Susquehanna By Night is a Vampire: the Masquerade LARP, played by the rules of Mind's Eye Theatre. Each player takes on the role of a Kindred or kine, creates their personality and place within the University and the surronding town. Each game session is-- as it were-- a night in the life; a neverending quest for vitae, power, knowledge and continued existence. What does that all mean? A lexicon for those of you unfamilar with White Wolf's World of Darkness:
- Vampire: the Masquerade: V:tM is a Gothic-Punk role-playing game made by White Wolf Publishing. It is a world where vampires roam the night. This is not our world, but a reflection of its darker, macabre side. Originally developed for table-top gaming, it is one of the most popular RPGs out in the world.
- LARP: Live-Action Role Play. Basically, instead of sitting behind a table and speaking only as your character, LARPing involves getting out of your chair and befit the character through acting. You move like him/her, speak like him/her, dress like him/her. It is an involved system, demanding a higher caliber of players; I personally find it more rewarding at the end of the night.
- Mind's Eye Theatre: MET is the system White Wolf has designed to play V:tM in a LARP context. Instead of dice challenges, you use trait bidding and the ever popular "rock-paper-sissors" mode of determining outcome. Fundamentally the same as the dice version of V:tM, LARP is easy for dice players to learn and easy for newbies to pick up.
- Kindred: Vampires, licks or Cainites. Vampire has too many connotations which the Kindred find annoying (Count Dracula and Lestat spring to mind) while Lick is simply vulgar. The Brujah and Nosferatu may be able to get away with it, but any Ventrue worth his salt would never say it aloud. Lick comes from the ability most Kindred have to lick a wound on a human and heal it. Cainites is a reference to Cain, the first Kindred. Cast out by God for the murder of Abel, Cain begat every Kindred, developed every Discipline, and will judge his childer when Ghenna dawns.
- Kine: Humans, or the Children of Seth. Where Kindred are the Children (or childer) of Cain, humans are the Children of Seth. This connotation is found in the fabled Book of Nod and is largely archaic.
- Vit�: Latin for life, it is blood, upon which Kindred Surive.
Now the true questions, at least for those attending the Univeristy. When do we meet and how do I get in on all this? The former question will be answered shortly. The game, just like this site, is in its planning stages, with the characters and clans being organised at Susquehanna. Already, the Ventrue have the strongest showing of all. Currently, there are no Toreador, Tremere or Gangrel in play, and I would like to see that remedied. If you are interested in joining this chronicle, please email me, and I'll give you more information. Before you do, please have an idea for a character in mind and be ready for some stipulations. Don't worry, everyone's survived them... so far.
~Rocky Horror Picture Show
The clans, V:tM, the World of Darkness, Mind's Eye Theatre, et al...all belong to White Wolf Publishing, Inc, and how we love them for making them.
(Not that we indulge in such shameless flattery, mind you...not around here, no sir...)