WELCOME.
Are you interested in playing a creature of the night?
We will be playing a modified 20th Anniversary Edition Vampire: the Masquerade game. If you really want to play, I’ll get you more information for your character build, but for now, here are some things to consider before you fill in dots.
Storytelling Philosophy
As a Storyteller, I am far more interested in telling a compelling, horrifying, political, mysterious story than I am in filling in dots or debating rules. We use the rules to help referee the action, but never to lead the story. If you are a power gamer, fear not, you will have lots and lots of “kewl powerz” and opportunities to unload on your foes. If you are more of a political player, fear not, for my games are roleplay-heavy with social maneuvering far more important than physical combat . . . most of the time. I try to stay out of the PC’s way in figuring out what they want and going for it. I simply know all of the NPCs, their desires, methods and foibles and they will keep at it with or without the player’s meddling. Assuming the players do nothing, the NPCs live in a dynamic world that they shape. It is my job to show you that world and your job to interact and change it as you see fit.
Getting Started. This will help me to write for the game that we are going to play.
Figure out what kind of person you want to play: we are creating this story together. So, grab a notebook and some pencils, and let’s get started. The setting takes place in the Maryland/DC/Virginia area, but your character doesn't have to be from there: they just have to have a reason to be in the area when the game starts. The game begins in 1985 with your character as a human. You can be pretty much anyone you want to be. So, some basic things to consider as you create your human character:
BASIC MORTAL STATISTICS.
How old are you (your character before embrace)? Minimum 18, maximum 55: younger or older will come with challenges. It can be done if you REALLY want to play that way, but it will come with increased difficulty.
What is your gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion (if you have one) as your character identifies with as a mortal?
What do you look like? Are you extremely attractive or just average (or really ugly)? Are you athletic or slim or average or overweight (or whatever)? What is your personal style (couture, tailored suits, grunge/street clothes, punk, conservative, business casual, etc.)?
What type of home life did you have growing up? Were you born to money or ran away from an orphanage to live on the streets as a kid (or anywhere in between)?
What is your profession (if you have one)? Did you go to school for a long time to get to your position? Are there special skills that you have picked up for your profession? Are you a tenured professor or a famous violinist or a CPA or a news photographer or a dentist or a sanitation employee? What is your work life like? Is it a 9-5? Do you have a lot of work friends and colleagues or do you keep to yourself or have a solitary profession? Are you famous or recognizable in any way (politician/performer)? What types of means do you have? Are you fabulously wealthy, extremely poor or somewhere in between?
What is your home life like now? Are you single, married, divorced? Do you have any children? Are your parents still alive and in your life? Do you have any siblings you see regularly? Does any of your extended family live in the DC/MD/VA area? Do you have any friends outside of work? Do you have any rituals that you do with your friends (tennis, monthly poker game, girls night out, etc.)?
Name? After coming up with all of that, do you have a name you'd like to use? What name was the character given at birth and is that still their name? Do they have any nicknames (and who uses the nickname)?
CLAN.
Your Clan will have a major bearing on the story, both in your origin and how others treat you. Assuming you know all about the Clans of vampires from V:tM (and if you don’t, click here), chose one of these:
Brujah. They have a sizable presence in both Domains with their fingers in several universities as well as the burgeoning rave scene.
Caitiff. If you want to play the game on the "hard" setting, I'm not going to stop you. There is no organization of Caitiff. The few (and I mean, like, maybe 2) that are allowed to live keep to the sidelines lest anyone destroy them. It is doubtful that either Prince would bat an eye if one of the clanless were to meet an "accident," if there were a plausible excuse from the offending Kindred.
Gangrel. They are very much involved in the vampiric security apparatus of Alexandria and in the very hot war between Sabbat-controlled Baltimore and the Camarilla's D.C. Metro Area. The Sheriff of Alexandria as well as the majority of troops of the S’eth Adar (ancient order of vampire guards) are Gangrel. Gangrel tend to have domains on the outskirts of Fairfax or on the front lines in Maryland.
Malkavian. They are barely tolerated in Alexandria, but the Prince of Georgetown across the river has given some quarter to the Malkavian primogen, Joan. Joan appears to be 11 years old, but is rumored to be far older than the United States of America itself. The Malkavians are quite insular and tend not to involve themselves in Kindred politics. They allow Joan to be their spokesperson (or don't care enough to say otherwise).
Nosferatu. There are more of these than there should be, but the Princes of both Domains tend to turn a blind eye to their bloated numbers as long as they stick to the shadows and sewers and feed among “the homeless.” There is rumored to be a very old Nosferatu that has made their haven beneath D.C. after coming to America sometime in the 1800s.
Toreador. The Prince of Georgetown (D.C.) is a fat, old Toreador hedonist and is surrounded by sycophants. They exert influence over the Smithsonian Institution’s museums and galleries (where D.C.'s Elysium often is). The Toreador of Alexandria are much less established, but still have a respectable position within Tremere Prince Elaine's court.
Tremere. There are two major chantries in the DMV. One in Georgetown (the Octagon House) and one in Alexandria (the Masonic Washington Monument). The Prince of Alexandria is the Tremere Elaine Montcomb, and thus they have quite a base of power there. It is rumored that a highly-placed member of the Tremere hierarchy makes his or her haven there.
Ventrue. There are rumored to be a few Blue Bloods in the Camarilla Exclusion Zone who pull the great levers of power for the United States, but they never leave the Zone, so no one outside knows of them. In the two Principalities, they are largely kept out of Georgetown by Mad King George, but there is a sizable VenCorps Directorate in Arlington, Virginia that manage the lucrative weapons contracting corporations that equip the U.S. superpower.
Are you looking to play something else? A dread Lasombra? A fiendish Tzimisce? Or even something obscure like a Kiasyd? Fear not! If you stick around long enough, we will be playing secondary characters in other story arcs tied to the main arc where characters from other Clans will be introduced. Also, as the game progresses, we will allow in “guest players” to take on an NPC for a Chapter or two of any Bloodline or Clan (or even more odd things). But to start out for simplicity sake, I went with the 7 Camarilla Clans as the primary Player Characters (and Caitiff if you really, really want to be one . . . but that will come with increased difficulty for you).
Next Steps. Rolling up a character.
We are playing a modified v20 system. The next step after you have answered those questions for yourself and decided that you’d like to play an online (virtual) tabletop RPG, shoot me an email with the answers to those above questions and we’ll chat. We play from 7-10ish p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sundays and Mondays. We finished our first round of Preludes and are now in All-Play with the characters. We have a full roster of four PCs in the coterie on Sunday, but only 3 PCs in our coterie on Mondays, so we are looking for a Monday character: particularly a Brujah character, as we have PCs from all of the other clans.
For now, join our Discord - even just as a spectator - and say hello to other VtM enthusiasts.
Players should be 18 years old or older . . . this is a mature game. While we will steer clear of - and ban - any sort of harassing or abusive behavior, the game will involve lots of gore, blood, murder and the darker shades of night with themes not appropriate for underage players. I started playing V:tM as a 14 or 15-year-old back in the ‘90s, but I played with other 14 and 15 year olds on our way to and from speech and debate tournaments. These days, I am an adult and want to play with other adults. So, that’s just this particular game.
Also, this is an explicitly LGBTQ+ friendly game. I am queer myself and homophobic and transphobic players are not welcome (and that goes for racists and sexists too). Your character can be an evil asshole, but you shouldn’t be.
All that said, I hope you will consider joining us in the Potomac Empire for an exploration of the World of Darkness.