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

One idea of how to do so is to arrange for smaller sessions during downtime,
whether it’s as important or a private clan meeting or as intimate as playing out
the nightly interaction a character has with the humans around her. These smaller
sessions offer a chance for characters to get some spotlight time for themselves, but
it also allows a Storyteller to get up close and personal. Read over your notes on a
character’s background, and look for elements that can be used to contrast what the
character has become as opposed to what he once was. These events should never
feel as though they are being forced on the player; they should play out as normal
responses to events that have taken place in the chronicle or that were set up in a
character’s history.
Perhaps an old friend recognizes the character as he visits one of his contacts,
who happens to live near the neighborhood in which the character grew up. Or a
bereaved relative catches a glimpse of the character at a family funeral and attempts
to follow him. If these examples seem a bit too direct or heavy-handed, feel free to
try something a bit more metaphorical or symbolic. For instance, a character might
run into a mortal who is much like he might have become had his sire not found
him, providing a glimpse of the road not taken. Or an elder who discovers that her
old family estate is about to be torn down might work to save it out of pure vanity,
only to fi nd herself confronted with sunny childhood memories that haven’t surfaced
in centuries.
Regardless, do your best to really bring home the concept that these characters were
once part of something natural and living, even if they never really realized it before.
Even if you only do so for a particular character once in the course of a chronicle, that
once will be more than enough if it’s memorable and well executed.
MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE
In the World of Darkness, few people, Kindred or kine, are entirely what they seem at fi rst
glance or seek exactly the goals they say they do. Much is hidden, whether because it’s criminal,
shameful or just because someone wants an edge by deceiving the people around him.
So never show the characters everything that’s going on. Keep them guessing through plot
twists, betrayals, hidden complications and surprising revelations.
Running an actual mystery story presents challenges to Storytellers as well as players,
though. Your players might not know how to look for clues, gather testimony and construct
a chain of reasoning and evidence. As the Storyteller, you need to make an extra effort to
give the characters leads so the stumped players don’t just sit around in frustration, spinning
theories without knowing how to check them. Know your players: If you have a group of
Agatha Christie fans, feel free to present them with challenges to their logic and insight. If
they prefer the Mike Hammer approach, make the deceptions a bit less cunning and ensure
that the characters can fi nd the answer if they show the determination to follow one lead
to the next.
Intrigue among the Kindred demands discretion, too. If the characters feel they cannot
trust anyone, you have overdone the hidden agendas and betrayals. After all, a betrayal only
becomes shocking when trust existed before. Before one character’s treachery can outrage
another, the fi rst character must have shown faith in other matters, so the reversal comes
as a genuine surprise. An excess of hidden agendas can also convince players that they can
never predict anyone’s motives or actions. In the most extreme case, the Storyteller characters
become “plot-bots” whose only motive seems to be to do whatever the Storyteller wants at
the moment, with no regard for any sort of consistency. One moment a character helps the
coterie, the next he’s screwing it over for no apparent reason. Make sure your Storyteller
characters have consistent motives in the various intrigues, even if those motives have more
than one layer.
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mind’s chapter eye four: theatre: storytelling requiem