[Full/Closed] Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition: Dust to Dust [System] [EX]

[Blythe]

Hello, I am thinking of running a Vampire the Masquerade 5th edition group game. If you’re interested, read on! Please note that this game is new player friendly—I mean that in the sense that new players to the system or new players to Elliquiy in general are highly encouraged to apply. If you are already a long-time member or very familiar with system stuff, you can still express interest, but be mindful that newer players may receive priority over you. I am looking for about 4 players.

Game Premise

Gary, Indiana is a dying city. Its population has halved itself in 40 years, many of its buildings are burned husks, its citizens are disenfranchised and out of work, and even its predators have fled. Of the many Kindred who once hunted this small Midwestern city, only a handful remains. Modius, the Prince of Gary, continues his long rivalry with the Anarch known as Juggler. But their struggles are becoming increasingly irrelevant. If things continue, Gary won’t have enough mortals to sustain even a small number of vampires. However, the city is fortunate in that it has mostly escaped the eye of the Second Inquisition...for now.

The Kindred aren’t willing to let the city crumble just yet, though. Juggler and Modius have hit upon a scheme to revitalize the city’s importance for Kindred, though each wishes to claim the credit (and the rewards) for this renewal. While they snipe and strike at one another like two starving wolves fighting for the last scrap of meat on the carcass, the Giovanni Maria DiMatto seizes her chance.

Our tale will open in March of 2019. Our coterie are young vampires, newly Embraced and residing in Gary, whether they were Embraced there or simply made their way there fleeing stronger vampires from places like nearby Chicago.

- (Credit for this text, edited where necessary, goes to the ‘Dust to Dust’ book for a prior edition of Vampire; I am adapting Dust to Dust to V5)

You know how to make me feel all alone,
but when I’m underneath your teeth
it feels just like home.

- from 'Guest Room' by Echoes

- You will need a copy of the 5th edition of Vampire the Masquerade core rulebook.

- Patience! I've only done a test solo or two for V5 on E. I'm relatively new to Storytelling the 5th edition, though I have prolific experience with prior editions. I have done one RL group with it now, which is helping me get a handle on things, but I am still learning! In addition, my posting rate can best be described as ‘unpredictable.’ Some days I may post many times. Sometimes I might go two weeks without a post.

- A willingness to write with anyone regardless of their gender tag, including erotica scenes. You should be okay with Lords writing female characters, Ladies writing male characters, Lieges writing non-trans characters, and Legates writing whatever.

- This is a system game, so expect character sheets and dice rolling! You will need to want to play with dice to play this!

- A tolerance for posting lengths of all sorts. System games tend to struggle when locked into a posting length minimum, so if you are not okay with the occasional short post, you might not like gaming with me! That being said, sometimes I write very long posts. Generally speaking, you should be okay reading what pops up and writing what makes you feel comfortable...and for all players to be able to do the same.

- You will need to love the exploration of personal horror, vampires, and subtle politicking. You will need to love exploring the difficulty of maintaining your personal ethics in the face of being a monster. Expect in-character drama with a chill and fun out-of-character gaming environment! :)

- You will need to have a willingness to reach out to other writers as needed when you have ideas or want to write something.

- You will need to have a willingness to ask questions if you aren't sure about something or if you think there's a mistake somewhere!

- You will need to want to game on-site; this game will take place on Elliquiy and be a play-by-post game. I will not have any off-site methods of chatting about the game either, so no special Discord servers or such for the game. It's my hope players will not be shy using the on-site OOC thread.

- You will need to be okay with LGBTQA+ friendly content! Cisgender & heterosexual characters welcome, too, of course. You also need to be okay with racial diversity among characters.

- You will need to be comfortable with a group that will go in the Extreme Small Groups section. You will never be asked to participate in kink content you do not like. Sexual content, if the game comes to that, will be kept to it's own side thread, and players will be required to use post tagging/trigger warnings for anything above light bondage. That being said, if you have an issue with blood or vampire disciplines that can affect the mind of yours or other characters, you may struggle in this game & it might not be for you.

[Blythe]

Your pearly white skin.
Your perfect death grin.
Your voice that’s flowing in the wind...

- from 'Moonlight' by Kuoga

• Playable Clans are: Ventrue, Toreador, Tremere, Nosferatu, Malkavian, Brujah, Gangrel, Caitiff, and Thin-Blood. (Upon request, I may consider Ministry or Banu Haqim characters, but you will need a very good rationale for those)
  
• Create a character as per the character creation rules on pg. 136 of the V5 Core Rulebook.
  
• Your coterie are 'childer' from the Sea of Time option, as per the rulebook.
  
• Chronicle Tenets

  Gothic/Romantic
  
  * Never deny true love
  * The guilty should suffer
  * Uphold the norms of decent society.
  are in the character sheet pre-filled out; leave them in; that part is already done for you!
  
• Regarding Sires—for whatever reason, your Sires are not in the picture right now. Feel free to envision them however you want, so long as they aren’t around right now.
  
• Instead of creating a detailed character history like many games call for, I'm not going to require that in any strict fashion for this game. Instead, I do require that you have an Ons and Offs thread as a player so prospective fellow players know for sure what you aren't into. And I would welcome a little blurb about your character’s general personality. Don’t worry; you will be able to build some backstory as we play!
  
• Your characters will begin the chronicle ‘unaligned.’ You aren’t exactly proper Anarchs, but you don’t have Camarilla membership either. The chronicle may affect this later!
  
• Do not try to do 'coterie creation' steps yet (you may have spotted those later in the book). We'll get to that once I select players for the game later.
  
  
  Character Sheet Template

  
  Name:
  Player:
  Chronicle: Dust to Dust
  
  Concept:
  Ambition:
  Predator:
  
  Sire:
  Clan:
  Clan Bane:
  Generation:
  
  

  Attributes

  
  Physical
  Strength:
  Dexterity:
  Stamina:
  
  Social
  Charisma:
  Manipulation:
  Composure:
  
  Mental
  Intelligence:
  Wits:
  Resolve:
  

  
  
  

  Skills

  
  Athletics:
  Brawl:
  Craft:
  Drive:
  Firearms:
  Melee:
  Larceny:
  Stealth:
  Survival:
  
  Animal Ken:
  Etiquette:
  Insight:
  Intimidation:
  Leadership:
  Performance:
  Persuasion:
  Streetwise:
  Subterfuge:
  
  Academics:
  Awareness:
  Finance:
  Investigation:
  Medicine:
  Occult:
  Politics:
  Science:
  Technology:
  

  
  
  

  Disciplines

  
  List disciplines with their total ratings here and what specific powers you selected during character creation.

  
  
  

  Backgrounds, Merits, and Flaws

  
  List Backgrounds, Merits, and Flaws here. Make sure you note how many dots you took in those respective areas.

  
  
  

  Touchstones & Convictions

  
  List your touchstones and convictions here. You do not need to be especially detailed here; we can build more on this in play.

  
  
  

  Chronicle Tenets

  
  The Storyteller has set the following to be the Chronicle Tenets.
  
  Gothic/Romantic
  
  * Never deny true love
  * The guilty should suffer
  * Uphold the norms of decent society.
  

  
  
  

  Blood Potency

  
  (You can find the chart for these values for your Generation/Potency on pg. 216 of the core rulebook)
  
  Blood Potency:
  Blood Surge:
  Mend Amount:
  Power Bonus:
  Rouse Re-roll:
  Feeding Penalty:
  Bane Severity:

  
  
  

  Biographical Data

  
  True Age:
  Apparent Age:
  Date of Birth:
  Date of Death:
  Appearance:
  Distinguishing Features:

  
  
  Health:
  Willpower:
  Humanity:
  
  Total Experience:
  Spent Experience:
  
  
  
  
  Click 'select' and you can copy the sheet; this will let you easily grab the format to fill it out.
  
  

  Code Select Expand

  [b]Name:[/b]
[b]Player:[/b]
[b]Chronicle:[/b] Dust to Dust

[b]Concept:[/b]
[b]Ambition:[/b]
[b]Predator:[/b]

[b]Sire:[/b]
[b]Clan:[/b]
[b]Clan Bane:[/b]
[b]Generation:[/b]

[spoiler=Attributes]
[b]Physical[/b]
[i]Strength:[/i]
[i]Dexterity:[/i]
[i]Stamina:[/i]

[b]Social[/b]
[i]Charisma:[/i]
[i]Manipulation:[/i]
[i]Composure:[/i]

[b]Mental[/b]
[i]Intelligence: [/i]
[i]Wits:[/i]
[i]Resolve: [/i]
[/spoiler]


[spoiler=Skills]
[i]Athletics: [/i]
[i]Brawl: [/i]
[i]Craft: [/i]
[i]Drive: [/i]
[i]Firearms: [/i]
[i]Melee: [/i]
[i]Larceny: [/i]
[i]Stealth: [/i]
[i]Survival: [/i]

[i]Animal Ken: [/i]
[i]Etiquette: [/i]
[i]Insight: [/i]
[i]Intimidation: [/i]
[i]Leadership: [/i]
[i]Performance: [/i]
[i]Persuasion: [/i]
[i]Streetwise: [/i]
[i]Subterfuge: [/i]

[i]Academics: [/i]
[i]Awareness: [/i]
[i]Finance: [/i]
[i]Investigation: [/i]
[i]Medicine: [/i]
[i]Occult: [/i]
[i]Politics: [/i]
[i]Science: [/i]
[i]Technology: [/i]
[/spoiler]


[spoiler=Disciplines]
List disciplines with their total ratings here and what specific powers you selected during character creation.[/spoiler]


[spoiler=Backgrounds, Merits, and Flaws]
List Backgrounds, Merits, and Flaws here. Make sure you note how many dots you took in those respective areas.[/spoiler]


[spoiler=Touchstones & Convictions]
List your touchstones and convictions here. You do not need to be especially detailed here; we can build more on this in play.[/spoiler]


[spoiler=Chronicle Tenets]
The Storyteller has set the following to be the Chronicle Tenets.

[u][b]Gothic/Romantic[/b][/u]

* Never deny true love
* The guilty should suffer
* Uphold the norms of decent society.
[/spoiler]


[spoiler=Blood Potency]
(You can find the chart for these values for your Generation/Potency on pg. 216 of the core rulebook)

[i]Blood Potency:[/i]
[i]Blood Surge: [/i]
[i]Mend Amount: [/i]
[i]Power Bonus: [/i]
[i]Rouse Re-roll:[/i]
[i]Feeding Penalty: [/i]
[i]Bane Severity:[/i] [/spoiler]


[spoiler=Biographical Data]
[i]True Age:[/i]
[i]Apparent Age:[/i]
[i]Date of Birth:[/i]
[i]Date of Death: [/i]
[i]Appearance: [/i]
[i]Distinguishing Features:[/i] [/spoiler]


[b]Health: [/b]
[b]Willpower: [/b]
[b]Humanity:[/b]

[b]Total Experience:[/b]

[Blythe]

Alrighty, that's everything potential players would need to know--post here if interested. You can ask questions here and submit possible character sheets here. I strongly prefer sheets submitted to the interest check rather than via PMs; I would like players to be able to see what others are wanting to play, assuming this gets any interest. :)

[AndyZ]

Keeping an eye on this.

[Kye]

*is very interested* 

No surprise there, I'm interested in pretty much anything you run. 

[Rummy Tum Tum]

I'm always down

[dicequeer]

This seems cool. I've never had the chance to play vtm before. Is there anything I need to do?

[Blythe]

Oh wow, hi folks, thank you all for the rather quick interest. ^^:

This seems cool. I've never had the chance to play vtm before. Is there anything I need to do?

Howdy! You'll need the rulebook to play--a legal link is in the 1st post. What you'd need to do is create a character sheet! The rulebook explains how to do this (and there's a template you can use on the E forums in my second post!), but the very first steps will be getting a very vague general idea of what sort of person they were just before their Embrace (Former gangster? Diva and model? Homeless college grad? Successful business owner? You don't need a backstory--but that little concept idea helps), and then you pick your character's Clan out. From there, you move into building their sheet! I can help you learn how to create your character step by step if need be. :)

[dicequeer]

Howdy! You'll need the rulebook to play--a legal link is in the 1st post. What you'd need to do is create a character sheet! The rulebook explains how to do this (and there's a template you can use on the E forums in my second post!), but the very first steps will be getting a very vague general idea of what sort of person they were just before their Embrace (Former gangster? Diva and model? Homeless college grad? Successful business owner? You don't need a backstory--but that little concept idea helps), and then you pick your character's Clan out. From there, you move into building their sheet! I can help you learn how to create your character step by step if need be. :)

Okay, I can get to work on that what should I do with it once I'm done?

[Blythe]

Okay, I can get to work on that what should I do with it once I'm done?

You can post what you have here in this thread when you are done! ^^

[LSWSjr]

Big fan of the video games (VtM: Redemption & Bloodlines and HtR: Wayward), so consider me buying the rules and working on an app :)

Cheers
Rowan/LSWSjr

[Blythe]

Hey there and welcome! The cool thing about V5 is some of the videogame lore from Bloodlines (some, not all) became canon in this edition. :)

Looking forward to seeing what everyone makes! If you aren't sure what to play, folks, feel free to bat around ideas here in the interest check!

[clonkertink]

So... I've never actually played in a Vampire game. I got the V20 edition of Bundle of Holding, and the universe has always intrigued me. I just never got anything off the ground.

So I'm gonna go grab that 5th edition book real quick, and see about whipping something up. Probably Toreador, because I am a big ol' schmoop.

Also, "Play Vampire with Bly" has been on my Elliquiy bucket list for aaaaages.

[Hades]

Imma peeking in just keep an eye on this so I can watch it as the game unfolds.  From my rocking chair..while holding a 3rd Ed. book....yelling at caitiff to get off my lawn.   >.>  <.<

[Xunthrae]

Posting my interest. I'll be thinking up someone right quick! haha

[Rummy Tum Tum]

I'm thinking of making a guy who joined or grew up in a cult run by a vampire. The purpose of the cult? Recruit/grow and brainwash servants and worshippers, then embrace a number of them as fodder to help overthrow a Prince.

It failed, and my character had to flee

[Blythe]

Welcome to those expressing interest!

And Rummy, that would work out well. Gives the character a good reason to be in Gary, Indiana right now as well as motivation to stay there for now. So the concept could be summed up as 'Runaway Blood Cultist'?

[Rummy Tum Tum]

Lol that sounds just right

[dicequeer]

You can post what you have here in this thread when you are done! ^^

I was thinking about playing a child star who's career never progressed past there. I was thinking of a malkavian, but am a little worried about playing it respectfully and seriously.

[Blythe]

I was thinking about playing a child star who's career never progressed past there. I was thinking of a malkavian, but am a little worried about playing it respectfully and seriously.

A now-adult who used to be a star when younger could be pretty cool, and I think that sort of person winding up in Gary, Indiana makes sense--smaller city for a now not-so-famous life! As for playing a Malkavian--if that is what you want to play, play one. I generally find that those who mention worrying about playing them respectfully generally do play them just fine. 

[dicequeer]

A now-adult who used to be a star when younger could be pretty cool, and I think that sort of person winding up in Gary, Indiana makes sense--smaller city for a now not-so-famous life! As for playing a Malkavian--if that is what you want to play, play one. I generally find that those who mention worrying about playing them respectfully generally do play them just fine. 

Okay sounds good! I'll work on my character tonight.

[LSWSjr]

I was thinking about playing a child star who's career never progressed past there. I was thinking of a malkavian, but am a little worried about playing it respectfully and seriously.

I'm actually working on something similar, an Australian take on Guy Fieri, as a malkavian with the Eat Food merit who believes he gains insight from the things he consumes.

Edit: Maybe the characters worked together (at some point)?

Cheers
Rowan/LSWSjr

[Xunthrae]

Here's my kindred, i hope you like him!

Hasan Adib, Toreador Thief on the Run

Name: Hasan Adib
Player: Xunthrae
Chronicle: Dust to Dust

Concept: Thief on the Run
Ambition: Find a place to stop running
Predator: Bagger

Sire: (TBD)
Clan: Toreador
Clan Bane: Obsession
Generation: 12

Attributes

Physical
Strength: *
Dexterity: ****
Stamina: **

Social
Charisma: **
Manipulation: ***
Composure: ***

Mental
Intelligence: **
Wits: ***
Resolve: **

Skills

Athletics: **
Brawl:
Craft:
Drive:
Firearms:
Melee: **
Larceny: **** (Pick pocketing)(Lock-picking)
Stealth: ***
Survival:

Animal Ken:
Etiquette:
Insight: *
Intimidation:
Leadership:
Performance:
Persuasion: *
Streetwise: **
Subterfuge: ***

Academics:
Awareness: ***
Finance:
Investigation:
Medicine:
Occult:
Politics: *
Science:
Technology:

Disciplines

List disciplines with their total ratings here and what specific powers you selected during character creation.
Celerity **
-Rapid Reflexes
-Fleetness
Auspex*
-Heightened Senses
Obfuscate*
-Silence of Death

Backgrounds, Merits, and Flaws

Merits:
**Attractive
***-Iron Gullet(From Bagger)
Background
*Mask
*Status
*Resources(Works nights at a local dive bar, while laying low)
2* left

Flaws
**-Enemy(From Bagger)-
*No Haven
*Adversary

Touchstones & Convictions

Conviction-
(un)Life is hard, don’t be a dick to people who don’t deserve it.

Thieving is a way of life

Touchstone:
Danny Carmichael, (47)- Owns the “Last Man Standing” a cozy bar with comfortable decor and friendly atmosphere.

Benjamin (Ben) Hill, (19)- Caught him breaking into the Last Man Standing’s back room to steal some alcohol. Let him go with a bottle and said, don’t get caught next time. Hasan helps him out on occasion, and even giving a tip or two.

Chronicle Tenets

The Storyteller has set the following to be the Chronicle Tenets:

Gothic/Romantic

* Never deny true love
* The guilty should suffer
* Uphold the norms of decent society.

Blood Potency

(You can find the chart for these values for your Generation/Potency on pg. 216 of the core rulebook)
Blood Potency: 1
Blood Surge: +1 die
Mend Amount: 1 superficial
Power Bonus: None
Rouse Re-roll: Level 1
Feeding Penalty: No penalty
Bane Severity: 1

Biographical Data

True Age: 26
Apparent Age: 26
Date of Birth: December 6th, 1992
Date of Death: January 26th, 2019
Appearance: He has naturally tanned skin, short curly black hair, and a lithe, runners build.
Distinguishing Features:

Health: 5
Willpower: 5
Humanity: 7

Total Experience:

I haven't quite figured out his convictions/touchstones yet, but i figured i should still post it to get some feedback.

[LSWSjr]

And here's our Australian Guy Fieri

Character Application

Name: Croydon Tritton
Player: LSWSjr
Chronicle: Dust to Dust

Concept: TV Show Host
Ambition: Protect and provide for his estranged children
Predator: Osiris

Sire: TDB
Clan: Malkavian
Clan Bane: TBD
Generation: 12th

Attributes

Physical
Strength: ooo
Dexterity: oo
Stamina: oo

Social
Charisma: ooo
Manipulation: ooo
Composure: oo

Mental
Intelligence: oo
Wits: oooo
Resolve: o

Skills

Physical Skills
Athletics: o
Brawl: oo
Craft: o (Cooking)
Drive: oo
Firearms: o
Larceny:
Melee: o
Stealth:
Survival:

Social Skills
Animal Ken: o
Etiquette:
Insight: oo
Intimidation: o
Leadership: oo (Inspiration)
Performance: ooo (Food Critique, TV Hosting)
Persuasion: oo
Streetwise:
Subterfuge: oo

Mental Skills
Academics: o (Journalism)
Awareness: oo
Finance: o
Investigation: oo
Medicine: o
Occult:
Politics:
Science:
Technology: o

Disciplines

Dominate: o (Cloud Memory)
Obfuscate: oo (Silence of Death, Unseen Passage)
Presence: o (Awe)

Backgrounds, Merits, and Flaws

Eat Food: oo
Enemies: -oo
Fame: oo
Herd: o
Influence: oo
Prey Exclusion (Homeless): -o
Resources: ooo
Stalkers: -o

Touchstones & Convictions

Touchstones
* Daughters, Zoe Tritton (11) and Rose Tritton (7)
* Manager, Barney Stoklasa (46)
* Wikia Owner, Martin ‘BeefMaster99’ Hancock (20)

Convictions
* Always give fans a moment of attention
* Death to kine who prey on children
* Don’t be a hypocrite

Chronicle Tenets

Gothic/Romantic
* Never deny true love
* The guilty should suffer
* Uphold the norms of decent society.

Blood Potency

Blood Potency: 1
Blood Surge: Add 1 die
Mend Amount: 1 point of Superficial damage
Power Bonus: None
Rouse Re-roll: Level 1
Bane Severity: 1
Feeding Penalty: No effect

Biographical Data

True Age: 35
Apparent Age: 30’s
Date of Birth: 21st January 1984
Date of Death: 7th of August 2018
Appearance: 6’5” with a stocky ‘bear’ body, hazel eyes, with short brown hair and a beard
Distinguishing Features: Numerous scars from cuts and burns on both hands

Health: 5
Willpower: 3
Humanity: 8

Total Experience: 0
Spent Experience: 0

Still need to determine the specifics of his clan bane and sire.

Cheers
Rowan/LSWSjr

[Blythe]

Sheets are looking good so far, though I need to look over them in more detail when I'm awake later. Super excited to see them sheets!

I like where you're going with Hasan so far, Xunthrae! That 'No Haven' Flaw dovetails really nicely with your Ambition, too; I'm very fond of how you chose to handle that. Touchstones may be a little tricky; I might suggest mortals Hasan has met in his first couple of days in Gary, Indiana, perhaps? Or maybe one of his touchstones, since you mention him being a thief on the run, might be someone he's stolen from....or a police officer who has tracked him down to Gary. 

Real quick though--LSWSJr, I might suggest you change the Prey Exclusion. Due to E's rules and the nature of vampire feeding in VtM, I'm really never going to put players in a position where their characters would feed on children, so that particular trait as it is won't actually be a proper Flaw for this particular game. I'd suggest a different class of mortal for a Prey Exclusion, that way the effects of the Flaw will be felt in-game. (Might I suggest something like 'fathers' or 'mothers' as the Exclusion instead? That way you will feel the effect of the Flaw but still have something that seems to match the protective tone you want for Croydon!  )



As a note, more than 4 people have expressed interest--this does mean if everyone submits a sheet, I will not be able to take everyone since I'm looking for roughly 4 players (might take 5 depending on circumstances, but definitely won't take more than 5). At the moment, I have no solid selection idea for players and will wait to see all potential sheets before making any final selections. I just wanted to let folks know that! ^^: