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

they are vampires violate the most important taboo of Kindred society and set up themselves
and their loved ones for a potentially deadly confl ict. So do any characters who try to change
the nature of Kindred society itself, or at least the current regime of the city’s vampires.
• Kindred vs. Mortal World: The Kindred defend the Masquerade with such zeal because
they know that in a concerted war between Kindred and kine, the mortals would easily win.
Kindred power depends on mortals not knowing how the undead manipulate their lives.
Therefore, the Masquerade imposes serious restraints on a coterie’s actions. Sure, maybe a
group of Kindred can use its supernatural powers to subvert, work around or kill any mortal
who gets in its way… but every use of supernatural power is potentially a Masquerade breach
that its members must cover up later.
Some mortals do know the Kindred exist, and hunt them. Some of these people support the
Masquerade in order to preserve their own secrets, to prevent panic or to prevent a far more dangerous
fascination with the power of the undead. Other vampire-hunters simply lack credibility in
the public eye. All sorts of vampire-hunters pose an obvious threat to the unlives of any Kindred
they encounter. Hunters who want to expose the existence of the Kindred present a further challenge,
in that characters must discredit or silence them as well as survive their attacks.
The most gripping confl icts, however, arise when Kindred come into confl ict with the mortals
they once loved. How do you explain to your parents, your best friend or your spouse that
you are worse than dead? How do they react if they discover what a monster you have become?
When it comes to mortal loved ones, the options for Kindred range from bad to worse.
• Kindred vs. Other Supernatural Creatures: The Kindred share the World of Darkness
with a variety of other supernatural creatures. They know that ghosts, Lupines and mortal
mages exist. Dubious rumors tell of everything from elves to demons to creatures of pure
nightmare. Very few Kindred actually meet other supernaturals, and most would like to
keep it that way. Now and then, however, Kindred fi nd themselves challenged by encounters
with other dwellers in the hidden world. Sometimes the challenge consists of surviving and
escaping the encounter (the usual course with Lupines). Sometimes the challenge consists
of recognizing the very existence of a supernatural force, fi guring out its powers and motives
and carefully working out boundaries that both sides can respect.
DEVELOPING THE STORY
You have an idea for your story; you know which players’ characters and Storyteller characters
will be involved; you’ve decided what challenge or confl ict the characters will face. Now it’s
time to plan the structure of the story and block out possible scenes. Most importantly, you
need to fi gure out why the characters get involved.
CHARACTER HOOKS
“Hooks” are story jargon for factors that draw a character into a plot. In some games, the
players readily accept that their job is to throw their characters into whatever situation is
presented for them, but a Storytelling game demands a little more attention to the characters’
motivation. Kindred don’t go haring about, possibly risking their unlives, because some mysterious
sixth sense tells them a story has begun. As a Storyteller, however, you possess a vast
arsenal of ways to draw characters into stories. Here are some of the more common sorts:
• The Carrot: A character sees a chance to get something she wants. This might be anything
from blackmail information about a Priscus to meeting her favorite writer at a bookstore
signing. The character tries to acquire what she wants, so she places herself in the middle
of the story as it begins. For instance, the person who has the blackmail information wants
$10,000 in return, which the character doesn’t have; a fan who’s a mage also comes to the
bookstore, and realizes the character is a vampire.
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mind’s chapter eye four: theatre: storytelling requiem