FiS Backstory

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Mostly its because Matt really got me thinking about what it is I want to see in a game. Using an empirical model I thought the best way to elucidate what I want is to illustrate something I had liked. What the hell made this my favorite campaign ever?

Nothing Was Easy

When we got something right, it meant something. Virtually all of our successes as a group were tempered with some kind of failure. On the rare occasions when we had an unadulterated victory it was something to savor. We learned to look at the positives in all outcomes.

The GM made us pay for mistakes. When we did something stupid there was almost always an NPC waiting to capitalize. But because of the pacing we couldnt afford to just sit around and plan constantly. We had to act or lose initiative.

NPC's were not only devious, but they also had a strong self preservation instinct. This means when they realized they were beaten, they ran. Yet, on many occasions this wasnt the end. These guys might get run off, but now they had a reason to make us pay, and they found a way to come back later at a crucial moment and do just that.

The GM was much more likely to beat us with wits than with brawn. On more than one occasion we as players and characters were outsmarted by NPC's, often in subtle yet meaningful ways. Few things were done with broad brush strokes.

Some Examples

For some reason Klaus decided he wanted to learn Thaumaturgy. He found through some channel that Gordon Keaton claimed he knew it, and he would be willing to teach him if he did a few things for him. They discussed what kinds of things and it all seemed pretty reasonable. So they began working together. Klaus helped him and they met regularly.

Then during some other story arc Klaus found that not only did Keaton not know Thaumaturgy (which should have been highly unlikely because he was an anarch), but he was working covertly for Modius. This means that he had inadvertantly played right into Modius' hand and also revealed secrets to him that he never would have otherwise. This wasnt the first time Modius had shamed Klaus, but it would be the final straw.

In the spirit of being a player in an RPG Klaus showed up at Keaton's house. He was unaware that Klaus had exposed him. Klaus had Erik, who is addicted to vitae, with him. They came in the front room and Klaus confronted Keaton with the evidence. Immediately he attempted to negotiate, he would infiltrate Modius for him. Screw that, Klaus grabbed him, sunk in his teeth, and committed diabalerie. Keaton was no match because of Klaus' 2 dots in Potence. When it was done Klaus spat all of Keatons blood back onto his decaying body, which sent Erik (who hadnt been fed lately) into a blood frenzy. This scene, in all of its grotesque imagery, was one of the most vivid moments of the campaign, even though it wasnt a major plot point. Though it led to one.

Now Modius had to die. So Klaus gathered the coterie and expressed a desire to end Modius' reign in Gary. They all agreed, most of them hated him already. We planned for a couple of hours then struck. We knew if we waited too long he would find out about Keaton and be fully prepared. Our plan was solid, and we went to face him.

He looked surprised, he was alone in his mansion except for his closest allies that are always around. There was an ensuing fight that we were barely getting the better of. A time came where it looked like Modius might escape, but Klaus lunged at him with his sword cane (it had been enchanted by the Tremere to do aggravated damage-that really cost Klaus too btw...). This would be it, Modius would be impaled. I picked up my dice and rolled a shitload of successes. We were about to celebrate...

The sword never made it to Modius' chest, for standing in front of him, completely obfuscated, was Michael. A local Nosferatu that we all liked. Klaus had just killed him (we thought), and Modius escaped. That was it for Modius in Gary. Nobody has seen him since, and Rose became the new Prince. But now Klaus wants him dead more than ever. Rumor is he is in Milwaukee.

The World is Dangerous

Characters and their prized possessions were in constant danger. During the campaign at least six PC's died, Klaus alone lost 3 dogs, 3 ghouls and countless property (including cars, trucks and houses). We as players, led by Bruce's first character Ben, pooled our resources and acquired a lucrative local nightclub called the Torch. Eventually that place was burned to the ground too.

What made this great was that none of this was random or unreasonable. It was virtually all due to our actions or inaction. All of the things that we lost left us in a logical, tragic way. It all contributed to an ongoing central theme of tragedy.

Few Things Were As They Seemed

We learned early on that we couldnt take one persons word, or even trust our first impression. The city and the NPCs were dynamic, and the setting evolved based on the things we did as well as the actions we inadvertantly caused. Even at the very end after all those years of play none of our characters were real heavy hitters on the Chicago scene. We had some clout, but there had to be 20+ kindred who were much more powerful than us, yet even that being said we were able to have a significant say in the environment and politics in general.