Hello and welcome!

Here's your thread for any OOC chatter, where you can talk with other players, make any background ties you may like, or ask me questions that may arise.

Hey, everyone. Ill be your local Daeva Invictus enforcer type. Look forward to playing with you all.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:17, Thu 12 May 2022.

Angel, we should talk. Lazarus is a Mehket Sanctified crusader or possibly paladin. So definitely the enforcer type.

Salutation.

I am your Mehket from Egypt that wishes for all the Acolytes to bow before her.

Welcome all!

Character sheets are open now, so you can start working on them and just poke me if you’ve got any questions.

Okay, so it's been awhile since I made a NWoD 1.0 character. How does XP cost work for multi-dot merits, and scaling merits?

For example, does Danger Sense (2 dot merit) cost 1) 4 xp to purchase or, 2) 6 (2+4) to purchase.

I know that 2) is how scaling merits (such as fighting styles) work, but can't remember how it works for static merits.

By tabletop rules it's done like the second way in your example.

Thanks! I think what always throws me is that I mostly played Requiem in LARP, and I think the rules were different there.

Totally! I've done both, so I do get confused at times! I think Resilience may work differently as well, I'll need to review some of that to see whether I may house-rule some of that. Some things do work better in larp, I think Resilience being one of them.

Okay, another stupid question; is there an equivalent to Fighting Finesse that can be used for unarmed combat?

Not that I'm aware of unfortunately.

We've got a couple of new faces. So far this is a Mekhet/Daeva soire.

Welcome Ophelia and Alexander!

Hello every one. Very happy to join you all.

In reply to Alexander Monroe (msg # 13):

Welcome and that is defiantly the face of a Angel.  Sweet Daeva

The wisdom of the Crone ever shines through

Ophelia Shine here. Carthian, shadow.

Don't have a lot more to say about myself, but I'll try and answer questions you have.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:08, Thu 12 May 2022.

Okay, another stupid question that probably ties back to my LARP days...

For Haven, is it purchased as a single Merit, or different merits.

For example if I want a Haven with location 1, security 2, and size 1, am I buying Haven: 4 for 20 XP? Or am I buying Haven Location: 1 for 2 XP, Haven Security: 2 for 5 XP, and Haven Size: 1 for 2 XP?

My initial understanding was the first interpretation, but then it says you can each of the Haven characteristics up to 5, which would be ridiculously expensive if you're buying a 15 point merit.

I think that's another thing from LARP as well. Housing merits can get pretty pricey. I think it encourages people to form Coteries so they can share the costs. That said, I think that going with the LARP version of these rules, in which each Haven characteristic is purchased as a separate merit is fine. Merits can already get pretty pricey in tabletop, so I'm cool with making that change and will add it to the house-rules.

Hey, all. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm probably time zones 16 or so hours of off everyone else, so my posts will come at odd hours. Just woke up and will try to reply to messages today.

well in that case. Good morning

Mehket rule at the moment and a close run from the Daeva.

Daevas prefer quality over quantity, anyway.

Indeed

Ok. Looking through the house rules and tossing out my questions here just to  make sure I'm doing things right.

We all have Status 1 in Clan, Covenant, and City for free. Raising them further needs to be in game, correct?

No.. only Domain can be gained IC

 Every character will also begin play with 1 free dot of Status in the Domain, Clan and Covenant..
This message was last edited by the player at 02:21, Fri 13 May 2022.

Hello fellow DCers.

Would anyone like to live with a wealthy Seer?

Trying to save points on Haven

That's correct. Although, I may just allow the expenditure of XP to bump Clan or Covenant status up to 2 at the start of game with a reasonable IC justification for it in your background (will update this in house rules). Domain status never costs you XP, but can only be gained through IC means and acquiring favor from some of the elders in the Domain. Further increases in status for Clan and Covenant beyond 2 will need to be acquired IC.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:07, Fri 13 May 2022.

In reply to Nefertiti (msg # 26):

OOOO I would so live with a pagan priestess if given a chance

In reply to Alexander Monroe (msg # 28):

Now would you try to convert a Seer from her ways?

In reply to Nefertiti (msg # 29):

The Invictus is about power and rulership. No need to imping on your spirituality

Can we have a dot of status in another covenant if we pay for the merit?

Patiently waiting for the small window when I'm awake at the same time as the rest of you...

Wait, I forgot the Im at rhe beginning of my sentence.

That is a good question. I would like to second that question.

In reply to Angel Asutilla (msg # 31):

It seems that the answer is Yes, I asked that myself.

White Wolf designers must have hated bilingual people.  6 points just to carry on a decent conversation? sheesh

I am sad I have to take a virtue. Can't I just have two vices? :)

Daeva Drama already. LOL

Sorry for the delay. It was my time to sleep! As far status in more than one Covenant, I’m gonna have to say no at this time. It is something that can be pursued IC once game starts, but dual Covenant Status can get a bit crazy so I’ll probably need to figure out some house rules around that.

@Nefertiti — sorry if I gave you a different impression! I realize you were asking about merit cost breaks for Carthians, which I thought was odd since you are an Acolyte but didn’t realize you were trying to ask about holding status in 2 Covenants.

I just updated the house-rules section on Status to go more into detail about holding Status in two Covenants at once. Feel free to read over those so you get a sense for how it can be accomplished in game and the limitations I've put in place.

With this new ruling are you going to allow us to purchase a second Covenant now?

No. The house rule does state you cannot start with a second Covenant and that you can earn the right to purchase dots of Status in a secondary Covenant with proper IC justification once play has begun :)

Hey roomie.

Get ready for a lot of RP so I can  smooch a point out of you. LOL.

Keep in mind that proper IC justification will likely require more than "I'm in a Coterie with a member of that Covenant."

You can definitely start to foster a relationship with another Covenant that way, but there will be more RP involved since there are other established members of each Covenant that you would likely need to curry favor from in order to be accepted into their ranks :)

Using me for my contacts.  I knew we would be a good fit;)

Since its come up a couple of times, I wanted to give folks a heads up about the Language Merit. Originally, this was set up as a 3-dot scaling Merit, but there's an errata out there somewhere--too busy with work stuff to look for it now--that changed it to being a 1-dot Merit.

So rejoice, you can just buy a 1-dot Merit to be fully fluent in any language of your choice! Each language is purchased separately of course, but it only costs 1 merit dot/2 XP to do so.

We've got a new addition to the game, so now that makes 3 Daeva and 3 Mekhet!

Also, just wanted to give folks a heads up that I tend to be much more scarce in my posting/replying to things on RPOL during weekends. Especially this one, since I'll be traveling. But not to worry, I'll respond to any PMs or questions posted here once I'm back Sunday evening/Monday morning.

Welcome to our newest addition! Not a Daeva, nor a Mekhet!

Welcome all

Gasp, a trend breaker walks among us

I actually submitted a bloodline member of one of those two, but was persuaded to keep the character and ditch the bloodline and switch to a different clan.

were you a Daeva or a Mekhet originally? I am just curious who nearly won the tie :)

Who won? The Nosferatu! All show bow before the Haunt! Regardless, Nathan 1.0 identified almost exclusively with his bloodline and would only have introduced himself as his clan to keep his bloodline secret.

So, if you want to guess then try to think of the greatest most impressive bloodline of all.

I see another new Kindred has entered into DC..

Welcome Leslie

You already said you're not Daeva, so that can't be true.

In reply to Angel Asutilla (msg # 54):

She is not wrong

shaking her head.

I see Daeva's are not smart or listen well.

But don't you worry.  I'm here to help you both.


The Mekhet have the BEST and TRUE bloodlines.

Hey guys! I'm back from my trip. If anyone is ready for me to review their character sheet, let me know so I can get you approved for play. I hope to get at least some sort of social scene started this week for you all.

Since I've had a couple of people ask me about PCs owning businesses in games, I've given it some thought and have established the following under our house rules:

Owning a business IC
In order to represent the fact that a character owns a specific business in the game, they will need to purchase the Staff Merit found in p. 74 of the Ghouls book. The number of dots required will depend on the size, complexity and other factors relating to the PC-owned business. Unlike the Merit published in the book, I'll allow for this Merit to be shared if 2 or more PCs are "partners" and own the business together. However, every PC contributing dots towards the Staff merit still needs to meet the Resources prerequisite (e.g. Johnny and Laura want to own a large sports stadium/arena, which will require them to have 5 dots in the Staff Merit. Johnny has Resources 5 and is able to spend XP to contribute dots towards sharing Staff with Laura. However, Laura only has Resources 3, and thus unable to spend XP to contribute dots towards sharing Staff with John until she has enough Resources to meet the prerequisites).

Let me know if you've got any questions about this.

I was ready but I need to make some changes.

I don't have the book your referring to.  Are you able to post the ruling?

Sure, this is the write up for the Staff merit from the Ghouls book:



The main difference here is that I am allowing for this Merit to be shareable, as long as the PCs contributing dots towards the Merit have the necessary dots in Resources as well.

Hello? New people? Anyone there?

Well with that Merit might be on the look out for a Dragon.

So what's everyone excited about?

Well, my kittens don't have worms anymore. Happy about that.

The start of this game.  Seeing what all the Dark DC has to offer a lady like myself.

Just a reminder for folks to PM me once their sheets are ready for review. I believe 3 or 4 of you are done, or nearly done at least. I’ll be able to post a thread up once we’ve got at least a handful of people approved for play :)

Greetings all,

I'm just a little late out of the gate, but working on pulling it altogether.  That which is "common knowledge" about Eva is in her discription. This is a little heads up to discover if anyone is interested in sharing merits... preference for Dragons, but you never know...

Welcome to all the newer additions!

So far I've approved 4 characters for play. I know some of you are nearly done with your sheets, and others are still in the process of putting those together. Just give me a heads up when you are ready for me to review your sheet and approve your character for play. Also feel free to PM me with any questions you may have or if you need any help with creating your sheet. Always happy to offer advice if needed :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:54, Tue 17 May 2022.

Just FYI -- for those of you that already have characters that have been reviewed and approved for play, I've started a social scene in which you may interact with each other or any of the NPCs there. Assume that every NPC that's listed in the Notable NPCs thread is present, with the exception of the Prince, as explained in the opening post of the thread.

If you are unsure as to whether you are approved for play yet, feel free to PM me!

Given that the city is run by the Invictus, is there generally an expected dress code for gatherings such as this?

Great question! And yes, when it comes to Court being held, which is the case for this social scene, Kindred in attendance are expected to wear formal attire. Of course, what is considered formal can vary, especially with different Kindred coming from different time periods and cultures :)

Hello, everyone.  Glad to be part of the night
This message was last edited by the player at 04:56, Fri 20 May 2022.

Welcome!

Welcome

In reply to Antonius Remus Basil (msg # 72):

Welcome! Glad for some clan diversity

Thanks.  Figured I wonyuld see if anyone wants to recruit me in game.  Still working on the vharacters stats

Just poking my head in to say I’ll be a bit slow to respond today. I’ve got a board meeting at work, so I’ll be tied up for the next several hours.

Just wanted to say hi as well. Our Storyteller has been spending a lot of his time helping me with my character sheet (thanks again!) and I'm looking forward to playing with you all.

welcome welcome

Ooooo.. Another Unaligned.  Excellent...

I prefer to think of them as future Invictus recruits.

giggles at the comment

In reply to Angel Asutilla (msg # 81):

Right on Angel

Howdy all!

Local Ventrue here that is only slightly too obsessed with architecture and urban planning for his own good.  Still hammering out Covenant, but leaning towards Invictus?

Sorry I've been out of touch the past couple of days.  I've only been sleeeping 3-5 hours sleep a night for the past 2-3 weeks and it all caught up.  I'm heading out for work (2nd shift) now and hope to wrap up everything I need to once I get home shortly after local midnight...  Apologies to those I've kept waiting.

For the Unaligned and still deciding. Come and be a Dragon. Why? You can be a Dragon! Seriously, does there need to be another reason? If you have the chance to be a Dragon - be a Dragon!

While being a Vampiric Dragon sounds awesome, but can I choose Scale color?  Breath Weapon?  Can I have awesome white scales but breath toxic gas?

You actually CAN customize your Dragon experience! Talk to our customer service rep, Eva Altman for options!

Just a reminder for folks since we are getting a decent bit of traffic in the Court scene, please make sure to note any obvious mechanics and/or active effects for your character as an OOC note of sorts in your posts. You can use spoilers, or do something like this at the top or bottom of your posts:

---

Striking Looks 2, BP 3, Humanity 8, Vigor active

---

This will be helpful for a variety of reasons, but in general, I think it is helpful towards RP and how people react/interact with each other based on things like striking looks, whether a Kindred has higher or lower BP than you, someone's Humanity level, etc.

If anyone has any doubts or questions about what should go on there, feel free to ask here or via a PM :)

Question:

How would one know another BP or Humanity if they have Mask of Tranquility?

If you have Mask of Tranquility, you would put that in the OOC instead of your BP, since the power makes it so you don't trigger Predator's Taint. Given the other aspects of Mask of Tranquility, it does make it sound like it would hide the vampire from being perceived as a vampire altogether. Although, the power write up specifically talks about auras and the like and doesn't address Humanity in any way.

That said, as vampires drop in Humanity, that change does become apparent with the lower Humanity scores (3 or below) literally being described as looking very corpse-like. I think hiding that is beyond the capabilities of Mask of Tranquility. Although, any vampire can just spend 1 vitae to activate the "blush of life" to appear physically human anyway, which basically would end up masking what your humanity is.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:07, Sun 22 May 2022.

As a rule, I don't post from the phone, but a storm took out the home router.  ISP sending new one, expected on Wednesday.  I will start posting again soon as replacement is in.

Hello, y'all!  Meet V.V., your local terrifying gangrel punk-rocker chick!  She'll bite you if she dislikes you, and if she does like you then she'll bite you more ;)

In reply to Vika Voracious (msg # 93):

Hello fellow sister of the Circle.

I do look forward in seeing you later at the event.

Welcome crazy haired barbarian lady.  Glad to meet you, and I will bite you back if I like you as well ;)

In reply to Antonius Remus Basil (msg # 95):

Thanks for the welcome, sister Nefertiti and big boss-boy!  I, um... we'll see about the biting.  (is this guy really our boss???)  But yes, if we were to translate our vamps to D&D classes then VV would absolutely be a barbarian :)

Sheet is approved and character description is up, so I'll see y'all in Elysium soon :D

In reply to Vika Voracious (msg # 96):

All Gangrels are barbarians.  Great hunters though.  And no, I am no ones boss except my subordinates.  Just a simple man of simple pleasures.

Welcome! Love to have a Gangrel!

Just for clerification here.  My character would be known as Anton Basil in this era.  Only those who really know me would know me as my full name.  Or would have a reason to know.

Hello to all! A fellow Damned of the magnificent Nosferatu clan arrives to join you.

Gabriel is an enormous guy (probably going to take the Giant merit) modeled physically a bit like Marv from the Sin City. The Nosferatu curse inside him makes him look grayish and while standing still he looks almost like a stone gargoyle. He is going to be a physical guy, with some social skills. Maybe a enforcer of some kind.

Gabriel's central theme is probably going to be about finding his place in the un-life. Not a job, or status, but a place and a few people he actually wants to spend time with.

Is there someone who would like to build some kind of relationship with him from the start? Also I would be interested to discuss Gabriel's standing and image in any fellow Nosferatu's or LS members' eyes.

Howdy new folks!

And PM sent mate.

Great Daniel, I sent a response.

Now that I have read the current IC thread, I'd like to ask: are there formed coteries already? Are there players seeking one?

Another matter: I was thinking of taking contacts and/or herd aimed at the homeless, downtrodden and such. Thus Gabriel might fit the starting investigation related to the disappearances, unless there are too many players already involved and it would become cumbersome.

I know some of the original cast formed one I believe, but I'm currently trying to do the same thing myself, so if you (or anyone else for that matter) is interested, please feel free to speak up!

As far as I'm aware, there is only 1 established Coterie among active PCs at the moment. It's the "Borderlands Crew" (not sure what y'all call yourselves) that includes the following:

Angel Asutilla
Alexander Monroe
Lazarus
Nefertiti
Ophelia Shine

If other players end up wanting to form their own Coteries, they are more than welcome to do so! Or if they prefer to pursue that via roleplay, that's perfectly fine as well.

There's not an active plot thread just yet. The investigation into homeless disappearing is one of many things that may or may not be going on in the Domain at the moment. I plan for this game to be a bit of a "sandbox" with a number of different smaller plots and the like. I want for the PCs to also pursue their own goals in such a way that it may also jump-start their own personal plots and the like. I do have some "overarching narrative" in the works as well, but it is something I plan to seed into the game slowly, as I don't want to railroad player-driven plots :)

That's all to say, if you end up finishing your character sheet and getting approved for play, you can join the Court scene and have Gabriel find out about the homeless thing via roleplay. If the other PCs looking to investigate that want an additional set of hands, then that's perfectly fine! Also, if Gabriel ends up with Contacts in the homeless community, he may very well have some prior knowledge about this as well...and there's nothing that says more than one group can't investigate the same thing technically! ;-)
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:47, Tue 24 May 2022.

Sounds like the classic scene, where the others investigate and get ambushed by Gabriel and of course both sides consider the other the threat =D.

LOL

I mean, it could happen? xD

Could be allot of fun.

Welcome, Gabriel!  V.V. is similarly living the life of the vagabond without a coterie, so we might run in similar circles.  Might be we both get drawn into Daniel's homes for wayward kindred :)

Ah yes.  Goid Daniel.  I helped build those homes for wayward souls lol!

And man... I feel hidious.  Everyone running around with striking oooks and im here a fat blob of flesh.

Indeed you did my friend!  And if you do V.V. we need to come up with some sort of catchy name for it.

And yes, well, don't worry Remus, Daniel is resoundingly... average?

In reply to Antonius Remus Basil (msg # 109):

It seems Gabriel and Daniel (how biblical) are going to form a coterie, I am certain there would be a place for Anton there too. Not easy to be the most hideous when sharing a group with 8ft tall grey gargoyle. Also, Gabriel is not quick to judge outer looks =D

  I am not pretty, but my tailor lets me lease attractive

In reply to Alexander Monroe (msg # 112):

Hush your mouth my dear Daeva.  Your handsome to me and that is all that matters.

Just as a heads up guys, I have set up language groups for this game, since we do have many PCs and NPCs that speak foreign languages. I'm guessing some of you may be familiar with language groups, and some of you may not.

So what language groups do is mimic a different language when you post, so it appears as gibberish to people who don't speak the language, but to those that do speak it, they can read the message normally. You accomplish this by typing in something like this: [ Language type name of language here and don't forget to capitalize!: type your post in the foreign language here. ] But you do this without the space between the brackets and text of your character's speech in a foreign language, I just had to add spaces to show everyone how it's done without Rpol converting that text into gibberish ;-)

Here's a few examples:

[Language unknown: Olwi m Veronsant!]

[Language unknown: Ha o Icaectome Olwineur!]

[Language unknown: Ur u Leadil!]

[Language unknown: Derpo as Rutiveson!]

Let me know if you have any questions about this feature. I encourage any of you who play characters that speak foreign languages to make use of these :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:32, Tue 24 May 2022.

PM

Hey Nefertiti!  V.V.'s Crone status is 2, what's yours?  I would assume that members of the same covenant would know each other's ranks, right?

If I outrank the queen of Egypt then nobody's ever gonna hear the end of it ;)

LOL

My dear, you would be surprised if you did.  I would surely be as well.

But she has Status 2 as well.  But you would also know what her and Kimani are very close.  Yes our Hierophant.

[Language unknown: Staverter, Ithortnte.  No comratthu iend isenni werallres di haat ennote]

Testing
This message was last edited by the player at 18:51, Tue 24 May 2022.

Anton's test works! Although, Nefertiti can you confirm?

confirm..

DANG!  Oh well, being a peer to the queen of Egypt is a pretty good feather in my cap :D

VV has the title of Valkyrja which is from the Crone book, although as a player I have no idea what responsibilities it actually entails.  The fighting part is what I signed up for!

grumble grumble, silly clan flaw ;(

Sorry-not-sorry, Alex, but bravo for RPing the weakness to perfection :)

I suppose we're left guessing whether it was Wrath or Lust that you resisted ;P  Rain-check on either, or both!

Why thank you. I have always love hated this clan flaw. Its amazing and awful all at the same time.

[Language unknown: ardos lo thnciv lin.]

Anyone?

It could be Pride instead of either Wrath or Lust. Maybe a few of the others depending on how  you define it. Playing something like In Nomine shows you how much people can interpret the seven deadly sins very differently.

Well, Nathan doesn't have his assigned yet, but day anom sannotkor saac is what I last saw. Nice didn't realize it would change every time I reloaded the page with only the number of words staying the same.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:04, Wed 25 May 2022.

Yep, just gibberish to me as well.  If I might ask, what language is it?

Should be able to figure it out from my bio. Can't make it too easy on you.

Fillapino?

Ding! Ding! Ding! Got it on the first try! Kind of sucked spending points on a language I was 99.99% sure I couldn't use to communicate with anyone, but can't bring myself to play a character that cant' speak the native language that their background dictates they obviously should.

I understand.  I only knew Latin so needed to spend points knowing english.  Got lucky with the Egyptian.  But I am sure I also have a language that will never come into play so I feel you ..but making a character not powergaming right?

Luckily, I"m still pretty good at sticking stakes through people.

RPOL pro-tip for language-speakers!  When making a post look for the 'insert private line' dropdown menu at the bottom-right under the text field, open it up and scroll all the way to the bottom past all the names.  There you'll find any languages the GM has set up for you under the headers 'private to group' and 'the language group', the latter of which you can use to put the language tags in your post with proper formatting :)  Much easier than trying to type it out exactly every time!

Beware of using 'private to group', because that makes a private line to those who have that language, but nobody else can see it!  I've used it a couple times for a little OOC note to tell other players that their character would know that this gibberish word I made up means 'butthead' in Orcish, or whatever ;P

In reply to Vika Voracious (msg # 133):

Doesnt work as well on phones...

Most everything on RPOL is pretty janky on phones, which I know well as a regular phone poster D;  When posting from my phone I'll use those dropdown menus to get text color or language tags, but when that dumb little text window pops up I'll just put in a single letter and hit ok, then edit the actual contents in the post text.

It's a somewhat masochistic user experience, lol

Yah... I usually type in my whole post then go back and add the colors.  Phones dont do that .. so i type in the colors.  Very annoying sometimes

I usually type my whole post, add colors, then preview it, add the colors I missed and do some light editing, then preview it again, then close the window and forget to hit the post button.

Vika, how long have you been in DC?
This message was last edited by the player at 10:33, Wed 25 May 2022.

In reply to Angel Asutilla (msg # 137):

Haha, relatable.  I've had to rewrite many a post before because I forgot to ever send it :P

VV has been around the greater DC area 30 years, but since it's kinda weird that she doesn't know anybody let's say that a nomadic lifestyle has had her roaming far and wide to other cities and wilderness in adjacent states.  She doesn't make it to a lot of court functions nor is she in one place long enough to set down roots and meet all the locals.

In reply to Vika Voracious (msg # 138):

@Vika

We should chat. Ophelia's a DC native, and even though we've just established we've met, there may be some sort of connection we could make.

Vika, I am playing sometjing similar.  A recluse that stays away from politics.  So I dont know in person most of the PCs.  Just know of them.

You do know you get your Native language for free

At work

Will post a reply in a couple of hours , sorry

Don’t like a big post by phone. To complicated.

Thought it would be useful to speak English, as well.

Meh, English is overrated ;-)

Umiinom ang babae.

English is the mutt of languages. It is less of a formal language then a language that gotten beaten up and bullied so many times, it became a bully itself and now waits in alleys and beats the crap out of other languages and steals from them. So, it has a five thousand dollar jacket and is wearing ratty sweatpants, with a flip flip on one foot and a hiking boot on the other.

With that I might have to change one of Nathan's languages to better fit his background.

Bonjour

Just made a small edit to Valentina's post that may be relevant to a couple of you.

#IfYouKnowYouKnow

The ISP guy just brought over and installed the replacement router.  I don't really have time to do much of anything before I have to leave for work.  Anyway, I was just making it known that I'm back.

I did want to ask about languages before I go.  Eva is old enough to speak multiple languages from across hundreds of years, more than I can properly name, and not all of them well... Germanic, Slavic, Italian, Latin, Egyptian, Arabic, Iberian (Spanish), French, English (Old-, Middle-, and Modern)... The languages mainly spoken around the Mediterranean and Middle-East

Nice Eva, you spent all that XP to speak to those less fortune.

In reply to Eva Altman (msg # 149):

Well, its 2xp a language.  I have quite a number, but no where near as many as I would have.  I just write it off as fog or torpor.  You forget things.

But I saw no limit on oanguages you can have so have at it

That is correct! 2 XP per Language, and each one is its own separate 1-dot Merit. You start with your native language for free of course.

Glad that the router thing got resolved, and no worries. Looking forward to hearing more from you about your sheet when you've got time so we can get you approved for play and in on the fun with the rest of these guys :)

Oof, lots to reply to!  Sorry I didn't get to greet you yet, Nefertiti, but will do so next post :)


I don't have a lot of background specifics defined for V.V. so I'm open to any ideas you might have, O :)  As a detective it's possible you might be investigating any number of my past misdeeds...

I have to say the IC thread is glorious, so amazing writing and this going on. Hard to believe this scene is the start of everything. I have to admit that I am losing track of the picture with so much happening, though it does not really lessen my awe.

I am sorry that I can not join the scene yet. Might take a few days to do the character as I am arranging and attending a funeral this weekend.

To be honest, I never thought I would have an opportunity to tell someone to go fuck themselves and still maintain proper Spina courtesy.

In reply to Gabriel Thornton (msg # 154):

We thank you for your kind words and I wish you the best during the time of grief.

My Condolence.

Take your time and I look forward in commanding a nice big brute like yourself.  LOL

It was quite amusing to say the least xD

Sorry for thelack of post.  Been a busy day.  Ill try to get one up tonight

Come to think of it...I probably should've made some of you test for anger frenzy as a result! The Beast is what it is, and public insults--even polite ones from a Spina--are most definitely a trigger.

I'm not gonna bother to retcon all the interactions that have happened since though...but just food for thought! I'll definitely be paying closer attention to such things going forward, since the possibility of frenzy is very much an important element in Requiem :D

Haha, yep, it's always a good time at court when the fangs come out!  Literal and metaphorical?

Indeed! Speaking of which -- make sure y'all check out my OOC post regarding some frenzy rolls in Court just now. Things may end up getting #Spicy

Oh my yes!  Hopefully nobody gets blood on Daniel's outfit.

Blood.  You best hope that no one insides get on them.  LOL

Truthfully, as long as it's not Daniel's insides that end up on the outside, I don't care as much?

Woot.  This looks like it might be fun.

The fun always happen after I leave.

And at 2 in the morning for my timezone.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:28, Fri 27 May 2022.

At least its a weekend? xD

But no worries, I'll make sure there's some fun left >.>

Yes, it is the weekend -- Memorial Day. I do have some work to do in the morning (remote log in) so I'll probably post then, but Sunday and Monday I'm outta here!

Just want to say thanks to you all. I am having a blast and I hope to get to know you all much better.

In reply to Ricka Sloane (msg # 168):

Yeah, it's been great! We'll see how things go from here.

Yeah, no worries guys! I know for us that are in the US we've got a long holiday weekend, so I expect things will be a bit slow. I'll be around-ish, in case folks need me, but will likely be doing fun things with my fiancée while we enjoy the long weekend! I hope y'all do as well :)

It's memorial day weekend? Did not know that.

Yup! Memorial Day is Monday of next week.

I totally forgot, so thanks!

and by the way...

HI Everyone! :)

Welcome Paul! Also, feel free to enter the Elysium whenever you want. I don't think we'll have any vampires fleeing out of there now...at least yet? The night is young, but you should feel free to join the festivities :D

I can do that!

then off to work I go..show night :)

Oh nice! Break a leg, hope all goes well!

thanks! you just made sure it will :)

Welcome to Paul, and to any other new bloodsuckers who may be lurking in the shadows unannounced :)

Does this Elysium happen to have blood dolls, or any other especially creepy guest accommodations?  Just curious ;P

Not as far as you can tell.

Aww, too bad... but thanks for the answer, ST :)


V.V., Nefertiti, and Antonius are in a little group nearby, and I think Ophelia is somewhere beteeen since she spoke to both you and Antonius in her last post.  V.V. would be trying to keep within reach of Dan since he's the only one here she actually knows.  Alex is on his own somewhere nearby, too!

Gosh, this is like a real crowded party with everyone milling around and hard to keep track of who's where, haha.

Yeah, I gathered they weren't too far away, but that given the display, everyone had taken a few steps back and regrouped as it were.  So glad we're on the same page!

thanks Vika! :)

Paul just got there and is lurking, trying not to be overly noticed lol

I beleive Ahkenaten's wife has moved on to speak to her heirophant

Just letting everyone know that I've added some more info to the NPCs thread. These tidbits are "secret" so only specific players will be able to read them depending on their Covenant affiliation and/or prior relationship with these NPCs.

Just as an FYI/quick heads up. I do plan to have the Prince make his entrance into the Court scene this week. I've been delaying it a bit in hopes of getting all characters approved for play and give them a chance to post in the Court scene before the Prince arrives, so they aren't "late" by virtue of OOC reasons.

That being said, I'm hoping to get the last few sheets approved in the next day or two--so if you are still working on those, please let me know ASAP once they are ready for review. I don't want for characters to be late because they aren't approved for play yet, but also don't want to delay RP and things in the Court scene for far too long since we've got plenty of PCs in there already awaiting the Prince's arrival as well :)

I am working on the sheet, but real life hinders my work. Trying to get ready asap.

Totally understandable! I’ve got 3 players that are still pending approval, and we will likely be joined by a Ventrue Invictus player soon, so I’ll hold off a bit longer for now and will plan on having the Prince make his appearance by the end of the week to give folks pending approval a bit more time to finish sheets and enter the scene :)

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 187):

Hi friends.

Hi Adrian!

*sigh* I am going to have to start trying to recruit all of the Unaligned for real now.

Hah!  All things considered, we've got a decent spread of clans/covenants, so that's always nice.

Also, welcome Adrian!
This message was last edited by the player at 23:21, Tue 31 May 2022.

I mean, there's 3 Dragon PCs, 3 Invictus PCs and 3 Sanctified PCs...so its not like the OD is doing too bad! :P

And only two Carthians!  So really, we're the ones who need to recruit!

Welcome, Adrian!

Y'all should join the cult of the Crone, because we're the most fun >:D

Well, if the third Dragon wants to talk - we have a little discussion going on - feel free to PM me about some shared Merits.

Well, I havent decided yet.  I mean... The Crone and the Dragon ARE interesting choices... I mean Invictus Ventrue is just so... Common.  And Not sure about the Carthian movement.

The only way to rectify the game world with the mechanics is to assume that the other covenants exist at the pleasure of the Ordo Dracul. Why would you join anyone else?

Meh...all of these silly covenants are strictly inferior to Belial's Brood ;-)

No hiding in the corner for you, Adrian!

And all inferior to the Legion... RIP brothers

GET OVER HERE
This message was last edited by the player at 18:56, Wed 01 June 2022.

So considering the game's size, and the amount of posts in that Court scene, I've been thinking that going forward it might be easiest to split things up into separate threads for some of the side conversations. I'm not sure whether I should just go ahead and implement this now, or if its better to just bite the bullet with this one and do it that way during the next Court--which won't be anytime soon I assure you! LOL

What do folks think? I'm thinking that this may help with the main thread being less daunting overall, although it does mean that there's a potential for a lot of smaller threads too, especially for interactions that are brief--which can also be an issue of its own.

I'm just trying to get a sense for what players think would work best, so feel free to speak up and offer any ideas you may have as well :)

I think right now, unless people leave the main hall, the daunting amount is accurate.  In the future it might be best to split it up, or perhaps while we wait for court to start we are split by clans or covenant into separate rooms.

That shows the sheer size of these events... And like real life sometimes you miss things.  But it could also be up to players to wander off to other parts of the Elysium.  Hell I thought of attempting to go see the Prince upstairs myself... Which I would assume would require a dufferent thread

I would have to agree with my Ventrue friend that its would be best to leave as is for now and allow the players/characters to interact with each other.  Even if one's Beast shows it face every now and then.

Probably easier to just let it play out as it is now.

Next Court though you might introduce multiple location threads - Grand Hall, Gardens, Terrace, etc. So there are a few threads - people can move from one to another with a OOC post at the bottom of their post From Grand Hall to Terrace---> then make an entry post at the same time that starts with --->Entering Terrace from Grand Hall and then post their entry into that spot.

Separate threads would effectively become different scenes with no easy way to move between them -- as we have around the facilities during this extended scene.

I've loved the pictures of everyone. And maybe a layout of the house would be fun with pictures of where we are -- different areas of the gathering. And then we could include in our OOC, where we spell out our conditions, where we are in the house.

Might be a bit cumbersome, though, and a lot of extra work for the Storyteller.

In general, I've not a real issue with the postings -- kind of known where everybody is -- though I expect my image of what's going on is very different from other players' images.

Another tool we don't use is changing the subject line of each post to say where we are, or who we're talking to, or moving towards.

I feel like separating out threads for individual conversations could add a lot of organizational overhead for the GM, and might make it feel like a bunch of isolated little pockets that are harder to sync up and move between.  I agree that keeping it a big mess of a party makes sense for this scene since it's everybody's introduction.  In the future I imagine we'll break away into smaller and more manageable threads/scenes, with full-cast scenes like this one being a rarity!

I think in the future it's not a bad idea, but it's important to make sure that any concurrent scenes are happening at roughly the same pace, else you're likely going to run into problems.

But for now, leave as is I'd say.

Litterally ever having this many PC's in one thread again will be a pretty bad idea. Even if we need to do another giant Elysium scene it woy be better to break it by room and have people OOC declare when they are moving between them.

 This is the method I like to use, along with adding the message # so it's easier to track people's movements.


Angel does something incredibly cool, and everyone claps as she leaves the terrace on her way to the grand hall.
To Grand Hall, Msg #15----->


----->From Terrace, Msg# 27
Angel enters the grand hall in a grand manner, and everyone gasps in awe at her magnificent entrance

Made a quick post to enter the IC thread. Did not have time, so the post is ... a bit shabby, but at least the game is on, so to speak =D.

Welcome! Glad you managed a quick post at least. I just added Giant to your ooc stuff, because that's like, one of the most noticeable things about Gabriel! lol

EDIT: also removed your BP, since that's hidden by your Mask of Tranquility ;-)
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:36, Thu 02 June 2022.

Haha truth!  Also, welcome Gabriel!

Thanks for the invitation to mingle Vika =D.

I read the post so that Gabriel and her are not too familiar, at least have not seen each other. She is also a very good character to speak to, as Gabriel is not at all at ease in this kind of fancy things.

I try to cook up a post later today, or tomorrow at the latest.

By the way, Vika means 'fault' in Finnish, or perhaps 'malfunction' if speaking of electrical devices ;D

The sheriff came asking about Gods grace. Sounds more like a Sanctified

Not asking, he's answering our Nos friend Paul :)

Info on this page is public knowledge by the way: link to a message in this game

He's friendly with the LS for sure. When not at court, he literally wears these: https://orthodoxcityhermit.fil...17/11/monk.jpg?w=640

A Dragon, an Acolyte and a Sanctified walk into a bar...

In reply to Angel Asutilla (msg # 217):

... the bar apologizes and attempts to scamper away.

You're welcome, Gabe, and I look forward to adding you to the list of Elysium-goers V.V. has annoyed :)

I had no idea Vika had any meaning in Finnish or otherwise, but it kinda fits!  She probably thinks of herself as a malfunction in the system, and others might agree, heheh

How about a contest? Shall we keep score?

Yes, but they're doing it in such very different ways that it's a wonderful dichotomy?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:30, Fri 03 June 2022.

I'm just sad Vika and Angel aren't together anymore. I made a whole list of ways to mispronounce her name.

Vika is probably more likeable to Gabriel than most, but I am interested to see if you manage to annoy him too =D.

EDIT: I have hard time not being over-polite, trying to keep Gabriel more grounded and rough on the edges.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:39, Fri 03 June 2022.

Hah!  And Angel, the night is still young.

Pretty sure you're winning by a wide margin, babe ;P  VV is just bothering folks with nonsense about vampire astronauts, but you're actually fomenting diplomatic tensions!

LOL, I thought you saying 'Vicarious' after our first meeting was a typo, but I'm happy to learn it was intentional :D  We should meet up again.


Oof, I have the same problem!  I meant for this character to be scary, but I've ended up playing her like a jokester :P  This party needs more trouble!

I agree. I can't wait to work down the list to Vaginitis.

In reply to Angel Asutilla (msg # 226):

That'd be one way to get the fight you were hoping for, LOL

Hey everyone. I'm gonna be playing Mr. Green, a Mekhet Invictus.

I just want to know if anyone has Vagina Dentata lol

Mister Green, or Mister Black?

Welcome! Ill have to send the obligatory welcome and lets go over background PM later. Got a nah of cats to take to the vet.


EDIT
Oh, and you too, Paul. You slipped through the cracks. Probably because I was so distraught that Gabriel ghosted me.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:21, Sat 04 June 2022.

Welcome, Daniel #2!  Are you a god of rock like the gentleman in your profile picture? :D

Paul:  Can't rule anything out in the World of Darkness!  Best of luck asking any of the game's ladies about that in-character, LOL

hi Angel! it's all good, nice to meet you :)

Vika, Paul is many things, but that dumb he aint lol

God of rock? No. Not any sort of deity in any capacity but rock is pretty cool. _{I might see about smuggling a jukebox into Elysium to play some Rush}

ST,

Will we be having the Prince show up tonight?

We've got a couple of new faces, which has delayed the process a bit...but the more, the merrier, eh? xD

How's everyone going I'll be joining as James Warden.

Hi, James, and welcome :)

Sorry to Gabriel for cranking up the nonsense to 11 just now ;P  You can always reserve the right to say no to VV's dumb suggestions!

In hindsight I realize that I've maybe veered past comic relief into slapstick tomfoolery that might be immersion-breaking for the game's desired tone :P  I think levity is good even in serious games, but there is a point past which it gets silly enough to detract from the enjoyment of others, which I definitely don't want.  If I've crossed that line for anyone then let me know and I can dial it back, and the ST should of course feel free to apply whatever in-character consequences appropriate for such tomfoolery in an Elysium.

I do think the fastball special could be an effective battle tactic, though ;P

Vika, I think the scene is fine. It is either a ruse by a deceptive Kindred or it is a genuine show of personality. It brings interesting dichotomy to the character, between her role/exterior and her personality.

Now I just have to decide whether to go with it or leave it for later =D

Hey, I rather like VV.  Reminds me of those wild Germania Gangrels I used to fight with.  Hopefully, in time he will gain enough trust for you to teach him Protean 2.  Thats the Sanctuary in the Sand if i recall

Sorry, Mr. Green. It's already been established as canon that Angel hates people stepping into her conversations uninvited. Was hoping to give a more favorable impression on our first interaction.

I also like to imagine people pronouncing her last name with Spanish double L's instead of Filipino style, just to add to her annoyance level.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:40, Sun 05 June 2022.

Green loves nothing more than banishing the notion that any conversation 1. held on Elysium, 2. not inside a private room, and 3. within earshot of any Mekhet was never truly a private conversation in the first place, haha

EDIT: No worries, every rose has its thorns
This message was last edited by the player at 03:43, Sun 05 June 2022.

Thanks Gabriel and Antonius!  I was just worried I was making a joke of the game, lol

We've discovered a number of things Angel dislikes (I'm sure there's plenty more), but do we know of anything she DOES like? ;P  Puppies?  Birthday parties?  Punching fools?  Long walks on the beach?

Hmmm... The third one?

She likes me, that's all that matters :)

Thorns are nice, but personally, I don't much care for roses.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:47, Sun 05 June 2022.

Gangrel yeeting night is officially on at Borderlands

Haha, just let me know when I'll be there with bells on!

Not gonna lie, rather enjoying everything about that scene over there.  Nicely played all.

Ive always wondered how far I can yeet a Gangrel.

I am (or at least feel) too old to use words like yeet, but these kind of occasions are a special case =D. I made some calculations and this specific yeet will be memorable. Would be even more so if I could just convince the GM that V.V. is an aerodynamic object ;D.

EDIT: Also I am a very polite person in real life, so it is very hard for me to plAy some ill-mannered or self centered characters.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:42, Sun 05 June 2022.

what the heck is a yeet? :)

Look, I only know the word because I teach the youths.  If you only knew how often one of my tabs was open to Urban Dictionary so that I can look up whatever nonsense they're saying in any given class...

In reply to Paul William Daniken (msg # 251):

Dont know if you were serious, but Merriam- Webster defines it as:

Means throwing with the emphasis on the forcefulness and lack of concern for the thing being thrown (you do not yeet something if you are concerned it might break).

This actual word I find kinda funny and fitting, I just feel yoo outdated to use it myself =D

I looked up some numbers, too. Might have to move this outside.

Thanks, Gabriel!  and I was serious, I'd never seen or heard the word before :)

In reply to Angel Asutilla (msg # 254):

Yeah, I can almost assure you should ;D

Should I set up a bracket for the Gangrel Lawn Darts tournament?

Oh man, Lawn Darts, but Gangrel style?  Count me in!  You know, watching.  From a safe distance.  A really really safe distance.

There's no way this ends with someone impaled.  Which, in fairness, is true to form for Lawn Darts.

Bahaha, what did I tell you, Adrian?  Gangrel-yeeting is the new trend sweeping kindred society!  I feel like perhaps other gangrels will be rather less excited about the idea than VV is, however ;P

The Fastball Special's been around for quite some time. It was inevitable to spring up in this game as well lol

Greetings everyone, I will be playing the Asian Gangrel Carmen Liang. Am I in time to be yeeted as well?!

Welcome welcome!  And to Felix over there as well!

Speaking of, goodness, do we have enough Invictus or what?  Need to sway some of you unaligned folks over to the Carthians pronto.

Why would they waste their unlived lives in that Covenant.  The Circle is where they belong.  More for them to enjoy then being judged every day.

The Ordo Dracul are the true masters of the night feel free to join another covenant if you would prefer to be a puppet for keeping the masses distracted.

Gangrel lawn darts are amateurish, miss or hit... If you really want to get to the point, visit the Impaled...

I sense jealousy

Another giant walks among us. Any other contestents for Gangrel yeeting?

Nosferatu Giants seem to be growing in DC.  I just wonder if they are cousins. LOL

Or join the Dragons if you want to be one of the distracted masses.

Hallo! I'm getting used to this site's layout and court looks very fun so far

ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Sent Felix a private message to see if there is potential for backstory here.

Oh, sending other people private messages. But me, I get ghosted.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:19, Mon 06 June 2022.

The scandal.

Just letting folks know that I've now closed the game to any further RTJs, so we have our full cast for the time being. I've got 3-4 characters that are pending approval, and I'm hopeful those will be completed and approved for play in the next couple of days. So there will be a couple of more new faces to join the court thread yet, but hoping that will happen soon :)

*Whistles*  Holy cow mate, talk about a lot of PCs!  And hey, as long as we don't see any more unaligned/Invictus, I'm a happy camper!

As a side announcement, a gym is part of the Borderlands VIP section, where new Kindred can learn skills they need to defend themselves they may not have had in life. So if anyone wants to tie that into their background, hit me up.

Oh! Pick me! Pick me!

He really should be talking to his Sanctified brethren. No offense Angel...

Take offense??? ME??? That would be so out of character. I find the very suggestion to be offensive.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:00, Mon 06 June 2022.

I would very much like to reply to Vika and Felix, trying to drop a comment about swords to Felix and such. However, truth to be told, I am starting to become overwhelmed by the thread, even if I have given up on trying to follow most of the threads of discussion going on in the thread.

I try to get something posted tomorrow, if the conversation has not moved on before then.

Bruh it's a dense thread I don't blame you. I quote the people I'm responding to to help but fully admit to rapid skimming the general fluff. I don't think it's realistic for a character to track every single thing in a scene.

Same, Felix!  I've taken to collecting quotes from conversations I'm in and anything else notable to react to, then I just leave everything else be.  I wouldn't feel obligated to respond to too much, Gabe, since the bulk of it is other semi-private convos anyway.

Not envious of Auspex-users in this party with enhanced hearing, though :)


Welcome, Carmen!  We've got two huge Nosferatu pitchers and two gangrel-lady projectiles, which sounds to me like the recipe for a yeeting contest! :D

Yeah like in IRL you kinda just pay attention to what's going on around you and only skim the other stuff to make sure it's not someone making a comment to you or throwing a glass of wine at your head....

Lower Humanity vampire with no Socialize in new court be like.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/44/5...ed3a3dd4a6b46565.jpg" data-lightbox="images-msg-284">https://i.pinimg.com/564x/44/5...ed3a3dd4a6b46565.jpg" alt=''>
This message was last edited by the player at 00:27, Tue 07 June 2022.

wow, I'm awake, I just realized we had two Daniels lol :)

As the older, and thus, superior Daniel, I am the Alpha Daniel.  Obviously.

Also, don't worry Felix, that'll be Daniel if the fisticuffs ever start flying.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:31, Tue 07 June 2022.

Currently im just letting the others speak to the keeper while I stand at his side waiting.  Drinking some blood.

Seems the Keeper was kind enough to introduce me to Nathan.  Ill have to get on that
This message was last edited by the player at 01:42, Tue 07 June 2022.

is there a human punch bowl I missed? :)

All these Sanctified Nossies!

All these Daniels!

Reed you are a computer generated person. Green is Jack Black. Daniel Green is thus the Alpha Daniel.

Or in other words he is the greatest Daniel ever written. You are just a tribute.

Won't hear me refuting this logic XD

Updated my bio to include more info on Borderlands, if anyone is interested.

Hello ladies and gents!

So, I've been getting the sense that folks are still somewhat confused as to what the whole "Regency of Anacostia" thing means in terms of the Domain and what not. With that in mind, I wanted to clear things up so there's no further confusion.

The Domain of Washington, D.C. used to be split way back when, it used to be Georgetown (Invictus) and D.C. (Carthian) until the Invictus finally managed to defeat the Carthians in D.C. and absorb that domain and form the current domain in our game that includes Georgetown and all of Washington, D.C.

Now, during the era of the Civil Rights Movement (approx. 1954 to 1968) more fighting took place between Carthians and Invictus, but as a way of keeping the peace and avoid further bloodshed, the Invictus Prince (the current Prince in our game) offered the Carthian Prefect (at that time it was actually Laurent Carpentier, but he stepped down from the position of Prefect when he took on the mantle of Priscus of Clan Gangrel) a Regency in Anacostia. The deal was for the leader of the Carthians to serve as the Regent, which is why Valentina is now the Regent (see note above about Carpentier stepping down from that role).

Now, a Regent is basically the Lord/Lady of their territory, but that DOES NOT mean that they are somehow free of the laws of the Domain or anything of the sort. A Prince can offer Regencies to Kindred in his Court for a variety of reasons, but that does not mean those Regents end up having more authority than the Prince even in their own turf. Like sure, a Regent can set up new laws within their turf that Kindred must follow, but these can't be in conflict with the existing laws of the Prince's Domain.

So just to make sure we are all on the same page, the Regency of Anacostia is NOT its own Domain. The local Invictus are pretty hands-off about it, since it was a deal brokered in the name of a truce and want to respect that agreement. It is also not the only Regency in play per say, it was just the only one that was worth mentioning in the background info due to its role in the brokerage of the truce and what not. Just to be clear on this, the following are the current active Regencies in the Domain:

Georgetown -- Phillip Mcgee is Regent
West End -- Quinn Clements is Regent
The Palisades -- Geraldine Carroll is Regent
Cathedral Heights -- Lucien Perrault is Regent
Takoma -- Christof Kielholz is Regent
Anacostia -- Valentina Taravella is Regent

Now, don't get me wrong, Regents do have some authority over their own turf, like restricting who feeds there and the like. That being said, they all still have to answer to the Prince, who can trump a Regent's authority if they wish.

If you've got any further questions about this, feel free to drop me a line here or via PMs!

EDIT: I've now added a new post to the setting/background info that gives some more clarity about where the Domain's "Rack" is located as well as the six established Regencies that currently exist within the Domain.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:44, Tue 07 June 2022.

Greatly appreciate it, thanks for the clarity boss!

Awesome update, thank you, ST!  A couple of questions:

1. Do we get feeding rights in the vicinity around our Havens?  I imagine in that case we'd want to define which domains our havens are in, so we know who our landlord regent is.
   
2. I assume pretty much the rest of the DC metro and surrounding areas are considered Barrens, where feeding is enforced less strictly or not at all?  Those are the types of places VV usually poaches!

1. Sure, but if you want a Haven within one of the existing Regencies that currently doesn't offer you feeding rights, talk to me via PM and we can figure out how to work that out.

2. I wouldn't call the rest Barrens per say. Remember, it is the Prince's domain after all. There's a lot of neighborhoods that are technically under his rule, because he's a Big Boi and likes to eat #NoShame

Some of those that are under his rule could become regencies in the future, depending on PC actions and where the story goes. There are other areas that the Prince doesn't care for, and would be known to be more of the "Barrens" and these are found closer to DC's borders with VA and MD, so the outskirts of the Prince's domain to an extent. And obviously, there's the Rack, where any Kindred that's acknowledged can feed :)

Not to make more work for your boss, but any chance you could add a rough map to the game for folks to get a better idea of where these neighborhoods are?  I'm rather familiar with the city, but I recognize that most people aren't, and figure it might be helpful.

If you google DC in general and pull up the photo map, just to get it in the right region....if you then type in those district names, maps will show you in outline.

Well, yes and no, especially since as with many neighborhoods, defining an actual boundary to can be quite problematic.  Especially when you consider that DC has something like 130 of the damn things.

So for example, Anacostia is technically a rather small neighborhood all things considered, but depending on who you ask, it can often be used to refer to almost the entirety of the 8th Ward.  I suspect that our ST probably takes a similar approach (though it's worth asking, hence my question).  Otherwise, these are pretty bloody small Regencies.

So yeah, I do think a map might be handy so we can all get on the same page, but that's just me!

I'll put something together. But actually, DC is a fairly small city when you compare it to other major cities. The whole metropolitan area can be quite big, but the city itself is less than 70 sq miles, compared to say NYC that is over 300 sq miles...so yeah, the Regencies aren't that big, because the city itself isn't that big :P

In their descriptions both Quinn Clements and Lucien Perreault are mentioned as being Regents of Georgetown.

Well, such questions also cause other questions to rise. Washington DC - that is the DC area itself only has about 700K. Making it into the low 20s in population of the US. The Greater Washington area though has 10 times that population and makes it the 6th largest Greater Metro area.

If the Prince claims the Greater Washington area then most likely tensions are rising with Baltimore as those two cities are getting closer and closer to merging and just being a megacity going from Virginia to Maryland. So, could be an interesting storyline behind the scenes of the Prince fighting a battle to gain control over Baltimore as the two cities urban structures start to merge and other minor domain holders between the two make deals to avoid being swallowed up - former Princes of minor towns between the two being granted lesser titles and privileges as the two Princes seek to draw them between themselves.

If he doesn't then the area might be surrounded by lesser Princes.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:12, Wed 08 June 2022.

Well said, and precisely my thoughts as well Nathan!

And thanks boss!

Thanks for the heads up. I had them right on the NPC thread, but just updated their descriptions to match.

The Domain itself is D.C. proper, not the suburbs. Working on a map that will identify the current Regencies as well as the Domain itself.

What constitutes the "Greater Washington area" ends up being an endless debate tbh...as someone who's been living in said area for over 20 years at this point. If you are in between DC and Baltimore...you aren't really in the DC area to any of the locals here xD

Anyway, the suburbs and what not don't have their own domains or Princes and the like. Honestly, feeding in the suburbs is harder. People are more spread out, there's less bars/nightclubs and such places for vampires to feed. Also, keep in mind that in predominantly white suburban areas, they love that constant police presence to make them feel all safe and cozy, so there's also more risk involved. More security systems and cameras at homes, etc.

Besides, not every town/city needs to have its own Prince...that's just highly unlikely I feel like. These suburbs, in-between places and the like, just serve better as "no-man's land" type of locations.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:27, Wed 08 June 2022.

Bmore is a bit farther away to worry about that, he would have to deal with more of Virginia or Maryland (lower parts)

Updated the background/setting thread to now include a link to a map of the Domain. I'll be using it for this game as things get updated, such as new Regencies being awarded or taken away, etc.

Wow, fantastic work, DM :D  I've never been to DC and know precious little about the areas, so this is neat!

It's helpful for me because I use Google maps to look up real places to reference, which I've done a couple times in this game already.  Looks like VV's favorite punk club, the Black Cat, is in the Rack!  Makes sense.

In reply to Vika Voracious (msg # 306):

Black Cat's a dope place. Been there a couple times.

Is 8 the standard difficulty?

In nWoD difficulty doesn't change, your dice pool does.  So as long as you keep the default roller, you're fine.

You can just use the default dice roller for the game, which is set up to use the NWOD 1E system. And 8 is the success threshold, meaning rolling an 8 or higher is considered a success.

Ok sounds good.

Also does one roll a d10 for starting blood and then roll to feed and is it Pre+Potency+herd and haven or does herd and haven just count as an auto succ?

In reply to James Warden (msg # 312):

in the House Rules thread, Feeding is outlined as starting a scene with our Humanity score in Vitae, +1 for each dot of Herd or Haven Location, and then -1 for each Ghoul

There are then a couple of options for going out and feeding beyond starting blood.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:09, Thu 09 June 2022.

Accidentally posted this in the IC thread, so deleted it and put it in the right place.

Out of curiosity, is it Sir Felix or Sir Tapper? Knights are generally referred to by first name, like most titles of nobility. Sir Lancelot (du Lac), Sir Elton (John). Prince Harry. Queen Victoria. Is it different for the Invictus?

Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth are not good examples, because you know you wouldn’t refer to the Prince in such a manner within the Invictus! Regardless, one does still use the last name given forms of address within the Covenant. Using a first name is always implying familiarity and possible intimacy of sorts. Formal address of a knight would be Sir/Dame Knight, or Sir/Dame (insert last name).

Clearly the vamps are just really into shark monsters and are using Invictus double speak.

Just FYI -- I'm still adding things to the map for this game (link found in setting/background thread) and will continue to do so as things progress. In the meantime, if your character has a business or some other location if importance that is publicly known, do let me know so I can add a pin to the map! You'll notice the Elysium's location is now pinned on there, as well as Borderlands and a couple of other places.

Afternoon all, hopefully will be wrapped up shortly so that I can join in on the fun times...well figuratively speaking of course, lol.

While I shore up some more of my background perhaps I can see if Ryoto has any previous contact with anyone, or wants to be connected in some way with him.

...

I know I'm a real latecomer so I'm not expecting anything till I make them in game :)
This message was last edited by the player at 19:39, Thu 09 June 2022.

Happy to have you on board! You haven't missed any boats. PCs are just mingling in court and some players are PMing each other with little background hook ideas.

I personally don't go too deep because I know characters can change as soon as people get a feel for what works, but the launch points have been fun.

This message was deleted by the player at 00:40, Fri 10 June 2022.

https://i.imgflip.com/6j6jzd.jpg" data-lightbox="images-msg-321">https://i.imgflip.com/6j6jzd.jpg" alt=''>

It be like that sometimes!

Thanks

First of all, I want to say I love how great players we have, the thread is a joy to read, if I just can abandon the fact that I can not keep up with the actual plots going on.

Second, I will be heading to the more rural parts of Finland this weekend. Though I have been told the might Internet can be found there too, I might not be bale to read let alone post during the weekend.

Thanks for the heads up and that sounds like fun! Hope you enjoy your time out there :)

Have a great time! I've been enjoying myself too, though the pacing of the posts have been keeping me a bit overwhelmed. I'll try and make at least one more post today, but then I won't be available again till Sunday. There's no guarantee I'll be able to post when I get home because I'll like be tired.

Bring in the Prince.

When that happens I’m sure it will slow down some cause there will be a lot of hushing and plotting

A few of us are way faster than average PbP speed for sure. We could free up the thread by moving to a side thread in PMs if people would find that more helpful?

My focus has been networking my PC so I can do scenes with people later at their speed. People have been good so far about not treating people who haven't responded yet as "remaining silent" or "ignoring" In-Character.

Have fun this weekend Gabriel!

I plan to do so soon. Was trying to give the couple newest arrivals a bit of time to finalize sheets and enter the scene.

Afterwards, there will be more scenes for people to connect in smaller groups and post at their own pace :)

Hey guys. At some point earlier Ophelia put her mask of Tranquility back up. Because I copy/pasted my header before I corrected it in my notes, it didn't get updated for further posts. I'm not asking anyone to change what's already been written or done, but just wanted to give a heads up for further posts if they happen before I get a chance to post again (May not be able to till Sunday).

Oof, I didn't get time to post this morning and now I'm out and about probably for the rest of the day :o  I should be able to post in the evening, but nobody wait up for me!

Who are we kidding, nobody in this Elysium is waiting ;)

what is the mask of tranquility?

Obfuscate 2. It hides your BP.

I enjoyed Felix's game-relevant memes, so here's one from me :D

Ever wonder what would happen if you're bored but also have only rudimentary MSPaint skills?

BEHOLD! The answer to your question!



This message was last edited by the player at 06:50, Sat 11 June 2022.

Are the pictures placed randomly or is there some order I am not getting immediately? Otherwise very nice.

Pictures are assorted by Covenant

Crone, Carthians and unaligned down at the bottom with Invictus up top and centered... this graphic designer was definitely Invictus ;)

Seriously though, love it, Angel!

I would love to see this in Brady Bunch tile style! LOL!
The Bloody Bunch??

So once I get my pic does it go at the top of the pyramid?

Where did you guys find blush of life?

VtR Page 156?

I don't remember exactly where it is in the books, but:

https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Blush_of_Life

   The Blush of Life is an ability used by vampires in both Vampire: The Requiem and Vampire: The Masquerade. Normally, a vampire looks the part of a corpse. They're pale and register no pulse. They exist at slightly below room temperature. Food and drink taste terrible, and immediately cause violent, bloody vomiting. They also cannot function sexually, or convincingly fake enjoying sex. However, by rousing a bit of the Blood, they can fake life temporarily, and in different cases engage in activities they once enjoyed as mortals.
   By spending a point of Vitae, Kindred may invoke the blush of life for a scene. This makes them functionally human. They become warm to the touch, with a full, hearty pulse. They produce natural bodily fluids. They function sexually in the way a human can, becoming physically aroused, erect, and lubricated. They can keep food and drink down, ejecting it later in the night. They’ll pass medical inspection while the blush remains active.

.

Yeah, BoL is bog standard for maintaining Masquerade or characters wanting to play pretend among humanity (like enjoying a drink with their friends).

Some Requiem games, since it's an unnecessary spend of blood at a vampire gathering it's seen as a status thing where you are flexing that you have a ton of resources to casually indulge. Or the vampire highly values humanity, or is just being responsible in case humans are around, etc etc. Lots of fun themes you can play with
This message was last edited by the player at 21:58, Sun 12 June 2022.

just posting so i can get post 666 in the game XD

V.V. doesn't see the need to burn a Vitae at a vampire party to act like our food!  She's been gray, cold and corpselike this whole time, which I have maybe underplayed in RP.

If she gets to join Ricka later for a rose hunt then she'll activate blush for entirely practical purposes, however ;)

In reply to Eva Altman (msg # 344):

Most at the event is using the power of Mask of Tranquility: The Kindred masters the art of hiding himself to such a degree that he may subvert some of the stains that undeath leaves upon his soul. A vampire who knows this power can mask his Kindred nature from onlookers, leaving them without the impression that the Predator’s Taint inflicts.

Therefore, the character doesn’t even appear as a vampire to other Kindred who see him.