Storytelling Adventure System

Ruins of Ur feedback spoilers

Butcher — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:26:23 GMT

*Note contains spoilers for the Ruins of UR module for World of Darkness RP game*

Hello!

Just wanted to post on how well this module was for a first introductory game for a hutner game I am running (Table top). This module worked out well in showing hte basics of the mechanics of the system while giving the players a chance to succeed on many a level. I altered it a little biit to fit it into my hunter game as the beginning introductory story line. This module took about 2 nights real time to run it start to finish.

My table top game is basically "Bahgdad by Night", the players are a mix of western mercs and one professor from London hired by the US State department to retrieve artifacts to increase the goodwill between the Iraqi's and the Americans. The professor had a professional contact with Steel and he helped picked out the guards at the Mercenary hiring station in Tikrit (aka a coffee cafe with alot of mercs). There the Professor PC with the Help of the Man in Black PC (the social and mental skilled PCs of the group) hired the rest of the PCs (A Japanese Sniper Merc with medicine, A Tenneseeian Grunt former US Army, A welsh merc specializeing in transportation with a gun truck).

So, with the party made they followed the scenario pretty well, They were transported by helicopter and got shot at, dealt with the the insurgents, dealt wit hthe treasonous Steele (instead of her useing an AK on the group , I had her use a smoke grenade thinking it was a real grenade, this had an interesting outcome i nthat the players wasted her and went "oh no its going to go off" , then there is smoke..this was the change I made to make more sense and more entertainment, yes I was hopeing the players would "persuade her" to back down and not turn her into chunky salsa.Oh well they had a PC who was an archeologist.)

Over all good easy flow to follow, I loved the sub sections very orderly.

Positive things:
Easy to understand flow/plot with detailed subsections
The Seals as a timer worked really well and added tension
Antagonists were appropriate for a party full of guys with explosives and automatic weapons
I liked the Typeset. for some reason it was very easy to read.
Scorn encounter was interesting.

Negative:
Steele should not be given the option of useing an Ak-47,. hence the "I got a grenade" alteration. More tension with explosives.

Next:
Next is some linkage and back ground development for the character, I am going to be looking at some of the other SAS modules to see what could fit in and translate it over to my campaign set in Iraq. Maybe block by bloody block....

AP - ebook readers, any reviews

molez — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:56:41 GMT

Has anyone used a Kindle or other ebook reader to look at the SAS / AP products or PDF copies of rulebooks?

Any reviews of them? I'm interested in getting one, but would like to hear if others have found them effective for use around the gaming table?

The Devil’s Night - A Free SAS Scene at Flames Rising!

Matt-M-McElroy — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:32:28 GMT

Stop by the Flames Rising website for a Free Storytelling Adventure System scene and character for use with the World of Darkness!

The Devil's Night (World of Darkness)

As the player characters plan for All Hallows Eve, they suddenly find themselves embroiled into a deadly fight with a pyrokinetic named Gabriella who has lost control of her ability. Several buildings around the city are on fire; this offers the player characters plenty of options to find and determine the best way of dealing with an “innocent” teenage pyrokinetic.

Read all about the Flames Rising collaboration with White Wolf from Devil's Night author Monica Valentinelli at FlamesRising.com.

To learn more about the Storytelling Adventure System, be sure to read the free SAS Guide, found at the SAS website: www.white-wolf.com/sas.

A Query

nepphie — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:54:23 GMT

Is this the appropriate forum to post some notes I have on an SAS story I'm working on? I would like some basic critique on the story and outline before I start polishing it. I'm rather proud of the idea, and may even consider sending it to White Wolf for consideration if I get far enough with it. Just curious, thanks in advance!

nephs

The Resurrectionists

urdinaran — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:18:48 GMT

*** Spoiler Alert ***

I'm just wondering if anyone has run this SAS and how did it pan out in the end in regards to Raphael Pope? Does he end up surviving and what part does he end up playing in a Chronicle? A very good SAS I might add...

What are some of your favorite SAS's and why?

TheCheshiresGrin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:00:04 GMT

Well, as the title, actually. My group is thinking of trying out the nWoD for the first time and I'm looking for a bit of inspiration. Right now it's up in the air as to wether it'll be a base WoD campaign, or a Hunter, or Mage, or heck, even a Scion game (even though that's not really in the nWoD, I know.)

I want to know which SAS you liked the best and why you liked them. I would be especially interested if you had anything you would have changed in your module that I could do for my group.

Thank you in advance

Murder Will Out - Post-Play Impressions (Warning: SPOILERS, Wall of Text)

QualitySteel — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:29:33 GMT

Okay, so I finished running Murder Will Out (Hunter SAS) last night. Overall, I'd rate this as a 4 out of 5 star product, which helped me run what my entire group said was the 'best game they have ever played' on more than one occasion - and we've all be playing together for over 10 years now. It really did stand out, and I probably wouldn't have bothered with writing this if it didn't. I set the game in Philidelphia, and this was a face to face tabletop session, not an online game, or I'd provide an Actual Play instead of a synopsis.

Length:

In total, running the entire S.A.S. took three sessions. The first two sessions were a good 4-5 hours long each, and the last was an epic 10 hour romp. So a total of around 20 hours of playtime. This was my first SAS (though I've run other pregenerated stories before), and I actually expected to be able to get through all eight scripted scenes in one sitting. Boy was I wrong!

Part of this was due to the fact that I started a whole new chronicle, new characters, etc. and the obligatory 'get everyone together' phase took up almost three quarters of the first session. I did feel like the SAS presented a little too much 'handwaving' for me (i.e. the assumption that everything would just go according to plan and one scene would run smoothly into the next) and my group, so the reality of the situation was that I had to invent anywhere from three to four scenes to actually get to the party from one place to the next, which was just fine but certainly meant it took longer to get to the climax than any of us expected.

The last session, well, we didn't intend it to go that long either. We reached a point where the characters were just about to enter West Bridge for a big showdown, but it was about 1:00 a.m. realtime, and I knew this was going to take some time, so I asked if everyone wanted to break for the night and finish later... got a resounding NO from my players. We finished up around 6:30 a.m., drained and tired but very, very satisfied.

Characters:

I allow players to choose their own level of experience, in blocks of 50, up to 150, but they must take a Flaw, Tell, or some other hindrance for each 'block'. Everyone elected for the full 150/3 Flaw setup (though taking a Major Flaw counts as two). They don't always do this, but I had told them this was about Slashers, and their impression of Slashers up till this point was 'Jason Vorhees will fucking kill you,' so all of them elected for higher experience totals for probably self-explanatory reasons.

I originally was going to allow any Tier, but then decided to start everyone at Tier 1 with a warning to possibly save some xp for Compact/Conspiracy Status and Endowments as they became available - with a promise that yes, they could join any Compact and/or Conspiracy they pleased, in time. The reason for the decision was that on my second reading of the SAS itself I decided some things would be too easy if any of the players had other Hunters to back them up.

The group consists of:

A retired C.I.A. assassin (based on the movie Taken), pushing 50, whose niece and nephew were apparently kidnapped by The Calculator. If you've seen the movie, you've seen this character, not terribly original I'm afraid but played to the hilt with more emphasis on the angst of loss and cold rage than 'I have lots of ways to kill you'... though there was a good bit of that, too.

A twenty-two year old graduate of the police academy with a bachelors in Criminal Law and ties to the Boston-Irish mob (pretty clearly based on the movie The Departed). The player wanted to go Lucifuge, so instead I allowed him to be a Child of the Seventh Generation and take a Dread Power (Crushing Blows). Obviously, his 23rd birthday is coming soon. Also, his sister never showed up for his graduation, and turns out to have went missing. She was last seen in Philidelphia....

The Reluctant Surgeon, a drug-addicted neurosurgeon who quit his practice to follow a famous Hunter around the world, Doctor Watson to his Sherlock Holmes, so to speak, who was called in to help interpret some of the weird occult markings and strange surgical techniques employed in the Calculator murders.

An ex-Hunter-turned-Drug Lord from Miami who moved to New York, and was on vacation when one crazy night of partying had him waking up hung over from the booze and coke and only vague memories of the brawl at the club that landed him in the holding cell of Detective Kim's precinct. Later, this character calls in a hit on Detective Kim, bringing in the last character, who was a 'generic' mafia hitman from New York who was intended to be an NPC until a friend of one of my player's asked to sit in and got handed his character sheet. After the SAS, I asked the player if he wanted to make a new character. He politely declined, having grown attached to him during the climax of the SAS.

Setting:

I used the default Hunter setting of Phillidelphia, as this whole Chronicle will be one SAS followed by another, with a chapter or two of 'downtime' (i.e. following the character's personal goals) between each, and wanted to place more emphasis on the story arcs than my own unique setting. I took a little bit of dramatic license and made Detective Kim's precinct Precinct 13 from the WoD book, with just enough emphasis on some of the themes in that book to make it recognizable to my players who had read the book. It was really more throwing those guys a bone because sometimes it's hard to get them to read books that don't directly affect their characters and I wanted to reward them. It worked out great, and now the Detective character is replacing Kim as the lead detective at the precinct.

Plot:

I made a lot of changes to the Plot and scripted scenes, in some cases just to take into account that these were all very experienced characters, in other cases because I didn't like them as written or had some spark of inspiration while reading them. The core change was the Calculator's identity. The demon at West Bridge was high enough in Infernal Rank to have other demons serving him, and one of them was actually Possessing (ala Inferno) each of the three Slashers in the SAS. This was partly so that I could assume that the Askhanarul (or however you spell the demon's name) had more direct control over them, and partly to cross the power gap between the recommended xp and the actual xp I allowed.

They were still Serial Killers before the Possession, of course, all except the Calculator... who Kim had already killed, only to be Possessed himself at the scene of the crime. Kim actually replaces the Calculator. This gave the demon key insights into the character's plans at almost every juncture, and really worked out well because everyone was looking for a seven foot tall black man when in fact the real Calculator was now a five foot six half-Chinese cop...

I left out the part where Donald Atcheson write the party letters to try and get them to kill each other. This is mostly because, even though I use lots of props and gimmicks, I just didn't think I could pull it off without the players feeling it was contrived. By the time we got to it everyone was so into the story that I was afraid to do anything to hurt their immersion, and partly because the only 'guaranteed' payoff from using the scene is having Kim go ballistic on a character and Kim was already 'on board' - no need to convince him anymore. All the other scenes got used, even if there were significant alterations. Sandra Myers became the C.I.A. agent's niece, and most of the 'reveals' and clues got taken in out of order because the party didn't have to be spoon-fed clues the way the SAS presents them - they had contacts and allies to draw on that let them find what they needed on their own.

I was particularly let down by some parts, though, such as the Calculator leaving his jacket behind at the crime scene and later Sally Duqesne just happening to have a flyer for Green Field's Retirement Home with "D. Atcheson" scribbled into the margins... it was just too easy, imo, but I ended up still using the latter, just making sure that the circumstances reeked of 'this is clearly a trap.' What a trap it was, too! Sally took off the Drug Lord's right arm at the elbow, and all but killed him before the Surgeon (who was the only one who'd objected to sending the Drug Lord in alone) got to him and put Sally down.

The last Plot Point I'd like to discuss is one I made up myself, but truly ratcheted the creep factor to Over Nine Thousand for my group. Over the course of the game, the Detective's Whisperer (which will eventually grow into his Familiar) helped him crack the Calculator's Code, and reproduce the ritual. At one point when the party hit a brick wall, he just gave in to the demon and performed the ritual himself, with the help of the Retired Assassin, and used the information gained to locate Ashkanaruul (sp) at West Bridge. I pulled no punches. They murdered Donald Atcheson at a Marriot Hotel, and I made them describe every tiny detail of the ritual as they performed it, leading them to believe that if they didn't get every detail just perfect there would be even worse problems than a serial killer loose in the city. This became the defining moment for the Detective, when he fully embraced the (literal) demon inside him, and truly joined the Children of the Seventh Generation. It also prompted my entire party to ask for an extended break because they were severely creeped out by the end of it (though in a good way) and the tension was getting to them.

Finale:

I really worked myself over here, watching about two horror movies a day for a month straight to get inspiration and the 'standard' horror tropes down. The scene at West Bridge took six hours, and was closer to a Grindhouse Event than a single horror movie, where I had the opportunity to just go absolutely over the top and include elements of nearly every horror movie I ever watched. The Hospital wasn't evacuated, but quarantined, and the Calculator (Detective Kim in disguise, using powers of illusion to look like the original Calculator until "the rules*" no longer allowed him to do so) had literally hundreds of potential victims to choose from in what amounted to an orgy of death. The 'demon host' that I added to serve Ashkanaruul(sp) also started possessing (lowercase p) random people and making them commit atrocities as well. Detective Kim, unlike the original Calculator, was not a Freak but a Legend, and simply couldn't be harmed except by someone who had a sympathetic connection to his victims (in this case the Detective or the Retired Assassin)... so he only fought them, personally, in the very, very end.

One example of a scene in the finale: The Retired Assassin hears screams down the hall. As he heads for the door, only the lights directly above his head remain on (and only flickering at that), they turn off behind him and on as he walks under them. When he gets there, it says "Maternity Ward" in big block letters (and is accompanied by some really funny looks from the players when they saw where I was going with this...).

Taking a deep breath, because this is about as bad as it could get, he imagines, he passes through the door - only to have it slam shut and lock behind him - and all but the emergency lights on the emergency exit sign at the far end of this hallway shut off. He gets out his cell phone and uses it for light, slowly advancing. Eventually, he starts seeing people near the end of the hallway, nurses and patients carrying the babies, nurses and doctors pushing patients in wheelchairs, all towards the emergency exit. He breathes a sigh of relief. It could have been worse, so much worse.

(in fact, just the mention of 'Maternity Ward' after all the disturbing events and bloodshed they had already seen in the rest of the hospital was one of the tensest moments for most of the players in the entire story... I find that implying true horror often is more effective than splatter, and 'mutilated babies' would have probably been going to far. I was really pushing their limits by this point.)

Before he gets to the end of the hall, he hears a woman moaning and grunting, and looks in one of the room. He sees nurses holding flashlights and a doctor in the process of delivering a baby. After watching for long enough to make sure they weren't Crazy Ninja Pirate Doctors delivering a Zombie Baby or some other nastiness, and that the doctor had things well under control, he started down the hallway again... only to hear a sound reminiscent of a giant water baloon bursting behind him. He looks back to see a gargantuan spray of blood, like the doorway had become the nozzle of the world's largest blood-filled fire hydrant, splash against the opposite wall of the hall and cover him in gore. As the blood drips down the walls, it leaves behind smears in the shape of the Calculator's Code, which could be found at the scene of all the previous killings. He runs back into the room, only to find it empty but the blood really there, and loses it a little bit, getting completely soaked through with the stuff as he tries to rub out the bloody symbols with his hands and arms. Once he finally gives up and leaves the room, he finds that all the blood except what is on him is gone.

Conclusions:

This is a really, really good product and I suggest anyone looking for excellent story seeds for their Hunter game to give it a serious look. I had to make extensive changes for the game to suit my players and I, but that would have happened no matter what SAS I was running.

Also, if you've actually read through all this you seriously deserve a gold star for perseverance. Thank you.

SAS Product codes?

Valheru — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:01:41 GMT

I have been compiling a list of all NWoD products to date so I can check off what I have and what I still want. Yes I know it has been done before and I am basing my list on several others. I noticed several SAS products don't have codes or the codes are inconsistent. Being the diligent librarian I am this sits crossways with me.

Eddy, could you help me out on this one? I'm trying to figure out the codes for Criminal Intent, Parlour Games and Scenes of Frenzy.

Writing for SAS

DigitalS3raph — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:31:58 GMT

So what are the official rules, requirements and procedures for us people out here who would like to possibly write SAS' for products and have them actually get published/sold on the rpg drive thru for white wolf?

Ready Made Player Characters: Geist

Kry8ter — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:54:26 GMT

There hasn't been any talk of this yet, and while I know it is inevitible, I am hoping that they release this pack soon (very soon) after launch. I know a few of us story tellers around here who want to run demos of the game in the weeks following launch.

Could I make a handful myself. Sure could, but I would pay to have the pros do it for me. ;)

Any plans to throw us a bone soon after launch?

SAS Support Kit now available!

eddyfate — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:53:39 GMT

Interested in using our Storytelling Adventure System format for your own chronicles? Then download our free SAS Support Kit. It has a few pages of suggestions on how to write stories in the SAS format (culled from the same document that White Wolf freelancers get to write our professional SAS stories), and dozens of sheets and forms for you to print up and fill out, covering all of the World of Darkness lines, as well as Exalted and Scion.

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=62239

Note: This is our standard version. An interactive version with fillable PDF fields is coming soon, developed by the ever-talented MrGone. :)

Hunter: Ready Made Characters

Kry8ter — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:36:54 GMT

First. I LOVE these ready made character packs. They are fairly meaty, and the tendency for the writer to be mindfuly and tie them to other possible Hooks and SAS is great.

But I found an error.

Doug in the hunter one has "Compassion" as a virtue. Should this be Charity? I hand't cracked the spine on the WoD book for some time, but was sure that was not one. On the other hand I don't see any reasons why he can't have it, if he acts out of it often. I often wondered why Mercy didn't sit opposite of Wrath.

SAS Project

Scionic — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:51:10 GMT

Hello random people that have no clue who I am. I have decided to start a new project at the beginning of next week, and I need your help in deciding which to do. I am going to be writing a fan SAS, but I am not sure what system to use.

Therefore, I am leaving the decision up to people who vote on my Twitter topic, #ScionSAS. Looking back on it, I probably should have made it ScionicSAS, but you get the idea. At 10pm EST on 8/14/09, I will tally up all the votes and produce over the coming weeks a fully fleshed out document in an effort to improve my own writing skills. This will be made available free to all! For obvious reasons, I am not looking to make money off this.

The options for systems are:
1. Exalted (2nd Edition)
2. Werewolf: The Forsaken
3. Mage: The Awakening
4. Changeling: The Lost
5. Hunter: The Vigil

I apologize to Vampire and Promthean enthusiasts, but I simply don't have the books to put out something I would be comfortable with. There will be no reprinted rules, only references when they are required. You are free too add ideas like story hooks and general experience range to tweets when voting, but the main thing I am going to be looking at is which system.

So, if you're interested in watching a fanboi squirm under pressure, here's your chance! You can follow my semi-coherent thoughts at http://twitter.com/Scionical and please vote! #ScionSAS, the polls close at 10pm EST on Friday, August 14th!

Werewolf SAS

PurpleAngel26 — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:51:12 GMT

Will there be anymore Werewolf the Forsaken SAS's soon?

I only saw Parlor Games up but would like to have more of them.

Please let me know :)

SAS for a one-shot

Boj Cea — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:35:30 GMT

Given the current schedule and mindset of my group it is going to be easier to run one-shots for the next couple of months so I’ve been thinking about running one-shots in a large number of different systems with the goal of one of them turning into a long game.

To this end I’ve been thinking of running SAS’s as one-shots for three of the nWoD game lines; Vampire, Changeling and Hunter. I don’t like Mage, I’m indifferent to Werewolf and I haven’t read any other line.

I turn to you to ask which SAS’s you think would be best for this.

Looking for an SAS module for new players/mortals game

pwvogt — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:10:06 GMT

Hey all, looking to introduce my players to the WoD game world. I'd like to start as mortals and keep things simple. Are there any SAS modules fitting this role to introduce them to the mechanics and the world?

I have the hunter and geist quickstart rules, but I'm hoping there's something for just a mortals game. I don't need pre-genned characters as we're comfortable with that.

Any suggestions would be welcomed!

City in the Sand (MET) is now available!

eddyfate — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:17:33 GMT

Another night in City of Angels

Dangerous secrets were hidden in the sand ninety years ago. It’s a blink in time for the vampires of Los Angeles. But discovery is not always a good thing.

The set of Cecil DeMille’s The Ten Commandments has been found in Guadalupe, CA, and a group of movie archeologists have started to excavate the site as an important find in film preservation history. There is an exclusive party being held to help fundraise and increase awareness of this unique site. Rumor has it that the archeologists have found something interesting, and they intend to reveal it at this event. That may explain why so many Kindred of diverse interests have secured an invitation to be present.

That’s why you’re here.   

A story in the Storytelling Adventure System for Mind’s Eye Theatre: The Requiem   

City in the Sand contains a collection of scenes, handouts and a number of hyperlinks to various portions of the text as well as bookmarks, so you can always jump right to what you need with just a click. It also has over fifty pre-generated characters, reference sheets and a new player booklet to get your players ready as quickly as possible for this one-night live-action roleplaying experience.

You can get it now from DriveThruRPG.com.

Future of SAS?

Mr Gone — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:40:53 GMT

Hey Eddy, could I ask what you have in store for SAS? Any hints about what might be upcoming for SAS? I had to ask. :)

Have you made your own SAS?

MrKold — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:03:32 GMT

Hey there everybody.

I have just finished to work on a long campaign where i have used the official SASes as part of a bigger plot.

Now i just need a SAS that can be run on a single evening, since i wanna introduce Hunter to some different players i know.

Has any of you made a good SAS you are willing to share with the rest of us? It would be a great help since i havent got the time to build up a brand new shot scenario at the moment.

Hope you can help me :)

SAS Editable Templates

Centimanus — Sat, 30 May 2009 13:41:54 GMT

Is there a time line for completion on when we might see the added sheets that will accompany the new version of the SAS guidelines? I think I read Mr. Gone is making them.

Blood Drive SAS profession name...

cidflyer — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:10:16 GMT

So what's the name of the new profession in the Blood Drive SAS?

SASTest: my sad attempt at a website.

PillowDealer — Thu, 14 May 2009 23:14:47 GMT

http://sites.google.com/site/sastestwebsite/

This is SASTest, the test run for the website I want to create for fan-made SAS modules. A few notes:

1) Obviously, this is an alpha run of the webpage, and is in no way official whatsoever.

2) I haven't made a webpage since 10th grade.

If anyone is interested in helping me out, or has a similar project going and wouldn't mind teaching me the basics of webmastering, let me know. Otherwise, just watch the site and feel free to comment (or hate, whichever).

Blood Drive is now available!

eddyfate — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:24:15 GMT

Everything is blood.

The heartland gushes. Highways like arteries. The map darkens with spreading red. At night, it’s all a great big bloody nowhere, a yawning mouth, a hungry shadow. And you have to cross it. It feels like a bad dream. It is a bad dream. This can’t be real. This can’t be what they want you to do. Of course, you know as soon as you wake up it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t stop the fact that tomorrow night, this dream you’re having right now becomes really real, and let’s face it, you’re probably going to die out there.

A story in the Storytelling Adventure System for Hunter: The Vigil.

Blood Drive contains Storyteller character records, props, a number of hyperlinks to various portions of the text as well as bookmarks, so you can always jump right to what you need with just a click. It also has a new Benediction, a new Dread Power and a new Profession. It is inspired by Night Stalkers, but that book is not required to use Blood Drive.

You can buy it now at DriveThruRPG.com!

Proverbial Monsters?

astromancer — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:38:07 GMT

I'm just curious, within the limits of allowed disclosure, what is Proverbial Monsters about? It sounds interesting.

Thank-you for your time and attention.

SAS NPC Character Sheets

Sorin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:21:49 GMT

I have purchased and read through both of the SAS's for Exalted and plan to use them both in my up coming chronicle. One of the things I like best are the compact character sheets in the back for NPC's. I was wondering, if there were any plans for making blank ones available for download or purchase in a PDF pack or somthing, as they would be really usefull for documenting all my storys NPC's?