Interest Checks - World of Darkness

Sorry, should have been clearer, I love me some bryonic gothic Hollow Ones and their ilk. The Orphan Survival Guide, however, really isn't worth it if you're looking for interesting material on of them.

I'll admit that this is all from memory, though it's telling that it's not with my other Mage books!

I think it was one of those general books, that went to more for feeling than rules. That was the one where the reader was sitting in a cafe with a Hollower in early chapters, i believe. Gotta reread it. Kinda makes sense that it would be broad, given that Orphan can literally be anyone doing anything any sort of way. It does begs the question about Hollowers themselves - how do they fare these days? What are Gen Z and Y (that's what the next one referred to as, right?) Hollow Ones look like. I remember seeing interesting title on a Youtube video once, was something like "Rise of Aesthetics/Death of Subcultures". So what is a modern Hollower? How do they feel about the "old" guard and vice versa?

I've started a VTMxMTA chronicle and we're still looking for a few good licks. Posting here in case folks who subbed to this thread missed the recruitment for it - Singing streets.

Thank you, but I'm mostly interested in a Mage game, not a mixed one

Following this discussion, I've been planning on running a Changeling: the Dreaming game, using the 20th anniversary edition ruleset.

I initially spent time working on a broader setting, using Detroit, Michigan to echo the themes of loss and decay that can be found in CtD. However, I decided that there is a good quickstart adventure available, and will use that to get the motley into the game, then expand to Detroit only if we all like the system and playing together. As such, it is only a short game that you'd be committing too, but it has the potential of expanding to a broader semi-sandbox style game.

Here's the call for players!

Anyone ever run Vampire or anything else in Australia? Tales, tips, good reference materials?

Great! Another element on that bloody continent that wants to kill you

🤣
Somehow, Vampires are probably not the most dangerous thing down there.

It doesn't seem to feature much native leeches, interestingly enough. No South America esque "Drowned Legacies".

Looking at it now, 1ed Werewolf covered a lot of ground. There is Rage across Russia as well. Not a lot on it apart from Brujah Council and Baba Yaga that i can remember being mentioned in Vampire books. Maybe Orodea League or something.

So it seems that the abomination known as "Bloodlines 2" is due this month.. And it's October..

I'm hopeful, but not optimistic. It would depend on the user reviews if i would buy it.
Enjoyed the other vampire games

I'm going off of a single review, but it's not a RPG, it's nothing to do with Bloodlines, but apart from that, it's okay!

I would be interested in any WoD game.

Same, same. Wouldn't mind playing VTM or maybe WTA. I've contemplated running another VTM game myself, but that would be pushing it. I'm lucky (and thankful) enough as it is that folks stuck out in my games despite me-related slowdowns. Don't want to spread myself too thin by starting too many.

Would be interesting to see how other, more experienced STs handle things. Here's hoping that spooky October will put someone in the mood for some broody vampire game.

I planned a (nWoD/CoD) "Innocents" Halloween one shot that I'm gonna run for my in person groups, and I would also love to run it here, but my work is getting busy and I don't have the time right now to do another game...

The poor Bunyip. . .

I dropped all my games a year ago almost runnung & playing, but I am feeling the desire to slowly come back in if anyone is running something with open recruitment

Curious, how much prep do you do for your VtM chronicles, assuming there is little-to-no info on the city in the books? Do you write the whole court, each individual of importance described or just outlined? Or are you more of a "wing it" ST? How much prep is too much and how much it too little?

VTM: Initial Prep for a New City
I set up first the initial factions (not just the big two, but subfactions and outsiders as well), and try and illustrate what they're up to, big picture stuff. Then I work out the movers and shakers, and how they fit into the faction goals - I always try to introduce some friction. Lastly, I work out how the PCs will enter the scene, and work out the connections from them to the factions.

I feel that within this system there must be instability of some kind, as I find that's where the drama for a chronicle lies - what happens if someone disrupts the fragile balance? So I go back and make sure I know where those stress points are.

Once I know what I need, then I usually play fast and loose with the NPC stat blocks until they're needed. In fact, I often use an oWoD NPC reference that I have to Google each time and grab stats for a canon NPC of similar clan, gen, background.

Major NPCs that the PCs will interact with regularly will get much more detail.

Lastly, after the first two sessions, you realize most of that needs to be subtly reworked to for the player styles and demonstrated interests.

With no canon info, and assuming it is a Cam campaign, and that the campaign is focused largely on Camarilla relationships/politics and tasks (as opposed to, say, militant actions against the Sabbat, or just day-in-the-life-Vampiring, etc)? I'd at least do a "relationship web" that includes:

The Prince
The Sheriff
The Harpy
Each member of the Primogen Council (the number of which can vary)

Including a name, a motive, and a one word descriptor for the relationship or attitude of each member towards each of the other members of the web.

I find political intrigue really difficult (basically impossible, if I want to achieve a consistent and interesting dynamic) to improvise.

YMMV in that regard.

I also like to kick campaigns off in the middle, or on the precipice, of some sort of big action or Situation. So I would also prep a "Starting Situation" of some sort, that points the Coterie in a direction to get them going.

A hunt for a rogue Cam member, with the "reward" of Amaranth?

An Anarch insurgency in someone's Domain?

The discovery of a group of Hunters?

Something like that.

Just an FYI Vampire v5 is the current Humble Bundle.

WoD HumbleBundle...