Influence

Wanted: Corporate Executive with large supply of vitae and influence in the financial world to work day shift at major European Banking institution. Hemopheliacs and Blood Dolls need not apply.

Influence is what makes the mortal world go 'round. Seriously, can ANYONE honestly say that it is the not about the people you know, but the job you do, that gets you ahead in today's world? Throw those names out during the interview, albeit sparingly, and you are a shoe-in for that next corporate IT job. I promise.

For those of you who have ever looked at your character sheet and said, "Hey, gee, I have all these Resources, so obviously I can hire a street gang, pay off the police, and own a 75 bazillion dollar mansion on the shores of Beverly Hills" is sadly mistaken. Bear in mind, just cause you got the money doesn't mean you can do everything you want.... just close to it. Ask Bill Gates. And Donald Trump.

We storytellers sat down and looked at the system in place for White Wolf games and shook our heads in a drunken stupor and quietly said, "This sucks". So we changed it, because that is what Storytellers do best. Below is presented the new and improved (we hope) system for status in the least confusing edition in print.

The Meat and Potatoes of What IT is

We took the existing framework and expanded it. Oh, did we ever. The original Backgrounds section of the White Wolf Character Sheet has ten different backgrounds on it. That is all well and good for a troupe of five or six people sitting around a table rolling dice, eating pizza, and imbibing a case (each) of the finest cheap college beer. For our game, it just didn't cut the proverbial mustard.

What we have done is put together the most commonly used "spheres of influence" and expanded the backgrounds to include them as individual traits. No more of this, "I have Fame, so therefore, I can control the Mayor, Judges, and everything else in this stinkin' town". Allies, Contacts, Retainers, and Influence are gone completely, while Status has its own section now on the Character Sheet. The leftover traits have been continued, and the new traits are FAR more diverse. The list is below.

Alright, so there are all these new traits. What he heck are they? How do I get em?

Well, if you are an existing character in Carpathia by Night, the conversion is simple. For each "dot" you have in backgrounds that are no longer used, put them in one of the new categories. Dots in existing categories are unchanged.

If you are a new player, this is even easier. For each dot you would have in backgrounds, this is the new list to select from.

These new influences should be rather self-explanitory. If you have questions on what they mean, contact the storytellers at cbnstorytellers@groups.aol.com.

How do they work? That is a much more complex answer. If you wish to use any influence whatsoever (I don't mean to use an ATM card at the local Quickie Mart to buy a blueberry squishie), you need to contact the storytellers and explain, in detail, what you are trying to do. We Storytellers <insert evil laugh here> will review the request and give you further instructions on how to proceed. This can include such things as a posting of what is happening, or at least we Storytellers recording who has paid off whom, how much, and the circumstances behind the event. (We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Cash, Personal Check, Cashiers Check, and some select escrow Services for our own bribes.)

Alright, that seems simple enough. What's the catch?

The catch here is that not everything you want to do is easily accomplished. Some things require some finesse, or hard work, or luck, or all of the above. Let's say you wanted to open a new shop in town. Simple in concept, more difficult in practice. Opening a new business requires #1) Money or loans, #2), business permits, #3) Stuff to sell (commonly called inventory), #4) Clientele (commonly called shoppers). Influence is what makes this happen more easily, or can cause the most problems.

Money comes from Resources or Finance. Business Permits come from Bureaucracy. Inventory and Clientele just round out a VERY simple business plan.

But what if you have no money and your loan keeps falling through? Hey, that Ventrue owes you a boon, doesn't he? I'm sure he can scrape something together. And that permit for a liquor license has been held up forever.... Good thing that Brujah you helped out a few weeks back has a friend inside that can get you the permit.

This example shows that influence helps make the world go round. A few favors here and there, and presto, you're in business. Of course, make those same people angry, and they may stomp all over your efforts jsut as easily. Such things deepen the role-play experience by providing a more complete backdrop of the city and it's inhabitants, without getting into gross details about everybody's name.