Midnight's Toll - Beginner Friendly
Chicago: The shadows of already dangerous nights are cast deeper by ill omens and dangerous foes. Rise above them and seize new power and position.
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Thursday - 4:00 PM UTC
Mar 12 / Session 13
Session Duration / 3–3.5 hours
Campaign Length / 7+ Sessions
3 / 5 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
3/5
About the adventure
The springtime nights of Chicago have grown restless with the plots and schemes of the undead. Your coterie is new to town and looking to cement your place amongst the elite, but unseen enemies are closing in and secrets are being brought into the moonlight. What sinister threats will you uncover, and can you save the city from those who would destroy it and bring you low? This is a story heavy game. While there is combat, the bulk of game time will be spent building a narrative and exploring both character and setting. As such, we'll be using theater of the mind, using Forge for dice and character sheets. (The current version of Forge does not support video/voice Livekit for a stable server. If video/audio becomes an issue we can use Discord.) Because we will be combat light, newer players have found this to be a welcoming game. Experienced players have enjoyed the engagement and intrigue of a varied cast of npcs, ranging from Chicago By Night to all new characters filling out the city. The threats and challenges will be matched to your skill sets and play style. Flawed and unique characters, rather than perfectly streamlined machines, are often more fun to play. You won't be penalized for making a character you want to explore rather than just a great set of attributes.
Game style
Combat Lite
Roleplay Heavy
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(7)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
19 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Inclusive
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
My name is Chris and I've been running games consistently for the past ten years, with periodic games for the fifteen years prior. My preferred systems are World of Darkness and Call of Cthulhu, and I currently run games of both Vampire: The Masquerade and Call of Cthulhu for friends. I also have a few years experience with Mage: The Awakening, 2nd Edition. My games have run from one-shots to multi-year campaigns. While I have run modules, such as Masks of Nyarlathotep or Horror on the Orient Express, my games are primarily written by myself. I much prefer theater of the mind to miniatures and tactical games.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Character creation can be completed in Session 0, or there will be a few pre-generated characters from which to choose. Camarilla vampires are required, to include the clans of Gangrel, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, Banu Haquim, Hecata, and Ventrue. (Malkavian PCs are restricted due to personal limits on depictions of mental health. Malkavian npcs are limited in exposure. It is simply too easy for a character with a mental health disorder to become a caricature.) Other clans are up for discussion, depending on reasoning and back story. Why are you with the Camarilla and this coterie in particular? We will do character creation based upon the core rule book for a 13th generation vampire, meaning you will do base character generation and then have 15 xp to spend. Homebrew rules: Do not spend money on basic resources. Unless your character is truly wealthy we will safely assume a level of standard income commensurate with their backstory. Bookkeeping is boring and it's more streamlined to assume you have middle class income to toss around. A haven is being assigned to you by the Primogen Council. Unless you would like a personal haven aside from the group, don't bother putting points into Haven.
The coterie you're joining will be based with the Camarilla, up and coming in Chicago, and provided a Haven. Clans outside of typical Camarilla make-up can be used so long as they have a reason to be included and contribute to the coterie. The group is made of 13th generation vampires, so base character creation, then 15xp to spend. We're using the core book, player's handbook, and I will be sourcing Chicago By Night for some npcs. Because this is made with newer players in mind, third party material is off the table.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
We will be playing through Forge, and it will handle the dice and character sheets. You will need: - webcam - microphone - Discord account (game information, communication, safety tools) - The Forge account (free, player level)
What Chris brings to the table
This game will utilize theater of the mind. It is primarily story driven (80%), with some combat elements (20%). I differentiate npcs by manner of speech, cadence, body language, and attitude. We will have minor homebrew changes to the rules for our game, such as not using Hunger dice in non-stressful situations. (If you're researching the origins of a clue at your leisure I don't feel you should be at risk of a beastial failure and tearing the library, or librarian, apart at the seams.)
Homebrew rules
Hunger dice will not apply to certain rolls, particularly in non-stressful situations. Do not put dots into Resources unless your character is particularly wealthy. We will assume a basic level of income commensurate with back story. Bookkeeping is no fun and fretting over bank accounts isn't engaging.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Webcam
Platforms used
Safety
How Chris creates a safe table
In our Discord we have a document of topics to be removed from play and topics that require careful or limited exposure. Any player can post publicly or message me privately to add to the document. We also make use of the X card system. Players can call for a stop to a scene or step away for a break as needed. Anything that threatens to become too much for a player should be addressed.
Content warnings
Safety tools used