Chronicle and Character Creation

I don’t know a thing about any city across the pond, and my concept was quietly assumed to be based near a university, but nothing hard wired into the build.
He was deliberately built without much in the way of fixed ties, so could shift pretty easily.

Ha fair enough, I guess I was thinking, "Everybody understands New Orleans from Vampire."

But I suppose that's not as big of a stereotype for Europeans who have much older vampire history and lore much closer.

Perhaps to elaborate, I think the city has interesting things for Mages:

1. The Bayou/native American/creole history has a lot of connections to Traditions (Dream speakers). As well as the Bon temps/hedonistic and artsy elements (Ecstatics), and the Church (Choristers).

2. There's an extreme clash between nature and technology/progress there. It's a city built in a place where a city should no be - reliance on levees. Lots of industrialization out in the bayou for shipping and energy development etc. These themes could be amped and emphasized for Technocracy elements.

3. The city has a generally... special ... and unique connection and culture with death and the dead, and mysticism and magic. This could tie into Nephandi but also makes a rife playground for Spirits and also just kind of a generally different Consensus possibly even, that is a bit more magical. Including folklore that basically has built in Nodes/Tass and things.

Thoughts?

Sounds like a playground for certain types of Verbena and Euthanatos!
I believe there’s also some significant musical culture there too, but if my existing Etherite would’ve hard to integrate (and you don’t want me to try and build a different Etherite who wants to do weather control, I can try for something different.

No not at all!

I wasnt saying this to try to get ppl to change or create new characters.

Just trying to "sell" it as a viable Mage setting.

It could be that it's just in my brain/my circles that New Orleans is a good, common frame of reference for a WoD setting, and that New Orleans doesn't make any more sense for the other players here than San Antonio either?

In which case maybe we'll just do NYC/a generic metropolis?

Ultimately the setting may not matter much, because I would also view this as a kind of limited run campaign.

More than a one shot, but short of a full on Chronicle.

So maybe we just do with "Generic City"?

I'd be more comfortable with a metropolis or generic city. New Orleans is such a unique place that it'd be a character all on its own. Not that NYC, Chicagos and San Antonios don't have their own "spirit", but looking from outside in, they do feel more like an empty canvas that you can fill in with whatever needed.

If everyone's down for NO, i'd be too, but would need to read up on it, maybe redo the character to fit it better.

Alright let's just do Generic City. And heck might as well just stick with San Antonio then I guess? Makes it easy - no changes.

@Skairkro looks like you've been inactive for 10 days. Are you still with us and wanting to participate in this game?

@MaJunior are you still wanting to play with the exodus of JM?

@ThetaSigma I'll work on getting an intro Awakening post up for you.

And then reversia after that I'll keep your Awakening scene going.

Cheers friends, see you in game !

Yep, I'm down to give it a go!

Okeydoke

I think Ma you were waiting on some input from JM RE: Techno companies?

There's no Mage canon in San Antonio, so we can do whatever.

That said, you mentioned Sunburst subsidiary or something right? I know nothing about Technos other than "they're (one of) the bad guys" to the Traditions. And so, know nothing about them in particular. But so long as their business isn't too focused on any one thing(?), I think we can just roll with that?

Feel free to put post what you have for a background if you want to roleplay your Awakening like the others, and I'll kick it off with ... something? (I have no idea of how Technos experience Awakening is somehow any different from normal Mages?)

Starburst and Credicorps (for which John worked) are both subsidiaries of Pentex, of WtA infamy. I initially picked it to throw a potential Wyrmish Nephandi hook in, plus there are in-canon threads between Pentex and Syndicate (i think, might've been NWO or both).

As for ideas on Technocratic Awakening, i most vividly remember the story from Progenitors 1e book, where the characters were recruited into a special program at Progenitors university (or regular uni where Progenitors also reside) and experienced gradual Awakening throughout taking courses and doing homework. I believe other techomages, both Tradition and Technocracy are doing the same - recruiting promising individuals and training them from the ground up. Come to think of it, that's the MO of a bunch of other enlightened groups as well.

I was referencing this discussion chain:But good to know your character is in the Techno circles too

Hm, I’ve been poking an AI tool for a character picture, but I can’t get the result to upload as an avatar - is there a file size or type restriction I need to be aware of?

I feel like there is, but I couldn't tell you details. When I have a picture I want to use that won't upload, I screenshot it, edit it to just the image (remove the toolbar at the top of my phone, etc.), and upload that. Consistantly works for me.

Sorry it's not a more precise answer, but it's what I've got. Lol

Thanks! Cropping the picture eventually worked for me.

So as we're posting frequently in character now, I've cursed a few times and we've talked about narrative content in the context of "Should this game be public?" , but nothing really definite as far as what you guys (or I) want and don't want to see as players.

So, as a final element of this thread, and as a kind of part of the Session Zero purpose of it, let's have a chat about Safety Tools and themes and content.

As a WoD game I tend to assume there will be a certain level of "adult content". Which I would generally characterize as "rated-R" type of content, to reference the American movie standards.

Cursing, non-pornographic sexual content/nudity, graphic depictions of violence, etc.

Just because that's my assumption though doesn't ofc mean that you guys have to be ok with that. If you would like to see some lesser degree of that kind content? I am 100% on board with lesser degrees of those various types of depictions.

I usually tend more toward PG-13. But WoD is... well, dark and horrific by intent.

Anyway, just because I'm at "R" though, doesn't mean that I would go anywhere near SA or other general taboo topics. I will not. That's a X card for me. Not interested in having sexual assault as a story element. So I ask that you please take it off the table as well.

Similarly, but not identically, I personally don't care for role-playing in detail romantic relationships in ttrpgs. This is a Veil for me.

So you can have romantic relationships if you want, we can talk about them, use them as a plot device etc, but any actual romance we'll "fade to black" on and keep it behind the cinematic curtain. Veiled.

So with that, I open it up to you guys.

What are your Lines Veils and Xcards?

Swearing and violence is fine. I'd steer clear of politics and, to a lesser degree, religious conflict. Enough of this crap irl. Same with real world armed conflicts/wars.

We were originally planning on making Nephandi the antagonists and these guys can be an unsavory bunch, though i always scoffed at how the book portrayed them. Might need to adjust the "mustache twirling" factor depending on everyone's tastes.

As a player i'd say my general preference is for exploration>social>>>combat. John was originally made as a darker character - a tortured, traumatized soul and all that, but if we pivot to a more PG-13 game, we can always tweak it. The other members of his little cult are trapped in some evil ether and he has to save them - that sort of thing.

Not interested in sex, fairly indifferent to romance. Can't really think of anything else at the moment, but if i will, i'll bring it up. Might just be the darn migraine.

I don't have any.

I mean, of course I'll respect any that the other players and our ST have but personally I just don't have any.

Thanks for the input both of you.

@ThetaSigma ? Any Lines Veils Xcards?

@MaJunior , I still don't think I've seen a background for you. Which it sounds like Techno Awakenings aren't particularly interesting to play out anyway. So if you're ok with that, I am too.

But is there any other sort of prelude you'd like to explore for James?

I have to admit I've never really cared or thought about and don't really know what to do with a Technocrat PC.

The group has a lot of technology influence and ties, so when it comes time to "adventure", I think it will be easy enough to just say "The Traditions and Technos have a tense but working relationship here in San Anton.", but for "day to day"/getting-to-know-you stuff, like we're doing right now?

I'll look to you to give me some ideas for things you'd like to see.

Yeah, I had it generally plotted out but had been waiting to determine some of the details, then it went quiet for a minute before you took over. I just have to type it out.

Honestly I had been approaching it as fairly recently awakened (instead of undergoing the awakening), so that's more than fine with me.

I can get it typed up this weekend.

Sorry, busy couple of days.
Thanks for asking; truthfully, I’m not sure. I’m tempted to call a veil on prolonged torture (of animals or people) after an experience in a game some years ago, but otherwise nothing that hasn’t already been raised.