A Deepwater Throne: V5 campaign in Prohibition Seattle

How to prepare

You must have a Discord account, a decent mic, your own copy of V:tM 5th Edition, and a copy of any additional 5th Edition books you would like to be considered for inclusion to the game. You will need a digital character sheet or be able to scan in your physical character sheet. A webcam is not required, but does help with enhancing non-verbal communication. Please read as much of the Vampire: the Masquerade 5th Edition core rulebook as you are comfortable with in preparation for the game. For newer/less active Players, this will help me so that we can focus on your questions instead of general introduction to game concepts (though all questions are welcome). For more experienced Players, this will help refresh game mechanics, starting corebook lore, and clear up inevitable confusion with the 'online meta'. Also consider that VtM is a very NPC-heavy game, including members of your vampire Clan, the Kindred government, mortal life connections, Touchstones, Allies, Contacts... etc. Every NPC will be under my direct control, but Players are encouraged to fill out these NPC details initially and over the course of game. Collecting potential headshots, names, personality options, etc for NPCs is encouraged, but not required.

What I provide

I will provide a Discord server for the game, with multiple channels for the Players to use in- and out-of-session. Some of these channels will be for my use to drop game lore, keep track of current objectives, and post art for the NPCs, Maps, and Locations for the game. The Player channels can be used for general chit-chat, posting their own art/contributions, and strategizing between sessions. During game session, I will activate the voice channel with a webcam so that you can see me. I will ask that everyone enable 'push-to-talk' so that we don't have to hear folks typing/couching/etc and so that I can have another visual on folks trying to respectfully interrupt dialogue. I will have a dicebot in use, in addition to music (which you can control volume on your end or mute entirely). We will not use battlemaps or tabletop maps of any sort for combat scenes or any other scenes. Theatre of the Mind will be used with a spirit of fairness and narrative consistency. If there is any confusion, I will work with you so that you can execute your intended actions as best your character can in the established environment. I got you. Most times I will speak in-character and some times I will describe what the character does/says. Players are encouraged to speak in-character but similarly not required to do so. The Party may frequently be split between scenes/locations in a given session, or spanning multiple sessions, and multiple scenes may occur at the table concurrently. I will switch between Players and scenes as narratively appropriate, with no excessive periods between individual character actions. While balancing multiple scenes will happen often, I will strongly encourage Party members to group together whenever narratively convenient. At no point will any narrative gameplay occur outside of scheduled session times with the Party. While discussions between sessions may fill in details on backstory and relationships, no narrative progression will ever occur outside of game. This includes table-talk and 'secret notes'; everything that happens in-game will be witnessed by all at the table. It is the Player's responsibility to keep Character and Player knowledge as separate as reasonable. If a Player misses a session, with or without warning, their character will 'fade into the background'. The rest of the Party should not draw attention to them and their absence from the narrative spotlight will be decided by me on a case basis. Players will not be punished for missing game, and 'fading' their characters is part of this solution.

Gameplay details

Expect the game to utilize the Vampire: the Masquerade 5th edition core book in system mechanics, narrative lore, and gameplay philosophy. Additional books included in game will be discussed at Session 0 to complete the list of approved books for this campaign. Safety Tools: Session 0 will include House Rules (mechanics, lore, and/or table etiquette), Character Creation, Coterie/Party Creation, and discussions about content warnings, desired in/out-of character goals, and other such matters. A survey will be put out with a checklist of hard Lines (for example, there will be NO depictions of SA) or Veils (for example, violence with excessive gore will be glossed over/alluded to discreetly). At any time you may alter your own limits on Lines and Veils, but at all times those currently established will be respected. When in doubt, utilize the X, N, O cards freely. X/N/O Cards will be used in the chat at any time by posting one of those letters. When anyone sees a X, N, or O signal in the chat, please 'boost the signal' by copying the message in chat or repeating it out-loud until the message is seen by me and I can react appropriately. In most cases, no further clarification will be necessary regarding the subject matter. I tend to incorporate one 5-10 minute break roughly halfway into the session for personal use and I have an open table policy where Players may take whatever breaks they need for their own comfort. Please communicate these breaks wherever you can in the chat, per table etiquette, but this is not a break prerequisite.

Content warnings

Safety tools used

How will character creation work

Character Creation will occur as a group at Session 0, so please come with a blank character sheet. However, I do advise looking ahead to character creation to get an idea of potential character concepts or elements. You get to make your own decisions about Character Creation, but I will provide feedback and alternate suggestions for character or character sheet decisions. This process is not meant to discourage the Player, but to integrate the character into the greater narrative of the campaign and the Party. Ultimately, Player decisions about their character and character sheet will be respected within the spirit of a cooperative storytelling game. I do not believe in 'party balance' as a principle of Character Creation and will not allow other Players to be pressured by others into major character decisions for that reason. Everyone should be able to make their own characters without explicit obligations such as balance, 'party roles', etc.

Combat / Tactics

Low

Roleplay

High

Puzzles

Medium

Experience level

Open to all