Background: Fight Club began sometime in the early 80s in New Orleans and was started by an unknown Anarch, though credit was officially given to Ezekiel Rothstein, who merely perfected the system around it. Initially it was an outlet for Brujah and the other violently minded Kindred of a city to vent their frustrations on each other without breaching the Masquerade or otherwise getting themselves in trouble. Several of the more enterprising Kindred in some of these cities opened it to mortals and started an entire gambling ring based on the outcome of the fights. However, Fight Club remained largely, by Kindred and for Kindred.
Fight Club's rules and locations were spread through word of mouth, small postcards, and flyers. Later, writer Chuck Palahniuk would happen across one of these handouts and it would become the inspiration for the book, Fight Club. After the book's publication and massive success the flyers were officially considered a breach of the Masquerade and they ceased being produced. They still exist and are something of a collector's item among Kindred in the know.
Having a Fight Club in your city is something of a status symbol for the cities that have them. Only the largest or most diverse cities have enough Kindred to support one. Charlotte, and its metro area, is one of the smallest cities in the US to have one, but its Fight Club is one of the largest thanks to plenty of room to spread out.
Rules: These are the generally accepted rules for every Fight Club, from Atlanta to San Francisco.
- No Kindred versus mortals fights. Ever.
- If it is your first time at Fight Club you have to fight.
- Don't break the Masquerade. Save the trickery for when the juicebags aren't around.
- Leave the drama in the pit. When a fight is over, its over.
- If you lose you're not allowed to go after the winner outside.
- Control your shit. If you lose it you'll be put down.
- You can't challenge the Champion unless you're in the top five.
Charlotte's Take: These are "house rules" for Charlotte. Some of these are agreed on by the populace, some enforced by the Sheriff to keep the peace, and others are enforced by Eve.
- Once a fight starts betting is closed until the fight is over.
The bookies need to watch the fight so people get paid right. Don't fuck with them.
- Give the bookie your money before the fight starts.
Don't bitch about it either. This is so nobody bounces out with money they owe people.
- All monetary bets are cash only.
Paper trails for illegal gambling are stupid.
- Betting for boons, domain, and other stuff is welcome.
By all means, put something valuable on the line.
- All bets, whether for money, or whatever, go through the bookies.
Again, this is to make sure everyone gets paid. Don't fuck with them.
- Roughing up the bookies will get you banned from Fight Club.
And your legs broken, and your ass handed over to Eve or the Sheriff...
Betting: Fight Club events typically have between 3 and 10 bookies on hand. Bookies are almost always ghouls or low ranking Anarchs. Bookies are always guarded by Kindred or other Ghouls who can hold their own, even with vampires. Attacking a Bookie is an amazingly effective way to get your legs broken, banned from Fight Club, or worse... Eve killed the last vampire that got violent with one of her Bookies.
The fighters get 20% of the money bet during their fights plus whatever prize money was put up by the house. 5% goes to cover any expenses for the house. Everything else is paid out to the people placing the bets. The house charges admission that varies depending on the event. Smaller events generally only charge $40 a head. The larger, more popular events can run $100 or more. Eve is remarkably well off because of her Influences, and almost all of the money pulled in goes to finance other events and prize money. One year she held a raffle for the attendees with the winner receiving a new car.
Locations for Fight Club are determined a few nights prior, and word is spread by mouth. Since Eve has taken it upon herself to manage Fight Club her clique usually gets the word out first. This is a good thing. Since Eve is friends with a few of the Keepers of Elysium it means any interested parties can usually dip into Elysium and find out where and when without too much trouble.
Fights at Fight Club occur in Pits. Pits are designated locations for the fighting and they range from abandoned shower rooms, literal pits, or just a room with enough space in it for people to throw punches at each other while a crowd watches. Boards and tables with betting are set up around the pits. Typically there will be one table and two or three Bookies per pit. Each Bookie has an armed guard, usually toting shotguns. There are also armed ghouls carrying shotguns or AK-47s to protect the money and keep the peace. At one location Eve has been known to perch on a catwalk with a rifle to assist. Fighters are also expected to help police the crowds. Security is very tight out of necessity. There is usually a lot of spilled Blood in the Pits and tempers flare easily with all the Anarchs gathered. Making sure no one loses their shit is a major concern. One bad frenzy can force the Sheriff to crack down on Fight Club and ruin it for everyone, but it also scares off the more skittish Kindred, and they're usually the ones with the money...
Matches at Fight Club are generally decided a week or so before the event, although everything is not finalized until the night of the event. Ranked matches are always the last matches of the night, and the higher the rank the match the later it happens. Generally all matches have a 10 minute limit so they can get through all of the fights. The winner is determined when one fighter cannot stand after a 10 count. If a fight hits the limit with no clear winner it is declared a draw and a rematch is usually scheduled. Very rarely matches will have judges and use a point system similar to professional boxing. If these matches hit their allotted time limit the winner is determined with the points.
A particularly busy Fight Club may have several fights going at once. Los Angeles, before it fell to the Sabbat, would easily have ten or more Pits running at once. Charlotte's largest event, an annual tournament on the Winter Solstice, has six pits running at once for quite a few hours.
Not every Fight Club event allows mortals and Kindred are not allowed to Fight at those that do. The end result is that only Kindred interested in gambling or entertainment attend. Mortal only events are something of a place to be seen, and can be compared to a Las Vegas boxing match. Mortal events usually start by 10 pm and rarely last more than two hours.
When the night of Fight Club comes around it kicks off quickly. Staff, including fighters, are expected to be an hour early to get things sorted out: Fights, their order, odds, pit assignments, etc... Betting begins as soon as the doors open. The night is divided into two blocks. The first block will have any of the impromptu fights and usually one or two ranked matches. The second block is almost always ranked matches, and its typically shorter than the first block. After the first block of fights there is a 30 minute intermission to allow the bookies to get caught back up with payouts, new bets, and any adjustments to the fight list or order. Once its down to the last three matches there is only one pit active. These are always between highly ranked fighters or matches with special rules that have a lot of hype built around them. There is a 10 minute intermission between each match for betting, to clean up the Pit, and handle the fighters (most need medical attention or at the least blood).
Fight Club Games: Fight Club isn't always about straight up brawls since there isn't a lot a fighter can do to build hype around his match. Excessive showboating is considered a rude waste of time; especially during Summer when the nights are shorter. There are no mic spots or the ability to run in and interfere with another match to build excitement around your own. If a fighter wants to increase the excitement around his own fight he needs to be creative. Many fighters have taken to using special rules for their fights. These rules help run up the betting numbers, but they also serve to get the crowd pumped up, and the majority of the fighters in Fight Club fight for the thrill of the crowd. Below are some of the most common match types:
1 vs. 1 - No holds barred; knockout or tap out. This is the most common match type.
2 vs. 2 - Same as above
1 vs. 1 Home Run Hitter - The weapon is a baseball bat, aluminum or wood. Use it to beat a bitch down.
2 vs. 2 Home Run Hitter - See above
1 vs. 1 First Blood - Some of the so called "respectable" fighters like the idea of being the one to land a first strike. This is, popular with Toreador Anarchs hopped up on Celerity, and can make for some truly fantastic matches.
1 vs. 1 Barroom Brawl - Pool Cues, Glass Bottles, billiard balls, wooden tables, and wooden chairs are all legal weapons.
2 vs. 2 Barroom Brawl - See Above.
3 vs. 3 Barroom Brawl - See Above
3 vs. 3 Street Fight - Chains, Knuckles, Crowbars, Pipes, Tire Irons, & Switchblades are legal weapons.
4 vs. 4 Posse Match - 4 Fighters get in the pit and fuck each other up using all above listed weapons. It is the second most brutal Fight Club match.
1 vs. 5 (1 vs. ?) Manhunt - Two Fight Club fighters ranked within the top five will be picked at random. Then two more fighters ranked with the top 12 will also be chosen at random. Those chosen will be sent to hunt down the hunted kindred and beat them to a pulp (or at least bring them back to the starting point) by any method they choose so long as it does not offend the masquerade. There is a two hour time limit and the hunted must remain within predetermined bounds. This is the most dangerous of the Fight Club fights, and is regarded as one of the most prestigious fights to win.
1 vs. 1 Grudge Match - Sometimes a bitch needs smacked. There are times when it can't be avoided, and two of us hate each other so much that we simply cannot co-exist. This is an anything goes, sealed in the pit match. The loser is the one who can't get up anymore. The loser leaves town. The Victor gets great prestige.
1 vs. 1 The Duel - Some kindred like the old fashion of a duel, and to many it has merit. Pistols, Swords, and occasionally knives, or other martial arts weapons are used. Pistols are the most common weapons however. It is a specific one on one fight that can earn one a great deal of prestige. Duels are considered gentlemanly, and often attract the attention of older kindred.
Most of the matches are usually fought Brujah on Brujah due to their overtly violent nature, but there are several prominent Ventrue, and Gangrel fighters (who do well thanks to their Fortitude). More rare, but no less deadly, are the Toreador. Years ago there was a particularly gruesome Grudge Match between a Toreador and a Brujah; The Brujah pounded on the Toreador for a few minutes, and everyone thought the Toreador was done for until he got his hands on a scalpel someone had thrown into the pit. The Brujah had to be put down a few minutes later when he went on a Frenzy due to Blood loss.
Perks and Prizes: There are several perks associated with winning matches in Fight Club. First and foremost: Respect. A winner in Fight Club can expect to get respect out on the streets among the crowds that keep track of those kinds of things (and really that is almost all of the Anarchs). Higher ranked winners also gain a reputation for being a bad ass.
Second is money. Most of the fighters are not incredibly wealthy, or even moderately wealthy for that matter. Winning in Fight Club is a quick, liquid cash injection right to the pockets, and the winnings can easily get into the tens of thousands of dollars at larger events. Even on a slow night the winnings are typically seven or eight hundred dollars.
Third is revenge. Fight Club is a fantastic place to get revenge on that douche who keyed your ride outside of Elysium, or that scumbag who offed your favorite ghoul. Since Fight Club is by and for Kindred, pulling out all the physical stops makes for some really epic ass beatings, and revenge brawls are no exception.
Another likely set of rewards are less tangible: Boons. Many kindred like to put things a little more meaningful than money on the line, and while a few hundred dollars to pay your rent is nice, a favor from the vampire who has ghouled the owner of the building you live in is even more valuable. Minor boons all the way up to Life Boons have changed hands in Fight Club, and yet the perks don't end there. Ghouls, domain, permission to embrace, and any number of things have all been gambled away in Fight Club. Indeed, for the brave and the skilled Fight Club can be quite a lucrative venture.
If there is a downside to winning matches it's Sheriff Philip Eldritch. Since Fight Club is predominantly an Anarch institution the Sheriff absolutely keeps track of the standings. Philip is also a physically minded Gangrel that styles himself the ultimate urban predator, and he rarely misses an event where one of the top five fighters compete. Being in the top ten definitely puts you on a watch list. Being in the top five means he pays personal attention to your affairs.
The Fight Club Rankings: Fighters are ranked in one of three ways. The first is by beating a ranked fighter. The winning fighter takes the losers place, and the loser moves down one rank. Secondly by winning your first match. Once you win a match you are immediately given a rank, usually its added to the bottom of the list, but there have been exceptions: Such as when an un-ranked fighter beats a fighter who has already beat someone in the bottom 5. Another is Rank by Courtesy. On occasion an elder or some other exceptionally well known bad ass decides to get their knuckles wet in Fight Club. Rather than let this person hammer the snot out of everyone from the bottom of the list until they reach the top they are allowed challenge at any rank they like. If they win that is their rank. If they lose they drop to the bottom and normal challenge rules apply, with one addition: They are not allowed to challenge the person who beat them for a year.
- Irish Rob Tilley (Champion)
- Eve (Abdicated Championship)
- Rocket
- Herschal Bass
- Army Guy
- Paul Flowers
- Sphinx
- Vincent Washington
- Haywire
- Chris Jones
- Ken Smith
- Peerless Hatchet
- Jill Turner
- Nuke
- Victor Mason
- Juice
- Mike Carr
- 8-Ball
- Philip Eldritch
Unranked Fighters: The unranked fighters have either not won a match yet or have not fought yet.
- Randy Koenig
- Liu SKinner
- Madisen Tandino
- Nigel Sanders
- Li Cheng Wu
- Angella Morales
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:26, Fri 30 Nov 2012.