PSYCHOMACHIA | Chaos in Milwaukee! (Free Session 0)
A secret task for the Prince, a strained Masquerade, fraying sanity, and a murder mystery that threatens to pull your loved ones into the chaos!
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Thursday - 10:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
Campaign Length / 5+ Sessions
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 1992. The Masquerade is thin here, always has been. Between warring elders, marauding werewolves, and scheming Sabbat, the Traditions of the Camarilla must be enforced at gunpoint. Any Kindred who wants to hold on to their fraying Humanity and keep their Touchstones out of danger knows they have to get their hands dirty sometimes, and if not, they learn a hard lesson very quickly. Still, you had been managing it... until a string of obviously vampiric murders threatened to bust the Masquerade right open, and Prince Merick himself called upon your coterie to find the culprit on the down low. Now, you all have to somehow solve a mystery, dodge werewolves, and settle the city's Anarch/Primogen feud, all while explaining your wounds to your loved ones and holding on to your sense of self in the face the Beast run rampant. Psychomachia is a chronicle exploring what happens to the double lives the Kindred lead when put under strain. There will be plenty of political maneuvering and high octane action, but the emotional core is the struggle between necessary secrecy and the need for companionship, and being forced to confront the various masks you put on for different people. Put a lot of thought into your relationships with the other characters and your Touchstones! This game is based on the chronicle of the same name from the book Milwaukee by Night, so please don't read that book and spoil yourself for the mystery!
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Combat Heavy
Meet the Game Master
3 years on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: World Builder, Storytelling, Inclusive
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
I've been a game master for close to two decades now, running Vampire the Masquerade, Blades in the Dark, and all kinds of fantasy RPGs including Pathfinder and Fabula Ultima. Vampire and Fabula Ultima are my favorites. I've also been on (and run) several actual play podcasts.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Character creation will occur during Session 0. Players may make characters of any of the age categories listed in the core rulebook (p. 137) using those rules and XP. I like having a variety of ages among player Kindred, so if you're an experienced player, maybe play an age group you haven't before! If you're a new player, I recommend making a Childer. Ancilla may use the advanced creation rules found in "In Memoriam" if they like, but I must be there to see what your rolls are. Obviously, any Loresheets that rely on events that happened after the 90s won't make sense.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Just be ready to be proactive in forming relationships with the other player characters! Maybe pick out a picture for your character if you like (no AI). Once you join I'll give you a link to the Discord server!
What Velvet brings to the table
When it comes to Vampire, I am drama forward and will try to work in all the conflicts you want and utilize your backstory. Social combat is often at least as common as physical combat in my games (if not more), though this Chronicle is more violent than most. I tend to stick to rules as written, but the rules for this game are very flexible dramatically and if I'm making you roll, it'll be for something cool and worthwhile. I often use music and have portraits for SPCs and various locations.
Homebrew rules
Players may use material from the homebrew books: Bound in Blood We Shall Be Monsters by Dubious Creatures Press. Both books can be found on Storyteller's Vault. If no players are interested in utilizing this material, I won't either as ST.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Velvet creates a safe table
I'll hand out forms for Lines and Veils for the players to fill out privately, and then I'll compile them into a shared Lines and Veils document in Session 0. I will also go over the use of the Red/Yellow/Green light safety system, which can be used via text, voice, or sound effect.
Content warnings
Safety tools used