In the mid 90's, this game was all the rage with a lot of folk I know, myself included (though I had more of a Werewolf: The Apocalypse and Mage: The Ascension. There were even a few folk who espoused Changeling: The Dreaming but in my group the other games in the World of Darkness series never really surfaced. The game was considered cool, but in all honesty never caught on with my group. We were also busy playing Rifts and Dungeons & Dragons to really get caught up in the emotional angst these games try to convey. A bit high brow, really, for teenagers.
For many years, I saw the World of Darkness with acute disdain. I sold all my books and vowed never to be an emo vampire guy. Freaking NERDS, man, amirite? I mean, what's to like about vampires hiding out sucking on people's necks. It always bothered me, that as a vampire I might one day be compelled to suck on another man's neck. Even in game, this is a bit too far for me. God love those guys who like to lick other guy's necks, but I am not one of them. Instead of conveying the sense of dread they were supposed to convey, all I get instead is some homosexual overtones. Too highbrow for teenagers, too girly for me in old age.
In 2008, our gaming group took up pen and paper role playing regularly again. When the other Gamemaster type in the group is given his choice of game, what game should he pick but World of Darkness. Oh, no...not this again.
This wouldn't be the new game, however, but the old one from the 90's with all the "dirty" books. Since then we have played in a few games run by two different GM's. Montreal 2008/2009, a short Vampire campaign set in the titular city, run by a close friend, and Space Marine 2009, a Dark Heresy based game with the players running Adeptus Astartes as characters ran by myself. After wrapping that up, we have started another World of Darkness game that is a continuation of the earlier Montreal campaign that I am calling Magick in Montreal, simply because that amuses me.
The short and small of the game thus far is this: Dave Bone (myself, natch) and his colleagues have achieved dominion over the city of Montreal, and have established a strong base of power there by uniting the various supernaturals of the domain to fight against the effects of entropy. Once a clanless vampire and the rabble of the vampiric underworld, under Bone's leadership the newly formed E-Branch is endorsed by the Canadian government, and given authority and support to act in various ways to protect the Canadian populace from supernatural threats.
Interested yet? Our game is sort of a strange mix of Forever Knight and Angel. Like all World of Darkness games I have played, it's more kin to Benny Hill with superpowers, to put it in the words of another net-goer.
Now, I should tell you why I'm posting. I need help. We have a strong team of supernaturals and a growing network of influence, but something strange has happened. Dave Bone managed to put his shattered avatar back together after journeying in the spirit world to Horizon, and overcame God's curse. He became mortal again, and in doing so awakened his Avatar. And he possessed at least one dot in each sphere. Over the last few weeks, E-Branch's true agenda has been revealed to most involved with it, including the Canadian government.
In the World of Darkness, at least the old one, the world is coming to an end. My buddy the GM has elected to run the final days campaign and even bought like every single book in the line. We have crossed Vampire, Werewolf, Mage and Wraith (it has been ruled Changeling is a little too fey for our group to be comfortable with). The various supernaturals call this force of destruction different things, but the Red Star is in the sky. Gehenna is upon us. The wyrm is risen. Oblivion ...yadda yadda yadda. It's all a result of entropic elements in the tapestry, or in layman's terms, destructive forces throughout static reality.
E-Branch must avert the cataclysm. The world must not end, for if it does, all these books are just collector's items. No, seriously. I don't want to play new World of Darkness when it's my buddy's turn again to run the game.
So the idea, so far is this: the awakened paradigm must be changed. The public view of the world must change to accept the fact that there are forces they do not and cannot understand, or for lack of a better phrase, normal folk must believe in Magick. For Dave Bone, this means Ascension.
Already the government is in on gently changing the populace's perceptions. Viral videos and other propaganda campaigns are destabilizing the paradigm with bumper stickers that say small, innocuous appearing phrases such as Vampires are real or Have you seen a ghost? Call 1-800-Ebranch. Mystic sigils designed to bring a sleeper to a closer state of awakening are beginning to trickle into media everywhere, and the Technocracy remains generally ignorant of this, as does the Camarilla. Which brings me to the problem I need help with.
Last game, we recorded E-Branch's third recorded kill of a confirmed Antediluvian. Lasombra, Gangrel and now, Tzimizce. We weren't the only ones, however...the Tzimizce Antediluvian died howling, amidst vulgar magick and laser toting werewolves, right in the middle of Times Square in New York city (E-Branch is working with multiple governments). It was recorded by hundreds of camcorders and camera phones, in its entirety.
Dave Bone and his companions cannot allow the Camarilla to cover this up - it's crucial that this information be protected with Magick, which has already been done to prevent the Delerium in all those present and also to safeguard the memories. It's had a traumatic effect on people, and Bone might be responsible for a few spontaneous awakenings in the last few days.
Now, E-Branch's enemies will make a play. Specificially, I need to know how to deal with the Camarilla.
Bone is no longer a vampire, but Montreal is his city. He was the prince before he was mortal. In any case, he is ready to announce the secession of Montreal, and perhaps Canada from the Camarilla. How will they take this?
Bone is only mortal now, but his personal bodyguard consist of some very powerful werewolves and supremely powerful vampires who share Bone's vision of paradigm shift and continued existence (basically, the player character group). The Archon of the Camarilla and the Warlord are in Montreal right now, and as we return from New York, Bone needs to be prepared to deal with a vampire onslaught attempting to stop him from doing away with the Masquerade forever.
Now the game is more like True Blood but with some Dresden Files and Red Dwarf thrown in. Hell, Bone is ready to get a True Blood like series going on HBO to help soften the paradigm. Think about it. If the government told you vampires were real and they were gonna regulate that shit, would you believe them? In the World of Darkness, the softening of the paradigm might allow those with the will and the ability to use some serious Magick to eliminate the entropic elements and restore balance to the tapestry. In game terms, I think this means eliminating a sizable portion of the vampire population, malignant were creatures and dark spirits.
How does Bone convince more and more people that this supernatural phenomena is real? How do we defeat or alternately cow/amalgamate the Camarilla? We have scattered the Sabbat to the winds. The whole reason for the existence of said organization is to protect the Masquerade. Which to all intents and purposes, is null and void. If the paradigm is not changed, the Masquerade will not matter. The vampires cannot save themselves from the Antediluvians.
However, E-Branch can.
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