This week I've started planning a new monthly game that will run when "Delta Green" ends, probably in July or August this year. I've toyed with a few ideas and asked around to see levels of interest. "Unknown Armies" definitely has a high level of interest and it's something I really want to do, though I may do so at a later date or on a different day. "Changeling:The Lost" is also something I plan to offer, but I want to have more familiarity with the setting first. I've chosen a game and will see how it goes. If it doesn't work out, then I'll switch to "Unknown Armies".
I've settled on "Vampire:The Masquerade". Why?Several reasons. It's a true role-playing classic, yet I have never played it or run it.Despite the immense popularity of the game,I rarely see it being offered as a game (the live-action version is much higher profile).It tickles the nostalgic side of me that still loves the 90's.The game was played to death in the 90's so a lot of gamers are jaded by it, but no-one seems to offer it to people who never had the chance to play it. I can see my regular group of players loving it, as the "pretension factor" will be absent in my version.Most of all though, I already have a solid storyline in mind for a six-month run, and the rules are really straightforward.
The version I will run is the 20th Anniversary edition of the game. This is a game that has a huge and well established metaplot.Most people coming to the game would already have an understanding of the various clans and sects in the game, along with the overall theme.It's very easy for players to get conceptually, even more so these days with shows like "True Blood" on TV. I did give serious consideration to the new World of Darkness version, "Vampire:The Requiem". It has a lot going for it and some great ideas...it has less metaplot and more of a toolkit approach. The GM can do a lot more tweaking and the politics aren't so carved in stone.
I want this to be a big splash for a small game though.The storyline I have will introduce certain events over the six sessions..there will be mysteries to solve, larger than life villains, lots of twists and manipulation. I know who the main NPCs are, but this will be the backdrop to the stories of the players themselves. There will be an initial session just about them...how they became vampires, who they used to be, what their stories are.Each game session will be played as a chapter in a story, and the story will have a definite end.
The main consideration I have is how to get players.I will be using my established timeslot with "Meetup.com" and would prefer to draw my usual players. If I open it up broadly, it would be great to bring in someone who has always wanted to play it but never had the chance, though there's also the risk of a big turnout. Also, this game comes with a lot of preconceptions and can easily be very different to what players were expecting...especially ones who have played it before.
There won't anything against the established canon or too unexpected in this, it'll be straightforward "Masquerade" and I'm looking forward to it.Whether I stick with it or switch to "Unknown Armies", next year will see a return to "Call of Cthulhu" in the 1920's..possibly with a new system
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