It's six weeks since our last session, so some recap and on to a new development...
It's another of Edie's parties up in the Hills, and Veronica is still stressing over The Guy. Edie insists on introducing her to a film producer who's casting "a modern vampire movie, like, how they'd be able to live unnoticed in a big city" and says she'd be great for the role of the innocent ingénue. She thanks Edie for trying to cheer her up.
Hall spots one of his clan leading off a girl who probably isn't old enough to be drinking, let alone getting drunk from. He follows him out, and the guy gets territorial and defensive. He tries to buy him off with information - something about the snake cult making inroads into the heroin trade. Hall shoves him off the hill, then goes to tell Karen.
"Great, I'm going to go rob some vampire drug dealers. Wish me luck, I guess."
The three vampires find an empty beach house nearby to sleep so they can go in early, depending on what Billy sees during the day.
"People... as in, humans... coming and going all hours."
And about twenty minutes after sundown, a big black Cadillac parks nearby and three really obvious vampires get out. They're pale, lean, with staring eyes, wearing dark clothes.
They leave after half an hour, carrying a big bag. Nobody left inside.
Karen goes in to look for the book she's supposed to be stealing, finding it amongst a bunch of other creepy old limited edition publications. Hall finds a stash of untraceable guns. Veronica examines a bloodstain on the floor...
... and sees a ritual involving a snake being cut open and the three vampires sharing blood.
Thursday, 26 January 2017
Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Thursday, 8 December 2016
Nightclubbing: 8: We Learn Dances, Brand New Dances
Karen and Billy case the 'temple', a beach house.
"I'll need a way in. Wish I could turn into smoke."
"Uh... is that a thing?"
"It is for Dracula."
With that, Karen heads around back to scout it out. Billy stays in the car, down the street, watching people come and go. The place seems fairly popular at all hours.
Karen finds a payphone - this must be a nice part of town - and calls Hall.
"Yeah... we got a vampire dealing drugs here. And not street drugs."
...
Over the next couple days and nights they follow the vampire and his people, making deliveries, collecting money. Asking around, nobody knows this guy - where he came from, even his blood.
"So we could just disappear him..." Billy suggests.
"He has to have connections somewhere," Veronica replies. She's dressed down to meet them... or maybe avoiding attention after the guy last week.
"So we find out some more." Hall flexes his knuckles.
...
In return, Karen also looks into The Guy. Nothing weird, that she can tell. "But, y'know, I've only been a vampire since September."
...
Veronica decides to meet The Guy, with backup in another booth of the club.
"I was surprised you called... you seemed upset last time."
"Just a little startled."
"Well, my neck's fine... if you want another go..."
"I'll need a way in. Wish I could turn into smoke."
"Uh... is that a thing?"
"It is for Dracula."
With that, Karen heads around back to scout it out. Billy stays in the car, down the street, watching people come and go. The place seems fairly popular at all hours.
Karen finds a payphone - this must be a nice part of town - and calls Hall.
"Yeah... we got a vampire dealing drugs here. And not street drugs."
...
Over the next couple days and nights they follow the vampire and his people, making deliveries, collecting money. Asking around, nobody knows this guy - where he came from, even his blood.
"So we could just disappear him..." Billy suggests.
"He has to have connections somewhere," Veronica replies. She's dressed down to meet them... or maybe avoiding attention after the guy last week.
"So we find out some more." Hall flexes his knuckles.
...
In return, Karen also looks into The Guy. Nothing weird, that she can tell. "But, y'know, I've only been a vampire since September."
...
Veronica decides to meet The Guy, with backup in another booth of the club.
"I was surprised you called... you seemed upset last time."
"Just a little startled."
"Well, my neck's fine... if you want another go..."
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Nightclubbing: 7: We Walk Like A Ghost
The guy shrugs off Veronica's questions. "A hickey's not exactly the worst thing I ever got at a party, y'know?" Still, she makes sure she can find him again.
She calls Edie about it as well.
"No, I haven't had anybody like that... How was he? Did he taste different?"
"No, he just... I don't know. Maybe it was me."
"Oh honey, don't ever think that."
"Then what? Is the scene just so jaded that nobody cares any more?"
"Only one way to find out..."
...
Karen goes to see Billy, needing a lookout and/or getaway driver for whatever her sire Constance has planned.
"So what is it, just illegal, or dangerous as well?"
"Oh, probably. Knowing my luck it'll belong to some other vampire."
"Well, at least that won't bring the cops. Get me killed, sure, but no cops."
...
Hall is still running down drug dealers. He puts one through a car window to get him to talk.
...
Veronica and Edie head out, and test to make sure it's not a problem on Veronica's end. None of the people she samples have the same problem.
"So, wanna find this guy and... well, what do you wanna do with him?"
"It's nice having options..."
...
Karen goes to see Constance to get the specifics. Right enough, it's stealing from other vampires. "Maybe connected to your drug-blood ring too."
Some kind of post-hippy cult. Something to do with snakes.
...
Disco is not a threat to the Masquerade.
Yet.
She calls Edie about it as well.
"No, I haven't had anybody like that... How was he? Did he taste different?"
"No, he just... I don't know. Maybe it was me."
"Oh honey, don't ever think that."
"Then what? Is the scene just so jaded that nobody cares any more?"
"Only one way to find out..."
...
Karen goes to see Billy, needing a lookout and/or getaway driver for whatever her sire Constance has planned.
"So what is it, just illegal, or dangerous as well?"
"Oh, probably. Knowing my luck it'll belong to some other vampire."
"Well, at least that won't bring the cops. Get me killed, sure, but no cops."
...
Hall is still running down drug dealers. He puts one through a car window to get him to talk.
...
Veronica and Edie head out, and test to make sure it's not a problem on Veronica's end. None of the people she samples have the same problem.
"So, wanna find this guy and... well, what do you wanna do with him?"
"It's nice having options..."
...
Karen goes to see Constance to get the specifics. Right enough, it's stealing from other vampires. "Maybe connected to your drug-blood ring too."
Some kind of post-hippy cult. Something to do with snakes.
...
Disco is not a threat to the Masquerade.
Yet.
Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Nightclubbing: 6: We're Walking Through Town
Karen's sire, Constance, claims to be concerned that she's picking fights with other vampires. She says she'll help look into the drug dealers... and of course she wants something in exchange. Something needs to be stolen, in a few nights' time...
Veronica gets a call from her clanmate Edie, an invitation to a nightclub event. A chance to make some connections.
The Factory is shutting for refurbishments so it's packed out, probably violating fire safety codes. Edie makes the rounds of dealers, Veronica looks them over to see if any of them have been in contact with the vampire. Hall gets hit on by white people. Billy helps himself to a bottle of scotch that the owners didn't give due appreciation. Karen borrows a floppy hat and enormous sunglasses from Veronica and tries not to look obviously underage.
Veronica lets a guy put the moves on her, charms him effortlessly, gets him back to his place...
... and he doesn't seem to forget about the biting after she's done.
...
Did he know she was a vampire when they met? What has he been taking that would let him remember the Kiss? Is Disco a threat to the Masquerade?!
Veronica gets a call from her clanmate Edie, an invitation to a nightclub event. A chance to make some connections.
The Factory is shutting for refurbishments so it's packed out, probably violating fire safety codes. Edie makes the rounds of dealers, Veronica looks them over to see if any of them have been in contact with the vampire. Hall gets hit on by white people. Billy helps himself to a bottle of scotch that the owners didn't give due appreciation. Karen borrows a floppy hat and enormous sunglasses from Veronica and tries not to look obviously underage.
Veronica lets a guy put the moves on her, charms him effortlessly, gets him back to his place...
... and he doesn't seem to forget about the biting after she's done.
...
Did he know she was a vampire when they met? What has he been taking that would let him remember the Kiss? Is Disco a threat to the Masquerade?!
Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Nightclubbing: 5: Oh, Isn't It Wild?
The ratty-haired hippy vampire decides that three against one isn't good odds. (Billy isn't counted.) He picks up the dealer and throws him at Hall, who bats him aside. He then starts running, taking out a revolver and firing behind him to stop them chasing him.
Karen goes racing off after the vampire, all growls under his breath and goes after her.
Veronica confirms that the dealer's still alive, and offers him the chance to stay that way.
"He needs healthy blood with heroin in it - says it's for juicing. I don't ask questions!"
"Well, let me ask you a few questions."
Karen drops on the vampire from a fire escape as he gets to his car.
Hall appears from out of nowhere and picks him up by the neck.
"Hey man, this is a free city. No man, no God, no Prince. Least this way they die high, right?"
Hall considers this, and breaks the vampire's neck.
"He has customers. Maybe a boss. And he's right. There's nobody above us to stop this."
"So we stop this."
The dealer is very cooperative, between Veronica's smile and Billy's crowbar.
The group find Cindy where he said she was, alive.
Veronica has enough Auspex to get an impression of the vampire's haven and where it is from the body. Maybe there will be a clue there.
Karen puts Cindy on the bus back home.
"You should go home too."
"Too late for that."
And on her way back from the bus station, she sees her sire waiting for her...
...
Karen provides an actual moral center for the group. Hall resents what he is and is happy to put it to some kind of good use, Veronica would rather be partying but can be guilted into action, Billy figures a "good" vampire is less trouble than most of them will be.
Next week, a new plot! Possibly two, actually.
Karen goes racing off after the vampire, all growls under his breath and goes after her.
Veronica confirms that the dealer's still alive, and offers him the chance to stay that way.
"He needs healthy blood with heroin in it - says it's for juicing. I don't ask questions!"
"Well, let me ask you a few questions."
Karen drops on the vampire from a fire escape as he gets to his car.
Hall appears from out of nowhere and picks him up by the neck.
"Hey man, this is a free city. No man, no God, no Prince. Least this way they die high, right?"
Hall considers this, and breaks the vampire's neck.
"He has customers. Maybe a boss. And he's right. There's nobody above us to stop this."
"So we stop this."
The dealer is very cooperative, between Veronica's smile and Billy's crowbar.
The group find Cindy where he said she was, alive.
Veronica has enough Auspex to get an impression of the vampire's haven and where it is from the body. Maybe there will be a clue there.
Karen puts Cindy on the bus back home.
"You should go home too."
"Too late for that."
And on her way back from the bus station, she sees her sire waiting for her...
...
Karen provides an actual moral center for the group. Hall resents what he is and is happy to put it to some kind of good use, Veronica would rather be partying but can be guilted into action, Billy figures a "good" vampire is less trouble than most of them will be.
Next week, a new plot! Possibly two, actually.
Wednesday, 9 November 2016
Thursday, 3 November 2016
Nightclubbing: 4: We See People, Brand New People
They're something to see...
Veronica, Hall and Billy all go to assorted contacts.
Veronica knows a Beverley Hills vampire, a fellow Toreador who supplies drugs to the very best parties. She insists that she takes care who she buys from and sells to, but can point her clanmate to some less 'ethical' dealers.
Hall talks to the night shift coroner. She knows about vampires, and has a fee for cover-ups, cold blood, and information. He pays for the information, and the cover-up as well.
Billy confirms a couple of the likely names, then narrows the leads down further by getting into searching the most likely suspect's car.
And they track him, and find him meeting a vampire. One none of them know.
Veronica, Hall and Billy all go to assorted contacts.
Veronica knows a Beverley Hills vampire, a fellow Toreador who supplies drugs to the very best parties. She insists that she takes care who she buys from and sells to, but can point her clanmate to some less 'ethical' dealers.
Hall talks to the night shift coroner. She knows about vampires, and has a fee for cover-ups, cold blood, and information. He pays for the information, and the cover-up as well.
Billy confirms a couple of the likely names, then narrows the leads down further by getting into searching the most likely suspect's car.
And they track him, and find him meeting a vampire. One none of them know.
Thursday, 27 October 2016
Dead In The Water
I've been fake running a fake adventure in my fake World Of Darkness fake MMO fake Twitter account for fake Halloween for the past couple of real weeks.
It's about a supposedly haunted sightseeing cruise which is of course totally haunted.
A ship is a great setting for a horror one-shot, as a contained location that you can't easily leave, isolated from the outside world, unfamiliar, full of strangers and commanded by strangers, and prone to lurching around unexpectedly while you're trying to move and sinking when something goes wrong.
A ship is like a hotel that you can't walk out of. It's like a plane except without the risk of falling out of the sky... but to balance that out, it can be a lot bigger and easier to get lost in, and you can be on one for weeks.
There are ship-based adventures for Call Of Cthulhu, Ravenloft (the second in the series when it became a full setting) and more. The Ferrymen are a vital part of Wraith: The Oblivion, and there's Blood-Dimmed Tides as well, and MES held L.A. By Night 2013 on the Queen Mary.
If you're on a ship in an RPG and it doesn't just get you from A to B, expect either pirates or something creepy. Maybe both.
It's about a supposedly haunted sightseeing cruise which is of course totally haunted.
A ship is a great setting for a horror one-shot, as a contained location that you can't easily leave, isolated from the outside world, unfamiliar, full of strangers and commanded by strangers, and prone to lurching around unexpectedly while you're trying to move and sinking when something goes wrong.
A ship is like a hotel that you can't walk out of. It's like a plane except without the risk of falling out of the sky... but to balance that out, it can be a lot bigger and easier to get lost in, and you can be on one for weeks.
There are ship-based adventures for Call Of Cthulhu, Ravenloft (the second in the series when it became a full setting) and more. The Ferrymen are a vital part of Wraith: The Oblivion, and there's Blood-Dimmed Tides as well, and MES held L.A. By Night 2013 on the Queen Mary.
If you're on a ship in an RPG and it doesn't just get you from A to B, expect either pirates or something creepy. Maybe both.
Nightclubbing: 3: We're An Ice Machine
Veronica follows the guy who leaves in a hurry to avoid Hall. He goes to a payphone and makes a call. She can't get close enough to hear his side, but she can tell he's scared.
He talks pretty quick.
"There's this clinic, buys blood, no questions asked as long as it's clean."
Hall and Veronica already know where it is. It sells as well. None of the vampires in town want to see it shut down, so they'll have to approach quietly.
The orderly who sells knows they can't touch him, so he goes straight to fishing for money. Veronica gives him a car key from Billy's collection. He gives her an address.
It leads to a cheap motel... to a body.
Not Cindy. One of the previous missing runaways.
"Heroin. Was she a user?" Veronica asks.
"I don't think so..." Karen shakes her head.
"Nah, just one mark. Someone dosed her." Billy grimaces.
"And took her blood." Hall shares a look with Karen.
"Can we find out who?" Karen asks.
"And then what?" Hall asks her.
"Make sure they don't do it again."
He talks pretty quick.
"There's this clinic, buys blood, no questions asked as long as it's clean."
Hall and Veronica already know where it is. It sells as well. None of the vampires in town want to see it shut down, so they'll have to approach quietly.
The orderly who sells knows they can't touch him, so he goes straight to fishing for money. Veronica gives him a car key from Billy's collection. He gives her an address.
It leads to a cheap motel... to a body.
Not Cindy. One of the previous missing runaways.
"Heroin. Was she a user?" Veronica asks.
"I don't think so..." Karen shakes her head.
"Nah, just one mark. Someone dosed her." Billy grimaces.
"And took her blood." Hall shares a look with Karen.
"Can we find out who?" Karen asks.
"And then what?" Hall asks her.
"Make sure they don't do it again."
Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Nightclubbing: 2: We're What's Happening
They ask around, by night and by day, getting a picture of the girl's last known movements. Her name is... or was... Cindy.
"She came to Hollywood to be famous. Of course." Veronica glowers.
She wasn't streetwalking or doing drugs. In fact, all four runaways to disappear so far have been clean.
Hall suggests keeping watch on the bus station. See if somebody goes straight to the source.
There's a vampire there, sure enough, but he claims he's not involved and the way he folds under questioning suggests he isn't lying.
"So whoever's doing this wants them desperate."
Next port of call is the shelters. Karen doesn't want to go in, too many crosses and people trying to be helpful.
"Do crosses really bother you guys?" Billy asks.
"They bother me."
Nobody that will talk to Hall has heard anything. But Veronica can sense that someone who wouldn't talk to him has...
...
Yeah, 70s L.A. is skeevy and horrible. We'll have some glamour to contrast with the grime next session, possibly.
"She came to Hollywood to be famous. Of course." Veronica glowers.
She wasn't streetwalking or doing drugs. In fact, all four runaways to disappear so far have been clean.
Hall suggests keeping watch on the bus station. See if somebody goes straight to the source.
There's a vampire there, sure enough, but he claims he's not involved and the way he folds under questioning suggests he isn't lying.
"So whoever's doing this wants them desperate."
Next port of call is the shelters. Karen doesn't want to go in, too many crosses and people trying to be helpful.
"Do crosses really bother you guys?" Billy asks.
"They bother me."
Nobody that will talk to Hall has heard anything. But Veronica can sense that someone who wouldn't talk to him has...
...
Yeah, 70s L.A. is skeevy and horrible. We'll have some glamour to contrast with the grime next session, possibly.
Tuesday, 18 October 2016
Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Nightclubbing: 1: We're Nightclubbing
July 1974.
Hall came back from the Vietnam War broken. He shipped back into Los Angeles and never went home. He didn't sleep much, he drank to help that. He was on his way to an early grave when a vampire stopped him staying in it. She needed a fighter.
Karen was a runaway, fleeing a bad situation, bad enough she'd rather live as a pickpocket. She tried to steal from the wrong woman, and she made her a monster. She wasn't the first monster she'd known.
Veronica was going to be a star. Hollywood would be her playground. Then some creep at the wrong party in the Hills had to go and kill her. But a dead man was at that party too, and thought letting her bleed out would be a waste of talent as well as blood.
Billy's still alive. For now, anyway. He knows there are vampires in L.A., and he'd prefer they didn't know him, but he knows Hall and Karen from fencing goods as well as stealing cars so he's stuck with them for now.
...
L.A. was the site of some great vampire revolution thirty years ago. Now it's just a mess. No bosses, no real elders, whole neighborhoods out of bounds. Good for some. Not so much for others.
Karen's the first to notice runaways disappearing. She wants to know why. Hall, Veronica and Billy aren't what you'd call happy to help, but help they will...
Meeting at the Whiskey A Go-Go does nothing to help their mood. Billy's the only one who remembers when it was the place to be, and now it's a shell of what it was.
Karen has one clue, where the most recent victim slept.
"Good thing I brought a pair of shoes I don't mind throwing away..." Veronica tuts.
And arriving... "Yeah. One of us did this..."
Hall came back from the Vietnam War broken. He shipped back into Los Angeles and never went home. He didn't sleep much, he drank to help that. He was on his way to an early grave when a vampire stopped him staying in it. She needed a fighter.
Karen was a runaway, fleeing a bad situation, bad enough she'd rather live as a pickpocket. She tried to steal from the wrong woman, and she made her a monster. She wasn't the first monster she'd known.
Veronica was going to be a star. Hollywood would be her playground. Then some creep at the wrong party in the Hills had to go and kill her. But a dead man was at that party too, and thought letting her bleed out would be a waste of talent as well as blood.
Billy's still alive. For now, anyway. He knows there are vampires in L.A., and he'd prefer they didn't know him, but he knows Hall and Karen from fencing goods as well as stealing cars so he's stuck with them for now.
...
L.A. was the site of some great vampire revolution thirty years ago. Now it's just a mess. No bosses, no real elders, whole neighborhoods out of bounds. Good for some. Not so much for others.
Karen's the first to notice runaways disappearing. She wants to know why. Hall, Veronica and Billy aren't what you'd call happy to help, but help they will...
Meeting at the Whiskey A Go-Go does nothing to help their mood. Billy's the only one who remembers when it was the place to be, and now it's a shell of what it was.
Karen has one clue, where the most recent victim slept.
"Good thing I brought a pair of shoes I don't mind throwing away..." Veronica tuts.
And arriving... "Yeah. One of us did this..."
Tuesday, 11 October 2016
Thursday, 6 October 2016
Coming soon: Nightclubbing
It's 1974 and the American Dream is dead.
And so are you.
Four players.
A Vietnam veteran Brujah.
A street rat Caitiff.
A slinky Hollywood Toreador.
A car thief mortal.
We'll see what happens.
And so are you.
Four players.
A Vietnam veteran Brujah.
A street rat Caitiff.
A slinky Hollywood Toreador.
A car thief mortal.
We'll see what happens.
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