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Story, the Storyteller should decide which scenes, if any,
play during t he course of a Story.
will be played live.
Some props are part of the action instead of being part of a
Scenes which are most suitable for live action tend to be
character. The most common type of prop is the "player
those without combat or other kinds of dice-rolling; it can
handout" - a copy of a map, picture or document which can
ruin the atmosphere of a scene if it becomes necessary to
be given to the players when their characters find its
swing constantly from live play to dice-rolling. Discussions
counterpart in the Story. But in a live session, the
and negotiations are easy to play live, and indeed many
possibilities broaden. Books, pieces of jewelry, scraps of
people do so without even realizing it - they are sitting
paper or cloth - almost any kind of clue or significant item
around a table face-to-face with the Storyteller, just as
can be represented in the flesh, so to speak, instead of the
their characters are sitting face-to-face with one or more
Storyteller simply describing to the players what it is that
NPCs. Other, less static types of scene can also be played
their characters have found. Props are also good for set
out live, but these tend to require a little more preparation.
dressing (see Settings below), helping to convey the
More will be said of them later.
atmosphere of a location more eloquently than any amount
of verbal description can.
Combats are the least suitable scenes for playing live,
mainly because of the amount of dice rolling involved in
Props are neither as difficu lt nor as expensive to obtain as
the average combat, but also because of the risk to players,
you might expect. Thrift stores, "nearly -new" shops, yard
as opposed to characters. In most cases, specialized
and garage sales, and house clearance auctions are all good
facilities are required for handling live-action combats.
sources. If you make a habit of cruising such places,
Such facilities do exist, and can be found advertised in
keeping an open mind and looking for useful and
most hobby games magazines, but few if any of them are
interesting items rather than having a rigidly fixed idea of
either compatible with Vampire in their setting or flexible
what you want, then you can find a good collection of
enough to accommodate a story or scenario which they
interesting props fairly inexpensively.
have not designed themselves.
Settings
Styles of Play
My set is amazing
Anything can happen in the next half-hour!
It even smells like the street
-Commander Shore,Stingray
There's a bar down at the end
The question of style in live-action play really revolves
Where I can meet you and your friend
arou nd one question: How far do you want to go? Do you
12
Vampire Storytellers Handbook
- David Bowie, Candidate
Sound
Most live-action gaming sessions will probably take place
Music and sound effects are among the oldest techniques
in much the same surroundings as the "'round-the-table"
for establishing atmosphere in a gaming session, and
sessions: someone's home or another convenient meeting
several companies - White Wolf among them - produce
place. There are some occasions, though, where another
collections of music and sound effects specifically designed
setting can add a great deal to the experience of the game.
for gaming. Many record stores also stock recordings of
sound effects - the BBC series is particularly recommended
Even when planning a live session in the normal gaming
- and enterprising Storytellers with recording equipment
location, there are ways to make the place look and feel
can easily make their own.
more like the location in the Story. Props have already
been mentioned, and simple things like moving a few
As well as being part of the background ambience of the
pieces of furniture can go a long way. Other senses, such as
gaming session, sound can be used for specific purposes as
smell, can be as important as sight in creating the feel of a
well - especially sound effects. At its simplest, this involves
place, but is a little more limited in its possibilities. You
playing a sound effect instead of describing to players what
might not want to make your home smell like a city sewer
they hear at a particular time. In a more developed form, it
for a scene in a Nosferatu stronghold, for instance, but a
can involve concealing small speakers about the place, and
little incense and perhaps a tape of Gregorian chanting in
playing previously -cued sounds at the appropriate time
the background, and you have an atmosphere ideal for a
without letting the players see you hit the switch.
Tremere Chantry or an Elder's Haven.
Unexpected crashes of thunder, explosions or sounds of
For special scenes, you might even find an outside location,
breaking glass can produce much the same feelings in
but this must be done with great care. First, permission
players as in their characters.
must be obtained for any activity on private land, and
Searching
gaming
is no exception. Second - and perhaps more difficult - it is
Another of the basic semi-live tricks is to have players
important to make sure that no members of the non-
search for clues instead of letting them roll dice for their
gaming public get the wrong impression about what is
characters' searching. This works particularly well in
going on. This may sound like a minor point, but it is quite
conjunction with a moderate amount of set dressing, and
possible to get arrested for attacking (or appearing to
of course the clue or clues should be concealed before the
attack) another person in a public place, and many people
gaming session begins. Apart from adding some live-action
tend to become worried when they see black-cloaked
realism to the g ame, this technique can also stop players
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