Greetings all,

I guess as we are comparing and constrasting notes, I thought that I would
chip in at this point.

My campaign so far has mainly set in London and the surrounding areas. This
is partly because of the fact I live just outside of the City, partly
because of the diversity of cultures present here, and lastly for the
historical significance of London to the background of the game, 1666 and
all that. Although, that said the group did end up in Holland and Paris
after a small skirmish on a ship in the North Sea. There has been a brief
trip to Atlantis for a couple of the more curious players.

For various reasons, I didn't see London as being under the control of any
one Tribe. I felt that it would be quite possible, due to its size and
cosmopolitian nature, that most, if not all the Tribes have some presence in
the City and the surrounding districts. Thus I gave a free hand as to which
Tribes characters came from.

However, I did see that there would have to be a need for some sort of
council overseeing Immortal activity,
settling disputes and coordinating various groups against attack from Droves
and the like. So I came up with the idea of a ruling triumvirate, with each
member coming from a different Tribe and be of a different Calling. At the
time of writing, the Triumvirate consists of a member from Tribe Morrigan,
Tribe Magdalen and Tribe Eremite.

As to where the Triumvirate would be based, I discovered a place quite by
chance and assume that it would be a location that is unfamiliar to many.
Its name, and I kid you not, is 'Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese', a pub located in
Fleet Street. The current building dates from 1667, rebuilt after being
destroyed in the Great Fire. It was built on the site where various taverns
and guest houses have been situated. The earliest incarnation on this site
is a guest house of a13th century Carmelite Monastry, and the current pub's
vaulted cellars are believed to date from that building. The building has a
dark wooden interior and is a warren of narrow corridors and staircases,
leading to numerous bars and restaurants. There are that many that even the
regulars get confused. Of particular interest to me was the narrow stairway
down to the cellar bars and the vaults. I could quite easily see how perhaps
one of these vaults could quite easily lead to a mantle. It would account
why
there had been a building on the site from so long and why it kept getting
rebuilt, to maintain access with the manse. It allows the players a
convienent point to meet or contact other immortals and keep abreast of
events.

Theme:

The War at this stage does not have a direct effect on the Players. While
there are Droves around, but not so obvious or concentrated to be a constant
threat to the group, there have been a few encounters with the Shadowen and
Drove Mut. Perhaps of more of a threat to the group thus far is the
Apocrypha who I see as having a great amount of influence through various
institutions in the U.K.

Perhaps one of the main themes relates to an old 1st Ed Campaign I once
played in and enjoyed immensely, my current game certainly has echoes of
that original game and deals with a few loose ends. The group has acquired a
patron who has survived the rigours of the Great Betrayal and is generally
regarded as a loose cannon by many of those in immortal society and his own
Tribe. He has some unfinished business to take care of, and as to what it is
he hasn't yet said.

I guess another theme is how the group are still exploring what it means to
be immortal and are still generally living in the rush of their extra
abilities, and have began to exploit the advantages these new abilities give
them plus discovering one or two weaknesses along the way. They have yet to
learn the fact they also have certain responsibilities especially regarding
humanity. They have drawn unwanted attention through being careless and
greedy, although not to the point where it has become critical as they have
generally cleaned up the problems before the situations have become too
dangerous.

Analysis:

I guess the main thing is that the majority of the players that began the
game have stayed and that they are happy to continue playing. It is also
means I am happy to continued running it.

Perhaps the most annoying thing about 3rd Ed. is the gaps where things are
to be cover in the Narrator's guide, which seems to be now slowly coming
into being. This does mean there had to be quite a number of ad hoc rules,
decisions and guesswork based on what has already been published, both from
1st & 3rd editons.


Anyway, that is enough from me for now.

Jason Pickering
AKA Cornelius, Harlequin of Tribe Phoenix.