% ($Id)

I recomend that this city be undertaken with new characters, because of
the complex nature of the characters stories and backgrounds involved.
Using existing characters is not really posible in this setting unless
they have had sheltered unlives so far or are just moving into the city.
Players should not be able to have `pregame' experiance to call upon,
espically experiance of NPCs in Melbourne.  The landmarkless nature of
the setting allows for easy tranferance of some of these NPCs to other
cities if you wish to start up in another city or have some of the NPCs
detailed here arrive in your city.

\section{New characters}

\subsection{Humans}

I think it is best to start people off playing humans. Even better
if they have no idea they are playing in a vampire game. I did add
players to my game who was unaware of the existance of Vampires (in
the game naturally, your secret is safe with me :-), and they did not
know what system we were playing in. In one case, the other players
were vampires, but they kept quiet. It was fun, fun, fun to watch the
player struggle with the happenings in the game as the other players
acted so oddly.

Starting as humans allows both you and the players to get comfortable
with the city before their unlives start. It also allows the Storyteller
time to decide on just who is doing what to who.

\subsubsection{Nice and Slow}

Make mortal characters with no detail of what system you are playing in.
Let them play for a while as humans, but build the feeling that
something is wrong and that their lives are being manipulated.  Almost
any group or individual in Melbourne could be responsible for this
manipulation, pick a group and it should be easy to find a motivation.

If you really want to overload on the onion layers, then after they
discover vampires, let them become ghouls for a while and interact with
humans.  Let them enjoy their new powers for a while before they meet
the {\em real} enemy! Then embrace them and throw the little fish into
the big pool.

\subsubsection{Vampire\$!!}

Let them do the mortal thing for a while, then have something horrible
happen. Let them fall into the nightmare created by one of the Settite
kindred, giddy on immortality and flushed with power of mortals. Have
the players sucked in to some evil plan run by an unknown Mr. Big.

The players think, fight and fluke their way to Mr. Big who they think
is human, only to have him grow fangs and give them a {\bf real} hard
time. What then occurs is a hunt against a monster of the night. Once
they work their way up a level or two (1000 experiance points :-),
having struggled with superhuman effort dispatch the moster of evil,
then:

\begin{itemize}
\item A) meet a nice Camarilla kindred.

\item B) are embraced by some group, either by the Settites and escape or
another group to fight the Settites, e.g. the Sabbat.

\item C) if you are really mean, then use a variant of A) where they meet a
nice Camarilla vampire, but slay them. Later they meet another one and
are shown what they have done. "Humanity elevator, going down".
\end{itemize}




\subsection{New Vampires}

Another way is to make them as kindred. This is how I started my
initial game. In retrospect, it was a mistake, because vampire is such
a different game to any, although, never having played it before,
the importance of the prelude was not pressed upon me. The prelude
is really important and {\em must} be done and done well. If you are
going to allow the players to create vampires straight off then make
sure that they are experiances vampire players, or that you do a
prelude in detail at some time.

I dont recomend this for inexperianced groups.


\subsubsection{Fast and Sudden}

Make mortal characters with no detail of what system you are playing in.
Let them play for a while and then have them suddenly grabbed and
embraced. Possible kindred responible for this are:

\begin{itemize}

\item	{\bf The Rovers} want more people in their pack. Maybe they
pick the characters off the street. Sabbat game, good for quick starts,
may confuse players who have read the rules, espcially if you call
the head of the pack the Prince, so they think they are Camarilla.

\item	{\bf Anarchs \& Brujah} are always keen for an increase in
numbers. This option becomes more and more unrealistic, the larger the
number of players. Maybe the Brujah want to taunt the prince. Anarch
game: keeps players on edge of Camarilla (this may be good).

\item {\bf Say hello to Mr Prince}. The Active Skeptics `decide' to
embrace some people with someone elses blood they have left over to
create trouble. Grab the players, embrace them and leave them for the
Prince to deal with.

\item	{\bf Malkavians} have a lot of freedom in Melbourne. Who knows
what drives them to increase their numbers. Camarilla/Anarch/Malkavian game.

\end{itemize}





\section{Trust, Clans and Broods}

I have a few suggestions about inital clans, too. My experiance, with a
large playing group, is that given a chance, the players will betray
each other quicker than your NPCs can betray them. You need something to
keep them together, some reason that these people {\em work} together.

Many people, including myself, fall into the trap of giving players a
choice of clan, or atleast embacing them in a clan that fits the
character stereotype.

Think about the Embrace for a second, it is something that is enforced
on one person to another. The perprator selects the individual by what
they percieve of the character, not by any detailed knowledge of the
character. Sometimes, that choice is rushed, or forced, sometimes they
wont have a chance to pick and chose. Don't be afraid to have some
vampire embrace and abandon the whole gang for no aparent reason if it
will give you a group who will stick together more.

Selecting from different clans causes a split of loyalty as interclan
rivalry drives players against each other. If they do work together
then the choice of disciplines will make the players independent and they
won't need to interact with NPCs to achieve things.

\section{Starting ideas}

\begin{itemize}

\item	[Knight takes Pawn] The Settites are playing a game with some
human. The game: a varient of chess\footnote{Modified from the adventure
Player of Pawns, by Bill Bridges in \cite{ww:sc}}. There are two
types of pieces, pawns, who do not know about vampires, until they
meet and defeat a non-pawn player of the other side. The players have
been picked by the Settites as the next set of pawns for game. They
will be approached by both sides until they select a team. Further
details can be found in the detailed adventures section.

\item	[One from many] One of the players attracts the attention of
a kindred who embraces that player. Maybe with or without the princes
permission. Select this player carefully, as this player will have
powers to force the rest to their will, also be careful of blood
bonds forming although this may be a good introduction to humanity
loss.

Let the adventures begin. It is suggested that soon after the player
is embraced, they are placed in the position of needing to embrace
the others. This will place the players under the Princes control
because of the breaking of the laws. This allows you to 'force' the
players into a few adventures to start off with, until you find your
feet.

\item	[Monsters] Let them run into some brutal vampires, and turn
them to vampire hunters. After a while of killing, drop them a
vampire is actually rather nice and they can realte to. {\em Monsters
we are lest mosters we become.} If they kill this vampire, then once
again, welcom to humanity loss.

\item	[Jumped!] Grabbed off the street, dragged down the graveward.
Welcome to the Rovers. Welome to the Sabbat.

\item	[Stop that!] Grabbed off the streets, embraced. Dominated to
defend their sire against an attack from the Rovers. After much
fighting, in which the players will probably be knocked out, their
sire is killed and the smiling Rovers toss them a human and
dissapear, smiling, into the shadows. Over to the players.

\item [Prince Bait] Bayley and the Skeptics, decide to put some
captured blood to good use. Pick a vampire the Anarchs wish to get in
trouble, say Bayley has some of their blood and embraces the players
with it. The Prince then has to deal with the creation of childer by
someone he trusts, while the Anarchs shout "favortism".

\end{itemize}