Session 0

INTRODUCTIONS

Therminology

Scene

Generally, a compact series of actions and interactions that take place in a single location or between a single set of characters.

Story (Quest or short Adventure)

A full tale, complete with introduction, rising action, and climax. Some stories can take several sessions to complete; others can be finished in one. Some short stories are effectively vignettes that are nothing more than a single scene.

Chronicle (Long Adventure or Campaign)

A series of stories connected by the characters themselves and their ongoing narrative.
Our stories are going to be about 1 to 4 sessions, with some downtime in between whenever possible. You'll be able to spend xp only on those times in between stories.

Coterie

A group of vampires trying to make it through one more night. This is D&D equivalent of a Party.

Game & character creation expectations

I expect to play a roleplay heavy game of Darkness where a lot of the narrative is driven by character's goals and background specifics (allies, enemies, loresheet paths). The above colliding with a preset of NPC goals is what is going to drive the main story of the game. Not really set for backseat gaming, I expect to run a game where you tell me the moral dilemmas and themes you want to play and I pick from the extensive lore found for Chicago (the city we'll play).
I expect a degree of respect for verisimilitude / suspension of disbelief; not that I expect a deadpan mood, or something as horrible as joking around not being allowed, but extreme silliness to the point of derailing or disrupting the game is not welcomed.
For the table, we will discuss and work on boundaries and rules; VTM can deal with very dark and triggering topics, I want us all to feel safe. For the story itself, I have written a set of Buy-Ins, or themes that I expect you to adhere to when creating and running your characters.
For the morality of the game, you as a player group will agree to a set of Tenets; which will become the in-game moral code for the PCs. Breaking the code is expected, part of the conflict and there's mechanical effects to it.
Character creation is going to be a group activity where you all figure out how each character works with the group. Mechanically you will be determining the following when creating your character:

• Name and overall concept
• Clan (Like Race+Class, this is your character stereotype and defines your magical abilities and weaknesses)
• Relationships (How do you all relate? Who is your Sire? What other mortal connections you have?)
• Your Attributes (Like Strength, Intelligence, etc;)
• Your Skills (Like Perception)
• Your Disciplines (Magical abilities/features that come from your clan)
• Your Predator Type (Secondary stereotype, defines how you hunt for blood thematically, gives extra skills and discipline points)
• Your Advantages (A set of benefits that define your mechanical benefits outside of traits & disciplines. Like contacts, allies or even narrative things like being a descendent of a famous vampire)
• Your Coterie (As a group, you choose what type of Coterie (Party in D&D terms) you'll be and a set of shared Advantages)

General game info

VTM is dark modern fantasy game that is 80/20 roleplaying vs combat and it deals with Horror themes in (usually) modern times. In this world there is vampires that rule from behind the shadows, but there's also other, more horrifying things, things even vampires fear. Here you will find ghosts stories, urban legends come alive, dark forces that control huge portions of the world and pieces of dread, darkness and The Weird at every corner.
It is very narrative and it's main loop is about vampires's inner conflict of their humanity (mortal side) vs their beast (undead side). All game mechanics support that conflict, and you'll find that it's mostly a slow process of spiraling down the path of losing your humanity, and all the events that lead you to that. The end game is centuries old vampires that find themselves disconnected from this world, either turned to the beast, called into mystical battles or sleeping for millennia.
At its very core, it uses dice pool mechanics, where you roll a set amount of D10s and hope to get 6+ in your dices. You have a target number of dices that need to show a 6+ for you to succeed.

Intro to what type of game I'm running

The Buy-Ins explain this too, but I'm running a game of sectarian conflict with a imminent rising horror behind it. Basically groups of vampires all are fighting for control of one city, Chicago; and the player group will find itself in the middle, their actions affecting the final outcome. You guys are going to choose what type of group your PCs are, what their style and goals as a group are, and that's going to define the game too.

Rules and Boundaries

Everyone's boundaries are important in a world of darkness. List of everyone's no-nos we all agree to sign on.

My boundaries

1. No sexual details. Fade to Black on sex scenes, vague details.
2. No depictions of rape.
3. No violence against children.
4. While there will racism and other isms, we'll avoid derogatory terms as much as possible. (N, F words and the like)
5. No aggressive behavior or harassments of any kind at the table.*
6. Disruptive behavior that derails the game is not welcomed.
*Apart from me telling Kris to fuck off. Non negotiable.

Player's No-nos

We can always revisit these as a group at any time.

1. Suicide Fade to Black
2. No Pedophilia

My House My Rules

1. No PvP: Conflict between players is resolved by agreement
2. Player Agency: On Bestial Failures and Messy Critical (rare) players will retain agency and suffer penalties instead. Playing towards compulsions or lose of control grants willpower; otherwise the player suffers penalties for actions not lose of their character.
3. Informed decisions: Will always strive to make the player understand the mechanical consequences of actions, and allow for retcon when a rule was misunderstood.
4. Respect others time: I will move the spotlight from player to player; respect their time in it avoid interrupting including having loud conversations with players not currently in the spotlight. Prefer you use phones or notes.
5. XP: Only people that come to the session gain XP. Every session you get 2xp, and we all choose one MVP of the night to gain an extra 1 xp. Not the same person twice in a row in a session they were at. New characters will start same as lowest XP character at the table.

Real-time Consent

Green, Yellow, Red, how to stop descriptions that are too much. Never need to explain yourself when a scene is too much for you.

Chronicle Buy-Ins

These are the main themes of this Chronicle, as a player you buy into them and agree to interact with them. When creating and running your characters think of ways they can fit into these themes or purposely plan how they'll overcome aspects that don't soon into the game. You will find an excuse to change your character so it follows the buy-ins, NOT excuse not following buy-ins because of character aspects. Refer to this when first making choices for what type of characters you want to play.

Neonates

You're neonates, learning your way into this new world of vampires. You don't know what's going on, but damn it you'll find out.

Humanity

You're holding on to Humanity, yours and of those around you. Dealing with your human life colliding with this world of vampires. You're not a monster, not just yet.

Coterie

You're a Coterie; you have and find reasons to stay together; and overcome challenges to not being together.

Chicago

You're based in Chicago, and have reasons to stay in Chicago and fight for Chicago.

Sectarian Conflict

You're in a story about sectarian conflict, big organizations of vampires (and other) fighting each other. The default of the adventure is Camarilla, Chicago being a Camarilla stronghold.

Not Chaotic Stupid

You're not Chaotic Stupid, characters that are too stupid or crazy not to mess with the Prince for fun are not PCs, they are NPCs that are dead.

Masquerade

You're aware of the dangers of breaking the Masquerade. Careless vampires are dead vampires.

Chronicle Tenets

Pg. 172

Snitches Get Stiches | Coterie Before Ambition | No Collateral Damage

What they are.

An answer on what it means to be human and the morals of the campaign. Group decision on what the tenets are and what kind of game you want to run. We define them with a phrase or two. Tenets show up in the game, you brake them, challenge them. They create tension and have mechanical consequences. You'll be asked to think of touchstones and things that keep you human, that tie you to the world and the story. These are not optional but a pillar of the game. Mechanical effects: touchstones, stains and remorse.
Note: Regardless of tenets, you're all pretty new vampires, even if you're vampires remember a big part of the game is LOSING your humanity. Nobody starts as a monster.

What they are not

A way to limit your roleplay, they are meant as a tool to give depth. A way for me to "punish" breaking game rules, that what rules and buy ins are for. Something you don't want to see in the game, that's what boundaries are for.

Example Tenets

Humanist

• Thou shalt not kill, save in self-defense
• Thou shalt not rape or torture
• Thou shalt not harm the innocent

Creed of justice

• Never kill the innocent
• Be your own, never submit
• Without a cause, you are nothing

Gothic/Romantic

• Never deny true love
• The guilty should suffer
• Uphold the norms of decent society

Street code

• Never snitch
• Respect others, and demand respect
• Don’t kill outsiders

More Examples

• Stand Your Ground. Do not cede territory or property to the enemy. What you have, you keep. You fight for what is yours.
• Justice Must Be Served. Do not allow innocents and fall guys to take the blame. Perpetrators must be found and punished. Be fair and just in your judgments.
• We Are Not Beasts. Do not kill or maim for pleasure. Control your Hunger. Do not give in to needless cruelty towards the kine.
• Act like a man, not a monster
• No needless cruelty
• Coterie before ambition
• Avoid collateral damage
• Blood is thicker than water
• Treasure your past
• Kill only the unworthy/unbelievers/ in fair combat/in self-defense
• Never expose children to violence
• Love thy neighbor as thyself
• Disobedience is dishonor, Obey authority
• Question Authority
• Protect the innocent from harm
• Courage is the highest virtue
• Always keep your sworn word
• The truth is sacred; thou shalt not lie
• Slavery is evil, None may control me
• Never do drugs (or drink alcohol)
• Thou shalt not torture
• The guilty must be punished
• Rob from the rich, give to the poor, Reject wealth, for it corrupts
• Never act against another (insert own group/faith/sect)
• Always aid weak in need, Stand up for the disenfranchised
• Respect (insert religion here) as sacred and obey its moral laws

CHARACTER CREATION

Everyone has been embraced in the last 15 years. You are Childer, of the 12th or 13th generation, of Blood Potency 1. We will create characters and even the campaign together, using relationship chart. The order here is important. Don't get ahead of the group.

Start thinking about Coterie type here

Your Core Concept

• What was your name?
• What did you do? Where are you from?
• How did you die? How were you embraced?
• What is your name now?
• Where are you (in Chicago) now?

Your Clan

Core 7 + MAYBE Lasombra + Harder MAYBE Banu Haqim and Ministry
(Non Core 7 clans need a LOT of discussion and further buy-ins than Core 7, always susceptible to me changing my mind about them and saying you can't use them)
Can be Caitiff or Thin-blood(no daywalkers) if they want; also need a lot of work and discussion; maybe a bump up so they can fight like other members of coterie.
HARD NO: Ravnos, Hecata, Salubri, Tzimisce

Start a Relationship Map

Coterie Relationships

Draw lines between every character, add a positive and a negative.

Your Sire

Each decided who your Sire is and their names, their attitudes toward you and them, and the conditions around your embrace. You will have a pool to choose from also to help decision making. Having a working relationship with a powerful sire (say you want to be the Childe of the Prince) might require the expenditure of Background points like Mawla or Loresheets.

Sect supporting Character

Ask for two local vampires or take a connection to another PC's sire or supporting cast. Make one relationship positive, one relationship negative.

Your Traits

Attributes

Best attribute: 4 dots
Three attributes: 3 dots each
Four attributes: 2 dots each
Worst attribute: 1 dot

Secondary Attributes

Health is 3+Stamina
Willpower is Resolve+Composure

Skills

Can do it either quick (jack of all trades/balanced/specialist):

• Jack of all trades: One Skill at 3; eight Skills at 2; ten Skills at 1
• Balanced: Three Skills at 3; five Skills at 2; seven Skills at 1
• Specialist: One Skill at 4; three Skills at 3; three Skills at 2; three Skills at 1
  Add free specialties to Academics, Craft, Performance, and Science.
  Take on more free specialty.

Or detailed pg 145:
Professional Skills: 2 at 3 dots (•••), 2 at 2 dots (••). Choose one specialty in one professional skill.
Life Event Skills: 1 at 3 dots (•••), 1 at two dots (••). You can roll for these if you want random.
Leisure Skills: 3 at 1 dot (•).
Extra Skills: Either one at four dots (••••) or 2 at two dots (••) and 4 at one dot (•).

SAMPLE PROFESSION PACKAGES

• artist: Craft (Art) or Performance ••• Insight ••• Academics •• Awareness or Occult ••
• coder: Technology ••• Academics or Craft ••• Finance •• Persuasion ••
• executive: Finance ••• Intimidation or Persuasion ••• Insight •• Subterfuge ••
• investigator: Investigation ••• Insight ••• Awareness •• Brawl or Firearms ••
• junkie: Streetwise ••• Animal Ken or Brawl ••• Insight or Larceny •• Subterfuge ••
• mafioso: Brawl or Subterfuge ••• Streetwise ••• Intimidation or Larceny •• Melee or Firearms ••
• scholar: Academics or Science ••• one other Mental Skill ••• Craft (Writing) •• Persuasion ••
• socialite: Performance or Technology ••• Finance ••• Insight •• Etiquette or Subterfuge ••
• veteran: Athletics or Awareness ••• Firearms ••• Stealth •• Survival or Leadership ••

Your Values

Choose 1 to 3 convictions that start with Never or Always.
Choose same amount of Touchstones that are humans.
Choose one Ambition.
Choose one temporary Desire.

Vampire Type

Disciplines

Choose two clan disciplines, one at 2 dots, and the other at 1 dot.

Predator Types

Predator Types gives you one more specialty, one more discipline and advantages. Also describes how you hunt.

Advantages

Buy 7 points of advantages, take 2 points of Flaws. You can save up these points to buy things as a group or Coterie; as well as buying campaign affecting advantages called Loresheets. There is optional Coterie Merits

Your Coterie

You'll get 5 points to put into your coterie backgrounds. You can spend personal Advantage points for more Coterie advantages.
Choose a Coterie Types and use the points as reference.
Corebook pg 197
Camarilla Coteries pg 85
CBN pg 260

Leges Coterium

• Only a Prince, with the blessing of the Primogen, can form a Coterie.
• Members must swear a Coterie Oath to one another, and are strickly forbidden to Blood Bond with one another.
• The Coterie must have a Shadow, to advise them in loyalty and who accepts responsabilitiy for their conduct.
• Each member of the Coterie is reponsible for the actions of every other member: "You are judged together."
• The members of the Coterie must make Haven together, apart from their sires.
• The Coterie must, when called upon, defend and protect the Camarilla from all provocations.
• To become full Ancillae the Coterie members must together pass the Seven Labours .

Loresheets

There's a special number of loresheets available for players, they're a combination of story hooks and background advantages. They all need ST and other players buy in. Examples are:

• Loresheet: Connected to big player
• Loresheet: Expertise