Chicago Masque of the Damned: The Immortal Underground DEFINED
As of January 1, 2002
Disclaimer 1: The CMotD organization is a dictatorship, run by the ST (StoryTeller) crew, not a democracy. This document is provided to clarify the organization’s structure. The ST crew is not bound by this document. This is a player aid, not a constitution.
Disclaimer 2: CMotD has no affiliation with White Wolf, Inc., or Mind’s Eye Theatre, the creators/publishers of the system we use. Neither White Wolf nor Mind’s Eye Theatre are in any way responsible for events occurring at CMotD meetings or games.
This document briefly defines the goals, rules, people, and duties by office of CMotD, with a list of acronyms at the end. It does not explain the reasons for same. Send questions or feedback to contactiu@aol.com.
Goals of CMOTD:
The primary goal of CMotD (Chicago Masque of the Damned) is to have fun playing live-action Vampire: The Masquerade, a live-action roleplaying game (LARP).
A secondary goal is to create an environment that is:
Open to all regardless of race, nationality, religion, gender, disability or sexual preference
Free of drugs, alcohol, and violence
Engineered to maximize the quality of play
Friendly to newcomers, inexperienced gamers, and old friends alike
Tertiary goals include the constant improvement of the quality of game, the minimization of costs to players and sufficient recruitment of players to keep the game growing.
Rules of CMotD:
All at game must play. This is not a spectator event. Persons not playing the game or temporarily OOC (Out Of Character) should be in the OOC area.
Persons in need of a temporary, pre-generated, new, or NPC (Non-Player
Character) character to play should see an ST.
Do not bring personal issues into game to be used as leverage in scenes or to obtain items. OOC lives do not pertain to IC lives.
Maintain separation of out-of-game issues from in-game issues. OOC conflicts, acrimony, relationships, and events should be dealt with away from the venue.
No touching. Ask permission from people at game before engaging in physical contact with them.
No running, jumping, violence, or stunts. Louis Drabek, and the members and associates of CMOTD are not responsible for injuries sustained at CMotD events.
Persons under 18 years of age need written permission from a parent or legal guardian, including a telephone number by which the parent/guardian can be reached, to attend CMotD events.
Parents/guardians will be called by the ST crew for confirmation of permission and discussion of CMotD events. The ST crew will occasionally ask for ID from all players.
Be mindful of others. Do not yell or scream. Do not endanger our continued use of the venue. Do not attempt to speak to persons not involved in the game on behalf of CMotD.
No weapons. Plastic toys that are obviously fake are sometimes permitted with ST approval. Do not load squirtguns or suction-cup dartguns. No real or real-looking weapons are ever permitted, including stakes and tied-down blades.
No drugs or alcohol. People under 21 attend CMotD events. Persons bringing drugs or alcohol to CMotD events will be permanently banned.
No arguing with the ST crew. Minimize rules questions, and ask only those questions that are absolutely necessary, preferably not during game. No ST ruling will be reversed by another ST. Persons who repeatedly argue with STs will be suspended or banned from the game.
It’s only a game. Limit CMotD gameplay to the six hours, once every other week the organization meets. Do not bring IC (In-Character) matters outside the game environment. Do not take IC matters personally. Do not bring OOC matters into game.
Experience. Every player who remains strictly IC and uses accents, mannerisms, props, business, costumes, and every available technique to play his or her character as created will receive one XP (eXperience Point) per game attended. Players who wear costumes which promote the suspension of disbelief will be rewarded with a second XP per game. Exceptional costumes will result in an occasional third XP, dispensed more rarely. Players will occasionally be asked to nominate other players for an extra XP for exceptional performance.
Turn in characters. The ST crew keeps a database of PCs (Player Character) with current XP, XP expenditures, etc. Turn in your character sheet after every game session with any corrections or questions written on it. PCs who benefit from cheating players will suffer IC. A maximum of 10 XP can be banked for expenditure on current or future PCs.
There is no OOC. Information received OOC can be used IC at the discretion of the player(s) receiving said information. To avoid releasing secret IC information, do not discuss it OOC, at or away from the venue. Players who release IC information to the detriment of the plot will be docked XP.
Die quietly. Players who have characters die should not discuss whether the PC died, how the death occurred, or who else was involved. Violators will be docked XP on their next PC.
Inigo Montoya rule. Players should take pains to avoid plot that their former PCs were involved in. To this end, a player’s PC should be of a different sect from his or her last PC. PCs that benefit from former PCs will suffer IC.
Character creation, in extreme brief: STs randomly determine PC generation. Vampires only. The ST must sign new PC sheets before play. No Luck. Just because WW published it doesn’t mean we use it. We are allowing Camarilla right now, if you have an idea for something other than Camarilla email us with the details of your idea and we will let you know.
House rules are contained in a separate document. In extreme brief: Any retest cancels any retest.
No weapons of mass destruction will be used by PCs without prior consultation with (and unanimous approval from) the ST crew.
Mass combat sucks. Any ST can invoke the CMotD mass combat rules if adjudicating a large conflict interferes with gameplay. PCs continuing involvement in the combat will continue to take aggravated damage at random until fighting ceases.
Gametime. CMotD games are held exclusively at the venue in Chicago, on Every other Saturday from 7pm-2am. Arrive early for character creation or questions about your Character. At the end of the night, we ask that you do not hang around and talk with people, by this time staff is rather tired and really would like to get some sleep.
People of CMOTD:
The ST crew of CMOTD includes one ST – Louis Drabek being the Head StoryTeller. Louis is ultimately responsible for the game, and is the top decision-maker for CMotD.
Narrators, Vampire 101 Instructors, and NPC (Non-Player Character) Players. These are volunteers handpicked by the ST crew, responsible for narrowly defined duties (q.v.), and
can play PCs in addition to these duties.
Narrators:
These are on call as needed.
Players can play PCs, and are the lucky people who get to do so without additional responsibilities.
Duties by CMOTD Office:
The ST crew, its volunteers, and the players are responsible for various
specific duties, and have spheres of control. These duties change periodically:
Any member of the ST crew can take responsibility for the following, as needed:
Introduce and redirect major plot elements, approve player-designed plots
Adjudicate PC conflicts and challenges.
Enforce the CMotD, house and MET (Mind’s Eye Theatre) rules fairly and evenly
Play NPCs as the plot requires.
The ST crew meets regularly between games to discuss and determine the following:
OOC problems and solutions for same; players identified as weak or strong, by area
Progression of IC plot at last game, ideas for progressing plot at next game
NPC ideas to futher IC and OOC agendas, casting of NPCs
Adjustments to the existing ruleset and IC framework to improve play
Because of the constantly evolving nature of LARP, and the fact that unforeseen
issues will arise, the duties assigned to each ST and Volunteer will change and evolve.
Roughly, ST duties break down as follows:
Louis Drabek (HST): Determines overall game plot direction, refines relationship between
CMotD’s IC plotline and WOD (World of Darkness) myth, rules revisions, character approval,
vetos questionable game elements, assembles plot needs into NPCs, identifies game weaknesses,
promotes tangling of interesting, PC-driven or PC-invented plotlines.
Create plot lines for possible use, refines relationship between
CMOTD’s IC plotline and WOD (World of Darkness) myth, rules revisions, character approval,
vetos questionable game elements, assembles plot needs into NPCs, identifies game weaknesses,
promotes tangling of interesting, PC-driven or PC-invented plotlines.
Narrators:
Narrators adjudicate PC conflicts in which their own PC has no involvement. Players who disagree with a Narrator’s rules call can appeal to a ST. Narrators are chosen for their level-headed, non-confrontational OOC performance at game, combined with a basic understanding of the MET and house rules. The only reward for Narrating is the prestige of being unanimously selected as exceptional by the ST crew.
NPC Players, confusingly enough, play non-player characters, those created by the ST crew to further plot. NPC agendas are set by the ST crew, and players of NPCs are subject to severe limitations. NPCs do not receive experience, but the players do, to be applied to future PCs, with a maximum bank of 10 XP.
The CMotD Webmaster is responsible for the upkeep and development of the CMotD website, an OOC instrument for recruiting players, listing email contacts, and other historical elements. Rewards are minimal. Send pictures and input to contactiu@aol.com
Acronyms commonly used in LARPing:
CMOTD – Chicago Masque of the Damned, Vampire LARP in Chicago, IL
HST – Head StoryTeller
IC – In Character, elements that are part of the fiction
LARP – Live-Action Roleplaying, not seated roleplaying
LOTN – Laws of the Night, the MET rulebook for V:TM
MET- Mind’s Eye Threatre, LARP rules publisher
NPC – Non-Player Character, played within limits set by STs
OOC – Out Of Character, elements not in the fiction
PC – Player Character, created and played by a player
ST – StoryTeller, the White Wolf term for GameMaster,
V:TM – Vampire: The Masquerade, White Wolf’s system
WOD – World of Darkness, the universe setting for V:TM
XP – Experience Points, growth and increase in a character
Yes, I understand, take me home please.