Holland by Night

Method
In all my games, I try my utmost to make everyone believe that the things that happen are real. To reach this, everyone dresses in the way his character would, talks and behaves as his character would. The photos made during gameplay show this. Also, I mix three ways of working with time. 
1 - In character (IC) time is slower than out of character (OOC) time. I use this for fighting and scenes where the gamemechanics get in the way. Also, I have once or twice used this to slow perception of the players, to make the moment more important.
2 - OOC time is slower than IC time. Generally this is split between downtime and normal gametime. I use downtime to fill more lengthy periods of time with storylines the players come up with. Sometimes using mail or telephone. During normal games I use table-top style to tell the story, speeding up, or slowing down time according to the story.
3 - OOC time is equal to IC time: I use this mode in two ways: table-top or Live Action Role Playing (LARP). In both cases, the players are asked to do exactly what their characters would do. This works fantastically in social situations.

Mood
I always play at night. Games tend to be very long, because they are not very frequent events. While playing, the room is dark, except for a few candles. The music also adds a lot to the atmosphere in the room. Some bands I have used so far, in alphabetical order.
Alanis Morisette - Atari Teenage Riot - Blood Axis - Clannad - Dargaard - Das Ich - Dead Can Dance - Diamanda Galas - Diva Destruction - Einstürzende Neubauten - Emmilou Harris - Entombed - Hagalaz Runedance - Hocico - I Burn - Janis Joplin - Imminent Starvation - In slaughter natives - Lacrimosa - Laibach - Last Supper (Compilation CD of Cold Meat Industries) - Lupercalia - Lustmord - Malochia - Nick Cave - Orbital - Rammstein - Sol Invictus - Subway to Sally - Swartalf - The Corries - Typ o Negative - VNV Nation - Wumpscut.

The Chronicle of Holland by Night mainly revolves around Haarlem and Amsterdam. This is the homeplace of the player characters involved in it, the Coterie of Lucius. The rest of the Netherlands will be filled in as it is related to them.

However, we did call it Holland by Night because the strong axis between Haarlem and Amsterdam, and the strong connection the story will get with other cities in the area.

This Chronicle does not want to be the single definite guide for the whole of the Netherlands. I like to emphasize that Holland by Night will foremost grow out of the stories we make in Haarlem and Amsterdam. Even Amsterdam is a recent addition, but since this site is always changing, this sentence will eventually disappear.

I would like to thank the other group, where I play as Arthur McAllister. This group revolves around Amsterdam. It is online at this adress. I have used a lot of their ideas and input for this Chronicle.

Mood
Haarlem is an old, weak town. There is no money for lots of important things, and people move out. The few factories that are still there, can scarcely hold it together. There are a few exceptions, but they generally prove the rule.

This is seen especially in the City Centre. Lots of premises should have been brushed up long ago, but they just remain like they are. Others have been demolished and ugly prefab buildings replace them. The most important historical views of the town are shamefully bartered away or plainly ruined.

This city houses a large population of Kindred. There shouldn't be that many, but well, here they are. This also means they have to fight for hunting grounds. The constant warlike state this leads to is very deteriorating to the city.

Amsterdam is in a better state. It possitively prospers. Rich people move in, tend to their neighbourhood. It gets better and better. It's mostly Service related industries that come to Amsterdam. There is a lot of highly schooled personel available, especially in the IT sector.

But then, there's always a price to pay. As the rich and famous move in, the poorest move out. Amsterdam becomes a city for the jet-set. It's difficult times for the artists and the "free" culture. Prices for real property are skyrocketing, as are rentals. Amsterdam is slowly becoming a virtuous, but dull city.

In City Centre, streets are populated by junkies and hookers. It's not safe to go around, even between the luxury houses and lofts. Most of this dealing is safely in the hands of larger criminal conglomerates, that try to make the street safe for their customers, but rarely succeed.

For all the Kindred that live in Amsterdam, these are not happy times. As Amsterdam grows dull and boring, it's getting a hell of a lot more difficult to score some blood donor. Outside City Centre, lots of streets are patroled by neighbourhood watch, inside City Centre you have to be even more careful. The criminal organizations that have taken up shop tend to guard their blocks with cameras. Some of them give a blind eye when they see you hunt, but some of them don't. It all depends on who's pulling the string for whom. And since the Centre is protected by the law of the Prince, failing to adhere to the First Rule is really not an option.

Historical
I like to keep the game in an historical mood. The characters that populate it are quite old, and have a lot to tell. I think the mood that history creates should be one of mystery. To accomplish this, I adapt the stories of the Dark Ages edition of the game to more modern times, or as seen from a modern perspective. They give the game a good background to work from.

Political
Not that I don't like fighting, I'm just not good at it. Also, I don't think this game is very well suited for the purpose, so I'm trying to limit the fights as much as I can. They should serve a purpose. The kind of play I prefer is a mixture of Tabletop and Live Action. This suits the purpose of political intrigue best in my view.

Enough of this, go on please!