Page 265 - Hunter - The Vigil

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C CHAPTER FIVE: STORYTELLING
H
powerful for the cell (and many are likely to be just that — at may need reaching), or that the players would maybe prefer
least at first), then even minor harm can feel like a decent that you just tell them what’s up instead of making them do

victory. To continue the vampiric example above, the elder all this damn work (because, hey, isn’t that your job?).
lord might lose one of his undead children in the ensuing fire- Neither approach is more valid than the other. It’s simply

fight, and is increasingly unstable and emotionally wrecked something that a troupe needs to sit down and talk out.

from then on as a by-product. The following section details some of the possible ap-
Hope can take a more immediate form, of course. The proaches to lend some color to a chronicle, and highlights a
hope of rescue is a classic element when dealing with humans few ways in which hunters deal with the supernatural.
at the mercy of monsters. In the opening scenes of a chroni-
cle, few things will bind a group together as a mutual need to Theme and Mood
save someone from an inhuman creature’s clutches. Similarly, Storytelling games rely on theme and mood to contribute
few motivations for beginning the Vigil are as emotionally to the story. Some rise naturally into the tale without con-
compelling as wanting to rescue a loved one…or put their scious effort on the part of Storytellers and players: as each
reanimated remains to peaceful rest. chapter resolves, it contributes these aspects unconsciously.
Other times, it’s something that the Storyteller or the play-
ers put forth knowingly, saying up front, “This game is about
Choose Your this and feels this way,” or, “My character represents this ab-

Own Vigil stract idea and has this certain air about him.” (Definitions for
theme and mood can be found on pp. 190–191 in the World
of Darkness Rulebook.)
The Vigil itself is not a clear-cut path for any who walk it. What themes are apt for a Vigil story? Hundreds of po-
There’s no code of laws and ethics laid down that must be followed tential universal ideas or lessons can be presented in a Hunter
— though, admittedly, the authority of the tier-three organizations game. Something simple like, “Men are as corruptible as mon-
and their operational mandates come close. Ultimately, however, sters,” or something a bit more complex like, “Confrontations
it’s a path hunters walk guided by their emotions, their morals, with the unknown inevitably contribute to madness.” Your
and their belief in what needs to be done. Is there a right or wrong theme will answer questions: can hunters be heroes, or are
approach? Different cells will say yes, while many others will have they monsters? What is the nature of humanity, and is it pos-
no idea. Most hunter groups, from the lowest, most isolated cell to sible that an undead creature can be more “human” than a
the best-funded, best-equipped Cheiron strike-team, splice these mortal hunter? Theme could highlight moral complexities,
approaches together. It’s a moment-to-moment thing, a game plan ethical paradigms or mystical philosophies.
that comes on the fly, or on a case-by-case basis. Different creatures Building in a theme means consciously evoking that

need to be hunted in different ways. theme in important moments in-game. If the theme is that
And, for as many ways as hunters have to approach the exposure to the unknown stirs madness, then you have to
Vigil, a Storyteller has as many options when determining the demonstrate how this is true. An attack on a vampire’s haven
elements that will go into a Hunter: The Vigil story. The leaves the hunters feeling dizzy and “off kilter,” and maybe

book has a lot of elements in play, allowing you to define the you ask them to make Resolve + Composure rolls not to freak
story as you and the players see fi t. out or do something out of character. When one hunter goes
This can be done in one of two ways: home to his wife a day later, she may note he doesn’t “look
a) You as Storyteller come to the table with the game right,” and she points out his shaking hand or the unconscious
and play-style already defi ned, and the players can create char- way he’s chewing at his lip and drawing blood.
acters based on what you lay down. The advantage to this is Mood, on the other hand, is less complex and ultimately
that some troupes want to be entertained and don’t want to more pervasive. Does your story take a tack of violent strug-
have to come “prepared,” or alternatively, want to just jump gle? Of creeping paranoia? Pyrrhic victory? Brutal heroism?
right into the story and get moving on character creation. The Omnipresent evil? Mood necessitates you contribute to it in
disadvantage is that some players might feel railroaded into a a way of showing, not telling. You don’t say, “Your characters
game-style in which they have little interest. If they wanted to feel paranoid.” You say, “As you enter the warehouse, you see
play a combat-heavy blood-and-retribution style of game, and a camera with a red light recording all that you do,” and you
the Storyteller puts forth a game based on occult investigation, hammer that home again and again. Later they feel “eyes at
desires clash. Entertainment wanes. What fun is that? their back,” and at home, they receive strange phone calls
b) You as Storyteller ask the players what they want, and with nothing more than clicks and incomprehensible whis-
they tell you. They say they want a game of desperate struggle pers coming over the receiver. You don’t need to tell the char-
or a game about government conspiracies, and you comply. acters how paranoid they’re feeling because you showed them:
The advantage of this is that it puts the players in control and oh, they feel it.
and, let’s be honest, it’s the players and their characters who
should always, always, always be the focus of the game. The Theme as Confl ict
disadvantages are that you as Storyteller might not be pre- A hunter character shifts his locus of control from exter-
pared to run what they want (and some level of compromise nal to internal. Humankind is largely externally controlled,
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