[RPG][WOD] Playing with people smarter than yourself

I’ve been playing WOD for a while, and depending on the genre, done very well or been totally overwhelmed.  Right now, I’m  having fun, but I’m petrified that I will mess things up.

I completely admit that while Werewolf SEEMED fun at the time I was playing it, and it offered me a sense of liberation and freedom, it was wrong for the kind of player I am.

Werewolf relies a great deal on the ability to make decisions, and expects a strong sense of self from the player. At the time I was playing Jak, I was emotionally lost and had no idea who I was personally. Jak certainly knew himself, but I as the player squashed many of his impulsive choices for fear that indulging them would be doing something “wrong” or due to a lack of confidence in my own decisions. 

(example: Jak was without an alpha or direction for a very long time. In that time, he took two new Uratha into his home and taught them Uratha rules and culture, offered them spiritual advice while providing  them shelter and food.  Jak’s patience was wearing thin and he wanted to push to be declared alpha. I didn’t pursue this because I didn’t want to be “too aggressive” or too demanding of my ST.  My ST later revealed to me that he responds well to decisiveness; and especially so when that decisiveness comes from a werewolf player.)

Changeling was much more my speed- it was very oriented towards a social personality, which is definitely more like my own self. Eile was an intensely social creature, dependent on interactions and emotions to survive and prosper. At the time, I was playing with people who were easy for me to be social with, and with whom I had many ties that helped me touch on emotional responses. Despite playing a character that was “disconnected” and without a home or family, I was able to build those elements inside the game for her, based on my personality and understanding of how the system was supposed to work for Changelings.  Changeling seemed “natural” to me, and I strongly miss playing in that environment.

Vampire is a system I played previously and strongly enjoyed. I felt confident based on previous experience and general interest that I would do well as a Vampire this time around.  I found out through trial and much error that the  NPC Vampires in this makebelieveland are the power brokers, movers and shakers; and thus, are MUCH smarter than myself.  

I have discovered that I don't think in the same way as my ST. He thinks in very divergent ways, and I think pretty directly. My ST's ideas and imaginations are far more creative, hidden and agenda-oriented than mine, and I "miss" many of the hints and plots that exist in the game. 

I have been kind of lucky, because I have been playing with a guy who has incredible knowledge, wisdom, insight and understanding of both the game and the themes in it. His talent has shielded me (and my character) from my own lack of anything remotely like ability. This was made obvious during our last game session, when a ruse that had been perpetrated against all the Vampires for a very long time, and he was the only character (or player)  to see through the illusion. 

Playing with those smarter than yourself is a tricky thing. You have to be able to offer enough "something" to be seen as worth keeping around, but you have to (and should) use their preeminence to your advantage (mostly so you don't die). 


Making allegiances in game is usually direct (except as Vampires, who are strongly encouraged NOT to trust each other) and easy. Not so with Vinnie, who has an agenda and isn't telling anyone about it. This game is full of consequences, and the consequence of not directly making allies is you don't have the support network that other players might. 


The events of last session were a culmination of several sessions' worth of back work; and a lot of hammering out things in character so that the PCs involved would not kill each other. There was a time when Vinnie actually had very strongly worded suggestions to kill another PC, and he had the plan to do so, but that time has passed. Getting Vinnie to a point where he either had faith in or trusted said PC took a lot of roleplaying; with a guy that is a million times smarter than me. 

I forgot to take notes for a lot of it, which stinks, because I know he gave me information I can use. I also forgot to do any kind of defensive work (plausible deniability is a wonderful thing) and it will come back to haunt me very soon. 


But that's the joy of playing with (and sometimes against) those that are just more talented at the game than you; you learn what your failures are and maybe learn how to grow past them. 


Any of you out there have people in their groups that are smarter than you? If so, how do you deal with, learn from and encourage them? How do you fail? What helps you not feel so bad? 

[WOD] Final Session as Eile

 [this is a long one! bear with it, it's worth it.]

You're so mean, when you talk, about yourself you were wrong.
Change the voices, in your head, make them like you instead.
So complicated, look happy, you'll make it!
Filled with so much hatred, such a tired game.
It's enough! I've done all I can think of.
Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do the same. 
[snip]

The world stares while I swallow the fear
The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer
So cool in lying and I tried tried
But we try too hard, it’s a waste of my time Pink, F'N Perfect

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terrance- Chamgeling

Waco- Changeling

TK-Geist

Lucky- Geist

Reese- Vampire

Ed- Werewolf

Raaf-Werewolf

Ginger- Werewolf

David-Werewolf

Victor-Werewolf

Terrance, Waco, TK, Lucky, Reese, Ed, Raaf, Ginger, David and Victor are all at the farmhouse with the doorway where Waco took Eile. Ed and Raaf recognize the area- they had a run in with a “leech” and The Rangers nearby quite some time ago. TK also recognizes it, as he had been told by the leech in question that he could stay there.

The area itself reeks (to those that can smell it) of death. While it's not recent, it is prevalent and saturating, almost drowning out all other considerations. While looking around, the group finds other hostilities laying about. There's some tense investigations as Terrance and the Omen pack feel sources of wrath; along with spirits, shards and rats. The Omen pack makes a quick attempt to destroy the slivers of shards, but the slivers retreat to the other side of the Gauntlet. Ed resolves to deal with the Beshilu after their trip across the Hedge, and moves on.

Waco leads the way through the doorway and the rest follow suit. The pack goes through a strange, disquieting transformation as they step through and are stretched like rubber bands, with the thorns tearing at their psyches. Their pack telepathy is removed, and the “presense” of each others' minds is painfully revoked as they step across. Their spiritual elements are also revoked- most notably, Ed's hammer.

[WOD] Austin by Night: Session 14 as Eile

Chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
Its a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
`cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run - Bruce Springsteen, Born To Run
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[This may seem a bit truncated- we started late, and I was not as involved as usual due to some outside stuff.] 

The night begins with Eile  talking with Terrance. It's been several weeks since she's seen him, as he was staying with Ed at the Pack's house for a while. Eile's just a little jittery for reasons of her own. They're trying to find a solution to the problem of Bruce, who appears to be a direct threat to both of them in one way or another. Eile is struggling with Clarity, because the easiest answer seems to be the most appalling one- let Arcadia have him. She has decided against this, but her new plan is probably even more morally bankrupt, but is totally acceptable to Eile's modus operandi.

She goes to work at the Hedge Row, which quickly becomes full. Everyone from Memento, Calin, Bruce, Axel, to Keva, Reese, and TK show up at some point, and a new gentleman, Simon enters the fray. He works for animal control, and he's been called to the area to investigate a large animal sighting. The reports are of a lion, and the zoo has all of theirs in lockdown. Conversation bubbles around what could possibly be mistaken as a lion, and Eile tries to distract with tales of bears in California, and fails. Coyotes are mentioned as possibilities by both Simon and Reese, and Eile's already nervous mind has decided to make a break for it very soon.

Shortly after this strange conversation, Terrance comes back to talk with Eile, and announces he wants to come home. Eile tells hims this is fine, while being more than a little conflicted about how this will work. She now has to stick around at least a little, to help get her plan in motion.

[WOD] Eile

Eile's a true hunter, always looking for a tasty morsel, a quick fix, a get rich scheme. She uses her wits to get by as best she can in this world. She uses, steals and lies to whatever end will get her the gratification she seeks (usually short term). She escaped to the idea of freedom, rather than FROM something else. She's running scared, but keeping her nose in the wind for something better. The things she hopes and dreams of are deeply hidden, unlikely to surface or be recognizable (even to herself) until she grows stronger.

Eile (eee-yell) deliberately rejects the Hedge. She gathers no Goblin Fruit,  builds no Hollow,  doesn't travel Trods, doesn't dream, and rarely if ever shops at Goblin Markets. Those she frequents are built on the Edges of the Hedge, rather than in it. [My ST has a very different geography for Goblin Markets than in the book.] Thus, she feeds exclusively on emotions.

As a Spring Courtier, she works in desire, greed and envy very well. Her various tricks include cons, grifting, old fashioned street hustling, and using her very overt sexuality to her advantage. The fix she gets from each hit is now wearing off more and more quickly, leaving her very much an addict, coming at you for a little more.

Her human mask is a woman about 5'7", shoulder length soft brown hair, cut straight. She's got an angular face with a big mouth full of teeth, and a wicked smile. Very long legs, dresses in a "messy dressy" sort of way with clothes from Goodwill, Salvation Army etc. However, she has GREAT shoes. Think Eliza Dushku with straighter hair and you have the picture. She wears a RiddleKith disguise almost constantly to guard her true mein.

Here's her write up, including XP. (The ST gives 27 starting XP, and 15 additional XP have been spent here.)

Real Name: Ellie Stevens (this memory is lost in the echoes of Arcadia)
Other Aliases: Ellen, Eileen, Ella, Alana, Ellery, Emerson

Current name: Eile

Concept: Grifter/Con Artist
Virtue: Hope
Vice: Greed
Seeming: Beast
Kith: Coyote
(Special Rule: May spend Willpower to gain +5 dice instead of +3 to Socialize or Persuasion)
Court: Spring

Mental Attributes (tertiary) Int 2, Wits 2, Resolve 2
Physical Attributes (secondary) Str 1, Dex 3, Stamina 3
Social Attributes (primary) Pre 3, Man 3, Comp 2

[+1 to Presence or Manipulation when used to entertain, persuade, distract or deceive others]

Physical Skills (secondary) Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Larceny (Breaking & Entering) 2, Stealth (Quick Retreat) 2, Survival 2

Social Skills (primary) Animal Ken (Lupine)1, Empathy 2, Persuasion 2, Socialize (The "long con") 2 Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 2


Health: 8
Clarity: 7
Derangements: None
Wyrd: 1 (10/1)
Glamour: 9
Willpower: 4
Size: 5
Speed: 9
Defense: 2
Initiative: 6
Defense: 2
Armor: none

Merits: Barfly, Fast Reflexes, Resources 2, Harvest Emotion 2 (Each Dot adds 1 die to rolls related to Gathering Glamour) pg 94, New Identity 2, Contacts: Cons, Mantle: Spring 1, Striking Looks, Rigid Mask

Contracts: Tongues of Birds & Words of Wolves (dice pool 2+1 or 2) pg 142, Beast's Keen Senses (dice pool 3+1) (Lupine for Both), Riddle Kith (Dice Pool 5) pg 129, Cupid's Eye (Dice Pool 4) pg 149

Pledges: none

Seeming Blessings:

-8 Agains on Animal Ken rolls & get specialty to reflect seeming
-Can spend Glamour to add to dice pools to involving Presence & Composure

Seeming Curse:
-Minus 4 on untrained mental skills
-(Special rule) Minus 2 vs Willpower checks to resist Social Interactions

Court Mantle Blessing: +1 to dice pools for social interactions with members of court in question

Weapons/Attacks: none

I have some experience (apx 12) to spend. I'm considering any of  the following: 

Dot 2 in Str (So I can buy Fleet of Foot Merit) (Cost: 10)
Dot 3 in Persuasion or Streetwise (Cost 9)
Skin Mask Contract (Cost:8)
Mask Of Superiority (Cost 6) [REQUIRES RP to justify per ST directions]
EITHER Buy Up Resources to 3 Dots (Cost 6) OR
Drop a Dot
(to justify a large amount of money Eile will get very shortly in game)
Fickle Fate (Cost 4)
Wrong Foot (Cost 4) (So I can buy Nevertread)
Perfect Stillness (Cost 4) (ROS Book pg 94)
Specialty in Subterfuge (bald-faced lie) (Cost 3)

Thoughts? Any other ideas?

[WOD] The Hedge Tales, Week 5 - The Show/The Mirror

[The Finale]

The Show

We line up backstage, listening to our directions again. We haven't been assembled all together like this in a great while. I'm careful to look straight ahead, but I gather hints of the ensemble through scent. I know most of the group either through interaction or reputation, but there's at least one new catch in the line. I'm just a little surprised to smell someone new, so I pay attention. I can't get much more than “wet” from the momentary “glimpse” I have of the newest; but I file it away for later.

I mentally prepare myself for the show, and submit to being brushed. The bristles and combs and scissors and fussing unsettle me more than words can say. I truly hate the grooming- I'm fairly good looking on my own and I care for myself well. I hold my tongue while paying mind to my tail.

[WOD] The Hedge Tales, Week 4 - The Delivery

[Where some of Eile's nature is revealed more fully; and where nuance means everything. Many deep thanks to Harald for some much needed guidance with this piece.]

Mouse does what he is told. He's precise and well oiled. His little gears tick-tock as he goes about his business, seeing to every detail within his purview. He's been here the longest, with Aimee close behind. He's become more and more like his prison, more mechanical and wound up with each passing moment.

Mouse's little eyes click at me, blinking an inquiry or brushing away an offense. It's hard to be sure with him. His mannerisms are tough to interpret, and his feelings are rarely his own. He's become an agent of the Throne; Her voracity has eaten almost the whole of him. My tendencies and talents are often lost on Mouse, and yet I continue in either amusement or petulance; I'm never sure which.

Terrance and I are talking in the middle of the room. Rena is propped up in the corner, quietly sleeping. Aimee is nowhere near, and neither is Clarice. It's my understanding that the rest of our Troupe have their own area. I assume Mouse checks on them as well.

Mouse nods his head in my direction, his neck whirring along with this head. I stride over to his post at the door. He murmurs something to me, his mechanical mouth clacking as the words whir out. I demur, moving my head in a negative fashion, and his response is to stammer, rattle and clank adamantly at me. I repeat my refusal, and take a moment to cock my head towards Rena, sleeping in the corner. I make a few gentle comments in Mouse's ear, talking slowly and directly. Mouse settles, and his noisy protests quiet into the sound of softly spinning gears.

I offer a few more words to Mouse and then head back to my conversation with Terrance. We talk of nothing important, carefully guarding ourselves of unchecked feeling or concern. As our discussion continues, we hear sounds coming from the corner. For quite a while, there’s an accusatory set of notes coming from Rena, pushing at Mouse with her strong sound and vibrant voice. Mouse persists, winding and whirring back at Rena. After some time, the tenor and tone of the sounds from the corner change.

I keep my composure as the little ticks, clicks and whirs escalate to buzzing, humming, and the sounds of springs in action. Behind the rhythmic staccato is an eerie wolfnote, the sounds of strings winding and descending, a squeak of rosin across strings, followed by a quick vibrato and then, after a long while, a duet. The ticking becomes a metronome; the strings begin to follow an unseen symphony, the odd music and machine working together.

The gears slowly begin to work faster, and the time in the music changes to a quicker beat. The tension of the two melds into a union of an unexpected chord, the pitch raising and the intensity gathering like clouds in a thunderstorm. Little bursts of steam start to escape from Mouse, and Rena is building a crescendo, her bridge bowing and heaving in time with Mouse. The metallic explosion and the long high C strike against each other in the quiet of the room, reverberating and echoing, very slightly discordant in the down beat.

Terrance has carefully been watching me throughout this concerto. I’ve been watching him as well, carefully looking for any movement, wrinkle or change in his stony face. Some of us are capricious and some are careful; yet we're always wary of Her presence. He’s much more like me than any of the rest, despite his appearance. His bulky, rocky masses are blunt, heavy and desperately grotesque. Each feature is turned and twisted in nearly unimaginable ways; coercing stares and gapes from those unfamiliar with his form.

Our hopes, watched and measured by that ever cool presence, are silent and obscured from the outside. I’ve seen a glimmer of desire in his rocky crag before, but I don’t think it’s for anything I understand. I catch it again now, as the orchestra pit and the conductor bid each other farewell. I haven’t understood Terrance’s interests before, but as I listen to Rena’s strings quivering, it clicks into place. I smell it, in the briefest of instants.

I incline my head, very slightly; knowing how dangerous this can be. Terrance slides back into his façade, his dark glassy features obscuring his face from me. This moment is enough, and I tilt my head down, gently raising my ears in a warning.

I hear Mouse banging the door closed, and I know that he’ll be back He does what he’s told.

[WOD] Austin By Night- Session 10 as Eile

lost in the maya
overboard in the sea
there was void and then that water broke
then something called "me"
now a trip to the desert to look at the sky
it's like never-ending mirrors
playing tricks on my eyes- Live, Face and Ghost
-----------------------------------------------------------

Personna Dramatis:
Eile -Changeling (myself)
Terrance- Changeling (Bb)
Raaf- Werewolf (B)
David X- Werewolf (G)
Ginger- Werewolf (S)
Dottie- Vampire (Ss)
Bruce- Hunter (TheBoy)
TK- Geist (E)
Avere [Not present in any scene I played in, but very important to several conversations]- Changeling (K)

Eile and Terrance go pay a visit to the Werewolves at their home (formerly Jak's house- this was super surreal for me). Raaf lets them inside. Eile talks with Raaf about a number of subjects but pays special attention to Raaf's apparent offer of friendship to Terrance (made at the police station during questioning). Eile also casts aspersions on David's leadership abilities and states that there are problems in the Werewolves' boundaries that David hasn't addressed. Raaf doesn't respond well to this, and Eile's further assertion that she knows there is another predator in the territory and her refusal to deal plainly only aggrevates Raaf further. Raaf's anger makes Terrance uncomfortable and he starts to get uppity as well. Eile eats it up (literally) and calms the situation by (mostly) telling the truth.

[WOD] The Hedge Tales, Week 2- The Turning

[Welcome to the 2nd week of the Hedge Tales. This is personally my favorite of the five stories. I wrote it first, and came back to it throughout the series as a touchstone whenever I was stuck. Enjoy!]

I woke up different. I’m long and lean, covered in soft brown fur, with whiskers and ears that telescope on the top my head. My mouth is elongated, and full of big teeth. My eyes are sharper, with clearer vision, but in a much lower spectrum. Colors are washed out, and bright things look a touch grainy. My nose is aflame with a million scents and textures in the air. It’s like a factory of information and my brain is on overload at the moment. I can’t help but notice that I have four legs, with bends going the wrong way at the joints, and weirdest of all, a tail. I shake myself in a strangely dismissive gesture, and I make a slight chuffing noise. I try to get back to business.

I look myself over in depth, and the closest I can come to understanding it is to think of myself as lupine, maybe a coyote. I hear a weird “meep-meep” in my head, strangely familiar, but terribly disconnected. I don’t know where it’s from. I circle around, getting used to the pads on my feet. I’m more than a little wobbly, confusion hazing my every thought. I rest my head on my paws, smelling the loam and the world around me on their fur. I doze off, a strange cloud of unease and bizarre thoughts running through my head.

I wake, and the world is different. It’s a vast forest, full of life. I spend the longest time drinking in the leaves, the trees, the bushes, the pollen, the flowers, the birds, the rabbits and the many other creatures that dwell here. I catch a whiff of a vole, and I straighten, trying to determine how many strides it will take to catch it. I know it’s not what I really want to hunt, but it’s near, and it’s small; so it will do.

I make a leap, pouncing after the terrified little rodent. I feel the air rushing under my chest, my legs rippling as I tear after my target, my muscles bunching and loosening under my pelt as the earth glides beneath me. My teeth catch the skin behind its little head, my snout all fangs and fury.

I clamp my mouth, and the world is different. It’s an arid desert, dry and empty in the hot sun. The rocks and sand are blazing in the mid day, and all around me is bleached out under the torture of the solar blast. I take a moment to smell the immediate area, and I can sense water, but it’s hidden. I know I won’t last long with my tongue hanging out, panting away my hydration. I head to a large section of boulders, and find an outcropping. I begin to dig a small hole, and wiggle myself into it, using the slight umbrella of shade from the overhang. I rest my head for the slightest moment.

The world is different again. I can’t remember how many times the world was changed. Weeks, months and maybe years of perpetual change passed me by as I struggled to accept this form. This existence is alien and difficult, but a part of myself recognizes its usefulness. I know that I learned to live in each new place, adapting and using the little resources I had every time something is made again. Every time I came close to any kind of solace, or indulge in my primal desires, the world was different.

I encounter others in the lupus families as I make my way through these strange lands. I learn their languages, their ways of communicating. I make some mistakes, to be sure. I quickly learn the many ways to show that I'm not after territory- to keep my tail low, to avert my head, to dig a makeshift latrine, not to howl, and to stay out of the way of alphas marking their areas. I don't want territory, but even if I wanted it, I couldn't keep it. I learned that lesson very quickly here.

As much as things change here, there are some constants. I can easily predict that as soon as I pursue prey, or show interest in an area, or find myself settled, I'll be shaken into a strange new place where I have to learn to adapt again.

Something jangles in my head- a fitting little ditty that seems so close but so far away. "How do we sleep when our world is turning?"

I keep it in my head every time the world is different.

[WOD] The Hedge Tales, Week 1- The Induction

When I was working on my Changeling character for the World Of Darkness game I play in, my ST had me roll randomly to determine if my character remembered her life before Arcadi as well as if she had any memories from inside the Hedge.

Eiel has no memories at all of her life before the Hedge. She does, however, remember her time in captivity very vividly.

My ST asked me to come up with some ideas of what my vision of her Durance and captivity was like. Here is the first of five stories I wrote with that intention. Hope you enjoy!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I entered the oversize ballroom, clearly examining my surroundings. The cathedral ceilings are gilt in gold, the walls blanketed with soft frescoes and endless tapestry. Chandeliers and sconces emit strange flickering light over the cavernous room, playing tricks on my eyes. The mere beauty of my surroundings is hard to fathom, and the mood of the hall strikes an odd chord in my heart. Shadows dance a jig in the corner, yet a strange melancholy rests in my head.


The music is played by what I see as moving anthropomorphic instruments. I have a stray thought of a dancing candlestick, teapot and armoire. I vaguely remember these images, but I can't recall why. As I move closer, I notice the musicians in more detail. I'm strangely moved by the cello, a curious cross of flesh and strings. I see her face in the scrollwork of the head, her ears poked with ivory pegs, like nightmare jewelry. Her slender neck is the fretboard, and her dark brown hair has been worked into strings. Her broad back and shoulders are softly rounded, with her wide chest bearing the bridge and crosspiece. Her arms act as the bow, moving across the strings with the music. Her wide lines come in sharply around her abdomen, with her torso flayed open for the “F” holes. Her hips and pelvis form the base of the instrument, coming to a gentle rounded stop, with her legs crossed and nearly fused together as the endpin.


There's a table stretching from one end of the room to the other, exquisitely appointed with chargers, monogrammed linens, crystal, silver, gold and breathtaking china. The table is laden with sumptuous foodstuffs; every dish more delectable looking than the next. Other appetites are addressed as well, with narcotics, pornography, libations, and more laid out for the taking. The air is thick with aromas and the scent of wax from the candles lighting the table.


A cool scrutiny presses heavily on the room, it's presence active and intense among the occupants. Like frosty breath puffing from a warm mouth, the air moves with chilly vapors. The varied beings here all react in some way, aware of each touch, each sensation and each action as the hall settles into an icy pall, thick with investigation and examination.


There are others here, aside from the quartet of living instruments; about eight in total. A few sit carefully, heads held high, chatting amiably yet discussing nothing of importance. Their eyes are riveted straight ahead, and their bodies kept remarkably still as they convey no emotion nor show any indication of the table or the surroundings.


There are some who have managed to control the outward expressions of desire, interest, or hunger. Their latent desires are betrayed however; through a quick flicker of their eyes, a nod of their head or the slightest twitch of their fingers. The electric heat of their pique rests in my nose, on my tongue, on the hair on my neck.


A fierce and primal part of me responds, eager to pounce on the morsels of arousal. My ears perk forward, my nostrils flare, my haunches tighten and I gather myself in anticipation of a quick strike.

The room goes cold, the air nearly frozen in time. I hear a crisp, cool voice murmuring to me. The question is simple enough, but loaded with malice.


“Whose desire is the strongest? Who would you find as your prey, if I were to let you hunt?”


It's the briefest of signals; the slightest of hints. The cold presence thickens and falls upon the target suddenly. The crystalline form of her body shimmers with ripples of color as she devours the emotion, and I'm crushed under her weight. I should know by now, but I can't help myself. I'm still too greedy.

[WOD] Eile- Snapshots

Freeze Frame- J. Geils Band 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

These little vignettes are best imagined as a black and white photos or short movies; just a quick glimpse into Eile's current life in Austin.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Picture 1-

The camera has captured Eile from a side-long and front ways angle, with the background in soft focus She could be anywhere- a bus or train station, restaurant or kitchenette of a small apartment. There's both a sense of mystery and familiarity to the shot. It's a rarely candid and intimate moment.

Eile is casually clumped low in a high back chair, her legs crossed and thrown over a table or bench in front of her. Her feet are shockingly bare, with her toenails delicately painted. Her head is thrown back and resting against the back of the chair, exposing her long and vulnerable neck.

In the hand nearest the camera, aggressively held in a fashion reminiscent of men and cons, is a lit cigarette, seemingly moving towards her mouth. Eile's eyes are closed in a tranquil and pensive fashion. Her lips are slightly open, and a cloud of hazy, dream-like smoke is caught drifting like motes in the air around her face. 

Picture 2-

The shot sees Eile as she's sunbathing atop the roof of a building. Despite the monchrome of the photo, Eile's supple nude back gleams in the sunlight. She's in the midst of turning from her back to her stomach; and her weight primarily rests on the set of her hips nearest the viewer.The dark bottoms of her bathing suit stretch across the skin of her rear in wonderful ways. The leg further from the camera is slightly bent at the knee, pushing her weight over.

One arm is under her, resting up to the elbow on the roof, and the other arm is gently bent out, with her finger crooked, beckoning to someone off camera. 

There's something sensual and hauntingly akin to an animal about to pounce on an unseen victim to the scene. 

Picture 3-

This is a long shot, taken from behind Eile's back. A sofa, sitting on the edge of a curb, sits beyond Eile in the foreground. Eile holds up a tailor's tape longways, and it's unclear if she's measuring the couch or the distant horizon seen at the outside edge of the picture.

The last picture in the series is in color. It's a source of inspiration and consideration I use often. The spirit and essence of Eile's joie de vivre just jumps off the page to me here, and the clothes and styling are spot on for how I imagine my Changeling girl. 

Thanks, Mondo!

Hope you enjoy. Look for more Eile related goodies next Friday!

[WOD] Austin By Night- Session 9 as Eile

The fixture in the city of lust
What the hell's your name?
What's your pleasure and what's your pain?
Do you dream too much?-   Green Day, Homecoming   [Part 1: The death of St. Jimmy]


Somebody get me out of here
Get me the fuck right out of here- Green Day, Homecoming    [Part 2: East 12th St.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Persona vitae of the scenes:
Eile- Changeling (Myself)
Bruce- Hunter (M)
TK- Geist (E)
New Character- Changeling (B.B.) [Ogre seeming, Gargantuan kith]
Raaf -Werewolf (B)
Avere- Changeling (K)

Last session ended with Eile in the paddy wagon along with her boyfriend (TK), her roommate (Bruce) and her potential kidnapper [new player, character name not revealed at this time] due to the serepticious suggestion made by Coyotoe Joe to the police.

Eile quickly deduces the new Changeling was under the mental influence of an Other (Gentry) and realizes he's absolutely fresh out of Arcadia, the place she's been trying to ignore for over a year now. She quietly advises the Ogre not to say anything while the other two men are talking to each other. She now has a way to influence each of them in some way, and she hopes, a way to get out of the mess as well.

They are taken off the paddy wagon and taken aside one by one. Eile is offered the following, after being read her Miranda rights- twice:

Look, we just want to know what happened. Please answer a few questions and if everything checks out, you'll be free to go.

Eile gently declines to speak, instead pointing, nodding and gesturing during the intial processing. She's put into an interview room and waits a while. Shortly after, Raaf walks in. He begins asking her questions, and she continues her silence.

[Completely unknown to me, at least one other player did the EXACT SAME THING.]

Raaf is more than a little frustrated and decides to try to find a way to make Eile look guilty for various crimes- including arson, embezzelment, insurance fraud and murder. Eile is more than a little amused by all this- with the exception of murder, she actually accomplished or contemplated each of those crimes in recent memory. [Most of them in backstory.]

Raaf finally brings out his big guns- he shows some pictures of murder victims, one of which is Eile's neighbor and Eile believes [right or wrong I don't know], a regular customer. Eile is offended by the idea of a source of tips drying up, and is mystified at Raaf's thinking that she'd destroy a steady revenue source. She absolutely fails a willpower check to stay quiet [Hey, I'm playing her, and my name IS Loquacious] and begins discussing the situation. Raaf has offended her, and he is a member of David's family. Eile has absolutely no respect for David whatsoever, and that disrespect bleeds over to Raaf. The interview quickly turns into Eile using every question as a chance to mock Raaf in some way (some much more obvious than others) while still maintaining as much of the truth as possible without explaining much at all.

Raaf doesn't believe anything she's saying, and her taunting only causes him to be even more hostile to her. He takes her to a holding cell, where Bruce and the New Changeling are already being held. She finds out that the Ogre listened to and followed her instructions, and that Bruce is being coached on what to say. The things that Bruce is being encouraged to say could easily fit with Eile being framed, and the Gargantuan has said nothing. Eile tries to come up with a plan, but realizes she has liabilities when she needs serious advantages. She makes an offhand remark that leads Bruce to believe she's strictly using TK and doesn't have any feelings for him, as well as dismisses the severity of the situation. All the while, New Guy is quietly wondering if Bruce has to go and if the cuffs can or should be broken. [Eile says no to both -at least for now.] They wait a while as TK is being questioned.

Eile asks to talk to Raaf again, and tries to imply that everything he's said about her is right. Eile's approach is rough, overtly direct, and very specific in details in regards to some aspects of her potential tale. Raaf doesn't seem to take that bait either, and Eile goes back to the cell.

[Unknown to Eile, while she is talking to Bruce, the new guy and Raaf, TK is off spilling his guts to the police about everything that happened- dragon and all.]

TK is brought into the holding cell area, and New Guy is taken back out.  There's a little more conversation. Eile spends some time fishing for information, and then asks if TK had anything to do with the murders. [Yes, she's got balls of steel.] He of course denies it, but Eile sees Bruce's reaction and knows the effect she was after has been achieved.

A little while later, Raaf comes down and wants to talk to Eile. He pulls her aside and tells her that the New Guy needs her  - for two specific things. He needs her to give him permission to speak, and he needs Eile to give him a name. Eile asks if she cann talk to him, and she goes to the other worm.

Eiele comes to the door and sees Avere in a chair facing the back of the room. The big guy is facing her, and Eile hesitates at the doorway for a long moment as she debates dealing with Avere.[There's a very cool, hard to describe, completely non-verbal moment between Eile and the New Changeling here while Eile debates.]  She finally enters, and before she has a moment to sit or speak to the new Changeling, Avere chimes in, demanding that Eile give him permission to speak.

Eile asks the Ogre if he wants to speak, and he indicates through writing that it's Avere that wants him to be able to talk. Another question and answer reveals that New Guy only wants to talk if Eile wants him to. Avere badgers away at Eile, trying to insist that he be allowed to speak for himself. Eile tells Avere very seriously- "I don't have to do anything". Avere isn't phased, she declares that it's the "right thing to do". Avere then goes on, in her somewhat childish and naive way, talking about the "dream out there" (meaning outside of jail) and how the new guy won't be able to function if he can't talk. Eile snaps- "I don't dream, and I don't want to; if it means I turn out like that" [implying Avere]. Another comment makes it obvious- the new Changeling WON'T speak until Eile releases him from his prohibition, and only if she wants him to. Eile now knows she has control over his entire world, and is shaken to her core, flashing back to moments in Arcadia. Eile debates and considers what to do, and nearly loses clarity again.

[An important note on the sequence of events and what Eile considered.

Eile was told that someone needed her- in a way that offered her power and control. For Eile, this was a huge and scary responsibility. She wasn't sure how to handle it or how to react. She arrives to find Avere, who she doesn't like or trust, "meddling" in her private domain. [Having one is rare enough for Eile- this is probably the first time she is in control of anything since her escape from the Hedge.] She then finds out that the new Changeling is literally hers to control; which is heady and horrifying. She also learns that Avere has obvious and easily manipulated desires, which flash across Eile's mental control panel in bright displays.Eile's greed and hope for something to call her own are in a vicious duel for Eile's heart as she considers. Eile is literally forced to chose between something -anything- to have as her own and refusing to be like the Fae.]

Eile releases the new fellow, and the two talk for a few moments. In this discussion, names and their power are discussed, as well as the fact that Eile's name is not of her choosing. [This is an important clue for a later scene I want to do] New Changeling wants a name- any name; just not the one he had before he was Taken. Eile admits he reminds her of someone, and he allows her to call him by the name of the person in question. Thus, Terrance is born.

The two are sent back to the holding cell for a while, and then later released for good.

This ends the night for the most part.Other things happened outside of my scenes, but I don't really know anything about them.

[WOD] A Million Pieces

My Brain After Last Night

Almost entirely OOC WOD related thoughts- in no particular order-


On my WOD resume- "Hot Chick, Summoner of Dudes"

The Werewolves are getting the player they have needed for well over 6 months now. I personally asked this player to consider Werewolf previously and he declined at the time- but he's got the perfect personality for the Auspice he'll be playing as well as for the group of players in the pack at the moment.  I'm excited to see how it actually plays out- but again; I feel that conflict of "I wish I was there" and "Man, I am glad I am NOT".

The imminent entrance of this new Werewolf means this player's current character will be diminished in influence and appearance, and I had some thoughts on possible future interactions with him. Easy come, easy go, I guess.

TK's player, Erick, gave me one of the single best ieas for use in game I've heard in years. I'm very excited about its possible implications, but it does have some serious detractions and issues that I need to work through with the ST before I actually persue it.

I'm convinced that one of my long-time gaming friends would be great in and enjoy this wacky, intense, fun and unusual game. However he's known for being a pretty traditional table-top roleplaying type guy. The question and problem becomes whether a campaign to get him to join is a futile effort or if it's the type of thing I'm known for and good at.

Playing with your teenage kids presents some really unusual challenges. It does not help that my oldest is one of the world's biggest prudes/most straightlaced people ever, and I keep encountering his character while Eile is making amorous advances towards TK, or evidence of sexuality is in play at the time. As I mentioned previously, you have to pay attention to maturity, tone and interest when progressing with the more sensual plots.

It appears as if there will be a new Changeling soon. It also appears that she'll be tied to Avere, which is a confounding and interesting situation for me. Pretty much every character in game interacts with Avere (some to a nearly obsessive amount) and Avere's doing everything she can to NOT interact with Eile. This makes for some truly challenging obstacles towards doing what I'm aiming to do. (See below for more.)


Over on Greg's blog, he asked what kind of emotional responses I wanted out of gaming. Here's a snippet of what I said.

Sometimes what I get is related to the GM and/or the players, and when that's the case, I just have to think differently about whatever is happening to find a new direction. 

Last night I spoke to the ST of the WOD game because I was having concerns about what emotional responses I am getting from the game. We've both agreed that my character and her concept is wonderful, and we both want to find ways to keep her in the game and get her active.

One of the single most important aspects of making Eile work effectively for plot and results (resonance and personal satisfaction) is direct, player-to-player interaction. I haven't been able to accomplish this with more than a couple players- and while the results there are fantastic (just wait for the write-up);  it's not enough to make Eile a fully participating part of the group.

[This lack of direct interaction is due to two or three factors- one; Eile has been pursuing NPC oriented activities; two, Avere has been in many ways the "gate keeper" to other PCs with whom Eile could interact and Eile is actively avoiding Avere just as much as Avere is avoiding Eile; and three-the KIND of character Eile is- she's simply not direct in any way.]

At the moment, I really feel as if I'm playing a particularly active NPC. I did approach this with the ST; that perhaps Eile is better suited as an NPC.

Many of the downtime related activities Eile has been persuing have been highly NPC oriented (activity in the Spring Court, trying to encounter a Werewolf pack [not the one being played by the PCs], getting a job at a strip club, etc) and these activities- while they make perfect sense for her mindset and objectives- do not further her being an active participant in the game.

What I told my ST last night was that I either needed to come up with some new ideas/directions that would allow for character interaction, or consider a new idea entirely- because I'm just not generating the traction I want and expect through Eile and her endeavors.

if I consider something else, the problem becomes WHAT. I'm still convinced Werewolf is out. I'm not super sold on Geist but I am not as against it as I was previously. Mage is right out. Vampire is possible, but I'd have to be VERY careful with what character I generate- I can easily see another Eile type and the same frustrations coming about without caution. A Changeling doesn't really solve my problem; and then there's the issue of how to offer anything NEW to the group- Avere's pretty powerful and has shared a GREAT deal of information on the Lost and her abilities. And trying not to metagame this info into any new concept gets tricky, too.

So time to come up with some new directions and possibilities so I can keep this wonderful girl I love so much, I think.

Character Development Concepts & Concerns

I was emailing back and forth with K, a player in the WOD game. We were discussing whether Saturday's game was fun, and I made the following observation:

I keep being surprised by serendipitous events that turn out for the best possible situation. Eile has turned out to be a lesson in flexibility and adaptation, which is interesting. There are moments of fun for sure. However, I have experience to spend, which has made me really consider the major themes/angles I want to pursue with her. At least one of them is NOT fun for me personally as a player, but makes sense for her and is probably her strongest element. I really do like a challenge but I don't know that I expected to face this element so quickly in game play.

Yes, she got to interact with TK- they had a very intense encounter that was the start of something that could get even more intense (and very possibly complicated) as time goes on.


As mentioned previously, Eile is a Beast Seeming with a custom Kith. My ST allowed me to take the Culturally specific Kith from Winter Masques- Coyote. She's intended to be a grifter, a con artist, a trickster, and a constantly adapting free spirit who uses her environment to her advantage.

The themes I am considering for Eile are, in order of importance/prominence:

1) Change/Adaptation (Contracts of Smoke as a primary, and Contracts of Beasts & Talons secondary. Several other possibilities for additional contracts or abilities)


2) Beauty/Appearance (Ties in nicely with Change/Adaptation- Contracts of  Smoke and Vainglory with Court Contracts also very good possibilities)


3) Fate/Chance (Contracts of Hearth as well as a couple other abilities, including a token or two)

The fact that I'm being faced with a difficult topic (change) so quickly after I started playing her is a testament to gameplay, the ST and luck/chance.  It's a little humbling to think how well the elements that put her in her current situation mesh so cohesively with the elements that make her core.


I'm personally struggling with how  frequently this character will require adaptation and change. It's a demanding concept for me that I work hard at in my normal life, so putting a tough concept into my escapism is a true challenge. I do believe I can handle it, but I am on my toes to do it right and not just pay lip service to it.

The Point- A Strange Durance?

Anyone else remember that trippy movie, The Point? With Oblio and Arrow?

The needlepoint album cover puts me in mind of Mannikins...

Imagine that as a Durance. And what fabulous, vicious Beast, Elementals or even Ogres could come of it.