Notes on My Games

Some Things to Remember

  1. DISCLAIMER: My games will deal with mature subjects on occasion. If you will be disturbed by scenes involving violence, gore, sexuality, homosexuality, or anything else of that nature, this is not the game for you. Alternatively, if you think it would be cool to play a game where you can explore your own sick fantasies and moral deficiencies regardless of what the GM wants or how that disgusts, bores or annoys your fellow players, this is not the game for you, either.

  2. It should go without saying that the GM's ruling is final. If I make a judgement call, that is the final decision. Rules Lawyers should keep something in mind — it's my game. I can change things, and I will. That's one of the privileges of being the GM.

  3. Remember, it's just a game! Real Life takes precedence (or should). If you know you'll need to miss a session or three due to work, school, family obligations, etc., just tell me so — the game will survive, and so will the rest of us. If you know you won't be able to make it to the game, and want your character to be doing something in particular during your absence (studying for an exam, visiting a sick friend, going on vacation, what have you), let me know; if you don't, I reserve the right to come up with something myself.

  4. Try to keep IC (In-Character) and OOC (Out-of-Character) knowledge separate. Just because you've read every supplement in existence doesn't mean that your character automatically knows how to defeat that nasty antagonist making life miserable for the troupe.

  5. All characters in the game should be able to make a reasonable effort to "play well with others." Characters don't have to be best buddies, but they should be able to work toward common goals with a minimum of strife. That means thinking twice about playing a character who spends all (or even most of) his time actively opposing the rest of the group.

  6. If something unpleasant happens to your character, it doesn't mean that anyone is deliberately trying to make your life miserable. The game world can be a very dangerous place, and your character is not immune to those dangers just because she or he happens to be a Player Character.

  7. Be polite to your fellow players (and that includes the GM). Try not to hog the spotlight — if you let other people have their turn, chances are they'll be willing to extend the same courtesy to you. This also means that you shouldn't interrupt when another player has my attention. Just raise your hand or pass me a note, and I'll get to you as soon as I can.

  8. You are expected to respect your fellow players' race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and disabilities. This game involves people from many different walks of life, but we all come here to enjoy ourselves. Players who go out of their way to make the game unpleasant for other people may be asked to leave. By the same token, if something in the game makes you uncomfortable, it is perfectly acceptable — indeed, encouraged — to tell people how you feel (if you're not comfortable doing this in public, you can do it privately after the game). The game should be an enjoyable experience for everyone, and communication is the key to that happening.

  9. For the creative types among you, or those players willing to contribute a little something extra — if you would like to create something related to the game (e.g., a diary for your character detailing the events in the game from her perspective, a chronicle log, a story about your character, a character portrait, etc.), I am willing to award a number of extra Experience Points for your efforts (the precise amount of XP will be determined by the time and effort involved). Should you choose to go this route, all I ask is to be allowed to keep a copy of the work (they make great examples to show to other players, and bring back wonderful memories, besides!).

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Character Creation in my World of Darkness Games

  1. My method of character creation is as follows:
    1. Come up with a character concept — this is basically a word or phrase that describes who your character is (some examples include: Rich Socialite, Street Person, Starving Artist...you get the idea) for the type of character that you would like to play.

    2. Tell me about your character, and I'll let you know whether or not he or she will fit into the game.

    3. Once I have approved your character concept, build the character with that concept in mind, using the character creation rules from the appropriate rulebook (Vampire: The Masquerade for Cainites, Werewolf: The Apocalypse for Garou and Fera, Changeling: The Dreaming for Kithain and other fae, etc.).

    4. After you create your character, I will look over your sheet and ask you a number of questions in order to determine how your character got to where she or he is today, as well as discuss any changes that may need to be made. After this discussion is over, your character will be introduced to the rest of the PCs and can begin play.

     

  2. My games focus on both character interaction and combat. Thus, a character created solely for one or the other may be at a disadvantage.

  3. Contrary to White Wolf's rules, Mortal (including Kinfolk and Kinain) characters in my games are created with the same point spread as the supernatural characters (7/5/3 for Attributes, 13/9/5 for Abilities, 5 points for Backgrounds, and 15 Freebies). This puts them on a more equal footing, and makes for less bookkeeping for me, besides.

  4. Try to the avoid the "Bag o' Ultimate Powers" character concept if possible. I would much rather see a less powerful character with an interesting personality than a paper-thin collection of astronomically-high ability scores. Besides, if the character is already the best there is at everything, what's the point of playing him in the first place?

  5. Character histories (either written or oral), though certainly not required, are always appreciated. Should you choose to give me a character history, the amount of detail you provide is negotiable, but I'd at least like enough to know something about your character's history and personality. I also would like to see some justification for your character's statistics in the history – I'm more likely to allow high traits if there is a believable justification for them in your character's background (e.g., "She's been a competitive fencer for the past ten years," for a character with a high Melee score) than if they just seem to have been assigned out of the blue. Also note that the history should reflect the character's statistics – e.g., under White Wolf's rules, a character with no dots in Resources is simply not going to be able to afford a lavishly-appointed mansion with a full staff of servants and a large fleet of luxury vehicles. Use some common sense, okay?

  6. I would like to have a copy of your character sheet to keep on file for future reference and updating when the need arises. This procedure also serves as a safeguard in the case of lost or forgotten character sheets (and has aided more than one of my players when that happened).

  7. When raising Attributes, Abilities, et. al. with Experience Points, I would like you to give me some sort of in-character reason for the increase. This can be as simple as telling me, "Since my character has been taking karate classes at the YMCA, I'm going to buy a level of Brawl," or, "Since my character has been doing a lot of research, I'm increasing her Lore." Also, please do not spend XP in the middle of an adventure. My games normally have some "down-time" between adventures, and you will be able to spend your XP then. Just let me know what you want to spend it on, though, so I can make the changes to my copy of your character sheet.

  8. Anything and everything on your character sheet (and in your character history, should you choose to submit one) must meet with my approval before your character can use it. This includes any "magical items" (Garou Fetishes, changeling Treasures, etc.). I would like to be given some sort of background for any "magical items" (what the item looks like, what powers it has, and how your character got it in the first place) that your character has (e.g., "Aisha's Treasure is a pair of red leather boots, a gift from her mentor, that allows her to use Quicksilver [Wayfare level 2] once a day.")..

  9. I would prefer that you keep playing the same character for the duration of the game. If you decide at some point during the game that you want a new character, please come and discuss it with me before you fall in love with the idea. I'll let you know if your new PC will work out in this game, and, if so, I'll generally ask you to wait until a convenient point in the Chronicle to begin playing him or her (generally, at the beginning of a new storyline). Keep in mind that to lessen the amount of work I have to do, I may ask you to help come up with a graceful exit for your previous PC.

  10. New players joining the game after it has begun will generally be given a number of extra Freebie Points at character creation (the exact number determined by the average power level of the established PCs) in order to reduce the disparity between power levels.

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Rules Modifications

  1. To raise the Linguistics score with Experience Points, a character must first spend a minimum of one full month (IC time) intensively studying the new language.

  2. The True Faith Merit is available only to mundane mortal characters. Yes, this means non-mortal (vampire, werewolf, mage, changeling, whatever) characters cannot have True Faith in any of my games. Non-mundanes get enough "kewl powerz" (Disciplines, Gifts, Sphere Magick, etc.) without adding Faith powers on top of them (and, before you ask — as far as I'm concerned, ghouls, Kinfolk, etc. do not count as mundane mortals for the purpose of possessing True Faith).

  3. A note on the Addiction Flaw — unless the addiction has nasty side effects, or is to something taboo, or in limited or restricted supply, I do not consider it a Flaw. In other words, you don't get Flaw points for "Addiction: Chocolate."

  4. In my games, fae-created weapons (chimerical and Treasures) are assumed to be made of chimerical silver unless otherwise specified; thus, they inflict unsoakable Aggravated damage on Garou (and other Fera affected by silver).

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System-Specific Changes

Changeling: The Dreaming

  1. All sidhe characters must be a member of one of the Noble Houses detailed in the Changeling rulebook (pp. 106-111), and are encouraged to take at least one dot in the Title Background. Sidhe characters may have up to four dots of Title (Count or Countess).

  2. Any non-sidhe character taking the Title Background must be affiliated with one of the sidhe Noble Houses. Non-sidhe characters may have up to two dots of Title (Knight or Lady). Note that in my games, affiliated commoner fae do not gain the House Boon, nor are they affected by the House Flaw.

  3. I generally do not allow beginning characters to take the Holdings Background. There are exceptions, but they must be cleared with me first (and will only be allowed if they fit in with your character's background and the overall mileau of the Chronicle).

  4. Characters receive a number of "phantom" dots in certain Lores free of charge at character creation, as determined by the character's history. These are a way to simulate the character's general knowledge of changeling existence, as well as things s/he would know as a member of hir kith, House, etc. They do not count against a character's point totals, nor do they count as actual levels when making rolls. The breakdown is as follows:

    Circumstance
    "Phantom" Dots of Lore
    Character had a normal fosterage 3 dots in Changeling Lore
    Fosterage was among the same kith 3 dots in (Kith) Lore
    Fosterage was in the same House (sidhe only) 3 dots in (House) Lore
    Character is a non-sidhe affiliated with a House 1 dot in (House) Lore

  5. The following Merits and Flaws are disallowed in my Changeling games:
    • Call to Friends (from Kithbook: Pooka)
    • Charmed Existence
    • Faerie Eternity (from Changeling 2nd Edition)
    • Increased Pain Threshold (from Kithbook: Trolls)
    • Iron Resistance (from Changeling 2nd Edition)
    • Jack-of-all-Trades (from Changeling 2nd Edition)
    • Regeneration (from Changeling 2nd Edition)
    • Sadism/Masochism (from Changeling 2nd Edition)
    • Seeming's Blessing (from Changeling 2nd Edition; see Rules Modifications, below)
    • Slipped Seeming (from Changeling 2nd Edition; see Rules Modifications, below)
    • Stone Skin (from Kithbook: Trolls)
    • Venomous Attack (from Kithbook: Pooka)
    • Werewolf/Vampire Companion (from Changeling 2nd Edition)
    • Work with Iron (from Kithbook: Nockers)

Rules Modifications for Changelings

  1. In my game world, the fae are not the products of human dreams (though those dreams did influence their current forms), but the descendants of the Tuatha de Danaan, the Olympians, et. al. They do not come from "The Dreaming," but from another dimension called Faerie (a/k/a Underhill, Alfheim, Avalon, Tir Na Nog, etc.). Thus, the "human seeming" in the Changeling rules is a form of protective camouflage – "hiding in plain sight," if you will – not a defense against Banality (which is lower in my game world anyway), and it can be "dropped" at will, to show someone your fae form, without the need for Enchanting a viewer (as in Changeling: Second Edition).

  2. In my games, the Realm Fae 4 (Elusive Gallain) allows a changeling character to affect other supernatural beings (Vampires, Werewolves, etc.).

  3. In my game world, the Resurgence and the Accordance War happened during the American Revolution (the 1770s), not the 1970s. Thus, the sidhe have been on earth for about 200 years longer than in White Wolf's cosmology.

  4. A note on Realm levels: Your character's level with a given Realm will decide what s/he can affect with cantrips, but instead of not being able to affect anything above your level of Realm, I have adopted the following rule — if you have a Realm at x, and the needed Realm is higher, you can still attempt the cantrip with a +1 difficulty added to it for every level of Realm between what you have and what you need. For example: If you were hoping to affect a Gallain (Fae 4), but only have Fae 2, you could attempt the cantrip anyway, but with +2 to the difficulty.

  5. Contrary to the Botching rules cited in Changeling: Second Edition, a Botch only happens if you have ones and no dice displaying the target number ("Difficulty") or greater. If you have at least one success (i.e., one die displaying the Difficulty level or higher) before subtracting successes due to ones, the roll is a failure, but not a Botch (as in White Wolf's Revised Edition games).

  6. Contrary to the initiative rules in Changeling: Second Edition (a dice pool of Wits + Alertness, Difficulty of 4), initiative is derived from the sum of a character's Wits + Dexterity for a simple score. The result of a single 10-sided die roll is added to this score to determine a character's initiative (thus making things compatible with Revised Edition games).

  7. In my games, the age ranges for the various Seemings is replaced by the following:

    8. Seeming
    Physical Age Range (in years)
    Childling 3-12
    Wilder 13-39
    Grump 40+

     

  8. In my games, the number of Freebie points available to characters is replaced by the following:

    9. Seeming
    Freebie Points (prior to Flaws)
    Childling 10
    Wilder 15
    Grump 20

     

  9. Contrary to the combat rules in Changeling: Second Edition, any successes on a to-hit roll beyond the first are added to the Damage pool for all attacks, not just those using firearms (again, making things compatible with Revised Edition games).

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Vampire: The Masquerade

  1. Unless otherwise specified, the lowest Generation a PC may start at is Eighth (i.e., five dots in Generation).

  2. I generally do not allow beginning characters to take the Status Background. There are exceptions, but they must be cleared with me first (and generally will only be allowed if it fits in with both your character's background and the Chronicle).

  3. If you consent to have your character Sired by one of my Kindred NPCs, you are allowed to gain the appropriate rating in the Generation Background free of charge. If you are Sired outside my Chronicle's location, Generation is purchased normally.

  4. Caitiff characters receive three dots in Disciplines at character creation (just like any other Kindred character). The Discipline(s) (up to three of them) that your character begins play with are considered his or her "Clan Disciplines" and can therefore be increased at the Clan Discipline cost with Experience points. Any other Disciplines are increased at the standard Experience point cost for Caitiff characters.

  5. Contrary to the rules for Celerity in Vampire: Second Edition, in my games your character must spend one Blood Point for each extra action taken.

  6. In order to learn a new Discipline, you must be taught it by another Kindred who knows that Discipline. To learn a Discipline unique to another Clan (i.e., Protean, Thaumaturgy, Obtenebration, etc.), you must imbibe the Blood of a member of the Clan whose Discipline you wish to learn.

  7. The following Merits and Flaws are disallowed for Player Characters in my Vampire games:

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Werewolf: The Apocalypse

  1. When creating your character, take some time to think about his or her early life, family, First Change (remember that in a First Change, the character loses control and is in a Frenzy — this often results in tragic deaths for anyone nearby), and Rite of Passage (Rites of Passage are group events, where a pack of young cubs goes through their trials together. They are then given their Garou names and Rank and taught their Gifts). These are important events, so take the time to think them out.

  2. Garou characters are strongly encouraged to purchase the Totem Background, and must join or create a pack within five sessions of beginning play (or be prepared to explain to me why they haven't). If your character is not in a pack, I reserve the right to deduct points from Renown awards until s/he does join one.

  3. Characters receive a number of "phantom" dots in certain Lores free of charge at character creation (assuming the character has been through the Rite of Passage), as determined by the character's auspice and tribe. These are a way to simulate the character's general knowledge of Garou existence, as well as things s/he would know as a member of hir tribe and auspice. These "phantom dots" do not count against a character's point totals, nor do they count as actual levels when making rolls. The breakdown is as follows:

    Circumstance
    "Phantom" Dots of Lore
    All characters 3 dots in Garou Lore, 3 dots in (tribe) Lore
    Theurge characters 3 dots in Umbral Lore
    Galliard characters 3 dots in Silver Record Lore

  4. Other Fera (Bastet, Corax, Mokole, etc.) Player Characters are only allowed in my Werewolf games with special permission from the GM. The name of the game is WereWOLF, after all, and the presence of too many other Fera tends to divert attention away from the Garou, the true stars of the show. Besides, too much bad blood generally exists between the Garou and the other Fera to allow them to work together (something about the "War of Rage...").

  5. Rolls for Frenzies and entering the Thrall of the Wyrm are calculated in the following manner:

  6. The following Merits and Flaws are disallowed (all are from the Player's Guide to Garou, unless otherwise indicated):

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The "No" List

Or, a list of things I don't allow people to play in my World of Darkness games. So don't even bother asking to play one of these, because the answer will be "No."

General "Nos"

Changeling: The Dreaming "Nos"

Vampire: The Masquerade "Nos"

Werewolf: The Apocalypse "Nos"

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This web page is copyright 2005 by Midori Hirtzel-Church. World of Darkness, Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Changeling: The Dreaming and The StoryTeller System are all trademarks of White Wolf Game Studios. No copyright infringement is intended.

This page first posted - May 8, 2005
This page last revised - January 2, 2007

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