sparkindarkness | Roleplay musings

Since out last game fell apart from RL issues it’s been a while since we played a game and it’s nice to start afresh now and then, so a new vampire game is planned. And I intend to report it here :)

It’s going to be different. For one thing, I have chosen a city that actually exists to be the setting (I’ve mauled it hugely and changed it a lot, but it’s amazing the amount of inspiration you get from researching a city and all the plot hooks inherent.) Yuma, Arizona (I’ve massively increase the population and tweaked the history for game reasons, though) because there’s something vaguely amusing about having vampires in the sunniest place on earth.

Of course, I was slightly worried when the players instantly checked out Arizona gun laws and came up with “you can carry just about anything without a permit so long as it’s not concealed.” To which one of the players added “how am I supposed to conceal THIS gun anyway?“ I don’t know what “this” gun was but I have the fear. I didn’t believe them but that actually does seem to be true and I have yet to find anything that proves them wrong. Oh dear, this could be a problem.

ETA: My knowledge of Arizona is... loose. If anyone with more info than me out there wants to drop some relevent facts I should be aware of on me (of Arizona or Yuma), I'd much appreciate it (because I is lazy and it is easier than fact checking) especially if something becomes obviously relevent in the game

But I digress: The Opening setting of the game:

The party is a close knit gang of Anarchs in a Camarilla city. They manage to maintain their presence because a) one member is a wealthy, influential lawyer and b) between them they have 7 points of arsenal, 9 points of retainer, multiple points of herd, expert gunsmith skills and expert explosives knowledge. 1 is ex military, 1 ex police, 1 ex professional criminal. The sheriff has adopted an official policy of “oh fuck” and hovers like a vulture trying to see if he could pick them off while they’ve attempted not to do anything TOO aggravating. It was a delicate status quo, but it worked and the gang enjoyed their freedom and independence.

Times have changed, however. the Anarch Free State of California has collapsed under the dual pressures of the Camarilla and Cathayans. San Francisco and Los Angeles are torn between Camarilla and Cathayan vampires, Sabbat rumble in the south and the Anarch Baron of San Diego has declared herself to be a Camarilla prince and abandoned the Anarch cause. More importantly, the raging war between the Sabbat and the Camarilla on the east coast has ended, the Camarilla are victorious even holding New York city, a Sabbat stronghold.

Rumour has it that 3 of the 6 Camarilla Justicars and ex-Justicar Xavier were involved in the fighting - and remain in the US. And now a 4th Justicar, Madam Guil is in California, talking with the Cathayans. By all accounts the Camarilla is turning its vast resources and dangerous attention to the west coast and may be ready to take California for the Camarilla.

This leaves the party in a perilous position: their home, their politics, their way of life is in ruins - the Camarilla is coming, Yuma (which in my universe is MUCH bigger than it really is) may be a staging post, at very least the Justicars aren’t going to be happy with a significant Anarch presence on their doorstep while they launch their Californian campaign. The gang can take just about anything the sheriff can throw - but if the Archons are dispatched to Yuma there could be trouble.

Major Theme to continue:
The party trying to find a place for themselves in the world. The Anarch movement has all but collapsed, certainly on a organised (hah!) level. Can they make peace with the Camarilla authorities? Do they want to? Should they join the Camarilla? If so, what prestige can they negotiate out of it? What about the Sabbat? Will the Camarilla allow them to maintain independence? If so, what will it cost and what accord can them make with them? The party is lost and dancing on quicksand and desperately trying to find a place for themselves.

Major Style changes:
Usually I like to adopt a “Deux Ex Machinae” style to my games. They play in huge cities with vastly powerful vampire elders who largely leave them alone... but act as a threat against player stupidity. I find it’s useful after several debacles I try not to dwell on. They rarely have to do anything , the mere fact that they’re THERE is enough for the players to behave with a modicum of sense. In the same vein, the elders of the city tend to be old and power - to be respected by the players and in turn return a small measure of contempt (at least in the early part of the game).

There is still a Deus Ex Machinae here, but it’s less immediate. The players, as a group ARE a power in the city. They’re well trained, they’re well armed, they have a small private army. They can (and will) demand respect from the elders who in turn will be sparing with their contempt. Of course, if the players mess up too badly the prince can still have their neighbourhood burned down at high noon and there’s always the archons - but it’s not an immediate or an obvious thing. In a way the players will have the feeling of being relatively untouchable. I want to see if they can deal with that better this time round or if I’m going to have to dish out some smack down.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags