Page 191 - World of Darkness

Theme mately take the thugs they capture to jail. Instead, the
characters succumb to temptation and take the thugs out
Stories and chronicles have themes (sometimes chap- to the desert and bury them up to their necks in sand,
ters can also have themes). A theme sums up what a story leaving them to bake, ripening for a confession. The Sto-
is about, the so-called moral or lesson it tells. It might be ryteller didn’t expect this, but, remembering his theme,
“Crime never pays,” “Violence begets violence,” or “A hero he knows just how to run with it. When the players re-
shall rise.” Theme is useful in reminding the Storyteller turn, they find one thug dead of exposure, another half-
where he stands as events unfold. The wild give and take dead from scorpion poison, and the third delirious and
of ideas and events in a game can often be overwhelming, raving out of his mind. The characters’ own actions have
and the Storyteller might find that his story takes a direc- led them into the trap of being corrupted by their own
tion he didn’t anticipate or doesn’t even understand. The crime-fighting zeal.
best way to get back on solid ground is to remember the
theme and steer events back to it. It doesn’t matter what Mood
happens, as long as events illustrate the theme.
For example, in our crime-fighting chronicle, the Just as important as theme for organizing a story is
theme might be “Crime corrupts even the just.” In other mood, or atmosphere. Keeping a story cohesive over the
words, it’s about the characters’ struggle to remain moral course of many different sessions is made easier if a con-
when confronting corruption. They’ll be tempted to re- sistent mood is evoked. Each scene, chapter, story and
sort to all sorts of expedient but unjust (even sadistic) chronicle can have its own mood. Mood isn’t the atmo-
methods of overcoming their enemies. The bottom line is sphere of the actual gaming environment (that’s covered
they must follow the law lest they risk becoming as bad as below under “How to Tell Stories”). It’s the key images,
their rivals. If they destroy the crime empire but tarnish symbols and even tension that the Storyteller consistently
their own reputations and souls through violence, lying invokes to set the stage for the story. Mood reinforces
and theft, do they really win? theme.
This theme gives the Storyteller a tool by which to Our crime-fighting chronicle might have a mood
focus any scene on the overriding purpose or vision of his characterized as “dark and gritty” or “film noir.” Things
story. Perhaps he expects the players’ characters to be are described in blurred contrasts, in grays rather than in
tempted to mete out their own style of justice, but to ulti- black and white. For example, the night is often fog-bound
and full of shadows rather than clear. This mood implies

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Chapter 8- STORYTELLING