Page 114 - Chronicles of Darkness

them and how the missing person once did. To strengthen “Everyone blames me for what happened to him” are useful
the mood of any specific location, instead of a descriptive because they leave room for the player to explore how right
sentence, players might suggest a musical motif that would fit or wrong those opinions are. They also suggest elements of
just as well. This is an excellent technique to anchor a place personality for their characters, as well as how the outside
in the players’ minds, especially if you play the song quietly world observes the character. The ways in which the outside
any time a scene starts in the location. world views the disappearance will be handled more thor-
oughly in a later section.
What the Questions Really Answer

Characters standing around in empty, white rooms in What the Questions Really Answer
generic buildings, on stock streets in general towns can end This may end up being the step that is the most difficult
up feeling dry and distant. If you focus in and dress the set for some players, as they are asked to open their character
with memories, moods, themes, and especially details, it up to a communal worldbuilding step that not every player
becomes real and vital and can inform the story in ways you is used to. Encourage them gently, but remember that not
may not have expected. Vivid settings can help the Storyteller everyone has to contribute to every single step. It’s one thing
hang on to their passion for the chronicle and prevent the to decide as a group, “Hey, this person exists and is gone,
Storyteller from getting burned out. When players are debat- “but it takes it to the next level to say, “This person is gone,
ing whether or not they should take that Dramatic Failure, or and my character is somehow tied to this potential tragedy.”
how their Condition should manifest in this scene, having a You are asking that player to be accountable, in some way,
good sense of the mood and details can inspire and encour- regarding what happens to characters that are outside the
age them. A rooftop is not the same thing as the grubby, players’ control. After all, a player can’t spend Experiences
rust-covered rooftop of an aging theater. The latter tells the to raise the combat stats of their character’s girlfriend, so
player that things can fall apart, the structure may not hold, getting attached means the player might be stung should
and hell, yes you should consider having your character fall something happen to her. That’s why it’s important that this
off of something when she fails. step is optional, and not a hard requirement.
If a player wants to get involved but doesn’t want their
Implication character directly involved with the missing person, that’s
okay. It’s worthwhile to take a step back and look at the social
How do you know the missing person? Was he a good ecology of the characters. Maybe she wouldn’t deal with a
friend, or a lover? Was she a child or dependent? Is this missing drug dealer, because she’s on the straight and narrow,
disappearance keenly felt, or is the character somehow un- but is the fact that it’s a drug dealer who’s gone missing a
aware of what is disconnected and broken in their web of relief to or a burden on her beloved brother, a drug addict?
relationships? Is the character knowingly responsible for the
disappearance, or the catalyst for it? Is she the cause without Community
knowing it? They might have been complete strangers, but
because of the rule of seven degrees of separation, no life Who cares about the disappearance? Who doesn’t care
within your chronicle exists without touching others. This about the disappearance? Are there posters everywhere,
chronicle starter reflects the connections we see and don’t candlelight vigils? Has the media gotten involved, putting
see, so while characters may not realize their direct ties to the the missing person’s face up on TV screens all over the city?
missing person, the players should be aware of them. If the missing person has family, what are they doing about
the disappearance, and what are they telling people about
Putting it on Paper the person who has vanished? A family and community that
says “Oh, well, no one is surprised he’s gone,” assigns a tone
On your map, as spokes radiating outward, possibly from
the locations described in the Crime Scene step, write each of indifference to the local population that the characters
character’s name down. On the spoke, write a sentence de- may end up taking advantage of, or become victims to. A
scribing either the direct relationship between the character close-knit community can be a community that knows each
and the missing person, or the effect their disappearance has other’s secrets and keeps them, or one that spreads them
on the character’s life, even if it’s on a level understood by around. A disenfranchised community that minds its own
the players and Storyteller, but not the character. If a player business won’t be there when someone calls out for help. If
would like her character be implicated in the disappearance, a character shouts “Help, fire,” who will respond?
that’s great, but try to keep this very open ended. Consider Putting it on Paper
that “I’m pretty sure I killed her, but the body went missing
so I kept quiet” is much more interesting and useful than “I This step can and should happen sporadically over the
killed her and hid the body.” Leave the mystery of the disap- course of the rest of the chronicle mapping. Draw spokes
pearance in, even in the case of direct involvement. Whenever out from the missing person’s name, and draw clouds, like
possible, attach opinions and biases to these statements so thought bubbles in a comic. In these, with no specific attribu-
they can stay ambiguous. “I think I made her run away,” or tion, write some rumors surrounding both the person and

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missing persons-creating your setting