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

chapter one: society troubleshooting
of the damned 355
cally minded characters, some of them grow frustrated upon fi nding themselves on the short
end of the stick following one particularly nasty intrigue. Or it might be that they don’t feel
comfortable exploring the nature of characters of questionable morals. Some players might
not be able to easily distinguish the line between what the characters are doing and what the
players intend, and start taking out-of-game offense at in-game plots and tricks.
If your chronicle prominently features political and social scenarios that pit group against
group, character against character, your players should be warned about the underlying social
drama and cutthroat attitudes of the game. Players should be encouraged to have a healthy
attitude toward this from the get go. Promote an attitude of more cheerful thoughts that
separate character and player attitudes (“Good move — your character got mine this time,
but she’ll be back!”) as opposed to more negative ones or attitudes that don’t draw any clear
distinction between the two. While you might not be able to expect complete good will at
all times, a clear line should always be drawn between what characters do, and what players’
feelings are. As long as players remember that distinction, they can have more fun and focus
on building a great story as opposed to personal vendettas.
If one or two players have problems with this aspect of the game later in the chronicle,
talk to them about it. Maybe they have a legitimate reason to be concerned, like they feel an
in-game incident was actually based on some out-of-game hard feelings and don’t know what
to do about it. Or perhaps the majority of your players fi nd too much intrigue distasteful,
and your game isn’t suiting their preferences overall and might need to change direction.
Discuss such concerns with your players, and see if a compromise can be reached. It’s only a
game after all, and it’s designed for the enjoyment of everyone involved.
Chronicles that involve players who normally do not get to socialize often out of game are particularly
prone to these kinds of feelings, simply because the players don’t know each other well
enough to separate in-character behavior from out-of-character intentions. In such chronicles,
it might be a worthy investment to arrange for occasional social gatherings or group activities
outside of the game itself, so that the players can get to know one another. Even a troupe of
friends can benefi t from this kind of “collective decompression” from time to time, as The
Requiem can stir up some very fi erce, competitive feelings that might need to be bled off.
BLOODLINE MANIA:
“EVERYONE HERE BELONGS TO A DIFFERENT BLOODLINE!”
The bloodlines are intended to allow players a certain degree of variety when creating
their characters, but these types of characters are meant to be fairly rare. Bloodlines are not
highly populous, and they often have to struggle to fi nd their place in Kindred society. Yet
sometimes you and the rest of your Storytelling staff will be approached by players who all
want their characters to be from different bloodlines. If you grant them all your approval,
almost no one will be left from the regular parent clans.
Before you say yes to anyone, however, it’s generally best to fi nd out exactly why the players
want to play bloodlines in the fi rst place. Sometimes several players want to play something
they feel is outside the norm and the easiest way they see to accomplish this is to play something
unique. Alternatively, they might want to avoid stereotypes or want their character to
be viewed as “special.” It must be understood, however, that these bloodlines are rare and
have little power on their own.
Encourage players to seek their roleplaying from the established clans; by contrast, bloodlines
are best used in the hands of experienced players who can be trusted to handle the
increased roleplaying demands of these unique Kindred families. Players should not need
a bloodline to make a character complete. In the end, characters are not defi ned purely by