​

Overview: 

This VSS is meant as a general information guide to the overall style and feel of the Apocalypse game being run at MESCON 2024. This is the presiding VSS Document for that convention game alone, along with the Universal VSS.

Lead ST: Erin Smith US2017090057 anst@apoc.modernenigmasociety.org
ST Second: Hope Bowman US2013020070  shadowlightlady@gmail.com

Facebook Event Page: N/A 

Theme & Mood:

The core themes of this venue are: 

Theme A – Momentum – The strike on the Static Weaver’s base in the Cyber Realm has not only scattered their forces, but it revealed more of the nature of this enemy. Static Weaver would see the world stand still, held safe against the darkness and destruction that would consume it. But there can be no life without the natural cycle.

Theme B – Collision – There’s a theory that the universe began with disparate pieces coming together, or possibly apart, and humans have been chasing this idea since they could think of it. Shifters are learning that when they unite, amazing things can happen.

The Mood – Harried – For over two decades, the corruption that began with the Apocalypse and culminated with the Weaver’s Song has left the Gaians on a war with too many sides. Friends and family have been lost, joining either side or returning to the cycle. Victories, small as points of starlight, have given the members of the Alliance the hope to keep going. But even knowing what the Static Weaver is, what chance does the Alliance have of fixing a corrupted Celestine?

Setting: 

Saturday, November 9, 2024
Main Game: 11am-4pm
Additional Game: 4-5pm (Still hard mechanics, but optional to allow a longer dinner break if needed)

We Can’t Rewind: There’s no going back to fix what happened to the Static Weaver. But the Gaians can now understand the situation and go forward, armed with the information that the Spirits have offered and that the Wyld has channeled. The pieces simply need to be put together. 

We’ve Gone Too Far: There were promises and assurances from scientists that researching the forces of Creation wouldn’t cause the end of the world. When the Large Hadron Collider first turned on, everyone was relieved to find that the world didn’t end. No black holes in the Earth’s core. No second Big Bang. Science, once again, seemed actually kind of boring to the average person. 

Pictures Came and Broke Your Heart: The Weaver is neither average, nor a person. Something has gone terribly wrong, and in Geneva, Switzerland sits a great machine within the earth. Human scientists claim that it holds answers to the mysteries of the universe. They have no idea how accurate that actually is.

VSS Scale Descriptors: 

Never Present          ◯◯◯◯◯
Rarely Present         ⚫◯◯◯◯
Sometimes Present ⚫⚫◯◯◯
Often Present          ⚫⚫⚫◯◯
Usually Present       ⚫⚫⚫⚫◯
Always Present       ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫

General Attributes of Venue:

• Physical  ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
• Mental     ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
• Social      ⚫⚫⚫⚫◯

PHYSICAL

Action CvE (Combat and Challenges vs the Environment) 

• ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
  • Have you ever tried to punch a god?

Action CvC (Character vs Character Conflict) 

• ⚫⚫⚫◯◯ 
  • There’s probably going to be some disagreement on how things get done.

Darkness (Tragedy / PC Death and Corruption): 

• ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
  • Have you ever tried to punch a god?

SOCIAL

Intrigue (Politics and Negotiation): 

• ⚫⚫◯◯◯
  • There’s more than two shifters in a room.

Manners (Social Etiquette and Peer Pressure): 

• ⚫⚫◯◯◯
  • Social Etiquette, < 1, but the Peer Pressure makes up for it.

Drama (Ceremony and Grand Story): 

• ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
  • Big bang?

MENTAL

Mystery (Enigmas and Investigation): 

• ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
  • There’s just a lot going on.

Character Development (Personal Development and Choices): 

• ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
  • There’s no lack of hard choices to be made when it comes to what is being asked of you. Shifters would prefer a black and white world, but it comes so rarely these days.

Graphicness/Darkness

• ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
  • You can’t afford to close your eyes to the things you see, nor can you let them blind you.

Venue Specific Storytelling Mechanics and Notes

1. One Character
   1. You can only play one character in this game.
   2. A current copy of your character sheet must be on file with your Venue Storyteller, and you must have access to it during game.
2. Collaborative Storytelling
   1. CvC is completely allowed, but the National Staff encourages players to choose negotiation. Because we only have so much time to tell our story, CvC between players may result in characters being left out of the moving plot while their conflict resolves.
   2. Engage each other, especially people you OOC don’t know and make the bonds and ties now which can last for an entire chronicle.
3. National Game vs Local Game
   1. This convention is being presented by the National Storytelling Team. It is an opportunity for players from games to meet, greet and interact with players they may otherwise not have the opportunity to do so. Plot kits and story presented in this game are designed to remain within the context and hours of the game. To that end, plots from your local games will not find much space to flourish in the condensed schedule and so we respectfully ask you to try to focus on the presented plots, and allow your local game plots to be experienced locally.
4. NPC RP Opportunities
   1. The NPCs present are meant to be interacted with. Please do so!
5. Travel Restrictions
   1. The area has been secured through appropriate influences. Private flights or Umbral Guides have brought you where you need to be. Travel in and out is safe. That being said, aggressively breaking security will have consequences.
6. Experience
   1. Event Experience can be taken on any character who would have been able to participate in this game (not proxy locked, able to travel, etc).
   2. National Convention Events give 4 Event XP. Please remember there is a cap of 15 Event XP per year. If you have met your limit on Event XP, those points are converted to VIP. For more information about Event XP please refer to the Player Approval Document.

Proxies

As with all National Conventions, proxying characters is not available.

CCRs

Character Conflict Resolution (formerly known as Killbox) is uncommon in Apocalypse, primarily due to the Setting itself which has a number of socially acceptable conflict resolution scenarios. Going outside these social norms is likely to cause its own IC consequences in turn. However, as the option is still available to player agency, we provide this form to allow for that player choice. Bear in mind that there will be follow up questions to any CCR application, but using the form should not be avoided simply to work around the Storyteller.

https://forms.gle/8ovGp7q8ey53Wyc56

Mass Combat

Any Mass Combat will be handled on an as-needed basis using the tools available.