Old World Of Darkness Story Teller Hints

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Hi everyone,

I am looking at running a Vampire:the Masquerade game.

I was thinking of starting the PCs off as members of different Sabbat packs,
and then having them head hunted by the Black Hand.

The only problem with V:tM games is that whenever I have played in one, it
always seems as if we end up running off and doing our own things, not
really working together as a team... One player gets like half an hour of
the ST's time, while everyone else sits around waiting.

Is this a common experience for people? How do I prevent this from happening
in my game?

LUKE

--
--------------------------------------------------------------

Computer games don't affect kids. I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids,
we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and
listening to repetitive electronic music - Kristian Wilson - Nintendo Inc
(1989)

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.whitewolf (More info?)

Luke R wrote:

> Hi everyone,

> I am looking at running a Vampire:the Masquerade game.

> I was thinking of starting the PCs off as members of different Sabbat packs,
> and then having them head hunted by the Black Hand.

> The only problem with V:tM games is that whenever I have played in one, it
> always seems as if we end up running off and doing our own things, not
> really working together as a team... One player gets like half an hour of
> the ST's time, while everyone else sits around waiting.

> Is this a common experience for people? How do I prevent this from happening
> in my game?

I think if your biggest problem is characters who don't really interact
with each other, starting them off as members of different packs is
going to amplify the problem, and make fixing it much more difficult.

I would suggest cutting to the good part.

Tell them "Make characters who were members of different packs, but who
get thrown together when they realize the Black Hand is hunting all of
them." Make sure the characters look like they'll stick together for
the long haul.

Then open the game with an exciting chase scene and/or running gunfight.
Like how action movies usually start with action scenes.
--
Stephenls
Geek
"I'm as impure as the driven yellow snow." -Spike

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.whitewolf (More info?)

Luke R wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> I am looking at running a Vampire:the Masquerade game.
>
> I was thinking of starting the PCs off as members of different Sabbat packs,
> and then having them head hunted by the Black Hand.
>
> The only problem with V:tM games is that whenever I have played in one, it
> always seems as if we end up running off and doing our own things, not
> really working together as a team... One player gets like half an hour of
> the ST's time, while everyone else sits around waiting.
>
> Is this a common experience for people? How do I prevent this from happening
> in my game?
>
> LUKE
>
I always have some npcs who thow the characters back together whenever
they start going off to do their own thing, if it's disturbing the
storyline. Also: divide the time evenly, unless in a fight scene or
something of the sort, it's easy to cut to what other characters are
doing. Even during a fight scene give other characters a chance to get
there to help out. I played a vtm game where one of the players played
the antagonist, a Hunter from the prestigious Beauomont family. I got
caught alone in a fight and the other characters were near enough where
they noticed and we cut between turns to allow the other characters to
try to approach and join in.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.whitewolf (More info?)

"Luke R" <tasslehoff1_nospam@optushome.com.au> wrote in message news:<416cce42$0$22860$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au>...

> The only problem with V:tM games is that whenever I have played in one, it
> always seems as if we end up running off and doing our own things, not
> really working together as a team... One player gets like half an hour of
> the ST's time, while everyone else sits around waiting.
>
> Is this a common experience for people? How do I prevent this from happening
> in my game?
>


It happens alot in my game, but we usually don't worry about it. All
players tend to get their piece and if they wanted to get together and
do something, they would. Actually, I sort of enjoy it that way and
even take the active player out of the room so the others don't have a
clue as to what is going on.

However, with the BH chasing after them, splitting up is just sort of
stupid. One of the reasons the pack mentality exists for protection.
When you have somebody split off, have them encounter, or almost
encounter a large group of people looking for them so they flee back
to the protection of the group. Play up the paranoia aspect and really
start dropping hints to lone players that they are out on their own
and surrounded by spies and threats. Make them come up with the idea
of getting back together with everybody and that splitting up is a bad
idea just like in a horror movie.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.whitewolf (More info?)

Stephenls <stephenls@shaw.ca> wrote in message news:<2t5gliF1rcb4cU1@uni-berlin.de>...
> I would suggest cutting to the good part.
>
> Tell them "Make characters who were members of different packs, but who
> get thrown together when they realize the Black Hand is hunting all of
> them." Make sure the characters look like they'll stick together for
> the long haul.
>
> Then open the game with an exciting chase scene and/or running gunfight.
> Like how action movies usually start with action scenes.


I like that sort of idea. Start with a running gun fight and no
character knowing anything about eachother except who is on their
side. Play flash back scenes to earlier in the game and then come back
to them safe but waiting for the next threat to appear. Very much like
the movie Resorvioir Dogs. I've never tried such non-linear dramatic
stroytelling. Has anybody else and how did it work?

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.whitewolf (More info?)

In news:416cce42$0$22860$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au,
Luke R <tasslehoff1_nospam@optushome.com.au> typed:
> The only problem with V:tM games is that whenever I have played in
> one, it always seems as if we end up running off and doing our own
> things, not really working together as a team... One player gets like
> half an hour of the ST's time, while everyone else sits around
> waiting.

Talk it over with the group. When everyone sees the problem it's easy to
avoid. Build the PC's into a unit at charcreation and ask the players to
keep the group together when possible/appropriate.

--
T. Koivula

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.whitewolf (More info?)

Luke R wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> I am looking at running a Vampire:the Masquerade game.
>
> I was thinking of starting the PCs off as members of different Sabbat packs,
> and then having them head hunted by the Black Hand.
>
> The only problem with V:tM games is that whenever I have played in one, it
> always seems as if we end up running off and doing our own things, not
> really working together as a team... One player gets like half an hour of
> the ST's time, while everyone else sits around waiting.
>
> Is this a common experience for people? How do I prevent this from happening
> in my game?

Well having them all be members of different packs isn't going to help
at all. That will only keep them apart and force you to play so many
more NPCs to represent all of their packmates.
If you want to emphasize the whole "players don't really know each
other to begin with" bit, then maybe have a group of appropriately
Clanned sires Embrace the PCs as shovelheads and throw them together as
a pack. Or, have all of the PCs' packs brought together for some Sabbat
mission and everyone other than the PCs end up getting messily
slaughtered. Then, lost in enemy turf and surrounded, the party will
have to band together as a new pack in order to survive.
The second option fits better with your initial idea, and it allows
for the game to get off on a proper Sabbat start - ie: a bloody one. It
also suggests a reason why the Black Hand is after the party (because
they screwed up the mission.) Of course, this may or may not be the
real reason why the Black Hand is involved, and discovering the truth
may become a major part of the campaign as time progresses.
If you're having trouble keeping the party together, then the best
way to fix it is to have the party start the game as a unit and make
sure to let the PCs know you want it that way. In my experience, most
RPGs are played by having the players make up some characters and then
jumping straight in, but it doesn't have to be like that. You can
discuss themes and general plot ideas with the players if you like.
Make sure that everyone understands basically what kind of story you're
trying to tell, and that it's a story they all want to tell as well.
That way you're all working toward a common goal as a troupe.
For example, you could say "I want to run a game about a group of
Sabbat vampires struggling to survive a botched attack on the Camarilla,
avoiding retribution both from the enemy and displeased elders at home."
and "The theme of this game is one of survival-horror (or
action-adventure) for a small group of vampires in desperate straights."
Then the players can narrow down the sorts of situations they're likely
to find themselves in. They can focus on building characters to suit
the game you want to run. This will make it easier for them to get
along in character and will also cut down on players going off on wild
tangents in an effort to make use of some hitherto useless skill that
they unknowingly spent five dots into.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.whitewolf (More info?)

On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 16:42:26 +1000, "Luke R"
<tasslehoff1_nospam@optushome.com.au> wrote:

>Hi everyone,
>
>I am looking at running a Vampire:the Masquerade game.
>
>I was thinking of starting the PCs off as members of different Sabbat packs,
>and then having them head hunted by the Black Hand.
>
>The only problem with V:tM games is that whenever I have played in one, it
>always seems as if we end up running off and doing our own things, not
>really working together as a team... One player gets like half an hour of
>the ST's time, while everyone else sits around waiting.
>
>Is this a common experience for people? How do I prevent this from happening
>in my game?
>

Kill them. The reason why young vampires stick together is because
the group can restrain each other's frenzies, but that doesn't matter
when you are Sabbat but also because being weak and alone invites
people to make a victim out of you. If people are out to get you,
splitting up invites attacks by forces that would otherwise hold off
because the odds aren't in their favours. So when everyone divides up
kill the bastards. Or at least try.