Venue Style Sheet Cam/Anarch
Venue Name: Moustique Noir CA-021 Sonoma County, California
Genre: Camarilla/Anarch
Contact: Aaron Bryant, CST,
aaronbryant74@hotmail.com, (707) 321-8573
When a Camarilla member in good standing arrives at a game, we have a
responsibility to entertain them. However, some players may want to bring
things into the game, which would hamper the Storyteller’s ability to
entertain others. To give the players and other Storytellers an idea of
what to expect from a game, STs must fill out a Venue style sheet as directed
on page 24 of the Tome of the Camarilla. All events in Sanctioned Play must
have a style sheet approved by the Regional Storyteller. Events which cross
Regions must be approved by the Master Storyteller. In turn, players must
submit characters that meet the requirements under "Player Information".
The Storyteller in charge of an event may always deny a particular character,
but the Player Information lets the players know what characters are expected.
The style sheet should communicate the spirit of the game, as well as the
letter of the rules.
Theme
Mood
Visitors should know / Proxy Policy
Visiting character / Plot Policy
Storyteller Information
Plot
Antagonists
References
Feeding Challenges
Travel Risks for PCs
Our game, by the numbers
Theme
Sonoma County is a place off the beaten path, it has served the Kine in the
past as a refuge from the dirt and crime of San Francisco. From the beginning
of Spanish rule, to the Age of the Vine Kings, Sonoma County has boasted some
the strangest events in California history. Utopian cults, drunken revolts,
and billion dollar empires all have their place here. The Kindred here are
not immune to the strangeness. One of the biggest things that’s different
about our game is our reliance on the players to play without constant ST
supervision. Biggest thing to remember: You can’t win in this game ... All
you can do is look good as you go down in flames.
Mood
Angst against holding on to humanity, thinly veiled by ambitious plotting,
and courtpolitics. Mystery, never forget the Mystery of it all.
Visitors should know / Proxy Policy
In addition to tightly controlling DST/RST approval characters, we have a
cap on Tremere. We’re shooting for no more than 5-10% of the local ACTIVE
characters being from clans other than "The Seven Clans" or Caitiff. We play
a very social/political/dramatic game, that’s what our players like, and
because of that we don’t encourage combat. We have a game culture here that
tries to do things without saying, "physical challenge!" Proxied characters
run the same risks they would in person. As stated in Prime (1.3) the minimum
requirements are fine but if that’s all then the risk to your character is
greater. The more information we have the better.
Visiting characters / Plot Policy
If the local ST’s decide that a visiting PC is beyond the power level or
perhaps unbalancing to the local chronicle, they reserve the right to request
temporary limitations on the visiting PC’s actions while participating locally,
or to ask that the visiting PC’s not play, in which case NPC’s will
be provided for the visiting player to play while attending the local Sonoma
Game.
Every effort will be made before hand to try and find a way to allow visiting
PC’s to play, up to and including exploring soft role-play options for
these PC’s. Visiting PC’s are requested to make contact with the
Venue ST before
they arrive for play, so as to work out these issues before having made the
drive to attend the Sonoma Game. It is understood this may not always be
possible, but all efforts should be made by visiting players in advance so
as to avoid un-needed delays for PC check in. Character sheets (please no
hand written character sheets) must include the following items: Experience
Point Log, Membership Class Level, Approval Items (Lores, Disciplines,
influence Levels, abilities, rituals, merits and flaws, item cards): The
chapter storyteller contact information is a prerequisite on this for
verification purposes. They must have the date and contact info of the
approver for all Domain Story Teller or higher level approval
(RST ***require*** an approval number). This is the same for clans as well
Unusual Backgrounds / Histories: Must be given to Venue StoryTeller prior
to game. Failure to do so will result in the item(s) being barred from the
event. Players who show up at the game who have incomplete or no character
sheets will be told why it is being barred and be given the following options:
1: Play a secondary character made on site and check / approved by the Venue
StoryTeller
2: Play a pre-made NPC 3: Play without the item in question
For all those who play powerful characters (9th/8th Generation and/or 100plus
experience points), and this includes, but is not restricted to those who
play Court positions such as Prince, Seneschal, Sheriff etc. please bear in
mind that in order for the majority of the players to enjoy the game, you are
expected to cooperate with the venue storyteller. There are many newer players
in the game, and they deserve to have a fun experience at the events. Any
players who wish to have their PCs pursue permanent positions of power in our
game should discuss the matter with the ST beforehand.
Storyteller Info
Venue Storyteller Name: Aaron Bryant
Title: CST
Address: 2027 Pioneer Way #69, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Phone: 707-321-8573
Email: aaronbryant74@sbcglobal.net
Passed Thespis (y/n): Yes! (aka: Lore of Narration)
Plot
Moustique Noir,s LARP Storytelling events are crafted to immerse the players
into the World of Darkness through tenebrous atmosphere and dramatic conflict.
More of a mantra than a true explanation of our style, this statement alone
cannot begin to describe each aspect of a truly moving Story. The Story we
Tell is a combination of atmosphere, mood, plot, conflict, presentation,
costume, drama, theme, dynamics, timing and, of course, characters. To narrow
the scope a bit, I would like to separate what we think of as "plot" first.
Our plots are nearly always rooted in the motivations of existing characters,
be they PC,s or NPC,s. Each character in our game is designed to be a dynamic
part of a web of deadly intrigue and betrayal. Our plots do not exist to serve
any higher purpose than this: to create an interesting (often disturbing,)
and dynamic foundation on which to build exciting and powerful character
interaction in a Live Action setting. Players are required to create in-depth
characters with well-thought-out backgrounds, suitable to the World-of-Darkness,
with both strengths and weakness. ST,s consult with the players on what
motivates their character during its creation, and throughout the continuing
chronicle. The ST,s push the players to do _more_ than just show up and have
a good time, but to consistently add to the overall suspension of disbelief
we all use as our stage. Character interaction and development is paramount
to the success of our Story. Consistent themes to our Story include kinship
and loss, love and betrayal, the danger of spite, and fear of the Elders,
Jyhad. When it comes to the involvement of players, stories, etc from other
places, they are treated with specific and individual attention with focus on
maintaining the integrity of our existing continuity.
Antagonists
Antagonists are drawn from the backgrounds of the local player. Each group or
individual designed for maximum impact on the players. Whatever that impact
is; the twisting of their humanity or the love of their life returning to them.
The NPC’s will be real 3D characters not cardboard cutouts. We will also be
adopting a "mook rule" / "extras rule" / "brute
squadrule", similar to those in "Feng Shui",
"Aeon/Trinity", and "7th Sea". ]In the interest of
speeding up any potential combat, and to reflect the deadliness of combat
in the WoD and the difference between "heroic personas"
(PCs) and "mundane personas" (NPCs), ST- and Narrator-run characters
may be created with less than the standard number of Health Levels. Such
characters will use Health Levels as described in the pre-revised Laws of the
Night, or the "Compressed Traits" system.
References
Laws of the Night Revised, White Wolf Game Studios Camarilla Kindred Rules
Supplement Version 5.1
Feeding Challenges
Kindred don’t travel well, that big bright shiny ball of gas in the sky makes
it very hard. Herd doesn’t travel! Feeding Challenges (As per LotN:R) are
required by every player (to be done with the assigned ACST for that night)
for the character to play. That means if you win the challenge you have full
blood, Tie you have half rounded up, and if you lose you have 4 blood. The Efficient
Digestion Merit has you at half rounded up on a lost feeding challenge. The Ventrue
Clan Disadvantage, each ghoul, and the Prey Exclusion Flaw will reduce you starting
blood pool by 1 blood trait each. Hunting is the only ability retest. For every fifteen
minutes you sit out of play you may gain back one blood trait with a maximum of three
traits. So, if a Ventrue loses the challenge, giving him 3 blood (clan disadvantage), and
sits out for the 45 minutes he will enter game with 6 blood points. We offer the option
to automatically tie (the Auto-Tie). This option can not be taken after you throw a feeding
challenge. IF YOU DO NOT THROW A FEEDING CHALLENGE YOU AUTO LOSE!
Travel Risks for PCs
IC the main highway of 101 is free of supernatural dangers. However,
construction on the widening of the 101 might prove difficult if you are an
older vamp with only one dot in drive. Darn crazy drivers!
Our game, by the numbers
(Scale of 1 to 5)
Intrigue (politics and negotiation): 5
Action (combat and challenges): 3
Mystery (enigmas and investigation): 4
Drama (ceremony and characterization): 5
Darkness (prob. of player character death or corruption): 4