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MAY 24, 1997 |
Hey de hey! After months of the ST team shrinking faster than a Rolaid in vinegar, we’re proud to announce an addition! The new team:
That’s right, we’re reintegrating your furry pals. Anyone interested in playing a Werewolf, talk to us. This is a Shared Universe Werewolf game, so you CANNOT keep your vampire character if you play a Werewolf. Also, just to warn you, the type of Werewolf that you’ll be allowed to play will be limited by game balance considerations. (PLEASE call between 12:00 noon and 10:00 P.M. If you call outside these hours we will be very very irritated with you. We’ve all got e-mail and answering machines... please use ‘em.)
Sometimes, you do things in character that you find out later that you shouldn’t have. We’re not talking about cheating here, but just about honest misunderstandings. What should you do? The temptation is to go back to the people that you talked to, and say the scene never happened. The problem with this is the amazing speed that information travels. By the time you get back to the people, they could have told lots and lots of other people (especially with the mixed blessing of the Internet). It becomes literally impossible to get back to everyone who might have heard the original information. This causes problems. Believe us. The best solution, as far as we can tell, is to say that you have to fix problems in-character that you created in-character. Make something up for why you can’t have that meeting (that you couldn’t book the room for), or why you can’t lend someone your influence (that you forgot was being used already), or why you can’t give them that shipment of grenade launchers (that you thought Terry had approved). But do it in character, and do it in real time. Also, if you have any doubts AT ALL whether a scene is in or out of character, STOP AND ASK! You do not have to answer anyone’s OOC questions about anything. Remember if you want to keep something a secret in character, the best way is to keep it a secret out of character too.
Boy, this is just a tough discipline to adjudicate, isn’t it? Laws of the Night is kind of unclear on what happens if a person wins the social challenge against someone’s Majesty. Apparently, what’s been done in the past is to give the winner 10 minutes of being unaffected by the Majesty. We decided that that really sucks for an Advanced discipline, since it typically takes a bit less than ten minutes to kill someone. Before every attack action against a Majestic person, you have to make a Social challenge against him or her. If you win, you can attempt the attack. If you lose, like it says in Laws of the Night, you cannot attempt any action against the Majestic person for the rest of the evening unless you spend a willpower. If you spend a willpower, you can start trying to attack again in one hour. You still lose the original test. Note that this is the only case where a Social Challenge can be part of a Celerity action. If someone with Celerity is trying to hit someone with Majesty, then they have to make the Social challenge for each and every attack.
The Shared Universe Convention is now on June 13, 14 and 15, in Indianapolis, Indiana. If this makes a difference in anyone’s ability to go, please talk to a Storyteller as soon as possible. Cost will be between $150 and $250, depending on who you go with, how much you eat, and how picky you are in your sleeping arrangements. But space is limited! Act now!
Regina’s game is May 31, at 7:00 p.m. at the University of Regina, 3rd and 4th floors of the Administration-Humanities Building at the University of Regina (whew!)
"And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her." Genesis 30:18-20
A recently-adopted Storyteller policy requires new players to serve for several months as indentured Servitor ghouls. More experienced players of deceased characters must serve at least two fortnights before introducing a new Vampire. This is liable to be seen by some as a punishment of sorts--a limbo to be more endured than enjoyed--where the deadly departed may contemplate the error of their ways while fine-tuning the next fanged freak to inflict its tender mercies on an unsuspecting populace. Let there not be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Has the Blood Hunt come to call? Join us here on the Group W bench as we praise in print the secret thrill of thralldom, lest opportunity pass you by. There are so many things to enjoy:
1. Ghouls are the top of the food chain. (Think about it.)
2. You know where they sleep. (Still thinking?) 'Course, you'd never do anything naughty because...
3. You are Blood Bound, big time. This isn't a bad thing, really. You'll have your love to keep you warm while nailing down a coffin lid in some leaf-strewn sepulchre on Warman, or chain-smoking your way through a long afternoon's stake-out. (Oops--the s-word!) Remember that you can never be bound to anyone else, including any future Sire, provided you don't get kicked around too much, and periodically renew your old flame. (Oops--the f-word!) That in itself is worthy of a little self-sacrifice.
For those of you who have not yet read the Liber des Goules, take note: THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Here, for example, are a few questions that might be answered by reading between its lines:
Q: Why can't I have more Willpower?
A: You don't need it.
Q: Why is my Blood Pool so small? Where will I get more?
A: Need we draw a picture? It's a beggar's banquet. Always know where your next meal is coming from. It may be wise to cultivate the affections of Kindred outside your immediate entourage. Accidents happen.
Q: Won't I lose all my disciplines if my Regnant cuts me off and I become mortal again?
A: Read the fine print. 'Course, if you're Max the Mouse, you're in trouble. Try to pick a birthday within living memory. It's a lot easier to renew that driver's license.
Q: Won't I lose all my disciplines when I accept the embrace?
A: See your lawyer. Toreador neo-nates with ghoulish Celerity find it much easier to play "Flight of the Bumblebee."
Q: Won't I have, like, really crappy Status cause I'm ghoul?
A: In a word, yes. We usually bask in the reflected glory of our Regnants. Ghouldom need not preclude a rise in status, however. There is no reason why the Prince and Primogeniture should not choose to reward an especially faithful and circumspect member of our Brotherhood.
Ever wonder how the Malkavians get away with the things they do? An unexpected benefit of our humble status is that the Kindred almost never take us seriously--UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE. If you wish to live long and prosper, you'll keep your mouth shut most of the time, but you may occasionally permit yourself an inspired faux pas--verging on bald-faced rudeness--which would never be tolerated from a Vampire. A truly cunning Regnant (and they are few) will use you as your disingenuous mouthpiece, delivering her gloved words through you. Do not abuse this privilege. For the likes of us, points of status are like clag-nuts: every asshole has a few, but they just get in the way of the job. Down here on kibbutz, you are free to enjoy the easy-going camaraderie of your fellow pawns and peons. Permit us to share with you, fellow colleagues, a few words of advice from the more senior among us.
1. Not everyone need know you're a ghoul. Most Kindred cannot distinguish ghouls from kine. Let them find out the hard way. Likewise, you may look just like a neo-nate. "Damned Visage" and "Masquerade" are essential in this regard. Of course, your Regnant had best drill you in Vampire Lore before giving you such a long leash. (Parlez-vous Francais? 'La Femme Nikita' pourrait vous inspirer.)
2. Not everyone need know who you work for. A typical tattle-tag will read: "Cliff Clave, Gangrel Primogen, Majesty, 8th Gen, Status One Zillion, Unshaven x5." How nice for him. Your strength lies in secrecy. You need write nothing more than "Simon Sayer, Warm, Acknowledged", unless your Regnant requires otherwise.
3. Don't give up your day job. Why HAVE influence when you can BE influence? Make the storytellers an offer they can't refuse: a really great background. If your Regnant has Police Influence x5, why shouldn't the Deputy Commissioner of the Vice Squad be in attendance at our conclaves? When the word gets out, you may find your phone ringing off the hook.
4. Beg, borrow, and steal. Without a mission, you're like a VCR that keeps blinking 12:00...12:00...12:00... Your Regnant may not know how to program you. Help her out. Push, poke, and prod until she gives you something more important to do than parking her car. Then, accomplish your mission flawlessly and without fail. A cunning Regnant will soon learn to make something of your daylight hours, while her enemies are sleeping. During Conclaves, on the other hand, you may be safest in joining us at the Tiddlywinks table, Room B.113.2.1, Kirk Hall.
5. Be nice to your colleagues. Perhaps we fail to fathom the fundamentally tragic nature of our Elders' condition, their low self-esteem, their unhappy childhoods, &cetera. Perhaps we believe, deep down, that generosity and kindness still count for something. In any case, the K. are often too busy with their internecine squabbles to pay us much attention, so at least we owe our equals the time of day. As our numbers and skill increase, a parallel network of favors and boons will develop between us, enabling us better to serve our Regnants mutual interests without stooping to indulge the petty prejudices of clan rivalry. Work the floor. Press the flesh. Smile.
Of course, some of the younger and weaker among us will still be SQUEALING, BUM-SUCKING LITTLE WETBACK TOADIES, but they won't live long. Nor will suicide squads of gun-toting goons with chips on their shoulder-clips, serving their sentences in vendetta versus the enemies of their previous incarnations. The storytellers may well require that these players continue to play their ghoul characters AFTER the embrace, which should be a valuable reality check. Brothers, sisters: let us assist each other in the interests of our Regnants and ourselves, making a few friends along the way, in anticipation of which I remain,
Your Servant in the Bond,
Amanuensis N. de Plume, Esq.
PS. It's our party, and we'll cry if we want to. Why be a wall-flower at another dreary coterie meeting? Hang out with us. We will shortly be contacting likely candidates for Team Ghoul. Remember, we can still eat, so pretzels and soda will be provided at an upcoming gathering to which all ghouls are most cordially invited. Somewhere sunny--the Mendel Conservatory, perhaps. Leave a number at the sign-up desk.
PPS. This article represents the personal views of the author(s). A vos risques et perils.
(Toronto, CP) Arkady Fontaine's appearance at Toronto's prestigious Anya James Theatre has been a hit with audiences and critics. Even those critics who have in the past not thought very highly of Mr. Fontaine's talent are praising him. After the incident at his last performance, many were certain that the dancer was finished, but he has proved them all wrong. The show has been held over for another week.
(Saskatoon, CP) Local police have no clues in the theft on Thursday, April 17 of a five hundred year old human skull. The theft occurred from the University of Saskatchewan’s Archeology Department’s graduate laboratory. The skull was the subject of an earlier 1989 Star Phoenix report after its discovery in Anglin Lake by an amateur snorkel diver. “The specimen is not especially rare,” said department head Ernst Walky, “But there are very few bones of its age on public display in Saskatchewan, since gravesite artifacts excavated by registered archeologists are normally repatriated. This skull is part of our heritage and should be returned.” Campus Security would not comment on whether the theft might be a year-end student prank.
(Toronto, AP) The Franchise Bandit has been terrorizing chain restaurants on Spadina Avenue, putting firecrackers in the condiment containers, and plastering walls and windows with posters reading "Meatball Lad Is Coming!" To confuse matters, the Franchise Bandit was also reported to be seen fighting crime in Regent Park. At least one mugging is reported have been averted.
(Toronto, CP) Two female university students were found murdered in the last four weeks. Police are refusing to discuss any details of how the women died, but they will say that the murders are definitely the work of the same sicko.
(Reuters) Seismic tests have revealed unprecedented volcanic activity in Rio de Janeiro. Authorities are desperately trying to prevent a panicked exodus from the city.
(Toronto, CP) Diamond prices have plummeted, prompting a day of frenzied action of the floor of the TSE on May 6. Stockbrokers are calling this Black Tuesday, and five traders are reported to have committed suicide.
(Toronto, CP) The ten coffins recovered from the archeological digs on the coast of Newfoundland are now on display at the ROM. Scientists and students were disappointed when they opened the coffins and discovered that they contained nothing but earth.
(Regina, CP) Twenty seven private vehicles were severely damaged on April 26 in the parking lot of the Administration-Humanities Building at the U. of R. campus. The damages are estimated at over $300,000 as the cars were completely destroyed. Police have no clues, but say that nearby construction equipment must have been used in the crime.
(Toronto, CP) Stock in the Toronto based company, Nakatomi, is skyrocketing after the announcement of a new telecommunications software package.
