This thread will contain various pieces of information that will help keep the game running more smoothly.  If you have a question about rules, need more explanation about something in the setting, or anything else, please post your question here.  If you feel that it's something that really needs to be discussed privately, PM me instead.

A couple of minor things:

• Colored text is required for speech. Please pick a color that is out of use and stick with it
• Blue text for NPC speech
• If you have the Gift Spirit Speech, you will be added to the associated Private Language Group. Please use this option for talking to spirits:
  Insert a private line: > The language group > Spirit Speech
• Keep OOC content in your posts to a minimum. When it is necessary, please use Orange text and put it at the bottom of your post
• Feel free to use the Secret Roll option for your dice rolls and/or to submit rolls and combat mechanics information in a Private Line to the GM. If you do wish to list rolls openly in your post, please use Orange. Rolls go in the post that describes the action you're rolling for.  If you don't post your rolls, I reserve the right to declare the results regardless of what the dice said in instances where I don't have the time to go skim through the roller.  I would also prefer that you post the rolls in the following format:
  
  01:09, Today: Luna failed (no successes) using 6d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 6 with rolls of 4,3,5,3,7,1. whee!
  
  This is the way it's listed at the bottom of the page, and includes the reason for the roll (in this case, whee!).  If you take multiple actions and don't post the rolls in this format, I reserve the right to make you redo it or declare the results regardless of the dice if I don't have time to go read the dice roller.  I often tweak things like roll difficulty on the fly, sometimes without telling anyone, as context changes, so don't be surprised if the number of successes changes somewhat when I give you the result.

A note about posting format
All posts should be in third person simple past tense.  If you're the kind of grammar nerd I am and you don't think you can live without the option to revert to the conditional pluperfect progressive or the subjunctive inchoate, go ahead and give it a shot.  If you do it well (i.e., if I can understand you), I'm not going to say anything.  If it's a big ole mess that will take me a while to translate, I will ask you not to do that again.

I know these rules sound really control freaky, but they are the result of several years of PBP and tabletop experience, and they really do minimize confusion and help the game run more smoothly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:11, Mon 07 Nov 2016.

Chernobyl Survivor (5 pt flaw)

Being at ground zero left you with damage that can't be undone by any means.  Infertility, permanent hair loss, tumors, skin deformities, and blindness are all possible.  It is harder to resist and overcome wyrm taint from radiation-related origins, and there is a certain social stigma attached to being a constant reminder of such a terrible event.

This flaw is, obviously, only available to characters with backgrounds directly affected by the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:11, Mon 07 Nov 2016.

If you plan to take any background, merit, or flaw that necessitates an NPC (Kinfolk, Mentor, Enemy, Ancestor Ally, etc), please provide some basic information: Who they are, what your relationship is, how they came to like you enough to help you or hate you enough to make your life hell, any special skills or resources you want them to have.  If you would like your kinfolk or mentor to be one of the game's NPCs, that is perfectly okay!  Pick one or ask me for a suggestion.

***
I'm limiting Pure Breed to 3 or below for non-Silver Fang characters without a damn good story behind it.  Mother's Tears is a small, backwater sept, not an elite garou prep school.  By all means, you're welcome to make a case for higher Pure Breed, but without a really good reason it's unlikely to be approved.
===
Buying Backgrounds in play

This message was last edited by the GM at 04:05, Mon 02 Oct 2017.

With so many fera in the game, it's not surprising that I've had a lot of requests for personal totems.  Here's how I'm going to handle them:

If the selected Totem Spirit has a background cost higher than 5, the maximum rating players can purchase, the spirit will be scaled down to a 5-point version by the STs.  We're happy to take suggestions from players during the customization process.

In the event that a character with a Totem Spirit joins a pack, they may purchase the Totem background to strengthen the pack's totem.  Both spirits' bans will apply to the character; however, the character may only benefit from one totem's traits.  The personal Totem Spirit will always be the default in this situation.  If the player prefers to enjoy the benefits of the pack's totem instead, or if the bans are mutually exclusive or the player wishes to only have one ban, personal Totem Spirit may be converted with no penalty to Mentor, at which point the Totem Spirit ceases to grant traits and gifts but may still be consulted per the Mentor rules.

Finally, some totems have bans that are difficult or dangerous for an individual to adhere to.  These totems will generally refuse to act as a personal Totem Spirit, but may suggest alternatives to characters that impress them.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:13, Sun 17 June 2018.

20th Anniversary Edition versions of the World of Darkness have blessedly unruined a mechanic that has been ruined since 3rd Edition and before. Here is a quote from the relevant section:

* Note that we use a house rule where characters get a specialty (for Abilities only) at three and five dots

What does this mean for you?

When you are making a Specialized roll, do not switch to the "World of Darkness 3rd ed, Specialised" option under Game System / Special Dice.

Instead: Use the default "World of Darkness 3rd ed" system, note that the roll is specialized (and which specialty) in the "Reason for Roll" box and report the correct number of successes after the roll.

For example, you might have a dice roller that looks like this:


And a roll result that looks like this:

20:05, Today: Paradox rolled 2 successes using 7d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 6 with rolls of 3,8,4,10,1,6,5.  Dex + Melee (sword specialty).

Ordinarily, this would be two successes as reported by the system. Because of the specialty however, the ten counts as two successes giving you 4 total successes before the 1 eats one of them. That would leave you with 3 total successes.
This message was last updated by the GM at 06:20, Mon 07 Nov 2016.