[Vampire: The Masquerade] [5E] Chicago by Night Kickstarter (last 3 days)

[Charles Phipps]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/chicago-by-night-for-vampire-the-masquerade-5th-ed/description

If you're not a Vampire: The Masquerade player from the 90s, you probably have no idea how important Chicago by Night was for the game. It basically took a setting which was only half-formed and coalesced it into something that became it's own little phenomenon. It made the original bastard Prince who was always trying to ruin your day, your Anarch heroes who were kind of clueless, and the Jerk Sheriff enforcer. More or less if you've played VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE: BLOODLINES then you've played what Chicago by Night settled things.

However, the book never got updated after 2004 and the setting fell to the wayside.

I'm extremely excited about this book and its stretch goals (which are making full-on supplements to the book)

Anyone else here have some Chicago by Night love?

I even did an interview with the developer on my blog: https://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2018/11/interview-with-matthew-davenport-about.html

I'm not involved in any of this, FYI, I just really-really love Chicago by Night. I played my 8th generation Ventrue there when I was fourteen. It was my 2nd RPG.

[The Jack]

Never bothered with any of the city books. I'd read everything else, then make my own cities.
But have you been paying attention to 5V? The only thing to look forward to is the inevitable discovery that either the Ravnos or Malkavian Antideluvian has been playing a bunch of writers, and that what's actually going on is business as usual, the setting doesn't look much different to pre-v5.

The entire metaplot was chimestry.
V5; Everything you loved about the setting is upsidedown, I'll wager you'll hate what they do to chicago.

[Charles Phipps]

Never bothered with any of the city books. I'd read everything else, then make my own cities.
But have you been paying attention to 5V? The only thing to look forward to is the inevitable discovery that either the Ravnos or Malkavian Antideluvian has been playing a bunch of writers, and that what's actually going on is business as usual, the setting doesn't look much different to pre-v5.

The entire metaplot was chimestry.
V5; Everything you loved about the setting is upsidedown, I'll wager you'll hate what they do to chicago.

In fact, you are wrong for multiple reasons that, unfortunately come from your place of truth.

Chicago by Night is the 1st V5 product NOT written by White Wolf's in-house staff of Edgy Edgemen. It's being written by Matthew Dawkins and James Bell of V20 Onyx Path Publishing fame. OPP licensed to do the supplement.

Next, I've already 75% of the book as you can read it early if you donate to the Kickstarter. Which I have.

The entirety of the book more or less writes around the metaplot developments of V5. They acknowledge what's happened to an extent but it's all homages to classic V:TM left and right with the addition of Thin Bloods.

It's pretty damn awesome.

[Charles Phipps]

In any case, for those who might feel inclined to back the Kickstarter, Chicago by Night 5E is really awesome.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/chicago-by-night-for-vampire-the-masquerade-5th-ed/description

* The Lasombra clan getting detailed.
* Their new discipline of Oblivion.
* 40 [=NPCs=] for Chicago and its surrounding areas
* A adventure hook generator with other forty story seeds.
* The new system for detailing [=NPCs=] that include current plots and hooks and roleplaying methods.
* A full-chronicle detailing whether the [=PCs=] will help the Lasombra join the Camarilla or prevent it from happening.
* A coterie guide
* An actual write-up of Chicago by Chicago natives
* New Loresheets
* You can also read the manuscript as a backer, which is an artiless but complete work.

That's in addition to the two stretch goals which have been met but could always use more padding.

* THE CHICAGO FOLIO - A supplement of in-universe documents, letters, e-mails, and transcripts of the various characters interacting. Plus a whole new collection of [=NPCs=] and plot hooks.

* LET THE STREETS RUN RED - Milwaukee, Indianopolis, Chicago's suburbs, and rural Illinois get detailed in 3 (at present) new chronicles showing the rest of the Rust Belt and how it relates to the Windy City.

Fans had the chance to insert their own [=NPCs=] into canon (within reason), be used as art models, and determine the fate of certain [=NPCs=].

I bought Prince Maxwell, 3 [=NPCs=] (I've okayed it that I can use two to bring back Allicia and Evelyn from FORGED IN STEEL), and a piece of art I'm going to use for myself as an Anarch.

[thorr-kan]

* An actual write-up of Chicago by Chicago natives
Is Ken Hite involved?

[Charles Phipps]

Is Ken Hite involved?

Strangely enough, no.

[Charles Phipps]

Last four days of the Kickstarter.

They hit 92K, which means two supplements will be published for the book.

The remaining Stretch Goals?

At $93,000 in funding - ART BUDGET INCREASE – Additional funds will be allocated to the art budget for Chicago By Night, allowing Onyx Path to include even more awesome art in the city supplement.

At $95,000 in funding - CHICAGO-THEMED GAMING GEAR - Dog Might Games will make Chicago By Night-themed gaming gear available for order (including a Chicago skyline Screen and a Lasombra symbol sheath). Click HERE to see their current Vampire offerings.

AT $96,000 in funding - LET THE STREETS RUN RED – A fourth and final chronicle will be added to Let the Streets Run Red.

At $100,000 in funding - NEW ADD-ON REWARD: VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE 5th Edition Core Book PDF - A new Add-On Reward will be created. For +$24.99, backers will receive a PDF version of the Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition Core Book, the new edition that honors the deep story of the original, advancing the metaplot from where it left off and detailing exactly what has happened in the world of the Kindred up until tonight.

At $105,000 in funding - CHICAGO FOLIO: HERETICAL THREATS AND OBSERVATIONS – A fourth section will be added to the Chicago Folio, including the perspectives of the Church of Caine.

At $110,000 in funding - NEW ADD-ON REWARD: LET THE STREETS RUN RED - A new Add-On Reward will be created. For +$10, backers will receive the PDF version of Let the Streets Run Red. This Add On is available to Chicago By Night PDF Backers – Note: Chicago By Night hardcover backers will already have this reward automatically added to their rewards list.

[thorr-kan]

Strangely enough, no.
It's a trap!

Nah, I hope it's as good as you want it to be. Good luck.

[Charles Phipps]

It's a trap!

Nah, I hope it's as good as you want it to be. Good luck.

I could be wrong, actually. I can't find the list of developers but it does seem like they'd get the Chicago developer to do it.

on an unrelated note:

Only 48 hours left!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/chicago-by-night-for-vampire-the-masquerade-5th-ed/description

[The Jack]

If you didn't have the post count you did, I'm sure you'd get in trouble for being an add bot

On principle, nothing carrying the v5 label deserves a cent. Yes, a portion of writers and artists deserve to get paid, because they deal with the ****ty hand they've been given with some competence.
But it doesn't do well to have decent suplements for the worst vampire book ever made. Hell, Berlin and Gypsies at least have the benefit of being easily exercisable. V5 is The Last Jedi of VtM, hell I'd argue it's worse in every way; clueless hacks flip everything they can on its head, undermining or subverting everything they can and creating a setting built upon pure contrivium for short sighted excitement. It lacks all understanding of nuance and tact, or why things worked they did in VtM (do note; the term VtM is rarely used by people to describe V5, because V5 is not VtM, there might as well not be a Masquerade in V5.)

Honestly I'd love a new city book*, but it's doing no good as a v5 suplement. You can't save V5, it needs to go under the rug.

*I'd canibalize it for my own cities.

Also
I like Dawkins, I would trust him to write on the Lasombra, my favourite clan, but I really don't think a worldwide clan belongs in a city book, and also all the regular v5 complaints ( ie disciplines designed for larp, where the hell are the moralities?) apply.

Ah morality. I remember the first and second edition proudly telling us that "morality is chosen, not ordained."
Because v5 did not take that wisdom. Just let it die, Kill it if you have to. Its a massive shame this got the money it needed and more.