FAQs: Wave 1

Welcome to our first FAQ post. As you may notice, we haven't included all of the questions here! These are the queries that we feel are most relevant at this stage, before the first concept discussion session.

Thank you for all your questions, and please keep them coming - especially if any of the below answers throw up any more for you.

A note about bloodlines:

We’ve had a lot of questions about bloodlines and while we will cover them in more detail in our second post, we wanted to say the following: we don't want to rule out the option of PCs starting as members of a bloodline, but we generally feel that the process of joining a bloodline would be best done in play. It's also worth coming up with ideas sans bloodlines, and then talking to us about the possibility of adding a bloodline.


Character Creation

Can I start with Allies 5?
No PC will be able to start with any trait at 5.  We want people to have something to develop in play!  It's also worth noting that NPCs will have sway in given areas, so you may not be alone or uncontested in your influence.

Can I play a ghoul? What about a mortal?
We fully expect to see ghoul PCs, and would ideally encourage them to have PC Regnants.  Mortal PCs would represent a fundamental breach of the Masquerade, so will not be allowed.

Can I be a childe of a named NPC?
Absolutely, although some NPCs will not be suitable sires - you're unlikely to be able to play the childe of the Prince, for example. This will require investing some XP into a suitable Merit if you want to have a positive relationship with your sire, and with any connection to a Kindred NPC, the higher ranking they are, the more costly and time-consuming they will be to keep happy.

Can I start with no covenant or opt to ignore/not disclose clan?
Yes, although it will make things substantially more difficult for your PC and you will be cutting yourself off from a large part of the game.

We expect nearly every Unaligned PC to have the character goal "join a covenant". Generally, we feel players will get significantly more out of the game if they are able to engage with the opportunities for roleplay that a covenant represents.

As the clans each hold significant sway in the city in their own way, keeping your clan secret will present a major obstacle to advancing in your covenant or the city, as other Kindred will distrust anyone who's keeping something as fundamental as their clan under wraps.

We'd want a strong reason for your PC to be keeping their clan secret, and as with any secret in Dark Metropolis, a plan and an expectation for it to be revealed at a suitably dramatic moment!

What kind of size can a group concept be?
Between 2 and 4-5. We’d generally discourage larger group concepts, as otherwise they may represent a significant proportion of our players, make unwieldy power blocks and dilute the group concept! We actively encourage also having ties to PCs outside of your immediate concept/coterie.

Can I be from out of town or do I have to have been Embraced in norwich?
We would strongly prefer that PCs have been Embraced in Norwich.  However, if you have a specific concept that you believe is enhanced by being from outside of Norwich, please get in touch with the ST team.

Can I be an old vampire who has just come out of torpor?
No. We want all PCs to be neonates who have been Embraced for a decade or less.

How much Status of various flavours will we be able to obtain?
At startup, a PC can choose to buy up to 2 dots of Clan, Covenant or City Status. During play, PCs will be able to buy up to 3 dots in Clan, Covenant or City Status.  Achieving more than that will move you firmly into NPC territory and character retirement.

NB: While Status, and Merits of any kind, can be lost over the course of play, the XP used to buy it will be retained. Essentially, a player cannot “lose” XP if they drop in Merit dots.

Will there be the possibility of being in multiple covenants, something which Blood and Smoke seems to encourage?

Having Status in multiple Covenants is possible, although there may be a level of distrust if you’re not a “full” member of the covenant.  We are looking at how the mechanical aspects and covenant resources such as buildings and information would work across multiple covenants, and keeping an eye of the Merits being developed for Secrets of the Covenants.

Can I be in the holy engineers/brides of dracula/tier 3 covenants?
No. We’re focusing on the covenants in Blood and Smoke and exploring the possibilities within them!


During the Chronicle

What length of game session are you looking at?
We’ll usually be looking at sessions on Saturday evenings, to fit with the UEA GamesSoc live games schedule. Sessions will be booked from 6pm for sign in, player queries and any issues that need resolving, with time-in aimed for 7pm. Sessions usually last until 10.30pm, with tidying up and vacating premises done by 11pm.

How much of an uptime and downtime split are you expecting? Will anything happen in downtime periods that is not in a downtime? Are you expecting people to talk to each other in downtime?
We plan on the main emphasis of the game being in uptime. Downtime is a good point to pursue personal plots that cannot be pursued in uptime, to research into uptime plots to help further them next session, paying rent and maintaining territory, and to develop your character both in terms of mechanics and story.

People are welcome to roleplay with each other during downtime, but we do not wish to make it a required part of the game.  Where possible, we'd like to keep as much roleplaying in uptime as possible, to maximise the number of players that can be potentially involved.

It’s worth noting that we expect all players to be able to attend games and submit downtimes on a regular basis. If a player does not attend a game three times in a row, then we will get in touch to see how we can support them in engaging more closely with the game.

What court positions can I get without being NPC'd? Or Which court positions are held by NPC and which can player characters work towards?
Becoming Clan Priscus is a way to sidle into influence and power, though some clans might find it more of a challenge than others. We're currently working on the basis that players can become Harpies and Hounds as mid-term goals for their characters.  Once you move to the High Court, you become an NPC, so becoming the Sheriff, Herald, Seneschal, or any other High Court role would be firmly in NPC territory.  That said, we fully expect PCs to work as assistants to some of these positions.

As far as territory is concerned, becoming Regent of one of the seven Regencies would result in a character becoming an NPC, but being Baron of a District, its landlord, reporting directly to a Regent, is something that both better-respected Low Court and High Court Kindred can achieve.

Will going High Court always be a player choice?
As Dark Metropolis is a collaborative story game, succeeding in becoming High Court will always be something that is achieved through Player and Storytellers working together. We’ll flag up character goals that will end up in the High Court so there are no surprises. We don’t want players to stop playing characters they’re enjoying, and if someone decides that they definitely don’t want to join the High Court then we will work with them to explore stories that alter the character’s path in a fun and interesting way.

Remember, it takes a concerted effort over a period of time to join the High Court, so it won’t be accidental or unexpected!

How important will clan/covenant be relative to each other?
Fundamentally, both are factions within the city. Being an Daeva Ordo Dracul is different from being a Gangrel Ordo Dracul, but you’re still an Ordo Dracul (and a Daeva or a Gangrel). You’re also a Vampire and a business person and the favourite of an Elder and the Regnant to a ghoul and a member of your coterie, so you will be having to juggle all of your obligations and responsibilities, to Clan, Covenant and City.

Can I visit London? Can I visit Kings Lynn/other outside locations?
We're planning on Dark Metropolis being focused on one city: the inter-Fief politics and exploration of the rest of the UK from Shades of Norwich are not stories we want to focus on in this game. Travelling is a risky enterprise for Kindred at the best of times, and being in someone else's territory puts you at their mercy. This isn't to say it can't be done, but you will be putting your PC’s life at risk if you travel outside of the city - not least because vampires are extremely territorial, but there are other things out there...

I'm a Gangrel, can I go live in the woods?
All PCs will live in Norwich, although the area of the city will have very sizably increased! Living in the outskirts is doable, but is dangerous. The Gangrel of Dark Metropolis are urban predators rather than backwoods survivalists, so would generally prefer to be close to the heart of the domain and look down on those who eschew city living.

How counter-Invictus/Prince can you get before your game becomes all dodging assassination?
The Carthian Movement are pretty counter-Invictus, and we'd recommend that PCs who want to go in that direction strongly consider the Carthian Movement for their covenant, or explore having ties or alliances with them. Prince Lockwood doesn't believe in killing Kindred in general, preferring social maneuvering and political pressure to keep her enemies at bay.  That said, direct violent towards the Prince or her allies may well be met with a forceful response!

The more friends, allies, status and standing you have, the harder it is for you to disappear with no questions asked.  A lone unaligned neonate is at much more risk than a Kindred who is a recognised member of a clan and covenant, but it’s not so much to do with personal risk to life, but more to do with finding it difficult to get allies and status in the city. If you are too outspoken, even those who might otherwise approve can risk losing status by being your ally, so you may find yourself without feeding grounds or anywhere to live.

Can we have human ghouls/animal ghouls/humans who are clued in to the masquerade?
We actively encourage PC ghouls, and NPC ghouls or other mortal assistants and friends can be represented via the Retainer and Touchstone merits.  That said, humans who aren't ghouled are an inherent risk to the Masquerade, and the Kindred character would be in trouble if found out...

Can I own mundane business(es) and/or properties?
Absolutely!  We fully anticipate that PCs will have a wide range of business interests, and homes to call their own haven. As with Feeding and Havens, for Kine-related activity we will work with you to help you work out which District you call your home and how that may influence your character’s efforts (see Territories in the Setting questions below).

How much effect will characters be able to have on the city at large?
Shades of Norwich: Dark Metropolis is going to be a player-responsive game; PCs can have a substantial impact on the city, including manipulating Kine affairs, making inhospitable areas suitable for Kindred, or running areas of the city into the ground.  Of course, the larger your plans, the more likely you are to catch the attention of the High Court, for good or ill.

Setting

How much interaction between High Court and Low Court is there going to be? Are they mythical beings or do we see them everyday like our neighbours?
The Low Court are very aware of the reality of the High Court, as they are their landlords, Regents, Prisci and the face of the Prince's authority.  Various officers of the Court may attend Low Court gatherings to do business, investigate problems, or look for gossip.

It's much harder going in the other direction.  For a member of the Low Court to attend a High Court gathering requires an invitation and sponsorship from a High Courtier in good standing, and they will be under the closest scrutiny.  However, if you can impress, it can do wonders for your career.

The Prince is like the Mayor in the real world - you probably only see her at ceremonial occasions, you might have met her once if you've got a particularly enthusiastic and well-connected mentor, and you certainly wouldn't expect to see her at the Low Court meetings.

Below that, the Primogen and the Seneschal are unlikely to be in your neighbourhood often, or ever, but they're slightly more accessible than the Prince. The Sheriff is someone you don't want to see, because it means you're in a world of trouble. The Herald is slightly more accessible because they make announcements, but they mostly interact with the Low Court through their assistants. The lower-level Harpies and Hounds are the roles where you're most likely to be able to put faces to names. While they also have assistants, they generally try to attend Lower Court events and get to know all the Kindred of the city.

We’ll go into this in more detail in the future. It'll be safe to say, though, that you at least know who your clan Priscus is and have contact with them. Not necessarily true with the head of your covenant (which, it should be noted, does not necessarily coincide with a city role).

Are the Clans and Covenants getting special places for themselves?
There are going to be locations specific to clans and covenants.  The Nosferatu blog post touches on the Necropolis, the Daeva have claimed the city's storm tunnels as their own, and other locations will be revealed as we uncover more about the city in the blog.

In-character, such locations are likely to only be accessible to those with status in the faction or those who are invited and accompanied by another well-thought-of member of that faction.

Can I know about mages/werewolves/changelings/geists/mummys/the god machine? What do I know about the brood/VII?
PCs with suitable Occult scores or specialisations will be aware of the other supernatural residents of the World of Darkness.  Even without any dots in Occult, you will have heard rumours of there being other supernatural creatures, although you may be a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation.

Most Kindred will have heard stories about the Brood and VII, although they'll be rumours or "I heard from a friend of a friend" type of thing.  More detailed information about antagonist groups can be researched during play, although needless to say that may come with its own risks…

Will players be custom making their territories or should we give an outline of the sort of turf we want and you slot it in somewhere appropriate?
We will be detailing the city in terms of 25-30 districts based in 7 different Regencies. Our expectation will be that all PC owned territories will be based in one of these districts, leased from an NPC landlord, or Baron. However, we're happy to collaborate with our players to work out the details of their turf of one or two blocks of the city, especially what their feeding grounds, Havens and Herds look like in the game.

There will also be opportunities to try to reclaim some areas of the city that not even the Hounds have tried to clean up...

How many vampires, give or take, are there in the city?
Approximately 100, although that number is subject to change according to the needs of the game.

What's the state of the countryside? Is it still farming fields and forest, or is it more scrubland made unsuitable for farming by the adjacent metropolis?
Norfolk still has a heavy focus on agriculture and commercial forestry.  That said, the area in the immediate surrounds of the more industrial areas of Norwich are likely to be polluted and unsuitable for farming. The Broads are substantially changed, with some of it overtaken by the city itself, with a large number of industrial facilities for the extraction of natural gas and oil replacing the current landscape and small, poverty-stricken mining towns slowly emptying of people as gas mining becomes less profitable.

Kindred generally avoid the countryside at all costs.  There’s no good territory or feeding grounds out there, and there are things in the darkness of the night that scare even vampires.

How multicultural is the city? Are there different area where different cultures live? What about faiths?
The city will be culturally and ethnically diverse, similar to London. As in real life Norwich, it is a centre for immigrant and asylum seeker settlement for the UK. We foresee a combination of a ‘melting pot’ in some areas, with others more characterisable by a particular faith, ethnic or cultural background.