Atlanta Lost VSS
From Changeling Venue
Contents |
Venue Information
Region: Camarilla Southeast
Domain: Black Dog of the Camarilla in Atlanta GA
Venue Coordinator: Sharon Yarbrough, US2002022447
Venue Storyteller: Rob Fowler, US2002034184
Venue Stylesheet: Atlanta Lost VSS, In Media Res
Venue Wiki Page: Ring of Roses, The Freehold of Atlanta
Venue Stylesheet
"In Medias Res," Changeling Interim (Oct - Dec 2007)
Part 1: Basic Information
Domain: Atlanta, GA, USA (GA-010-D)
Venue: Changeling
Venue Storyteller: Rob Fowler, US2002034184
Storyteller Contact: rfmaestro [at] gmail [dot] com
Game Times
Sunday, 14 Oct 2007, 12:00 PM (sign-in), 12:45 PM (announcements), 1:00 PM (game on), 5:30 PM (game off)
Sunday, 11 Nov 2007, 12:00 PM (sign-in), 12:45 PM (announcements), 1:00 PM (game on), 5:30 PM (game off)
Saturday, 1 Dec 2007, early slot, Featured Game of the Month
Times may be adjusted.
Part 2: Styles of Play
Rate each of these categories 1-5, using the scale below:
Style of Play:
Action (Combat and Challenges): 2
Character Development (Personal dilemmas and choices): 5
Darkness (PC death or corruption): 3
Drama (Ceremony and grand story): 4
Intrigue (Politics and negotiation): 4
Manners (Social etiquette and peer pressure): 4
Mystery (Enigmas and investigation): 4
Pace (How fast do stories emerge, develop, and resolve?): 4
Ratings & Rating Descriptions: 1 = Never present / 2 = Sometimes present / 3 = Often present / 4 = Usually present / 5 = Always present
Part 3: Description of Venue
On December 7, 1946, a hedge orphan named Rose emerged from a fire at the Winecoff Hotel in Downtown Atlanta. Eventually rising in the local freehold to the position of Summer Queen, Rose campaigned to rule the freehold regardless of season or the wishes of its citizens. After several years she earned the fealty of Atlanta's Spring and Autumn Courts, and with their help she destroyed the local Winter Court, executing the Winter King in 1968.
Under her rule Atlanta's freehold became the Ring of Roses, a kingdom of Summer Everlasting, the Reign of the Rose.
In the Winter of 1982, it was discovered that Queen Rose was responsible for the kidnapping and deaths of dozens of Atlanta children towards unknown ends. The freehold revolted against her and destroyed her with a plague harvested from the Hedge. Her body was burned and the ashes scattered across Atlanta.
The Winter Court was reestablished, although in remembrance of Rose's execution of the Winter King, the identity of Winter's "Crownless King" is concealed by the court and remains a mystery to outsiders.
Most of those who were present during the reign of Queen Rose have moved on or passed away. Many who were strongly allied with Rose have met ill ends. A more conventional seasonal court has taken the place of her tyranny.
And so we come to the Spring of 2005, the Summer of 2006, and the Autumn of 2007. The twenty-five years since the Summer Everlasting have not passed uneventfully. Escaping changelings have joined the freehold (still called "the Ring of Roses"), formed motleys, engaged in Court machinations, and protected their homes. The freehold is not without its enemies; wars and violence are not unknown. For those who vie for power within the freehold, an unwise word and a cup of wine can be more dangerous than the fiercest dragon.
(The description of the venue above is available as common knowledge to player characters.)
In these last days before The Unquiet Years, the Lost will find traitors in their midst and walk in inhuman dreams. They will battle the Beast Unseen, a terrible creature whose wounds bring madness. They will build a new memorial to those who died during the terrible Spring of 2005. They will make deals with the Walkin' Man, a mysterious stranger who finds the Hollows and treasures of the departed and - every 3 years - sells them to the Lost during the rites of Autumn.
Part 4: Storytelling Mechanics
Game Format
The venue will be anchored to 3 pre-history games. Each pre-history game will take place with one story track and several ancillary tracks to represent side scenes or time-bubbled vignettes. If characters don't yet exist within the setting of the history games, and the player does not wish to play any available NPCs, side tracks will be created to act out the character's kidnapping, life in the Hedge, escape, or other important aspects of the character's background.
It is the intention that each of these games receives the effort that a featured or convention game deserves.
The VST staff will be available for special games for smaller groups, such as motleys, to play out and plan histories between the games. These special games will be ad hoc in nature and their content will rely largely on the players asking for the special game.
In order to play at the 3 pre-history games and any special games, it is recommended that you have a complete draft of your character sheet, with the understanding that you may make changes at low approval until the start of hard RP on January 1, 2008. However, as a bare minimum, I require a strong 8-sentence-minimum character background, virtue, vice, seeming, court, and kith (if you have opted to take one).
Play will be "soft" roleplay, and not entail any challenges unless agreed upon by participants in a scene. The results of most actions will be determined by speedy negotiation of those involved, although the VST and his assistants will have ultimate authority to determine results, particularly when a player character has acted in a way that threatens the ongoing setting or a character's life.
During soft RP, consensual challenges are permitted at games, meaning that everyone agrees on the action/outcome of the test. Abilities, supernatural or otherwise, used in this manner during soft RP must be included on the final character sheet.
Proxy Rules
No proxies will be allowed for any of the interim games.
Travel Risks
Some amount of risk is involved in traveling into Atlanta, particularly during the Summer pre-history game. Visiting characters should follow the guidelines below.
Visiting Characters Guidelines
The VST assumes the right to deny the play of any concept within the main story tracks. NPC opportunities or special story tracks will be made available to players whose characters cannot be accommodated at a game. If a visiting character has aspects that go against the setting or that might provide unusual storytelling challenges, it's recommended that such a character description/sheet be sent to the VST for pre-approval one week or more before attending a game. Given the nature of the pre-history games, characters that fit within the setting should be okay (especially if summarized rather than described with a detailed character sheet). But some examples of setting appropriate characters that may have limited play opportunity include characters of low Clarity (3 or less) or high Wyrd (7 or more), especially with insufficient character history.
Experience Award Guidelines
Each game (including ad hoc, special games) - Up to 5 XP for each game
Monthly non-game activity (including downtimes) - Up to 3 XP for the month
Maximum XP allowable per month = 10 XP
XP caps may be revisited for the featured game (tho' that's doubtful since it's already been addressed by the storytelling chain).
Categories: Atlanta | VSS
