Big Apple Apocalypse

Looking for players for a CWN campaign tentatively titled “Chrome Fires Burning.” Voice is on Discord, VTT will probably be roll20. Everyone is welcome, the only rule is don’t be a dick. Games will be Sunday nights at 9PM CST Elevator pitch is as follows: The year is 2072. In 2025 the development of a new drug, ephemerol, lead to unbelievable advances in cybernetics and technological implantation. Able to bridge the gap between the nervous system and machine circuitry, ephemerol was hailed as a miracle drug, ushering in a new age of transhumanism However, before this new technological golden age could be upon us, it was smothered in the cradle by corporate greed. A jealousy guarded secret, the corporations who developed it held the formula for the miracle drug hostage, demanding corporate sovereignty in exchange for granting access to the masses. A combination of public promises, lobbyists, and paid politicians ensured this deal went through The gift became a double edged sword as the drug was distributed, only working with the cybernetics supplied by those corporations granted sovereignty, allowing them to gobble up more and more influence, to the point that entire cities have become little more than corporate towns, beholden to the companies that own them Within these sovereign territories, anything that threatens the bottom line is meet with brutal consequences. The workers who decided to rise up, to unionize, were branded criminals and domestic terrorists, locked away if not executed in a back alley Public utilities have been sold off little by little, leaving those who refuse the hand of the corporations with rapidly dwindling resources. The once mighty governments of the world now forced to bend the knee to the oligarchs Gangs run rampant, acting with impunity as long as their dues are paid, or left to their own devices due to lack of resources to stop them Despite this turmoil, there is new opportunity. Companies now fight a desperate war for market share, managers willing to pay to sabotage one another for the next promotion. Money talks, and right now, it’s screaming Chicago is one such battleground. Built into a shining edifice as the headquarters of several massive corporations, it now resembles a patchwork of countries, as each corporation claims sovereign territory within the blocks of city property it lays claim to. A hub of trade even in this time, boardroom battles spill out on to the streets, bullet and blade picking up where ink and negotiation fail

No politics of any kind: right, left, sexuality, real world religions, excessive feminism/whatever etc not allowed, if you have a need to make a fuss about that, you will be kicked out. It's perfectly fine to have those views, but don't bring them to the game (this is meant to be fun, social, intellectually challenging). If you have major psych problems that get in the way of simple social interaction (explosive outbursts etc) don't contact me. I do ask for telephone number just in case of you not showing up to game and you didn't tell me otherwise. Emergency stuff, like if you get sick or something. I do care about my players! 1 Give me warning 24 hours before the game if you are gonna cancel. I need the time to tell the others and cancel the game if I don't have enough people to play. This is non negotiable! 2 Play well with others. If you are too disruptive, I will boot you after several warnings. 3 Take a different role each new campaign. Try new things! 4 You have to show up to play 75% of the time. If you cancel too many times, there's no point to having you in the group. 5 Sometimes you will be required to take a role you don't really want because the rest of the group made their picks already, this is meant to help the group have versatility. If this happens, the next campaign I will make sure you get first pick as to your role/class. 6 If you have to make sacrifices for the group, like blowing feats on item crafting etc, I will try to send good things your way. Teamwork is important. I have been GMing since 1997 or so, cut my gaming teeth on AD&D first ed. I go above and beyond for my players. I am very adept at teaching, btw. This campaign is on Mondays at 6pm Central time Discord video chat, but we could change time/day if the other players are willing and able. Set in Chicago, I've added abilities to the NPCs to support their discipline powers, and set the whole timeline from Chicago 1 to 2 and beyond more gradually, changed who lives. Note that I have changed some of the clans a bit, like switched Gangrel(Sabbat) and City Gangrel (Camarilla), turned certain Brujah into True Brujah, a Ventrue into a Nosferatu, that sort of thing. Vampire has characters that are difficult to create without my assistance if you don't know how the numbers and discipline powers work (you distribute dots, there are no classes). However the game play dice mechanics/rules are easy as heck. The hard part is that it demands more forethought to play, because there's a lot of deceptive NPCs, including your own. It is oddly more ethical/moral than medieval fantasy games by far, even though you don't play a hero normally, and even though you're a vampire feeding on humans and aren't human yourself. It's darker I suppose, lots of intrigue and figuring out what is really going on. Kinda like watching Babylon 5 or Dune, you have to take notes to recall everything that could be vital later. A LOT less combat than medieval fantasy games! It's rare, but nasty when it does occur. Maturity is advised. Note that I broke my campaign down in a timeline, it can be altered by PC actions, even down to the year and month.  VERY DETAILED homebrew campaign that can be changed given PC choices. RIght now they are in late 1990 somewhere between Oct and December, you will get the PC's average xp to start with, along with a host of extra little benefits outside what the creation rules normally grant. You dictate the parameters, I figure out how to make the mechanics do what you want and tell you about potential problems, and I pick out flaws so as to give you your own story arc. Its also a great way to get rid of problem NPCs. The Dark Fate flaw is reserved for anyone meeting their end during Gehenna, the end of the world. See, the Antediluvians rise, and they are hungry for their clan members.... That doesn't mean you can't play, you can still run other characters even after your main one croaks. Official list of clans/bloodlines you can take in Chicago compatible with the group as it is: Nosferatu (must take Dark Fate flaw), Toreador, Ventrue, Brujah, Gangrel (Sabbat), Malkavian, City Gangrel (Camarilla), Tzimisce (must take the Dark Fate flaw), Gargoyle, Caitiff (Anarch typically), Assamite (Milwaukee Sabbat), True Brujah. Obscure list (you can take them if you want, but you won't have support from fellow clan members in Chicago): Daughter of Cacophony, Nagarajah, Salubri (Warrior and very Camarilla), Lamia.  Got a Cappadocian (a hospital morgue doctor and a necromancer), Salubri (one Healer(an FBI agent), one Watcher (a homicide Chicago police detective), and Lasombra (an amateur boxer and criminal lawyer, he wants to go Camarilla). We have a Tzimisce plastic surgeon and medieval weapon enthusiast who sometimes does stunt work for Hollywood, the player is starting Monday Aug 31st. I have set up each pc to have fast growth, to have really good rolls for their disciplines right away. The party could use a member that has Celerity (this requires high Wits) as clan, or possibly Temporis, Thaumaturgy. Luckily there's a 5 point merit that allows anyone to buy clan xp rates, hint hint. You gotta also pay for mentor ratings since you need a teacher to increase your disciplines outside of Celerity, Fortitude, Potence. BTW, I made these 3 powers much easier to use, and less vitae expensive. If you pick from the obscure list, you can BUY up to 7th generation, but you blow 6 background dots to pull it off.  Caitiff are interesting, I made them able to teach ANY discipline they learn; normally the 13 clans can only teach their clan disciplines. A Tremere is possible, but you'd need to be a diehard Anarch (meaning the local Tremere want your keister dead, although good news for you that the Chicago ones are less than competent). If you don't know the clans, I can give you information but you will need the V20 core rulebook (learning the setting and abilities but not the disciplines), the dark ages core rulebook (mostly just for the super powers/disciplines), tome of secrets (all forms of vampire magic, even Obtenebration), and Erciyes Fragments (this will feature heavily in the campaign, its the Vampire bible of sorts including prophecies) books. Also a total of 20 d10's, basically two matched sets of 10 d10's, but the 2 sets cannot match each other. Preferably translucent dice, not solid. Chuck out any that have bubbles inside. Game always starts at 6pm central Mondays. The Guide to the Camarilla from the Revised edition might be handy, but not strictly necessary. Prince's Primer is nice for understanding elder vampires' mindset. They are very manipulative, and deceptive. This is a copy of an update I gave to a player that missed a session: Both Michael Payne Toreador and Son of the Malkavians are dead, and Jay found another body in the basement, this time of a dead boy, a formerly months old vampire Caitiff. His name was Neon, and Damien of the Brujah (one of 2 anarch leaders was caring/teaching for Neon) Damien will have to be told. Neon was chained via manacles to the basement floor in Son's Skokie residence, his throat ripped out and his face gnawed upon. Evidence was found that Son was blackmailing Horatio Ballard into insane and demeaning acts. You could get a major boon from Ballard using this, or use it against him in other ways. (the players gave this information to the Nosferatu, who now owe them big time)  Ballard apparently has been naughty. Michael accidentally killed Son, and Michael is dead thanks to the party knocking him into torpor, and the elders ending him. recall, Michael was suicidal, and homicidal after the party ended his ex wife. plus had a rep for being a thug who used to cause chaos your character Salubri Healer just rescued the young couple that Son was psychologically torturing, and you shot Michael (bashing damage, just reduced him to torpor) as he tried to use Ben the Cappadocian as a shield

PF1e tends to be combat focused, lots of teamwork, but there's puzzles, riddles, investigation too. I don't charge money, game time is Fridays at 6pm central. I have been GMing weekly since 1997 or so, cut my gaming teeth on AD&D first ed. I go above and beyond for my players! This campaign is Discord video chat, but we could change time/day if the other players are willing and able. Don't worry about the mechanics, they are a lot easier than most believe, I am a good teacher (or so I have been told repeatedly over decades). I do not use a VTT. Tried. So I draw it out on a wet erase board, and if there's only one or two enemies, I don't bother and keep it in my head (I have the IQ to be able to do so, and then some). NO FURRIES! If you go into this expecting to create your character without regard to the setting or the group composition, you can kiss your entitled butt goodbye. Even if I did nothing different as GM, the group would suffer and your PC might not make it. I do get your back when I get the chance if you are willing to try a class you don't normally. Lots of stupid puns and jokes. My campaigns tend to be accidentally lethal, and my NPC's react within the bounds of their Intelligence scores. I poke players into beefing up their defenses in the low levels (in between game sessions), I value intelligence and wisdom in a player. I have no problem with potent PC's, so long as they play well with others and make sense. I tend to be very helpful in between game sessions, giving as much relevant info as possible without spoiling the plot, with less info for veteran players. Quite military friendly, as my NPCs tend to react realistically and tactically. I am extremely good at teaching, not just game mechanics but also tactics, even interaction with fellow players. During game sessions, I play all my NPC's to the hilt, so if they are actively trying to kill your PC, that's how it is. I rarely fudge dice results, when I do it's for drama's sake, trying to make the game exciting and interesting. With Iron Gods you gotta make the characters WITH MY DIRECT ASSISTANCE as I make sure they fit with the group and campaigns, plus I give out extra benefits (like gear). We currently have a female aasimar Cleric, a female unchained sylph Rogue, and an Alchemist, working on a melee Fighter. They are now 2nd level, and we could use a Gunslinger (probably Techslinger archetype is best given the campaign), a Wizard magic and tech item crafter/Technomancer (who gets assistance from the Cleric and Alchemist). Iron Gods is all about alien technology meets medieval types, sorta might and magic vs science fiction tech, with some usage of tech, people say it has a lot of Conan the Cimmerian vibe to it. The campaign seems to have robots, undead, aberrations running around, so having alternatives to mind affecting stuff is a good idea. That isn't to say you can't, it just means have more than one way to mess with the tactics of the enemy. I have a giant list of races available, some of which are androgynous, others exclusively male, others exclusively female, all of which are official save for 2 (Sylvan elves, basically archer and Ranger types, and Trollans). I instituted sexual dimorphism attribute modifiers to get players running more female characters, right now for example in Iron Gods we will have 3 female characters and one male (but played by a woman and 3 men but not the classes you'd think). Subtract 5 points from Strength for female characters, and add 2 points of Constitution, 2 points of Charisma, and 1 point of Wisdom. Please note that Elves,Sylvan elves, Drow, Trollans (based on Orko from masters of the universe cartoon from the 80s), Gathlain, Ghoran, and Wyrwood are not subject to this ruling, so there is no difference mechanically between male or female characters for them. Interestingly, female characters are mathematically better for Oracles, Clerics (so long as you stay away from melee combat), Sorcerers, Psychics, Mesmerists, Mediums, basically anyone that doesn’t need a high Strength score, and could use the increased Constitution, Charisma, and a little bit of Wisdom. Yes, there are cheap ways to dramatically increase your carrying limits, I can show you. Skill based classes like the Unchained Rogue and Bard tend to be a mixed result since a low Strength impacts carrying limits, Climb, Swim, and sometimes Intimidate. Male characters make better warrior types, so Fighters (melee and bows but not crossbows), Paladins, Samurai, Unchained Barbarians, Unchained Monks, Cavaliers, Inquisitors, Rangers tend to be male. Basically it pokes men into running characters that think in a more indirect, feminine way, and women into thinking in a more masculine, direct way by poking them into classes that have the right mindset/tactics. I really enjoy variety, and so even my campaigns tend to have a lot of different activities, not just "dungeon crawls". Banned Classes/Races Summoner (and Unchained version), Arcanist, Bloodrager, Brawler, Hunter, Investigator, Shaman, Skald, Slayer, Swashbuckler, Warpriest (this is all of the Advanced Class Guide), Vigilante, Shifter, all mythic paths are banned permanently (broken ruleset). Half-elves, Half-orcs are banned permanently; they are too mechanically similar to humans and don’t make sense genetically. Note that I never allow 3rd party (non Paizo) material (unless I honestly think they are balanced and appropriate but you gotta ask first), and I do not allow material that I don’t have access to personally. I am willing to get new material, however. I am the same way about the Gunslinger (need advanced tech available), Ninja (very culture centric), Samurai (very culture centric), Antipaladin (evil aligned only), Assassin (evil aligned only) classes. For example, we are playing Iron Gods, and you get access to alien guns so the Gunslinger is welcome. I won't run Rise of the Runelords, Carrion Crown, Giantslayer since I already did them.  These are the Pathfinder campaigns I have: Rise of the Runelords, Jade Regent, Shattered Star, Return of the Runelords, Reign of Winter, Mummy's Mask, Iron Gods, Curse of the Crimson Throne, Skull & Shackles, Hell's Rebels, Ruins of Azlant, Carrion Crown, Tyrant's Grasp, Strange Aeons. The difficult campaigns I have access to are Council of Thieves (3.5 have to adjust it), Giantslayer (kinda boring starting book 4 for the GM), Goblin adventure series (very short), Hell's Vengeance (evil aligned PCs), Kingmaker (3.5 have to adjust it), Second Darkness (3.5 have to adjust it). Only a few APs exist that I won't run period.  That’s not even counting the dungeon crawl classics adventure modules. Reign of Winter will let you see 18th level since I tacked on a module at the end, Carrion Crown only 15th, all other PF campaigns 17th. No gestalt classes, nothing outside the list below. Each new campaign, take a different class and role.  These are the Pathfinder classes I use: Warriors: Unchained Barbarian, Unchained Monk (very SE Asian culture centric), Paladin, Fighter, Ranger (and possibly Gunslinger if I run Iron Gods or Reign of Winter, Samurai if running Jade Regent), Cavalier Skill Monkeys: Bard, Ranger, Unchained Rogue, possibly Ninja if running Jade Regent Divine casters: Druid, Cleric, Oracle, Inquisitor Arcane casters: Sorcerer, Wizard, Witch, Alchemist, Magus Psychics: Kineticist, Medium, Mesmerist, Occultist, Psychic, Spiritualist No politics of any kind: right, left, sexuality, real world religions, excessive feminism/whatever etc not allowed, if you have a need to make a fuss about that, you will be kicked out (all sorts tend to be in my groups). It's perfectly fine to have those views, but don't bring them to the game (this is meant to be fun, social, intellectually challenging). If you have major psych problems that get in the way of simple social interaction (explosive outbursts etc) don't contact me. I eventually ask for telephone number just in case of you not showing up to game and you didn't tell me otherwise. It's for emergency stuff, like if someone gets sick or something and I gotta cancel the game. I do care about my players! And yes, I am meticulous about not calling for funsies.  Listen, I have some rules for players. 1 Give me warning 24 hours before the game if you are gonna cancel. I need the time to tell the others and cancel the game if I don't have enough people to play. This is non negotiable! 2 Play well with others. If you are too disruptive, I will boot you after several private warnings. 3 Take a different role each new campaign. Try new things! 4 You have to show up to play 75% of the time. If you cancel too many times, there's no point to having you in the group. 5 Sometimes you will be required to take a role you don't really want because the rest of the group made their picks already. If this happens, the next campaign I will make sure you get first pick as to your role/class. 6 If you have to make sacrifices for the group, like blowing feats on item crafting etc, I will try to send good things your way. Teamwork is important.