New-New Amsterdam VSS
From Changeling Venue
Contents |
I. Information
Domain Name: Children of the Lost Eden
Domain Number: NY – 004 - D
Venue: Changeling
Venue Name: New-New Amsterdam
Lead Venue Storyteller: Cris Fisher US2002023878
Storyteller Contact: Chrysilla@gmail.com
Games Hosted On: First Friday of every month with game sites announced via the NYCCAM and NYC-Changeling Yahoo email lists.
II. Styles of Play
| Style of Play | Description | Rating |
| Action | Combat and Challenges | 3 |
| Character Development | Personal Dilemmas and choices | 5 |
| Darkness | PC death and corruption | 3 |
| Drama | Ceremony and grand story | 3 |
| Intrigue | Politics and negotiation | 4 |
| Manners | Social etiquette and peer pressure | 2 |
| Mystery | Enigmas and investigation | 4 |
| Pace | How face stories emerge, Develop and resolve | moderate |
| Rating | Description |
| 1 | Never present |
| 2 | Sometimes present |
| 3 | Often present |
| 4 | Usually present |
| 5 | Always present |
Proposed Mechanics:
The ST's of the game reserve the right to ask participants of a scene to run the scene theatrically and with role playing rather than with challenges.
III. Venue Description
Since the days of Old New Amsterdam, New York City has been home to scores of Changelings. The 9/11 attacks weakened the local courts and freeholds by creating a rift in the hedge that is still largely dangerous and unstable. However, it also helped the Changelings harvest a huge amount of related emotions and glamour to combat the evil spreading from the rift, and the political system managed to stay intact.
More recently, another very powerful and nasty rift opened up in the Bronx, otherwise known as the Highland freehold and territory of the Summer Court. Once again, the local Changelings rallied to protect the city, but the results were far more disastrous for their society. Very few survived the battle with the monsters that emerged, and those lost were either killed or taken back to Faerie. The effects rippled out over NYC, destroying hallows and destabilizing trods. The local courts are still at a loss for how this rift could have been created, there wasn't any event catastrophic enough in the mundane world to be relevant. Some scapegoated the Winter Court, whose King tried to upset the political structure and stay in power through spring, but no true culprit could be found.
With both Glamour stores and membership stretched thin, the local Changelings consolidated to Manhattan (also known as Gotham Freehold), and renamed themselves the New Amsterdam Freehold as they began to rebuild their society. A sudden influx of new Changelings in the Bronx and downtown Manhattan both helped and hindered these efforts. Whether the court will put the old system back in place or come up with something entirely new is up to them, and perhaps the creatures stalking them from the Hedge.
But like they say, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.
City History, the basics
The traditional courts and their territories:
Gotham Freehold – Manhatten, Spring Court
Highland Freehold – The Bronx, Summer Court
Kings Freehold – Brooklyn, Autumn Court
Queens Freehold - Queens, Winter Court
Richmond Freehold – Staten Island, small number of courtless
There was never any ruling that a Changeling had to reside in the traditional home of it's Court, but it is where each court would rule from during it's own season. The appointment or election of the season's King or Queen depended on the whims of that court, so the political structure of NYC has always been somewhat freeform. Either the highest ranking member of that court would seize power, or there would be an election, or an appointment. Likewise, each King or Queen would occasionally appoint a cabinet of advisers chosen from the other courts.
A few hundred years ago, the Changelings living in this area simply named it New Amsterdam Freehold, but as more people took residence in the city the influence and power of the local courts spread out over the five boroughs. After the losses in the Bronx, the remaining Changelings focused their activities in Manhattan and the Bronx, once again naming themselves the New Amsterdam Freehold, to rebuild their home almost from scratch.
Places of note
-The Goblin Mall - defensible fortress of commerce run by Changelings, in Chinatown, also the last stable trod and *public* hallow in the city.
-The WTC site
-The Bronx rift
This game will focus on characters rebuilding the city as they rebuild their own lives, focusing on both the supernatural and mundane sides of life in NYC. There will be elements seeking to ruin both, and players will face off against these forces physically, mentally, and socially. Politics will always be present, but not all politics have to do with courtly kings and influence battles. When even Changeling magic is referred to as "Contracts" politicking becomes both more present and more subtle than in other games. Players don't have to be politicians, but it is something that all PCs will work with (or play against) in one form or another. Everyone wants something, what will they, or you, do to get it? Likewise, not every creature you run into in the Hedge will want to disembowel you... at least, not if you're willing to make a deal. And just because something is fluffy and talks does not mean it's your friend (or that it doesn't have rabies). This is a great theme both for old world faery tales AND New York city. Everything, from the Queen of court to the local hobgoblins wants something, and might have an agenda of it's own. Players are encouraged to develop their own in-character projects and plots, and villainous player-characters are welcome. NYC itself will be our star NPC, as we draw on local lore, legend, and history to develop plot and setting.
IV. Storytelling Mechanics
1. Proxy Rules:
All proxy requests to the New-New Amsterdam Changeling venue must be received by the Venue storyteller in writing or email no less than 48 hours in advance, and must contain the following:
A. Full character sheet. This includes any special approvals for items/powers/influence/merits/flaws that require special approvals. Without proof of these approvals, those special approval items will **not** be used in the proxy.
B. VST / DST / RST contact information (e-mail & phone number). I will need to confirm things with them and give them the results of the proxy so they can incorporate said results into their games.
C. Clearly stated goals for your character. Preferably a copy of the 13 questions made during character creation. You need to be as precise as possible when you state your character's goals and actions for the proxy. Any information that is left out will be left up to the storyteller staff to include. Assumptions can and will be made if necessary.
D. Contingency plans. Please include contingency plans as the best-laid plans are sometimes disrupted. Without the contingency plans, the storyteller staff will make decisions for the characters. These decisions may or may not be what the players would have done.
E. Agreement to terms and conditions of the proxy. Below are listed the terms and conditions of the proxy. If you are not comfortable with these conditions, then do **not** proxy your character.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. All proxy play is final. There are no do-overs.
2. While in proxy play, the character will not be in play any place else or in other proxy scenes.
3. Character death or worse are possibilities. In every proxy scene, there are inherent dangers. Players who agree to proxy are being made known these results are possibilities of proxy play.
As for cross venue, no cross venue items and characters will be allowed to take part in a session unless they have approval from the proper level of storyteller. The teaching of cross-venue lore will be scrutinized.
2. Travel Risk
New York City, is still rather dangerous for Changelings. With two largely uncontrolled gateways, one uptown and one downtown, strange and dangerous creatures bleed through from the Hedge on a regular basis. Visitors will be advised by the local Changelings to travel through the mundane world rather than the Hedge. There is currently one stable public trod available in the Goblin Mall, but just because it's the most stable doesn't mean it's entirely safe to use, and you may lose more than health levels to the local Hedge-denizens.
3. Visiting Character Guidelines
Visiting characters will be asked about their goals when entering the city. Please have two copies of your full character sheet, one for the VST and one for play. This includes any special approvals for items/powers/influence/merits/flaws that require special approvals.
4. Experience Award Guidelines
The experience reward for a game session is four experience points per player. If a player plays two PC's for the session, they may divide the five experience points as they see fit between the two PC's, but may never exceed 4 total points between the two PC's.
If the player then submits a chronicle detailing what their characters did at the session, she/he will receive 1 addition experience trait. Only one experience trait will be awarded for chronicles each month per character. suggested length of 1-2 pages.
Each month, a player may submit a write up of downtimes and goals, and they will be rewarded one experience point for their work. Only one experience trait will be awarded for these logs per month, per character. This can include transcripts of online conversations or email correspondence, but PLEASE include a summary for long transcripts.
5. Antagonists
The main local antagonists for this venue will other Changelings, Hedge Beasts, Fetches, mortals, and other creatures of Faerie. However, your Keepers are still out there, and are always a threat.
