Where Darkness Reigns

General Considerations

  • Each player may have two characters
  • All characters must be 18 or older.
  • No characters may be engaged in incest or pedophilia.
  • Make sure to check out the Players Code of Conduct and General Etiquette appropriate for your gameline.

Character Creation

Get inside your character's head. Figure out what he's all about. What does he believe in? What does he want? What does he hate? How does he see the world? What does he love? Think about him. These are all important aspects for a character's Beliefs. In order to get perspective look at the concept and choices you've made for the character, reflect on how those would affect him and make some notes.

Character Backgrounds - History

 

Backgrounds are mandatory. They do not have to be long. They are not your personal creative writing exercise. Just the facts. Your background must clearly answer the four questions below or it will be refused.

Also, please understand that Backgrounds are OOC. They are for the ST's use. Do not skip questions because your character does not IC know or remember some facts. Whether or not they remember the facts IC, we need to know and approve of what the facts are from an ST perspective.

  

[1] BEGINNINGS (HOW DID YOU BECOME WHAT YOU ARE?):


Brief synopsis of how your character came to be what they are, from Childhood to now.
(e.g.: A Vampire's Embrace, a Werewolf's first change, a Mage's Awakening, or simply how a mortal was raised and why.)

EXAMPLES:

  • Where did you grow up? With who? Are you still in touch?

  • How did this influence your character? Why are you not there now?

  • Who were your friends, family, mentors?

  • How were you educated? What was school like, if your PC attended? If they didn't, why not?

  • How were you Embraced (Kindred), Awakened (Mage), what was your First Shift like (Uratha), etc.?

  • If you're a mortal, how did you end up wherever you are now?

     

 

[2] LEARNING (HOW DID YOU LEARN WHAT YOU KNOW?):


Brief explanation of any skills that would obviously have been taught, learned or earned. Also, provide explanation of SKILLS.

EXAMPLES:

  • Where'd you get streetwise from? Were you a runaway? A Thief?

  • What exact languages do you speak? If you know more than 2, how'd you pick up so many?  

  • Who exactly are your Allies/Contacts and what do they do for you?

  • How did you learn to use weapons, and what kinds?

  • What monetary source are your Resources from? What do you do to protect and grow that income?

  • If you have a fake ID or fake Mortal Identity, what criminal do you know that got it for you, or what Gov't lackey do you control who edited your paperwork, Etc.)

     

[3] PURPOSE/AGENDA (WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE DOING IN NEW ORLEANS?):


Why are you coming to New Orleans?
Out of anywhere in the world that you could be going, why here in specific?
What draws you here? And what's going to hold you here?

Mandatory Question: What is one short term (immediate) and one long term goal your character wishes to accomplish? (And steps to do so, if you think you already know them)

This question will set up the agenda your character should be up to at all times. The purpose of this question is to make sure you aren't in a place where you have nothing to do.

There will rarely if ever be a time you will have absolutely nothing to do, if you go by the answer to this question. You should have a goal in mind at all times, even if you don't pursue it every day IC.

 

[4] USEFULNESS/SIGNIFICANCE (WHY SHOULD OTHER PCs CARE?):


What does your character do that other PCs will care about?
Does he know someone here? Work somewhere local? Have a skill to barter with?
What makes your PC care to talk to other PCs?
Where will you be hanging out, that other PCs might to run into you or seek you out? (An ST can help you with specifics, if you aren't sure what to say but can name the type of place)

 

Your Background and How It Helps You Enter the Story:


Some PCs, by virtue of their design, can't begin play as already being residents of New Orleans. So they must "arrive."

Not all characters will newly arrive in New Orleans being "in the know" where certain important IC locations are. This especially applies to, for example, knowing where Elysium is, what territories belong to what supernatural group IC so you don't accidentally go where you will be attacked, what clubs are "supernatural-friendly", etc. This knowledge is bought on your sheet, explained in your background, or earned via RP, or you don't have it.

What you should know is expected to be addressed either in your PC’s Background (#4: why you came to NO & who you will hang out with), or through finding out IC from other PCs or your Allies & Contacts. If you do not indicate how you should know places or people in advance and have it approved in your background, you will be thrown into play blind and have to RP out combing the city IC to find a PC of relevance to yours.

 

Goals and Beliefs

Goals and Beliefs are an integral component to characters. They provide an easy reference for the STs for what is driving the character and where they are going to go. Goals and Beliefs are defined during Character Creation, but they are expected to evolve through out the character's story.

 

Goals

are what the character is working towards in specific. They can be either short term or long term, but they are a direction for the PC to work towards. PCs should always have goals. If a PC has no goals that they are working towards, then that means that they are doing nothing of note to advance any storylines and will be removed. Games exist to tell stories. Sometimes in a game a character will get to a point where there is nothing further for them to really work towards. Take that as a hint that it is time to retire that character and find something new to play.

Sample goals:
          o Finish College
          o Discovered where my uncle disappeared to three months ago
          o Create and run my own business
          o Get rid of the corrupt Lieutenant on the police force

 

Beliefs

are what drive your character. What more, they are also something completely player driven. When you make a belief for your character you are stating that you want to see something related to that belief come up in the game, probably to complicate a character's life. Beliefs should NEVER be passive. A belief that says 'The world is going to end' is not a good belief. A belief that says 'The World is going to end, unless I do something about it' is a lot better because it is active. A belief like 'I will not follow the expectations of my family.' is begging for an ST to run a storyline where familial expectations for the character come into play.

  • First Belief should tie to a character's past. How have they reacted to changing to a supernatural? How have they reacted to their brush with the supernatural (if mortal)?
  • Second Belief links the character directly to the situation at hand. Why is he where he is? What does he currently have a stake in?
  • Third Belief should be used to create hints and intimations of the future of the character - a distant goal, a lost love, ideas, editcs, oaths, etc - stuff that's not immediately tied to the game at hand, but once this part of his life is over, will propel him forward to continue the story.

Sample Beliefs

  • I must never risk my loved ones
  • Magic is more important than anything else
  • Vampires are lords above the kine
  • Vampires are worse than humans
  • I must protect my territory at all costs
  • I must not let shame come to my family
  • The safety of my coterie/cabal/pack/friends before my own
  • Mystical knowledge is meant to be known

Note: Beliefs do not equal religious convictions.

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Character Names

  • Consider the setting. Our game is set in the modern-day United States, and characters should be named with that in mind. If you aren't familiar with modern U.S. names, please ask around, as many of our players and staff can gladly help you.
  • Err on the side of normalcy. Given the choice between an unusual name and a normal name, choose the normal one. We all want our characters to be special, but your name isn't what does that. If you have a memorable name, but a shaky concept, you're not going to improve the character with a wild name.
  • Avoid celebrities and historical figures, well known fictional characters, joke names and mythological figures. Very few in the English-speaking world are named after mythological figures like gods, monsters and heroes.

POSITIONS OF POWER OR TITLE:

Players are encouraged to RP out competing for any open slots (positions of power), as well as for any slots occupied by an NPC, *IF* your char feels they can best that NPC IC and earn it. Positions of Status for PC's will be awarded for worthy RP and OOC responsibility, not just given to the first player to ask. Please be realistic in your pursuits.

Players who wish to occupy titled positions such as the Prince's Council or any other Genre equivalent will need to be available to role-play at least a couple times a week, and/or answer emails normally within a 24 hour turnaround time. If you cannot keep this schedule, please do not apply for any positions of IC authority, as it delays other players waiting on your responses.