[CLOSED] VtM 20th Ed. - Boca Raton by Night

By day, Boca Raton is a simmering nest of metal and neon, a resort town steeped in luxury and decadence. When the sun sets and neon splashes against rainy streets, the kindred emerge to their nightly hunt. Not satisfied preying on mortals, these creatures prey on each other in a game of control over the Camarilla, those petty kingdoms and domains that make up vampire society. Depending on whom you ask, the Camarilla is either stronger than ever or coming apart at the seams. Either way, violence and infighting is common in the halls and palaces of Boca. Some say that the Gehenna, the end times for man and vampire, is finally upon us. The writing is on the wall, they say, and it is written in blood.

You are a neonate--a freshly-turned vampire--in the ivory halls and back alleys of the Camarilla. Do you have the strength to survive in these blood-soaked streets? When your betters, vampires hundreds of years older than you, knock you down, can you get back up? And what of your lost humanity? How long can you hold onto its tatters before the nature of the Beast consumes you?

Boca Raton by Night is a homebrew Vampire: the Masquerade chronicle for all experience levels. This game will be using the 20th Anniversary Edition (a.k.a. 4th edition) rules of the game. We will start the chronicle in the resort/college town of Boca Raton and gradually open up the sandbox to more areas of South Florida if the party wishes (Miami, West Palm, the Everglades, etc.). The playstyle will be fully sandbox, with the players encouraged to puruse their individual goals and try to make meaning for their undead existence. This game will be set in the modern nights, and will use many lore changes from VtM 5e.

Themes
This game will explore the sociology and ecology of Florida and how these two worlds impact each other as much as the vampire world impacts the mortal one. The setting of Boca Raton is an important venue for the luxury real estate and fast/luxury fashion industries, and we will explore how these are spelling disaster for the environment and people through exploitation and waste. The vampiric perspective, with its pale imitation of humanity and twisted longevity, will be an interesting lens for these issues. Vampires occupy key roles on both sides of the issues, and the PCs will get to see that and participate in it.

Mature Themes: VtM is a game of personal and political horror. Vampire, by definition, engage in sadistic and predatory violence. The World of Darkness setting is colder and more Gothic and despairing than our world. We will discuss lines and veils, but expect to at least brush with those themes. For this reason, and for the political nature of the social issues above, this game will be set to Private.

Character Options
When creating your character, follow the guidelines in the rulebook and choose from among the following Camarilla clans: Banu Haqim, Lasombra, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, Ventrue. (For VtM vets, this may look a little different. Remember that in the 21st century, Clans Gangrel and Brujah defect from the Camarilla.) Independent clans (now including Brujah and Gangrel) are also allowed. Tzimisce are discouraged but may be allowed as very repentant antitribu. Please seek ST approval for bloodlines or other special accommodations.

Game Duration and Frequency
Looking for an average of three posts per week. This game has no endpoint so far; it will last as long as the sandbox provides opportunities for adventure.

How to Apply
To apply, please state (1) what you would like to get out of or take away from this game, (2) what character concept you're think of for this game, and (3) how you hope to engage with the themes of this chronicle. Also, if you read this far, add the phrase sunless citadels somewhere in your post. Thanks for reading, and happy gaming!

This game is explicitly friendly to the LGBTQ+ community and all other minorities or marginalized groups. Welcome!

I'm interested
I have wanted to play the story about a new vampire, free of the norms, that can now explore their own identity within this new world deep in the sunless citadels.

I haven't played the Bloodlines 2 PC game, but when I saw this character and her look, it sparked my interest to persue this character idea.Regarding the ecology theme, I'll think something in the line of identifying with predators, just like the crocodiles of swamps, one must hunt to survive, but not as aggressively that the humans feel the need to drain the swamps.

I have the 20th Anniversary Edition rules at home. I'll see what else inspires. I have always had a soft spot for Toreador and Tremere

I'm interested!

In the VtM games I play, I intuitively look for escapism--to interface with political horror themes in new ways, to imagine ways of existing in a horrific world that is different from the way I live IRL. I think that's why I've leaned away from Modern Nights settings until now--exploring current-day politics, even through a horror game, is not generally escapism for me. But as a native Floridian IRL, I want to explore Boca Raton under a different identity, and navigate local Camarilla politics as someone who conforms rather than rebels. (I often play Anarch PCs so playing as a member of the Camarille would be a fresh change!)

The character concept I'm imagining is a Banu Haqim young man of Jamaican immigrant parents. I imagine that he goes to Boca Raton as a college student and he's part of a fraternity--I think he's probably related to or associates with the governing powers of the Camarilla, like the Primogen or Seneschal or Sheriff. I think he truly believes that the Camarilla provides safety and structure in the chaos of the World of Darkness, and thus seeks to carry out its laws.

The Banu Haqim occupy an interesting space in the Camarilla--IIRC, they joined quite recently. I have to reread the Banu Haqim stuff in V20 and V5. But I'm interested in how my character interacts with the other high clans, and how he (consciously or not) contributes to the waste and destruction of the environment by following the will of the high clans. I'd also be interested in explore how his privileges and disadvantages of his identities impact how he navigates these sunless citadels.

Hello DragonDweller! I happen to be on the lookout for a new VtM20 game as the other one I joined sadly didn't get off the ground. I'm an old-time player of the game but got the V20 book (with leather cover, so you know it's good!) back in the day hoping to rekindle my old love for stalking the night. I am also one of the local enthusiasts for grimmer and darker settings on GP.

Reading through your game pitch there's a few things I really like. Foremost among them is personal development opportunities (In my experience many VtM games edge towards D&D with fangs which I'm not super fond of). In addition sandbox games always have my preference, the prewritten chronicles are cool in detail of lore, but can be a bit stifling on creativity on the player's end. So this game seems a great fit for what I like to do in VtM.

For my character concept I wanted to try a clan I've been hesitant to play before, a Malkavian. I had an aversion for them for a long time because they tend to be played as chaotic gremlins or quirky tropes (the number of multiple personality cooks I've seen...). I want to play a more grounded Malkavian. One that is still deranged of course, but not in the super disruptive or loud way, and one that has a personality beyond their derangement. So I struck on the idea of Tom, a teenage closeted gay lad who suffers from crippling shyness, but who is smart and gentle. A Malkavian embraced him to 'free him from the chains he placed on himself' but Tom isn't there yet. Coming to terms with the fact he is now a blood-drinking monster is particularly hard for him. Socializing with the Camarilla in their sunless citadels is even worse. He dislikes it all and looks to make his own path, away from prying eyes and expectations others place on him. At the same time his embrace forced him out of the quiet life of a high schooler living with his parents so he is now forced to grow up fast. But he doesn't even have a clue where to get a fake ID.

Tom's derangement is subtle. He always unconciously has the Eyes of Chaos dementation ability active when he interacts with people. But rather than receiving strange visions or sudden insight, he receives these impressions subconsciously. When he talks to a person for a while, he picks up on hints of fate or tragedy or loss in the subject. But rather than this coming as visions, he reads them as other people read emotions off another face. Tom is aware of these inner insights as if he has always been aware of them. Then things get more complicated, because he will assume everyone else is aware of these hidden insights as well. For example, he speaks to a vampire whose greatest regret is losing his mortal lover, but this vampire never discussed this with anyone. But Tom unconciously picks up that this vampire has lost someone close to him, even though he has no details on it. So when he speaks to this vampire the first time, he would offer condolances for their loss, while everyone else would wonder what the hell he is talking about, even the vampire who he is speaking to, as this may have happened decades ago and is no longer at the forefront of their mind. So expect exchanges out of the blue such as "Oh, I like dogs too. What kind do you like most? I kind of like big cats." and "That's just mean of you. Why would you want to do that?" without context, but which to the receiving party seems weirdly personal and creepy.

Things get even more concerning if Tom's dementation happens to pick up threads of a future fate for the individual. To Tom, the fate is already a certainty but once again, he expects everyone to see that as plain as day. "I'm sorry your friend dies." might be one of those heavy hitters. Especially when one of the character's friends dies a few days later. Tom can't see which friend or how they die, he only has the insight of how it affects the person he's talking to.

But as mentioned the derangement is only a small part of the character. I think much bigger themes for Tom are:
-His shyness and tendency to make himself small and invisible in social settings.
-Coming to terms with being a vampire, in particular one with a high humanity who hates hurting others.
-How to live as a perpetual teenager who looks a little too young to drink or drive.
-Being a teenager as far as emotional development goes. (His raging hormones in combination with his closeted homosexuality)
-Figuring out how he can rebuild his life, in terms of getting his own permanent place to sleep, how to get some money, how he can safely feed, etc.

Long term development for the character would be finding some sort of confidence in himself (or having it utterly shattered). The other pc's might play an important role in this if they manage to gain Tom's trust.

I'm interested in playing. I think I'd like to play a Tremere. Desperate to become a mover and shaker in the occult scene in Boca. (Man that was weird to type)

Really interesting how I just finished my first ever rap song called "Mouth of the Rat" about growing up in Boca Raton

Hello! I’ve been keen to give VtM a try for a while now so consider me very interested!

In terms of what I would like to get out of this game, I really like more character-driven, sandboxy style games and I’m hoping for lots of roleplay and social/political intrigue. Also, a long-running Urban Shadows game I was in on this site ended recently, so I guess I’m hoping this game will fill the urban fantasy-shaped hole in my heart hahah

I have two character ideas floating around in my head at the moment and I would be happy to play either one – whichever you like best or whichever fits better with the other player characters:

Character Idea #1: A bright-eyed, idealistic phD student turned Gangrel. He was in Boca Raton studying urban bat colonies when he was embraced. He’s a bit odd and socially awkward, but very friendly, and he’s struggling to reconcile his new, more aggressive, bestial instincts with his normally kind-hearted nature.

Character Idea #2: A smooth-talking street magician who was abandoned by his sire and had to quickly figure out how to navigate the bloodthirsty politics and sunless citadels of the undead on his own. Motivated primarily by self-preservation and survival, he’s a self-serving trickster, although he has a soft heart beneath it all and doesn’t like to see others suffer if he can help it. I was thinking Caitiff for this one, if allowed, but, if not, I think Ravnos could work.

Obviously, idea #1 would be engaging with the ecological themes of the chronicle more directly, but either way, I think I would be interested in exploring how vampires reflect both sides of the conflict between environment and industry, being both more in touch with their primal, predatory natures, and also inherently parasitic and exploitative.

Thank you very much for your consideration!

Hi everyone! I've been a little busy IRL but now I'm caught up with the posts on this thread. It's great to see new faces and old friends, and I'm loving these concepts! I plan to keep this thread open for the next day or so (so closing Tue/Wed EST) to see if anyone else is interested in applying, but it sounds like we have a solid coterie so far!

@runekyndig those are solid clans for a classic Camarilla game! I'm looking forward to the clash between your PC's self-actualization and the demands of the Camarilla.

@valentine_teddies I know how much you love period VtM games, but I'm glad this one still speaks to you! That sounds like a really potent PC concept! I'm excited to bring this new Cam vampire to (un)life together.

Hi @Khulod! Looking forward to another vampire adventure together. I appreciate the nuanced take on Malkavian; I think they can be played with much more tragedy and complexity than most people give them credit for. My last ST played some really interesting Malks too, leaning into the cosmic horror of the madness network. I've never seen someone link their madness to a Discipline before, so that will be cool to see and RP! And I love the tragedy of younger vampires; one of my most beloved PCs is a young Ravnos who struggles to be taken seriously.

@Kier01 I love how occult and mysterious the Tremere are, and how they can link stuff from Mage. I am curious to know more about how you would fit this PC into the themes of the game? I encourage you to read the application again for more information on how to do that.

@oopsylon I really like both those concepts! As you may have put together, my favorite clan is Ravnos so you would be in good hands with that one. It's really up to you, since Caitiff is allowed too and those both sound like they engage with the themes really well.

Thank you all for your support and participation, and happy gaming!

Interested in the Sunless Citadel (D&D adventure about a vampire tree) any your game. Never played any Vampire game before, so my character would be like me. A new vamp looking to learn.

Florida mentioned! I love this.

Did a little more work on the core character concept. Getting a feel for her.

A petite, platinum-haired Environmental Science student turned Toreador
She sees vampirism through the lens of ecology: predators survive by restraint.
She moved away from her conservative upbringing and came to the city where she studied Environmental Science. And explored her own identity, desire, and art. Especially the old-style field notebooks with drawing and notes has her fascination, and something she emulates.

As promised, I am closing this thread and inviting my chosen players to the game. @runekyndig, @valentine_teddies, @Khulod, and @oopsylon will be getting invites shortly. If you want to play but your application didn't make it, I encourage you to try again in the future next time this game opens up. Thanks everyone, and happy gaming!