[WOD] Austin by Night: EPIC Vinnie Recap

So, I have not blogged about Vinnie much, if at all. I have very specific thoughts and ideas for him, and I am having a difficult time deciding if I want to blog about them or keep them secret.

Vinnie IS a Vampire, but it's tough to get outside advice if I don't seek input. So, I'll give you the very best of the very best... or something. This is a recap of several sessions, boiled down to the most relevant and understandable details (as far as I can, anyway).

The Games that Shaped Me

A little while ago, Frontline Gamer put out a charge to all of us, to think about the games that have shaped us, and talk about when, where, why and so on.

Well, I can't really let that Brit have all the fun, now can I?

I told him I had a lot, and I felt a post was probably a lot more appropriate than a quick reply over on his blog. So here we are at mine, with my ever so verbose thoughts.

After the jump, of course.

[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] True Reflection

[lots has happened and I'm not writing it all up. the summary is Vinnie now has the opportunity for power if all goes well and he plays his cards right. At the moment of the following scene, Vinnie is debating what to do with a large haul of cash.]

~A badly lit stretch of road within Austin is seen. Slightly ahead on the left is what appears to be a run down service station. A few lots over is a dilapidated junkyard, crammed with ratty cars, discarded tires, obsolete appliances and twisted heaps of metal. There's strong but quiet sense of emptiness here, lingering like ivy in the night.

What windows are left in the garage are boarded up and the small parking lot is choked with weeds and dried brush. The pole sign is rusty and the lighted section is hanging loosely from the top of the steel pole. Several beat up and crummy looking cars are parked haphazardly in the bays.

A "woody" station wagon pulls into the lot, lights off. It drives slowly around to the back of the lot, where a small one-car garage is seen. This garage is equally run-down, with peeling paint and blacked out windows. Several dingy toolboxes lay around, opened to show decrepitude and neglect. The car stops in front of the small garage.

Vinnie hops out of the car, and twists the knob on the garage door; and it opens with surprising ease. Vinnie jumps back in the car and drives it into the enclosure, and the door shuts behind the car. The camera follows Vinnie inside the garage.

Vinnie sits on a rolling stool, staring at the car. As the camera adjusts to the light, the inside of the car is seen. An exceptionally large pile of money litters the inside of the car. From the looks of things, Vinnie has hit an armored van.

Vinnie takes his gaze off the car and looks around the inside of the garage. One wall is covered in shelves and shelves of books, all very well organized and cared for. In one corner, strapped to a moving dolly, is a suit of armor. The armor's breastplate is painted with insignia implying a religious connection of some sort. The next wall holds a small locked standing tool chest. Next to the tool chest is a workbench with hemostats, tweezers, an engraver's block and chisel set, a brayer block, brayer and several vices.

Hanging prominently by a scarlet ribbon on a pegboard next to the engraver's block is a large pair of stainless steel scissors. The metal is highly polished, and the scissors are the only tools on this pegboard. For the briefest of moments, Vinnie's eyes glint back at him from the reflective surface of the metal tool.

Vinnie's gaze moves back and forth between the money, the suit of armor, and the scissors. He begins talking in darkness in a low voice.

"'There are many paths to ultimate knowledge'; that's what you always said. 'Use the available tools and your surroundings to your advantage.'  'Be aware and think clearly'. 'Disguise your desires in your duty'.

There is a distinct rhythm to Vinnie's speech, a rising and falling with a strange sort of expressiveness; almost a benediction.

"I'm aware that this temptation could be my downfall. Moving past who I was before and making something new is tougher than I ever guessed. Evolution as I truly understand it takes more than just knowledge; it takes application. The question is, do I apply what I know, or do I see what else I can learn?"


Vinnie's eyes linger longingly upon the pile of money in the car and then back to the engraver's tools. He seems to shake off a heavy thought as he gets up from the stool. He opens the car door and grabs fistfuls of money, deliberately handling every piece he can get his hands on. He carefully crawls around the back of the car, grabbing up the cash, counting it into nice; neat stacks. He opens and closes the various doors of the wagon from inside and out, making obvious pains to touch nearly every surface of the vehicle as he does so. He opens and closes the glove box, the console, plays with the radio, and fiddles with the shifter. Vinnie then goes about leaving the garage and locking it up, and drives back towards Austin.

Roughly counted, there is $11,000.  Very rough, considering the sheer volume of change in numerous deposit bags that lay in a couple layers beneath the cash in the back of the Woodson/Woody.  A decent haul, but a small, and short-sighted goal if he ever saw one. 

We see Vinnie drive to a well lit Wal-Mart, and park the car under a light. He walks away from the car and continues traveling for several blocks, finally finding a pay phone. Vinnie plunks in the required coins, waits for a connection, and speaks clearly and briefly.

Vinnie's dark eyes briefly glitter in the reflection bounced off the glass of the phone booth as he reports a car full of money in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

[WOD] Austin by Night: Vinnie's Background

Snapshot Premise: Vincenzo "Vinnie" Gianetti - old school mobster

History

Carlos Marcella was a big time Mobster in New Orleans in the late 1940's. He was friends with the infamous Meyer Lansky, one of the biggest Mafia men in the states. When Lansky went to Cuba to develop hotels and casino operations, Lansky held a conference or "meeting of the minds" to discuss the best way to make everyone rich. Carlos went to Cuba to collaborate with Meyer Lansky and "Lucky" Luciano in expanding gambling operations and money laundering. Carlos had an expert money man (and Caporegime) named Julian "Scissors"  Sciletti. He brought Sciletti on the trip to the conference. Sciletti had established himself as both eccentric and effective by this time; and was feared by all in Carlos' organization.

Sciletti was key to Carlos' gang, running both money and men. His elusive ways confounded more than a few hitmen from rival gangs and it was rumored he lived underground. Sciletti was of course, Kindred. As a Mekhet, he adapted to modern times and made the best of his skills to keep himself occupied and intellectually challenged. He was drawn to the dark greed of the Mob, and worked his way into favor quickly with his ability to move and launder money.

At the time Luciano was exiled to Italy  (1947) , the gangs were spreading, and operations growing. Carlos returned back to New Orleans, as did Sciletti.  Sciletti decided to expand beyond New Orleans, and started to look through the ranks of his soldiers to find a good possibility as a childer.

After a few years of searching, he eventually decided  to consider Vincenzo "Vinnie" Gianetti, a tried and true Lieutenant. Vinnie had a strong reputation among the ranks as a dedicated and dependable "go to" guy. Vinnie's best trait, it seemed, was a willingness to do whatever was asked of him. Vinnie didn't seem to care if the task was "below" him, or difficult, or just plain weird- Vinnie got it done without concern or complaint.

After intensive interviews and careful observation, Sciletti discovered that Vinnie was far more than a dedicated man- he was careful and interested in moving up in the ranks. Vinnie showed a great deal of street sense, cunning and flexibility. Vinnie's "can-do" attitude was a show to cover his real ambitions so that he wouldn't become a target by the power hungry.

In the interim of being introduced to and interviewed by Sciletti, Vinnie became intrigued by counterfeiting and money laundering. Sciletti arranged for Vinnie to be reassigned from collections and into banking. Sciletti tutored and observed Vinnie for several years, discovering the full measure of the man. Sciletti discovered that Vinnie had a deeply twisted side, taking great pleasure in the greed and avarice of the men around him. Vinnie found many opportunities to further his position in the Mob by using others' selfish nature against them.

Vinnie's cautiousness and observational abilities were his tools to furthering his standing in the Mob. While Vinnie watched and made his move up the ladder, Sciletti was setting up his own operation in Houston. The two quickly carved out a thriving business of gambling, counterfeiting, protection and extortion while still operating (at least in part) out of New Orleans.

Immediately before the move was set to happen, Vinnie caught Sciletti alone- a rarity in and of itself. Vinnie laid out point by point all of the strange habits and tendencies he'd noticed of Sciletti's. Sciletti was never the first or last to enter a room; was never alone with anyone; never went anywhere in daytime. Sciletti never hosted events at his home, instead opting for restaurants and private clubs. Anyone Sciletti "offed" was dismembered and bloody, earning him the "Scissors" nickname. Vinnie went on with more of Sciletti's personal traits, all indicating something was "off" about Sciletti; but he'd drawn the wrong conclusion. Vinnie believed Sciletti was a federal plant or an agent with a life elsewhere and was prepared to both expose him and bring him down- permanently.

Sciletti had been planning to Embrace Vinnie for quite some time, but felt he needed an impetus to do so. This "showdown" was exactly what Sciletti was waiting for, and so he laid it all on the table for Vinnie. He gave Vinnie a choice to accept the Embrace, or die. Whatever Sciletti said or showed Vinnie was convincing enough that Vinnie believed he would die if he didn't say "yes" to the offer Sciletti was making, so he accepted.

From the moment of the Embrace, Vinnie learned to address his Sire as Julian, and many more of the secrets Julian held. Vinnie spent 10 years with Julian in Houston, learning the very basics of Embraced life, politics, societies and abilities. Vinnie was introduced to the trappings of the Elysium, as well as local Mekhet. Julian worked hard to give his childer at least a modicum of knowledge about the Requiem and the hazards, rewards and challenges. Julian directed Vinnie to Ordo Dracul, the same covenant he followed; with the idea that most of the Coils would help Vinnie eventually become a better and more "assimilated" Kindred among mortal society.

After several years of mentorship, Julian felt that while Vinnie could benefit from more tutoring and instruction, Vinnie also needed to be on his own. Julian separated to help grow business and help establish his Childer, as well as reduce the chances someone could use Vinnie to get to him personally.

Vinnie chose San Antonio as his new center of operations. It was inland enough that most other crews didn't want to deal with it, and it had little to no Mob influence. Vinnie quickly recruited a man to be the figurehead leader to his local Mob- but of course Nico "The King" Roi had no idea that he was anything other than the big man. Vinnie put a great deal of effort into playing the "dependable soldier" part well while in San Antonio. His cover kept him in the eye of the Mob ranks as a man of influence, but not as the target of hostilities (in most cases). The "face" leaders of the Mob came to depend on Vinnie for a great number of tasks outside his expertise, and he built quite a bit of leverage for his future through wise observation and research.  Vinnie covertly ran the money (fake or laundered) as well as the gambling for all of the city for almost 20 years.

His efforts were almost entirely directed at Mob affairs in this time period, as he wisely felt that the time for the gangs were limited, while there was "always more time" to build a political empire among the Kindred. He was starting to break down his organization when it was discovered one of his crew was being investigated by the feds. What attention he did pay to Kindred politics and scheming was aimed to get him ahead, and he enacted more than a couple diableries to strengthen his power base. As RICO was coming into full swing in the 80's and more and more of the gang's activities were being monitored or compromised in some way, Vinnie began preparations for his "way out".

In the month that Vinnie took to prepare every aspect of his safehouse and getting the last of his paper trail covered, a very young and inexperienced Unaligned Kindred named "Smitty" got swept up in a Federal sting. Before a week was out, Vinnie had heard from several sources that "something weird happened down at the jail", and that Smitty was dead in a very ugly fashion. Vinnie knew his time was up, or would be shortly, and hid himself away for a long torpor; with the idea that when he came out, the coast would be clear.


Vinnie was in torpor for 20 years or so, and has just in the past few years entered back into society. His first year "back" was spent taming his Beast, and he barely avoided police action several times by sheer luck. Vinnie didn't suffer the mental imbalances many Elders do, but has certainly seen a change in his ability level. He's also discovered a very strange new world, where things don't work the way they used to, and he has to develop some new skills, make new contacts, and find new meaning in his requiem.


timeline

1953- Sciletti discovers Vinnie
1955-Sciletti embraces Vinnie
1955-1965 - Houston years, Vinnie learns much about Houston area Embraced politics, Mekhet society and introduction to Ordo Dracul. Learns at least one coil (coil of the blood)
1965-1985- San Antonio years- Mostly Mob focused. Most likely had Kindred connections of some sort as he was influential in Mob, but no title or expectation of anything other than paying tribute.
1986-1988- "unravelling" years, preparing a safehouse, multiple back door names/aliases/safe deposit boxes, hidden bank accounts, etc.
1988-2008 -Torpor
2008-2009 - "Wild year"- coming back to civilization
2010- Move to Austin

[WOD] Austin By Night: Vinnie's Stats

Virtue: Faith (Vinnie believes he can find what he's lost )
Vice: Pride (Vinnie believes he can build his life again)
Clan: Mekhet
Covenant: Ordo Dracul

Int-2;Wits-4; Resolve-3
Str-2; Dex-3; Stam-2
Pre-1;Man-2; Comp-3

Academics- Research (sp) 2
Crafts- Counterfeit money 3
Computer-1
Investigations-2
Politics-2
Science-1

Brawl-1
Firearms-1
Larceny- Gambling 2
Stealth- 2
Survival-1

Intimidation-1
Streetwise-2
Subterfuge-1

Disciplines
1-Auspex
1-Obsfucate
1-Coils of Blood

Merits-
Haven- 2 (Sec/Size even split)
Status: Ordo-1
Contacts: Mob-1 Ordo-1
Resources-2

Health -7
Willpower-6
Blood Potency-1
Humanity-7
Per-7

Size-5
Defense-3
Init mod -6
speed- 10u

1 extra point in Resolve due to Mekhet clan "bonus"


was given starting XP. Spent it on 2nd Coil of Blood,  2nd dot in Obsfucate and several expenditures in skills.

[RPG][WOD] Introducing Vinnie

Well, not quite. A girl can dream, though. He's really a bit more like this:

Vinnie is my new character for the WOD game set in Austin. He's a typical Italian guy, a little "old school", sorta retro. He's a good soldier, and follows orders very well. This makes him pretty reliable, and he's got a job working for a transfer company, running a division.

He's a Vampire. He's a Mekhet, and has a Covenant, but it's sort of a secret for now. I've resisted playing a Vampire for so long, I finally decided to give in and go "back to my roots" as far as where I started "modern" roleplaying. I'm excited to see some other people in the game are active as Vampires, so I don't have to "blaze the trail" and/or do all the work. There's already an environment to play in, which is super nice.

I have a pretty in-depth background and story for Vinnie, as well as some ideas on what I want to see happen with him. Once I have another episode in, I'll spill the beans.

[RPG][WOD] Getting Frustrated

I'm feeling more than a little frustrated right now. Things have changed enough, or timing is different enough, or my life is settled enough that I finally feel I can take on being in the WOD game again. I've talked to the ST about it, and he has said "ok" to the idea of my coming back as well.

So I'm working on a character idea for the game.

I have actually come up with an idea that is perfect, intellectually. He's got tons of good plot material, has a good reason to be in Austin, has enough abilities to make him interesting- the whole package is pretty awesome.

So what's the problem?


I am not excited about the idea. Not even a little. There's no joy; no promise; no thrill. This character, while ideal on paper, would merely be an intellectual exercise; but not FUN.

Everyone else in this game loves their character. Gets pumped, excited and flush with the thrill of playing their respective imaginary personas when game time comes. And I really want that.

What makes this all the more frustrating is that this particular idea is a Vampire; and I'm fairly well known for Vampires; and I generally love them. But this guy is making me pretty aggravated, so maybe I need to go back to the drawing board. Or something.

How do you handle this? Cause it's really annoying.