Brisbane Awakening VSS

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The Brisbane Revolutionary Column | Manifesto | Official History

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ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

Order of the Sable Gallows, (Number to be supplied when approved)
Part of the Domain of Twilight Alliance, AUS-002

1: VST & VC Names and membership numbers
VST: Karl Brannon, AU2012070001 (kbarr616@gmail.com)
VC: Nate Bickerton, AU?

2: Game Location, Time and Fees
Our games are currently played at Visible Ink in Fortitude Valley, the Sunday after Requiem before Changeling: The Lost. Fees are at the discretion of the VC, and currently none are levied.

3: Mailing lists, websites and other online resources used
Twilight Alliance does not have a dedicated website, but does have a Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/Twilight.Alliance and keeps records about characters, locations, and events on the wiki found at http://wiki.beyondthesunset.org.au/brisbane. Players should subscribe to ooc.brisbane@lists.camarilla.org.au for organisational information.

GAME INFORMATION

1: Genre
Mage: The Awakening

2: Setting
In 2013 the city of Brisbane as we know it has continued to expand to resemble a decadent, hedonistic metropolis of vice and crime. The sprawling cityscape of Brisbane has burst its borders with non-stop urban hubs that flow into the Gold Coast to the South, the Sunshine Coast to the North and Ipswich to the West. The sunshine, the surf and the glitz and glamour of Brisbane nightlife present a ritzy lifestyle to outsiders, but the promise of a good time is only skin deep. Beneath the surface is a world of corruption and decay that clings to the city's foundations. Everything and anything can be acquired for the right price. The city isn’t in any kind of chaos or disarray, it churns onward at a steady pace, but progress is always limited by the money that fuels the fires and the hottest fires are those of industry and crime.
The Awakened of Brisbane find themselves in an interesting situation. The Consilium is strong, backed by a long and nearly unbroken history that goes back over a century. However, it finds itself small in its current state and it is forced to co-exist with the political power of an Assembly that controls or contests several prominent parts of the city; which is to say nothing of the other powers, mundane and supernatural, that would claim Brisbane themselves. There is much opportunity to be had here for the ambitious and capable, but danger lurks everywhere and those who do not look carefully to their defences are not likely to survive. The primary locations that will be visited in-game are Customs House, the Queensland University of Technology, and South Bank. Whilst these are the most likely locations for in-game activities, players are not limited to them and are free to roam the city as they wish.

3: Themes
Power: Everything is about power. Political power, arcane power, temporal power; all are the means to ends. But everyone wants power. Some want it for altruistic goals, others for themselves. Some people want to share power, others want to hoard it. Wherever you stand, whatever you believe, nothing survives or succeeds for want of power. But even still, one who seeks power must be wary, for it is said that power inevitably corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely...
Deception: The Lie, the Veil; call it what you like but the effect is the same. In the fallen world, magic is hidden and the supernatural remains a secret; which is to say nothing of more mundane subterfuge. Knowledge is power but only when it is secret, and in a world built on knowledge secrets are worth more than gold. But those who crave knowledge and dig up secrets should look before they leap, because there may yet be things that men weren't meant to know and knowing too much can get you killed...
Consequences: Action and reaction; cause and effect. What you do has an effect on the world around you, and when you can change the world with a thought the effects can be staggering. Change a mind, heal a wound, alter a destiny; the world can change course entirely for good or ill with even the smallest of actions. But sometimes the world doesn't want to change, and when the world fights back it fights back hard...
Amorality: "There are no moral phenomena" says Nietzsche, "only moral interpretations of phenomena". Truth is an often invoked but ill-defined idea, especially where ideas of "right" and "wrong" are concerned. What one Order sees as necessary another sees as heresy, and within Orders there is no consensus on how goals should be pursued. Then there are others, Seers and Banishers and worse, who all see things differently. But they are all wrong, right...?

4: Moods
Mystery: Atlantis, the mythic city from which all mage society is said to descend; The Temenos, where all of humanity’s shared thoughts have been gathering since the species was born; The Shadow, a mirror realm where spirits dwell. The world you knew before awakening was full of questions about unknown worlds and uncertain history, and now that your eyes have been opened there are even more worlds and even longer histories to question. Some of those questions may never really be answered, but that has never stopped humanity from searching and yet fails to diminish the lustre of the questions in and of themselves. Who knows what wonders may be there, just waiting to be discovered.
Fear: The world is out to get you, and in the fallen world there are plenty of threats that the careless and the naïve will never see coming. Banishers wield all the same powers as you, and they want you dead. But the Seers present a worse threat; they are well organized, more numerous, and not so single-minded as to think you can’t be converted. Other threats lurk out there, from hostile spirits to astral and abyssal monsters and even rogue mages who wield powers you’ve never heard of before. And those are just the threats you know about; far worse may yet stalk the world and simply not have left any survivors to tell of its existence. It’s only paranoia if things are not really out to get you.

5: Preferred character types, and restrictions
In keeping with the themes and moods of the game, character concepts are expected to be serious in practice. As Brisbane has a long and defined in-game history, new characters may be asked to integrate with that history if they intend to have been in Brisbane and Awakened for more than six months to a year. Otherwise normal character restrictions apply.

6: Venue History Information
The in-character history of this venue can be obtained in hardcopy from the VST, or on either the Camarilla Australia website, or Venue website, as listed above.

7: Transport In/Out Information
Brisbane is a huge metropolitan area surrounded by the many smaller suburban areas of South-East Queensland. It is accessible by plane (flights scheduled for morning, noon and night), train and road. There are no known threats to the Awakened inherent in any form of access, although non-locals entering or leaving the city unannounced to the Concilium or the Assembly may be considered provocative.

EXTERNAL FACTORS INFORMATION

1: Experience Awards
Creation
All primary characters receive their MC x 10 + 30 in experience points at creation and before entering play as per the universal addenda. In addition characters may also receive experience points for the following at the discretion of the VST:

5XP for completion and submission of the relevant Character Development Document.
Up to 5XP for Character ties (1 point per Character Tie) – Players are required to communicate with VST regarding the nature and suitability.
3XP for a Narrative Character Back-story.
3XP for a wiki page including a picture and a quote from another player.

If the above documentation is suitably provided before the character enters play (i.e. along with the character sheet for initial approval), the XP awarded is considered a bonus on MC XP and applies before creation. Otherwise it is awarded as normal and is subject to the Incremental Maximum for ongoing XP.

Ongoing
Game Attendance 3xp
Roleplaying 1xp
Costuming 1xp

Downtime Submission 1xp
Detailed Downtime 1xp
Post-Game Report 1xp

No character can earn more than 10xp in one month with up to 5xp for a game and 5xp for non-game reasons, except where noted in the Camarilla Rules Addendum. In order to receive the xp rewards for Roleplaying and/or Costuming, players must submit a brief written claim (No more than one paragraph or three sentences) with a justification for each.

2: Custom and House Rules
Mage: the Awakening has a huge repository of pre-defined spells and abilities, some of which may be obscure or unknown. In the event that a player wishes to use a power not listed in the Core book and which has not been discussed with the VST outside of game to the VSTs satisfaction then the player must provide a legible and verifiable copy of the power write-up from the relevant sourcebook. If such a contentious power or ability, which is defined at the discretion of the VST, is attempted without a write-up available then the power or ability may not work at the VST’s discretion.

Furthermore, with regards to dramatic successes and failures, it is the VST’s discretion to decide the effects of any such situation. This may include disallowing normal written rules if they are deemed to be unbalanced or otherwise game breaking and to instead levy bonuses or penalties. These bonuses or penalties may be more generous in situations where players are dealing with their environment and NPCs, and less generous in situations where players are dealing with other players.

As regards the acquisition of mana during downtimes, Mage: The Awakening in Brisbane will be run differently to the other New World of Darkness venues due to the differences in the nature of the Mana trait compared to the Vitae and Glamour traits. Characters have three options: pattern scouring, oblations, and blood sacrifice. Any player who does not specify their means of mana acquisition will be assumed to use the easiest of pattern scouring or oblations depending on their available assets. Any mage who is using pattern scouring to gather mana and has not specified otherwise will be assumed to gather sufficient mana to be healed and on half or twelve (12) mana at the beginning of game, whichever is lower. They may, however, have more difficulty during the month due to their weakened physical abilities. Mages with access to a hallow may instead perform oblations, in which case they gain an amount equal to four times the result of a gnosis + composure roll or the hallow’s rating, whichever is lower. If a method of oblation is not specified, then it will be chosen by the VST based on the character’s path and personality. A mage who has been inducted into a legacy and purchased its first attainment may perform an oblation without a hallow, in which case they must instead go to a location appropriate to their legacy and will gain an amount equal to four times the result of a gnosis + composure roll and a non-specified method of oblation will be based on the legacy. A character may also utilize other methods such as the consumption of tass or blood sacrifice to gain mana to replace or supplement the above methods, but only if the player specifies it as their choice method of mana acquisition and details the procedure. Similarly, players may specify the details of pattern scouring or performing oblations if they wish to deviate from the above assumed methods and their mana acquisition will be considered accordingly.

3: Downtime Handling Procedure
Players must email their written downtime to the VST by the evening (17:00 / 5pm) on the fifteenth (15th) of the month. The ST is required to respond to downtime reports in writing prior to the start of the following game. Downtime reports should include how Merits are used, any actions the Mage takes between games, and any other information the player feels the ST should know. Late submissions will not be accepted without very good reason, due to time-related needs in co-ordinating with other Domain VSTs.

4: Crossover limitations and expectations.
Crossover is permitted as per the addenda. There is an expectation that any cross-venue activity is undertaken responsibly, and irresponsible behaviour may result in both in-character consequences and out-of-character black listing for future cross-venue approval submissions.

NEW/INTERSTATE PLAYERS

1: Information for New Folks (new to Cam)
New Players are encouraged to contact the relevant Story Teller at least three days before game.
For contact information please see Section 4: Administrative information.
Information relating to our specific games and White-Wolf’s World of Darkness can be found on the Beyond the Sunset Wiki - http://wiki.beyondthesunset.org.au

2: Information for External Folks (from other Domains)
Character Sheets for character outside of Brisbane should be sent though the relevant Story Teller channels at least three days before a game. Character sheets for character outside Australia should be sent through the relevant Story Teller Channels at least one week before game in case any conversions need to be made.