Canberra Awakening VSS

Canberra Awakening VSS

Approval Number: MTA2013004004

ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

Venue and Domain details

Venue Name: Canberra Awakening
Venue Number:
Domain Name: Canberra
Domain Number:

VST & VC Names and membership numbers

VST: Stephen Justice, AU2006090005, valcondrious@gmail.com
VC: Kane Edwards, AU2010070002, vc.bts.canberramage@gmail.com

Game Location, Time and Fees(Can be altered at Mid approval)

Games are played at Pfadfinder Scout Hall, 5 Haig Park, Masson St, Turner

Games are held on the 3rd Sunday of the month, gathering at 1pm for a 1:30pm start.

There is a $5 attendance fee.

Mailing lists, websites and other online resources used (Can be altered at Low approval)

The Venue has a dedicated website at: http://wiki.beyondthesunset.org.au/index.php?title=Canberra_Awakening

GAME INFORMATION

Genre

Mage: The Awakening

Setting

Canberra Mage is set in modern day Canberra, a city held currently by Banishers.
There are several points of power around the city, the most noticeable being on Capitol Hill, but they are either all owned or watched over by the Banishers. Minor Hallows are scattered around, but they’re usually barely enough to get by on.

Themes

• Paranoia: Around any corner could be a Banisher, or one of their contacts. Doing anything flashy is always dangerous, and you can never be quite sure of whom to trust.
• Mystery: Despite claiming that they will keep the city safe, the Banishers wilful ignorance of magic leaves the city vulnerable to threats. Players will find themselves in contact and coming up against the strange and unusual.
• Wisdom: Using magic is wonderful, but using it too much is risking your insanity. When is it wise enough to stop and use your natural abilities, and when it is ok to let loose with the powers granted to you by the Supernal?
• War: The city is under siege, it is not friendly to Mages, and direct action would be suicidal. What price is worth it to remove the threat and restore the city? Who gets the prize afterwards?
• Temptation: At times power seems ever so easy for a mage to grab. When something is offered to turn the tide, what cost are they willing to pay. Is sacrificing a friend, or even part of your soul justified in the name of victory? Is letting an evil lose upon the city to weaken the enemy alright when it will take many innocents with it?

Mood

• Desperation: Every major source of power is under watch. Anything too flashy draws attention. How do you fight a war when you’ve got self-imposed limitations on what you can do?
• Reliance: No one character can hold the line alone. Can mages work together for a common cause, and if so for how long?
• Loss: Nothing can be truly gained when everything is one mistake from being taken away. What is truly important, and how far will characters go to keep it?

Preferred character types, and restrictions

Characters are restricted to the core 5 towers.
Legacies are allowed within reason and setting, but are encouraged to be picked up in game.
If players are after Legacies and no PC’s are around to learn them from, they can arrange for a plot with the ST so they can earn access to the legacy. These plots will aim to be resolved in a 3 to 6 month period.
If a PC is available then players are encouraged to contact them for a PC Mentor/Student relationship, but it is understandable if this is not always possible due to other circumstances such as PC’s not always getting along for varying reasons.
No Seers or Banisher spies will be allowed as PCs.

Players are encouraged to make characters with some form of danger sense, such as the merit or access to a subtle rote, that would have assisted them surviving in Canberra.
Characters are also encouraged to have allies, resources, or other means of being able to support themselves inside of Canberra through non-magical means.

Location of Venue history information

• 1914: First Silver Ladder Mage arrives in City
• 1931: Enough mages have arrived to form a proper Concillium to be formed.
• 1949: Banishers suddenly arrive in force and start a war against the Concillium.
• 1952: Banishers have either killed any mage who hasn’t fled or taken extreme measures to hide themselves.
• 1983: An attempt is made to reclaim the city from Banishers, while damage is done they manage to hold the city.
• 2004: No word from the Banishers for over two decades, Mages start to return to the city after failing to find any with remote means. Most are assassinated within the year, the rest find ways to remain in the city by being very cautious about using their magic and hiding themselves among plain sleepers.

Transport In/Out Information (threats, methods etc)

Flights in and out of the city are known to be dangerous. It’s believed that the Banishers have people working at the airport that keep an eye out for any mages, and arrange hits on them where possible.
Driving in tends to be safer as it’s hard to watch all the roads every hour of the day, but mages still are known to disappear at times.
The train station seems to be the safest way in and out as no mage has known to have disappeared while catching it so far. However no one quite believes the Banishers would leave such a large hole in their net.

EXTERNAL FACTORS INFORMATION

Experience Awards

No character can earn more than 5xp for a single game, 3xp for a Downtime, and up to 2xp for a RTR each month as per the Addenda.
No character can earn more than 8xp in one month, except where noted in the Camarilla Rules Addendum such as over-cap XP.

XP in Canberra will be awarded on the following basis:

• Game Attendance: 2xp
• Roleplaying Skills: 2xp
• Plot Involvement: 1xp
• Costuming: 1xp
• Downtime Report: 2xp
• ST Discretion: Up to 2xp
  

Custom Rules

Mana: Characters will start each game with a number of Mana based upon their Willpower + Hallows (+Oblations draw for those in a Legacy).

Hallows can be purchased with XP to allow for more Mana, but having a Hallow higher than 1 can draw attention so will require security justification of how it is kept hidden.
A character can have several 1 point Hallows, but there are several limitations. The first is that they will have to be found before the character can purchase them. The second is that some are in locations that are not easily accessible, so the character will need justification on how they regularly are able to access it, this will get more difficult the more hallows they will to call their own. Finally there is only a limited amount of hallows available, especially in areas close to Canberra, and so characters might have to head further out the more that have been found and claimed close to Canberra.

Other spells that generate Mana can allow an extra amount of mana equal to that Arcana’s ranking per chapter as per the global addendum. This does not require a downtime action.

The following options rules are in place:

• Modifying spell factors.
• Don’t point that thing at my planet.
• Relinquishing control of spells.
• Special Spell Factors.
• Paradox Mitigation.
• Creative Thaumaturgy.
• Permanently altering fates.
• Influences, Numina and The Forsaken.

Downtime Handling Procedure

Players must email in their downtimes two weeks before game. They will be completed and sent back to players in the week leading up to game.

Players should include any item or merit used, especially any Tass that is made or collected, and any use of their arcana during the month.
Characters get a number of actions equal to their Resolve, as well as each Ally or Retainer having their own action each month.

Actions will not be required to justify XP purchases.

The only downtime actions allowed to acquire extra mana are ones that involve sacrificing a human or animal.

As for the Global Addenda characters are to use “Spells at Chapter Start” sidebar on page 166 of ‘Minds Eye Theatre: Awakening’ for what spells they can start the game with. No downtime actions are allowed to prepare more spells before the start of the game.
Spells can still be cast during downtime actions, as long as they are not personally cast on the mage to get around the “Spells at Chapter Start” rules. Characters without easily renewable sources of mana who cast a lot of spells requiring mana may have that mana removed from their starting game mana at ST discretion.

Downtime actions will generally be considered safe; however characters who cast a lot of spells without consideration to safety or secrecy might find themselves drawing the attention of Banisher NPCs. PC’s who also take reckless actions in regards to their safety, such as just walking into Werewolf territory without getting their approval first, might be subject to a pre-game scene which has the possibility of leading to PC death.

No PC will be killed off in downtime action without a scene being run with the player present. If the player is unable to attend a game for said scene then the PC will be considered out of play until the ST and player are able to come to an arrangement, either arranging to meet up to run the scene at another time, or for the PC to suffer other consequences at ST discretion. This can include things like turning up the next game injured, having no mana, or even to the loss of merits like Allies, Resources, and Retainers.

Downtime hits on other PCs will not be allowed.

A template downtime form can be found here: http://wiki.beyondthesunset.org.au/index.php?title=Canberra_Awakening_Downtime_Template (This link can be changed with low approval)

Crossover limitations and expectations

Crossover is limited via Mid approval for IC interactions. Merits such as allies can affect the city and therefore affect other games, but will also draw attention of both sides PCs and NPCs and what responses might come from that.

NEW/INTERSTATE PLAYERS

Information for New Folks (new to Cam)

For information on the club in general please see our website: http://www.camarilla.org.au/visitor/index.php
We also have a wiki with more detailed information on each game available: http://wiki.beyondthesunset.org.au/index.php?title=Main_Page
For more specific questions about the game please contact the VST at: Valcondrious@gmail.com

To get to the game by bus you will need to catch the 934, which can be caught from Woden, Civic, or Belconnen. You will need to get off on at the stops near the corner of Gilmore Cres and Kitchener St. You can then follow Kitchener towards the hospital, and Fitchett St will come up on your right. The house is then the first one on the left.
If driving there is parking across from the entrance of the street available at the local oval. Then it’s only a short walk up Fitchett St to the first house on the left.

Information for External Folks (from other Domains)

To get to the game by bus you will need to catch the 934, which can be caught from Woden, Civic, or Belconnen. You will need to get off on at the stops near the corner of Gilmore Cres and Kitchener St. You can then follow Kitchener towards the hospital, and Fitchett St will come up on your right. The house is then the first one on the left.
If driving there is parking across from the entrance of the street available at the local oval. Then it’s only a short walk up Fitchett St to the first house on the left.

A warning to interstate visitors is that play style in Canberra is meant to be one of caution. Arriving and being flashy with your powers has a good chance of bringing down the Banisher faction on you and they are designed to be an extreme challenge.
Travel in and out of Canberra, especially by plane can be dangerous, so think about how your character can cover their tracks and mask their supernal side and make sure to include it in your proxy statement. Flying in is known to be one of the most dangerous methods and you likely will have been advised against it.