amst_requiem

So, here's a section of the upcoming plotkit I'm working on. It's short, and not much crunch is in it, but I hope you enjoy it. The more coordination I do, the more I will be able to show you.

Like Invisible Monsters, this plotkit will be for full distribution (for both players and STs)

( A Sequel? )

Or how I learned to stop worrying and have my vampire email his friends

Playing an anachronism is a tricky thing.

I know that some of the appeal of a vampire game is the history... lots of players mention their love of costuming or research or particular historical periods when talking about Requiem. However, it's also one of the more difficult parts: after all, no one here has any experience in Victorian England, Feudal Japan, or Pre-Columbian North America.

That's why I sometimes feel like players miss out on a lot of roleplay experiences when they say "my character doesn't use computers." I think that with the concessions we already make, most characters should be justified to use a computer, if the player wants to enjoy that element of the global game.

Let me put it like this: the one modern invention that should freak out any vampire older than about 150 is the lightbulb. Anyone embraced before they became commonplace lived in the world where there were only two sources of light at night: the moon and fire. I would figure that for thousands of years, vampires lived extraordinarily dimly lit existences: every bit of indoor lighting was a source of anxiety. The technology of a lightbulb isn't much older than a telephone (and if you're playing a centuries old vampire, it's pretty much the same). But I've never sat around, IC, and heard people talk about how much they hate light bulbs, and that the bright lightly lit room stresses them out.

My guess? This is because lighting hasn't had any exciting advances that your average gamer has noticed in his or her lifetime. Media has changed quite a bit though: lots of us didn't have computers or the internet in the house growing up, and our grandparents remember a time before television. We key in on computers and cell phones, because we see our grandparents struggling with the technology. Hence there's a lot of vampires out there who don't use phones or computers.

I have no problem with this; I think it's interesting. But often, these players feel disconnected or disadvantaged compared to players who are "wired in." In this case, I would say that it's probably just another form of writing a letter (if your character was born in the last hundred years, he or she is probably familiar with a typewriter). I consider texting even more justifiable than other technologies: it's essentially a personal telegraph. If you want to feel more comfortable texting with your century old monster, consider that telegraph operators were paid by the letter... and make your texts as brief as possible.

In any case, I think we have to acknowledge the global game, and allow Requiem to globalize. The vampires who can work with modern media (and transportation) will excel in a "survival of the fittest" sense. Further, we're Cammies: we want to talk to our friends around the country and around the world. I think there's a story here: an ancient monster globalizing and adapting (or failing to adapt) is an interesting thing, and one worth your time to examine.

I have four pages of the follow up to Invisible Monsters written... this might be a third of it.

Generally speaking, I'm trying to directly address your suggestions and concerns. I was talking to some players in Philly yesterday, and I mentioned I don't have a "killer app" part of it... a part that really captures what I'm trying to do. For Invisible Monsters, it was the part about the Hunters. In this one, I think I have the beginning of that section on paper (but we shall see). In any case, I don't think I'll have it on schedule (March 6 was my projected date), but I should be getting it out before Danse Macabre at the end of March.

As far as Danse Macabre, I assure you I'm looking forward to it as much, if not more than you. The one thing I will promise is that I don't want anything to happen "ex nihilo"... you're not going to just wake up one day and find a game-changer has been dropped without explanation or foreshadowing. But, when it comes out, I encourage you all to read it... I would be very surprised if that book doesn't strongly influence the next chronicle.

I'm personally very much in favor of using this chronicle and the end of chronicle plot to "train" for the next chronicle. I don't want to scrap our continuity, or undermine the stories going on, but at the same time, I see a tremendous opportunity to try things out, and even moreso, to examine this chronicle to understand how we play Requiem. Just like the first level of a video game teaches you how to use the controls in a less challenging environment, I think we can slowly (and with careful attention to player actions) begin to introduce some elements into this game.

An example of this: it's a remarkably easy thing for us to introduce a moderate Requiem IC list, so there's an alternative to the current list. I keep telling people the problem isn't people "trolling" on the IC list: such behavior makes sense in the context in which it occurs. The problem is that there is no establish place for more serious, solemn conversation to take place, and no explanation of how it functions. We can introduce something in this chronicle relatively painfully, and see problems we encounter, and what good things occur.

Finally, I have a great staff working for me (some of you have been working with some of them). I'm not going to name them all publically until I pick the last one, but I did want to mention the great job they're doing, and thank them for it.

So, the dust has had time to settle, and I figured I would address the Superbowl plotkit, and why certain decisions where made.

( Read more... )

So, that's why. My questions now are: did you enjoy it? What would you like to see done differently in the future?

PLEASE FORWARD TO ALL REQUIEM LISTS

The AMST Requiem (amst.requiem@mst-office.net) is the Point of Contact for all actions regarding this event. Please read the email thoroughly for instructions.

The following event is immediately in play.

Every individual who is watching the Superbowl (over 100 million Americans, half again outside the country, and a significant number of vampires) witness the following event. It is broadcast live on FOX around the world:

As the kicker starts his first steps towards the football at the start of the first half, thousands and thousands of lightbulbs go off simultaneously. The kickoff itself is unremarkable, but as the offense trots out on the field, careful viewers can notice the first signs that something is wrong.

It starts as just one or two people, and players and sidelines are the last to know. It takes at least a minute for the announcers to realize, and thankfully, the cameramen aren’t much faster. Instead, you just see the awareness pass over the crowd… first a couple people are looking and pointing at some seats in the upper deck. After a moment, more people notice those people, and as that happens, more people notice whatever is going on in the cheap seats.

The announcers are confused, and then shocked… “There’s something in the sta… Oh my god, oh my god… get someone over there” is all Joe Buck manages to squeak out before its’ over. While the camera is close behind, you only see maybe 10 seconds of it, but for any vampire, it seems like an eternity. Why? Here’s what is caught on camera.

A blurred figure is standing in the middle of a pile clawed bodies… bloody and gored, and a young woman, maybe 20 years old in a tight-cut Dallas Cowboy jersey, held aloft in his arms. The figure tosses her off the deck, and while there’s no sound, you can see her face twisted into a terrified scream as she falls at least three stories. As the first bullet rips through the figure’s chest, you can see security behind it drawing their weapons and the entire crowd stampeding away in absolute panic. The figure jerks as three more bullets rip into it, and turns to advance on the cops. It makes it to one of them, clawing his face open; he screams and drops to his knees. By now the camera has zoomed in, so you can get a good view of cop as he cradles his mangled face in his hands. The figure, still a blur, is hit by a hail of bullets, including two that blow out the back of his skill. The cops quickly get in the way of the cameras and surround the bodies, but by now there’s a minor riot in the upper deck.

There’s a sudden black space interrupting the action, as your TV goes dead, and the station cuts to a commercial about some kind of snack chip and a dog.

At this point, you may react to events according. You may engage in soft roleplay (i.e. discussion and communication) about these in real time, however any actions will not be resolved until Monday night (to maximize the opportunity to interact with this plot). In the meantime, assume that the next play of the game is delayed and first responders arrive on the scene. Assume the news casters don’t have much more information than you do, and that the NFL will not let any news agency actually broadcast the scene. Youtube and such are different story.

To be clear, no characters are frozen at this time.



If you wish to affect this scene, please contact the AMST Requiem at amst.requiem@mst-office.net. We encourage you to be creative, particularly with social merits such as allies and retainers. You have 24 hours to respond (6:30 PM EST).

I went to the Delaware Requiem game this past weekend (which, consider I live in Delaware, was a long time coming). It was a fun game, and I was please to meet a couple of Cammies from Philly there, including two players who joined prior to the Grand Masquerade, and who really made a huge impact on the game. In particular, one member perfectly played a sarcastic and antagonistic social character, picking at other characters with various observations. The best thing about this player is he managed to be anagonistic without making any of the three big mistakes I see happen:

1. He didn't make the player feel belittled or small when he was doing this.
2. He kept it low-key and did not "poke the bear" to the point of combat.
3. He was conversational and engaging, as opposed to "monologue-ing."

This last point is something to drive home: what he was doing was asking questions about other people's character, perhaps in a way that was sarcastic or ironic, but still about other people. Personal perspective: every gamer's favorite topic is their own character. When he was talking, we were looking at the person he was talking to, not him. It was really an excellent way to give the focus to other people's characters.

We also had a conversation at afters, where he made some spot on observations about the Camarilla Requiem chronicle, but that's another entry.

Apparently, being AMST means you get awesome technical support.

M, the AAMST Requiem Tech, set this livejournal up for me... I wanted a blogging platform to communicate with the chronicle. Here you might find notes on the chronicle, ideas for setting, even details on global plot. Or I might never update it again. In any case, I suggest you friend it (worst that happens is that you unfriend the account later), and also friend the office on Facebook and Twitter (here and here).

In the meantime, enjoy the weekend, and hopefully I can give you something to read sooner than later.