This may seem like old news to most of the players but I'm including this section to help new players and to reiterate some basic concepts some of the older players may have forgotten. Keep in mind that this section is mainly my opinions and views on a lot of different things, some may agree with what I say... others may not. If anything, all will be aware, to some degree, of my base line of thinking.

Live action role playing can be a much more intense experience than table top gaming. In table top it is much easier to separate ones self from what is happening to their character... where as in live action it is easy to misinterpret the actions another players character takes towards your character as a personal attack on you. Everyone needs to keep this in mind while playing.

Also, alot of times when a new player comes into the game he or she doesn't know too many of the other players (if any) and typically their first interactions with most are "in character". New players need to keep in mind that the initial personality they see is not the true personality of the player him or herself, where as those already playing should maybe drop out of character for a minute and introduce themselves and welcome the new player.

Some Things to Consider When Making a Character:

(1) Before making a character, learn the history of the game. Read the city history section and past session summaries on the website. You may also want to browse thru the archives of the mailing list also. This will give you a good feel for what the overall storyline is like and will assist you greatly in putting together a character concept that will help move the game along, not hinder it.

(2) Avoid making your character a well known and well documented historical figure. This doesn't mean you can't play someone who was an actual historical figure, just don't pick the obvious ones that have pretty much every moment of their lives documented in hundreds of different books (this is especially true for those who lived in the last 100 years). Famous leaders make bad vampires (why give up leading entire kingdoms/nations/armies to be a nobody for eternity or hundreds of years).

(3) Instead of making an actual historical figure, base your character off of someone who assisted them in their exploits (and never got mentioned in the history books for all their hard work). The advisors to powerful leaders make very good vampires (and they aren't missed).

(4) Avoid cheesy stereotypes. These make for two-dimensional characters which are easy to anticipate and manipulate. Typically, they don't last long as vampires. Not to mention, these types of characters tend to disrupt the game and annoy other players.

(5) Have a good background. I don't mean give us a 100 page book on what your character did every day of his/her life and unlife. The basics, when and where were they born? What was their family like? What did they do while mortal? Why were they embraced? Were their any historical events that effected/changed them during their mortal/undead life? I'm looking more for what motivates your character than what their accomplishments are. You should also try to avoid having your character being directly involved or having performed "larger than life" events, they typically are neither realistic or believable.

(6) Another important thing I'm looking for is what sort of ties your character has to other vampires. Don't go overboard, but a couple of links will help with developing storylines that your character will be involved in. You don't have to be specific, the more vague the better (this will make it easier to link it to other characters backgrounds). Remember to keep believability in mind with this also, it's more believable to have participated in a well known battle against the Sabbat than it is to have been the one to come up with the battle plan, led the troops and destroyed all the Sabbat by yourself. I will try to use as many character background ideas as possible in developing storylines.

(7) What sort of goals does your character have? Everyone should try to come up with a long term goal that they could conceivably attain by the end of the game (I plan to run the game for about 2 years). This will be another source of storylines.

The Wrong Way of Joining an Established Game:

Don't suffer from what I like to call "Delusions of Granduer Syndrom". This can manifest itself in any number of ways. I've seen in many times in the past and I'm sure I'll see it many more times in the future. New players who suffer from this tend to disrupt the game which usually leads to the other players finding them annoying, who in turn either (a) avoid them, (b) mess with their character, or (c) kill their character. Here are somethings to avoid your first couple of sessions.

(1) Ordering other characters around when your character has no authority to do so.

(2) Excessive boasting of your characters past deeds, allies your character may have, or how powerful you think your character is.

(3) Voicing your opinion about everything to anyone in earshot.

(4) Disrupting storylines your character is not involved in.

(5) Violating the Theme and Mood of the game. (Doing this is a sure-fire way to have the storytellers kill your character)

(6) Thinking your character is the center of the universe and everything should revolve around you.

The Right Way of Joining an Established Game:

After entering the city you should try to find your fellow clan members ASAP. This can be done by cautiously inquiring among the characters you meet. Always be mindful of what you say, you are new to the city and you have no grasp of what the current situation is or to whom you are talking to. Once you make contact with your fellow clan members get to know them, listen to what they have to say about whats going on in the city. Your Primogen will then take you to the Prince to get acknowledged. After doing so, you should ask one of your clanmates to either show you around or if they wouldn't mind if you accompanied them. Typically you should stick to your own clan for the first few sessions until you get familar with what is going on in the city. After that, expand outward to get to know the other clans. Your best course of action for, I'd say, your first four to six sessions is to (a) not initiate anything, (b) avoid confrontations, (c) avoid having to give an opinion, and (d) just observe. After that, gradually increase your involvement.

What this Game is and is not:

This is a Camarilla-based game, most players are aware of how the Camarilla operates from playing/reading many of White Wolfs table top game books. Overall, the game follows what White Wolf has set down with a few exceptions;

(1) These are not the Final Nights or the Time of Thin Blood.

(2) The Gangrel have not left the Camarilla.

(3) The Ravnos Antediluvian has not awoken (and subsequently been destroyed).

(4) The Kindred of the East have not seized cities on the West Coast of the U.S. (very little is will actually be known about them, unless your character has spent alot of time in Hong Kong).

(5) The Tremere Antitribu have not been destroyed.

(6) Baba Yaga has not been destroyed.

(7) Basically, pretty much everything in the Clan Novels has not (and will not) happen.

Playing the Influence Game:

I'm sure I've confused most of you with my house rules on influence. Don't be intimidated, it actually isn't that complex. Here are a couple of pointers for all players interested in involving their characters in this aspect of the game. In the information below I am going off the assumption that you will be trying to gain complete control of certain types of influence.

(1) Stay Focused - I would recommend that you start with no more than 3 or 4 different types of influence (3 is actually the best number in my opinion). If you take more than that you will risk spreading yourself to thin (becoming an easy target for others), not to mention that maintaining and keeping track of it will be difficult.

(2) Prioritize - Choose one type of influence as your primary goal and one as a secondary goal to fall back on if it becomes to difficult to increase your primary influence. Any remaining influence I would consider bargining chips and buffers against others (you'll see what I mean in the following steps).

(3) Know Your Competition - Always keep your eyes and ears open for who else holds and is going after the types of influence you have. This information becomes invaluable in formulating your plans to expand.

(4) Solidify Your Powerbase - Attempt to make alliances with some of your competitors to either not attack each other or to coordinate your expansions to wipe out others with rapid and ruthless efficiency.

(5) Look for Leverage - Look for ingenious ways to expand your influence without coming into conflict with others. Does one of your competitors owe you a boon? Do you have some information they want? Do you have blackmail material on them? Are they open to trade the influence you want for another type you control that they would like? These are just a few ideas.

(6) Expand Your Control - Either attempt to broker a deal to gain some of your competitions influence peacefully or brute force attack their influence with yours.

Trust and the Vampiric Nature:

Vampires are self-serving, untrusting and paranoid by their very nature (some more than others). Sure they may put on the appearance that they get along with everyone, but deep down the vast majority are looking for an advantage which will help further their own goals. When it comes to dealing with others of their kind (in or out of clan), one should always be cautious. The only person you can truly trust is yourself... suspect all others. Use the first line of this section as a frame of reference to better understand this concept. Ranking the degrees of trust should be something like this (from who you can trust the most to least); yourself, your clan, all other clans within your sect, and then everything else that doesn't fit into one of the previous categories. While you may not get along with some of your fellow clan members, you should be able to count on them to back you up when dealing with other vampires outside the clan (and you should do the same for them). The link of one's blood is a powerful thing and should never be trivialized or underestimated. Think of the clans themselves in the same way, they usually don't get along to well most of the time... but when something threatens their existance as a whole they tend to band together to weather the storm.

In your dealings you should always keep the following clearly defined in your mind;

(1) What is your goal or what do you have to gain.

(2) What are you willing to give up or do to get it.

(3) What do those you are dealing with have to gain from this transaction. (will it hurt/inconvience you? If so, then in the short or long term?)

(4) Make your decision after weighing the above items.