VSS – Awakening
Please see the IC Check-in Guidelines
SCaRE 2009 Awakening Venue Style Sheet
Items within this VSS represent alterations to common methods and avenues from the general Camarilla. It is required that all members attending SCaRE and portraying their Awakening characters AT ANY TIME during the weekend read, understand, and comply with the guidelines detailed below. Attendance and portrayal at SCaRE Awakening constitutes understanding and acceptance of the guidelines.
Time and Location
Thursday, April 16: 9:00pm-11:00pm; Ballroom A, Ballroom B
Saturday, April 18: 10:00am-2:00pm; Ballroom A, Ballroom B, Ballroom C & D, Rivertown II, Rivertown III
Setting
Consilium Name: None Present
IC Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
IC Premise: On this very spot more than two years ago, the Pentacle gathered and bore witness to odd portents and unexplained events – a macabre dance party of the restless dead, Banishers, and news of interest from around the Region. At that time they were gathered under the banner of hospitality given by a cabal known as the Magnolia Chateau. They threw open the doors of their Garden district mansion, offering company, protection and entertainment. Now, the Magnolia Chateu has decided to once again open its doors and offer Hospitality to the Pentacle, gathering a host of Awakened throughout the Region to talk and address the business of the day. They have news of many of the strange events taking place around the region, but also wish to gather the Pentacle together in fellowship, thereby demonstrating that even in times of worry joy can be found.
Story Teaser / Mood
History is undeniable. It is an inexorable force that informs the present, and shapes the future. Every Mage knows this. They are suffused by it, their very souls driven by the intersection of historical conflicts and the fallout from past events, both guiding their choices and forging their destiny.
Those who are ignorant of their history are doomed to repeat it, it is said. Because of this, Mages study the past in order to understand the present, and create the future. Every day they make the choice to accept or reject this past, to embrace or deny their destiny. Today is a special day, however. On this day more than any other in recent memory, the voice of the past will speak to the present, reminding the Mages of today where they come from, and how they got to where they are. Whosoever hears this message will find themselves grounded in the past, having a foundation in history and a catapult into the future. Those who fail to listen will founder about rudderless, without purpose, merely repeating the present each day and never entering into the future. The choice to belong to one group, or the other, is in your hands. Which will you choose?
Theme
“A country without a memory is a country of madmen.” – George Santayana
Rules Section
SCaRE Awakening uses all White Wolf books and secondary resources described as sanctioned within the Camarilla Global Addenda. SCaRE Awakening makes use of the base Camarilla Global Addenda. Any alterations, additions, or removals from this addenda will be detailed below.
Character Records
Players are required to bring two printed copies (neatly handwritten ink is acceptable, but pencil is not) of all Awakening character sheets with them. One of these will be given to the In Character Check-in Team and the other is for player use during the event.
Character Sheets are required to have the following:
· Players name, Camarilla membership number, storyteller name, email address, and Camarilla membership number
· A complete Experience log that includes a creation log, Experience awards, and all required approval numbers required by your affiliate.
· Detailed listing of all mechanics applicable to their character from sources not found in the MET Mage: the Awakening (shiny) or World of Darkness (blue) books. If you do not have these mechanics on hand, they will not be accessible to your character. This includes all Rotes not found in the core Awakening MET book and all Legacy Attainments
· Venue Lead approval (in the form of either a signature on your sheet, or a printed copy of an e-mail confirming receipt and approval) for any/all special mechanics, as outlined below.
Special Mechanics
Some traits, assets and abilities, in order to be accessible at the convention, must be pre-approved through the Venue Lead. These special mechanics should be approved by midnight CST on 29 Mar 2009. Any mechanics received for approval after that time may be denied for tardiness. The following items must be pre-approved as indicated above in order to be accessible during the convention:
· All off-site or off-venue locations (including Sanctums, Pocket Realms and locations in alternate realms of existence) that a player wishes to have access to at the convention. Off-site/venue locations are further limited, as noted below.
· NPCs (other than Familiars) that are present primarily to assist a PC or group of PCs
· Any effect, NPC or location that is part of of another storyteller’s plot, and is to be used during the convention
· Any trait or item that is likely to fall within the “Venue Destructive Effects” section, below
· Any antagonist character type/trait (Seer status, Tremere Lichdom, Abyssal Paths, etc)
Off-Site & Off-Venue Limitations
“Off-site” locations are those locations that are outside of the main gathering space for the convention. Players who are on the physical location of the game site yet off-site in terms of play represent a breakdown in the continuity of the game and will be limited as much as possible. Those events that have been designated as off-site will be clearly marked on the schedule or by storyteller announcement. In some cases, participating in these events may limit your ability to participate in on-site events. Off-site IC locations will be clearly marked on the entrance to each room, or by ST announcement.
“Off-venue” locations are those locations over which the SCaRE Awakening Storyteller staff does not normally have jurisdiction. Off-venue locations are off-limits to role-play while at SCaRE, unless they are pre-approved through both the SCaRE Awakening ST staff and the ST staff normally in charge of such locations. All such locations fall under the SCaRE Universal and Awakening VSSes and are within the SCaRE Awakening Storyteller jurisdiction for the duration of SCaRE and for any scenes needed to resolve events ongoing at the end of SCaRE (such as chases or combat that start during SCaRE).
All magical and mundane defenses for PC-controlled off-site/venue locations must be represented by dots on the sheet of (or spells cast by) someone checked into SCaRE Awakening 2009.
Proxy Rules
Though proxy play is permitted by the Camarilla rules supplements, proxies will not be accepted at/for SCaRE Awakening
Experience Awards
The standard experience award for SCaRE Awakening will be 4 Experience per full session played. The Experience may be divided between characters if more than one character is played during a session. Characters will be awarded 3 Experience potential over cap for each session (night).
Storyteller Empowerment
Storytellers are permitted, at their discretion, to move scenes away from the convention floor should those scenes risk major disruption to the convention role-play environment. Once moved, the Storyteller is empowered to determine when and how other characters are allowed to enter such scenes. If a Player argues with any of the Storytellers, or otherwise disrupts the flow of the scene, that player can be asked by a Storyteller to hand their character sheet over to the them and leave the game. At that point the PC will be scripted out of the game in a way that is at the discretion of that Storyteller. The Storyteller staff’s main priority is to get through the entirety of the game with as little time-consuming challenges as possible and there will be little tolerance for disruption of game flow. STs and narrators have authority over how the game is run and have the authority to make on-site rules calls. Any arguing or disruption of the game will not be tolerated.
Venue Destructive Effects
Some actions and effects have the potential to end the in-character reason for the gathering prematurely. Any effect that could result in the mass exodus of characters from the area, destruction of the main gathering area, or any other significant disruption to the IC game environment, or items that have the potential for doing any of the above, must be approved though the Venue Lead before they can take place.
Player Advisory
The World of Darkness is not a happy place. From time to time, the Lead Storytellers in a venue may use adult themes, vivid descriptions, and contentious social issues to bring the World of Darkness to life. For those familiar with the White Wolf tabletop material, some plot elements or themes could be considered “Black Dog” material. Such themes and issues may include racism, sexism, bigotry, prejudice, sexual assault, and extreme violence. If, at any time, a player feels uncomfortable with a scene, the player should immediately inform the Storyteller running the scene. The Storyteller will either tone down scene so that the player is once again comfortable participating in it, or will excuse the player from the scene and hand the PC to a Narrator or other designated representative to finish out the scene without breaking continuity.
Appeals
Appeals resulting from SCaRE Awakening will be accepted via email up to 30 days after the last session of Awakening by emailing the Lead Venue Storyteller. If the ruling was made by the Lead Venue Storyteller, notification of an appeal will be made to the SCaRE Lead and SCaRE Lead Storyteller. The appeal, investigation, and resulting actions will also be handled by the SCaRE Storytelling and Event Team.
SCaRE Awakening Errata
SCaRE Awakening makes use of all rules and errata found in the Camarilla Global Addenda. The following are rules that will be in effect at SCaRE Awakening that are not found in the Global Addenda:
· Pre-cast spells will run as per Awakening MET in accordance with Spell Control with the following additional restrictions:
· Effects cast by characters not attending the event are not permitted to have any effect while a character is attending SCaRE 2009.
· Characters may not enter play with more spells affecting them than their Spell Tolerance, regardless of who cast them.
· All Vulgar effects will be assumed to have been cast immediately at the beginning of game, and all Paradox draws (modified as normal) must be made at that time and the results applied normally.
· Starting Mana for all characters is calculated as follows: 7 + (Wisdom dots) + (Hallow dots) – (Mana Leak) – (Mana for Pre-Cast Effects) = Starting Mana
· Additional mana must be gained and may be lost through in-game actions
· Items with a mana pool start game with [5 + (Wisdom dots)] mana
· Characters may carry Tass with them to game, but that Tass must be listed on their character sheet separate from their personal or item-based Mana pools. Characters are limited to no more than their Wisdom dots in available Tass at the start of game. Acquiring more Tass (through magic or otherwise) is possible during the convention, but must be approved by a Storyteller.