Monthly Archives: October 2011

Road Trip

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The hardest part is getting from Waco into Hillsboro.

Just a quick check-in to say “Hi!” because I’m on the road and my Internet is unreliable. In going back over the feedback you’re leaving in the comments sections, let me say that I really happy that we took V20 and its subsequent titles into open dev. I’m restricted to some extent by word count, and the ideas that everyone is sharing in the comments are excellent and inspiring. I’m really happy that the conversation has been so good: Keeping the comments up here means we have more great ideas, story seeds, and concepts to explore than we could ever pack into a single book. You guys make me proud to be working on the whole project. Warm fuzzies!

Okay, smiles and hugs time is over. Here’s some Nitzer Ebb to get us all stompy again.

Virtual Domain

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I was writing about the Anarchs a while back, which got me to questioning the difference between physical and “virtual” domain. I riffed on it a little bit in the technology chapter, calling into question some of the previously established conventions of domain. Here’s an excerpt.

<1>Unlife Online

<n>Without a doubt, the single greatest threat to the Masquerade and the single greatest weapon in the technologically savvy Kindred’s arsenal is communication. Security systems, medical breakthroughs, weapons advancements and numerous other  technologies all pose certain hazards or benefits to the Damned, but often only in very specific circumstances. The most significant change to Kindred society wrought by technology is communication.

Indeed, the effect of communication on undead society has raised the question as to what constitutes a domain. With the ability of a Kindred in London to set into effect a virtual chain of events that culminates in an Anarch uprising in New York, does domain have the same meaning tonight? Can the Prince of New York redress a grievance with the London Kindred for meddling in her domain? Or must she observe ancient protocols and petition the Prince of London? What about actions between virtual domains across the boundaries of sects?

These questions complicate the historical understanding of the Traditions. With Kindred no longer necessarily even physically present in a domain, how can a Prince or Archbishop enforce the laws of the domain upon an individual vampire? Should she? And with the authority figures equally as able (potentially, if not in reality) to follow transgressors across the vast network of virtual space and digital devices, how can the transgressor hide? In nights when the Prince of Paris can exact vengeance against a Black Hand pack in Mexico City and thus invite further retribution from the Archbishop and Regent there, does the venerable Kindred concept of domain even mean anything anymore? When a Prince claims Praxis, is the claim over physical territory, or does the Prince’s claim extend over the virtual wellbeing of her subjects as well? Does punishment for transgression lie in the responsibility of the “meatspace” location of the transgressor, or does a digital crime warrant digital justice at the hands of a Prince able to enforce it? But what if the Prince of the physical domain and the virtual territory disagree? What if they’re at war, or of different sects? And what of Kindred who are stalwart sect members of physical locations but self-styled Autarkis in digital domains?

It’s a heady, complicated topic, and one discussed in no few opulent salons and filthy hideouts. And the answers, to date, aren’t forthcoming. The ramifications change as quickly as does the face of the technology raising the question.

For me, part of the coolness of this topic is that Vampire, of course, has been around since before this stuff became an issue. The neat part is that, as players and Storytellers, we’ve been able to watch and respond to this in real time, just as the Kindred in the game world do. History has changed alongside the game world in this matter, and the habits of characters in the game have changed over time to account for these new developments. The shared world created by the players is the very one that’s changing in response to the new technological stimuli, and I think that’s amazing. Without 20 years of player experience and stories to model vampire society on, we wouldn’t be comparing and contrasting what happened “then” when people were playing Vampire to what’s happening when they’re playing it now.

One of the things I’ll show soon (or perhaps with the complete draft posting) is the Camarilla’s experiment with Justicars whose area of influence is the Internet. They’re the ones who comment-bomb YouTube postings of Masquerade violations or have the videos suppressed, and a variety of other methods of destroying or discrediting the digital footprint. It all ties together.

Thaumaturgical Technology

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Here’s some hopefully welcome crunch, as I work on taking into account all of the player feedback from the previous Kindred and technology post. It sounds like players are wanting fewer generalities, but also fewer extreme specificities. Gotta find that sweet spot in the middle, which has been a challenge (but fun). The plan is to give more stuff that’s usable in a story, whether in the form of a ritual (below) or a plot possibility (as with the Giovanni section from the previous excerpt). Is this headed in the right direction for your tastes? Let me know!

"I think what we're dealing with here is some sort of psychic Dracula teenager criminal YYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH"

[BEGIN BOX TEXT]

<3>Simulacrum of Life (Level-Two Thaumtaurgical Ritual)

<n>This ritual allows the Kindred to display all of the vital “signs of life” that briefly cause her to appear as mortal: respiration, blood movement, temperature, brain activity, etc. However, these vital signs appear only to scans performed by medical equipment such as EKG meters, CAT scans, even stethoscopes and thermometers. The ritual does not create any physical effects such as a pulse or bleeding, but simply causes a standard result to be displayed by the medical device in question. The signs displayed are uniform, showing no variance or excited activity (which may cause some suspicion in and of itself). The ritual remains in effect for the duration of the scene, fooling any and all medical devices in that time.

As a separate invocation of the ritual, the effect may be cast upon a talisman — any physical object — that confers this ritual’s effect on any single Kindred carrying or in contact with the talisman.

[END BOX TEXT]

Independent Ambition

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Okay, ladies and skeletons, this time around we have an excerpt from the technology chapter. One of the things you guys have consistently expressed is some desire to see how the independents do things, since much of the previous (first draft! I’m fixing it!) material pushes them out of the limelight in favor of examinations of the more cohesive sects. So this one’s for you, my independent-clan-loving friends.

<2>The Independents

<n>For those Kindred whose clan is their sect, or whose clan abstains from sectarian endeavors, the use of technology falls much more along the lines of age than it does philosophy. That is, elders of the independent clans are often behind the curve of technology while the younger members are more willing to learn and use new devices, services, or equipment. As with all Kindred, even young members of the independent clans lag a bit behind mortals in terms of awareness and adoption of new technology. No small amount of this comes directly as a result of the Kindred condition: Even the youngest Kindred, at the moment of his Embrace, becomes a static icon of that time. The Damned forever face a stasis that puts them directly at odds with the inexorable advance of technology.

As well, for the independents, most of the clans have a distinct specialty, something that no other clan does with the capacity that they do. The Kindred find it in their nature to trust in their own abilities more than external tools. Aside from simple communication, what use would a Giovanni necromancer have for a smartphone while he’s summoning the souls of the dead? What purpose would a Setite high priest have for broadband wifi while she plumbs the buried secrets of the Middle Kingdom? What does a Ravnos care for 1080p, other than its street value?

That said, the independent clans do have their own penchants for emergent technologies.

<3>Assamites

<n>The Clan of Assassins has long had a formula for success that relies upon their own unique skils and proprietary Discipline more so than it does on tools and implements. Even in the modern nights, an Assamite wielding an ancestral kukri is a far more terrifying sight than any private security force soldier with a cutting-edge submachine gun. More than any other independent clan, the Assamites have actually demonstrated a keen ability to subvert or disrupt existing technologies, particularly defensive ones. Even the most expensive security system won’t stop the functions of Quietus, if the Assamite has a chance to employ them, and how well can that private security force defend a haven if its agents never hear the Assamites coming?

Among the viziers and sorcerers of the clan, technology is no substitute for the time-tested resources that contain mystic research. These jealously guarded secrets are much safer, the amr reason, in physical books than an individual can protect than on easily copied or smuggled digital media.

<3>Giovanni

<n>The Giovanni rely on technology for two pillars of their clan agenda: market analysis and information control.

As a clan with massive financial investment, the Giovanni have been quick to take advantage of technological advancements that enable them to react quickly to financial stimuli. This includes everything from smartphone and mobile device apps that allow them to move their assets instantly to computers with software suites that watch the stock markets and analyze them for optimal returns on investment over very short periods of time. In fact. some members of the clan see parallels in the global stock market and the clan’s legacy casino businesses — they’re both effectively games of chance, and the more ability the Necromancers have to dictate the outcomes of either, the more money they generate.

As a family interest, the Giovanni have been migrating certain of their genealogical resources to a closed-network database on par with that of the Church of Latter Day Saints. One part of this is the ancestor-worship and family veneration that occurs in the cultic familial structure of the clan. The other part is that, as a digital “book of the dead” for the Giovanni, having an archive of the departed and undead is a valuable necromantic resource. The archive lists not only known dead, but their projected status in the Underworld, ability to effect change in the physical world, and contribution to the Endless Night effort.

<3>Ravnos

<n>By and large, the Ravnos are too self-sufficient to worry about much technology. While certain advancement can make the Ravnos unlife a bit more convenient, the Deceivers aren’t a clan that places an enormous value on convenience or comfort. The most common piece of “advanced” technological equipment among the Ravnos is probably some sort of GPS device. The second most common is probably a stolen or pre-paid mobile phone or a Saturday night special. Indeed, among the Ravnos, too much dependency on gimmicks and gewgaws can lead to a loss of Status in the clan and the ill regard of one’s fellow Deceivers. Whether or not an individual cares much about the regard of her fellow Deceivers is a different matter, of course.

Certain Ravnos have a love for the act of travel itself, and choose to spend a great deal of time with their vehicles. Classic cars, vintage bikes, campers that do double duty is mobile haven fortresses — all of these an more might belong to a brood of Ravnos, or even a nomadic mortal family that just happens to have a Ravnos at its center. Some Deceivers would even risk their unlives rather than leave “Ol’ Bess” behind. Then again,  it’s just as likely that they can call upon the assistance of an entire motorcycle club of ghouls to take vengeance on the goddamn bloodsucker who put a Ravnos’ favorite 1949 Panhead Harley-Davidson in a ditch.

<3>Setites

<n>To the Setite mind, the end justifies the means, and whether that end is the revivification of their dead god or constructing a web of debts and debasement for his own profit is a matter of personal preference. If turning to a tool makes the difference between the success or failure of a gambit, so be it, and make sure it’s plugged in.

For the Setites, technology is rarely the object of a Kindred’s zeal. In particular, the Setites find themselves adept with technology they use for blackmail and eavesdropping. Their purpose is twofold: Listening in allows them to discern the true desires that linger in their marks’ hearts, and once they acquire dirt on a victim-collaborator, the better able they are to dictate the terms of the relationship or call in favors for their silence. The “dirt” doesn’t even have to be true; many Serpents are also skilled photo manipulators or video editors for the times they need to manufacture evidence or draw attention to something specific.

This isn’t to say the skullduggery is the sole avenue of Setite technology use. For a clan so ancient and steeped in tradition, the Serpents are quick to exploit new technologies that give them an edge. Language translators, security systems, communication devices, and even synthetic drugs and medical advancements all have their uses in the hands of clever Setites. Those who collect clan secrets use software suites on par with those of eminent archaeological schools, the better to discern the will of their chthonic progenitor. Even those who practice the bizarre sorceries of the clan have a use for technology, though it often carries the trappings of historical anachronism, such as ritual daggers that can be smuggled through security checkpoints or counter-technologies that allow a Kindred to evade a pursuer like a wisp of smoke on the wind.

Refocus: Setting First

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Okay, so let’s go back through some of the feedback, both here and in the White Wolf forums.

Fangs glow in the dark? +3 dice to Academics pools. You can read books better with glowing fangs. Okay, maybe this is an absurd example.

With the return of Vampire in the V20 format, we’ve noticed some distinct patterns. You guys like your Masquerade setting. That’s awesome.

When I originally assembled the V20 Companion outline, I did it with an eye toward “cleaning up systems” without revising them so that they didn’t resemble the originals. Part of this included merging the setting material with the systems material. And, in draft one of the titles chapter, that’s what I presented.

But your feedback suggests that you want less emphasis on the system and more emphasis on the setting. Specifically, many of you have called out the systems as incongruous, detrimental to immersion in their function, and an intrusion upon the Kindred social structures that were previously dealt with in terms of vampire-to-vampire interaction. Here’s some of the indicative commentary:

DRAKE NOBLE: I absolutely love the idea of quantifying what it is that you get as a result of your title with mechanics… but the mechanics being anything other than purely social/political seems very odd to me.

KYOROU: What he said, plus V20 doesn’t need to become like D&D or Dark Heresy, where your character suddenly becomes able to perform physical feats he couldn’t before just because he got a promotion.

GREGOR S.: Some titles don’t seem to fit into the table you have for making their effects. For ones like Prince, that’s fine. For ones like Mystic, it’s rather confusing and not a good comparison for what baseline effect a title should have.

So we’ve taken this feedback to heart and here’s the proposal Eddy, Rich, and I hashed out this morning. First off, I’m going to devote more word count to a wider selection of titles as well as some additional info on the sects, the better to give context to the title descriptions. I’m going to rework some of the anomalous non-social systems from the titles and reconstruct them to be purely social functions. For example, Mystic provided a very abstract benefit that seemed to function arbitrarily — the mechanics of the game changed when enough people thought you were a Mystic, as opposed to reflecting how other vampires’ reactions to you would have changed. While that sort of consensual reality might have a place in Mage, it really stood out as inappropriate to Vampire.

As well, I’m going to add some of the opened-up word count to the locations chapter, because we’ve received so many suggestions for additional places that are just as iconic or more so than the ones already in the locations chapter. Finally, I’m going to move the variant Disciplines chapter to a later book, to free up that much more word count. (I thought about moving the systems info to an “optional” section with variants, too, but that seems like it will cause more controversy. Since it would be in print, some players would claim a right to it, but since it’s optional, not all Storytellers will want it, so I’d rather not provoke those arguments.)

You have spoken. We have listened. I understand that not everyone will agree with this decision, but it does seem to be the predominant trend among cWoD feedback, particularly as we’ve shared the content from this book. Your impressions?

Open Dev: V20 Companion Titles

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Okay, let’s take a look at the Titles chapter.

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1ynXkJxdtTv1LrQrciPwbIdIm8oYbQPItLhjE2q7EeUg

What we have here… is a failure to communi— no, wait, I did it wrong.

What we have here is a quick look at why the Kindred have titles, then a system for how to create them, and then a healthy listing of example titles, ready to be dropped into any chronicle that needs them. Some of these will be pretty familiar while others are new, conceptually, or simply haven’t been described in these terms before.

King of the Vampires. Get it? GET IT?

One of the things that really needs testing is the systems subsection for each title. Previously, titles have been purely setting constructs, with whatever systems attached to them that Storytellers wanted to apply in terms of their own chronicles. Here, however, we’ve attached some game systems. I know already that some of you aren’t going to like these — that’s okay; you don’t have to use them. You can tinker with the mechanics, or you can keep titles as setting elements in your chronicles. But for those of you who do want to try the new systems, I need your help playtesting them. I know I’ve made a handful of errors in assigning the relative power levels of the systems in terms of the rankings, so they need balance. As well, some of them may change entirely if playtest bears out a conceptual or systemic better fit.

I’ve also left a bit of room to flesh out word count. Of what I haven’t covered, or what you’d like to see greater attention for, weigh in!

I deliberately kept the flavor of the chapter pretty florid, because I think that worked well for V20, and especially in the first and second editions. One of the things that I’d really like to hit more but wholly belabor is the Kindred reliance on blood. What’s the sweet spot? At what point do you say, “Enough! I get it! Vampires need blood!” without saying, “What is this, Underworld? Why do these vampires never have to drink blood?” Help me out. Let’s find the flavor.

Open Dev: V20 Companion Prestation

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Sure, why not?

Okay, freak-beaks, I ran a little late on this and a little over word count, but the prestation chapter is complete and ready for your keen eyes. That is, this first draft is ready for consideration. Given some word count juggling I may do, this chapter may bulk up by 1,000 to 1,500 words as I layer a bit more from the Guide to the Camarilla in here.

It’s a quandary. I don’t want to nail everything down too specifically. I want to leave lots of room for enterprising players to wring the most from prestation, and I want devious Storytellers to be able to build new stories on the cornerstones of debts owed and promises unfulfilled. On the other hand, I want to offer enough substance that everyone has a good, fundamental idea of how their characters might regard the practice of boons and prestation.

Kick the tires, if you’d be so kind. Do we need more in here? Less?

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1QeMQYDDyQaMZmrJY8agsN4onTtqYMxyUXYx9liMrhS4

Prestation Systems for Playtest

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Take a look at some of the social systems based on prestation below.

One of the important things for Vampire — which is a very social game — is to not allow the rules to overtake the interactions among players and Storytellers or between players. That makes it a bit difficult to create social systems. Two of the key themes of the game are politics and secrecy, so the systems need to take a back seat to player cleverness. If a player comes up with a clever solution to solving a mystery, that’s way more compelling than solving the problem by rolling some dice and hoping they turn up some successes.

With that in mind, the following systems provide abstractions. They’re hooks, in that the outcomes of the point expenditures or dice rolls should create new story possibilities in and of themselves, as opposed to concluding stories on the basis of mechanical milestones.

For example, being able to buy a boon creates backstory (Where did this boon come from? With whom is it established? What circumstances caused the promise?). As well, it creates further story when it’s actually used. Does the other vampire honor the boon? How well does he satisfy it? Is he hostile about it being called in? Is this a trial by fire that’s going to forge a stronger relationship between the two Kindred? The results are story fodder.

It’s the same with the boon-cheating system. A player can rely on the dice to get him out of a boon in a general sense, but if he ever does anything to implicate himself and another Kindred catches on, that Kindred can actively seek out the dirty laundry. The abstracted system steps out of the way for some focal gameplay and storytelling.

So, with those principles established for these two social systems, I wanted to let you take them out for a spin. We haven’t done a heavy prestation system before. The Guide to the Camarilla established some good guidelines, but we give it a little more crunch here. You’ll also see, when I post the rest of the chapter, that we expand the idea of prestation out to all the sects. After all, with such strong social gameplay tied to the concept, the idea of social obligations and proises can add some depth and nuance to the other factions, as well.

<2>Optional System: Buying Boons

<n> Normally, boons are acquired as a result of gameplay and problem-solving on the part of the players’ characters. However, at the Storyteller’s discretion, a player may invest experience points in a boon, representing something happening “off camera” or in downtime for which another Kindred owes her. A player may purchase a boon only from a Storyteller character, and the Storyteller should work with the player to determine the details of the character’s transaction with the other vampire.

Note that it’s not possible to purchase a life boon in this manner. Such a “get out of jail free” promise is outside the scope of experience point expenditures.

<b>Boon Experience point cost

<s>Trivial boon 3

Minor boon 7

Major boon 20

Life boon —

<2>Optional System: Liar, Liar

<n>A player may choose to falsify the condition of a boon, declaring it either absolved or still intact, whichever is the opposite of the truth. At the Storyteller’s discretion, some clue as to the actual state of the boon may circulate among the gossip networks and private conversations of the Damned.

The Storyteller rolls a dice pool equal to the character’s Wits or Manipulation (whichever is higher) plus the character’s Subterfuge or Investigation (whichever is higher) minus the character’s Status (the better the character is regarded, the harder it is to falsify the boon). If the roll achieves any successes, the character has covered her tracks for one single period of time (scene, night, etc.) as determined by the Storyteller. If the roll fails, evidence damning the character’s falsification of the boon surfaces. In this case, the character’s Status drops by one point for each step of the boon’s gravity (–1 for a trivial boon, –2 for a minor boon, etc., to a minimum of 0) for one month. On a botch, something much more problematic happens — the Prince decides to make an example of her, the Inquisitor connects the false boon with an Infernalism cover-up, etc.

A player may spend Willpower to automatically succeed on this roll, but Willpower spent in this manner cannot be regained until the scandal blows over (see below). Points spent in these manner are cumulative, so it’s possible to be restricted from regaining multiple points of Willpower.

The unit of time for this roll is up to the Storyteller’s judgment. Sometimes Kindred news travels quickly, and the roll represents a single scene, such as a contentious convocation at Elysium or the Palla Grande. Other times, something else occupies the attentions of the Damned, so a roll may represent a period of downtime such as a month. Once the roll succeeds a number of times equal to five plus one for each step of the boon’s gravity (–1 for a trivial boon, –2 for a minor boon, etc., to a minimum of 0), the scandal or suspicion has passed and the character is no longer at any risk for discovery in this manner.

Note that the purpose of this system is to abstract the Kindred rumor mill, Nosferatu secret-brokers, gossip at vampire functions, etc. If a Cainite or coterie actively pursues rumors of another vampire’s falsification of boon results, the Storyteller should handle that with appropriate  rolls, perhaps even making an entire story out of the search. In this case, even having accumulated a certain number of successes on the abstracted roll won’t protect the vampire. If someone manages to turn up damning evidence, they should certainly be able to expose the treacherous Kindred. No skeleton in the closet will forever go away just because the character acquired abstracted successes as described above.

It is up to the boon-cheating player and Storyteller to devise the benefits of the Kindred falsifying the condition of the boon. Few vampires of any Status, regardless of sect, look favorably upon the false satisfaction of boons. It undermines the whole social contract among vampires, and it’s better, these luminaries often reason, to snuff out a single transgressor than to topple the whole precarious structure. In these modern nights, when promises can be recorded on digital devices and distributed to ever Cainite in the domain at the click of a “Send” icon, maintaining the stability of the domain is worth spilling a little extra blood.