Thursday 28 March 2024

Nationals update update

The other GM in the category has had to drop out. Asking who the replacement is so I can say hello.

Nationals update

Okay, that’s 63 pages of printing so far for this Nationals game. (Not including the optional character pictures I’m still collecting.) And two of them are for me, in case I can’t get access to notes online.

... 64. I should have a name card as well as the players.

This is the game outline, also known as page 61.

VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE
LAST DANCE

Three cheers to the mirror
Now the two of us
Can we have one last dance?
Thursday, Jet Black New Year

New York City is home to over ten million people and haven to hundreds of vampires.

The Camarilla, the vampire establishment, serves under the Prince, Hellene. She has ruled since the turn of the century – hardly any time to some Kindred, but you have only been undead a few years. The Camarilla runs like a feudal fief – or an organised crime syndicate.

And like any syndicate, it has rivals, lieutenants who would rather be captains, and enemies.

Standing outside are the Anarchs, factions hiding in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Some think a better world is possible, others only care about a better supply of blood.

Hellene also tolerates others like the Church of Caine, the Hecata families, and the blood bank racketeers of the Circulatory System, so long as they contribute to “the good of all Kindred” in their own ways.

Around the city’s nightlife districts a number of clubs form the Rack, with vampire backers ensuring Kindred can hunt there in safety, provided they not make a mess.

The most prominent club on the Rack is the Electric, backed by the host known as Saint, but many Kindred feel most free in Thea Corbin’s Goth and alternative club Absolution.

In December, the sun sets before five in the afternoon and rises after seven in the morning. So the Camarilla likes to keep its subjects busy.

The Midwinter Gala is one of the most extravagant cultural events in the Kindred year. Artists in every field seek to perform there, or in spinoff events better suited to their style.

Kindred bands like Cold and Tearstain and performers like the violinist Michael Devere and the dancer Melusine prepare for a few minutes in front of the Prince,

Last Dance are to take the stage at Absolution the night before, in three nights’ time...

Wednesday 27 March 2024

Spider-Verse: The Spider Within

The Spider Within, a Spider-Verse short film about anxiety, raising funds for an education charity. Note to arachnophobes to avoid the end, as it goes past the usual Spider-Man levels of spiders being involved.

Immaculate

Immaculate (2024) (trailer) does its job well, with some good surprises and twists on a solid formula as well as one puzzling choice.

I do think it would be interesting to see a version where something like this goes well.

It’s also at times a rare-these-days Paperback Gothic Cover movie with a lot of creeping around a big dark house in a nightdress carrying a candle.

Also the second film I’ve seen this year starring Sydney Sweeney and both have birds hitting windows at one point, though it’s only important in the other one, here it’s a jumpscare that kind of deflates the atmosphere for a moment.

Trailers include The First Omen, great trailer for a film that has some distinct overlap here and the problem of being a prequel so will lose a lot of the uncertainty in comparison. And Abigail, yay! And Tarot, boo.

Spoilery bit

Pirates Of The Carebootean

Or, recurse of the Black Pearl.

As someone who loves the first and has seen them all in cinemas and went to the ride as a child and still wants an RPG... yeah, could go for more. Maybe reset the level of absurd giant building smashing stunts, as well as the having-that-lead issue.

And maybe Disney+ up a spinoff show, live or more practically animated? A proper comic series maybe... And an RPG...

Tuesday 26 March 2024

Four years since lockdown became legally enforced here.

Monday 25 March 2024

March 25th

Happy Tolkien Reading Day. commemmorating the day the Ring was cast into the fires of Mount Doom.

Sunday 24 March 2024

Demon: The Descent at 10

Demon: The Descent launched ten years ago today. It’s the only Chronicles of Darkness outside of Vampire: The Requiem and a couple of blue book one-shots that I’ve actually run.

Conpulsion programme

Conpulsion programme now with talks and panels and a time for the quiz. This time next week it should be ready to go.
Happy birthday Cat!

Saturday 23 March 2024

The Filmhouse

The Filmhouse has received a grant for restoration and reopening, and could be back by the end of the year.

Wednesday 20 March 2024

Alien: Romulus teaser

Alien: Romulus teaser is very much selling a back to basics ALIEN/S movie, which forty-five years in is entirely fair.

X-Men '97

Having had a quarter of a century to pick a codename for Jean Grey so she doesn’t look out of place in the intro, I guess X-Men ’97 didn’t do that on purpose.