Clarifications

Last session we had a lot of people who were new to the system, and I noticed some rules and concepts that weren't as clear as they could be. So for this post I'd like to go into a little more detail about some of the game concepts and offer some additional information.

Clarity

Choosing a Clarity rating for your character can be tricky, as it's a rather abstract mechanic that sort of wraps several ideas into one. It covers your character's connection to humanity, their grip on reality, and how well they avoid acting like their former masters. My general advice is to look through the list of Clarity sins in the rulebook and try to think of the worst thing your character has done since escaping from Arcadia. This isn't a perfect system, of course - each single act can only lower your Clarity once, so if circumstances lead to your character murdering someone but they otherwise go about their daily lives trying to be a good person, their Clarity probably isn't that low. In such cases, I'd suggest finding the worst thing your character would have done regularly, and then lowering it again by one if they have committed an exceptionally heinous act.

Of course, the question might be asked, what is actually the point of starting with low Clarity? It has no positive effects, and multiple negative ones. The truth is, it's largely a matter of honestly. If your character has been kidnapping humans on a regular basis for years before the game begins, it doesn't make much sense for them to only start being affected by those acts during the game. It makes more sense for narrative flow if your character's Clarity is at the level they'd have naturally settled at from the beginning of the game.

Anchors

Anchors seem to be the part of character creation that's the most difficult for many people, and I'd guess that's because it requires a lot of thought and has a much wider range of possibilities than picking from finite numerical choices. Anchors weren't actually part of the base Changeling rules, and were inspired by a mechanic introduced in the Vampire: the Requiem book Danse Macabre. I included them because I felt that with Clarity's abstract nature it would help to have a concrete focus on how losing Clarity affected the character's life, and further distinguish the system by showing Changelings' dependence on their mortal trappings to retain their human side. I also feel it helps to flesh out the parts of a character's life that aren't necessarily tied to mechanics like Merits.

Anchors can be pretty much anything - friends, family, favourite places, objects of importance, hobbies, habits, etc. The important aspects are:
-The Anchor can't be too broad. "Plants" is too broad, but if your character has a favourite garden, or likes to keep plants around their house, that works fine.
-The Anchor must provide your character with some level of comfort, and should be a stable aspect of their life.
-The Anchor cannot be supernatural in nature. The point of Anchors is they tie your character to the mortal world.
-The Anchor must be something that the character could potentially lose, or one that could become unstable.

Remember, losing Anchors doesn't necessarily mean the thing is gone, it just means the character can no longer depend on it as a stable source of comfort.

Derangements

Characters that start with low Clarity may also end up starting with Derangements. These are various forms of mental instability that are symptoms of the character's lowered grip on reality and antisocial behaviour. They can be either mild or severe. Mild derangements have a minor effect on a character's life, and might not even be noticed by other characters, but Severe derangements cause significant trouble for the character. When a character gains a derangement, they may either gain a mild one or upgrade a mild derangement to severe.

Tokens

As Tokens are just one Merit I didn't include the full rules for them in the Rules Document, but I feel I should expand on them a bit. Firstly, all Tokens are activated the same way: Either by spending a Glamour, or by making a Wyrd test (which will be difficult for most characters). A character can bypass either of these by fulfilling a Token's catch. When coming up with ideas for Tokens, consider that catches will usually cover the items main intended use. For instance, a magical rapier's catch may be for when it is used in a formal duel.

Tokens are roughly similar in power to Contracts of the same level, but shouldn't be able to mimic a Contract's effects, and usually have a drawback or are limited in some way. Here are some sample Tokens to give a rough idea of what they can be.
●: Objects that have specific or minor effects: A Mirror that allows the character to contact their Fetch, or an ornament that allows a car to temporarily run without gasoline. These tokens will usually never aid a character in harming others.
●●: Objects that offer useful but small benefits: A Lantern that warns when a foe the character thinks of is near, or a ribbon that doubles the range of a firearm.
●●●: Objects that are of reasonable utility: A Doll that, when activated, allows the character to see through its eyes, or a Wardrobe that can instantly create new garments. This is usually the minimum level for tokens that harm enemies.
●●●●: Objects that offer significant benefits: A Weapon that causing agonising wounds to fester an hour later, or an Idol that can come alive and bite enemies with a hallucinatory venom.
●●●●●: Objects of legendary prowess: A Battle-standard that strengthens allies, or a blade that drains life from enemies to heal the user.

Fetches

When the True Fae take someone captive, they usually leave an imposter in their place. This duplicate is constructed from branches, vines and bric-a-brac, covered with the Mask to look like the character, and granted many of the character's memories. Ironically, this means that when many Changelings finally escape Arcadia, they find themselves to be the strangers in their own lives.

When thinking of your backstory, keep your fetch in mind. Not every Changeling has a fetch, but I would recommend only deciding your character doesn't have one if it actually adds something to your character's story. Consider how your character would have dealt with their imposter, and whether their character would attempt to rebuild their old life or start a new one. It's entirely possible you don't even know what happened to your fetch, especially if your character is fresh from the hedge, but consider that if your fetch is still out there it may have consequences.

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If you have any questions about something else you'd like to see clarified, let me know either through comments or email and I'll post up an explanation.

On another note, I'd like to state that I'm currently unhappy with the way the Pledge system works. I'm working on revising it, and I'll announce changes soon. The system likely won't change much - I mostly want to reduce the cost of invoking them. Rest assured I have no intentions of altering anything that affects character creation.

Character Creation Session 3: Wednesday 29th February

Thanks to everyone who came along Friday! It's great to see a good turnout. Sorry to anyone who I didn't get a chance to talk to, but if you have any questions go ahead and email me, or talk to me at the next session. Next Character Creation Session is this Wednesday at the Clubs and Socs Building in Rooms 2 and 3, from 6pm to 10pm. If you haven't made a character yet, come along!

There will also be some introductory tabletop roleplaying games starting up at the same time, as well as some MTG. Since these sessions will mostly be about sorting out who's playing what at beginning character creation, there's no reason you can't talk to me as well as engaging in these games.

For those of you who have finished your characters, could you please email me with a quick background description of your character, as well as any important details. In particular it would be good to know when your character was taken, when they came back, and how old they were when it happened, as well as a brief outline of your character's mien (their Changeling appearance).

Character Creation Session 2: Friday 24th Feb

Thanks to everyone who showed up to the first Character Creation Session. For those of you who haven't made characters yet, remember that you don't have to wait until one of the sessions to email me your concept. Sending me your concept early helps me see how the game as a whole is shaping up, lets me consider which concepts might be involved with one another, and allows me to consider ideas and suggestions for when you make your character.

The next session will be Friday 24th of February, in the Practice Room and the Clubs and Socs Building. There'll be an OURS meeting first at 6pm, with Character Creation to follow, but I recommend coming to the meeting anyway. We'll be there until 10pm.

Finally, Clubs and Socs Day is this Wednesday, so if you want to support the Roleplaying Society please come along!

Rules are online!

The Rules Document has been uploaded to the new Downloads page, here. Check it out! I'll be printing off some copies and bringing them along to Character Creation.

If you spot any errors or think something's potentially broken, let me know.

Character Creation Session 1: Friday 17th Feb

A quick reminder that Character Creation will be on this Friday from 6pm to 10pm. You can find us at the Link (inside the same building as the University Library, where all the seats are). We'll probably be upstairs.

Final Times and Dates

Okay, so I was a bit hasty with my last post. I've come to my senses and decided that Wednesday is too soon to start Character Creation. While I could probably get the rules done by then, I don't want to risk it. So! I'm going back to the original plan:

Friday 18th February, 6pm-10pm: Character Creation Session 1 at the Otago University Link.
Wednesday 22nd February, 10am-4pm: Clubs and Socs Day.
Friday 24th February, 6pm-10pm: OURS Meeting, Character Creation Session 2 to follow, at the Clubs 'n' Socs Building.
Wednesday 29th February, 6pm-10pm: Character Creation Session 3, Clubs and Socs Building.
Friday 2nd March, 6pm-10pm: Character Creation Session 4, Clubs and Socs Building.
Wednesday 7th March, 6pm-10pm: First Game, Clubs and Socs Building.

That means three Fridays and a Wednesday. If you're a student, I highly recommend coming along to Clubs and Socs Day to sign up for the Roleplaying Society, as we need all the student members we can get.

Also, while the previous dates are no longer relevant, you should still check the previous post for some important notes.

The Revised Plan

Alright, here's the updated plan. Of the biggest importance is that the first character creation is this Wednesday. I don't have a location yet, but I decided it was better to announce this now. I'll update with the locations and exact times tomorrow.

Here's the dates:

Wednesday 15th February: Character Creation Session 1

Friday 17th February: Character Creation Session 2

Wednesday 22nd February: Clubs 'n' Socs Day

Friday 24th February: OURS meeting, Character Creation Session 3 afterwards

Wednesday 29th February: Character Creation Session 4

Friday 2nd March: Character Creation Session 5

Wednesday 7th March: First Game

(Edit: Dates and Times updated, see this post.)

I highly recommend not leaving things until the last Character Creation Session. If you can make it to an earlier session, please do so. I don't want to risk too many people trying to make characters at the last minute, and the earlier you make your character, the more time I have to prepare.

I've been hard at work getting the character creation document done, and it'll be ready for this Wednesday, but I can't give a guaranteed date for when it'll be available.

Finally, I've been handed the reigns to OURS (the Otago University Roleplaying Society). I'd like to focus my energy on LARP this year, so if there are any other students keen to run the Roleplaying Society I'm happy for them to step up and do so, but as long as I'm in charge I will fulfil my responsibilities, beginning with preparing for Clubs 'n' Socs day and holding an introductory meeting the Friday after. Since there's a large overlap between people who will be going to that meeting and people playing in the LARP, and since said meeting probably won't take much time, there will be a character creation session afterwards.

On Costumes

One of the great things about Changeling is it allows a great amount of creativity in deciding what your character actually is. Your character might be a man of coal with burning eyes, a pale-skinned wretch with shards of glass for teeth, or a dragon-like woman with red scales and gnarled horns. But given that this is a LARP, the question remains - how do you represent this?

I want to keep this game is accessible as possible. I have no intention of forcing people to use extensive make-up or buy fancy contact lenses. If people want to go all-out with their costume, that's great! I heartily encourage it. But nobody will be required to do so.

So, there's a couple of alternatives here. The first is simply to use your costume to represent a character's Mask. It allows you to dress as a human, and focus on just wearing the outfit your character would wear in mortal society. Each character will have a brief description of their character on their name tag, and you can simply take a quick second to mention any important details to someone the first time you meet them. The second option is to try to represent your character metaphorically. If your character is covered in frost, you could just wear a white suit. A serpentine character could have snakeskin shoes or a similarly patterned tie. The important thing is creating the impression of what your character is meant to be, rather than trying to represent it literally. Either option works fine. Basically, as long as you wear something suitable to your character, you'll get Costume xp each week. The reward for going the extra mile is personal satisfaction and looking awesome.

The Plan (Preliminary Version)

So here's my current plan for dates, etc. All of this depends on being able to book rooms and work around other schedules. The goal is for the first game to be on Wednesday 7th of March. That leaves a couple of weeks beforehand for character creation. Unfortunately, Clubs 'n' Socs day is on Feb 22nd, which is right in the middle of when I'd like to make characters and potentially eliminates a very useful Wednesday.

So, the plan looks like this:

Fri 17 February - Character Creation Session 1

Wed 22 February - Clubs 'n' Socs Day 

Fri 24 February - Character Creation Session 2

Wed 29 February - Character Creation Session 3

Fri 2 March - Character Creation Session 4

Wed 7 March - First Game (with following games to be every fortnight)
(Edit: Dates updated. See above.)

Each session will be in the evening. This does assume that players are free on Fridays to make characters, so I'd appreciate feedback here: Will you be free on Fridays for character creation, or are you only free on Wednesdays?

If enough people can't make it to the Friday sessions I have 3 options: I can push to see if I can book a room on the night of Clubs 'n' Socs day, I can push the game start back a week (freeing up another week) or I can drive myself crazy trying to get the rules finished early and start the first session next Wednesday. If only a few people can't make it on Fridays, I'll likely keep the schedule as-is and simply request that those that can make it on Fridays do so. Once I've received some feedback and checked when I can actually book rooms I'll post up a finalised schedule.

ANYWAY thanks in advance to anyone who replies and I shall get you more firm dates ASAP.

Introducing Changeling: The Great Courts

Changeling Freeholds are divided into four Courts. Each Court binds itself to a different season, and as the seasons change each Court hands authority over to the next. The pacts made with the seasons serve to protect its members, and the sharing of power confuses the Fae, who would never willingly share power with anybody. Each Court also has its own ideals, and serves a different purpose in the Freehold. While ideally all Courts serve the freehold together, their different ideals sometimes cause conflicts.

In addition, each Court favours a different emotion. The members of this court will usually favour these emotions when harvesting Glamour, and while other emotions can be targeted a Changeling gains +1 to any Harvest checks made when harvesting their chosen emotion.

While Characters are not required to join a Court, it is recommended they do so. Firstly, they are the main social structure of the game, so from a metagame perspective they are the easiest way to connect yourself to other characters. Secondly, each Court provides several benefits, including affinity with two Contracts - one relating to the season itself, and one relating to the Court's favoured emotion.

Those who wish to play out the experience of being fresh from the Hedge, or are simply unsure about which Court fits them will have the opportunity to make their decision in-character.

The Spring Court

AKA: The Court of Desire, The Antler Crown

The Spring Court is the Court of new beginnings. They believe that despite all that they have suffered, they should put the past aside and start their lives anew. They celebrate their freedom and spurn the other Courts for focusing on the negative aspects of their current state.

As the Court of Desire, members of the Spring Court have the most connections with the mortal world. They believe not only in pursuing their own desires, but in helping others to achieve theirs, and as a result Spring courtiers are usually some of the most politically savvy of Changelings, frequently trading in favours.

The Summer Court

AKA: The Court of Wrath, The Iron Spear

The Summer Court is the most martial of all Courts. Not intending to let the suffering inflicted on them go lightly, they directly fight back against their former captors. Not all members are expected to be skilled warriors - the Court recognises that in war, spies, tacticians, and craftsmen are all useful. Nonetheless, all members are expected to take up arms should the need arise.

As the Court of Wrath, members of the Summer Court embrace their anger, believing it makes them stronger. They see it as a powerful weapon, but one to be mastered.

The Autumn Court

AKA: The Court of Fear, The Leaden Mirror

The Autumn Court seeks to master the magic of Arcadia. Awed by the power of the True Fae, they believe the only way to strike back at their former masters is to take their power for themselves. Members of the Court are expected to share knowledge with one another, and search for new applications of their powers.

As the Court of Fear, the Autumn Court seeks to overcome their fear of the Gentry through understanding. At the same time, they respect the power of Fear, and believe it can be healthy. While they work to uncover the magic of faerie for themselves, they also believe in keeping humanity ignorant and scared, believing that it will keep mortals from falling into the clutches of the True Fae.

The Winter Court

AKA: The Court of Sorrow, The Silver Arrow

The Winter Court bear the scars of their durance bitterly. They have no intention of being captured again, and will do anything it takes to hide from their old masters. They constantly keep watch for threats to their freehold and become excellent information gatherers, even spying on their fellow Changelings in case there are traitors in their midst.

As the Court of Sorrow, members of the Winter Court are filled with sadness for what they have lost, but they know they can never regain it. They do not let their emotion rule them, but instead seek to help others deal with their sorrow, and often find compassion for mortals who have had difficult lives.

Introducing Changeling: Seemings

A Changeling's Seeming is the mark of their durance, and determines much about their nature. There are six distinct Seemings, and each grants a particular Blessing and Curse, as well as providing affinity for particular Contracts. Each Seeming is also divided into numerous Kiths, which grant an additional Blessing and further refine what makes the Changeling unique.

Seemings are essentially the "Clans" of Changeling. They are the most basic decision a player makes in determining the type of Changeling they are.

Beasts

Beasts usually spent their time in Arcadia in the form of animals, and their bestial nature still stays with them. Any animal is a possibility, although Beasts often represent the idealised form of that animal - those that were lions tend to be prideful, while those that were foxes tend to be cunning, regardless of whether the real animals exhibit such traits or not.

Beasts gain affinity with Contracts of Fang and Talon, which allow them to speak with and take on aspects of animals, and Contracts of Den, which grant them mastery over territory and terrain.

Darklings

Darklings are those that were forced to hide in order to survive. Crawling through endless caverns, in long-forgotten labyrinths, and between the walls of horrifying mansions, Darklings became one with the shadows.

Darklings gain affinity with Contracts of Darkness, which grant them powers of stealth and terror associated with the night, and Contracts of Shade and Spirit, which allow them to speak and interact with the dead.

Elementals

Elementals are distant even by Changeling standards, for they spent their time in Arcadia in the form of things. Plants, statues, dolls and even raging rivers, the Elementals were part of Faerie itself, and had to fight harder than most to regain their humanity.

Elementals gain affinity with Contracts of Elements, which grant them control over their favoured element, and Contracts of Communion, which allow them to talk to the elements and imbue them with life.

Fairest

The Fairest are the most striking amongst the Lost, taken by their keepers for their beautiful voices, graceful movements and sparkling eyes. Yet while prized by their keepers, the Fairest still carry the emotional scars of their durance, punished for every wrong note, every imperfect step, and every imagined slight.

Fairest gain affinity with Contracts of Vainglory, which allow them to inspire awe in others, and Contracts of Separation, which allow them to separate themselves from the mortal world.

Ogres

Ogres are the most vicious of Changelings, having suffered physical abuse at the hands of their keepers through labour, torture and fighting. The end result, however, is that Ogres possess great strength, although they have a harder time keeping their emotions in check.

Ogres gain affinity for Contracts of Stone, which grant them great feats of physical might, and Contracts of Oath and Punishment, which aid them in pursuing and punishing oathbreakers.

Wizened

The Wizened were taken by their masters as servants, forced to work tirelessly in completing strange tasks for highly exacting demands. As a result, they have become extremely nimble, and elegant craftspeople, but their experience has left them shrewd and bitter.

Wizened gain affinity for Contracts of Artifice, which grant spectacular powers of creation and repair, and Contracts of Animation, which allow them to speak with and control inanimate objects.

Introducing Changeling: Basic Concepts

Here's a basic introduction to the key concepts of Changeling: The Lost.

Changelings

AKA: The Lost

Changelings were ordinary men and women who were captured by the True Fae. In Arcadia, they were treated as pets, toys, lovers and slaves, and had to adapt to survive. In doing so, the magic of Faerie became part of them, and upon returning they discovered that they were no longer human.

The Mask

The Mask conceals fae magic from mortals. It makes Changelings appear as ordinary humans, even after death. The Mask covers all senses, although subtle effects creep through - an Elemental of frost may look paler than most humans, or feel cold to the touch. The Mask also applies to other creatures and objects of Fae nature, although it doesn't conceal actively used effects such as Contracts. The term Mask is also used to describe how a Changeling appears to mortals. A Changeling's true appearance is referred to as their Mien. Changelings can temporarily lower their Mask to mortals, or strengthen it to conceal their Mien from other Changelings.

Wyrd

Wyrd is the very essence of Faerie magic. It is the thread that binds people together, and allows a Changeling to form Pledges and Contracts. While not exactly sentient, the Wyrd seems to have a level of its own agency. The term Wyrd is also use to refer to a Changeling's connection to this force.

Glamour
Glamour is the power that fuels Changeling magic. It is harvested from instances of strong human emotion.

Pledges

Changelings and True Fae have the ability to form Pledges, supernaturally enforced bargains. Breaking a Pledge often comes with severe consequences.

Contracts

Contracts are supernatural powers that can be invoked by Changelings. Contracts are thought to be derived from ancient Pledges with aspects of reality.

Tokens
Tokens are objects imbued with Faerie magic, and are usually either created by the Fae or are ordinary objects that were left in the Hedge and gained magical properties on their own.

Seemings

Seemings are broad categories for the nature of Changelings. There are six Seemings, each with different abilities and weaknesses. Seemings are further divided into Kiths, which are more specific manifestations of a changeling's nature.

Courts

The Courts are the major social and political groups of a Freehold. The default Court structure is based upon the seasons, with each one passing power as the seasons change, but other Court structures exist.

Freeholds

A Freehold is a specific changeling domain with its own laws. Most members of a Freehold swear fealty to one of the Courts, who share power in ruling the freehold.

Arcadia

AKA: Faerie

Arcadia is the home of the True Fae, and a realm of infinite variety and possibility. A dreamlike world that can be equally beautiful and horrifying, Arcadia often works on its own logic, and the rules do not stay consistent from place to place. In many ways Arcadia is a vast number of separate realms, each one wildly different and a reflection of its Fae master.

The Hedge

AKA: The Thorns

The Hedge is the realm between Arcadia and the mortal world, and has properties of both. While it varies from location to location, it typically consists of large areas of dense wild growth. Near the Mortal World it often reflects its mortal counterpart, with similar trees and terrain, but the deeper into the Hedge one goes (and thus closer to Arcadia), the more bizarre the Hedge becomes. Regardless of location, the Hedge is always covered in thorns, and those who cut themselves find their injuries are not just physical - the thorns tear away at a person's soul.

While specific gateways into the Hedge exist, Changelings can enter it through any doorway or other portal by spending Glamour. While no Changeling would ever want to return to Arcadia, there are advantages to entering the Hedge. A variety of different Goblin Fruits grow in the Hedge, each with its own mystical properties, and Goblin Markets can be found, where Changelings can trade for secrets, magical tokens, and other useful things. The Hedge can also act as a shortcut, allowing a Changeling to bypass real-world obstacles or travel miles within seconds. Additionally, it is possible for a Changeling to carve out a safe home called a Hollow, and Changelings can conduct affairs in the Hedge without worrying about mortal witnesses.

The True Fae

AKA: The Fair Folk, The Gentry, Others, Keepers

The True Fae are the masters of Arcadia. Little is known about what they are or where they come from. Each one seems to have near limitless magical potential, and can take a myriad of forms, but a Fae is always true to its nature - an insect-like Fae will never take on the form of a bird, and a fiery Fae will never wield the powers of frost. In addition, despite their cruel and treacherous nature, all True Fae will abide by their word when they give it. As creatures of the Wyrd, the Fae never break formal agreements, although they will always follow such pacts strictly to the letter and delight in deceiving others with misleading terms. The term Keeper is specifically used to refer to a Changeling's former master.

Hobgoblins

Hobgoblins are creatures native to the hedge, and include wild beasts, strange humanoids and other bizarre entities. While rarely friendly and often dangerous, they are not entirely loyal to the True Fae, and often serve their own interests. As a result, Changelings can usually bargain with them.

Fetches

When the True Fae kidnap a mortal, they usually leave an imposter in its place. Fetches are artificial beings made of branches and pieces of bric-a-brac, and woven with Glamour to appear human. They have most of the memories of the mortal they replace, but they are not always perfect. Still, many Changelings are horrified to discover upon their return that the Fetch has fooled those around them and is comfortably living their life, and sometimes doing an even better job of it than they were. In fact, many Fetches don't even know what they are, although they quickly become aware of the fact when they meet their Changeling counterpart.

Loyalists

Loyalists are Changelings who remain loyal to the True Fae. Some are agents sent out by their masters, too well conditioned to consider defying their Keeper, while others believe that their escape was a mistake, or think that appealing to their former master is the only way to maintain their freedom.

Privateers
Privateers are similar to Loyalists, except that instead of acting out of loyalty they strike deals with the True Fae in hopes of gaining advantages for themselves.

Answering Questions

So, after reading the introduction, I'm sure you still have a million things you're wondering about. That's fine. There's a lot about the game to grasp, and I didn't want to try shoving it all into one post. Over the next few days I'll be posting more details about the setting that should give you a feel for what the game is like, and give you a better clue on what sort of characters you can create. For now, though, I'd like to answer a few questions that might be on people's minds.

Why Changeling?

Dunedin has had five consecutive ongoing LARPs now, and each of them have been Vampire in one form or another. So why the change? A few reasons. I've co-run a vampire game before, and while I would hardly say I've exhausted any ideas I have for that setting, I'd much rather explore something new. Also, I just really like Changeling as a setting. But the real question is, why not do something different? If someone ran another vampire game I'd be happy to play in it, but there's a great variety of settings out there and it's about time we gave them a go.

But of course, the question still remains, why Changeling? There's numerous reasons, but the main one for me would be that I feel it's suited very well for live-action play. There's a huge variety in the stories you can tell with Changeling, and it can accommodate those different stories within the same game. Want politics? It's there - there are four Courts, each sharing power amongst each other yet with different goals and ideals. Want intrigue? There'll be numerous secretive plots, all weaving in with one another. Want adventure? There's an entire other world out there to venture into. Want drama? Changelings can easily have twisted personal stories and difficult pasts. Want horror? There's otherworldly beings who are out to get you, not to mention what other changelings are capable of. Want action? There's bound to be fights, and you're not stuck just fighting each other - there are plenty of creatures that threaten you and your allies. Just want to sit around and have fun? You can do that too. I'm very interested in making sure the game can accommodate the types of stories people are interested in. Don't think that just because the premise is grim you'll be forced  into wallowing in despair or constantly running for your life.

It also allows a great variety of character types. The idea of playing faeries (or part-faeries) might not appeal to some, but the important thing to understand is the game's interpretation of the word Faerie extends to just about any creature from folklore or mythology, and even things beyond it. While in Vampire you were largely restricted to being a vampire, with clans to differentiate you, Changelings are a very diverse lot. You can be a walking corpse, a cunning faun, a large stone man, a living painting, a talking shadow, or just about anything you can put your mind to.

Finally, while it's a different game, it's still World of Darkness. There's still a level of familiarity there, and that makes it a much easier step to take. So then, the other question is...

Why the 1930s?

For a start, it makes a pretty good Changeling game. With the great depression in full swing, it's very easy for people to vanish, it's very easy to have a secret group of supernatural beings living their own mini-society, and it works well for a game about people working together to survive. Also, given that every Vampire game I've played in has had someone with a character involved with gangs, I figure people will appreciate a game set in a time when organised crime was rife.

But the main thing that I think makes it work is that it gives players another aspect to latch onto. With a new setting, it's entirely possible that even after I post all the character creation information people just won't know where to begin. Having a distinct time period gives people some tropes that they can work with in coming up with concepts. Then, once you have that starting point, you can begin looking at the Changeling stuff and picking what suits your character best.

Also, I think "Fae Noir" is a cool genre.

Anyway, I just wanted to get those two things out of the way. Stay tuned over the week for more information about the setting, as well as times and dates for when all of this is coming together.

Introducing: Lost In Manhattan

It's 1931. The Great Depression has hit, leaving many out of work. Prohibition has succeeded only in empowering organised crime. Day after day, people vanish without notice. And behind the veneer of everyday life, a group of people are gathering to rebuild what was once lost.

Lost In Manhattan is a live-action roleplaying game based on White Wolf's Changeling: The Lost and set in 1930s New York. Players play everyday people who were taken captive by the True Fae - terrifying alien beings of great power, ruled by whimsy and incapable of empathy. Taken to Arcadia, an impossible land of dreams and nightmares, they were used as pets, slaves, lovers and toys by their cruel masters. After fighting to escape, they returned home to find that they are no longer human; Arcadia had become part of them, although mortal eyes could not see it. Even worse, many of them discovered they were not even missed, as the Fae left an imposter in their place. And so they try to pick up the pieces and forge a new life, all the while knowing that their old masters are still out there, and don't always let their playthings go so easily.

Fortunately, you're not alone.

New York City has long been home to Changelings. Ever since the five boroughs were established, each had its own Freehold - an independent changeling domain, ruled by various courts and with its own laws. Then, 11 years ago, Manhattan's Freehold disappeared without a trace. Nobody knows who or what caused it; those few that survived saw nothing, although some have a hard time remembering events that were going on. For a while, Manhattan remained mostly empty of Changelings. And yet with time, more innocents were taken by the Fae, and some made their way back, and some settled down. At the same time, Changelings from the other boroughs trickled in, either curious about what happened, or merely glad to get away from the constraints of the other Freeholds. Eventually, the changeling population regrew.

Now a call has gone out to reform the Freehold, rebuild the Courts, and reforge the bonds that gave them the strength to protect themselves from their former masters. And so, the Lost gather together once more.