in writing or e-mail no less than 48 hours before the announced
game-start time, and must contain the following:
* A full character sheet, including an experience point log and a record of
any approvals for items, powers, or other character traits that require
them.
* VST / DST / RST contact information. The storytelling staff will need to
able to verify things and give the results of the proxy so they can
incorporate said results into their games.
* Clearly stated goals for the character in proxy. Be as precise as
possible. Any omitted information concerning the character's goals and
actions will be improvised by the storyteller staff.
* Contingency plans. The best-laid plans are sometimes disrupted. Without
contingency plans, the decisions that the storytelling staff will make may
or may not reflect what the player would have done in similar circumstance.
* Agreement to the following terms and conditions:
All proxy play is final. Scenes will not be re-run or retracted.
While in proxy play, the character will not be in play in any other place
or
in other proxy scenes. This includes the use of Twilight Projection or
similar powers that allow characters to exist simultaneously in multiple
locations.
The potential for character death or worse exists. In every proxy scene,
there are inherent dangers. The decision to proxy is made with knowledge of
this.
If you are not comfortable with these conditions, then do not proxy your
character.
C. Travel Risks and Guidelines for Visiting Characters:
(IC)
* At the start of the Chronicle, traveling to Boston offers relatively few
risks. Boston is well connected via highway, rail, bus, and airway to the
rest of the world.
* It is rumored that the subway system in Boston (the "T") is monitored
for
Kindred activity. Those who use the trains as a source for food or
transportation place themselves at slightly higher risk.
(OOC)
* The Boston play experience includes props and character handouts. Visitors
are encouraged to submit characters for approval no less than 48 hours
before the announced game start in order to aid the storytelling staff in
integrating them into the evening's story. Players who do not do so may
experience a delay as materials are being generated, or be asked to portray
NPCs while the storytellers adapt to their presence.
D. Antagonists and Mysteries
At the start of the Chronicle, there are few open conflicts among the
vampires of Boston. The Danse Macabre gathers intrigue like moss, though,
and it shouldn't be long before the city's vampires start grasping for
influence and jockeying for position. The venue's first year will feature
conflict with mortal groups (including those that might be considered
"cults") and play on the tug-of-war taking place among different
political,
criminal, academic, and supernatural factions. Some conflicts can be solved
with diplomacy; others with money, and still others by brute force.
Those who follow the vicissitudes of the occult world know that tensions
are
building between several small groups over personality clashes and interest
in a few key locations. Unresolved tension from the recent Presidential
election has caused some disaffected youth to ally themselves in "black
blocs" with anarchist tendencies.
E. Experience Award Guidelines
* The average experience reward for a game session is five (5) experience
points per player. If a player portrays two player characters (PCs) during
the session, they may divide those points between the two as they see fit.
* After the session, a player may submit a report detailing the actions and
experiences of their characters at the session (otherwise known as a
"chronicle"). At the judgment of the VST, a chronicle may be worth
an
additional experience point.
* Two weeks after an official session, a player may submit a report of
"downtime" activity and progress on short- and long-term character
goals. At
the judgment of the VST, such a report may be worth an additional experience
point.
* The VST reserves the right to award additional experience based upon
character activity outside of games: proxy, sub-LARP, IRC, journaling, and
so forth.
--
Jason Schneiderman :: CAM# US2002021104
Requiem VST for the Domain of Boston, MA-D01
