Mind's Eye Theatre - Vampire The Requiem.pdf - RoseRed

chapter one: society personas of the •setting
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It’s always tempting to gloss over a character’s background and “get on with the plot,” so
the game can begin. Some players also feel reluctant to develop social or emotional connections
for their character, out of fear that those connections may be turned against them. To
be human, however, involves contact with other people. The struggle to hold onto a fading
humanity loses much of its poignancy and horror if no one else cares what happens to the
character, and she doesn’t care what happens to anyone else.
Also, as a Storyteller, you should fi nd a careful balance between keeping your players’
characters involved in the story and showing too much favoritism. In the example mentioned
before, if your story focuses around the events of the local branch of the FBI then the character
with the background in that organization may seem to be getting too much attention. The
story may seem to be focusing too much on his background alone, and other players may be
resentful of such direct attention being given to just one player. There are a lot of voices in
your game, though, so don’t focus on just one or two.
As a Storyteller, do your best to spread the attention to backgrounds as evenly as possible.
Or connect certain backgrounds so that multiple players can be involved. Rely on your Narrator
staff to assist you in keeping track of everything that is going to be involved. Or perhaps
assign specifi c staff members to keep an eye on the activities of certain coteries so everyone
involved in the sessions can have a chance to shine.
ONE COVENANT OR CLAN?
You might ask your players if they want to use the full range of clans. A chronicle
in which the coterie draws members from any clan provides the “default setting”
for The Requiem, but coteries in which everyone belongs to the same clan have their
own points of interest. The same goes for covenants: A coterie can have members
from more than one covenant, if that’s what the players want, but a coterie that stays
within one covenant has possibilities too.
For one thing, it allows you and a Storyteller an easy explanation for why the
characters came together and stay together. The players’ characters may be all the
neonates of that clan or covenant in the city, drawn together by shared inexperience
or pushed together by clan or covenant superiors who want them all in one group.
For instance, a coterie could consist of reclusive Ordo Dracul members who’ve formed
their own lodge to share their occult knowledge and collectively bargain with other
aspirants for tuition, or young Gangrel broodmates striving to wrest recognition of
their independence from hoary and corrupt elders of the covenants. It might even
serve as a mystery. Perhaps the characters all awake from their Embrace at the same
time, with no trace of the vampire who created them to be found. This is a departure
from the standard chronicle setting, but it provides an excellent reason for the players
to cooperate — at least in the beginning.
A coterie based on a single clan or covenant also gives your players a chance to delve
into the inner workings of that particular group and explore the range of possibilities
it holds. How many ways can one challenge the social order as a Carthian? How many
ways can one seek power as a Ventrue?
A limited coterie may also help players who have trouble deciding on a character
concept, and helps players to get away from just the statistics of a character. Simply
saying, “Make a character” can overwhelm some players — the possibilities might
seem too wide. “Make a Daeva” or “Make an Invictus character” might help such
players, by giving them a clear point at which to begin.
SETTING
Where will you set your chronicle? Predators in nature follow the trail of their prey and
vampires are no different. The Kindred usually dwell in cities. The larger the city, then the