First Ruminations on how Trail of Cthulhu can meet Demon: the Fallen

After musing awhile on how best to integrate Demon: the Fallen with Call of Cthulhu, I've decided that the greatest horror I can give to my players would be to make many of these horrors more personal.  Since the Great Old Ones make great fodder for the new Earthbound (as do Masks of Nyarlathotep), and the War with Heaven led to the construction of many warrior races, I'm figuring what about laying the blame for many of these horrors further at the fallen's feet.

See the horrors of Ithaqua?  Of Cthulhu's Siren Song?  Those are your brethren turned mad.  That is your potential fate.

See the Mi-Go?  That is what some of your people in the Silver Legion made of humanity to make them 'Better' in the war.  Of course, now they have been contacted by the Things Beyond many of them have warped further still.  What of the Deep Ones?  Well, Belial (now Cthulhu) needed a hobby and through dreams and lore they were carved of mortals who walked into the waters well after the Earthbound were re-summoned to Earth.

In this version, however, the Fallen didn't make the universe but the galaxy and God is an entity that sits within the sun.  It consumes sentient thoughts, hope and faith, having been gutted by its brushes with the Things Beyond and having heard the tunes of the Court of Azathoth since the Fallen rose humanity to sentience and thus shook the foundations of reality itself.  God never smote the world in revenge against the Fallen.  It never cursed them out of spite.  Oh no, it simply offered the only real way to keep reality in check.  And when humanity became sentient, reality cracked as the slithering tendrils of the Things Beyond began to roam.  Knowledge is a potentially deadly and corruptive force in the Lovecraftian worlds, after all.

Thus, everything the Fallen ever believed in is a Lie.  They live in a crumbling reality filled with an essential decay which has snaked into their brethren (the Fallen) and slowly warped them in horrifying and maddening ways.  Of course there could be some Great Horror with what God was doing with human souls, perhaps using them to shore up reality itself, but to be honest it's more horrifying if God was simply a compassionless figure who couldn't understand reality but wished to create a place to slumber. 

Then Second World spoken of for the Slayers which was slowly being built by the dead spiritual matter of plants and animals could well become the holding place for human souls, lacking a better option, since humanity contains a spark of the Thing in the Centre of the Sun but were too contaminated by reality to rejoin with it.  Perhaps?  I'm not sure what to do with that.

Naturally Azathoth, Shub-Niggurath and Yog-Sothoth would remain essential principles within the universe rather than sentient entities in their own right because it's simply cooler that way.

And yes, it definitely changes the feeling of Call of Cthulhu, but having allowed my players to become supernatural does that on its own.  So why do it?  Well, I love Demon: the Fallen characters but I love the Call of Cthulhu campaigns and while it changes the setting immensely and the style of horror invoked it doesn't change that these campaigns will still be good and fitting for what I want to do.

Trail of Demonic Cthulhu: Base Demonic Template (edited)

So here's the rules of my new Trail of Cthulhu demons thus far.

Powers

Those fallen who are in possession of bodies will gain far fewer powers than the canonical World of Darkness versions.  Each fallen will gain a single power that has greater versatility, such as pyrokinesis, to encourage the players to think in terms of a defining power rather than a random assortment of magic. 

The Fallen will have an extra ability based on their full demonic form which holds true for all members of their House and two abilities that are unique to their particular purpose and sub-House.  Using their demonic form can draw the attention of local supernatural forces and can sometimes cause them more trouble than its worth.  It costs a point of Faith to use one's revelatory / apocalyptic form but it lasts until the Fallen wills it to end.  So long as they are wearing their apocalyptic form, they may suppress or re-establish their active abilities with a thought.  As an example, they may begin with wings, suppress them to move through a hallway, then unleash them again to fly over a gap.

They may use rituals, much as anyone else, but doing so typically causes their minds to brush the greater cosmos or even channel the power of Earthbound and Outer Gods, which is still stability shaking to them.  They may spend Faith instead of Stability on a 1 for 1 basis when using spells or rituals as part of the activation cost. 

Some things may become normalised to them with exposure and thus after each exposure the possible Stability cap will be reduced by 1 for each independent exposure.  This works twice as quickly for Deep Ones and Zombies which even humans can become inured to (not typical of the game but there are enough examples in the books of people being disturbed by the monsters but no longer falling into hysterics).

They still need to worry about losing sanity as they come to comprehend how the universe truly works - unravelling their human comprehension removes the bulwark of protection against the torments of the abyss, after all.

Base Abilities

When the Fallen die, they can potentially claim new Hosts.  The players have given me the power to simply provide them with a logical host after the first which I'll draw from the Masks of Nyarlathotep companion book or other NPC guides depending on the country they're in and the campaign they're playing.

Fallen heal faster than mortals.  Thus they heal 1 hit point per day without rest, 2 health points per restful day and 3 health points if given medical attention.  They can spend a point of faith to undo an injury (i.e. broken limb or lost finger) or regain health points on a three health points for one faith point basis.  Fallen also won't lose their last health point from bleeding out. 

 

The Fallen can also invoke each other using their celestial name which allows them to converse through whispers from across a field as though they were standing beside each other.  Once can detect this power's use through the Awareness skill.  Mortals can also invoke them with their celestial name but this is a one-way street.

It is a +3 stability cost to witness a demon's apocalyptic form and their reactions will be dependent on the Fallen's overall behaviour toward humanity.  A Fallen Angel who slaughters humanity with relish will provoke terror, while one who seeks to protect humans will typically leave them awestruck and astounded.  The cost will be reduced by one point for every encounter until the third encounter, whereupon the mortal will lose 1 point of sanity but no longer lose stability to gaze upon them as their mind has come to accept them.  After all, they are creatures that helped stabilise reality so they do not appear as "wrong" as most. 

Thralls only take a hit to their Stability the first time they see the Fallen.

Fallen angels may refresh their native faith pool (i.e. equal to their normal Faith rating) through the quiet worship provided by mortals but only if they have recently done something meaningful for that mortal (i.e. save their life, defend them in apocalyptic form, torture them).  This is called 'reaping faith' and it can be performed on a thrall if the situation is right.  Typically they may only do this once per case though exceptional circumstances may allow additional refreshes.
 

Additional Skills

Faith is a General Skill that is capped at 3 for starting characters.  Fallen may gain double their initial rating through pacts (i.e. temporarily increasing it to six) on a one Faith per pact basis.  There may be some occasions where a Fallen needs to roll their Faith rating as a contested pool though typically it is simply spent to perform an action.  Fallen recharge one Faith per day and must reap from mortals (see last paragraph in Base Abilities) or ravage their thralls to regain more (see Pacts below).

Awareness is a General Skill that is used as a sort of sixth sense for the supernatural that can sometimes glean further information, but is typically used as a divining rod for relics and current magical effects.

Eminence is an Investigative / Interpersonal Skill that is used as a sort of Credit Rating skill for the fallen.  There is also a downside in that other Fallen are more likely to remember their names and potentially even syllables of their True Name.

Legacy is an Investigative skill where Fallen may spend points to remember situations and events from before their time in the Abyss.  Most Fallen would have at least one point in this skill.  Typically spends will lead to short flashbacks.

In order to better reflect these skills, I have used a 28 / 75 point system.  Yes, these are a lot of points but in a two-player game with additional skill requirements I don't see this as a major hindrance.

Weaknesses

One can use their True Name to bind them to perform a certain number of actions to fulfil the sorcerer's will.  Earthbound can bind them forever if their True Name is known or even consume their souls should their hosts be broken before one.  Fallen can be banished or abjured against through mortal ritual and certain ritualistically enhanced items affect them more keenly than any mortals. They cannot succumb to mundane disease nor do they age, but they do need to eat, sleep and breathe like any mortal.  Elder Signs are particularly effective repositories of human faith (i.e. psychic energy) as they are already powerful occult matrices.  They don't need to see the Elder Sign, or know it's there, to be affected by it.  On the other hand, they can easily approach should they come across a neglected Elder Sign displayed prominently.

Pacts

The Fallen can make a pact with a mortal in exchange for more Faith.  Each mortal in a pact provides an additional point of temporary Faith but the Fallen may only have as many pacts as their Faith rating.  The Fallen may ravage the mortal for more faith (rolling his own Faith rating to see how much is gained) but this costs the mortal +7 stability and permanently reduces both their current and maximum sanity by two.
 

A mortal (aka thrall) under the effects of a pact ceases to age or be affected by the rigors of age (including rigors currently experienced), and gain three points in an investigative skill and five points in a general skill (may not be Sanity or Stability).  This skill may be Awareness and, indeed, is typically the only way such individuals may obtain that skill.  The Fallen can roll their Faith to sense the mortal's location, no matter where they are.

There is also a once off benefit at the point when the pact is established where the Fallen may either refresh all of the mortal's hit points to full while curing them of a disease or injury, or provide them with apparent youth and beauty, or provide them with 3 sanity points (as they remind humanity of their value in the world) or grant them the use of an apocalyptic form trait known to the master which costs the thrall -2 stability to use.  
The Fallen may also possess the thrall at will should they ever be ejected from their host.  They can also open up their thrall to possession by another, but only if the thrall's current stability or sanity has been reduced to 0 or they are unconscious.

Trail of Cthulhu meets Demon: the Fallen (because I can!)

I've always loved Call of Cthulhu campaigns but I've always loved Demon: the Fallen characters.  Ancient spirits corrupted by millennia in the abyss, who nevertheless fell for love of Humanity, who are now in possession of a host that infiltrates their own previously maddened minds with real emotion and memories, causing them to become some sort of hybrid ensures some very complex characters.

Plus the Demon: the Fallen setting includes these same Fallen sometimes being drawn into reliquaries where they become Lovecraftian monstrosities glutted and warped by the twisted faith of their evil cults.  And while the form of horror would be different … there is something terrible about looking up at some monstrous being and seeing your horrifically warped kin.  Actually there is something quite Lovecraftian about that, especially as these characters could warp the same way eventually….

Naturally this requires a few setting changes to both.  Namely the God who made the angels didn't make the universe but this portion of the galaxy and it made it according to certain rules that would stabilise reality and prevent the rise of more horrific entities.  It never told the angels this, of course, never thinking they would disobey as it couldn't truly comprehend them either.  It had three life giving planets created to support intelligent species that could clamp down on reality and prevent the infiltration of other entities.

These included the Elder Things, Mi-Go and Humanity.  The angels were divided in focus across these three planets and instructed to love them as much as they loved God (love = devotion in their terms) but these creatures were left in a state of blissful ignorance (which fits in with the Lovecraftian Knowledge = Sanity Loss).  Eventually one small prophetic angel set to examine the possibilities of the future foresaw something horrific coming and so one third of the angels (led by Lucifer) went to bring sentience to the three races so that they could be better prepared.

Things went well for a time, but then the Great Entity saw what they had done and offered to un-make the accidentally rebellious angels (they thought the Great Entity would want that)as penance and to remove sentience from the three main races.  Few angels agreed with the suggestions though a third of humanity and Mi-Go agreed (the Elder Things just telepathically projected themselves into the future to avoid what was coming).

The world was scoured by the Great Entity in its attempt to re-set the clock, protecting only the earlier obedient angels and those mortals who had chosen ignorance, but the fallen hid with their chosen people, divided up into five factions, and went to war.  A number of creatures were made during this war, such as the Deep Ones (products of the Palace of Sighs) and the Shoggoths (created by Elder Things empowered by Rabisu during the more enlightened eras).  Eventually they were rounded up and cast into the blackest pit, a place called the Abyss, in the lightness centre between solar systems.

Of the three races, Humanity was always the weakest, and yet in its weakness came a certain quiet fortitude in terms of holding the sanity-shredded otherworldly reality at bay.  While the Mi-Go quickly fell to the assault of otherworldly beings connecting to their minds, and the Elder Things fell to hubris, Humanity kept quietly churning along in a way that kept this solar system in particular from falling to the reality bending horrors that were right outside our door.

Eventually some of the fallen angels were summoned from the pit and found no sign of the other angels nor the Great Entity.  They were typically some of the more powerful spirits, since their names were more widely known in whispered dreams, and they could not possess humanity due to their great spiritual weight.  Instead they were cast into grave idols.  These fallen angels slowly devolved due to their own madness from the abyss and the fell prayers made to them and are now hideous versions of what they once were.

Many of these Earthbound Fallen are the fell entities of Call of Cthulhu and many of the splinter masks of Nyarlathotep are actually separate entities thought to be one.  The Arch Dukes are Cthulhu / Belial, Mask of the Bloody Tongue / Abaddon, Black Pharoah / Asmodeus, Daoloth / Dagon and Hastur / Azrael.  Only Dagon's original name has been changed to XXX to avoid confusion with a certain large Deep One.

Shub-Niggurath, Azathoth and Yog-Sothoth all remain as they are in the Lovecraftian universe as terrible things from beyond the stars, or causal principles given life.  Y'Golonac and the like are typically lesser Earthbound.  Of course if the players start to assume that all entities they glimpse belong to their own species they're going to get a very rude surprise.

Paradise Island Character Generation Q&A

Posting this here as not only is it an easy link but some of you guys from overseas might be legitimately interested in how I do it as well.  Caution, though, this is a long one.

Advanced Warning: Grand Adventure!  Strange Mysteries!  Long dead civilisations!  This is not a game of gothic horror and terrible tragedy.  It is far more Magnum P.I. and Tomb Raider than a game of withering moral decay and inscrutable elders.  This is a low-powered primarily cooperative cross-genre campaign which departs from canon in many places. 

The game set on a tropical island where tensions between a few wealthy western resorts and the nearby slum city are at an all-time high.  It is a low-powered game where all supernatural characters enter with a base sheet while hunters gain extra dots in skills, attributes and merits and where the asymmetry between the power levels of certain character types is embraced as just another layer to the setting.  While PvP will certainly exist, it should be kept reasonably low level with social interplays, love triangles and petty rivalries taking the place of high level murder, treachery and annihilation of one's opponents.

Due to the very specific feel of this setting, there will be a few additional restrictions on character generation.  In part this is because in a game of potentially only 2 - 3 creatures of your type, you don't need to dilute the special nature of your species with further divisions such as covenant affiliations.  In part it is also to keep the asymmetry of the game from reaching staggering proportions -- which is why you can't start with a skill above three OR ever purchase the fifth dot in any supernatural power.

Q&A

What creatures can I play?

Vampires and their ghouls (Blood & Smoke).  Werewolf: the Forsaken.  Geist: Sin Eaters (referred to as necromancers in this game).  Mage: the Awakening.  Changeling: the Lost. Demon: the Fallen (nWoD conversion).  Demon: the Descent.  Hunter: the Vigil (limitations apply).

I want to play a villain!  Can I?

Full PvP is possible, but villainous characters and treachery are likely to be short-lived as there are just too many routes to discovery and too little incentive to meekly accept a monster as an ally.  Bear in mind that many players who adore playing the villain often find the inevitable and often untimely and unceremonious defeat of their character rather aggravating.  No enemy that runs up against a dozen characters and deals with them on a day-to-day basis is likely to last long.  Creating an unassailable villain that cannot be dealt with by an entire group of PCs is not only highly unlikely in a cross-genre game but also incredibly boring and frustrating for everyone concerned.  You can portray a villainous NPC, however, whenever I need cast for them.

What about competitive PvP?

Go for it.  Portraying a bitchy character, rivalry for an NPC's affection, competition for authority or clashing over territory adds all kinds of zest.  Even relatively benevolent and friendly rivalries are great entertainment.  You could make one-sided deals, do little dodgy experiments such as coaxing a vampire to drink a coke, or otherwise make your own entertainment.  All of that is great stuff.  There's also nothing to say you can't be a bit suspicious of another supernatural type so long as you accept that they'll be sticking around.  Murder, frequent violence (primarily against non-regenerating targets like changelings, demons and humans), major theft from other party members and treachery will probably end with you dead or exiled. 

I've read the various character type documents.  Why so many restrictions?

Most games let you use pretty much everything in one game line.  This game lets you use most things in several game lines.  In a way, it's less restrictive than most.  Also while a certain amount of asymmetry between character types is expected, all characters need to feel relevant and for this game to really shine there's a certain style that needs to be followed during character generation.

Can I play a vanilla human?  No endowments?

It's one thing to play a less *powerful* character, it's another thing entirely to *only* have skills and attributes to fall back on -- especially if you're also playing someone with no extraordinary knowledge and skills to back them up.  You'll find your character swiftly becomes completely redundant because unfortunately a pure mortal (unless it's a set up for a sudden transformation later on) isn't going to offer anything that a supernatural can't since skills start to take a back seat when super powers can duplicate many of a skill's effects.  If you want to play ordinary human beings then I recommend joining as Cast because while a single mortal will find it hard to stay relevant each and every session, a dozen mortals will always have *something* to do and can create a myriad of meaningful stories that will allow you to explore being perfectly normal in an abnormal world.  And I can always use new cast!

So I want to play a supernatural who is also a military / scientific / law enforcement official with this really epic backstory….?

Sorry, let me stop you there.  Unless you're human, you need a mundane backstory.  The more ordinary your character's human history, the more incredible and fabulous the transformation into a supernatural will feel.  Finally your character is no longer ordinary!  Finally they are something special.  It's one of the few perks humans get and, more importantly, an epic back story means your character's colourful past will overshadow their present and potentially that of everyone else in the game.  Naturally changelings get a little more leeway during their durance but that's largely because much of their durance history is both blurry and fake.  After all, a changeling could *think* they were a fantastic physicist or epic engineer in Arcadia but what are the odds the Keeper bothers with real physics anyway when one can substitute math for magic.

So if the epic jobs are out, what's left?

Massage therapist.  Fire stick juggler.  Crèche worker and children's entertainer. Concierge.  Receptionist.  Swimming instructor.  Tour guide.  Tourists of various stripes.  Bartender.  Mechanic.  Taxi driver.  Gift shop clerk.  Tiki hut cleaner.  Artist.  Electrician.  Construction worker.  Cook.  Dancer.  Surfer.  Parent working two jobs.  Fisherman.  Boat pilot.  Charity fundraiser.  You get the idea.

What nationalities can we belong to?

The resort island is off the coast of Indonesia but was considered a little too far out of the way during the first tourism boom of the seventies and so after a decade it became really run down.  There's no one native to the island but there are second generation (and a few third generation kids) from those imported to work the tourism angle and then later a few cheap factories during the eighties when tourism slumped.  While rich tourists can be of any nationality, they will be mostly Indonesian, Singaporean, Malaysian, Chinese, Australian, and Japanese with French, German and UK visitors representing Europe and only a small proportion of Americans.  Some research into the cultural habits and demographics of your nationality would be good.  The poorer workers living here are primarily Indonesian and Chinese, who are incredibly reliant on the tourism trade and factories here as they can't afford to move.  You can read more about tourism over here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Indonesia

How much experience points do I get?

Nada.  None.  Zip.  You're all meant to be very basic characters.  Hunters will get free dots in a few different fields but everyone else gets base sheets.

 

Can I have mortal relatives or friends?

Sure!  Buy them as a contact to reflect your connection to them.

Can I have servants or bodyguards as retainers?

Nope.  Focus needs to be on the PCs.  You can still have staff portrayed through your resources and can buy favoured ones as contacts but anyone you want to have a lot of connection to should be a PC.

VAMPIRE: What if I have a ghoul?

You won't know how to do that.  Unless you convince another player to be your ghoul and then we can have them be created by your sire as a gift so that you don't know how to make new ones straight away.

VAMPIRE: Can I blood bond someone to gain their loyalty?

You won't know about that property of your blood and the hunters may have some pretty white lies to tell you about that.  This is probably for the best.  Knowing your friend can wrap you around their finger forever with a few drops of blood is the best way to generate paranoia towards your character.  Something for later seasons, perhaps.

Can I have a supernatural mentor?

Nope.  That's what the hunters get to be.  All sires will be dead or missing.  No werewolves to teach you the ropes.  No changeling freehold to join.  The supernatural population of sentient creatures (i.e. playable races) will be almost entirely PC.

Why would we listen to hunters?

Simple, I'm only referring to them as hunters because they're from the Hunter: the Vigil book.  You'll know them as human experts in the supernatural who can help you understand what's become of you.  Until very recently, you thought of yourself as a human (for most of you, anyway) so you shouldn't have an in-built fear of other human beings.  Don't worry.  It's no longer a sin for werewolves or changelings to reveal themselves to mortals anymore.  In fact, where possible I'm removing the morality traits from every creature.  I might do something different with Harmony.  I haven't decided yet.

How fresh are we anyway?

All of you will be less than a month old as a supernatural (hunters excepted) with a preference for characters being between a week to a few hours after their change.  Changelings will be able to regain their old lives and will only have been missing for less than six months (no fetch) of real time though years may have passed in Arcadia.  We'll include everyone's preludes during the workshop process to ensure that people have some encounters with each other before their change as well.

Can I have been a ghoul / wolfblooded and get knowledge that way?

No.  No prior supernatural knowledge for your characters that would help them out.  Naturally minor encounters that fit the change can have occurred but you mustn't give your characters too much context.  A necromancer (i.e. sin eater) might have had to avoid graveyards and ghost tours pre-death due to a creepy feeling they always got.  A werewolf might have been sure they were being haunted shortly before their First Change because of spirit activity.  However no one mentored you in what happened beforehand and you don't get to know anything fancy.  You learn in-game.

Can I know pop culture references?

You sure can.  In fact, I absolutely and 100% encourage basing your knowledge off television and mythology where you can.  I might even change up the canon a little bit to make certain things true.

VAMPIRE: Won't I be forced out of sessions that happen during the daytime?

No, vampires will be given daylight rings by the Loyalists of Thule which allows them to spend a blood to stay awake and safe during the daytime.  They won't have access to any blood buff or disciplines during this time, but can still remain the tanks of the operation through quick healing and the fact they take bashing from most sources.

Can I enhance humans with my powers?
Yes.  Ghouldom is the only exception as it would wipe out their endowments, but you won't know how to do that, so it's fine.

VAMPIRE: Can I Embrace a mortal human?

You won't know how to do that so it'll probably end badly.  So please don't.  Unless the PC has entered into play to be your childe.  Then that could be amusing.

WEREWOLF: What about lunacy?  Will that affect the hunters?

Nope.  Lunacy will still be there, but won't affect anyone with a supernatural template or the Sleepwalker merit, which all of the hunters will have for free.

WEREWOLF: Won't pack separate me from the other supernaturals?

Other supernaturals and mortals can join your pack.  However they can't add to your Totem Spirit though they can reap some of the benefits.  Your totem spirit will be more of an adorable ally, though, rather than a heavy hitter.

WEREWOLF: Will I start with any renown?
Nope.  The first three dots will still be free but you'll need to earn it in-game, just like with everyone else.  It should be fun!  Don't worry I'm not depriving you of your free stuff just because "realism".  I'm doing it because it's a fun element of being a werewolf and will make it my mission to ensure that your pre-selected free dots are activated / earned in-game within the first month.

MAGE: Will I start with any rotes?

Yes, and no.  You won't enter play with them but you'll still get the six free dots to assign that you'll then need to learn in-game.  Let me know what rotes you want and I'll ensure they get to you in the first grimoire you find.  You'll need to find other grimoires to learn more rotes or spend considerable time researching them.  Again I'm happy to be guided by what you, the player, want to find but I'll also sprinkle around a few scrolls and the like to be gathered up and enjoyed that will discuss other rotes which may also provide greater knowledge of the island's secrets.

HUNTER: Will I get to pick my conspiracy?

You are all Loyalists of Thule.  You are also all ex-agents of other conspiracies.  At least other Loyalists think you are.  Is it true or not?  Who knows where your loyalties currently lie?  You can have been a member of the Cheiron Group, Lucifuge, or VASCU agent.  Alternatively you could be a pure Loyalist of Thule and take Relics as an endowment (typically belonging to another group who won't be included here).  Alternatively you can pick certain psychic merits and even low-rank rotes to fashion your own Endowments as a long-standing Loyalist so long as they fit an aesthetic and are no more powerful than Castigations.  No cheese.  This isn't a cheesy game. 

WEREWOLF: Does this mean I can't enter the Hisil much because no one can follow me?
You can turn loci into temporary verges to allow non-humans to cross.  You can then roll Intimidation so that all Hard to Ride mortals (i.e. hunters) won't be possessed by any spirits so long as they remain relatively near you.

CHANGELING: Can others enter the Hedge with me without getting torn to shreds?

Depends on the region of the Hedge you're hoping to enter.  Mostly they'll be fine and in the places where they wouldn't be you would also be under more threat than usual.  Luckily there'll be hedge fruit or trifles that can help you through.  You'll also have the Mirror Realm to worry about and that will sure be fun.

Will we still have rules booklets?

Yes, but it'll be doubly important to know what your powers do even if you don't know the mechanics behind them.  There'll be an in-game tutorial as part of your prelude and training by the Loyalists of Thule but from that point on it's up to you.  Since you won't have much in the way of experience points, you won't have so many powers to worry about though.

Can I buy five dots in a fighting style?

While tempting this would go against the idea of playing an ordinary person thrust into an extraordinary world. Unless you're a hunter, then you can go for it though I'd recommend prioritising ranged over melee since you'll be awful squishy.  Well, until the mages get enough Arcanum to cast a shield over you.  Then you'll only be as squishy as the mages.

What if I want to be a lone wolf and avoid others out of suspicion?

A logical reaction to the situation, but it's a LARP so you'll need to create a LARP character.  If changelings can justify joining Freeholds and vampires can justify going to court gatherings despite all the risks at either, I think you can justify hanging out with a bunch of randoms and clinging to them out of fear and confusion.  This is the character generation phase so "But it's what my character would do!" won't rub.  Create a new character.  One who'll give you a reason to attend the LARP.  Be suspicious, sure, but attend the gatherings and get involved or else you'll find yourself on the outside.  Those in the know (i.e. hunters) will have their hands too full to devote themselves full-time to encouraging your character to stick around.

Musings on a possible Shadows Left Behind LARP

Being inspired by Alan Wake, Silent Hill and even Forbidden Siren and Dead Space has inspired me to consider how I might create a horror LARP.  Now these are tricky things to run as immersion is key, and even harder things to recruit for as most players understandably want social intrigue, crazy exploration and to indulge power fantasies of being incredibly capable in their hobbies.  Which is fair enough, we never get to be the hero in real life but we do get to be anxious about our shortcomings.

Of course, one can always draw in a bit of a comedic element in a horror LARP like with a Brooklyn Nine Nine against a back drop of Silent Hill but there's oodles of risks there if it veers too far into farce.

Anyway, such a game would encourage a sense of unpredictability.  The rules of the game would change.  One day they might come across hiding from the mist that rolls in from over yonder while another session could involve staying out of the dark and wielding light as a weapon.  Defiling normalcy by setting events in businesses, supermarkets and cinemas can make for interesting (if hard to prop for) locations.

Being trapped and unable to escape the region would certainly add an element of suffocating claustrophobia great for any occasion.  Warping minor reality cues, like cold steam filling the air in a particularly wet fog or certain sounds being amplified, warped or reduced can also occur.

Of course, thinking up a setting is easy.  It's the practical considerations of rules set, immersion factors, character guidelines, advancement and what precisely you do during the game sessions that are the hard part.  Still it does bear thinking about.

I know that whatever I use will have to be simpler than the vampire system I'm currently utilising which has an inherent basic complexity rivalling Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons.

Romantic Arcs: Why They Get Dull

While many players and GMs really don't like romantic character arcs or are in it just for the comedic appeal of flirting around a gaming table full of buddies, there are some who through personal interest or a strong ability to suspend disbelief can really get a lot out of it.  This can be especially true in solo campaigns where there's more space and time to delve into a single character's personal interests.  Especially since romantic sub-plots tend to develop more readily and naturally between a PC and an NPC than between PCs - likely because players are closer to their avatars than a GM to one member of a giant cast.

However for those who have delved into romantic sub-plots, they may have noticed the same issue arise that does in television series world-wide.  Once the romance is consummated, either by marriage or in some cases sex, the interest in that interaction slowly starts to fizzle.

The reason for this is that Conflict = Story and thus the very conflicts that had driven the romantic angle, once resolved, pushes that interaction further and further into the dull downtime space of the tale.  After all, you don't play out the other elements of mundane existence or, if you do, they're treated as a prelude rather than the main event.

The fact remains that the clearest and most driving motivation of a romantic sub-plot (the "Will they?"  "Won't they?") angle can raise its head the moment two characters hit it off.  Once it has been resolved that "Yes, they will," you're stuck trying to figure out where to go from there.  So firstly I'd recommend that you play around with that tension for awhile.  You don't need to go to ridiculous lengths to keep the two separated (i.e. like many television shows) but if there are valid reasons for the two to dance around each other, do so.  The flirting can be half the fun.

Afterwards you can't rely on flirty tension to keep the story thrumming for very long.  Instead you need to find more character questions to ask.  The most obvious is the civilian / adventurer spousal conflict, but that can pale pretty quickly and make the civilian look like a jerk ("Sorry I missed your birthday but I just went through level drain to save a village from the undead that would have converted them all").  This could be improved if the civilian had to cover for the player character, as at least then they're an ally.  Sure this removes the tension from between the two characters, but that's fine.  All you need is to involve them in "a tension" or "question".  Mediation certainly works.

If they're an NPC Ally, there's also the temptation to have them kidnapped or put in jeopardy, which can work once or twice but afterwards gets old and staid.  Of course having them save themselves while the PCs are coming for them, or having their apparent kidnapping being staged while they're actually out shopping, can certainly make for a change of pace.

Finally if they're part of the adventuring party, consider using non-romantic tensions that can come up with any party dynamic.  What if one wants to take prisoners and the other doesn't?  What if one craves revenge and the other doesn't see the point?  What if someone flirts with one of them?  How does the other react?  Think about the kind of spice you might add if the player had selected a spouse as an NPC at the start of the campaign.  How would you keep them relevant?  What would you do to make them interesting?

Hope that helps!  If you've ever included a longer running romantic arc in your campaign, let me know how you kept it interesting in the comments box below.

WoTR: Other locations in Alfie's "Kingdom"

Also known as things I do when I'm bored.  I basically charted out all known locations currently captured or maintained by Alfy in the Wrath of the Righteous campaign.  He'll probably never visit these places, but hey, I love me some logistics.

BEDIS
LG Hamlet (30)
Corruption -6, Crime -6, Economy -2, Law -1, Lore -4, Society +4

Bedis is a previously abandoned settlement between Kenabres and Fort Portmanteau.  It has the new settlement quality Patriotic which gives Crime and Corruption a -2 and Society a +4.  It isn't racially intolerant toward tieflings as it was resettled by a few pig farmers and their families who were rescued by a tiefling and what they believe to be a child-sized black dragon (see the Wardstone Patrol Pathfinder Society adventure).  This has also caused them to turn toward Sarenrae as their patron deity due to her redemptive qualities - a fact that has drawn their very own 4th level cleric of Sarenrae who makes holy water and cure light wounds potions for the locals.  They have no tavern but the community is willing to billet those passing through in their own homes and stables.  They are teetotallers so there is no liquor to purchase.  Base Value: 200; Purchase Limit: 1000gp; Items: 1d6 Minor

Valas' Gift
CN Small Farming Village (72)
Corruption +1, Crime +4, Economy +2, Law -8, Lore 0, Society -1, Danger +10

Situated in Mendev, this place was empty since the people either fled or died when the wardstones fell.  It was repopulated in the seventh week after Drezen's liberation when Alfy had set off to Brevoy to recruit farmers and labourers to help till the land.  Many of those who followed were chaotic individuals whose desperation made them willing to make the journey and brave demon-infested lands for the promise of a new start.  This place is therefore very much a Chaotic Neutral frontier town.  The village functions as though it were run by a secret society but in truth it barely runs at all.  A 5th level Pharasmin cleric and Brevoy lake pirate looking for a chance at a new life argue over leadership.  The place has become Notorious due to attracting the wrong kind of interest from local mercenary companies using it as a Fertile Soils which is a new feature that provides a +2 bonus to economy.  This is all rather ironic considering the details learned in "Certainty" as the place is blessed with fertile soils and healing waters by a paladin called Valas.  Base Value: 770; Purchase Limit: 3750gp; Items: 2d4 Minor; 1d4 Medium (generally potions),

Fort Portmanteau
LG Fortified Village (200)
Corruption +1, Crime -3, Economy -1, Law +3, Lore -1, Society -5

This village holds an army of 2nd level fighters and an army of 1st level fighters, all raw recruits since the more seasoned troops have been sent elsewhere.  The fort is established near a ford in the West Sellen River but is on the Mendev bank and it's role is to protect the surrounding farmland, something they are ill-pressed to accomplish.  They are led by a 7th level cavalier / paladin (see the Wardstone Patrol) who wishes to retire but can't bring himself to do it while the war still rages so he has taken this position.  They also house a 7th level wizard who is a known member of the Blackfire Adepts who provides some arcane support and develops useful potions.  It has two qualities: Strategic Location and Military Fortification.  Base Value: 450; Purchase Limit: 2250gp; Items: 2d4 Minor; 1d4 Medium

Vilareth Ford
LG Fort / Military Village
Corruption 0, Crime 0, Economy 0, Law 0, Lore 0, Society 0

I have used the Castle Everstand write up from Castles of the Inner Sea for Vilareth Ford, though a Castle Everstand that had been brutally overrun and slaughtered.  As the place hadn't been properly pillaged before being freed, all it needs is to be repopulated.  After quickly clearing the undercrypts, the underground areas can be used to house workers and soldiers.  All named characters are of the few hostages that Alphy located on his way in so that I can still include them - except the clerics who will be a Gorumite and an Erastil priest from Absalom.  At present, though, there is only a single army that roves out from this position.

Keeper's Canyon
Abandoned Small Town (0)
Corruption 0, Crime 0, Economy 0, Law 0, Lore 0, Society 0

This medium-sized small town has been left to fall apart over the past few decades since Drezen's fall.  It can hold up to 500 individuals relatively comfortably.  It is also close enough to the West Sellen River that once the insect warrens are filled in and the river flows through the canyon again, people can still source fish in relative safety.  Such fish might become somewhat tainted (3% chance) but Detect Poison will identify such taint and Purify Food and Water can cure it.  Drinking the water runs a 10% risk of some kind of infection but the water here can still be purified using magic.  There are damaged piers and a watergate here.

Singing Stones Fort
NG Fortified Thorp
Corruption -6, Crime -5, Economy -4, Law -4, Lore -1, Society -6

This lost temple was an abandoned outpost consecrated to Shelyn.  It has a broken down fort, temple and set of stables and can easily hold a permanent population of 10.  Currently there are 9 2nd level rangers and paladins led by a single 4th level cleric of Shelyn.  They are still relatively raw recruits but they watch over the canyon and report back regularly.  The fort itself can hold another 10 travellers for up to a week if necessary.  The temple is called the Singing Stones Fort because of an oddly shaped rock on the cliff above the temple that sings prettily when the wind blows just right.  There is a winch-lift available to help draw horses up into the temple.  The members who live here are insular and are openly friendly but inwardly suspicious of anyone who wishes to enter.  NOTE: The Law penalty does *not* apply to attempts to summon the guard as the location is so small that any attempt to call upon them will immediately result in everyone arriving.  Base Value: 50; Purchase Limit: 500gp; Items: 1d4 Minor Potions available to travelers free of charge if their need is dire.

Temple of the Beloved
Fortified Temple (8)
Corruption -5, Crime -5, Economy 0, Law +2, Lore +1, Society +5

This temple was discovered to be a lair of the Ivory Labyrinth who had come to populate a variety of temples throughout Sarkoris.  After the place had been cleared, it was mystically cleansed and mended by a number of servitors of Shelyn who wished to help bring beauty and quality to the Worldwound (see Demon's Heresy).  Since there's no real talk of any aftermath in the book but it seems like a celestial cleansing of the place should have some solid reason behind it, I've decided to populate it with agathions seeking to provide solace to tainted celestials and good fae.  Naturally this place will draw interest from Abyssal demons once it becomes known.  It is currently staffed by two Vulpinals who tend to the tainted, one Avoral who seeks out news, three Leonals for protection and two Silvanshee who can pass messages to the others.  They all serve Shelyn.  If the Weapon in the Rift is run, the two fiendish hound archons will arrive here for spiritual healing.  The place has two qualities: Holy Site and Celestial Bastion.  Base Value: 450; Purchase Limit: 2250gp; Items: 2d4 Minor; 1d4 Medium.

Elder Scrolls Meets Demon the Fallen (Adventure Prelude)

At least they aren't summoned into Hermaeus Mora's realm.  (Skyrim picture)

The players each receive their blank character sheet that is akin yet different to the regular World of Darkness sheet.  The main differences are that they have no "Power Stat" but they do have a "Magicka" bar that begins with a cap of 10 but can become much higher. 

Their mental skills include Academics, Alchemy, Folklore, Investigation, Magical Sciences, Politics, Smithing, Science while their physical skills include Athletics, Brawl, Archery, Larceny, Staff (magic), Sneak, Survival and Weaponry.  Their social skills are much the same as in any World of Darkness game.

The players must first select a fallen name for their Aedra.  If they can't immediately come up with one, using a random generator for god names, angel names and demon names will help. 

Then the game itself starts with the characters lost and adrift within darkness with dim memories of being partially responsible for the creation of a sterile and breathtaking universe alongside the other Aedra where all was perfection and stasis.  Lorkhan saw that it was sterile and convinced a number of the Aedra that the world needed to be set in reality and gifted to creatures that could explore and wander at it.  While most of your kind were repulsed by the very idea, Lorkhan's words proved very inspirational to some.  You were one of those many Aedra who sided with Lorkhan and helped remake the world.  The other Aedra warred with you.  Many fell.  Some were destroyed by their acts of creation itself.

Each Aedra who bought into Lorkhan's plan came to specialise and fall within a few small realms.  At this stage the GM should offer seven keywords and ask the PCs to pick the one they like the most which describes their starting concept: Leadership, Protection, Construction, Comprehension, Inspiration, Evolution and Solace.  Once a term is selected, read out the three sub-houses and have the player pick their favourite.

For those players who want a less whimsical character creation, simply go straight for reading out the below information and have the players choose at the end.

Either way, each sub-house provides a bonus to an attribute, provides a magical discipline dot and a single spell.  The discipline dot represents what level of spell that PC can learn.  1 dot: Novice.  2 dot: Apprentice.  3 dot: Adept.  4 dot: Expert.  5 dot: Master.  The free spells are from the Mage: the Awakening core rulebook except for Alter Voice which simply allows the fallen to change their voice for a scene.  Each Novice spell costs 1 Magicka to cast.  They don't get access to the usual Demon: the Fallen lores and may only select 4 points worth of apocalyptic form traits (more will be unlocked in future).

Leadership



The Namaru (+1 Presence and Resolve) were those who concerned themselves with enhancing the Magicka of others to achieve the will (Bel), who used such Magicka from light to forge the flame within the world and who pierced the sky to allow in Aetherial light in the form of the suns and star (Nusku) and who kindled sentience in the minds of certain races to elevate them from a beast's instincts (Qingu).

Bel = Alteration (Dispel Magic) - Presence + Magical Sciences
Qingu = Mysticism (Sense Consciousness) - Wits + Empathy
Nusku = Alteration (Control Heat) - Presence + Science

Protection

The Asharu (+1 Dexterity and Wits) were those who understood how to bring life to form to separate matter for existence (Dagan), who spoke within the minds of those made sentient to give them guidance (Anshar) and who spread air upon the land to separate the heavens from the worlds themselves (Elil).

Anshar = Mysticism (Sense Life) - Wits + Investigation
Dagan = Restoration (Healer's Trance) - Wits + Science
Elil = Alteration (Influence Sound) - Presence + Expression

Construction

The Anunaki (+1 Strength and Intelligence) were those who had sculpted some of the sterile matter and now they gave themselves to crafting the laws of the worlds to make them traversable to the living things (Antu), to building into the weave of items the properties of magic that would allow one to gift one's favourites with power (Mummu) and who played with the soil and rocks to make an intriguing landscape capable of giving forth life (Kishar).

Antu = Alteration (Angle Paths) - Wits + Survival
Kishar = Mysticism (Detect Substance) - Wits + Smithing
Mummu = Enchanting (Analyse Enchanted Item) - Wits + Magical Sciences

Comprehension

The Neberu (+1 Wits and Intelligence) were those who were set to divine the reactions of the Aedra (Ninsun), draw down the magicka from the sky and turn it into light so that all might see (Shamasha), and to open the Ways between places that were otherwise set into traversable lines so that one could - if one needed - leap from one place to the next in an instant (Nedu).

Nedu = Mysticism (Spatial Awareness) - Wits + Survival
Ninsun = Mysticism (Finder) - Wits + Investigation
Shamash = Alteration (Influence Light) - Presence + Magical Sciences

Inspiration

The Lammasu (+1 Wits and Manipulation) were those who knew that living beings would require a changing world and so they cast weather and water to change the lands (Adad), provided clues and hints and whispers that would inspire the living to find their own answers (Ishhara), and to best inspire them they learned ways of walking among them unseen so that they appeared as any other living thing (Mammetum).

Adad = Restoration (Sense Poisons & Drugs) - Wits + Alchemy
Ishhara = Mysticism (Aura Perception) - Wits + Empathy
Mammetum = Illusion (Alter Voice)* - Manipulation + Expression

Evolution

The Rabisu (+1 Stamina and Intelligence) were those who took the desires of the other Aedra and made them into whole creatures so that the worlds could be overrun with species of every kind, both plant (Ninurtu) and animal (Zaltu), and who then turned their designs to shaping those given sentience by the Asharu so that they could be better shaped to use such minds (Aruru).

Aruru = Restoration (Forego Rest) - Stamina + Survival
Zaltu = Restoration (Analyse Life) - Intelligence + Alchemy
Ninurtu = Mysticism (Pulse of the Living World) - Wits + Survival

Solace

Finally for life to exist, so must death, for without the latter no change is possible and all is doomed to sterility, so the Halaku (+1 Resolve and Composure) came forth to take on this sacred task by reclaiming the matter from the dead so that none may puppet them in death (Namtar), providing solace to the dead souls before returning them to this world in forms anew (Nergal), and crafting underworld landscapes for temporary afterlives in keeping with the needs of mortal minds so that there would be respite between life journeys (Ereshkigal).

Namtar = Mysticism (Forensic Gaze) - Intelligence + Investigation
Nergal = Conjuration (Speak With The Dead) - Resolve + Expression
Ereshkigal = Alteration (Shadow Sculpting) - Dexterity + Folklore

The darkness widens into a purplish light and a feminine voice commands them to come and they do, drawn out into the ancient bastion of Moonshadow, a place lit in bright lilacs and purples, with glistening white crystal stoneworks forming the bulk of the buildings.  They may roam its silent halls and rose gardens for a short while before Azura's voice speaks to them once more and commands them to fill the bodies of those whose souls have been stolen by soul gems.

Azura draws them via a silvery-violet light into a Great Hall filled with niches where statues of the various races stand around them.  The players may choose their race from the core ten.  Once chosen, they merge with the individual and disappear from this realm to enter the other world (see Khenarthi's Roost adventure). 

NB: I have a document filled with the races and their racial bonuses.  I may post up the information at a later date if there's much interest.

Elder Scrolls Adventure Set

Elder Scrolls Online: Such a beautiful game.

I will be running a few adventures set in the Elder Scrolls universe with some Demon: the Fallen mingled in using a thoroughly mongrelised system using The World of Darkness.  To help prepare my players I went and used The Same Page information tool so they have some idea what to expect game-wise.  I'll post up a few of the adventures and some of the character generation and mechanical considerations in later articles but this one is mostly focused on player points.

Should I play to win?

-ish.  It's assumed that you will succeed in your endeavours but the definitions of win / lose and success / failure are vague and subjective so more like an RP-heavy Pathfinder game than typical World of Darkness.

Player Characters are:

expected to interact with each other as a group alongside the NPCs, taking an interest in each other as much as the NPCs, and generally working together unless there's a pressing reason for a major conflict that should have been worked into the tale beforehand during character generation.

The GM's role is:

The GM preps a series of scenarios, using the map and other resources from the game world as a backdrop and additional filler, and highlighting different quests as they come up, while remaining flexible to player choices and decisions with regards to the how / what / when / why and even if they will get involved (bearing in mind that players shouldn't unfairly ignore a plot without good in-character justification).

The players' roles are…

…to engage with the game world and each other, making meaningful decisions and occasionally bashing down the door to take down monsters dungeon-style - basically a fantasy world adventurer simulation - play the world, play the personality, play the social environment, but also cut down the monsters and take the loot.

Doing the smartest thing for your character's survival…

…is generally what the average person would do and therefore fits well into the simulationist adventurer scenarios though sometimes themes of self-sacrifice and martyrdom may arise -- it's really up to you how you handle that.

The GM's role to the rules is…

…to invent sub-systems as they come up but once the house rules are agreed upon, they should be reliable without modification unless serious errors become apparent.

After many sessions of play, during one session, a player decides to have her character side with an enemy.  This is…

…where the character becomes an ST-guided PC (somewhat independent NPC) and will only last until the other PCs find out and do something about it.  It should therefore be quite rarely done and only for the most meaningful and powerful of reasons.

A fistfight breaks out in a bar!  The details of where everything is - tables, chairs, where everyone is standing is something that…

…is important though generally there won't be anything but the most rudimentary and quickly drawn maps and miniatures (and then only sometimes).  Clever players can gain dice bonuses or inflict dice penalties for using the terrain to their advantage  - such modifiers will be determined on an ad hoc basis but will generally reflect the World of Darkness rules.  This may be tied into a quick and easy merit sub-system but that remains to be seen.

In order to really have fun with this game, the rulebook is something that…

…is spread over so many different books and inside my own head that I wouldn't really bother with it beyond what you already know about the World of Darkness mechanics.  Even character creation will happen in-game.  Please try to remember the rules as they come up, though.  Most of them are quite simple.

Further details:

You don't need to know the Elder Scrolls universe.  If you would like to discover it in-game, your character's death can be caused via severe head trauma leading to total amnesia.  You will begin the game as one of the major races of the Aldmeri Dominion, i.e. a Khaijit (catperson), Altmer (high elf) or Bosmer (wood elf) unless the concepts of the second tier (easily workable but non-core groups) really flare your imagination.  These include Orsimer (wood orc variety), Maomer (sea elf - think pirates rather than mermaids as they can't breathe underwater), and Argonian (lizard people, generally refugees).

Character Questionnaires

I've introduced a character questionnaire for my LARP since I've found that most players (myself included) often have enough of an idea about their characters to be reactive but not enough to be good conversationalists.  Oftentimes someone will ask a question and get a very superficial response because you haven't really thought about it. 

Now while you can sometimes come up with something off-the-cuff it becomes more difficult if it involves history, work details or occultism you didn't research.  It also makes you less likely to ask certain questions that you don't know the answer for which cuts back on a lot of potential LARP conversations and means that what history you do have may well sit silent and unseen in your memory.

So I created a set of questions and offered a pretty substantial amount of free XP for those who complete it but taking another look at the questions I realised that those who slavishly follow them in all of their permutations may well end up with a massive document that doesn't touch on what I need to know.

Having helped a few players through it I've found that these questionnaires are better asked, developed and queried by another person.  In that way I can ask the main questions and then ask a few more clarifying questions depending on the player's answers.  If the player's answer mostly covers the detail or signals a greater understanding of that detail, then we can move on or use another permutation of the question to tease out further details.

So I would recommend that those who do character questionnaires sit down in pairs and read it out to each other or get the Storyteller to ask them and record the answers.  The human element also makes the whole enterprise a lot more fun and can get a player to look at things in a somewhat different way.

Faulty Assumptions: Four Player Party

I'm not sure if it's a case of unbreakable habit or faulty economics but there is an assumption that every campaign should have between 4 - 6 players.  If you can fit them around the table and run a game for them that doesn't dissolve into boredom and frustration for a few members, then that's the right number to have.

Unfortunately this assumptions provides a number of issues of their own.  While four players can make a reasonable tactical game, six players leads to either arguments about the tactics to take or a few silent players while the others take the limelight (more often than not).

When it comes to investigative games, even four players become unwieldy when they crowd delicate witnesses and kerb stomp the usual thug challenge.  After all, it's hard to intimidate a car load of people.  Since these sorts of games tend to be pretty environmentally intensive with people examining objects and looking for clue trails it can also be tricky to keep four people busy. 

Generally 2 - 3 players are your best bet here as one player may struggle with the challenge of finding all the clues and figuring out all of the paths (though a handy NPC could drop a few hints to guide their way).

Finally I have found that even horror games ride with the assumption that there will be four players involved.  In truth I have found that the smaller the better in a dedicated horror game.  While any game, even six player ones, can have their sessions of genuine horror it is harder to create a plot of creeping disquiet that isn't gobbled up by the realities of a larger group.  Therefore we shouldn't be making the exceptions to the rule the reasons for having the rule in place.

In other words, while you *can* run a horror game with 4 - 6 players, the average horror game would be best off with 1 - 2 players with a third player the upper maximum.  This is especially the case if the horror game involves a lot of psychological horror (to ensure each character gets enough airtime to deal with their terrors) or stealth sequences (since there are few enough hiding places for the average adult in any one location).

The irony of our obsession with 4 - 6 players is that the investigative and horror genres have a smaller player demographic and therefore it's harder to fill out those numbers.  GMs who are desperate to run a straight horror game would be best off recruiting their 1 - 3 hardcore horror fans rather than begging, wheeling and dealing with action and fantasy fans to play in the game.

So please, please, please, don't feel like you have to fit into the four player mould.  There's nothing wrong with a game that runs with fewer than four players.  In fact, in many of the less popular genres it's actually preferable so take it as an advantage! 

After all, while any fantasy GM quickly learns that it's hard to keep to the 4 - 5 player limit with so many eager wannabe players, horror and investigative GMs can guiltlessly run with far fewer players.

Storyteller Base Assumptions Behind The Dark Before Dawn LARP

This picture sums up my thematic desire for this campaign.

I'm still in the design phase of my Vampire: the Requiem (Ordo Dracul) LARP chronicle in terms of figuring out what custom mechanics, covenant positions and activities would best support an interesting LARP experience.  I've played and run full court games before, but I wanted to do something different this time - focus on the Ordo Dracul and their reactions to a series of strange occult situations. 

It is still very much a theatre LARP and as I want to run it monthly I need to make sure that there's enough to do in-game to keep people entertained.

And yes, players will find ways to keep themselves entertained but a) the primary arena of PvP in a vampire court is about becoming prince which isn't an option for the Ordo Dracul, b) the secondary arena of PvP in a vampire court is about gaining status or eroding another's status while Ordo Dracul status is more dependent on number of coils earned and sworn status, and c) plenty of players do end up bored in the average Elysium game which encourages all sorts of trouble as the players try to remain occupied.  Sometimes this trouble is beneficial, canonical, and adds to the experience.  Sometimes it's just plain silly.

So I wanted to make sure there were plenty of different things people could aim to achieve and that there would be real rewards for achieving those goals that are canonically accurate and interesting to examine so that both the gamists and the simulationists can have something to do.  I also want to encourage certain behaviours (i.e. the higher ups giving objectives to lower status members) and knowledge (i.e. elders should be able to tell anecdotes about their history and Dragons should have something to say about their experiments) which should please the narrativists as they'll have more to connect with.

And yes, I know that GNS theory isn't the Be All and End All but casting a thought to any and all different cross sections of players is a good idea.  At the very least if a category of player doesn't suit the game, or a particular game role, then I can direct them to another LARP or role which would suit them.  As an example, if authority figures are meant to avoid the action in favour of sending their underlings to investigate, and this choice is a big part of the social contract around ensuring all players remain relevant, than it would be unfair to let an action-oriented player take a major position of authority without knowing what they will be losing and without suggestions for how they may have political influence *and* stay involved in the section of the game they love the most.

So I've put up an entire article on my main considerations and how these affect the game over on my Dark Before Dawn campaign blog.  Feel free to take a look.

I'm happy for any questions, comments or critiques on the article, either here or over there.

Plot, Character, Conflict, and Setting - What Are You After?

Most adventures focus on Plot (what has been done or is being done), Conflict (triumphing over adversities using dice and mechanics), Character (how people feel and who they are), or Setting (immersing people in a sense of place).  Any good adventure has all four but naturally some play styles and adventures prioritise them differently. Some campaigns very strictly prioritise one over the other. It can help to think about your priority list for these four things and to speak to your players about their own interests and expectations. Each of these four elements have their needs and their focus. Since a game only has so much time, you need to think about what you will prioritise during that time.

If characters are a big deal then there should be time available to build relationships, to explore a crisis of faith, to come to terms with changes, connect with the character's history through NPC meetings, among other things. If this is the least priority than players need to pack any character development into the moments in between major situations. It needs to grow organically from comments made at crime scenes and choices made during conflicts. Since there's no real time for it, it will likely occur more slowly through a series of progressive and minor details, if it occurs at all. NPCs all need to have a place in the plot or be relegated to mere tools. There's no use in the players giving their characters any children and expecting them to be anything more than a talking point. Any aunties or family friends need to either be plot points or useful tools to the character so they should be described to the Storyteller in terms of occupations, skills and hobbies, rather than in terms of relationships. In a game like the World of Darkness, such fellows would need to be represented by allies, contacts or retainers if they're to come up at all.

If setting is a big deal then there needs to be time spent on cultural events and behaviours, historical detail, and physical descriptions of people and places. The players need to be aware that some time will be spent on where they are as much as on what they are doing there. They also should be given the chance to develop their character's background as they learn more about the setting so that they can adapt their characters to it in order to better integrate themselves into this reality. If it's a low priority then location descriptions should be short, sharp and snappy - perhaps with only one or two telling details on top of the practical necessities of room description. History and detailed cultural descriptions aren't necessary and will only slow the game down. Historical accuracy is generally not a big deal when setting isn't, though sometimes people want accuracy but just don't want much focus on the details of the world at large. Generally games which put setting at a low priority are better off with either generic settings or places which are

If plot is a big deal then there needs to be more acceptance that player's choices will be curtailed somewhat or at least limited in scope. This is necessary because heavily plotted games (like crime scene investigations) requires so much focused pre-session work involving locations of clues, prop creation, and consideration of situations that running off the rails or rejecting an adventure out of hand is a sure fire way to run into empty space with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Naturally even heavily plotted games should not be on rails. The Storyteller should think of the plotted adventure as a building filled with corridors, vents and doorways between rooms. While the players shouldn't leave the premises (thus departing the scenario), nor should the Storyteller provide only one path. If plot is a low priority, such as with pure sandbox games, then the players need to take far more responsibility in determining where they go and what to do. The lack of plotted spots set in stone (or even clay) means that the players may have little to no guide rails aiding them in finding their way through to their desired accomplishment. Such games are most often focused on the resolution of goals rather than the experience of rising tension through clear-cut beginnings, middles, and ends (though sometimes they may naturally form).

If conflict is a big deal then there should be plenty of creatures to encounter and obstacles to overcome. There also needs to be a clear-cut motivation and, ideally, guilt-free consequences for pummeling or killing dozens of minions to reach the conclusion. If there are to be high consequences of failure or discovery, or ambiguous enemies and villains, the Storyteller should be upfront with the players and be aware that the players might then choose to deal with some of these conflicts in a far less lethal and action-oriented way. If it's a low priority then there should be fewer opportunities for combat (as they take up a lot of time) and what combats and obstacles there are should be dealt with in a brief fashion. There also should be a variety of non-physical methods allowed in-game as the players might consider using their resources or social skills to defuse a problem.

Of course how much you prioritise each session is up to you but it's a good idea to keep some consistency through the campaign. After all, it can lead to confusion if a pure sandbox narrows several times into tightly focused plots and players can get frustrated at sudden interruptions of long periods of Conflict-Plot-Setting which broadens out into sessions focused on Character Development. Sure, you can pull it off, but it does make it a little harder.