Run the Coffin Varnish | V5 Chronicle

Creating your character

There will be a session 0 to go over character concepts and game expectations. This will include consent check-ins, schedules, character creation, coterie creation, accommodations, calibration etiquette, and any miscellaneous topics and issues that may need addressed. I prefer to run games with more 'lived in' characters. Each character will be given a pool of bonus XP to add to their character during character creation. How much that will be depends on chronicle difficulty that will be agreed upon at session 0. The coterie will also start the chronicle with a given pool of bonus XP to add during character creation. How much that will be will depends on character background choices and devil's bargains made with the ST during character creation at session 0. All officially published books and materials for World of Darkness 5th edition are allowed. Anything third party or published from previous editions will need to be cleared by both the ST and fellow players.

Preparing for the session

I will send an on-boarding Google Forms survey. This will give players a chance to share their desires, expectations, and concerns with me and share my baseline behavior expectations as your ST and players at my table. I will be creating a Discord Server as our base of operations. Players can hang out, share plot ideas, and potentially run play-by-post scenes if that is something the group wants. I will only allow play-by-post if the whole table agrees since this extra vector of gameplay could skew plot or create imbalances.

What Sara brings to the table

I like running games as a collaboration. I want my players to find creative uses for their stats. I reward character choices that drive the narrative. Asking questions and bringing your own knowledge to the table is encouraged. I want you to explore themes and find truths inside of yourself and the world around you. This is *our* game. Given all of that, I am fairly flexible as an ST. If the table wants more combat? Bet. If the table wants political intrigue? Bet. If the table wants just occult puzzles and romance? Bet. The worlds I run react to your choices. While this does leave a lot of room for exploration, this is balanced out with various consequences that characters can experience as a result of their choices. I write and run games for adults with mature content. Heavy topics, dark themes, and tough moral choices will be on the table. How graphic anything is described will be adjusted to the preferences and boundaries of myself and those at the table. I ask that my players be engaged, empathetic, and open about plot elements for either positive or negative reasons. My STing is very much based in 'yes means yes'. I seek enthusiastic 'yes-and's and 'no-but's with my players. If anyone is ever unsure if a character action is acceptable or wanted during a session: ask. There are loads of ways to ask for consent. If there is ever an issue with anyone at any time for any reason, we can always pause and adjust. Our game does not go unless everyone is on board. RPGs are part improv. I cannot account for every variable that may come up in a session. I want grace for myself and players to learn and grow from each other. There are some behaviors that I will not tolerate since those behaviors do harm to myself and the others at the table. Those behaviors will be discussed at session 0. While all of that sounds heavy, and very much can be, I am someone very steeped in comedy. So, I tend to lean into that to balance out the horror presented in a chronicle. Last note: I do swear. A lot. The Scottish amount.

Homebrew rules

Per the V5 corebook (pg 130) - "If the rules in this book interfere with your enjoyment of the game, change them." I run my tables with RAW as the baseline with any homebrew or table rulings being agreed upon by myself and the table. I will keep our chronicle rules adjustments in a living doc that all players will have access to for reference.

How Sara creates a safe table

I will be asking for Lines and Veils in the initial Google Form that I send out in case there are any issues you do not want discussed publicly along with survey questions to gage intensity on themes and subject matter that fits your vibe. During session 0, we will go over Lines and Veils a second time to lock in where our boundaries are and Chronicle Tenets to gage where the morality of the chronicle will go. I am personally very flexible on flagging system depending on player's comfort level and accommodations. DMing me privately at any point is always welcome. I am very open about doing check-ins. I ask how players are doing the day of session for a headspace check. If a scene is going somewhere graphic or into a new territory that we haven't previously discussed, I will ask if folks want to continue on. Fade-to-Black and dramatic 'smash cuts' can be used so scenes that don't need to be directly witnessed can happen 'off screen'. Certain topics and events can just not happen as part of the game at all. I use my on-boarding Google Form and session 0 to get a list of those topics together. I give space post-session for 'defragging'. This allows us to share what we enjoyed, what didn't land as well, and any ideas we have going forward. If the group wants or needs to discuss a session more in-depth, I am happy to do so. I am happy to give space post-session for one-on-one talks away from the rest of the table. If I think it is needed, I will DM you to arrange that. If you feel the need for it, I request that you DM me to arrange that. If a player needs a one-on-one outside of our scheduled time, I am happy to grant that. I just ask that you also be willing to accommodate my schedule so that we can find time that works for the both of us. The humanity of myself and fellow players is not up for discussion. We are all full, complex humans. We will respect each other as such. Acts and behaviors that would violate that trust and respect will be discussed at session 0. Consequences for violating that trust and respect will be discussed and agreed upon at session 0.