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View Full Version : What are some things I can do to improve this investigation scenario? VTM



MonkeySage
2018-02-18, 10:28 PM
My players are a group of fledglings, a Brujah, Malkavian, and Tremere. This scenario started when the Prince tasked them with figuring out what happened to a ghoul that recently went missing. This ghoul, Pan, had sensitive information which in the wrong hands could prove devastating to the Prince. A pair of brujah sisters had taken Pan's cat, and threatened to kill the animal if Pan didn't cooperate with them. Pan didn't cooperate, and so they ripped one of his arms off- the cat's fine, but Pan's in bad shape, barely alive. However, now there are a pair of dangerous vampires at large, and the players are now tasked with finding them.

As of very soon, they'll have CCTV footage of the pair from their recent visit to a local business, but they don't really have anything else to go on.

When I wrote up the plans for this scenario, I tried to avoid thinking about how my players would solve the problem, focusing instead on making the problem itself interesting. But one thing I'm really bad at is figuring out what kinds of clues I can leave for my players.

They have two clues: The boot prints they found at the wharf where they found Pan, and the CCTV recordings.

RFLS
2018-02-18, 11:43 PM
There are generic clues to be suggested, but I think the most important thing before you can get some serious suggestions is this: what are these two vampires' motivations? What do they want, what do they gain out of this exchange, where are they going?

MonkeySage
2018-02-19, 12:20 AM
They're hired hands, working for a yet unrevealed third party. One which has an interest in keeping their intentions and identity in the dark, and now that these two have failed, may want to dispose of them as loose ends. This third party, a bishop, intends to take over St. Louis.

The sisters are staying in a cabin down by the Mississippi, but they know they've screwed up. Not only did they leave a mess at the wharf, they didn't even get the information their client wanted.

Lorsa
2018-02-19, 07:27 AM
I will try to think a bit and see if I can give you some tips, but first I have a question.

How does CCTV work with vampires in VTM? I thought they couldn't be captured or identified easily on any recordings, basically leaving a "blurred" image like they do in mirrors? Did I get that wrong?

comicshorse
2018-02-19, 07:42 AM
I will try to think a bit and see if I can give you some tips, but first I have a question.

How does CCTV work with vampires in VTM? I thought they couldn't be captured or identified easily on any recordings, basically leaving a "blurred" image like they do in mirrors? Did I get that wrong?

That's 'Vampire :Requiem' I believe. In VTM Vampires appear on camera just fine UNLESS they are members of Clan Lasombra who have the inability to appear on camera's or in mirrors as their Clan flaw. As its a Flaw that can be bought by non-Lasombra, so other Vampires might get it as an accident of the Embrace but its VERY rare (Can't think of one non Lasombra character in any of the published material who had it)


To the OP, take the lazy way. You don't need to figure out how to find the sisters that's the PC's job. Wait for them to come up with a good idea and then improvise the facts around it
(I.E.) PC 1: 'From the casual way they twisted Pan's arm off they're vicious creatures, failing in their path. Odds are they're not going to hunt any nicer than they deal with problems. '
PC 2 (pulls out mobile phone) ' Sire we need a check on recent serious attacks in the city. Particularly anything that seems vampire-like '
GM thinks : Okay, the sisters need blood and as Sabbat aren't going to be hunting gently. And they won't hunt too far from their home. So their mainly striking at, say, customers of a seedy bar.
The PCs now have choices : they can stake out the bar (pun intended) or try searching the immediate neighborhood of the bar

MonkeySage
2018-02-20, 02:10 PM
So basically just do what I've been doing!

That just leaves the issue of combat- I still need to figure out how combat works in this game. XD

So, I wanna keep my big bad in the shadows for as long as possible, and when i finally reveal him I want it to come as a surprise. He tends not to do a whole lot of the dirty work himself- he lets his lackies do the messy stuff, clipping loose ends, disposing of enemies, etc. And among those who work for the bishop, maybe 1 or 2 have even seen his face, which is just the way he likes it. So the chances that my players will accidentally stumble on him are pretty small, but I suppose they could. I don't think they'll automatically assume he's the big bad, or even dangerous- unless they happen to be in a room that has mirrors.

Segev
2018-02-20, 02:40 PM
The key to a good investigation story is first to know exactly what happened. You need to know the scenario inside and out, down to as many details as you can. This gives the players' efforts to investigate something to latch onto. As they ask questions, ask yourself how the involvement of the bad guys would influence what the PCs can find.

The second thing is the clues you deliberately place in their path. You have two; I suggest having at least three. Maybe some NPCs they can talk to. Perhaps somebody saw them down in their hidden shack by the river. Maybe their sloppiness is leading to some bodies that are obvious vampire victims turning up near sites that have additional leads. Maybe a lackey of the Bishop approaches as a "concerned citizen" to trade information on the sisters with the party for information on the crime, and has info that points the party in the right direction. His goal is to get the sisters silenced sooner rather than later so they can't squeal.