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All I remember from my deep read of the Ascension book on Asia was that the Asian technocrats had liquid metal tigers that turned into vending machines as hunter-killer agents and were really confused why they kept getting torn apart by Paradox.
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Jul 30, 2022 20:47
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Seems like the V20 stuff treat a lot of that book as dumn misunderstanding due to Orientalism. Probably the right call. I remember the Dalou'laoshi being the Chinese Artificers, with their own history and stuff. I wanted more stuff on them since they got only a couple paragraphs in the Order of Reason book.
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Jul 30, 2022 20:59
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Mors Rattus posted:All I remember from my deep read of the Ascension book on Asia was that the Asian technocrats had liquid metal tigers that turned into vending machines as hunter-killer agents and were really confused why they kept getting torn apart by Paradox. That's stupid, you turn vending machines into motorcycles, not killer robots. Totally different Rider seasons FFS.
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Jul 30, 2022 21:05
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Mors Rattus posted:All I remember from my deep read of the Ascension book on Asia was that the Asian technocrats had liquid metal tigers that turned into vending machines as hunter-killer agents and were really confused why they kept getting torn apart by Paradox.  I don't know why I'm concerning myself with all this metaphysics my players will not care one bit about. This is the content I actually need for running Mage games
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Jul 30, 2022 21:17
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MonsieurChoc posted:Seems like the V20 stuff treat a lot of that book as dumn misunderstanding due to Orientalism. Probably the right call. Everything about oWoD "... of the East" poo poo was straight up Orientalism. Even mainline poo poo was, like the Ravnos (and all their loving castes) and the Akashic brotherhood, etc etc. It was super gross. That said, the The Thousand Hells was a fun book in terms of concept.
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Jul 30, 2022 21:38
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Omnicrom posted:That's stupid, you turn vending machines into motorcycles, not killer robots. Totally different Rider seasons FFS. 
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Jul 30, 2022 21:43
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I get some real iffy vibes from 'the (((Marxists))) are really running everything and are the reason why we're poor and miserable and I can't get a girlfriend'.
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Jul 31, 2022 05:44
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Ghost Leviathan posted:I get some real iffy vibes from 'the (((Marxists))) are really running everything and are the reason why we're poor and miserable and I can't get a girlfriend'. Works just as well with '(((Globalists)))' or '(((Bankers)))' or whatever. Every "X is secretly controlling Y" is related to old anti-Semitic tropes, it's just a matter of degrees.
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Jul 31, 2022 06:13
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Ghost Leviathan posted:I get some real iffy vibes from 'the (((Marxists))) are really running everything and are the reason why we're poor and miserable and I can't get a girlfriend'. lol iffy? Mage is basically 40% Jewish mysticism and steriotypes, it's part of almost every faction. Check out the new Book of the Fallen where the Nephandi are kabbalists!
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Jul 31, 2022 10:59
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Rutibex posted:lol iffy? Mage is basically 40% Jewish mysticism and steriotypes, it's part of almost every faction. Check out the new Book of the Fallen where the Nephandi are kabbalists! That sounds... problematic.
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Jul 31, 2022 15:30
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Dawgstar posted:That sounds... problematic. Are you telling me that a Brucatto lead 4e Ascension has questionable content?! Say it ain't so, say it ain't so!
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Jul 31, 2022 16:12
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Rutibex posted:lol iffy? Mage is basically 40% Jewish mysticism and steriotypes, it's part of almost every faction. Check out the new Book of the Fallen where the Nephandi are kabbalists! Technically, they're reverse Kabbalists since they do the opposite of what you're supposed to do.  The Order of Hermes also has a bunch of Kabbalah stuff in it, and then there's the Lions of Zion.
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Jul 31, 2022 17:25
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joylessdivision posted:Are you telling me that a Brucatto lead 4e Ascension has questionable content?! Is this post… satyr? I’ll see myself out.
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Jul 31, 2022 17:51
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Jhet posted:Is this post… satyr?
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Jul 31, 2022 19:09
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Rutibex posted:lol iffy? Mage is basically 40% Jewish mysticism and steriotypes, it's part of almost every faction. Check out the new Book of the Fallen where the Nephandi are kabbalists! Okay but normally that 40% doesn't include the guys who are actually mind-controlling you by putting fluoride in the water and broadcasting hypno rays from 5G towers.
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Jul 31, 2022 19:27
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our local LARP is doing a chronicle reset (every 4 years to keep things fresh!) and I don't have any good character ideas so I asked the ST if there were any clans underrepresented or any ideas he had. He pointed out that there were no Banu Haqim sorcerers. I've never played a magic user in Vampire (gently caress Tremere) and never an Assamite, so curious what opinions and overarching goals that group might have. FWIW it's a Cam game, modern day using OWoD lore. Setting baseline is that a recent Sabbat attack left the Primogen council, Sherriff and Keeper dead, which is why there's an influx of licks eager to either finally move up as they were blocked by their previous domain's elders, or just opportunists looking to grab power that's for the taking.
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Aug 2, 2022 20:36
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Shrecknet posted:our local LARP is doing a chronicle reset (every 4 years to keep things fresh!) and I don't have any good character ideas so I asked the ST if there were any clans underrepresented or any ideas he had. He pointed out that there were no Banu Haqim sorcerers. Assamite Sorcerers are pretty great, and are a big part of the Banu Haqim who jumped over the to the Camarilla following Al-Ashrad (who's gunning for a Justicar post). So there's plenty of hooks there. Read Assamite Revised if you can, it's one of the better clan books.
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Aug 2, 2022 21:20
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reading their kit now and it seems somewhat... disjointed? like they have quietus which is all about mixing it up and doing sick rear end vampire Ninja blade poo poo but then sorcery which is all mental tricks, but their specific sorcery is fire magic? in a clan that also has obfuscate? but my bloodline flaw is glowing unhideable auras? it's a confused mess and has a billion different skills it wants to get the most. I just want to play a guy that supports the clan by being the broker for our hits and collects/analyzes/synthesizes into weapons the blood we're collecting, like Q from James Bond meets Miracle Max from Princess Bride how are sorcerers supposed to play out?
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Aug 2, 2022 22:55
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I dunno, but the V5 LARP rules are basically complete, not that your group sounds like they'd be the type to switch. I have no idea if V5 is even good as a LARP, every WoD LARP experience I've ever had has been rife with cringe and racism, it's why I don't LARP anymore. Hopefully your group isn't lovely, though! I'd assume it's a lot better now than early late 90s/early 2ks and being a brown Muslim dude and having the GM insist that you needed to play an Assamite for "immersion" and that the Assamites had launched an attack on the Camarilla in America because yeaaaaaaaaaaahhh. 
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Aug 2, 2022 23:34
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Fuzz posted:I dunno, but the V5 LARP rules are basically complete, not that your group sounds like they'd be the type to switch. I have no idea if V5 is even good as a LARP, every WoD LARP experience I've ever had has been rife with cringe and racism, it's why I don't LARP anymore. we're using the By Night Studios MET core from 2021, which is essentially this site https://vamp.bynightstudios.com/
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Aug 2, 2022 23:47
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Most sorcerers were locked up in the mountain before the Schism if I recall correctly. They also don't have Obfuscate pre-V5 but instead had Celerity, Thaum, and Quietus. I think it was DA that actually had the castes powers of Quietus do different things. But Dur-An-Ki isn't specifically fire-themed, they just don't focus on Path of Blood like the Tremere.
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Aug 3, 2022 00:56
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citybeatnik posted:Most sorcerers were locked up in the mountain before the Schism if I recall correctly. They also don't have Obfuscate pre-V5 but instead had Celerity, Thaum, and Quietus. the BNS MET rules we're using say I am a fire murderwizard quote:Sorcerers disciplines are Obfuscate, Quietus, and Thaumaturgy: Lure of Flames. Additionally, you may learn one other Thaumaturgy path of your choice.
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Aug 3, 2022 01:40
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Conjuring would let you summon weapons for your bros. Edit: Looking at that website, you want Talismonger and Awakening the Steel merits to really go magic Q. Maybe Thaumaturgically gifted for more paths but I don't think it's necessary.
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Aug 3, 2022 01:52
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Shrecknet posted:the BNS MET rules we're using say I am a fire murderwizard Path of Weathermastery and fire hands sounds like you got the makings for a Firenado. A practical and handy power to have considering fire tends to do Agg damage 
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Aug 3, 2022 02:21
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I read 'Technocracy Reloaded' and the Syndicate section didn't seem to say the GFC was about doing a socialism, at least. It sounded like it was a bunch of big moves colliding at once. They were also kind enough to include color art of a cyber-tooth tiger eating a Pentex operative, which should inform you on their general opinion on the SPD.
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Aug 3, 2022 02:33
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Nessus posted:They were also kind enough to include color art of a cyber-tooth tiger eating a Pentex operative, which should inform you on their general opinion on the SPD. I'm so excited that cyber-tooth tigers exist again. 
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Aug 3, 2022 03:11
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Shrecknet posted:the BNS MET rules we're using say I am a fire murderwizard Movement of the mind because you can be a Jedi, duh.
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Aug 3, 2022 03:47
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Fuzz posted:Movement of the mind because you can be a Jedi, duh. goddamn, now I'm remembering playing white wolf games on AOL back in the 90s and the Jedi tradition I wrote for mage. I believe the kids call this feeling "cringe"
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Aug 3, 2022 05:12
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But seriously, in a LARP setting that'd be the most fun. You could lift and throw people or choke them or whatever (I don't remember what weird powers it had other than levitating stuff) and people could just act it out and ham it up and have fun with it, vs you making flame sounds and waving your hands going "whoosh whoosh!" or waving a lighter around or whatever.
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Aug 3, 2022 07:04
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Soonmot posted:goddamn, now I'm remembering playing white wolf games on AOL back in the 90s and the Jedi tradition I wrote for mage. I believe the kids call this feeling "cringe" Now I want to play a Mage who's paradime is "Dungeons and Dragons is real, and I'm a wizard". A meta-mage who awakened while playing role-playing games.
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Aug 3, 2022 07:45
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Rutibex posted:Now I want to play a Mage who's paradime is "Dungeons and Dragons is real, and I'm a wizard". A meta-mage who awakened while playing role-playing games. Isn't this just isekai
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Aug 3, 2022 07:56
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Ghost Leviathan posted:Isn't this just isekai No, because in the universe of Mage dungeons and dragons isn't actually real and I'd just be a crazy person. It would be Isekai if I was playing Mage in-game.
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Aug 3, 2022 07:59
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Rutibex posted:Now I want to play a Mage who's paradime is "Dungeons and Dragons is real, and I'm a wizard". A meta-mage who awakened while playing role-playing games. As it happens such a character would naturally fit better into Awakening than Ascension, because it's entirely reasonable in Awakening to realise your entire reality is a constructed game run by extra-natural gods who you cannot hope to touch but who you can still rage against.
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Aug 3, 2022 08:40
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So is Mage just the Matrix?
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Aug 3, 2022 08:47
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a7m2 posted:So is Mage just the Matrix? Both of them are running on pop Gnosticism, which is why your power stat in Awakening is literally called Gnosis. Funnily enough Demon is also Gnosticism but it's from a different direction of techgnosticism! In Demon, the 'outside world' is instead just an actually physical space that a human could travel to if they managed to find the right doorways. Angels = matrix agents, Demons = rogue agents and programs like the Oracle and the Keymaster. Mostly Mage and Demon cosmology don't care too much about each other. The appraoch I took for my game, for a player who asked, was that the God-Machine was in the Time Before a natural functioning part of the world, but as it is now, is impossibly broken, and it focuses on preserving and spreading itself because that's the closest thing to 'self-repair' it can manage in the current state of the world. bewilderment fucked around with this message at 10:09 on Aug 3, 2022 |
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Aug 3, 2022 10:07
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Time for another recap, this time our coterie was finally introduced to the court of Prince Panhard. Benedict’s Ventrue sire had been busy getting the coterie added to the Elysium’s agenda and negotiating with everyone’s respective clans. Thomas’ sire had left town and was missing and Augustus’ sire was presumably dead. I gave the players a description of Elysium functions, rules and etiquette, and a specific description of NYC’s Elysium, Art Hole. I had a lucky coincidence while prepping the session, having googled a suitable picture of a moody art gallery interior, and later when checking out the name of the artist I have used, I had picked one who is active in New York City. When the players arrived, I made it clear that the Elysium hadn’t been called for them and that they were a last minute addition to the agenda; they arrive in the middle of a discussion and nobody pays attention to them. They hear the ending of the discussion about the Agreement of 1528 (this is setting up an eventual adventure about someone leaking Hecata secrets) and a question about hunters on Coney Island. The players had previously encountered these hunters and were the ones to inform Sheriff Qadir al-Asmai about them. But on this occasion Qadir assured the court that there was no such group on Coney Island. Clearly something was going on and the players would have to ask later. Then it was time to introduce the coterie. This was done as a social combat, with each round having a different theme, the players getting to brag about different aspects of their exploits and members of the court asking different questions. The first theme was introductions. The players hadn’t been very successful on their etiquette rolls, so I didn’t tell them what was expected of them, but through insight rolls I let them know when they had done a faux-pas. Benedict the Ventrue was first, introducing himself, giving a short list of his exploits and a general overview of his lineage, but importantly forgetting to name any names. I let him know that forgetting to mention your sire was considered very rude, especially in Ventrue circles. Next up was Thomas the Tremere, who gave a very polite introduction, remembered to name his sire and then blurted out that his sire Leila Badr was currently in exile due. High Regent Aisling Sturbridge was very unpleased that Thomas had spilled the beans about the clan’s inner politics and stepped in. She explained to the Prince that Thomas’s sire couldn’t be here today, but both Leila and Aisling approved of Thomas’ induction into Camamarilla. Aisling’s forceful tone made it clear that the matter was not up for discussion. Finally Augustus the Banu Haqim was up. Augustus started to introduce himself but didn’t mention his sire, so the Prince interrupted him and asked who the sire was. Augustus tried to explain that he didn’t know his sire but Prince Panhard cut him off again, clearly baffled that a neonate wouldn’t name his sire and tried to explain something completely irrelevant. Thomas Arturo, the Herald, picked up on this and inquired about rumors that Augustus’ embrace wasn’t in accordance with Camarilla’s traditions. Banu Haqim’s Primogen Samira answered vaguely, explaining that Camarilla’s traditions and laws have been followed, and if that hasn’t been the case then the guilty have been punished accordingly. The players haven’t realized this yet, but it’s technically true, the best kind of true. Augustus’ sire wasn’t a member of Camarilla, and thus wasn’t bound or protected by their traditions. Benedict’s sire, Leonard Tarasov, asked the Ventrue Primogen Addison Payne to tell the simile of the ladder that is Camarilla, and the importance of the first step of those ladders, loyalty. (I adapted the blurb from Camarilla book’s chapter on Loyalty.) This was a subtle jab aimed at Benedict, since Benedict had snubbed his sire by failing to mention him, Leonard would publicly call for a speech on loyalty. Then the Malkavian Primogen, Carter Vanderweyden, asked Thomas a question about which house the Tremere belongs to, wanting to know more about his allegiances. Thomas was confused by the question, but answered that he belonged to House Tremere, the traditionalist faction. Carter had a follow up question: was this his own choice? Thomas replied that he didn’t understand the question, and Carter said that was informative enough, thanking him for his time. The implication is that Thomas doesn’t understand Tremere’s inner politics well enough to make an educated decision, and blindly follows his elders. Some dice were rolled and we moved on to the next theme: Skills and abilities. The characters advertised their skills, it was clear that this was a job interview. There were no real surprises in their abilities, but the crowd was split when Thomas mentioned his involvement in Circulatory System. Some were shocked that someone would brag about involvement in human trafficking, others (mostly Ventrue) didn’t mind. Carter Vanderweyden asked Benedict how he leads a coterie with conflicting clans, assuming that the Ventrue would be the leader and Benedict confirmed this position, the other players don’t seem to mind being underlings. The Caitiff Primogen, Ivan Kuthka, noted that there was a shortage of blood bags in the city. He was heavily implying that the player coterie had something to do with this, which is true, but the players decided to stonewall him and ignore the accusation. (Thomas had robbed a major hospital empty of blood bags in a messy critical, and a Triad warehouse involved in blood trade had recently burned down). Then came a sudden twist. Out of the darkest corner of the room an unknown vampire shouted “So, are we just going to ignore that these guys work with hunters?” The unknown kindred introduced herself as Valerie Bachman, and mentioned her sires to the 1800s. She is Benedict’s rival, of similar age and background, embraced around similar times. Valerie continued that the coterie had been seen at places that hunters frequent, and that both kindred and ghouls around them had disappeared. This heavy accusation caught the players off guard and they couldn’t disprove the claims, since they were mostly true though circumstantial. We moved on to the third theme of contacts and networks. The character’s networks aren’t powerful or noteworthy, but Herald Thomas Arturo recounted the list of debts and favors owed to other Kindred. Two minor boons owed to Kaiser didn’t raise eyebrows, no one wants to admit it but it’s nigh impossible to function in New York without being indebted to the Nosferatu information broker. Three minor boons owed from High Regent Sturbridge is somewhat respectable, it’s not much but clearly the coterie had impressed a member of the Primogen council. And finally a major boon owed from Walter Nash, which was not received well, Nash is widely disliked by the local Kindred society. Ivan Kuthka noted that the local Triad, which Thomas was so proud of, was not doing well lately, having lost several members and a warehouse recently. Valerie continued from this, asking “The several mortals around the coterie have recently been in hospital or arrested. In addition, police have often been seen in places the coterie previously visited. Can we trust vampires who can’t even protect their own or keep the police off their backs?” Benedict decided to answer this accusation by ignoring it, snubbing Valerie, and telling the court a story of a successful adventure. We took a short trip down memory lane, remembering all the coteries exploits, and realizing that none of it would look good to the public. The only acceptable encounter was defeating the hunters, which Sheriff Qadir had earlier claimed didn’t exist. So Benedict decided to lie, rolling high and telling an excellent story to the crowd. Unfortunately that was the only good roll of the session, other rolls ranged from mediocre to absolute garbage. But at the end Prince Panhard concluded that “No kindred is too insignificant to be denied a role in the Camarilla” and after swearing oaths, the coterie’s membership and domain were formalized and they were full-fledged members of the Ivory Tower. Next up the players had a chance to freely enjoy the Elysium and socialize with whomever they wanted. The interrogation had made it clear for Augustus how out of place he was, and he wanted to chat with his clan’s Primogen Samira, how he could be of more use to the clan. Unfortunately Samira is cryptic and answered with more questions, leaving Augustus feeling more lost than before. Benedict wanted to fix up his earlier faux-pas with his sire. Leonard Tarasov was in a heated discussion with the Caitiff Ivan Kuthka. Turns out they had both spent several decades of their unlives in St. Petersburg at the same time. Ivan was mocking that Leonard was a glorified hypeman for a wheelchair bound cripple, while Leonard accused that Ivan was a convictionless opportunist, changing sides as it benefited him. Benedict interrupted them and calmed the situation down, before apologizing for his earlier rudeness to his sire and vowing continued loyalty. The group inquired Sheriff Qadir why he had kept quiet about the hunters on Coney Island. Qadir explained that his job is to maintain peace, and if the kindred community knew about those hunters, they would try to feed them information on their enemies. I also gave the group a chart with the usual hierarchy of a Camarilla court, with information added as the players learn who occupies what position and how NYC court differs from the usual. They greedily started eyeing suitable court positions, we shall see how that develops. But that was all for this session! Next time… I don’t know yet, I haven’t written it.
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Aug 3, 2022 12:20
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You are doing very good work here.
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Aug 3, 2022 13:10
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Rutibex posted:Now I want to play a Mage who's paradime is "Dungeons and Dragons is real, and I'm a wizard". A meta-mage who awakened while playing role-playing games. Sounds like the Freebase supplement in Buttery Wholesomeness, the HoL expansion. But in any event, it would be interesting, but only if you played it right. "No, I can't cast any spells today, I didn't get enough sleep last night." "Can't visit today, I need to go collect bat poo poo in case I need to cast fireball." "Oh poo poo, a housecat! It could kill me!" TheCenturion fucked around with this message at 15:57 on Aug 3, 2022 |
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Aug 3, 2022 14:10
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There's been a standing rule in every Vampire LARP I've ever been in that "Malkavian who thinks he's playing a Vampire TTRPG" is banned as a concept. The "Deadpool Rule" if you will
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Aug 3, 2022 15:14
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Rutibex posted:Now I want to play a Mage who's paradime is "Dungeons and Dragons is real, and I'm a wizard". A meta-mage who awakened while playing role-playing games. 
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Aug 3, 2022 20:38
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