Power Prey - A Vampire the Masquerade Story

About the adventure

It's the first rule any of us ever learn about as a vampire: You can't tell folks that you're a vampire. First Tradition, if you prefer the fancy terms. The Masquerade. But it's usually the rule we first break. Friends, family, lovers, that guy at the end of the bar who just has that trusting kind of face... It's hard to face eternity with only the other sharks in the tank for company. Everyone's gotta the mask slip, at least a little. It's an incredibly human weakness. But it is still a weakness. And other vamps finding out are the least of your worries. No, you gotta worry about other mortal ears overhearing. Your brother tells his boyfriend tells his sister tells her boss and BAM! Suddenly you've got a hunter problem. See, we all get so focused on the other vampires, the other Kindred, we all start to believe we only have to worry about the other predators. People with fangs like us. But our food? They've got something better than fangs. They've got fire. And when you play with your food... you're gonna get burned. This is a Vampire the Masquerade story set in Chicago from the book Let The Streets Run Red

Additional Details

How to prepare

Players will need a working mic and a free Roll20 account. We will be using Roll20 for keeping track of character sheets, dice rolling, and some background images and notes. I will be using a camera during game put players can keep their cameras on or off according to their comfort level.

What I provide

- Reference materials, photos, notes, and NPC portraits through Roll20 - Atmospheric soundtrack through Zoom's share sound feature - Vampire the Masquerade v5 Reference Sheet for easy rules ref

Gameplay details

Vampire the Masquerade is designed as a horror game and as such, can cover a variety of dark topics. I often follow the lead of the players on how dark they would like to see the material. However, exploring darker themes is not possible without the use of safety tools. Players can expect a Session 0 where Lines & Veils will be discussed prior to character creation. Players can voice their lines and veils publicly or share them with the GM privately. A shared list will be kept with the lines & veils listed anonymously with the group so this information can be easily referenced by both players and GM during the game. During play, we will use the X, N, O cards. At any point during play, a player can place an X in chat either publicly or privately to me to indicate discomfort with a scene in-game. I will call for a pause, and discuss either changing, rewinding to change a choice, or skipping the content altogether, removing it from the game. An N can be used in chat to show that the scene is moving towards an X, and signals to me to either change the content or "fade to black" and move to the next scene. An O can be used in chat to show that the scene is okay and players want to continue the direction the scene is heading. I will occasionally ask for a letter check during particularly dark scenes to give players a moment to check in with themselves and decide if they feel comfortable with the scene or not. I also like to end each game with a debrief to give everyone a chance to talk about and unpack anything they want to discuss the game, such as what they enjoyed or what they would like to see in the future. These can be structured or very freeform, and we'll decide what works best for the group during our Session 0.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Breaks
Lines and Veils
Open Door
Session 0
Stars and Wishes
X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

Character creation will happen during Session 0 after Lines & Veils are established. We will discuss character backstories, identities, and shared history. This is to help create characters that all fit into a coterie together and establish what dynamics we want to see in the game. Feel free to come to the table with a character concept if you'd like! One unusual character note: Because of the specific nature of this story, your character will need at least one relationship with a mortal human who knows of their undead nature. You might not have told them directly, but they have a strong inkling if not outright confirmation that you're a vampire. Character sheets will be created and maintained over Roll20

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.