Page 112 - Chronicles of Darkness

breathing down our necks – when they bother to breathe, sure everyone has most of the questions answered by the time
anyway. Also, that number only accounts for reported missing you’re done so that the map is fleshed out, and everyone has
persons, when, in fact, plenty of people go missing and have hooks into the world in which your chronicle is set.
no one who notices or cares enough to report it. Do you know
500 people? In your school, your extended social group and The Missing Person
family? Your town? Your neighborhood?
Using the Missing Persons system, you’re going to build Someone is missing. Who is it? In order for there to be
your setting up around a missing persons case that happens a person missing, you need to determine who the person is
in your characters’ lives, or at least in their area. Someone is and at least some of the circumstances surrounding their
gone and you, as a group, are going to examine your charac- disappearance. A name is a good place to start or, if you
ters and their setting by the light of police flashlights, to a can, a character picture or portrait helps the players start to
soundtrack of probing questions. string ideas together. Is she young or old? Is he rich or poor?
The missing person does not need to be the focus, or even Does it make sense they’re gone; are they the sort who runs
an important factor, in your story. So if you’ve already got off from time to time, or is their disappearance entirely out
an idea of the stories you want to create in your Chronicles of the ordinary? Can anyone account for any part of it? Is
of Darkness game, don’t dismiss using the missing person to there a stack of clues and witnesses to sort through, or is this
build your setting. He can be a major mystery to unravel, or missing person only barely noticed, a statistic, more than a
a tragic statistic that is of note only because you’re thinking person gone from their community?
about it, and then gone and forgotten as soon as the real
story takes off. Your missing person may be a major player Putting it on Paper
or a background element, depending on how the story goes. After the Storyteller puts a name, and maybe an image,
It’s important for you to stay flexible about this, of course, as of the missing person on the table, players can start to help
players may naturally chase any mystery put in front of them. define that person. Jot down about a sentence per player as
If you expect it’s just a background element, tell them so, or they discuss the details of the disappearance. Try to keep all
else end it quickly and sadly, or quickly and mysteriously, statements open ended, leaving room for conflicting evidence
depending on the tone of your Chronicles of Darkness game. and the ambiguity of reality. “She’s really popular” is better
What You’ll Need: In order to create a missing person than “everyone likes her.” Popularity can represent a lot
to get your chronicle started you’ll need players, character of different traits and reactions, whereas determining how
sheets, and basic ideas for the kinds of characters most of exactly people feel about her is limiting. “Police found a lot
your players want to play. You’ll also need a big sheet of paper of blood at the crime scene” is better than “the fact that her
everyone can write on. You’ll be making a sort of map on blood was everywhere points to homicide” because again,
this paper. A whiteboard also works. If you don’t have either it’s vague. If you can, avoid passive statements, too. If you’re
of these, a pile of notecards will do, which you can write on about to put down a sentence that starts with “there is” or
and arrange. As the Storyteller, you’re also going to need to “there are,” try to reword it. Having people or things doing
determine the scope of your game. Is it focused entirely in something is a lot punchier than having things be done to
one high school that all the characters attend? Is it a whole someone, and so, using the example above, “police found a
urban sprawl? Or is it just one small, rural community and lot of blood” is better than “there was a lot of blood.”
the truck stop at the edge of town? Determining the rough Talk the players through disagreements or conflicting
scale of your chronicle will help your players sketch out this statements. Conflicting ideas can actually contribute to
map. Visual representations of that scale are also helpful; verisimilitude. If you think about anyone real in your life,
for example, a city map or the blueprints of an apartment does everyone in your life share that opinion? For every
complex. A list of names, covering a diverse range of genders, “funny guy” in your life, there are bound to be people who
ethnicities, and ages can be helpful as well, so that no one don’t get the jokes or aren’t amused by the behavior, and so
gets stuck on naming Storyteller characters. Random pictures it’s as easy to put down “hilarious” for the missing person
of people for inspiration can also be useful tools. as it is to put down “not very funny.” This is where direct
How You Do It: While the players are creating their and punchy statements really help. “The ladies think he’s a
characters, ask them the questions about the missing person riot” says a lot more than “some people find him amusing,”
below. Each player will have to answer most of the questions, and leaves room for “he doesn’t have many friends” without
and add to the map that you’re creating together. This map one canceling out the other. Instead, they paint a stronger,
will provide places, Storyteller characters, and relationships clearer picture of the sort of guy he is based only on how
to start your chronicle out holistically, so everyone needs to those two seemingly-contradictory ideas bounce off each
participate. The less the players have predetermined about other. Of course, as with all other steps in the Missing Person
their character, the better this will work, unless the player is chronicle starter, you and your players don’t have to sit down
already aware of how Missing Person works, and are eager and fill out each statement about the missing person right
to get involved. You don’t have to answer these questions in now. They can come back and add their own thoughts as the
any particular order, either. Jump around from step to step map develops. Just leave some blank space for new statements
and player to player as it feels natural and organic. Just make as they develop.
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missing persons-creating your setting