e d i u G m e t s y S e r u t n e v d A g n i l l e t y r o t
Written by Eddy Webb and Will Hindmarch WhiteWolf Publishing 2075WestParkPlaceBlvd. SuiteG
Edited by Jason Bolte and Genevieve Posey
Layout by Jessica Mullins
Original Product Design by matt milberger
SAS created by White Wolf Publishing
© 2008CCP hf.All rights reserved.Reproduction withoutthe written permission ofthe publisheris expressly forbidden,exceptfor the purposesofreviews, and forblankcharacter sheets,which may be reproduced forpersonaluse only.White Wolf,Vampire and World ofDarkness are registered trademarks ofCCP hf.All rights reserved.Vampire the Requiem,Werewolfthe Forsaken,Mage the Awakening,Promethean the Created,Changelingthe Lost, Hunterthe Vigil, Exalted,Scion, StorytellingSystem and the StorytellingAdventure System are trademarks of CCPhf. Allrights reserved.All characters,names, places andtext herein are copyrighted by CCPhf. CCPNorth America Inc.is a wholly owned subsidiary ofCCP hf.The mention ofor reference toany company orproduct in these pagesis nota challenge tothe trademarkor copyrightconcerned.This bookuses the supernaturalfor settings,characters and themes.All mysticaland supernaturalelements are ction andintended forentertainmentpurposes only.This bookcontains mature content.Reader discretion is advised.
S t o r y t e l l i n g A d v e n t u r e S y s t e m G u i d
What Is A Storytelling Adventure System Product?
of a Storytelling Adventure System product (SAS) as a s tory kit, e asThink if you’d bought a piece of modern furniture and brought it home in a big d i at box. You open it up, eager to be the Storyteller for your troupe, but what nd is a collection of pieces and parts. To put it together, you’ll need u you some tools: the rules and worlds provided in one or more of our Storytelling Ggame rulebooks. You’ll use these parts and tools to build a story together with your friends. It might not l ook quite like you expect it to when it’s all but as long as everyone enjoys it, it doesn’t matter how you end up mdone, using all the pieces, or even if you throw some of them away. e The basic parts that make up most SAS stories are simple: Storyteller t characters, scenes and some advice on how you can put them together. s Each of them can be used in different ways to keep the story building y towards its climactic These parts are designed to make the job of be S ing a Storyteller easier,end.faster and more fun for you. The wondrous game experiences you’ve read about that shock and satisfy your players come e from doing a great job, and everything in an SAS product is intended to r pick up the slack so you can focus on creating the best story you can. u t n Characters e The Storyteller characters presented in most SAS products use the v same format and rules as those in our Storytelling games, with a few d elaborations and expansions. The archetypal characters you nd in a are intended to be used again and again, whenever you need Arulebook someone like them in your story. The characters in an SAS product, contain special advice and notes to help you use them in a g however, specic story. You’ll nd descriptions, monologues, tactics and goals n for the most important Storyteller characters. Draw from them as i l l needed during play. e t Scenes y The scenes that make up the story follow a specic format. Each r scene is built as a discrete game encounter (or a closely-tied collection o encounters) for the t roupe to play through. As the players take t oftheirgame characters through these scenes, a story naturally unfolds.
Pacing and plotting scenes are part of the fun of being a Storyteller for some people. If it’s fun for you, take these scenes apart and use them however you like. You can even import scenes from other stories or create new scenes for yourself. If you prefer to just get to the table and start playing, though, you’ll nd an example already plotted for you in each story’s “Treatment” section.
S t o r Advice y Every story has unique challenges and pitfalls that can trip up even an experienced Storyteller. No matter how great the parts are, t they don’t do you much good if you don’t have a clue how to put e them together for maximum effect. An SAS product often provides l l specic advice on how to use those parts in just the right way t o cre- i n ate the story you want to tell, as well as suggestions on scene ow, g relevant background, and unique rules and mechanics useful to the story at hand. A d SAS Structure v Storytelling is the most powerful way e to put ideas into the world today. n — Robert McAfee Brown t u r e Adventure Ratings A Storytelling Adventure System product has three ratings on its S cover. They look something like this: y s STORYTELLING ADVENTURE SYSTEM t e MENTAL OOOOO PHYSICAL OOOOO m 8 o-34 SOCIAL OOOOO G Scenes: This is the to tal number of scenes in t he adventure. It’s used u to convey a sense of the length of the adventure (how long it will take to play). If there are nine scenes (even if two of them are optional), i d then the Scene rating is “9.” SCENES
XP LEVEL
MPS (Mental, Physical, Social) Dots : The adventure as a whole is given a rating based on how challenging it is in three categories: Mental (puzzles, mysteries, research), Physical (combat, endurance), and Social (interacting with and inuencing others). Also, each scene is rated with its own MPS scale. While the adventure as a whole might be rated Mental , Physical and Social , it’s possible for one or two scenes to be rated Social or if one of the ways they can be “solved” is through a particularly challenging Social feat. Each MPS rating uses the familiar range of 0 to 5 dots, acc ording to the following scale:
e d i u G mMPS (Mental, Physical, Social) Dots: e No challenge (involves no real risk, but may be dramatic) t Zero Minor challenge (slight chance of lost resources) s ••• Lesser Challenge (low risk or mild consequences) y ••• Challenging (even chances, moderate consequences) S •••• Major (real risk or serious consequences for failure) ••••• Extreme (serious peril with lasting or lethal consequences) e r XP Level: The amount of experience points that characters should u possess to play the adventure (but it’s not necessary; the t ideally story can be scaled to support characters who have less or more n experience). The scale is similar to the charts used for advanced e character creation in each of our Storytelling games, but may change v slightly depending on the system the SAS is desig ned for. The most d common scale is: AXP Levels: Beginner g 0-34 Seasoned n 35-74 i 75-119 Established l l 120-179 Veteran e Legend t 180+ y r o t ••
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Introduction and Groundwork The Introduction covers general information about the product, as well as set-up and groundwork sections like Storyteller advice, descriptions of key Storyteller characters, a owchart of how scenes can ow together, background and set-up information, and a treatment of the story to be told.
S t o r What’s a Treatment? y In Hollywood parlance, a treatment is a short prose description of a t movie’s story, written before production begins. A treatment describes e all the major dramatic “beats” of the story, and sometimes includes l directorial or developmental information (i.e., it doesn’t necessarily l i restrict itself to relating the story). n In Storytelling terms, the treatment is the Storyteller’s core over- g view of the story, from authorial notes on subtext all the way to frank narrative tips. Nothing is implied in a Storytelling treatment; A this is where the author breaks it all down in brief for the Storytelle r d at home. v e Scenes n Scenes are the most important parts in your kit, so usually a large t portion of each SAS product will be devoted to them. There’s a u common structure for each SAS scene to help you quickly find r information in the heat of a blazing gun-fight or during a tense e negotiation, especially if you decide to snag a scene from a different product to use in your current story. Some sections may be S missing if they aren’t appropriate for a particular scene, however y (such as the Actions section if there’s no defining core action for s the scene). t MPS Ratings: These dots are similar to the ratings for the overall e story. They’re intended to give you a quick summary of the severity m of the challenges the scene presents, and of what types. Overview: This is a big-picture look at the scene, including a synopsis G and a short description of what triggers the scene (e.g. “Finding the homeless camp” or “Noticing the queen’s tomb”). The central conict u in the scene is described here as well. i d
Description: This is a general description of the scene’s atmosphere, setting and inherent game effects. The descriptive text in this section is usually suitable for reading aloud to the troupe. Storyteller Goals: This details what a scene is designed to accomplish in the story (e.g., build suspense, exposit, challenge the characters physically) and what you, as the Storyteller, should keep in mind overall when running the scene. Antagonist goals for the scene go here, too. Character Goals: What are the players’ characters trying to get out of this scene? Sometimes these goals will be obvious to the players and their characters at the outset (e.g., “nd the Vault of Osiris” or “get Edgar to tell his story”), but sometimes not (e.g., “survive the zombie ambush”).
e d i u G m e t Actions: This gives concrete examples of how t he scene’s goals can s be dramatized and played out. Most scenes have a key action, which y is a detailed description of the action in rules terms. You can use the S dice pools, modiers and descriptive text detailed there as you play out the scene. e Hindrances: This section gives you a quick list of r modiers that make the scene more challenging, more u or more dramatic for the characters, such as t dangerous situational circumstances or the effects of previous scenes. n Often, these have the secondary effect of making a scene e longer. v Help: This section describes suitable ways the charac d ters can make the scene easier for themselves, or extra efit s they can derive through clever play in this or A ben prev ious scenes. So meti mes thes e ha ve t he s econdar y ef of making a scene shorter, but they just as often add g fect more actions to the scene as the players strive to get these n aids before attempting the key action. i l l Consequences: When the outcome of the scene has special consequences, such as a temporary supernatural ability or a e t chance of later police investigation, this section describes the y details. It may also detail how this scene can lead to others. r o t
Aftermath
After the scenes, there are suggestions and ideas for potential story ideas that can result from the aftermath of the adventure (if the SAS was run as part of an existing chronicle), as well as suggested experience point awards.
S t o r y Scene Cards There are also scene cards included in each product. Every scene t in the story gets its own card, which summarizes the scene in short e notes so that you can focus on the story. Print them out, cut them l l apart and keep them on hand a s you’re Storytelling. You might even i keep a few scene cards on hand from other stories — a ght scene, n a chase scene, whatever — just in case you need to toss them into g the current story. A d v e n t u r e S y s t e m G u i d
How to Use an SAS Product
e d The Product i Reading An SAS product is a collection of situations and settings that u describe the general plot a story could follow, but the story doesn’t really exist until you and your players tell it. Though most SAS G product s will prese nt scenes i n an intuitiv e order, the scene s don’t to occur in exactly that sequence. That story is just one pos mhave sibility, which you can use as a guide to follow when you get to e with your troupe to play. The order and the outcome of the t gether scenes depend on the choices your players make – the story that s you all tell together around the game table is under no obligation y to imitate what we imagined when we wrote it. S Each SAS will be written in a very open, functional style, meant to explain in clear language everything that’s important about the e story you’re about to tell. Each SAS product is a blueprint, and r blueprints aren’t s ubtle. We won’t be coy when talking about the u Elements like mystery and secrecy belong in the game world t story. you construct with your friends, not when we’re trying to give you n the parts you need to build that world. e v In Print or On Screen d SAS products printed in our traditional books will be formatted to t pages, but the layout for our electronic products is optimized for Athose use with a computer. The layout is landscape (wider than it is tall) so each page takes up the entire viewing area on a standard monitor. g that The landscape pages also t easi ly behind your Storyteller’s screen when n you print it up, and you can print only the pages you’ll need during play. i l may be bookmarks that allow you to jump to different sections of l There the adventure, or hotlinks that will take you instantly to a website that e more information. Some SAS products feature printable hand t provides notes and props — hand-written notes, maps, cl ues — for use when y outs, you’re telling your story. Depending on the kind of the atrics you’re after, r you could print these out on fancy paper or heavy cardstocks t o give your o t players a tangible tool to help bring the game alive in their minds.
Telling The Story Adaptability
S t o r y t e l l i n g It’s also possible to slant the MPS ratings toward or away from a particular play style. If the story has a high Physical rating and A your players aren’t keen on running around and kicking some ass, you can remove some of the high-rated Physical scene s and replace d them with more Mental or Social scenes (swapping out fight scenes v with, say, more investigation or interrogation scenes). Similarly, e if the players want to do more problem-solving in a story with a n low Mental rating, you can add more Mental challenges into exist - t ing scenes (perhaps by having some key information in the story u encrypted or hidden in a puzzle box). r e Scene Flow Although we don’t know exactly what story you’ll be telling or S how you’ll plot it, having a general idea in mind of how scenes ow y together when you begin is a good idea. A basic plan can help you s improvise by giving you a core melody of plot that you can riff on t e during play. On the following page is the scene ow diagram from Criminal m Intent , but most SAS products include something like this. It looks complicated, but in practice it’s really quite simple: play one scene G after another until you’re done. By having scene ow mapped out ahead of time, you can get a good sense of the general shape of the u story, and it makes it easier to keep track of what scene leads where i d when the pace is furious and the tension is cranked to eleven.
One of the hallmarks of the Storytelling System is its adaptability. The number of scenes, for example, is extremely exible; you can add or subtract scenes until you get exactly the story you want. Individual scenes can be scaled up or down about the equivalent of one “level” on the MPS scale — for example, from •• to • or •••. Use the “Help” and “Hindrance” modiers in each scene to dial the challenge up or down. When in doubt, remember that the size of the dice pool is everything — add dice penalties like ickering lights, blowing rain, peeling linoleum underfoot and capable enemies to create more perilous scenes. You can use this technique to change the MPS rating or XP level for a whole story as well.
Scene Flowchart Hired by Petrovshy e d i u G The Scene of the Crime m e t s y Confronting Simone Rosario’s Apartment S e r u Confronting Melanie t n e v d AThe Enforcers Attack
g n i l l e t y r o t
Getting the Painting
The Cardinal Sins of Storytelling The design of the Storytelling Adventure System allows you to avoid committing two of the cardinal sins of Storytelling – boredom and confusion. #1: Boredom Is Poison. If players are bored, the story will die. If the story dies, the chronicle is likely to wither and perish, too. If you see that the players are spending more time reading a comic book or talking about what they saw on television last night, dig through your scene cards and throw in a scene that will get them focused on the story again. Raymond Chandler said, “When in doubt, have two men come through the door with guns in their hands.” If it was good enough for Chandler, it’s good enough for us.
S t o r y t e l #2: Confusion Kills Fun. Being mystied isn’t the same as being l i confused. A puzzle or a riddle can be fun because you’re not sure how n to solve it, but that’s not the same as being confused about just what g the hell to do with it. Clarity in every scene is important, whether that clarity comes from the big picture (“We have to get out of this room A before midnight so we can save Daphne!”) or the litt le picture (“We have to break down this door so we can get out of this room!”). By d having goals assigned to each signicant scene and putting them right v at the bottom of every scene card, both you and the players can keep a e n sharp focus on what’s important in that scene. t Providing Difficult Choices u Stories are about characters making important decisions. Games are about r players making important decisions. Storytelling games are about both. Mak- e ing a blind choice between two unmarked doors isn’t interesting. Players need information for a decision to be important – knowing that the ree k of rot com- S ing from behind one of those unmarked doors might be from the corpse of your y dead brother makes the decision more interesting. When the consequences of s the players’ decisions are known or at least can be guessed, choices become t more interesting and more dramatic – something is at stake. While you’re e m telling stories with your troupe, remember the Storyteller’s mantra: G So what is a difcult choice? It’s a choice between two equally unwelcome outcomes. You only have time to save one of your brothers, so who do you choose? Would you kill someone yourself to prevent u your child from becoming a murderer? Would you risk jail time to stop i d a supernatural force that you’re not absolutely sure is real? Difcult choices make drama.
Mr. Petrovsky Arrives
It’s fair game to use game mechanics to make tough choices real for the player. For example, a World of Darkness character can be confronted with the choice between stealing or going hungry. This decision might not be too difficult for a starving character, but the player can be confronted with the choice of risking some damage to the character in exchange for fulfilling his Virtue of Fortitude. Not ever y chall enge sh ould nec essarily be re duced to a n eithe r/ or dilemma, of course. Deadlines, for example, automatically create situations in which decisions become important because every choice uses up the precious resource of time, but the actions a character can take between the start of the countdown and the end aren’t limited to binary choices. Any limited resource can be used to lend weight to any situation, to make any choice into a tough choice. The authorities will be here in two minutes – what do you do with the body? You can only go four or five more miles befor e the car runs out of gas – wh ere do you go? There are ten arrows and twelve guards in the castle – will you be able to rescue your friend? In the end, not every choice before the characters or the players will be meaningful or difcult. However, by boiling down signicant scenes into discrete structures, the core choices are made clearer, and more time and energy can be devoted to scenes that matter to your troupe.
e d i u G m e t s y S e r u t n e v Sharing The Experience d The Internet is a pervas ive force in our lives, and that’s a unique for Storytelling games that didn’t exist before. Not Aopportunity only can you get content for your favorite games faster and easier g than ever before, but you can also share your troupe’s stories with adding different interpretations on our exis ting material as n others, i you do. By using a consistent structure for all our SAS products, l create a common language that makes it much easier to talk l we about how you ran an adventure, or how you’re thinking about e t running it. y For example, you might move a foot-chase scene in a particular r SAS story elsewhere, or run it twice if the characters have multiple encounters with the perpetrators in that scene. I might cut that o t scene out entirely. We can compare notes, share advice and ap-
preci ate eac h other ’s anecdot es by co mparin g the flo w of sce nes. You might say, “When I ran the story, it ended up go ing… Scenes A > B > E > F > C
S t “What was the climax like?” I ask. o And then you show me the scene, already sketched out in a for r mat I can understand and plug right into my own games if I want. y Scenes become a shareable commodity, and the more people that play with them and share their thoughts, the more prepared you can t e be to tell tha t same story in play and the bette r everyone’s s tories l will be in the end. l i n g Examples in Action The last couple of pages of this guide are sample parts of scenes from A two of our SAS products. We’re always working on new SAS products, and hope you’ll share your stories with White Wolf players across the d globe. Stay tuned to the SAS page on the White Wolf website for SAS v news and releases: e n www.white-wolf.com/sas t u r e S y s t e m G u i d …then I tossed in scene G from t his other adventure, and ended with a climactic scene of my own design.”
Confronting Simone MENTAL •
PHYSICAL
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SOCIAL
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Overview
Either from searching the alley or trying to go to Rosario’s apartment, Simone approaches the coterie. She makes it clear that she’s protecting Rosario, but if they prove to be willing to listen, she’s inclined to arrange a meeting with him. Otherwise, the encounter can turn very ugly.
Description
Simone will attempt to get the drop on the coterie, either near the all ey or by Rosario’s apartment. This description assumes that she successfully surprises a member of the coterie – alter it if they catch her sneaking up on them. A cool metal ring in a blanket of rough wool presses into the back of your neck. “This is a gun under a coat.” It’s the quiet but firm voice of a woman from behind you. “We’re getting off the street so you can explain to me just exactly why the fuck you’re snooping around.”
Storyteller Goals
Your goals in this scene are to introduce Simone, demonstrate that she is protecting Rosario and hint that she’s willing to kill the characters if necessary. Note that checks for Predator’s Taint can be used in this scene if desired; see Vampire: The Requiem, p. 168. Things are tense, but the characters should be able to talk their way out of the conflict fairly easily. If the scene does move into combat, make sure to let the players learn about Simone’s motivations. Perhaps she says “I’ll die before I let you kill Rosario” before the fight starts, or something similar.
Character Goals
The characters try not to get killed by Simone, and hopefully find out why she’s threatening them.
Actions
There are two main options for this scene – fighting Simone or convincing her to talk to them. If things get violent, it’s likely that Simone will be able to protect herself long enough to escape and warn Rosario, and it’s even more likely that the coterie will draw a lot of attention in the process.
If they decide to talk, however, the characters will find that Simone isn’t very socially savvy. She’s trained as an assassin, and she doesn’t do much talking except to intimidate people. The players are encouraged to act out their attempts to convince Simone, but they might want to back up their roleplay with a dice roll. You can also choose to let the players roll if the scene is running long.
Fast-Talking Simone
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion vs. Composure + Empathy (in Simone’s case, the pool is 2). Action: Instant and contested. Hindrances: Simone is paranoid (-1); Simone’s City Status (+2 to her pool). Help: The coterie drops Rosario’s name before she does (+2); the character speaking has Mekhet Clan Status, Crone Covenant Status or City Status (+1 per dot).
Roll Results Dramatic Failure: Not only do the characters not convince Simone, but she refuses to speak to them any further. She will attempt to kill them if they approach Rosario. Failure: Simone doesn’t believe the character’s story. Success: Simone is willing to listen, but carefully watches the coterie to see if they are planning to double-cross her. Exceptional Success: Simone believes the characters completely, and relaxes her guard around the coterie.
Consequences
This scene leads to “Rosario’s Apartment.” Either the characte rs were already on their way there and she goes with them to protect Rosario, or the coterie has convinced her that they mean her no harm and she offers to arrange a meeting. If for some reason they get into a fight with her and she escapes, she might attack them later (such as before or during “Getting the Painting”). If they kill her in this scene, she won’t be available for future scenes, but much of what she knows can be covered by Rosario or Melanie. While she has a significant presence in the events prior to this story, only her connection and desire to protect Rosario are really important for the players to know. It won’t derail events too much if she dies in this scene.
e s i m o r P s ’ r e k a M r a e F e h T
MENTAL
Scene: Taken!
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PHYSICAL —
SOCIAL
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Overview: A scene of great decision for the characters. Description: Disorder erupts. In the darkening forest, by the flickering torchlight, the door slams shut and there hangs a moment of bated breath — what will happen? What will the characters do? Wren’s unyielding façade shatters, and her eyes go wide. She matches those gazes that turn to her and she stammers, “I can’t go in! I must not leave the ritual space or the contract won’t be written!” Note: the characters have only five turns to re-open the door and enter the Hedge if they choose to go after the child. (The door will only lead to the same place in the Hedge for a number of turns equal to the Wyrd score of the original opener of the door — in this case, Red Wren’s Wyrd score of 5.) That’s not to say they can’t open it after those five turns are done (and in fact, doing so does not require the expenditure of Glamour since the door is already “keyed” to the Hedge), but it will not take them to the same place that Cancer John and Joey went. Voices of dissent and protest will be certain, here. Some will demand that the child must be followed and reclaimed for the ritual. Others will demand he be claimed because… well, a child in the Hedge is doubly cruel and could get him into trouble far worse than what the ritual would bring him. There will be those, however, who will loudly proclaim that whoever took him is likely taking the child to safety… thus ending this dour ritual. Storyteller Goals: This scene can go ten seconds or ten minutes. If the characters leap into action, boom, the scene is swift. If indecision plagues them or they decide to remain behind, the gathered Lost will devolve into a squabbling mess of blame, insul ts, threats, and desperate pleas (with, of course, no action actually being taken — remember that the characters are meant to be the truly dynamic presence in any story, and in this adventure it’s no different).
Give the characters a moment to take the reins themselves and make a decision: will they go into the Hedge? Or will they let someone else go and remain on this side, negotiating the situation from here? If they hesitate and seem to be fading into the background of the disorder, urge them forward with the voice of another character, someone perhaps from their own Court or someone who represents their patron figure (or even the patron himself). It’s even possible that Red Wren will turn to them during the chorus of rising voices and plead with them to go into the Hedge — she’ll make wild promises to them in a desperate bargain, though she claims there isn’t time right now to commit to a formal pledge. Will they take her up on it? If they don’t, assume that the scene drags on until someone finally decides to brave the Hedge to find the thief and the stolen child. (The easy assumption is that Autumn Court courtiers undergo this task: Ornithine, Mary O’Brine, and probably Wren’s own ensorcelled boy, Henry. Though, if you have others better-suited to the task, do what’s right for your story.) Character Goals: Decisions, decisions. What informs the decisions of the motley? A number of things. First , they surely have some opinion on the Children’s Contract. If they consider it important, maybe they go after the child. Or, as others note, a child in the Hedge is a dangerous scenario for the boy, so maybe a rescue is in order even if the ritual disgusts them. On the other hand… maybe the thief had the boy’s best interest in mind. Maybe he’s taking the child to another door in the Hedge and bringing him right back out somewhere else, thus working toward the child’s safety and the obviation of the Children’s Contract. Do the characters go with what their patron asked of them? Do they go against the patron’s interests? Do they give in to Wren’s pleas? Do they enter the Hedge within five turns? After? Or do they stay behind and let someone else do that dirty work? Action: The only action is the informal decision of what to do, as noted. The adventure hinges in part on what the motley chooses at this point. Consequences: Really, what the characters do determines how the rest of the scenes in the adventure line up. What has been up until this point a relatively linear progression of scenes, it now falls into a pattern based on the choices they make. And the choices they make have a very real effect on the freehold and all the children of the city.
T a k e n !
