Domain Name: Vancouver after Dark
Domain #: WA-077-D
Venue: Requiem
VST: Wes Contreras, wesc@antitribu.com
DST: Dave Hollingsworth, blackvigil@gmail.com
The game schedule for this venue is posted to the us-d-vancouver Camarilla mailing list, the tri_domain Yahoogroups mailing list, and generally the us-nw-region Camarilla mailing list. Occasional, sometimes impromptu game sessions may also be held at other times due to a special event (which will be announced) or to resolve a lengthy scene that takes place away from a large gathering (generally not announced).
This venue is intended for Requiem PCs with a focus on vampiric society and politics. Cross-venue is rare and must be well justified and should minimize disruption to the game. Antagonist PCs are welcome so long as they have a basis other than simple violence. Mortal and other non-vampriic PCs may join the venue if and only if they are able to interact with vampiric society without undue conflict or disruption, and may be barred from the venue at any time if this ceases to be true.
With a longer history of civilization than Portland, it comes as no surprise that the vampiric population of Vancouver is well established with a distinct culture from its larger neighbor across the river. A long sense of tradition combined with a newer attitude of fiery independence combine to provide a surprisingly stable setting within the dynamic power structure of the local area.
This venue strives to promote interesting interactions between PCs. Plotlines and mechanics will strive to provide benefit from successful competition, but to frequently require allies to achieve success. Contests to acquire limited resources should be common.
Violence is an integral part of the venue, but should not dominate social and political maneuvers. The venue will seek to provide ample opportunity to disadvantage a target without enacting death, and ample attention will be paid to the negative consequences of having a low humanity.
Any player sending a proxy to Vancouver should understand that even the most innocuous meeting may take an unexpected turn. Character death or corruption is a possible outcome of *any* proxy. Any proxy without 48 hours notice is likely to be denied at the storyteller's discretion.
At most times, travel risks are light to nonexistent, but players should still take a moment to determine their travel arrangements and any precuations their characters take on the way to the gathering location. This is doubly important if any of these precuations require blood expenditures - see the sections below on starting vitae and feeding tests.
If a player wishes to portray more than one character throughout the course of the evening, the player should bring with them a significant change of costume. That is, enough to make it obvious to the casual observer that there has been a change of character. In these cases, the XP award will go to the character that was portrayed for a majority of the game by default, though the XP award may be split between them in any other way approved by the presiding storyteller.
In most cases, the maximum number of draws for an extended action is equal to the character's appropriate attribute + skill. This may be reduced if there are time constraints or other limitations (picking a lock before being detected), or increased in cases where the character can spend as much time as desired (rebuilding a classic car over many months). See MET, p.168-169 for more details.
When performing an extended action, a failure on a draw cancels all accumulated actions, requiring the character to start again from scratch (MET, p.166). At this time, any costs to initiate the extended action (Vitae, Willpower, downtime actions, etc) must be paid again, though the maximum number of draws (see above) is also reset.
PCs performing downtime actions are limited according to pages 172-176 of the base MET book and the Camarilla rules addendum. That is, each PC has a number of downtime actions equal to their dots of Resolve (or twice their Resolve in the case of ghouls), though some downtime actions may be handed off to Allies or Retainers.
Spending XP to improve your character sheet generally consumes downtime actions as your character spends time to train that capability. Performing rituals or creating items with crafts will typically consume downtime actions as well. If Vitae is spent during downtime actions, then additional downtime actions may be used to feed and replenish this Vitae; otherwise, the Vitae spent will impact your starting Vitae (see below under starting Vitae).
Per page 230 of MET: The Requiem, a PC starts with Vitae equal to a single card draw plus dots of the Herd merit, with the rest of their blood pool being filled through feeding challenges. In Vancouver, this draw is modified in a number of additional ways:
The initial draw for starting Vitae is also modified based on access to feeding territory. A list of neighborhoods will be maintained by the storyteller staff, with each neighborhood having a certain capacity for feeding. If only a small portion of the capacity is used, then kindred feeding there will gain a bonus to their starting Vitae. If more kindred feed there than the capacity can support, then those kindred will have a penalty to their starting Vitae.
Some neighborhoods may provide a bonus or penalty to specific feeding methods (for example, an art district may give a bonus to those feeding through high society contacts and a penalty to those preying on the homeless), and PC actions can change the properties of a neighborhood. It is expected that kindred politics will influence who has access to what territory, and that unexplained penalties to starting Vitae will be investigated.
PCs who are not feeding in a specific territory are presumed to feed in the rack. As with any other neighborhood, too many kindred feeding in the rack will result in a penalty to starting Vitae for those PCs.
Characters who must feed from other vampires (blood potency 7+ who do not have a special power to overcome this flaw) must provide a plausible feeding method, such as feeding from specific vampires, at which point they will draw for starting Vitae as normal.
Since there will be many PCs who do not begin with their maximum Vitae, and thus many feeding tests to adjudicate, it is assumed that each PC has time for one feeding challenge prior to the game session. Additional feeding challenges will require 30 minutes out of game, subject to modification based on feeding method and other factors. PCs may also feed as a downtime action to replenish blood used during downtime (see downtime actions above).
Feeding challenges are generally handled according to pages 230-231 of MET: The Requiem. That is, the player describes a feeding method and chooses an attribute and a skill that fit into that feeding method as the test pool. Use of disciplines, cash, or equipment may modify the draw, but discipline dots are not added directly to the pool. The same territory modifier for starting Vitae is also used for feeding tests.
For each success on the draw, the PC successfully feeds from one mortal vessel. Up to 3 traits of Vitae can be taken from a single vessel with no real risk of ill effects; a human heals that in 2 days with medical attention or a week without. Taking more Vitae poses some risk of notice, especially if it occurs often. Taking 6 vitae will kill many humans, while even less may kill the poor, sick, or injured (see deprivation and disease, MET pp.241-242). Note that some characters (such as those with blood potency 7 or higher or under the influence of certain powers) may have a lesser benefit, or none at all, from Vitae drawn from a mortal vessel.
If a player draws an Ace on a feeding test, then a vignette-style scene will be run as some complication arises during feeding. These may be as simple as attracting notice from a passing citizen while doing some nefarious deed, or as significant as being attacked by vampire hunters staking out this feeding territory, depending on plot activity, PC actions, storyteller discretion, and perhaps a die roll or card draw.
Due to being part of the same imperium, Portland and Vancouver will operate with a combined pool of city status. That is, characters gain city status in the Evergreen Rose that applies in both Portland and Vancouver.
The maximum number of status 4 and status 5 characters described on page 286 of MET:R will be calculated with the pools for Portland and Vancouver combined. That is, the imperium will have at most two status 5 characters and ten status 4 characters.
Ascendancy and eminence (p.290-294, MET:R) will also be calculated for the imperium as a whole, with each player choosing one character (or identity in case of infiltrators and the like) to apply their city status to the combined total. Not one character in Portland and a second character in Vancouver, but one character for the imperium.
Last, since characters who possess no status in their clan or covenant are not generally considered members of that clan or covenant, at least one dot of status is required to contribute city status to ascendancy or eminence, or to take advantage of the benefits of being ascendant or eminent.
If a player is present and in-character for the majority of a regularly scheduled game session, then 3 XP are awarded to the character being portrayed. If you have signed in and are in-character before 9:00, then you are awarded an additional XP for a total of 4 XP.
Special events or impromptu scenes may have different awards up to a maximum of 4 xp per session, or 2 xp for a short (2 hours or less) session.