NYBN FAQ
- At August 08, 2017
- By Great Quail
- In Vampire
0
Frequently Asked Questions
Archive Note
I first began playing Vampire: The Masquerade in 1993, and ended my campaign in 2002. I no longer run a Vampire campaign, and New York by Night is essentially an archive of old material.
Vampire: The Masquerade was first published in 1991. This was before “Settlers of Catan” or “Magic: The Gathering.” Geek culture was still largely underground in the early-1990s, and gaming was a lonely sub-culture. Thanks to Anne Rice, however, vampires were very much in style. When I first posted New York by Night, very few gamers had placed their campaigns online, and I received a lot of confused emails: “What the hell is this? What’s a role-playing game? Is this an Anne Rice game? Are you into Satan?” That sort of thing. So I did what every narcissist did in the 1990s, I made a FAQ file! (What’s that you say, I’m still making them? Hmmm…)
2018 Update
What’s the deal? Wasn’t this site, like, ancient? So now it’s back?
This site is no longer “active.” Meaning, I ran a decade-long Vampire campaign. It ended in 2002. I have no plans on returning to it, and after a few years of neglect, New York by Night vanished from the Web. Recently, however, I have found myself a new URL, and I decided to put it back online. I still get emails asking about it, so I figured what the hell. I have made very few alterations—the site looks as it did for most of the late-1990s, just adapted to WordPress.
Will you be updating it?
Hell no. What you see is what you get. Areas that were still undeveloped in 1999 will remain so. My campaign took place from 1993–2002. Therefore, this site represents a pre-911 New York City, and I make no effort to “modernize” it. In fact, the World Trade Center was very important to my Ventrue clan, so it appears throughout these pages.
Do you still live in New York? What are you up to?
Yes, I still live in Brooklyn. For the last several years, I have turned from Vampire: The Masquerade to Call of Cthulhu, and now to Deadlands.
Holy Christ, with the purple prose all over these pages! Aren’t you a bit…embarrassed?
Hell yes! The temptation to edit the more excessive flourishes of my “vampire writing” is strong, but I resisted. I’d rather present New York by Night warts and all. Frankly, part of the reason that I gave up Vampire: The Masquerade was because it lost its appeal to me. I began to see the notion of vampires as an idea more relevant to a younger person—specifically, perhaps, myself in my twenties! As I grew older, and as 911 and the Bush Administration fundamentally changed New York, vampires seemed more like an adolescent fantasy, a delightful escape from the world into a realm of cruel beauty and eternal youth. So I turned to Call of Cthulhu, which—though still happily fantasy—mirrors a bleaker world, one in which humans must find their own meaning in a universe of alien indifference as they march inexorably toward extinction. There’s also tentacles, which are cool. And these days, I’m more into Deadlands, a game that reflects my passion for the nineteenth century, the Civil War, and westerns.
Note
The rest of the FAQ file follows the original, last updated in 2001. And yes, I actually got some of these questions—especially, “Do you know where I can find real vampires?” Oh, and Kai’s Power Tools. Heh.
Original 2001 FAQ
Are you the author of White Wolf’s New York by Night sourcebook?
No, I am not Justin Achilli, and my campaign setting has nothing to do with the official White Wolf New York by Night. My setting was created from 1993–2002, and moved in radically different directions than the White Wolf universe.
So is your game part of the official White Wolf “World of Darkness” at all?
Not really—my vision of New York City is not the only thing that differs from the White Wolf version, my entire gaming universe has fundamental differences as well. This is also the reason I never wanted to officially write for them—they do not accept submissions that jar with their established order, and I really can’t blame them.
Speaking of White Wolf, I have noticed some similarities between your game and a few sourcebooks, such as Montreal by Night and New York by Night.
Well, of course there will be some similarities. But my Web site has been around longer than most White Wolf source-books, which is why I don’t have much to do with the whole “Final Nights” campaign—I have been playing for nearly a decade, and my game has evolved on its own. I am very careful with citing my inspirations and crediting other people’s work—so if you read it here, and I don’t credit someone else, it’s my idea. I like Philip Boulle’s Montreal by Night very much, but I took nothing from it; though it does stand in for Montreal in my own gaming universe. I also rather like Achilli’s New York by Night, even though I confess I am bummed that White Wolf finally published an “official” version of New York City. I think mine is more complex and interesting.
What about September 11? have you incorporated that into your game?
To be honest, I am still in shock. The Twin Towers have been the focus of my Ventrue’s base of power since I began my game, and to have them no longer sit upon the southern skyline is something that numbs my mind. I cannot bring myself to re-write my game to incoprorate this tragedy. On one hand, I feel it would, at least at this early stage in history, trivialize the magnitude of the event. On the other hand, since this is only a fantasy game, I would rather have them remain intact in my gaming universe.
So you actually live in New York City?
Yes I do—I am a resident of Brooklyn.
Are you a vampire?
No.
Do you believe in vampires?
No.
Really? I mean, what if I want to know where I can be Embraced, or where the vampire hangouts are for real in NYC? Come on, ‘fess up.
I hate to sound like an ingrate, but I do get a few letters—quite a few!—from people who think that they’re really vampires, or want to be Embraced, or want me to let them in on vampire secrets in the Big Apple. Honestly, I do not believe in vampires, and frankly I get kind of freaked out by people who think that they’re one of the walking dead. New York by Night is a fictional universe, a resource for a game called Vampire: the Masquerade. Please don’t write me asking me to drink your blood. You don’t know me that well. I mean, golly, who drinks blood on a first date?
What is “Vampire: the Masquerade”?
A role-playing game published by White Wolf. This site is a resource for that game. If you are unfamiliar with “role playing games” in general, or want to know more details about Vampire: the Masquerade, feel free to visit my page called “World of Darkness.”
Can I download and use your stuff?
Yes, absolutely, that’s what it’s here for. I only ask you not to publish it in any form without my permission, and if you do use elements of New York by Night on a Web site, please contact me and place a link to my site.
Can I get your material in any easier way than downloading it one fucking page at a time?
I used to offer a NYbN Packet for $30, but so many people ordered them and then never paid that it turned out to be one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever done. The packets were over 100 pages, it took forever to put one together, I kept losing pages, and I had to combat my own enormous laziness . . . sigh.
Do you answer all your email?
I run quite a few Web sites and I get over 50 email messages a day. I honestly try to answer most of the letters that people send me; but it usually takes me a few days, or sometimes even a month or more, to get back to someone. Don’t let this discourage you from dropping me a note; I place a tremendous value on feedback of any sort, especially corrections, suggestions, and shameless flattery. Just understand that it may take a bit of time for me to reply. If it is very important and/or time sensitive, such as a request for permission to use NYbN materials for an upcoming project, or an offer to take Tori Amos out on a date next Saturday night, please write IMPORTANT in capital letters in the subject line. I will try to get to it immediately.
Boy, you sound grumpy. Do you ever answer any questions?
Sure! As a matter of fact, I enjoy some of the more offbeat questions and correspondence. I have made a lot of friends through this site, and I hope to make many more. Please understand, though, that I do get a lot of… odd email.
Is “New York by Night” your main Web site?
No. I also serve as Editorial Director to a site called “The Modern Word,” a huge site devoted to postmodern literature and authors such as James Joyce, Umberto Eco, Jorge Luis Borges, Franz Kafka, Gabriel García Márquez, Samuel Beckett, and Thomas Pynchon.
Do you do all the graphics yourself?
Yes, I do—except, of course, for the untouched photographs and any pictures of book covers and such. I love playing around with Adobe Photoshop, and I have a wide range of filters, fonts, and effect generators that provide me with endless hours of amusement. Some of my favorites include Kai’s Power Tools, Eye Candy, and Alchemy Paint Magic. (One day I will make a pilgrimage to the Adobe Campus in California, and I shall reverently lay small offerings at their front door… and perhaps light a few candles around a picture of Kai Krause.) I usually start with a stock image—gathered from the Web or scanned in from a Vampire source book—and then I throw on some music, fire up the coffee-maker, and get to work. To create a standard image—like what I use in the title banners to many of my pages—usually takes between one to three hours, through which I go through many alternate versions and rejects, some of which occasionally find their way elsewhere on the site.
[2017 Editorial note: Ha ha ha! God, these graphics suck. I can’t believe I was so proud of them!]
OK, these crosses. Are you a Christian? And I noticed that little cross that looks like a Nazi thing. What’s up with that?
I was baptized Catholic, confirmed Lutheran, and have since drifted into the Church of Cthulhu. I love crosses, and think that they look good on a vampire page. As for the Maltese Cross I use as a link back to the Necropolis, in no way does that apply to any affiliation with the Nazi party or any other crackpot asshole Aryan Power thing.
And what about all the naked people in your images! Are you sexist or just a touch randy?
I have always believed that nakedness and vampires go well together. Don’t they?
Why don’t you have any stats for your characters? Can you supply some?
I don’t include statistics with my characters for several reasons. First of all, it just takes too much time to really work out stats for every character, and frankly I like creating the characters infinitely more than I like backing them up with numbers and figures. Secondly, I am unsure what some of these vampire’s stats would be — for instance, how do I rank Marius? I don’t mind a little mystery. Thirdly, I like offering them without stats so they’re more adaptable to other people’s games. If you want to give MacTaggart the powers of Dracula, go right ahead. If you’d rather make him a Scottish milksop just waiting to bare his chest for Buffy’s stake, feel free to do that, too. And lastly, well, my players do visit this site on occasion. It just wouldn’t seem fair if I posted all the stats of the Prince and his cronies, would it? I mean, the Prince needs a fighting chance, too.
Where do you get your character ideas from?
Mostly history. I read a lot of history, and I am always thinking, “how can I get a vampire out of this?” (For example: Marius, Wolfgang von Gottlieb, Sean Ó Conaill, Aleister MacTaggart — all were born in the pages of various history books.) I also find myself thinking the same question when I read novels or see movies. (The inspirations for Daamiän Moonshadow, Cyril Locke, Jim Connor, Princess Jemmy, Anna Livia Plurabelle, Niccolò Montfaulcon, and Don Spinozi all came from books, comics or movies.) I also tend to make vampires out of various people I’ve met — Sula Threek, Fish, Aspen Sleet, Spinning Jenny and Psycho Judy were all based on real people.
What are some of your other inspirations?
For horror in general, my personal deity is H.P. Lovecraft. So much of my thinking and style have been influenced by ol’ Howie that it would be pointless to mention specifics. Other big influences that may be detectable on this site include William S. Burroughs, Umberto Eco, Robert Anton Wilson, Michael Moorcock, Frank Herbert and of course Anne Rice. I am firmly in the camp that believes we wouldn’t have this lovely modern vampire mythology if it weren’t for dear Annie, even though I think her first two books were the best. (After that, it was mostly downhill, I fear.) Another writer who has been a major influence on my thinking is Jorge Luis Borges, and a lot of my general ideas have a Borgesian character. Also comic books, particularly Hellblazer, Sandman, Preacher, and anything by Grant Morrison — Doom Patrol and the Invisibles especially.
Can you recommend any good vampire movies?
I prefer more artsy-fartsy vampire films, and I think that Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a fucking masterpiece. I also really like Interview with the Vampire, The Hunger, Near Dark, and Abel Ferrara’s little known gem, The Addiction. From Dusk to Dawn is a wild trip if you accept its basic premise, as is Werner Herzog’s remake of Nosferatu. While not in the same league as the above, I also get a kick out of Fright Night, Blade, The Lost Boys, and the whole freaking “Subspecies/Bloodstone” series, which are a lot better than they should be. Although the movie sucked, I am a big Buffy fan, and the two vampire episodes of the X-Files made me very happy. And I may like Angel even more than Buffy! I’d also like to recommend an indie film called The Habit, which takes place in New York and is one of the most “realistic” vampire flicks I’ve ever seen. Oh, yes — and the Doctor Who episode “State of Decay!”
What about music?
I incorporate a lot of music into my games, both for “Storytelling effect” and for general atmosphere. I do play a lot of the “classics” such as Joy Division, Bauhaus, the Cure, and NIN; and I find Dead Can Dance to be PFI — Pretty Fucking Indispensable. When things are to get creepy, I find early Tangerine Dream is always effective, as are the ambient works of Robert Fripp or Aphex Twin. I am also a huge classical nut, and I find myself playing a lot of classical music during game sequences. For more spooky or calming music, I often turn to the minimalists and postminimalists — Philip Glass, Gavin Bryars, Henryk Górecki, Steven Reich, and Michael Nyman are all excellent. For more scary and bombastic music, there’s Christopher Rouse, who composes very harrowing pieces; Krzysztof Penderecki and James MacMillan, who write some rather spooky liturgical works; and Wojciech Kilar, the composer who wrote the score to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. When I want to freak my players out, the early music of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and the music of György Ligeti never fail to do the trick.
I have some vampire stuff of my own. Can I post it on your site?
I am always interested in seeing other people’s stuff, so I don’t mind reading campaign notes, characters, bloodlines, things like that. But I’m sorry, I keep this site for my own campaign, and I don’t post other people’s work, no matter who good it might be.
Credits
This document was first uploaded on 24 March 1999. The banner is an aerial shot of lower Manhattan that I played with a bit in Photoshop. 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. 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: 24 March 1999
Last Modified: 9 August 2017
Embarrassment Level: Somewhat; More Like “Amused”
Email: Quail (at) Shipwrecklibrary (dot) com