Venue Name: Black Aria
Genre: LARP Requiem (Vampire)
Contacts:
VST : Larry Egbert
AVST : Erik Paulson
AVST : Ingrid Tourangeau
Place/Time:
Powers Hall on the campus of Central Michigan University.
Directions from South:
From I-69:
Take I-69 north to M-27 north. Take the first Mount Pleasant exit which is a
left-hand exit. This will turn into Mission Road. Take it down three lights
to Preston and turn left. Take Preston down to the third stop sign (Washington)
and turn right. At the first stop sign, Powers Hall will be on your right and
parking will be just beyond it on the same side.
From I-75:
Take I-75 north to US-10 West (exit 162). Take US-10 to the Business 10 exit
from Midland, which is a left hand exit. Follow Business 10 through Midland
to M-20. Turn left where indicated for M-20 and follow M-20 into Mount Pleasant,
where it will become Pickard Road. At the fifth light in Mount Pleasant, turn
left. This is Mission. Take Mission down to Bellows (the fourth light) and turn
right. Take Bellows down to the third stop sign (Washington) and turn left.
Go down to the stop sign and Powers will be across the intersection on the left.
Turn left into the parking lot. The entrance to the hall faces this parking
lot.
Directions from North:
From M-27: Take M-27 south to the Mount Pleasant exit which turns into Mission
Road. Take Mission down to Bellows (the fifth light) and turn right. Take Bellows
down to the third stop sign (Washington) and turn left. Go down to the stop
sign and Powers will be across the intersection on the left. Turn left into
the parking lot. The entrance to the hall faces this parking lot.
Directions from East:
Follow the same directions as from I-75. Get on US-10 west and follow directions
as above.
Directions from West:
From M-20: Take M-20 East into Mount Pleasant and turn right on Washington and
follow it to campus. At the second stop sign, Powers will be across the intersection
on your left.
There is a $1.00 site fee (players traveling from out of state will have this
fee waived).
Domain Name Mt. Pleasant by Night
Domain Number MI.015.D
Lead Venue Storyteller Doug Stanford
Storyteller Contact vstrequiem@gmail.com
Games hosted on the First and the Third Saturday of the month. If the VST is
not able to make the Saturday game or will be leaving early because of work,
he will make sure the ST staff knows in advance.
Part 2: Styles of Play
Ratings
City Virtue: Fortitude
Regardless of the challenges Mount Pleasant faces, it continues to rise above
that which would attempt to stop its continued growth and
welfare. Mount Pleasant has a way of putting an end to that which threatens
to tear it down. Mount Pleasant possesses a strong sense of
courage and integrity. Few other cities can survive in the way Mount Pleasant
has, when it comes to overcoming incredible odds.
City Vice: Envy
Mount Pleasant cannot rise above it challenges without having a community which
continuously strives toward overcoming its competitors.
Sometimes, those in power must be eliminated for others to rise to the top.
Mount Pleasant has always had a way of encouraging this
behavior. Both jealousy and paranoia are common traits which affect not only
the city itself, but also its community.
Intrigue: 5
Arousing interest and curiosity by engaging in secret scheming and plotting
is second nature to Kindred. One underhand scheme deserves
another and this particular behavior will always be highly encouraged within
this venue.
Action: 2
Minimal, usually player introduced. Challenges will be kept to a minimum, reserved
for when truly necessary. Simple actions will be
resolved through comparison of Dots vs. Difficulty, as determined by the Presiding
Storyteller.
Mystery: 4
Enigmas and secrets are nearly always present. Whether they are PC driven, or
maintained by ST staff, the unknown is always lurking around
the corner, waiting for some poor unfortunate to become wrapped within its tentacles.
Drama: 5
Consistant, available at every game. Players who encourage and engage in such
activity will be eligible to receive additional Experience
Awards. A story is not a story without a healthy dose of drama, and this category
is highly encouraged within this venue.
Darkness: 4
While PC Death is sometimes inevitable, it will not be the focus of this category.
Darkness here is in reference to Corruption and Depravity.
Pace
How fast do stories emerge, develop, and resolve? Moderate-fast
The pace will ultimately be set by the players. If they pursue the plotlines,
they will find the resolutions. If they do not, then the plotlines themselves
will grow until they demand attention.
Rating Description
1 Never present
2 Sometimes present
3 Often present
4 Usually present
5 Always present
Part 3: Description of Venue
Description
Isabella County was formed in 1831 from parent counties, Saginaw and Midland.
The county is located close to the geographic center of the lower peninsula
of Michigan. While primarily rural in nature, Isabella County is also noted
for its oil and gas production and the manufacturing of machinery for industry,
food service and wood products.
Mt. Pleasant is the county seat and also the home of Central Michigan University
and the Clarke Historical Library, the second largest genealogy and historical
library in the state. Central Michigan University was opened in 1893 as the
Central Normal School and Business Institute. The school was operated by the
city of Mt. Pleasant until 1895 when it was taken over by the State of Michigan
and became Central Michigan Normal School. CMU became a four year institution
in 1918 and a university in 1959. The county also encompasses the Saginaw Chippewa
Indian Reservation, home of the Soaring Eagle Casino.
While Mt Pleasant has faced many great challenges over the years, the city always
seems to overcome; however, the affect upon itscommunity, is not the same. Competition
has drawn many a young mover and shaker to the growing resources of Mt Pleasant.
Many residents seek personal power and gain. Sadly, many of these mortals have
no idea that it is in fact vampires who have truly ruled and shaped not only
this city, but its community, ever since its inception.
Mount Pleasant, a city dedicated to Native American heritage and culture, agriculture,
education, and the discovery and production of oil.
Email for updated info regarding Kindred: vstrequiem@gmail.com
Part 4: Storytelling Mechanics
Venue Geographical Boundaries:
This venue covers all vampire activity in the Requiem venue (including PC-types
typically associated with the Requiem venue) in the following places, based
on the Geographical Boundaries as stated by the U.S.G.S. (United States Geological
Service). This Domain covers the following counties in the state of Michigan:
Gratiot, Isabella, and Midland.
Proxy rules:
Although proxy play is permitted by the Camarilla rules supplement, proxy characters
are discouraged within the first six months of this venue. This is due to the
nature of Vampire the Requiem. In Requiem, vampires generally do not often travel
to far away Domains without significant travel arrangements, if at all. Characters
are expected to find what they need in their own Domain, or arrange to create
what they need as per the rules of Requiem. Mount Pleasant is vast and full
of resources, so there should be little reason for proxies in the first six
months.
All proxies to the Mt. Pleasant by Night Requiem venue must be received
by the Storyteller in writing or
by email no less than 48 hours in advance, and must contain all standard information,
as detailed in the Camarilla World of Darkness Addendum and the Camarilla Vampire
the Requiem Addendum. Any character or items requiring Regional or higher approval
require prior approval from the Presiding Storyteller of the game to participate.
Players who have not received prior approval may not be allowed to participate
with those characters or they may participate only without their High-level
approval items.
If you know you are attending game and do not want to have your
approval documentation with you at game, please email the character and the
approvals at least 48 hours before the game to the VST at vstrequiem@gmail.com.
Players who proxy into "BLACK ARIA" must accept all terms of the VSS. Visiting
players must provide a copy of the character for the ST staff to hold on to
for the night. These sheets will not be kept by the storytelling staff and will
be returned upon the end of game. This is a mandatory rule. Visiting players
who do not have a extra copy of their sheet will be required to fill out a new
sheet with their information on it and hand it over to the ST. Outside plots
will not intrude upon this game unless they receive prior approval from the
Domains of both the city they come from and the Domain of Mount Pleasant.
Request of proxy play should include at a minimum:
- Character sheet and XP log
- PC’s reasons and motivations to be here
- PC’s personality and attitude
- PC’s actions in possible situations
- PC’s travel arrangements to and from the area
- PC’s security measures
The Mount Pleasant storytelling staff reserves the right to pursue any character
from the Mount Pleasant game including visitors, who attempt to flee back to
their home Domain or a different Domain while other characters or forces are
in pursuit during a game night. These scenes will be limited solely to the pursuit
of the fleeing characters and will not involve any characters or influences
from that Domain. If the scene becomes embroiled in the other domain’s conflicts
(the character runs to the Princes house or local Elysium) the scene will be
frozen and all other characters involved frozen until the DST of that Domain
is contacted and both Domains agree on a course of action.
Canada:
Since we share a close accessible open border with Canada, any scenes that involve
crossing the border in pursuit will be frozen until the NST of Canada is contacted
and we get full permission to run the scene. This includes the character fleeing
and all those involved in the pursuit. If the character is not being actively
pursued or the players pursing will not continue the pursuit, the character
may flee to Canada without a freezing of the scene. That character however is
considered out of play until they cross back over the border. Once a pursuing
character decides to pursue that character into Canada the scene will be frozen.
No scenes will be run in Canada or from Canada
unless the permission is granted from their NST and characters involved may
be turned over to the ST Staff of Canada depending on their request. These characters
will be handed over without hesitation to their Staff and all ST’s involved
will be notified. Players from Mount Pleasant are discouraged from crossing
the Border during game. Players send their characters to Canada during game
at their own risk. Please note: This does not in any way include traveling to
games in Canada or vise versa. We encourage our members to attend the games
in Canada and we welcome our neighbors from Canada to attend our games. The
rule above is only when characters travel to Canada during a Mount Pleasant
game.
Travel risks:
Travel in the surrounding areas is not without its risks:
In general, travel is subject to the usual daytime or night time hazards of
the World of Darkness. All PC's traveling into and out of the area are assumed
to have taken general precautions to preserve their lives and avoid problems
with the Masquerade, exposure to sunlight, etc. Keep in mind that vampires in
Requiem do not travel on a whim and must take excessive precautions. It is expected
that you have made such arrangements, and will be able to answer preparation
questions fully if they are asked by the Storyteller staff of Mount Pleasant.
As this is a heavily policed area due to the presence of so many Police Departments,
including Government agencies, please be aware that the possibilities of delay
is highly probable, since so much precaution must be taken to enter the Domain
without being discovered. While other travel risks may arise due to in-game
circumstances, we will make attempts to publish any additional information before
the game on the appropriate lists. Characters normally travel through the area
in a wide variety of transports, including automobile, small plane/jet, train,
and bus as appropriate.
Experience award guidelines:
1. We follow the Experience Trait award guidelines in the Camarilla Vampire
the Requiem Addendum section 1.1.
2. Each character who participates for at least 90 minutes receives an automatic
award of 3 Experience Traits. Characters that play for a period longer than
this shall receive 4 Experience Traits.
3. We accept player nominations for additional Experience Traits after each
game. No more than 4 players per 20 attendees will receive this award. No player
may claim the same award twice in a row. The storyteller may also make storyteller
awards for outstanding contributions to the game and these may also be awarded
to the same player who earns player nominations. This allows a player to earn
up to 8xp per month in game attended activities. Note this award cannot exceed
the player’s monthly cap.
4. Players may earn up to a total of 3 Experience Traits per month by providing
downtime reports, character goals, journals, or game reports. Players from Mount
Pleasant who wish to obtain extra experience must fill out a monthly Downtime
Report (DTR) and send it to the Venue Storyteller and by the last day of the
month. DTR's should include player name, membership number, character name,
clan, covenant, and blood potency. If a player wishes to get all 3 of the downtime
XP points, it must also contain not only what the player has been doing in local
downtime, but also a summary of character activity on a Regional and National/International
IC mailing lists, as well as IRC (Do not send logs). We play in a global game
and participation in the game outside of our Domain enhances the game for all
members of the club. It should be noted that the average downtime will receive
1xp while only the exceptional downtime (all of the above elements and a clear
element of a lot of hard work and thought behind it) will receive 3xp. Note
this award cannot exceed the player’s monthly cap.
Check In:
All players must sign in, and have their characters checked by one of the ST’s
conducting sign in. If you are not willing to show a character sheet, you may
not play, that character. The Presiding Storyteller reserves the right to disallow
ANY character to participate if that character presents a direct contradiction
to the theme & mood of the game, or is otherwise incompatible with the game
and/or setting. Such determinations are made by the VST. When signing in players
must have a character sheet and exp log, signed by their home venue ST or the
ARST for Solitary Members. Proof of Member class, and Camarilla card or Photo
Id. Players without proof of member class
will be allowed to play either a new MC 1 character, or have their appropriate
Coordinator vouch for them, once. After this a signed proof of member class
will be required, or a print out from membership verification from the Camarilla
Web Page. This will hold true for character sheets without the appropriate ST’s
signature. A one-week grace period will be provided. Exceptions will be made
to this for players who are from areas without a domain, and who do not have
access to the next level of ST on an easy basis. One of the ST signing in, with
be able to check in the sheet and sign it, at ST discretion. Any out of Chapter
players, who wish to have in chapter influence, must
purchase separate influences, and have them approved by the VST or AVST, or
grow them in standard cross-domain manners, with ADST/DST approval.
Special Notes:
All characters who consider this Domain their "home" (including those who are
not part of the Domain, but are still primarily based here) are under the authority
of the VST Requiem for purposes of IC rewards and penalties, including but not
limited to, the awarding and loss of status. This is regardless of the home
Chapter, Domain, or Region of the player. Characters that are proxied to this
venue are also under this same restriction during their proxy time. Players
who play in this game must agree to this restriction. Chronicle takes precedence
over individual characters (If Timmy wants blow something up just because that
is his derangement, the answer will be NO).The presiding storyteller over any
given scene has wide latitude to make spot rulings and judgment calls (like
what constitutes dangerous territory/situations, for Summons) and even alter
in minor ways certain powers will work (see ST for more details). This is not
intended to allow extreme modifications of discipline or abilities, and such
minor rulings should be consistent. Players are encouraged not to argue with
a storyteller during the scene, but are welcome to appeal any decision. Abuses
or misuses of this clause will be dealt with as appropriate, this is for the
benefit of the story, not for abuse of the rules. As always everything within
is subject to storyteller’s discretion, this is a game designed to be fun and
enjoyable and we will endeavor to make it so.
Challenges:
While the Finger method may also be used, the Card method will be the method
encouraged and used by the ST Staff, due to its relative quickness and simplicity.
Any player who excessively questions rule calls in a combat will be asked to
leave their character with the VST and to step out of the combat. Once combat
is over, the character will be returned to the player. Excessive is defined
by more then two rule challenges in a row. Combat can be very confusing for
all involved and can be the biggest event and longest event of the night. This
rule is invoked so that challenges will go smoothly. If the player refuses to
hand over their character, the character that was presented to the staff at
game opening will be used instead. The matter will also be turned over the Coordinator
on duty. If the player leaves, the scene will be run with the copy of the character
presented at check in and the VST of that player will be notified of the outcome
of the combat. Any combat which is not resolved within a few Challenges will
be considered to be disruptive to nearby role-playing. At this point, a member
of the ST Staff will escort those involved in the conflict to what we affectionately
refer to as the Kill Box. Challenges will be resolved here in a fast and effective
manner. Once actions are resolved within the Kill Box, players are encouraged
to return to the scene they left and role-play the conflict according to how
the Challenges were resolved.
Positions:
Gaining positions is encouraged in Mount Pleasant. To be a leader among Kindred
can be a lot of fun. It is asked that before a position is accepted that the
player evaluate their real life situation. Position holders are expected to
be at nearly every game since we have two-three games a month. Players who attend
sporadically may think twice about claiming a regency or a praxis. Praxis is
not protected by any outside laws in Requiem so a player that cannot attend
games regularly may not last very long as a Prince and may come back to a city
that has deposed them. Heralds are expected to have reliable internet access
for emails. Positions in this game are very important to the plot and the city,
they can be very taxing on a person because you are constantly that position
even when not playing this game. A player who is the Prince quickly finds their
time devoted to decisions and politicking well outside the realm of the game
night. This is encouraged, and is part of the fun of this game, however real
life takes precedence first. If real life situations will hinder your ability
to fulfill your duties please think twice before holding position. Remember
this is only a game. Even the most ambitious Invictus can find a way to wait
to take a position until the time is right.
Body, Body, Who’s Got My Body?:
If a character is put in torpor they are assumed to be left where they lay unless
specified by the players, and the Storytelling staff will come up with something
about what happened. If you wish to have possession of the body or to move it
out of the Domain you must have a body card signed by the VST/DST and the Player.
This will include date of torpor, Character Name, Signatures and Cam#. This
should be filled out as soon as the body is in torpor and is to be moved. This
card represents the body; if the card is stolen or found by another player then
the body is stolen or found. If the card is lost then the body is lost. If no
card is gotten, then you do not have the body, in all cases where the body is
lost, the fate of the body is decided by the Presiding ST unless the card is
located. Physical limitations will be taken into consideration for stealing
a body. AKA a player will not be able to snatch the card out of your hand and
claim the body. However if you die or are disabled and your possessions searched
then they can locate and steal the body if the card is on you.
Bloodlines & Custom Disciplines:
Bloodlines with the appropriate approvals will be allowed in play; however,
information about the Bloodline must be sent to our DST at DST.MI.015.D@gmail.com,
so that he may evaluate how the Bloodline may affect our game. Custom disciplines
will be evaluated by the ST staff and may not be allowed in game if particularly
deadly or unbalancing. Full explanation of the discipline with the approval
number is required for this evaluation any custom discipline without this info
will not be allowed in this game.
Player Advisory:
The Kindred inhabit a dark and often downright evil world. From time to time,
the Storytellers in this venue will use adult themes, vivid descriptions, and
contentious social issues to bring the World of Darkness to life. For those
familiar with the White Wolf tabletop material, some plot elements or themes
could be considered "Black Dog" material. Such themes and issues may include
racism, sexism, foul/dirty language, bigotry, prejudice, sexual assault, and
extreme violence. If, at any time, a player feels uncomfortable with a scene,
the player should immediately inform the Storyteller. The Storyteller will either
tone down scene so that the player is once again comfortable participating in
it, or will excuse the player from the scene without penalty in or out of character,
adjusting continuity as necessary. The goal of our games is to have a good time,
bringing the World of Darkness to life as much as possible, but keeping the
sensibilities and comfort of all players in mind, so that all can participate.
Meta-gaming will not be tolerated! Any questions of meta-gaming shall go through
the Lead ST present and the matter will be investigated and/or acted upon. Accusations
of meta-gaming or continued reference to such after the storyteller has been
spoken to shall be referenced to the coordinator staff to take action upon as
if the accuser was a problem player. The ST staff will aggressively pursue meta-gamers.
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