Spam

I received the message as soon as I awakened.

The Council of Seven requested an update on my progress in Manila, if I had found any Kindred inhabitants here.  I reported that there was still no evidence but that could only mean that they were well-versed in subterfuge and stealth. 

This was the 5th missive I received in the last 5 years since I arrived.  Always at the same day and at the same time.  I imagine that it is automated, much like the modern world's version of spam email.  I knew that the Council did not have any interests in establishing a foothold here.  Otherwise, they would have sent more than a solitary Kindred such as myself. 

It was punishment, I know, for defying my elder and seeking to increase my station without their consent.  They "gave" me the opportunity now, in this 3rd world country.  Find out why there were no established domains here.  Look for others of our kind and report back on the political/social/economic viability of establishing a chantry here.

I cast the spell and replied to the Council.

New Job, New Life

I'm really excited about my new job!

I had the interview just last night and I was asked to start tonight.  The owner, Alessandra, was very nice to me.  Although, a little bit weird.  I went into the interview thinking that she was going to ask me all these questions about my life, my experiences but all she did was smile at me and ask a few questions about my family. 

I had even looked up the bar's history.  I was ready to tell her how she had made it successful from a small discotech to a lounge/bar.  And that it was partly owned by her and a businessman named James St. Claire.  As well as the fact it had the most extensive list of wines and spirits in Metro Manila. 

She said I could start tomorrow night but she went around and introduced me to her staff.  There were just 4 waitresses and 2 bartenders.  Mario was on shift tonight; he was kinda creepy.  I hadn't met the other bartender.  She said that he lived downstairs in the basement.  I found that more creepy.

But I'm just glad I have a job now.  I hope this works out.

Second Round; Dave Joins the Game

Dave was able to join us in the second game session. He decided to portray a Cebuano who moved to Manila to earn a living by driving a taxi. I decided to use this a way to tie up some of the mysteries that were cropping up with Teddy's character and in Noir.

I admit that I had hoped to keep him human for sometime to give him a feel of what he will lose when he becomes Kindred. But an opportunity presented itself, one where the circumstances of his Embrace would make for a good story.

Unlike the other characters, Cesar Allegre will have a sire that will be taking a fair amount of interest in the development of her childe. I channeled what I knew of Ecaterina the Wise to give life to "Manang", a very "traditional" vampire. Since Dave had not played Vampire before, I wanted to make sure he felt the full weight of living as a childe.

Teddy's character, Jay Gualo, continues with his investigation with somewhat questionable results. His investigation of James St. Claire's home took almost an hour to to go through. I wanted to make sure I evoked a feeling of someone watching over his shoulder as well as allow him to freedom to search and make his own conclusions.

To cut his turn short, he is visited by the police and accompanied to the precinct for questioning. There he meets the lead investigator who he opens up to, forgetting his sire's request for discretion.

Sofia Lopez de Ayala, Sam's character, continues to investigate on her cousin's apparent murder. She discovers, though that the case has been swept under the rug to protect the family. However, someone on the internet seems to know more than usual and has published details via blog.

She also meets Eduardo Lopez de Ayala, apparently a rich uncle who has come from Spain. She has dinner with him and her parents and discuss the events regarding her cousin's murder. Whens he leaves, she sees him and her deceased cousin ride away in a limousine.

Dave's character is injured in a robbery. Crying for help, he is rescued by an old woman who turns out to be a Brujah. She embraces him and hopes to mold him into someone who will "fight the good fight". But his remarks during his tutelage test her patience as they seem inappropriate and humorous.

I'm writing down future scenes now as a way to gather good ideas and use them when I need them. The next game may take a while.

I Killed Too Many People

Rather, I killed too many charcters the first time ST-ing a game with Sam and Teddy. I'm gonna have to keep track of that and a lot of other things.

I wasn't really prepared to run a game. I mean, I had some ideas and scenarios. But I hadn't written anything down, not like in my previous games. This was pretty much freeflow. I worked with the ideas the players tossed in my direction.

So here are the characters:

Sofia Lopez de Ayala - played by Sam - is a Tremere trying to live her life. As part of the richest family in the Philippines, she has responsibilities to her family which strains her willful demeanor. She has yet to realize what becoming a vampire entails.

Jay Gualo - played by Teddy - is a Toreador bartender who is enjoying his current situation. Embraced by ex-patriate of Italy and groomed to take over as she ascends in status, he has become somewhat of a disappointment due to his lack of ambition.

Dave wasn't able to make it in the first session so I'll write-up his character in my next blog entry.

So here's the story so far:

Sofia goes out on a gimik with her friends Jason, Luna and Imee. Seeing an opportunity for Imee to have a good time, she uses her powers of Dominate and arranges for a guy to sweep her off her feet. It apparently backfires because she finds out later than night that her cousin committed suicide.

Jay, on the other hand, is left with a mystery. During a hostage situation at Noir, a patron is murdered. Whoever the murderer is managed to avoid being detected by cameras and witnesses. Jay's only clue is the scent of her perfume.

And here's what I learned:

Speaking in Filipino helps. I was worried that running the game in Filipino would be difficult for me. But actually, it came easily. I much pprefer English but I think that it was important to shift to Tagalog when I portrayed certain indiduals.

Music helps. Tobie, my favorite ST, always used music to set the mood. I found it helpful, as well. I had the music stored in my phone and played it during the scene. I still have to work on the timing though.

Half my job is done, thanks to the players. Like I said, it helped that Teddy and Sam would throw things around. I jumped on themes and hints they sent out, whether they meant to or now. I think it's working well for us and making it interesting.

I need to be mean. I'm a nice guy by nature but the meat to every story is conflict. So I MUST throw difficulties in the way of the PCs. Whether it be a traffic cop wanting to get a bribe or the bureacracy making it impossible to get things done.

Backgrounds are important. I wanted this game to make use of backgrounds. Even if I have to fudge the rules on it, I think it's important for the players to develop backgrounds because it can affect their game. Sam and Teddy were very open to it. I just have to bring it up a lot more often.

I've started keeping a notebook and writing down notes on the events. This should help me keep track. I'm also working on this blog. Hopefully, this can help me become a better ST.

So, It Begins...

Metro Manila by Night is finally up and running.

Sam, Teddy and Dave have agreed to let me ST their character's unlives through the looking glass of Metro Manila. I just hope I don't screw things up. Hahaha!

Anyway, I'm not sure I could portray Metro Manila well enough. I mean, I'm not a "cultured" person so I'm not sure how I'm talking, acting and thinking will evoke an image of Metro Manila.

God, I sound whinny.

Well, here's hoping this blog can save the stories, experiences and whatnot for posterity.

Damn, I should have taken pictures the first few sessions. Ah, well, there's always next time.