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

chapter one: society troubleshooting
of the damned 357
is all that is holding back the savage hordes at the gates, certain players can’t overlook the
chance to take down the establishment. It can be very diffi cult for players born and raised
in free democratic societies founded on individual freedoms to get into the very neofeudal
mindset of the Danse Macabre. Most players are not used to being given orders or expected
to show deference to someone they don’t like, and it becomes even harder when the person
playing the character giving orders is just another one of the gang out of game. While there
are certainly rebellious and insubordinate characters, most of the time it’s relatively easy to
tell the difference between when the character is rebelling against an unjust order and when
it’s simply the player out to cause trouble.
While many Princes and Kindred rulers are complete bastards, this is by no means the rule.
And even if they are, often their best interests are tied into the best interests of those other
vampires in their city. Given the choice, most Kindred would rather have a strong Prince who
rules with a heavy hand but keeps the domain pacifi ed and the territories clearly defi ned,
as opposed to a Prince who’s everybody’s friend if he cannot keep the peace or protect the
borders. Therefore, keeping a strong Prince in power might require characters to swallow their
pride from time to time or endure what they consider to be petty commands. Some players
still might not see the wisdom in this. They will look toward political leaders as sources of
antagonism. They do not understand that Kindred society is not the democracy that so many
people enjoy. It is an Old World rule, where might makes right. This offends the sensibilities
of some players who will use it as an excuse to challenge authority at every turn.
Remember to inform your players that outright murder and open treachery in vampire society
comes with a harsh punishment, especially if the accused is a known troublemaker and rabblerouser.
Princes are in their positions because they earned them, usually by fi ghting off all other
takers (one way or another). Point out to them that sometimes working within the system is much
more productive for vampires than constantly moving upstream. The Prince has a target painted
on his chest, so why not just let a Prince stand out there and take the bullets of public opinion
and assassination attempts, while the disgruntled characters work in the shadows to complete their
goal? After all, the Prince’s eyes can’t be everywhere at once. If a character makes himself a nuisance
— or worse, loudly marks himself a threat — then that Prince’s attention will focus squarely upon
him. It’s often better just to keep a low profi le in Kindred society. You don’t get the perks that
come with offi ces, but you don’t attract the same attention, and you can often accomplish quite a
bit that way. If players continue to insist on mindlessly attacking the establishment, then feel free
to allow them to get what’s coming to them as the reward for their character’s rash actions.
Although it has received relatively little attention so far, it should be noted that sometimes
players whose characters mindlessly attack the establishment really do have a legitimate gripe.
Namely that they feel some players are abusing their in-game powers to ruin other players’
fun. This is worth checking out, in the interest of fairness if nothing else. Remind everyone
that while Kindred society is not designed to be fair, that doesn’t mean those players have free
reign to take their power out of game and otherwise treat fellow players badly. It also doesn’t
mean that a character should start taking actions just because the player feels another player
needs to be taught a lesson. All actions taken in game should be based on roleplaying and a
character’s goals and motivations.
For more on titles, Status systems and positions, see Appendix Two: The Danse Macabre.
CLANS AS CONCEPTS:
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WHAT DO I DO? I SAID I’M A DAEVA.”
The Requiem’s mythos allows for an incredibly wide variety of characters for a player to
portray. There are many choices to be found amongst the clans, bloodlines and covenants