Buffy
LARP Proposal
Where:
New York City
When:
Nowish
What:
The Fang of Lohesh
Why:
Because a mad sorceror, already into his 100 days of invulnerability, is about to achieve Ascension to become the embodiment of the demon Lohesh.
Because a gang of vampires is about to attempt a massacre against a local gang whose drug trade is getting too big, and they don't know that the gang is comprised of werewolves. Plus, full moon coming up.
Who:
The
Slayer's Gang
You grew up on these streets. Since you became a Slayer you’ve been extra busy keeping them clean. Fortunately, you’ve got a pretty tough gang of your own to help out.
The local Slayer's gang, Muscle:
When your gang was wiped out by vampires, you only survived because the Slayer helped you out. Feeling like an orphan without your gang, and itching to get back at the coldbloods for what they did, you joined up with the Slayer. You’ve since discovered that you enjoy getting people’s respect by doing something for the greater good.
This character never even got played. Pity, too, since it's one of my favorites. Someone chose this character and then disappeared.
The local Slayer's gang, Muscle:
A deeply Catholic construction worker, you first found out about vampires when you discovered some hiding from the sunlight while you were working on the never-ending construction at the Cathedral of St. John. Enraged that they would profane such a place with their presence, you exorcised them with nothing but crosses, holy water, and a sledge hammer. Now you hunt with the Slayer, whom you see as clearly divinely gifted.
This poor fool got captured and turned into a vampire in the first game after surviving a harrowing combat against overwhelming odds and getting knocked out in the last round. Very sad. Now he works with the Vamp Drug Lord, and has a major grudge against his former friends.
The local Slayer's gang, Muscle:
Hey, the Slayer can’t be everywhere, right? You mainly patrol your own neighborhood, and you don’t take orders from anyone, but you’ll help out the Slayer when she asks nice and vice versa.
This character never got played, either. It was the last character to get picked up, and the player decided not to play after all.
The local Slayer's gang, Brains:
The Slayer says you saved her life that time when some lucky vamp had her on the ropes. Heck, all you did was distract him long enough for her to pick up that stake she dropped. Since then, you’ve spent much time learning all you can about the demon underworld, and frequently use your job in police forensics to assist in investigations.
The local Slayer's gang, Magic:
Your grandmother taught you well in the mysterious workings of Santeria… a little bit voodoo, a little bit Catholic saint worship, and a lot of natural talent all mix to give you the power to work miracles. Being the Slayer’s lifelong best friend puts you right in the thick of the fight.
Rough, rough times ahead for this character. She was captured by the vampires at the end of the second game.
The local Slayer's gang, Watcher:
One of the few Watchers to survive the destruction of the Council, you were actually getting ready for final exams at the Watchers’ Academy when it happened. Good news… finals were cancelled. Scary news… the new record low of surviving Watchers is paralleled by a new record high in concurrently existing Slayers. Ready or not, you’re working in the field now.
This didn't work out very well. This guy ended up playing the Watcher very old-school, insisting on unquestioning obedience from his Slayer. When he found her behavior vis a vis her old ties to one of the vampires, he removed her to England to be disciplined by the new Council... and instead he himself got sacked for removing her from active duty without a much better reason.
By the start of the second game, he had parlayed his occult connections into a job with Wolfram & Hart's New York City office, and is working very closely with the Vampire Drug Lord, one of their most important clients.
The Vampires
Vamp drug lord
You’ve controlled the drug flow in this neighborhood since the fifties. The drugs and the residents have changed over time, but you were always here. Now a bunch of warmbloods barely out of their teens thinks they’re going to move in? Over your dead body. Or, your pile of dust. Whatever.
Vamp Lieutenant
You were sired in 1969 by the Vamp Drug Lord as a less violent way to expand his territory. You serve at his right hand, running the night-to-night operations while he collects all the profit.
You used to run with the Slayer. In fact, you two had a particularly special relationship, wink, wink, nudge nudge. Okay, you two were knocking boots! Jeez, do I have to spell everything out? Anyway, you two were sweet on each other, and you got vamped, probably in a Season Finale or something, which is the single biggest point of contention between her and the Vamp Drug Lord. You love being a vampire, and if you could bring her around to your way of thinking, the two of you could rule this town together.
Boy, did this not work out like I thought. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
When he was forced to choose between saving the Slayer from the other vamps or keep his cover, he saved her life. Knowing they'd be out for his head after that betrayal, he turned to the Slayer for help... but she wouldn't trust him, on account of him being evil and all. In order to keep from getting killed, he started looking for a way to get his soul back so the Slayer could trust him. He found one. Lucky for both of them, really... in the second game, he saved her from losing two arms and then a head.
Vamp Minion
Faceless vampire minion of the drug lord. Get here earlier next time.
We have up to five of these for each session. Now, you'd think no one would want to play a faceless minion... but considering that getting killed as a minion means you sit out for a few minutes before being sent back out again by your master, it's more fun that it sounds at first. In fact, for the second game we had people literally lining up to play minions.
So
far, only one minion has managed to stay alive through an entire game and work
his way up from Extra to Recurring Guest Star.
The Werewolves
Werewolf Gang leader
Your friends told you to leave that skank alone, but you didn’t listen. Now you’re a werewolf, which ain’t so bad. You’ve been passing the curse on to your gang for some time now, and you guys are ready to make your move now. You’ve managed to keep your power a secret, and when the full moon rises you’re going to play that ace and take this neighborhood back from that vampire that’s been running things.
This one shocked me by brokering a deal with the Vamp Drug Lord instead. The werewolves conduct business during the day, and pay a percentage to the Drug Lord. But come nightfall, they better be off the streets to make room for the vampire pushers.
Wolf Gang Member
see Vamp Minion.
The Initiative Squad
Okay, first of all I never intended to have all their names start with J. These were characters that were actually used in an all-Initiative tabletop game, all named by players. I liked the group dynamic between them, and ported them into the LARP. We ended up with all but one of them having J names, so when I created one more for the LARP, I made it a J name to fit the scheme.
In the first game, the Initiative squad performed very poorly. So poorly, in fact, that I recast them all for the second game except Japhy.
Jaeger
No nonsense, get the job done. There’s a way to live through a military op, and that’s discipline and watching out for each other. You’d rather have let your early retirement stick, but as long as the US of A is pressuring you into it, you’re going to do it right.
Japhy
You’re the evil midnight bomber what bombs at midnight. There’s nothing you love more than blowing things up. The government may be trying to turn you into a good guy, but you still get to blow shit up. That’s in the plus column.
Japhy didn't get to blow anything up, poor guy. He also got cut in half in the climactic battle of the first game. Luckily, he's got a Unique Kill and was none the worse for wear after his body got itself together and went looking for his head between games.
Juarez
You are very, very sneaky. Comes with being invisible. You have to forego what little human contact is available to you to keep it that way, so you’re probably a pretty lonely guy. But that’s okay, because you’re wicked busy.
Interesting to note, Juarez became a girl in the recasting.
Jones
“Game over, man! Game over!” Just kidding. You’re not likely to crack, even in the face of imminent death. You’re a survivor of the Initiative fiasco, a real veteran. You’re the classic grunt. A groundpounder all the way. You do things by the book, yes sir, no sir, right away sir.
Poor Jonesey was tortured and then sired at the end of the first game. He didn't appear in the second or third game at all.
Demon Black Marketeer
That’s your story and you’re sticking to it. Really, you’re name is Jackson, and you're an undercover Initiative agent who probably garroted the actual black market guy. Lucky you, you get to go in alone to draw out this sorcerer with this mystical doodad he’s supposed to be delivering. At least you think you’re alone. For all you know, Juarez is right behind you.
Neither did Jackson.
The Independents
The Sorceror
Everything you’ve worked for your unnaturally long life is about to finally come to fruition. The last thing you need is the Fang of Lohesh, a ritual blade with which you need to sacrifice the blood of a Slayer. You’ve already made the purchase and are awaiting its delivery, you expect it within the next day… good thing, because the sacrifice must be made under the light of a full moon.
The Sorcerer (turned out to be a Sorceress, actually) got away at the end of the first game, but without the Fang of Lohesh. Before she left, she had some words of encouragement, a book of Black Magic, and a magic item of some interest to the Slayer's Witch friend. The ramifications of all that still haven't come to light.
Vamp snitch
Your arrangement with the Slayer is pretty simple. You give her whatever information she needs, and she doesn’t kill you. You also feed only on pig’s blood, and don’t sire any more vampires. At least, as far as she knows. If the other vampires ever catch on to this, you’re dust. Your arrangement with the Vamp Drug Lord is equally simple: stick to the small time stuff, steer clear of the Slayer, and he doesn’t kill you either. If nothing else kills you, the stress of playing both sides against the middle just might.
The Snitch ended up in the thrall of the Sorceress for most of the first game before finally dying ignominiously in one of the only things the first Initiative squad did right.
Brachen Demon Barkeep
You run a little out of the way place where everybody knows your name, and will sell said name to anyone with cash. You’re in the prime position to know everything that goes on, and you take advantage of it. You know the Wolf Gang’s secret, and they like your place enough that they’ll pay you to keep quiet instead of just killing you.
This guy decided to play the character differently, as someone who knows everything but doesn't tell. The bar was neutral ground, but that didn't prevent a fight from breaking out midway through the first episode. Between games, he contracted some local sorcerer to put up anti-violence wards on the bar (and this is a player who's never watched Angel at all!).
Byblos Demon occult bookstore owner
Anything that was ever printed in an occult book, you’ve read it. And memorized it. You’re a walking encyclopedia of occult lore, and a recurring resource of great value to the Slayer, but you have no particular allegiance. You run a business here, and you can get whatever information anyone needs for the right price.
What’s
going on…
The Slayer and Co. are aware that there’s a pack of werewolves in the area, but so far they have no clues as to their identity. They also suspect that the Vamp Drug Lord is plotting something, but they have no details. If they lean on the Snitch hard enough, he will spill on account of he knows everything. They also know about the Sorcerer’s plans, and they know the Fang is coming, and they’re keenly interested in keeping it out of his hands, but they don’t know that the good guys have already intercepted it.
The Sorcerer knows that the vamps are planning to wipe out their rivals, and he knows the rivals are werewolves, but it only concerns him insofar as it could distract the Slayer from dealing with him, and the ensuing fracas will wear her down enough to make her easier to subdue.
The Vamp Snitch is going to be a busy little wuss. Everybody thinks they have an exclusive lock on him, so they’re all going to be coming to him for info. And he knows everything (except that the gang the Drug Lord expects to wipe out are werewolves). The only thing he doesn’t know is that the Initiative has the Fang, and if he sees Jackson on his way to the drop, he’ll clue in, since he brokered the deal for the Sorcerer and knows who’s supposed to be making the drop. His biggest problem will be giving people enough information to keep himself alive while keeping them all from finding out about each other.
The Vamp Drug Lord knows that someone is moving in on his territory, and he doesn’t like it. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t know they’re werewolves. He’s pretty smug about his ability to wipe them out, which will change when the moon rises. He also knows the Sorcerer is up to something, but he doesn’t really know what. If he finds out there’s a mystical artifact on the way, he’ll do his best to intercept it, using all the resources at his disposal.
The Slayer's Ex is the only one who knows the Snitch is playing both sides, and uses it to his advantage. He’s been giving him cryptic warnings to pass on to the Slayer for a while now. He’s made sure to keep the warnings legit, so that she’s come to trust this mysterious advice over time. He’ll get a chance to use it to his advantage only once before that trust is broken, so he’d better use it wisely.
The Wolf Gang Leader knows his big chance has come. He hates vampires in general, and he’s sick of these particular vamps running his neighborhood. He also knows the Slayer doesn’t know the true nature of his gang, and will use that to his advantage somehow. Ultimately, the wolves can’t be trusted by anyone, because once that moon rises, all bets are off.
The only person who even approaches the Snitch as far as knowledge of what’s going on is the Demon Barkeep. He has the distinction of being one of exactly two people outside the werewolves’ gang who knows their secret, and is well compensated to keep his mouth shut about it. If there’s a common area in the game, his place is it.
The Biblios Demon occult bookshop owner is hands-down the most knowledgeable being in this game. The reason he sells the books in the shop is because he doesn’t need them anymore… he’s memorized every word. He knows exactly where in the shop to find whatever it is you might be looking for, and he deals with everybody. Everybody has used his services at some point. He is the other person who knows about the werewolves, and keeps quiet about it because nobody has asked. Usually he minds his own business, catering to everyone, but he’s read the books that tell what the Sorcerer is up to, and he’s not thrilled about it.
The Initiative Squad has two objectives: neutralize the Vampire Drug Lord, and prevent the Ascension. Taking down the wolf gang is pretty standard procedure, the most common op the Initiative goes through in urban areas. The Ascension is of even greater import, since the emergence of a giant demon into upper Manhattan could not only cost a lot of lives, but could blow the lid off the whole secret world of Subterrestrials which would lead to worldwide panic, human sacrifice, dogs & cats living together… mass hysteria.
To Jaeger, this is an op like any other. The stakes may be higher, but then he can’t get any more professional than he already is. With a tendency to treat every two-bit bug hunt like a matter of critical international importance, it’s not easy to raise the stakes.
Jones’ attitude is similar to Jaeger, but with a little less of a hard edge. On the other hand, Jones can afford to relax a little bit, on account of he’s not being eyeballed for a command position. He’s been through enough with The Initiative to know that with HSTs, you can only plan so much. They’re unpredictable, and you’re only getting what HQ gives you in any event, so there’s only so much you can worry about it.
Juarez has been looking forward to this. He loves urban ops… nothing like the hustle and bustle of a big city to make his job even easier. Vampires are a wild card, because they don’t necessarily have to see you to notice you’re there(good sense of smell, those vampires), but even so they’re not going to do well against an invisible man armed to the teeth with guns and stakes (also invisible). Anyway, there’re plenty other elements for him to look after.
Vampires, Ascension, no Ascension, whatever. Japhy will be happy with whatever outcome, as long as he gets to blow shit up.
The Demon Black Marketeer is in reality an Initiative undercover agent named Jackson. The real black marketeer is dead in a ditch on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike, and Jackson's got the Fang… which means that they have what they need to stop the Ascension already. The brass would like to get their hands on the sorcerer, though. So this is where he comes in. The rest of the Initiative team is supposedly monitoring him at all times, so they’re pretty sure he can get out of this without being turned into a newt.