Must admit I'm wondering if the new WorldOfDarkness portal will have a chat game.
Like, say, New Bre|V|en?
Sunday, 21 May 2017
Tuesday, 16 May 2017
The Succubus Club 2017
Justin Achilli's hour DJ set. I know two of these! I am down with the kids.
(... Do people still say that?)
Playlist from the Saturday night party. Some old reliables in here, but a few new tunes and new versions.
Ibeyi, "Oya"
A_Rival, "Serious Danger"
Aesthetische, "Here Today" (Club Shot Mix)
Danzig, "Mother" (Sawlead Ground Remix)
God Module, "A Good Night to Die"
VNV Nation, "Retaliate"
Imperative Reaction, "Surface" (Shok's Zeitmahl Remix)
Zynic, "Dead End"
Wolfsheim, "Once In a Lifetime" (Club Mix)
Seabound, "Hooked"
Covenant, "Sound Mirrors"
Skinny Puppy, "Pro-Test"
Front 242, "Headhunter" (Funker Vogt Mix)
In This Moment, "Blood"
(... Do people still say that?)
Playlist from the Saturday night party. Some old reliables in here, but a few new tunes and new versions.
Ibeyi, "Oya"
A_Rival, "Serious Danger"
Aesthetische, "Here Today" (Club Shot Mix)
Danzig, "Mother" (Sawlead Ground Remix)
God Module, "A Good Night to Die"
VNV Nation, "Retaliate"
Imperative Reaction, "Surface" (Shok's Zeitmahl Remix)
Zynic, "Dead End"
Wolfsheim, "Once In a Lifetime" (Club Mix)
Seabound, "Hooked"
Covenant, "Sound Mirrors"
Skinny Puppy, "Pro-Test"
Front 242, "Headhunter" (Funker Vogt Mix)
In This Moment, "Blood"
Sunday, 14 May 2017
VtM 5 and beyond
Hearing stuff I like, and stuff that sounds great (and stuff I'm not so keen on but can hopefully ignore) from the next World Of Darkness at the Berlin convention. Fingers crossed.
White Wolf keynote.
VtM 5.
White Wolf keynote.
VtM 5.
Thursday, 16 March 2017
Nightclubbing: 16: (fading feedback)
Various Kindred gangs and cliques work together, more or less, to bring down the cartel. Some of the cartel rat out the vampire cult.
Some of the gangs and cliques turn on each other as there's now free domain up for grabs.
...
The cult break out the guns, and also open their secret weapons, more feral vampires.
Billy and Hall respond by blowing up their warehouse.
...
Karen pursues one of the cult vampires as he makes his getaway.
"You hate this life, don't you? The hunger, the hiding, the rage inside?"
"... Yes."
"What if I said that we could restore you? Give you back your life, the sun?"
She looks at him for a moment... sees the hunched posture, ready to strike.
"I... wouldn't believe you."
She slashes his throat before he can say any more.
...
Veronica makes sure the news crews stay away by giving them a nice messy celebrity scandal to focus on.
...
Morning comes, and Billy finds the last of the feral vampires and drags them out into the sun.
...
Hall has to start fighting other groups to keep the turf wars exploding.
Billy gets out of town.
Veronica finds The Guy back with the vampire who first introduced him.
Karen asks her sire if there really is a way to become human again. She tells her there isn't, and she knows that she's lying.
The End.
...
Well, I couldn't give them a happy ending, could I?
Billy gets away, still alive, wiser and with some loot. Everybody else... well, they're vampires, they don't deserve one. ;)
Some of the gangs and cliques turn on each other as there's now free domain up for grabs.
...
The cult break out the guns, and also open their secret weapons, more feral vampires.
Billy and Hall respond by blowing up their warehouse.
...
Karen pursues one of the cult vampires as he makes his getaway.
"You hate this life, don't you? The hunger, the hiding, the rage inside?"
"... Yes."
"What if I said that we could restore you? Give you back your life, the sun?"
She looks at him for a moment... sees the hunched posture, ready to strike.
"I... wouldn't believe you."
She slashes his throat before he can say any more.
...
Veronica makes sure the news crews stay away by giving them a nice messy celebrity scandal to focus on.
...
Morning comes, and Billy finds the last of the feral vampires and drags them out into the sun.
...
Hall has to start fighting other groups to keep the turf wars exploding.
Billy gets out of town.
Veronica finds The Guy back with the vampire who first introduced him.
Karen asks her sire if there really is a way to become human again. She tells her there isn't, and she knows that she's lying.
The End.
...
Well, I couldn't give them a happy ending, could I?
Billy gets away, still alive, wiser and with some loot. Everybody else... well, they're vampires, they don't deserve one. ;)
Thursday, 9 March 2017
Nightclubbing: 15: (fading sirens)
Having ruined the cartel's night, the coterie wait for blowback from the snake cult.
Three nights later, the coroner shares a report about a rival drug gang being attacked and robbed of their supply and money.
"Well, that didn't take long..." Billy says.
"They're like us, not old enough to be patient." Veronica shrugs slightly.
"That's something..." Karen murmurs.
Hall finds one of the gang, and Veronica studies his reactions to his questions about the attack. She gets enough to track them down.
Another pack, hiding in the docks. Ready to bring in a big shipment. Drugs, guns... and something more....
Three nights later, the coroner shares a report about a rival drug gang being attacked and robbed of their supply and money.
"Well, that didn't take long..." Billy says.
"They're like us, not old enough to be patient." Veronica shrugs slightly.
"That's something..." Karen murmurs.
Hall finds one of the gang, and Veronica studies his reactions to his questions about the attack. She gets enough to track them down.
Another pack, hiding in the docks. Ready to bring in a big shipment. Drugs, guns... and something more....
Thursday, 2 March 2017
Nightclubbing: 14: (feedback)
Veronica's sire studies The Guy. "He's human, alright. But you're not the first vampire he's met. The circles we move in, sometimes that happens. He doesn't even know, far as I can tell. But better to cut and run, in case his old friend comes back."
She pauses, and goes over to brush past The Guy.
"On second thought, go for it. I know who it is and let's mess up her evening."
The coterie meets to discuss their next move.
"So, these snake guys are working with a cartel..." Billy says.
"A big cartel," Hall adds.
"So what do we do?" Karen asks. "I mean, we can't call the vampire cops. Right?"
"Actually..." Veronica says.
Everyone looks at her.
"LA is a free city, but you go a hundred miles and it's still Camarilla territory. And we might not like creepy vampires running loose, but they really don't like them cutting into their profits."
Karen bites her lip. "So, what, we narc them out to the vampire feds?"
"This is their job."
Hall shakes his head. "No. We deal with this."
"So, how...?"
And cut to:
Veronica leading a coke dealer out the back of a club...
Hall taking a sawn-off shotgun to a stash house...
Billy stealing a car outside an Italian restaurant...
Karen looking down through a skylight at a truck being unloaded in an apparently unused warehouse...
The dealer running from Veronica...
Hall chasing down the dealer who last tried to rob Billy...
Billy bringing the car to a chop shop...
Karen dropping on a courier...
"Okay. They should be pissed off by now..." Billy says as Karen empties the courier's case into a trash can fire.
"So now we just wait for the snake cult to come and get us." Veronica pauses. "Put like that, was this a good idea?"
...
When vampires decide to pay attention to mortals, you don't want to be the mortals.
She pauses, and goes over to brush past The Guy.
"On second thought, go for it. I know who it is and let's mess up her evening."
The coterie meets to discuss their next move.
"So, these snake guys are working with a cartel..." Billy says.
"A big cartel," Hall adds.
"So what do we do?" Karen asks. "I mean, we can't call the vampire cops. Right?"
"Actually..." Veronica says.
Everyone looks at her.
"LA is a free city, but you go a hundred miles and it's still Camarilla territory. And we might not like creepy vampires running loose, but they really don't like them cutting into their profits."
Karen bites her lip. "So, what, we narc them out to the vampire feds?"
"This is their job."
Hall shakes his head. "No. We deal with this."
"So, how...?"
And cut to:
Veronica leading a coke dealer out the back of a club...
Hall taking a sawn-off shotgun to a stash house...
Billy stealing a car outside an Italian restaurant...
Karen looking down through a skylight at a truck being unloaded in an apparently unused warehouse...
The dealer running from Veronica...
Hall chasing down the dealer who last tried to rob Billy...
Billy bringing the car to a chop shop...
Karen dropping on a courier...
"Okay. They should be pissed off by now..." Billy says as Karen empties the courier's case into a trash can fire.
"So now we just wait for the snake cult to come and get us." Veronica pauses. "Put like that, was this a good idea?"
...
When vampires decide to pay attention to mortals, you don't want to be the mortals.
Thursday, 23 February 2017
Nightclubbing: 13: (sirens)
Hall takes the captured vampire to his sire to see if she can get anything useful out of him. Billy rides halfway with him, but declines to go to the meeting and gets out downtown.
Veronica heads back to shower and then goes hunting.
Karen watches the dead vampire burn for a moment before leaving.
The press blame the whole thing on gangs on PCP.
Billy looks over the haul of untraceable guns and money, and figures he can use it to contact the dealers and see if the surviving vampires are back in contact. He also figures he better not try that on his own.
After feeding on a swinging couple from the Valley, Veronica calls The Guy and arranges to meet him, with her sire close enough to observe.
Billy arranges a meet, with Hall as his 'driver' and Karen as a strung-out runaway to test the quality of drugs.
No vampires turn up. Still, the dealers do try to rob them.
And Hall's sire delivers a name. One of the biggest human gang bosses on the West Coast.
Veronica heads back to shower and then goes hunting.
Karen watches the dead vampire burn for a moment before leaving.
The press blame the whole thing on gangs on PCP.
Billy looks over the haul of untraceable guns and money, and figures he can use it to contact the dealers and see if the surviving vampires are back in contact. He also figures he better not try that on his own.
After feeding on a swinging couple from the Valley, Veronica calls The Guy and arranges to meet him, with her sire close enough to observe.
Billy arranges a meet, with Hall as his 'driver' and Karen as a strung-out runaway to test the quality of drugs.
No vampires turn up. Still, the dealers do try to rob them.
And Hall's sire delivers a name. One of the biggest human gang bosses on the West Coast.
Thursday, 16 February 2017
Nightclubbing: 12: (noisy guitar solo)
The vampires rally as a fourth hauls itself out of the sand under the beach house, dessicated like a mummy and shrieking.
Hall takes one look at it and calls over to Billy. Everybody scatters and Billy drives the car through the wall and slams into it before it can fully get out.
This doesn't kill it, but does break its pelvis and both its legs. So it's still clawing its way up the hood of the car, clawed hands making holes in the metal. Billy aims the car at a lamppost and bails out. This is enough to break the vampire's back, and set the engine on fire. It's the 70s, everything makes cars explode.
The group gun down two of the other vampires, but one escapes in the confusion as a police helicopter starts to fly overhead.
"So, what have we learned?" Veronica asks as Hall loads a bloodied and torpor-bound vampire into the boot of another car.
(Who would have played the buried vampire in the 70s? Nowadays it would be Doug Jones.)
Hall takes one look at it and calls over to Billy. Everybody scatters and Billy drives the car through the wall and slams into it before it can fully get out.
This doesn't kill it, but does break its pelvis and both its legs. So it's still clawing its way up the hood of the car, clawed hands making holes in the metal. Billy aims the car at a lamppost and bails out. This is enough to break the vampire's back, and set the engine on fire. It's the 70s, everything makes cars explode.
The group gun down two of the other vampires, but one escapes in the confusion as a police helicopter starts to fly overhead.
"So, what have we learned?" Veronica asks as Hall loads a bloodied and torpor-bound vampire into the boot of another car.
(Who would have played the buried vampire in the 70s? Nowadays it would be Doug Jones.)
Tuesday, 14 February 2017
College is weird enough...
Coexisting With The Fair Folk Who Have Taken Up Residence In/Around/Beneath Your University: A How-To Guide
Thursday, 9 February 2017
Nightclubbing: 11: Oh, Isn't It Wild?
Having tracked down the creepy Masquerade-flaunting vampire snake cultists, the group decide to call everyone.
With no central authority in the city, the group have to bring their own backup. Constance has a vested interest here, and Edie is prepared to send some security. Billy knows some people who can make sure there are no getaway vehicles available...
A surprise attack is always the best approach in Vampire.
Of course, the cult vampires have some surprises of their own...
The first is that they're not Setites. They're creepy snake-blood-drinking vampire cultists... something like Sabbat maybe. They hit hard and fast like Brujah. And they have guns.
Billy's friends stop a carful of reinforcements.
Then something bursts up out of the floor...
With no central authority in the city, the group have to bring their own backup. Constance has a vested interest here, and Edie is prepared to send some security. Billy knows some people who can make sure there are no getaway vehicles available...
A surprise attack is always the best approach in Vampire.
Of course, the cult vampires have some surprises of their own...
The first is that they're not Setites. They're creepy snake-blood-drinking vampire cultists... something like Sabbat maybe. They hit hard and fast like Brujah. And they have guns.
Billy's friends stop a carful of reinforcements.
Then something bursts up out of the floor...
Thursday, 2 February 2017
Nightclubbing: 10: Bright White Clubbing
Based on the vision of three vampires with a shaky grasp of the Masquerade ritually sacrificing a rattlesnake, the group consider their options. Setting everything on fire seems popular. In the end, Hall takes the stash of guns and Karen takes several of the books, making the robbery look nice and obvious.
...
Karen's sire Constance thanks her for retrieving the book. It's a diary, written in a language none of the group recognized.
"So who are these guys?" Karen asks.
"I know what they sound like..." She goes to make some calls.
...
Billy keeps the car idling as Veronica visits a head shop with an 'occult' section that she saw a price tag for on one of the books. The hippy behind the counter talks as soon as she turns on the Dread Gaze. Creepy-looking people cleared out his rare collection, paid in cash.
...
Karen's squatter friends report something odd, some of the older homeless going missing.
...
And Veronica has a call from The Guy.
...
My games tend to go investigative, so I'm purposely keeping this mystery pretty simple.
...
Karen's sire Constance thanks her for retrieving the book. It's a diary, written in a language none of the group recognized.
"So who are these guys?" Karen asks.
"I know what they sound like..." She goes to make some calls.
...
Billy keeps the car idling as Veronica visits a head shop with an 'occult' section that she saw a price tag for on one of the books. The hippy behind the counter talks as soon as she turns on the Dread Gaze. Creepy-looking people cleared out his rare collection, paid in cash.
...
Karen's squatter friends report something odd, some of the older homeless going missing.
...
And Veronica has a call from The Guy.
...
My games tend to go investigative, so I'm purposely keeping this mystery pretty simple.
Thursday, 26 January 2017
Nightclubbing: 9: Like The Nuclear Bomb
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.
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.
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..."
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