Under the Bright Lights of Vegas - (Anita Blake world game)

Started by Aiden, February 06, 2013, 11:34:14 PM

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Aiden


Searching for Fresh Blood!



UTBLOV is a large group game that uses the rules of the Anita Black universe created by Laurell K. Hamilton but set far away from Anita's native St. Louis and using entirely original characters. The main Board can be found here and contains both a Plotting OOC thread and a Chatterbox to just be silly and get to know your fellow writers better.

After a short hiatus we're now getting ready to roll the Game ahead a couple of months and swing into a new phase: People are going missing from Vegas. Were's, Vampires, Talented Humans (?) and because no group talks to the others, more people have gone missing than needed to. Enough have vanished now that even the most secretive of groups are starting to murmur and the factions in Vegas are going to have to start sharing information and helping each other if this new threat to all of them isn't going to shatter them.

So basically, folks are going missing. Everyone wants that to stop, so they will have to form a coalition of sorts to share information and help each other and to try and keep anyone else from vanishing! This will bring about all sorts of plot rich drama as group used to dealing with their own problems, now need to work together...and probably don't like it!

We are currently recruiting for:

  • Vampires
  • WereTigers
  • WereWolves
  • WereLeopards
  • WereHyenas(?)
  • Humans
  • Gifted Humans

If you have questions, please contact our resident GM Aiden, otherwise use the code below to submit a character and come and join the insanity that can only happen in Vegas!

[font=andale mono][center][size=14pt][color=Any color you like]First Name Last name,[/color][/size][/center]

[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Orientation:[/b]
[b]Identity/position:[/b]

[center][color=Any color you like][size=10pt]The Appearance[/size][/color][/center]

[b]Eyes:[/b]
[b]Hair:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Were Appearance:[/b]

[center][color=Any color you like][size=10pt]Beyond the Image[/size][/color][/center]

[b]Likes:[/b]
[b]Dislikes:[/b]
[b]absolutely not's:[/b]
[b]Talents:[/b]
[b]Character Traits:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]

[center][color=Any color you like][size=10pt]The History[/size][/color][/center]

[b]History:[/b]






Aiden

The State of the City of Las Vegas...

The City of Las Vegas has seen lots of change in the past few years. It began when the the long standing Master of the City went missing, later discovered murdered. The Council sent a new replacement but before he arrived, a member of the former's MOTC took power which resulted in a civil war between the vampires.

Vampire holdings were split in half, all because of the former Pomme who chose to be neutral in the politics and not take sides. The former small business owner went from nothing to a millionaire over night. Memories of her former love still threaten her daily life.

The Pack of Las Vegas (Wolves) has been recently reunited by a new Ulfrick who tore apart the former cruel leader of the pack. The former Vegas hotshot slowly transitioned into a life of responsibility and leadership, leaving his past life behind him. The unification of the pack was long and painful, rogue wolves were hunted and given the choice to submit or be killed. Former members slowly accepted their new leader and have created a haven for their kind deep in the desert.

The Streak of Vegas (Tigers) is small (by wolf standards) but remains the controlling force in Vegas. They hold major holdings within the city and tend to keep to themselves. Lately they have been forced to seek out their fellow weres as radical humans have begun to kidnap their mates.




Vegas is a dangerous town, it was given the name "Sin City" for a reason. S.U.N, a zealous hate group is looking to take out the vamp/were presence one at a time.  They have proven themselves dangerous, resourceful and most importantly, rooted into the state and federal system....

Trust is hard to come by in the city...

Aiden


Caela

As a note, even though this game IS based on a series of books, you do NOT have to have read the books to be able to play! There are enough of us that have read them to be able to answer any questions you might have! :D

xPeachyPuff

#4
I really like this idea but have never read or even heard of the books > <; Just wondering how you perceive your Vamps and Weres since there are so many different idea's about them. Is there another kind of Vamp/Were you can refer them to? Are they more like the Vampire Diaries ones? Buffy/Angel ones? True Blood ones? Are they completely open to interpretation? I'm not going to say Twilight LOL I highly doubt that bullshit xD! But yeah, if you could throw out something like what you expect them to be like, I would consider joining (:

-xSRx

Caela

Quote from: xSnorkleRainbow on February 07, 2013, 06:36:21 PM
I really like this idea but have never read or even heard of the books > <; Just wondering how you perceive your Vamps and Weres since there are so many different idea's about them. Is there another kind of Vamp/Were you can refer them to? Are they more like the Vampire Diaries ones? Buffy/Angel ones? True Blood ones? Are they completely open to interpretation? I'm not going to say Twilight LOL I highly doubt that bullshit xD! But yeah, if you could throw out something like what you expect them to be like, I would consider joining (:

-xSRx

NOT Twilight!!! lol Sunlight=immolation, not sparklies! :D

These are more your standard envisioning of a Vampire. How powerful they are depends partly on age, and partly just on innate ability. For example, a Vampire that has the potential to become a Master Vampire could be more powerful at 100 than your average vamp will be even at 500, but even an average vamp is damned powerful. The key difference between a Master Vampire and your average vampire is that a Master Vampire has enough of their own power to wake up themselves when the sun sets (if they're underground they may even be able to wake up before sunset and stay moving a bit after sunrise this depends greatly on power level and age) and your average vampire counts on the power of the Master they are sworn too to make them rise. 

They all have basics like increased speed, strength, and the ability to cloud a human's mind but how good they are at using any of those skills can depend on age and training. Other abilities can be in the mix as well depending on which "Line" they are descended from. A fairly comprehensive list of possible powers can be found here: http://anitawiki.wetpaint.com/page/Vampire+Powers  Keep in mind, no one vampire is going to have ALL of these, they are just the possibles.

I would need Aiden to confirm but I don't believe we're taking Master/Alpha level anythings at the moment lol...too many chiefs, not enough injuns! I could be wrong there though, it might just be Alpha were's so if you wanted a Master level you would have to PM Aiden and work it out with him. :)

Hope this helps!

xPeachyPuff

Thanks for answering, Caela. It helps a lot. I'll consider a character and look into it a bit more but my interest is still present. (: I wouldn't want to be a Master Vamp or and Alpha so it's not a problem.

Thanks again!

-xSRx

Caela

Quote from: xSnorkleRainbow on February 07, 2013, 07:45:31 PM
Thanks for answering, Caela. It helps a lot. I'll consider a character and look into it a bit more but my interest is still present. (: I wouldn't want to be a Master Vamp or and Alpha so it's not a problem.

Thanks again!

-xSRx

Always happy to help! :D

Darrow Huck

What kind of powers do gifted humans have? Is it all ritual-type stuff?

If I wanted to play a human who could stand up to a vampire in combat, would there be anything that fits that type?

Aiden

There have been some humans in this world setting who are capable of standing up to vampires in combat without being gifted. But that also means those characters have to be beyond a standard citizen. (Ex special forces, former marine, swat officer etc etc)

Also not all vampires are looking for fights, some are just living their lives day to day. The few vampires you DO NOT want to cross don't go out looking for fights unless provoked.

Here are the list of gifted human skills (Not accepting Necromancers)

http://anitawiki.wetpaint.com/page/Not-quite+Human

Darrow Huck

"They dance to gather power. They can invoke a god through doing so, like Christians can invoke their God when face-to-face with a vampire or demon."

Are there characters in this setting that can invoke the power of God? What can they do?

xPeachyPuff

Kinda feel like this is a stupid question. But on the CS, Identity/Position would mean the race, right? >>;;

-xSRx

Caela

Quote from: Darrow Huck on February 07, 2013, 11:25:42 PM
"They dance to gather power. They can invoke a god through doing so, like Christians can invoke their God when face-to-face with a vampire or demon."

Are there characters in this setting that can invoke the power of God? What can they do?

Invoking God, in the books, isn't like calling down fire and brimstone. It's things like using scripture or religious symbols to chase away vampires or demons. A cross worn by a true believer will burn (sometimes literally) with a Holy Fire in the presence of a vampire and at one point (in the books) Anita actually used scripture to chase off a demon that had been summoned.

That being said, the biggest catch is faith. If you don't actually believe in God, then a cross won't do anything for you. It's also implied that other religious symbols will work as well so long as they are actually backed up by faith from the person wearing them. Also keep in mind that a vampire that's old enough, or deranged enough (typically a revenant) may push past the protective glow of the holy item and seek to rip your throat out to make it stop. Most aren't that strong though and will just seek some way to make you drop the item.

Caela

Quote from: xSnorkleRainbow on February 07, 2013, 11:48:52 PM
Kinda feel like this is a stupid question. But on the CS, Identity/Position would mean the race, right? >>;;

-xSRx

Not a stupid question at all. And yes it would be your character's race and any special position they might hold within their group. For example, the head werewolf would be Werewolf/Ulfrick. Each of the Were groups as specially titled positions within their Pack(Wolf)/Pard(leopard)/Streak(Tiger)/Kiss(vampires) hierarchies. Most of those positions can be fought for over time, some however like the Wolves Eros (a person who teaches new wolves to control their changes under duress and under situations like sex when you usually let go on your control) can be volunteered for or assigned.

In the opening post, Aiden put a link to our sub board, if you go look at it, each group as it's own sticky that will list current character and which positions are still open beyond just your basic membership.

Flower

-places flag for later reading-

Before I even start doing my research, I need to know the post rate for this game. There are some days when I can crank them out two times a day then others where it will have to wait a few days.

Caela

Quote from: Dancing flower on February 08, 2013, 07:45:20 AM
-places flag for later reading-

Before I even start doing my research, I need to know the post rate for this game. There are some days when I can crank them out two times a day then others where it will have to wait a few days.

The game overall is not a speedy one DF. Sometimes folks in their own side scenes will post quickly between themselves but overall we tend to move at a more leisurely pace. :D

Darrow Huck

Quote from: Caela on February 08, 2013, 07:38:26 AM
Invoking God, in the books, isn't like calling down fire and brimstone. It's things like using scripture or religious symbols to chase away vampires or demons. A cross worn by a true believer will burn (sometimes literally) with a Holy Fire in the presence of a vampire and at one point (in the books) Anita actually used scripture to chase off a demon that had been summoned.

That being said, the biggest catch is faith. If you don't actually believe in God, then a cross won't do anything for you. It's also implied that other religious symbols will work as well so long as they are actually backed up by faith from the person wearing them. Also keep in mind that a vampire that's old enough, or deranged enough (typically a revenant) may push past the protective glow of the holy item and seek to rip your throat out to make it stop. Most aren't that strong though and will just seek some way to make you drop the item.

Okay. I've also seen that there are Christian witches too, so I was wondering if the following concept would work:

The character is Christian, but isn't overly concerned with denominational details or typical prayers and worship. When dealing with supernatural creatures or people using harmful magic he can channel the power of his faith to directly repel them and make himself stronger. He can also heal people, including himself, giving him the ability to survive fairly severe injuries.

He also has a sword which he's skilled in using that is also a holy symbol for him.

Aiden

The setting is modern world, current time and everything.

A guy wielding a sword around will just look weird. This IS Las Vegas and there are certain degrees of weird around, but a sword might stick out a bit to much unless he is dressed in ren-faire gear and is classified a larper.

I'll let Caela answer the bit on the powers, the concept sounds more like a paladin that would fit more in a fantasy setting.

Caela

Quote from: Darrow Huck on February 08, 2013, 10:11:36 AM
Okay. I've also seen that there are Christian witches too, so I was wondering if the following concept would work:

The character is Christian, but isn't overly concerned with denominational details or typical prayers and worship. When dealing with supernatural creatures or people using harmful magic he can channel the power of his faith to directly repel them and make himself stronger. He can also heal people, including himself, giving him the ability to survive fairly severe injuries.

He also has a sword which he's skilled in using that is also a holy symbol for him.

It's an interesting character concept, but it doesn't really fit the 'Verse we're playing.

As Aiden said, a sword would just be weird, even in Vegas, especially when a lot of modern weapons are far more effective against the majority of supernatural beasties you could come up against. Gun are amazingly effective as long as you've got the right rounds for them!

With the powers they just don't really fit. Anyone can carry an object of their faith (cross, Torah, image of Buddha etc.) and have it glow/burn to protect them from vampires/demons. They can also use their scripture to help repel demons so long as it's backed by faith. An atheist with a cross, or quoting scripture is just lunch. Also, someone of faith using the wrong symbol (ex. a Buddhist with a cross) is lunch too. Faith doesn't make anyone stronger, but it can certainly give them time to reload as it keeps the monsters at bay.

I've never seen healing be a thing in this 'Verse either. Lots of your supernatural beasties heal themselves quickly, but even that has it's limits. They don't get to heal anyone else though.




If you want to make a vampire/monster hunter that's totally doable, there are plenty of them in this 'Verse but most of them are really just normal humans that are good with guns. The majority fall into one of three categories, ex-military, animators, or people with an axe to grind. Some of the ex-military end up in RPIT squads as well (police squads specifically dedicated to solving crimes committed by preternatural means) and tend to like the rush of hunting something that is, technically speaking, higher up the food chain than they are. Animators are zombie raisers and can usually sense the undead which helps them find vampires; they also tend to have a partial immunity to being rolled by vampires but it's not complete and works best against young vamps, an old Master Vamp, is taking just about anyone's mind if they want to! Folks with a grudge are the most likely hunters to end up dead quickly because they let their need for vengeance make them stupid. If they don't end up dead though, they make pretty decent vampire hunters in the long run.

kylie

     Giving this some thought, have to read some more.  I do still have that young vampire lingering in the files.

Quote from: Caela on February 08, 2013, 02:07:42 PM
As Aiden said, a sword would just be weird, even in Vegas, especially when a lot of modern weapons are far more effective against the majority of supernatural beasties you could come up against. Gun are amazingly effective as long as you've got the right rounds for them!
Not to run the game, but for what it's worth Anita does carry a really big knife on her back in the books.  (Although it's not always practical for her in the books, either: The case is custom made and may get ripped off; some locations simply don't make it easy for her to carry it inside.) 

QuoteWith the powers they just don't really fit. Anyone can carry an object of their faith (cross, Torah, image of Buddha etc.) and have it glow/burn to protect them from vampires/demons.
However, if it's a select holy object (I'm thinking of the crosses people wear), in the books it would automatically start burning whenever there is a very powerful vampire anywhere around.  I bet even Anita's knife would fry her badly if it did that.

     

Caela

Quote from: kylie on February 08, 2013, 02:40:07 PM
     Giving this some thought, have to read some more.  I do still have that young vampire lingering in the files.
   
Not to run the game, but for what it's worth Anita does carry a really big knife on her back in the books.  (Although it's not always practical for her in the books, either: The case is custom made and may get ripped off; some locations simply don't make it easy for her to carry it inside.) 
     
However, if it's a select holy object (I'm thinking of the crosses people wear), in the books it would automatically start burning whenever there is a very powerful vampire anywhere around.  I bet even Anita's knife would fry her badly if it did that.

Yep she does wear a knife, a number of them actually, but the big one you're talking about isn't a sword and it gets worn in a sheath on her back that let's her conceal it under most of her clothing and her hair. If she was wearing it in a manner where it could be seen, it would just be weird as well. :)

As for the crosses, they don't actually just start burning anytime a vamp is around. Anita has a conversation about that with Jean-Claude in one of the books because her cross doesn't actually start glowing around vamps like him, Asher, or Damien. She had realized that it only started glowing around vamps who were threatening her or trying to use their powers on her in some fashion. How brightly it glowed seemed to be determined by how much danger she was in, from a warning, to burning so hotly that it burned her too.

Darrow Huck

Well, that concept sounds like a non-starter then.

What about a weretiger? Are they expected to be subordinate to a pack in the city, or is there leeway for a little more autonomy?

LunarSage

Another voice here to say that this setting is really awesome.  :-)

Glad to see all the new interest!  ;D

  ▫  A.A  ▫  O.O  ▫  Find & Seek   ▫ 

Caela

Quote from: Darrow Huck on February 08, 2013, 05:08:41 PM
Well, that concept sounds like a non-starter then.

What about a weretiger? Are they expected to be subordinate to a pack in the city, or is there leeway for a little more autonomy?

There is a tiger pack (called a Streak in this setting) and any Tigers that are part of it are subordinate to it to a point. Most of the Tigers we have are pretty independent characters though with their own jobs, houses/condos/apartments, lives outside the Streak. You could also create a Tiger that is visiting Vegas. S/He would be expected to touch base with the Streak out of respect but if they weren't necessarily looking to put down roots they wouldn't have to join the Streak but would be expected to respect it and not cause trouble for it either.

Darrow Huck