Toowoomba Requiem CofD VSS

Toowoomba Requiem CofD VSS

Effective Date: 11 June 2017

Last Updated: 17 August 2016

This VSS is written for the Toowoomba Domain, Nox Immortalis, and their Requiem Second Edition venue, set in Shadow play International’s live-action Chronicles of Darkness chronicle.

IC. Toowoomba has grown quickly into a vast and constantly evolving city, a transportation hub to the west of Brisbane, that was founded in the mid 1800’s on a fertile farming landscape that has become centre for innovation, industry and agricultural development. It is unlike any other city, with its own complex blend of country heritage, with a thriving desire to be different to the capital a stone’s throw away.

It’s got a deep seeded, artsy culture, with painted alleyways and urban café’s, stealing some features out of a Melbourne landscape, set among a diverse multicultural tapestry of residents, from wealthy baby boomers, a myriad of migrant and refugee resettlement from overseas and ‘down south’, an aspiring GenY community, and a vast retirement community. With miners, farmers, battlers, families, and everything else. The region rates highly for education, both public and private, and has produced its fair share of sporting royalty and political infamy. The heart, the CBD, a mix of cuisines in many varied cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs, and new development, as former industry, fades away, either into memory, or expansion far from the city centre. Factories, foundries, flour mills, all formerly around the city, are no more, having closed their doors, with the lucky few moving further field. The city continues to grow, spreading out along the compass points, with endless views over the valleys below to the east. Head south towards beef and wine growing, and west, towards vast stretches of farmland, for beast, crop as well as mining resources of coal and gas, and heading North out along the edge of the range, brings you out into a number of small towns, on the edges of forests and various farms. Our dams located out this way, aside from water supply, are popular for recreation, camping and fishing.

The full OOC History can be viewed here Toowoomba_The_Real_History, and connections to this historical timeline are encouraged, if you want a character to have had a long history with the region.

VENUE INFORMATION

Domain Details

Domain : Toowoomba

Domain Staff

Coordinator: Elise Read (2009040012)– dc(at)toowoomba.beyondthesunset.org.au

Storyteller: Justin Stone (1997100187)– dst(at)toowoomba.beyondthesunset.org.au

Venue Details

Genre: Requiem 2.0

Name: Shadows Of Chance and Killable Sorrows

Code: NIT SOCKS

Approval Number: HIGH – AUCFDR170601

Venue Staff

VC – James Carghil - #1999090279 – vc.requiem.cofd(at)toowoomba.beyondthesunset.org.au

VST – Rod Austin - #1997100188 - vst.requiem.cofd(at)toowoomba.beyondthesunset.org.au

Golden Rule

LARP is not a “shoot-em- up”. You don’t get notches in your belt for killing other PC’s. You don’t win by making the game miserable for everyone else. This is a storytelling game, and you win by telling a good story with others.

STYLES OF PLAY

The following table is a simplified view of what the local game will be like. These ratings are worked out by discussion between the storyteller and the players of the venue, in efforts to have the game they want to see being run, and is a useful guide for both players and storytellers.

Style of Play

Style of Play - Description - Rating

Action - Combat and Challenges - 3

Character - Development, personal dilemmas and choices - 4

Darkness - PC death 2 or PC corruption - 3

Drama - Ceremony and grand story - 3

Intrigue - Politics and negotiation - 3

Manners - Social etiquette and peer pressure - 3

Mystery - Enigmas and investigation - 4

Pace - How fast do stories emerge, develop and resolve? - 2

PVE vs PVP

The Toowoomba game is focused more on Player vs Environment (PvE) as opposed to Players vs Players (PvP).

Our smaller player group brings a greater sense of community, and cooperation to our games. There are of course elements to politics, status, and brown nosing that are PvP, but having individuals or groups that intentionally target others for no apparent story reasoning quickly becomes destructive to the games, and is not encouraged. Disruptive PVP can expect storyteller intervention. Certainly bullying of players is not acceptable. If this is your style of game, our Venue may not be suitable for your game.

STORYTELLING MECHANICS

==Starting Levels - Vitae

1. Chance number on Die Roller, to yield a result between 1-10.

2. Certain Merits can adjust this number.

i. Fame 1-2 +1

ii. Fame 3+ - 1

iii. Resources 4+ +1

iv Feeding Ground +1/level

3. The final result is you’re starting Vitae for the game.

i. If the result is 2 or less, you will need to Resist for Frenzy

4. To improve this starting value, a character may feed before starting game (as per VtR SE, P95-98, with modifiers on P96).

5. A downtime action can also be used for an additional (unmodified) roll, to add to the starting figure.

Merits

1. Influences of the Human World

In order to maintain consistency across all of our venues, all influence-type Merits (Allies, Contacts, Fame, Retainer, and Status) are categorised as follows:

• Academics
• Bureaucracy
• Entertainment
• Emergency Services
• Health
• High Society
• Industry
• Law
• Media
• Religion
• Occult
• Police
• Politics
• Street
• Transport
• Underworld

Merits that specify into specialised areas, do so within these categories, and may be used generally in that sphere with lessened effectiveness, in exchange for heightened effectiveness in that specialist area.

Character Death

Character death does happen, however it is something that needs to be seen as a last resort. A story is about a beginning, middle and end, time to tell the story, but also be a part of that story, sharing and growing it with others. Death brings an end to that story, and no one enjoys getting into a great story, to only find that it taken away.

Refer to “the golden rule” I.C.1

Rule Interpretations

1. CofD Universal Addendum. IV.B.1.a – Further restriction.

AUSTRALIA: Add 1 EXP for each Membership Class level.

i.This is added at the rate of 5 Beats on the first of each month (1XP/Month), after a completed character sheet has been submitted for approval. It is not available to be spent until after the date the character first enters play.

ii. This means all characters are created the same, with 30xp. The bonus XP is awarded like bonus to earned XP, for a number of months equal to their MC level, and can only be spent through appropriate Downtime actions.

iii. Visiting characters that have spent their bonus MC EXP are subject to restrictions by the lead Storyteller (where necessary), so a complete XP log is also required to be sent from the home VST.

iv. Spending of MC XP requires approved downtime expenditure submissions.

2. Firearms remain Mid Approval.

3. Touchstones are to be a part of the mortal world, a living breathing person. They cannot be places or things, or creatures that have any supernatural template applied, including ghouls.

Condition Cards

1. Players are required to have condition cards relevant to the powers on their character sheet. If you want to impose a condition onto another player character, you will need to provide them with a condition card, detailing the effect, the end condition, and the beat condition, as well as the character and player name.

2. At the end, all condition cards are to be returned to either the player, or the storyteller.

Status from Afar.

1. Given the isolated nature of requiem, those with status in other cities don’t hold the same resonance in this city. One cannot be considered less than Acknowledged, if in fact they have been, no matter how far from the safety of their home they may find themselves

Toowoomba in Backstory

1. Any time spent greater than 1 month, spend in or around the Toowoomba area in a character past, needs to be approved by the Toowoomba DST. So Players are not able to have a character ‘from Toowoomba’, unless the Toowoomba DST knows about it and approves it.

CHARACTER SHEETS

Management

1. The VST is the holder of the true copy. Any changes to the character sheet are the responsibility of the VST.

2. If a player finds a fault with a copy, the player is required to inform the VST of the issue via an email to the VST email account. Verbally pointing out something missing at a game, is not sufficient.

Merits

1. Be aware that non-supernatural NPC’s are controlled by the DST. This includes those indicated by Allies and Contacts.

2. Refer to categories under III.B.1

Equipment

1. Firearms remain mid approval to own.

2. All discharges of (non-silenced) firearms require DST notification.

3. All gun related violence among mortals requires DST notification.

4. Items not included on a character sheet, are not available for use by a character.

Approval Requirements

1. All character sheets, backgrounds and other associated documentation must be submitted electronically, on the correct sheet or document to the VST’s email.

2. All approvals must follow the storyteller hierarchy. (Low > Mid > High > Top)

3. All characters submitted for approval must include a background document.

(Note: the optional CCD does not count as a background document, but the 2 should support each other)

4. In limited cases, a character may be able to enter play, pending approvals or supporting documentation. Players have a maximum of 3 months to submit any required approval requests for those items. Failure to submit an approval may result in characters needing change, and those pending approvals being declined.

5. Use of items that have not been fully approved, is likely to result in a character being de-sanctioned and removed from play.

Character Retirement

1. A Player Character can be retired in 3 ways.

i. Choice - The player sends an email to the VST of that venue, informing them that they wish to retire the character. The VST will confirm, before changing the status.

ii. Another Character - Bringing another primary character of the same venue into play, will instantly retire your old character.

iii. Expired membership – 2 months after membership has expired, characters will be made NPC’s. If you would like to keep your character, you need to remain a current member of BTS.

a. This will occur without notification. Responsibility sits with the player to communicate with the VST if they have intentions to return and wish their character to remain ‘active’.

iv. Note that for reversing this process, it is High Approval (addenda)

EXPERIENCE

Earning Beats

1. Storyteller Beat Awards (ST AUS – Cap 13/month)

i. Personal Awards (as per lead ST discretion)

a. Playing 1 character for full game session – 5

b. Playing 1 character for ½ or more – 3

c. Playing 1 character for less than ½ game - 1

d. Playing 2 characters at the session – ½ 1 character award (Rnd down)

e. ST Award (roleplaying, tactics, costuming, etc) – 1

ii. Shared / Pooled beat awards – 1 beat

a. Fulfilling an Aspiration

b. Resolving a Condition

c. Dramatic failure in lieu of a standard failure

d. Taking Lethal damage

e. Taking lethal damage in one of the three right-most health boxes

f. Backing down in the Beaten Down & Surrender rule

g. Purchasing a new Asset Skill dot if you have Professional Training ●●●●

iii. Blood Beats - 1 beat

a. Dramatic Failures on Discipline rolls

b. Exceptional Success on Discipline rolls

c. Embracing

d. Ghouling

e. Creating revenants

f. Exsanguinating a victim

g. Frenzy or riding the wave

h. Spending your last Vitae

i. Drinking beyond capacity

j. Joining a bloodline

k. Gaining a Discipline dot

l. Rolling for Detachment

2. Coordinator Volunteer Beat Awards – [ST AUS - CAP of 2/character/month]

i. First Aid Officer. Ratio 1/10 players – 1 beat

ii. Venue Setup – 1 beat

iii. Driver of one or more passengers from another domain to game – 1 beat

a. Players need to inform the event coordinator at point of sign in, to identify the driver.

New Players

1. New players are considered “White Lanyards” for 3 months, and during that time, will earn the full Beat award (up to the monthly cap of 13) for each of those 3 months.

Visiting Players

1. Shared beats. Any visiting characters will take part in the shared beats for the game. These beat awards are to be forwarded to their home VST within 7 days for adding to the attending player’s character sheets.

2. Drivers may be entitled to a beat (V.A.2.iii)

DOWNTIME

Downtime Actions

1. There is one downtime cycle each month.

2. Submitting a downtime +1 beat

3. Quality downtime [+1 beat] (VST Discretion)

Spending Experience

1. You can only increase one ‘Category’ on your sheet in any month. The categories are Attributes, Skills, Merits, Advantages, and Supernatural Powers.

i. So you can’t increase Strength and Wits in a single month.

ii. You could increase Dexterity, and increase or purchase a skill, and a merit.

2. This does not include those dots that need to be purchased to:

i. Reflect something earned in game

ii. Purchase dots of a potential loss of a shared merit. (Global Addenda VII.A.2)

Feedback

1. Sometimes, downtime is the only way for your VST to reach out to you with questions. It might be to get clarification, to get additional information about your character or to even fix something on your sheet.

2. If you are asked by the VST to provide feedback, it’s important you send email that to the VST. While it is much easier to just tell them at game, with everything going on, it is unlikely to be actioned. Players need to email the VST with any updates or answers.

Due Date

1. The due date for downtime actions / experience spends, is the first Friday of each Month.

2. Downtime received on or before that day, will be processed in full and returned to the player during the week, prior to game. If not sent electronically, a printed copy will be brought to the game and handed to the player.

3. Downtime sent after the first Friday, may or may not be processed by the storyteller.

4. Downtime sent on or by due date [+2 beats].

Late Submissions

1. Downtime sent after the first Friday, may or may not be processed by the storyteller. The VST will still try to give you some feedback, depending on time and how late it was received.

PROXY RULES

A. By sending your character as a proxy to the Toowoomba domain, you accept that you are surrendering that character to the local storytellers, and you release control to them, to carry out the intended actions as best they can. This does not mean success will occur.

B. Character sheet must be send by the home VST, through both DST’s to the Toowoomba VST.

C. The adjoining email must also include answers to the following points:

1. The usual who what, where, when, how questions.

• i. How does your character arrive, and when.
• ii. What is the intended activity while visiting
• iii. Where are they going, hiding, retreating, staying, etc.
• iv. Which other local characters know of the visit, or may recognise the character.
• v. What is your escape plan.
• vi. Declaration that local decisions are final, including acceptance of possible character death.

D. Results will be sent back from the Toowoomba VST, to all ST’s in the chain. It is then up to the local ST to communicate with the player, updating the sheet where necessary.