Introduction

Introduction to New York by Night

Archive Note
The last update to this page was made in 2002. I no longer run a Vampire campaign, and New York by Night is essentially an archive of old material. I thought this original introduction was kind of amusing in an awful way, so I preserved it intact. I mean—“Viewing Tips” for your Web browser! Ha ha ha! Hello 1996, how’s it going? Remember gray backgrounds, blue hyperlinks, and the goddamn <blink> tag?

Everything after this note is vintage mid-1990, so if you are crazy enough to keep reading, feel free to judge me as harshly as possible.

Introduction

Since 1993 I have been running a game of Vampire: the Masquerade, White Wolf’s “role playing game of personal horror.” My game is set in New York City, and over the last few years I have collected quite a few ideas on game play, clan politics, and city dynamics.

New York by Night is a site devoted to collecting these ideas. NYBN is intended to serve as a resource for players and storytellers alike, very much in the vein of White Wolf’s “City by Night” source books. New York by Night is not a “Play by Mail” game, nor is it an open LARP; I am not accepting new players, and I do not run any Internet-based games. This site is a resource for the city: you will find information on Kindred politics, clan dynamics, and undead interrelationships. You will also find details on a few interesting locations, personal histories for some of the more colorful personalities, and a slew of miscellaneous “World of Darkness” resources ranging from new bloodlines to magical artifacts. All are free to download and use in your games; I only ask that if you reprint or repost this material, it remains attributed to the original author.

Caveat Emptor
But first, a few words of caution. my personal vision of New York is radically different from the NYC of the “official” White Wolf World of Darkness. In the standard canon, as found especially in the books Rage Across New York and the 2nd Edition World of Darkness, NYC is a city besieged by lupines and run by the Sabbat. My New York, however, is much different. Although the Sabbat have a tremendous amount of power, the Camarilla still holds sway by means of a dissolute and insane Prince and a decadent council of Primogen lackeys. Politics are fractious, the Sabbat are at the door, and every clan is scheming to gain the upper hand when the hammer falls. My Big Apple, though rotten to the core, still hosts a vast array of beauty and power, from the Toreador’s stunning cathedral to the presence of a Ventrue cabal guided by a 2000 year old Roman. I invite you to try my version of the city, I do not think you will be disappointed.

Also I would like to caution visitors of a sensitive nature. This site is intended for mature readers, and some of the subjects within may be considered offensive. Sex, drugs, the occult, and the red thread of murder run throughout its pages, so if you are the type who is easily offended, please point your Browser to the Christian Coalition Homepage and go bother them.

Dedication
NYBN is dedicated to the players who helped bring it to life—Karen, Kent, Finkie, Troy, Judie, Annie, Tenley, Jill, and Scott. I would also like to make a special dedication to Mark Rein Hagen, creator of the game, and to White Wolf, the best gaming company in the whole word of darkness. . . . Thank you for making it all possible—you guys blow TSR out of the fucking water.

Viewing Tips

Browser
New York by Night is a site that works best when seen on a modern Browser opened as wide as it can go. Smaller monitors may not be able to capture the entire images I use for some of its pages; but you’re probably used to your scroll bars by now anyway. It is important that your Browser be able to use frames, animated GIFs, and client-side image maps. I recommend using at least Netscape Navigator 4.0 or Internet Explorer 4.01.

Images
Naturally, the faster your modem, the quicker these pages will load on your computer. New York by Night is image-intensive, but I have used every means I could to balance attractiveness with accessibility. My images are indexed with this balance in mind, and most of the banner JPEGs are saved at “Medium” quality. I have also tried to reuse certain images so once cached, they are immediately loaded when needed on a new page. I must confess, however, that I have kept an eye on modern users: if your computer monitor can only display 256 colors, this site will not be as attractive and may display unsightly dithering. If you have the ability, I recommend setting the depth of your monitor to a higher setting.

Text
Because I generally do not use style sheets, you are in control of the font you see here: many new surfers are unaware that the base font is a result of a setting in their Browser, and not the Web site. The text looks best when rendered with a nice serif font complete with a true italic set. Most Browsers allow you to set the font in the “Preferences” or “Font” menu. If the text on this page looks too big or too small, or this part of the sentence is just slanted right rather than being rendered in true italics, I suggest you change your “proportional font” preferences. I recommend a 12-point font for Mac users, and a 10-point font for surfers using Windows—fonts usually look larger on machines running Windows. You may change your fonts in your preferences (Netscape Navigator) or your toolbar (Internet Explorer.) I also strongly recommend turning your “link underlining” option off, and making sure that your Browser allows the page to determine the colors used for texts, backgrounds, and links. This may seem strange to you at first—less purple underlining everywhere!—but I bet you’ll start to like it more after awhile!

Basic Structure
I have followed a “third-generation” model for my structural layout. The index page may be considered a “front door,” which leads into an “entry tunnel” that explains a little about the purpose of the site. The Necropolis is my core page, and all other pages in the site are eventually linked back to it. Any place you see a cross, you may be assured there is a path back to the Necropolis—like that white Celtic cross over there at the bottom of the left margin. Any changes I make at all on NYBN are cataloged on the “What’s New” page, so frequent visitors may wish to place a bookmark there. More is explained on the “Site Guide” page.

Credits

The World of Darkness and the Storyteller System, which includes Vampire: The Masquerade; Werewolf: the Apocalypse; Mage, the Ascension; Wraith: the Oblivion; and Changeling: the Dreaming; are all trademarks of White Wolf Games. The banner image was designed by me, but the nifty three-dimensional effects on the cross were first added by NYBN visitor DarkSoul. All images taken from the game books will be marked as the property of White Wolf, which holds their copyrights. Some of my images incorporate the artwork of others; in every case I will credit the relevant artist, and I promise to remove the offending graphic if the artist makes this wish known to me. The mention of or reference to any companies or products on this website is not a challenge to the trademarks or copyrights concerned.

Author: Great Quail
Original Upload: 1996
Date Archived: 9 August 2017
Embarrassment Level: Very High
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com