This information relates to an invitation only role playing game being run in Pittsburgh, Pa. If you do not play, you will likely want to skip to the end for the background information. Storytellers who would like to run the campaign should feel free to email me at sara@rtweb.net for more information. Information for players follows. This page is in a near constant state of flux.
Information for Players
The game is a new sort of style for me, so some apologies for the
disorganization up front. The game consists of a group of 4 characters (one of whom is mine) in the True
Black Hand. Open character classes will be discussed under "character creation guidlines". The game will
take place in the upper mezzanine of the Wyndham Garden Hotel on the corner of Forbes and McKee (up the
block from my home.) In character, games will be held in many castles/inns/hotels worldwide. This means
that nice dress is required--nice enough to not look suspicious in a classy hotel. We will be using my
standard part LARP/part table top rules. All randomization will be done by computer (dice rolling, etc).
Players will meet every other week. In game to out of game time passes quite fast, although it will decay
pseudo-exponentially (click here for a graph). The game will begin in October of
1594 (the end-date of transylvania chronicles, btw) and run until December of 2000.
The MacGuffin
In 1582, Pope Gregory announced a change in the papal calender. The day after
October 4, 1582 was October the 15th. The official reason given was the necissity of realigning the
church's calender with the solstices (the lack of leap yars had estranged them). However, the true reason
remains a secret to all but a few. As agents ofthe Black Hand you were instructed to make the change. You
were given no reason. However, in 1594 there was a...change of management in the Black Hand which left most
of the previous leadership dead. . Your group was constructed to study the effects of the calender change
in an effort to discover the previous leadership's motivation. You have very little to work with. Your
most promising lead is a late 15th century treatise by Peter d'Abano, a Spanish kabbalist better known for
his Heptameron, a short book concerning the timing of magical invocations (copies available upon
request). In Enoch, you have discovered the remains of another book of his, called El Décimo Día ,
or The Tenth Day. It chronicles a prophecy handed down by the angel Gabriel of the last ten days
before the end times. It bears an eerie similarity to the part of the Lilith Cycle. I will hand out copies
of this as soon asI write it :) It is the guess of your superiors that the calender switch was done in an
effort to gain a mystic control over the ten missing days. These could then be "swapped" for the ten last.
This theory is preliminary at best and ludicrous at worst. However, the vaguaries of time known to the
Eldest of the True Brujah (among whom the former Primus was counted) are mysterious and strange.
Character Creation Guidlines:
Open Character Classes:
By far the majority of memembers are vampires. However, membership is also open to mages, wraiths, and changing breeds. I do not know werewolf or wraith well enough to run. The Black Hand accepts members from the following vampire clans:
Assamite antitribue
True Brujah
Capadocian
Gangrel (not City Gangrel)
Malkavian
Nosferatu
Toreador
Old Clan Tzimisce
Ventrue
Ravnos
Mage characters will be approved only from the following tradtions:
Verbena
Euthanatos
Order of Hermes
Please do not bother asking for anything which is not on the above list.
Points and whatnot
Vampire character sheets are available at http://www.white-wolf.com/Images/CharacterSheets/vtda.pdf.
Mage sheets are at http://www.white-wolf.com/Images/CharacterSheets/SorcererCrusade_csheet.pdf.
Aproxamite rules for vampire chacters follow, anyone wishing to play a mage shoudl speak with me.
Vampire Point Spread We will be using 3rd edition rules. The third edition book is on our
bookshelves. Should you be the lucky player who does not live with me, you can get the "quick start" rules
(which I havn't read, so I don't know how good or bad they are) in pdf or html.
Characters should be between 200 and 300 years old in 1582, and should have been in the black hand for not
more than 5 years. Information on the black hand is available in the book "Dirty Secrets of the True Black
Hand" also on our shleves (I can loan it to you, Matt) Point totals should be about:
Attributes--33 dots
Abilities--at least 40 dots--if you want an ability not listed, you may create it.
Disciplines--between 7 and 10. You may not have more than 3 dots in any discipline before spending
freebie points. All disciplines are allowed except Viscisitude. You may not have above 3 dots in any out of
clan discipline for any reason. You may not have "weird" disciplines unless they are in-clan. Weird
disciplines are disciplines possesed by only one clan except for protean, dementation, and thaum, which are
all normal. (sorry for the awkwardness) Soon there will be a list of disciplines.
Backgrounds--unlimited, however each requires a paragraph explanation (each background, not each
dot)
Virtues--8
Road--ALL roads/paths are open. Suggested levels are from 7-10 (black
hand folk tend to be pretty moral), but anything over 3 is ok with me.
Generation-- 5-8. Blood
pool is dependent on gen. There's a table in the book. I'll put it here when I get around to it.
Willpower--Also depends on generation. Again with the table. I would suggest the high end of the
ranges.
More Char Creation stuff
I'd like to see everyone's sheets and at least some written history,
description stuff before the first game. The sooner people have characters, the sooner we can start.
Blah, blah, balh, more here later.
I am tired of typing now. More later