Post by Barnaby Cuthbert on Aug 4, 2014 1:17:51 GMT -8
Hi folks,
This post is going to be about some general and boundaries of concept, and the scope of the concepts that are available. Please feel free to ask questions here or in person.
Game Scope and General Boundaries: Magic Rob's platform was to run a Camarilla vampire Modern Nights game set in the fictional city of Classic World of Darkness Seattle, so the large majority of the approved characters will be from Camarilla clans and be part of the in-character organization known as the Camarilla. A small number of Independents, Anarchs and probationary sect members will be allowed, but are subject to caps. Some Sects (such as Sabbat, Tal'mahe'Ra or Inconnu) are logically outside the scope of a Camarilla-focused game, so you won't be seeing those running around. There's a thriving healthy Sabbat game, so there's definitely a place for things like Black Hand concepts and such within that, but our focus is on a Camarilla city and what is typical for a reasonably traditional Camarilla city.
Initial bead draw and Rarity:
So beads! A lot of people are excited about that random aspect to character creation. It works like this: There exist three bags of beads that are built to the demographics that we want game to be. That guideline is 15/30/60, where 60 represents cannon average (common), 30 represents moderate deviation (uncommon) and 10 represents gross deviation (rare).
The three bags determine starting Caste, Rarity and XP. You draw one bead from each bag.
Your character's Caste is a representation of the things she has access to buy with XP, or freebies at character creation and beyond. Your Caste is your potential within the Camarilla effecting your character's max Status, Generation and general respectability.
Your character's Rarity is a representation of the things that could make your character odd compared to standard Camarilla in-canon characters, such as an uncommon Clan or a capped merit, unusual discipline, etc.
Your character's XP is the amount of bonus XP you get to start with.
Here is an example: Common pulls will be generations 15-11, 25xp and base Camarilla standard concepts and capped at 2 status. Uncommon will be up to 9th gen, 75xp capped at 4 status and moderate deviations from acceptable cannon (uncommon - A Brujah with some Protean, a capped merit, or a Setite with magic would be an example of this). Rare bead pulls will be up to 8th generation, capped at 5 status or gross deviations from cannon (Rare - a Brujah with thaumaturgy, a rare bloodline, or a unique item might be examples of this)
When you draw an XP bead, that's the XP you get to spend, but when you draw an Caste bead, it just gives you access to higher level status and generation, but you still have to spend XP on it.
Beads can be traded among players, but must be logged with the STs.
Here is an example of a character creation: Rob wants to make a character. He pulls from the beads-bags a common Rarity bead, an uncommon XP bead and a rare Caste bead. His initial concept for himself was a racist biker Gangrel, therefore his generation/age doesn't really matter much. He trades his Caste bead to Brad (who would like it for his Ventrue concept) in exchange for starting play with a Major boon over Brad's shiny new character. He registers this with Staff who say game on.
Sect Boundaries:
Camarilla vampires - Unlimited - As this is the core focus of our Modern Nights game, you never need to worry about this sect being capped.
Total Independents AND Anarchs - up to 20% of active characters. So that will be a soft cap that will grow with the game.
The world, via NPC and PC pressure will be levied by the storytellers via background NPCs putting pressure on PCs, direct NPC actions and other forms of story-related intervention should character concepts grow much beyond the caps for Independent's and Anarchs, however these caps are also to be considered 'soft', because they may grow or shrink with game size.
Clan Boundaries: The following Clans and bloodlines are broken down as approved for play in the Camarilla vampire game:
Clans not capped:
Brujah
Caitiff
Gangrel*
Malkavian+
Nosferatu
Toreador
Ventrue
*(City Gangrel count as an uncommon bloodline, so you may have to spend some of your rarity during character creation)
+(Dominate Malks don't count as an odd bloodline)
We do limit some Clans and concepts, but again, the idea is that the limits are logical to the setting for an average Camarilla city in the Modern Nights. Some limits have been made with an eye toward game balance, such as limits for sorcerer classes.
Clans Subject to Caps:
3 Tremere is common. 5 Tremere is uncommon. 7 Tremere is rare.
3 Giovanni is common. 5 Giovanni is uncommon. 7 Giovanni is rare.
1 Assamite* is common. 3 Assamites is uncommon. 5 Assamites is rare.
1 Setite* is common. 3 Setites is uncommon. 5 Setites is rare.
1 Ravnos is uncommon. 2 Ravnos is rare.
1 Lasombra anti-tribu is uncommon. 2 Lasombra is rare.
1 Tzimisce anti-tribu is rare.
*If you are a Setite/Assamite with Magic, that takes two of the available slots in the Setite or Assamite cap. In addition, you must take into account how many other Assamites or Setites there are in game, because that effects the rarity you must spend to get those concepts.
Capped Clans may require a short questionnaire to be completed by the player in order to be approved for play with the intention of learning that the player has a firm handle on the goals, motivations and prejudices of the bloodline, but we're still discussing that and haven't written it, so that's in the near future.
Other Bloodlines - Secret Rare Bloodline cap:
The Storytellers will also manage a Secret Cap of 2 total bloodline oddities throughout the entire game. Bloodlines not shown above are pitchable to staff and subject to a secret waiting list that will be shared with Player Advocates (to eliminate any chance or perception of favoritism). Included in this cap would be the rare Sabbat infiltrator to the Camarilla and daywalking thinbloods.
•When a slot for a special bloodline is open, the player on the waiting list for a bloodline will be given one month (4 game sessions) to choose to take the character type and build a new character. In that month, they may wrap up their old character with staff's assistance. Entering play with the new character signifies the player's willing, permemnant retirement of any prior characters.
◦If a player's character concept doesn't gain approval as an acceptable concept within one month of the offer, the slot passes to the next player on the list. (SEE Acceptable Concepts NOTE below)
•Players must declare the clan/concept beforehand to be on the waiting list at all.
◦Players may only be on one single waiting list (you may not be on a waiting list for a Daughter of Cachophany AND a Gargoyle, for example). You must choose one, and only one.
Acceptable Concepts NOTE: When pitching a rare bloodline concept to staff, while backstory is important, the staff will give special consideration to concepts that fit with and support the chronicle we're building that bring engaging, shared stories to the game. Disruptive concepts, or concepts that the staff does not feel belong within a Camarilla chronicle (Such as Sabbat bloodlines) may be declined outright.
Take aways:
1. Three beads for three things: Caste, Rarity, XP
2. A lot depends on the bead draw you get as far as mechanics go, but you can trade.
3. Super rare stuff is available by being on a waiting list.
This post is going to be about some general and boundaries of concept, and the scope of the concepts that are available. Please feel free to ask questions here or in person.
Game Scope and General Boundaries: Magic Rob's platform was to run a Camarilla vampire Modern Nights game set in the fictional city of Classic World of Darkness Seattle, so the large majority of the approved characters will be from Camarilla clans and be part of the in-character organization known as the Camarilla. A small number of Independents, Anarchs and probationary sect members will be allowed, but are subject to caps. Some Sects (such as Sabbat, Tal'mahe'Ra or Inconnu) are logically outside the scope of a Camarilla-focused game, so you won't be seeing those running around. There's a thriving healthy Sabbat game, so there's definitely a place for things like Black Hand concepts and such within that, but our focus is on a Camarilla city and what is typical for a reasonably traditional Camarilla city.
Initial bead draw and Rarity:
So beads! A lot of people are excited about that random aspect to character creation. It works like this: There exist three bags of beads that are built to the demographics that we want game to be. That guideline is 15/30/60, where 60 represents cannon average (common), 30 represents moderate deviation (uncommon) and 10 represents gross deviation (rare).
The three bags determine starting Caste, Rarity and XP. You draw one bead from each bag.
Your character's Caste is a representation of the things she has access to buy with XP, or freebies at character creation and beyond. Your Caste is your potential within the Camarilla effecting your character's max Status, Generation and general respectability.
Your character's Rarity is a representation of the things that could make your character odd compared to standard Camarilla in-canon characters, such as an uncommon Clan or a capped merit, unusual discipline, etc.
Your character's XP is the amount of bonus XP you get to start with.
Here is an example: Common pulls will be generations 15-11, 25xp and base Camarilla standard concepts and capped at 2 status. Uncommon will be up to 9th gen, 75xp capped at 4 status and moderate deviations from acceptable cannon (uncommon - A Brujah with some Protean, a capped merit, or a Setite with magic would be an example of this). Rare bead pulls will be up to 8th generation, capped at 5 status or gross deviations from cannon (Rare - a Brujah with thaumaturgy, a rare bloodline, or a unique item might be examples of this)
When you draw an XP bead, that's the XP you get to spend, but when you draw an Caste bead, it just gives you access to higher level status and generation, but you still have to spend XP on it.
Beads can be traded among players, but must be logged with the STs.
Here is an example of a character creation: Rob wants to make a character. He pulls from the beads-bags a common Rarity bead, an uncommon XP bead and a rare Caste bead. His initial concept for himself was a racist biker Gangrel, therefore his generation/age doesn't really matter much. He trades his Caste bead to Brad (who would like it for his Ventrue concept) in exchange for starting play with a Major boon over Brad's shiny new character. He registers this with Staff who say game on.
Sect Boundaries:
Camarilla vampires - Unlimited - As this is the core focus of our Modern Nights game, you never need to worry about this sect being capped.
Total Independents AND Anarchs - up to 20% of active characters. So that will be a soft cap that will grow with the game.
The world, via NPC and PC pressure will be levied by the storytellers via background NPCs putting pressure on PCs, direct NPC actions and other forms of story-related intervention should character concepts grow much beyond the caps for Independent's and Anarchs, however these caps are also to be considered 'soft', because they may grow or shrink with game size.
Clan Boundaries: The following Clans and bloodlines are broken down as approved for play in the Camarilla vampire game:
Clans not capped:
Brujah
Caitiff
Gangrel*
Malkavian+
Nosferatu
Toreador
Ventrue
*(City Gangrel count as an uncommon bloodline, so you may have to spend some of your rarity during character creation)
+(Dominate Malks don't count as an odd bloodline)
We do limit some Clans and concepts, but again, the idea is that the limits are logical to the setting for an average Camarilla city in the Modern Nights. Some limits have been made with an eye toward game balance, such as limits for sorcerer classes.
Clans Subject to Caps:
3 Tremere is common. 5 Tremere is uncommon. 7 Tremere is rare.
3 Giovanni is common. 5 Giovanni is uncommon. 7 Giovanni is rare.
1 Assamite* is common. 3 Assamites is uncommon. 5 Assamites is rare.
1 Setite* is common. 3 Setites is uncommon. 5 Setites is rare.
1 Ravnos is uncommon. 2 Ravnos is rare.
1 Lasombra anti-tribu is uncommon. 2 Lasombra is rare.
1 Tzimisce anti-tribu is rare.
*If you are a Setite/Assamite with Magic, that takes two of the available slots in the Setite or Assamite cap. In addition, you must take into account how many other Assamites or Setites there are in game, because that effects the rarity you must spend to get those concepts.
Capped Clans may require a short questionnaire to be completed by the player in order to be approved for play with the intention of learning that the player has a firm handle on the goals, motivations and prejudices of the bloodline, but we're still discussing that and haven't written it, so that's in the near future.
Other Bloodlines - Secret Rare Bloodline cap:
The Storytellers will also manage a Secret Cap of 2 total bloodline oddities throughout the entire game. Bloodlines not shown above are pitchable to staff and subject to a secret waiting list that will be shared with Player Advocates (to eliminate any chance or perception of favoritism). Included in this cap would be the rare Sabbat infiltrator to the Camarilla and daywalking thinbloods.
•When a slot for a special bloodline is open, the player on the waiting list for a bloodline will be given one month (4 game sessions) to choose to take the character type and build a new character. In that month, they may wrap up their old character with staff's assistance. Entering play with the new character signifies the player's willing, permemnant retirement of any prior characters.
◦If a player's character concept doesn't gain approval as an acceptable concept within one month of the offer, the slot passes to the next player on the list. (SEE Acceptable Concepts NOTE below)
•Players must declare the clan/concept beforehand to be on the waiting list at all.
◦Players may only be on one single waiting list (you may not be on a waiting list for a Daughter of Cachophany AND a Gargoyle, for example). You must choose one, and only one.
Acceptable Concepts NOTE: When pitching a rare bloodline concept to staff, while backstory is important, the staff will give special consideration to concepts that fit with and support the chronicle we're building that bring engaging, shared stories to the game. Disruptive concepts, or concepts that the staff does not feel belong within a Camarilla chronicle (Such as Sabbat bloodlines) may be declined outright.
Take aways:
1. Three beads for three things: Caste, Rarity, XP
2. A lot depends on the bead draw you get as far as mechanics go, but you can trade.
3. Super rare stuff is available by being on a waiting list.