The big thing I'm excited about with this book isn't the book itself, though I'm exceptionally excited about that, but the fact that it is going to be a series of supplements that will make a few for Chicago. The Anarchs and Camarilla supplement, the Chronicles, and so on all mean this won't just be a "one and done" sort of deal.

I've done an interview with Matthew Dawkins and he mentions the ideal is they're going to do possibly up to four chronicles for LET THE STREETS RUN RED.

I'm hoping they'll reach the mark for that.

It'll make a whole Midwest sort of setting for 5E.

Yeah, no.  OPP has lost all KS support from me after backing Changeling 20th Anniversary and Wraith 20th Anniversary.  Changeling was a year late and now 6 more months past and backers still don't have everything promised.  Wraith is over 3 years late and it's still not done.  While I didn't back Exalted 3rd Edition, we know how that one went

Chicago By Night isn't supposed to deliver until this time next year in physical form.  I'll check back on it then assuming they maybe finally figured out how to actually stick to a schedule.

Quote from: rgalex;1063466Yeah, no.  OPP has lost all KS support from me after backing Changeling 20th Anniversary and Wraith 20th Anniversary.  Changeling was a year late and now 6 more months past and backers still don't have everything promised.  Wraith is over 3 years late and it's still not done.  While I didn't back Exalted 3rd Edition, we know how that one went

Chicago By Night isn't supposed to deliver until this time next year in physical form.  I'll check back on it then assuming they maybe finally figured out how to actually stick to a schedule.

I can't speak for the other lines but I've read the complete Chicago by Night manuscript and all the art is done too.

So hopefully that won't be the case.

https://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2018/11/interview-with-matthew-davenport-about.html

An interview with Matthew Dawkins

1. What inspired making a 5th Edition of Chicago by Night?

Chicago was the iconic city for Vampire: The Masquerade for the longest time, so it made sense to revisit it, give it a facelift, a lot of new plots and characters, and bring it forward into fifth edition.

2. What was your thoughts on the original supplement?

I'm a big fan of a lot of the old city sourcebooks, with Chicago being in my top three. Chicago was the template that many books went on to follow, and my hope is that any city sourcebooks following this one will match or build on its design.

3. Do you have a favorite Chicago-area supplement to that period? (Diablerie: Mexico, Milwaukee by Night, Succubus Club, Under a Blood Red Moon, Ashes to Ashes, Blood Bond)

My favourite supplement for that period and location would be Milwaukee by Night, which still ranks as my #1 city sourcebook. I love it due to its simplicity. It has a lot of stereotypical characters in its pages, but I enjoy that, and consider it an excellent introductory book for anyone looking to get into Vampire.

4. Did you prefer 1st Edition or 2nd Edition?

I don't really have a preference between first and second edition Chicago by Night, as they both have a lot of strong elements. The thing I feel is missing in second edition are the chronicle hooks at the back of first edition, but it makes up for it with a more diverse, interesting cast of characters.

5. What can players expect from this supplement?

Players can expect rules for playing the Lasombra, lots of interesting Kindred with whom a character can form alliances or rivalries, benefits and drawbacks for operating out of certain parts of the city, and a beautiful campaign setting in which to grow a character.

6. What was the design philosophy for updating Chicago and its characters to the year 2018?

The core design philosophy was to ensure this book had the horror of the Beast, Humanity, and Hierarchy. Bleeding out from that we strived to introduce a diverse cast of characters with multiple interesting agendas, plentiful plots a Storyteller can introduce to their chronicle, and to make the book feel exactly as Chicago should.

7. Do you have a favorite character from the book?

My favourite character is a new Nosferatu named Adze. He's a lot of fun and teases the possibility of Chicago moving away from the Camarilla.
 
8. What sort of changes can we expect to the setting with the transition to 5th Edition?

There's a new Prince, some new Primogen, old foes might have fallen, new ones may have arisen. The changes to the Camarilla and Anarchs in fifth edition sends ripples across Chicago as well, meaning previously quiet clans receive prominent position while others, once powerful, sink into the shadows.

9. The Lasombra clan will be detailed in this book. Can you explain why they'll be included in this book, in or out of universe?

I pitched for the Lasombra to be included in this book for a few reasons: 1.) I wanted them playable in V5, 2.) There's a strong metaplot reason for them to be in the North American crown jewel of the Camarilla, and 3.) It adds an exciting plot vein to this book.

10. The Kickstarter lists some additional supplements that have already been unlocked. Can you tell us a bit about them?

The Chicago Dossiers will be books largely consisting of in-universe artifacts you can print and use for your chronicles, though there's the hope it will receive expansion so we can include some more characters and loresheets in there too. Let the Streets Run Red is a chronicles book a little like the Succubus Club sourcebook of old, with as many as four decent-sized chronicles, the first being set in Chicago, the last (if we reach it) going out as far as Milwaukee and Indianapolis.

11. How has your experience been on writing for 5E?

I've enjoyed my work on V5 a great deal. Certainly, it's had its stresses from time to time. That's natural for a new edition of a game, especially when a new team has been put together. It can also sometimes prove tricky to create something that exactly matches what the licence owner (White Wolf, in this case) would like to see. But all in all, I'm very pleased with how V5 has turned out, and especially how Chicago is looking.

12. You wrote about the Ministry (formerly the Followers of Set) for the Guide to the Anarchs, right? What can we expect to find out about them in that book?

The Ministry have gone through a bit of a re-brand, ostensibly accepting a plethora of non-Caine faiths into their ranks and re-embracing their polytheistic roots. They're the spiritual arm of the Anarch Movement, providing advice to fellow Anarchs on how to temper their Beast by working for a higher power, while of course profiteering from other vampires' spiritual corrosion. I've heard a lot of good things from fans of the Setites who were apprehensive about the Ministry, but enjoy the fresh coat of paint the clan's received.

13. What projects will you be working on after Chicago by Night?

They Came from Beneath the Sea!, the Contagion Chronicle, Book of Oblivion, Mummy: The Curse, and Shunned by the Moon are the big projects on my list right now. There's also the stretch goals following the Chicago by Night Kickstarter, but we won't get started on them until we know how big they're going to be.

Oh, BTW, Onyx Path gave an "apology FAQ" for previous Kickstarters.

QuoteThis is Onyx Path Publishing's 32nd Kickstarter, and the company has learned how to maintain focus during a campaign to maintain manageable projects and achievable goals. To read more about the knowledge that has been applied to this project, you can read the FAQ linked here: http://theonyxpath.com/about/faq/kickstarter/
Risks and challenges

Risk: This game isn't created at all even though the goal is reached.

Solution: We have successfully shipped many Kickstarter projects, and more are headed to completion as you read this. All those projects have taught us how the various pieces of the process work and we have increased our ability to judge the various stages of delivery better with each KS. The text for Chicago By Night is finished and initial interior artwork has been contracted, so the development process is well underway.

Risk: Shipping costs soak up pledges that were meant to enable the creation of the book.

Solution: Kickstarter shipping costs have continued to rise this last year, but we are aware of that and were able to find ways to work with shippers to bring down those costs -- unfortunately, only to some extent as we have also needed to up the shipping charges -- both methods allowing us to be sure that shipping doesn't eat up the pledge money supposed to go to printing.

Risk: The game will take a long time to produce and anger the backers.

Solution: We've learned many, many lessons with our previous Kickstarters and we're becoming much better at estimating the various pitfalls that will delay a KS project. We were able to deliver the PDFs for our last several KS projects several months before the estimate, and our recent campaigns have delivered rewards earlier than estimated.

That being said, backers need to be aware that they are enabling a process, and not a pre-order opportunity, and things do sometimes run slower than we want or anticipate with that process. We've found that an open flow of communication between us and the backer community is vital so once the project funds we will deliver updates on progress once a month (or more, as needed) via Kickstarter as well as in our regular, weekly, Monday Meeting Notes blog at //www.theonyxpath.com

ADDITIONAL TERMS & CONDITIONS

By backing this Kickstarter project, you have agreed to the following additional terms and conditions:

ARTWORK, DESIGN, MATERIAL & CONTENTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Onyx Path shares artwork, design, descriptions, and manuscript contents with the understanding that changes may occur in the creation of the final product based on further development, available resources and materials, and the nature of the creative process.

REWARDS REQUIRING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRE TIMELY RESPONSE. Some rewards, particularly limited Special Rewards such as art model descriptions, character names, and custom design work, require input from the reward backer. For these rewards, the backer must respond within 6 weeks of the information being requested (most likely by BackerKit pledge manager survey, occasionally by direct e-mail) in order to maintain the project development and manufacturing timeline. Onyx Path will make a strong effort to acquire this information, but should the backer not provide it in a timely fashion, all parties agree that Onyx Path can move forward on the project without the information or using an appropriate substitution and the respective backer will consider the reward obligation fulfilled in full for payment or donations pledged and collected on the part of Onyx Path. The simple fact is that we cannot delay the production of the product due to an unresponsive backer, that's just not fair to the others who have supported this project.

ADDRESS CONFIRMATION & DELIVERY OBLIGATIONS. If you confirm your pledge prior to final address confirmation and initiation of distribution notification via email, you agree that our responsibility to you is to ship your order as entered into our pledge manager system, that title and risk passes to you upon delivery to a common carrier for such shipment, and you are responsible for import duties or any other duties that may be payable to the relevant tax authorities, providing correct address information and ensuring this address is deliverable by normal methods. Failure to confirm mailing address prior to final request and distribution notification will be taken as agreement that all obligations have been met and no further action or effort is required on the part of Onyx Path. We will attempt to alert you via the methods provided by Kickstarter and/or BackerKit, primarily e-mail, prior to distribution of rewards to avoid any issue, but once we've made all reasonable efforts, we must move on with other business and will be unable to make exceptions.

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If you do not accept these terms, please do not pledge on this project but instead wait for the general release.

Damn all the contreversy from the books is hurting Chicago by Night's steam.

They still haven't broken 80K

I hope they do soon because I really want to see these two supplements get a third supplement. That requires them hitting 90K.

THE CHICAGO FOLIO - an in-character artifact book compiling diary entries, transcripts, emails, and other treasures to use in the course of a V5 chronicle, especially useful when utilizing the characters and plots from Chicago by Night. All backers receiving the Chicago By Night PDF will automatically have a PDF version of the Chicago Folio added to their rewards list. The Chicago Folio is being expanded via Stretch Goal achievements. So far, we've added:

*    The Camarilla Record
*    The Anarch Accounts

LET THE STREETS RUN RED - a PDF supplement set in and around the Chicago and Midwest area, incorporating characters absent from V5 Chicago by Night and exploring the activities of Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and the rural Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana areas. All backers receiving the Chicago By Night hardcover will automatically have a PDF version of Let the Streets Run Red added to their rewards list. Chronicles are being added via Stretch Goal achievements. So far, we've added:

*    The first chronicle, set in the throbbing heart and ruined suburbs of Chicago
*    A second chronicle, set in rural, weird Illinois

This point of a KS is always the lull and yes your outrage mob that you helped create is harmful and this is why we shouldn't feed the mob.

In any case, I'm hoping my interviews with Matthew Dawkins and Mark Rein Hagen will get some good attention to it.

This could be a supplement which really brings people back to V:TM.

Quote from: CTPhipps;1064526In any case, I'm hoping my interviews with Matthew Dawkins and Mark Rein Hagen will get some good attention to it.

This could be a supplement which really brings people back to V:TM.

I think it can help. I dont think they should be after lapsed players as much as new players. Vampire and WoD hasn't been a cultural powerhouse for like 20 years.

Have you posted your interview?

I've talked with the developers and in exchange for my donation, I've saved both Prince Maxwell from Final Death and am bringing back one of the Gary characters from obscurity.

Modius and Juggler are off limits but everyone else was fair game.

The trick now is figuring out whether to do Alicia or Evelyn Stephens.

Quote from: Lurtch;1064529I dont think they should be after lapsed players as much as new players.

This right here has been my thought exactly.

I haven't gotten around to formally formulating any kind of review, but overall I like the new V5, and this is coming from a self-described lapsed player. I started playing with the first edition back in '91, but fell off the White Wolf wagon around '02 or so. I didn't get into V20, although I've heard good things about it and might still pick it up at some point.

As for V5, it feels like it's written for people who already know what the game and the back story are all about, and unfortunately I feel like that was a mistake on the new White Wolf's part. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about throwing in those easter eggs and whatnot for those people who have stuck with the line all these years, but their main focus should really have been about drawing in that new blood, so to speak. And unfortunately, it's just not written that way.

The book is written in kind of a haphazard fashion and it doesn't feel to me like there's a substantial enough "Setting" chapter to adequately explain the WoD or entice new players. It feels like a good game, though. I'm really liking the new mechanics. Some of the artwork and writing are questionable, in my opinion, but nothing objectively "bad" per se, more on the "eye rolling" side; but let's face it, even from it's very beginning, VtM has had its share of poor art and pretentious writing. None of it is a deal breaker, in my opinion. Maybe if you're a die hard SJW or a die hard anti-SJW, you might get triggered or pissed at some of it, but again let's face it: SJWs and anti-SJWs are just two sides of the same coin. Both sides are always looking for something to get pissed off at and they're going to find it no matter what. The rest of us are capable of simply rolling our eyes and moving on with our day.

Anyway, overall I think it's an attractive book and mechanically speaking it seems pretty sound. Superior, even, to previous editions. It makes me want to run a VtM game again, something I haven't thought about in a long time. I just feel like there isn't enough there to really grab a new player and make them go "whoa, this game looks awesome, I want to play in this world".

On an unrelated note, I'm sort of torn on the issue of my Kingdom Hearts/World of Darkness crossover fic.

On one hand, I have thought about doing Requiem and the New World of Darkness for the crossover, since I like early Requiem and feel it doesn't get enough love.

But on the other hand, I also love Masquerade and the early Classic World of Darkness, and if I use the stuff from Masquerade, I can include Chicago By Night and the Kindred of Gary, Chicago, and Milwaukee as characters in the story.

CT Phipps (and anyone else willing to weigh in on this), what should I do?

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1064675On an unrelated note, I'm sort of torn on the issue of my Kingdom Hearts/World of Darkness crossover fic.

On one hand, I have thought about doing Requiem and the New World of Darkness for the crossover, since I like early Requiem and feel it doesn't get enough love.

But on the other hand, I also love Masquerade and the early Classic World of Darkness, and if I use the stuff from Masquerade, I can include Chicago By Night and the Kindred of Gary, Chicago, and Milwaukee as characters in the story.

CT Phipps (and anyone else willing to weigh in on this), what should I do?

My general opinion and take this with a grain of salt is that the New World of Darkness/Requiem was absolutely awesome and superior in most respects to the Old World of Darkness. Gameplay, moodwise, and writing wise, it was consistently better all the way. However, it's barely a setting.  If I were to make a comparison, I believe that it's Dungeons and Dragons and Vampire: The Masquerade is the Forgotten Realms. Requiem, is for me, more a set of rules and ideas than an actual world to play in. Even the solidly established facts like the Invictus, VII, and other groups have a lot of, "Well, maybe the group is LIKE this."

That has it's ups and downs.

Requiem doesn't need more love in terms of setting ideas as I believe everything learned can will be carried over to Masquerade with the two merging just fine, setting and rules wide.

Nothing aside from the already useless stats prevents you from doing a great Requiem game set in V:TM's Chicago. Indeed, I've done that myself with Requiem's rulebook being very useful for establishing, "Guys, do not make the Highlander. Make an actual vampire with issues."

Quote from: CTPhipps;1064677My general opinion and take this with a grain of salt is that the New World of Darkness/Requiem was absolutely awesome and superior in most respects to the Old World of Darkness. Gameplay, moodwise, and writing wise, it was consistently better all the way. However, it's barely a setting.  If I were to make a comparison, I believe that it's Dungeons and Dragons and Vampire: The Masquerade is the Forgotten Realms. Requiem, is for me, more a set of rules and ideas than an actual world to play in. Even the solidly established facts like the Invictus, VII, and other groups have a lot of, "Well, maybe the group is LIKE this."

That has it's ups and downs.

Requiem doesn't need more love in terms of setting ideas as I believe everything learned can will be carried over to Masquerade with the two merging just fine, setting and rules wide.

Nothing aside from the already useless stats prevents you from doing a great Requiem game set in V:TM's Chicago. Indeed, I've done that myself with Requiem's rulebook being very useful for establishing, "Guys, do not make the Highlander. Make an actual vampire with issues."

True, but Requiem's deliberate vagueness can also be an advantage and make it easier to import over the homebrew and crossover stuff and not worry about metaplot purists complaining about the story not reflecting canon 100%

So either Requiem or Masquerade could easily work for the kind of story I want to tell.

For context, I started with Requiem before moving to Masquerade and the story itself is loosely inspired by my early experience with WoD and the story is set in 2005, when Requiem was still relatively fresh and the rest of the Chronicles of Darkness had yet to be fully fleshed out.

The premise being that Sora and his buddies are role-players playing a Requiem game with crossovers and homebrew material taken from other franchises and genres.

It's Vampire re-imagined by a group of hillbilly weeaboo mall ninjas (so basically me) and think of it like World of Darkness mixed with Soldier of Fortune and Black Belt Magazine.

And yes, it does venture into self-parody at times, in case you were curious.

I consider humor an essential part of Vampire: The Masquerade. I often lampshade the ridiculousness of Kindred in my games:

* Badly dated fashions (i.e. Flapper wear)
* Talking about fascinating new discoveries like television
* High Humanity Kindred frenzying and tearing apart stuffed animals
* Vampires watching vampire movies and critiquing them for accuracy

Fun stuff.

In any case, I've almost read the Complete Chicago by Night 5E by the Backers. So far, it's really really good.

Also leaps and bounds better than the V5 stuff and I say that as a fan of it.

It's also much-much more "traditional" Vampire. Some of the retcons I'm sure are going to tick people off, though.