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Below are the 18 most recent journal entries recorded in
US ANST Awakening's LiveJournal:
| Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007 | | 1:08 am |
A new project
Hello everyone, I'd like your help with something. I'm beginning a new project as US ANST-Awakening to map out many of the ley lines in the United States, setting them down for all of the STs in the US (and the Cam in general) to see. Although I'm heading this up as ANST-Awakening, I want to make clear from the beginning that I accept the importance of this as it affects all venues, and will work with STs in every venue to get the information I need, and to develop the maps that will be the end-product of this project. Now, the details of the project are as follows: ( Objectives )( Methodology )Now that I've given you the details on the objectives and the methodology behind this project, I'd like to get the ball rolling. As a part of that, I would like your input on the following areas (e-mail to my Yahoo account at auronculari63 is appreciated, as is a reply to this post): ( General Questions )( Specific Requests )( Final notes )Now, since I'm a firm believer in being the first to do what you ask everyone else to do, I'm going to prepare my responses to the questions I wrote, above. Expect to see them shortly. Sincerely, Luke Hill US2004031302 US ANST-Awakening Current Music: none | | Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007 | | 6:25 pm |
Hello world!
Hey guys, First, I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Luke Hill, your new US ANST-Awakening. I'm certain that some of you know me, and I'm equally certain that some of you don't. That being said, I'd like to pontificate for a moment on my past as a storyteller, my take on the present state of affairs in the Awakening venue, and my vision for the future of the Awakening venue in the United States. ( The Past, Present, and thoughts about the Future )So, all that said, here's what I'm looking at right now: note: feel free to comment on any of the following issues either publicly on this LJ or in private to my e-mail at auronculari63 <at> yahoo <dot> com - I'm happy to hear commentary of all stripes, and I very much want your input on issues relating to my office in order to help me make sure that I'm working with, rather than against, the desires of the US Awakening venue(1) The US National Addendum:( Changes to the US National Addendum )(2) SCaRE and USCC Plot:( SCaRE and USCC plot )(3) ST Education:( ST Education )Now, all that being said, I'd love to hear your responses. I'm going to be doing a whole heck of a lot in the coming days and weeks, and I want to make sure that I act with your mandate to help shape the chronicle that you want to play in, rather than act solely on my vision of the chronicle and my ideas of how it should be run. But now, I must be off to read applications. Take care! Sincerely, Luke Hill US2004031302 US ANST-Mage | | Tuesday, December 5th, 2006 | | 11:02 pm |
Saying Goodbye
Earlier today, my term as US ANST Mage ended. I just wanted to take a moment to tell everyone that I enjoyed my time as ANST, and I wanted to express my appreciation to all of those players and storytellers who I came across in my time as ANST. I got the be involved in a lot of fun and exicting things as ANST, and I treasure those moments. Thank you to everyone who joined me along the way. Justin Diaz US2002021709 US ANST Mage (outgoing) | | Friday, December 1st, 2006 | | 2:20 am |
Legacy State of the Union
Well, the mage venue just finished its first year of chronicle about an hour ago. I am quite pleased to announce that within the first year of the chronicle 150 applications for legacies (both published and custom) had been approved. Much as I had hoped, the distribution for custom and published legacies was exactly where I hoped it would be as published legacies came in at 80 percent, and custom legacies accounted for 20 percent of all legacies in play. While I know many people have wished for lower approval levels on legacies in order to make access to legacies easier, I hope this announcement helps to show that legacies are finding their way into play. If you are a mage player interested in pursuing a legacy, I strongly encourage you to either pursue finding a PC mentor for your legacy either IC or OOC, or pursuing the legacy on your own either in your character background for new characters just now entering play or through NPC mentors for those legacies which are still exceptionally small in number of PC members. | | Monday, August 21st, 2006 | | 12:32 am |
Dragon Con 2006 Premise for Awakening
In case you hadn't heard, I will be running the Awakening game at Dragon Con 2006 which is taking place over Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, GA. Originally the premise for Dragon Con involved the return of a lost Atlantean era library by an entity known as Precipice. However, when I was asked to be the ICC 2006 Awakening lead ST, I took the library and Precipice premise for use at ICC (that premise just worked too well for ICC to not use it there). So, since I needed a new premise for Dragon Con, I came up with the following passage which has been circulating on flyers through the SE and among awakened society: "Insomniacs, Are you tired of feeling like you have a lot of *wisdom*, but that it is all going wasted and unnoticed? Are you tired of the ever-present big brother *guardians* and the plans of power-mad *ladder*-climber politicians causing all your opportunities to slip by? Frustrated because it feels like the unexplained *mysteriums* of life make you want to stab other people in the eye with an *arrow*? If so, give me a call on September 2nd, 2006 and I'll be happy to tell you where you can find a better option. And don't worry, I'm happy to provide *free councilling*. -Bormeant" If you plan on attending the Mage game at Dragon Con, you can assume your character has found one of these flyers in some fashion or another (posted on a wall, on a piece of paper blowing down the street, etc). Oor, even if you aren't going to be at Dragon Con and you want to ask people about what happened at Dragon Con, you can assume your character found one of these flyers and made a mental note to ask what the flyer was all about. Which reminds me, I know the Dragon Con web site still lists the premise of the Mage game as revolving around Precipice and the library. I have asked the Dragon Con people to change the premise several times, but my requests have gone unanswered. Then again, I'm running two days of Mage (Saturday and Sunday) and they also list the Mage game as only happening on Sunday. *sigh* Either way, I deeply apologize to anyone who is confused on the premise for Dragon Con. I hope this clarifies the situation. Justin Diaz US2002021709 US ANST Mage ICC 2006 Awakening Lead | | Monday, August 14th, 2006 | | 10:30 am |
US ANST Mage Needs Your Help
As many people know, I am running a plot that involves a small gray box that many people believe contains the spirit/soul/mind of someone named Lucius. In fact, many people have probably seen this box in person at some of the various games I have run (or helped run) this year. However, despite my best efforts, I seem to have misplaced the prop I use for the gray box. I last saw the box at NEGLECT, and I would swear I brought it home with me. But after much searching, I am confident the prop is not lying around my home somewhere. So, if someone happens to know where that particular prop is, or has any information that might lead me to finding the prop, could someone please drop me an email (chyldprodg@aol.com) to let me know? Thanks! | | Monday, July 24th, 2006 | | 9:41 pm |
New Plot Kits Available
Earlier today I published two new plot kist for the US Awakening chronicle. The plot kits were distributed to the Awakening ST list as well as to all of the RSTs and Awakening ARSTs. If you did not receive a copy of the plot kit, contact your RST or ARST and request a copy. Both plot kits are slated to start in early August. If you have trouble obtaining a copy from your RST or ARST, contact me directly (chyldprodg@aol.com) and I will help facilitate the plot kit's distribution. Or if you are an ST who has the two plot kits and you know another US Mage ST who does not have the plot kits, feel free to share the plot kits with other STs. And if you are not an ST but are reading this anyway, let your VST know that these plot kits are out there. Both of these plot kits tie into the US meta-plot, and so if you would like to see what is developing on a national scale in the US, then tell your VST to check out those two plot kits and consider them for use in your local game. | | Tuesday, July 11th, 2006 | | 12:06 pm |
Solicting Input
Believe it or not, we are well past the 6 month mark of Mage, and looking back at the way things have progressed I am happy to say that I am very pleased with the ways things have turned out thus far. The Mage has been a success when viewed on the whole. However, I hardly think my opinion is indicative of everyone, and I doubt anyone would arrive at the same conclusion I have for all of the same reasons. So, I would like to offer everyone a chance to share their insight. What have you liked about Mage thus far? What have you disliked about Mage thus far? What would you like to see more or less of in the next few months of the chronicle? Most importantly, why? While I would greatly appreciate everyone being as detailed as possible in explaining their opinions, I ask that everyone please keep in mind that this is supposed to be a constructive and civil exercise. Please refrain from verbally attacking any particular player, ST, domain, or convention. I know this makes it a bit harder to frame your comments, but I expect this will be a lot more productive if we can keep this discussion as impersonal and generalized as possible so that we can focus on ways to improve the venue, as opposed to ways to invoke a need for dispute resolution. | | Wednesday, May 31st, 2006 | | 12:46 pm |
A Friendly Reminder
For those who are not aware or who have forgotten, please remember the following provision from the NEGLECT 2006 Mage VSS: "Custom Mechanics & Top Approvals: Any item that either requires Top approval or that creates custom mechanics (such as custom rotes, which are High approval) must be reported to the Lead Storyteller via email at before the end of Sunday June 4, 2006. Failure to notify the Lead ST of any item may result in the player being denied use of the item during the game." June 4th is this Sunday. So, if you have something that qualifies as any of the above, I would strongly encourage you to contact me privately via email at chyldprodg@aol.com to alert me of your approval. P.S. - You might want to look over each VSS for the other venues at NEGLECT to make sure there aren't any similar deadline for notification to the lead ST. You can find each VSS here: http://www.nationalneglect.com/venues.shtml | | Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006 | | 12:55 pm |
| | Tuesday, March 14th, 2006 | | 12:18 pm |
Changes to the US Addendum - Re: Awakening
The changes discussed below will posted at http://camarilla.white-wolf.com/usnst/docs/US_Addendum.html shortly. I am told that at this moment the above site is inaccessible for revision, but that should be remedied soon. In the meantime, the following are the additions/revisions to the US Addendum, specifically as it relates to the Awakening Venue. These changes go into effect immediately. Please help to disseminate this information to any and all Awakening players and storytellers who might otherwise have missed this post. Thanks! ***** Non-Player Characters (1.1) Seers of the Throne made in furtherance of the US plot kit entitled "A Strange Glue" are Low approval instead of Mid. Legacies (4.0) Legacies with full write-ups in sanctioned material, including a description, prerequisites, membership details, and benefits, are High Approval in the US. All custom Legacies are Top approval in the US. The provision in the global addendum that reduces custom Legacies to High approval is not available in the US. All other approval levels related to Legacies (including left-handed Legacies, diverging from a Legacy, and Legacies that do not have full write-ups) remain as stated in the global Approvals Addendum published by the office of the MST. Furthermore, all custom Legacies require a player character founder. ***** Justin Diaz US2002021709 US ANST Mage | | Sunday, March 5th, 2006 | | 4:11 pm |
US News Story - 144 Missing from Amtrak #377
ST NOTE: On Sunday March 5, 2006 the following press conference will be broadcast all across the country starting at 12:05 AM EST. For those on the east coast, the local news will cut away to a live feed of the press conference. And for those not on the east coast, television channels all across the US will interrupt their regular programming to show the press conference. Once the live feed is broadcast, replays will air during the nightly news throughout the remainder of the country, and a video copy of this press conference will be available from all of the major media outlets on the web. IC: A makeshift staging area with a podium littered with microphones for the press conference has been set up on the steps of a small town sheriff’s office. The banner across the bottom of the screen indicates the broadcast is coming from Deerfield, Virginia and the older man in the law enforcement uniform with graying hair and a slightly weathered look to his aging skin is Henry Kimball, Sheriff of Augusta County, Virginia. The headline on the banner reads “144 Passengers and Crew Missing From Train”. Kimball waits for a cue from someone off camera and then begins addressing the assembled crowd, occasionally reading from a prepared statement to confirm his facts. “At this moment information is still pouring in, and so I apologize up front for the somewhat limited amount of information I can provide. Until such time as my office and other assisting agencies have time to confirm a few more details, I won’t be fielding any questions. However, as of this point we know that Amtrak passenger train #377 bound for Washington, DC failed to arrive as scheduled on the evening of Saturday March 4, 2006. When Amtrak officials were unable to reach the conductor by radio or cell communication, a helicopter was dispatched to look for the train. Initial search efforts turned up black smoke in the area of a train tunnel. Crews were dispatched to the area to check for signs of the train, and discovered that both the entrance and the exit to the tunnel had collapsed. We spent the better part of last evening digging out the rubble trying to gain access to the tunnel’s interior. Very early this morning we finally made headway into the tunnel and I’m sad to report that the train’s remnants were found inside the tunnel. The train itself appears to have caught fire and the resulting fire destroyed the train entirely. We are still not sure what caused the collapse of the entrance and exit to the tunnel, but it does not appear that the train crashed into the collapsed rubble. So, we’re also not sure exactly what caused the fire. The data recorder, which some people commonly refer to as the “black box”, has been recovered and is currently being examined for more information on what happened. According to official Amtrak records, there were 144 passengers and crew on board the train. We initially suspected that the passengers and crew might have perished in the fire, however our forensic specialists have since concluded that evidence found at the scene doesn’t support the theory. We believe that the passengers and crew exited the train before the train made it into the tunnel and was burned. In trying to backtrack what might have happened to the train prior to entering the tunnel, we found stress marks on the tracks consistent with the train having stopped abruptly several miles before the tunnel. We also found multiple sets of fresh footprints leading into the woods, which supports theories that the missing passengers and crew might have exited the train prior to the crash. Rescue teams have been dispatched to find follow the footprints, and thus we have yet to find any signs of the passengers and crew from the train. The footprints led search teams to a sinkhole deep in the woods. Initial attempts to locate the passengers and crew in the area of the sinkhole haven’t turned up anything, and at this time we don’t believe the 144 passengers and crew are inside the sinkhole. It is entirely possible that the passengers and crew continued moving through the woods in an attempt to reach town, but we haven’t found footprints leaving the scene to support that possibility either. I encourage all families of the 144 passengers and crew on board #377 to keep up hope. We have all available men and resources currently devoted to this rescue effort. We’re still attempting to pick up the trail of the passengers and crew. We have crews still out in the woods and equipment is continually being ferried out to assist them in the investigation. It is still very early in the investigation, but we remain confident that we will have something positive to report in the near future. We expect to have more news soon, and will be releasing more information as it becomes available. That’s all I have to say. Thank you.” ***** Justin Diaz US2002021709 US ANST Mage | | Thursday, February 9th, 2006 | | 10:48 pm |
New US Awakening Plot Kits
Tonight I just published two new plot kits for use by US Mage VSTs. As I know many VSTs still aren't on some of the lists used to distribute plot kits, ask your Mage VST if they received a copy of the two plot kits. Both plot kits are tied to the plot for the upcoming US National (aka NEGLECT 2006), and so these plot kits are a chance for your character to get informed and involved with what will be coming up at the US National and the future of the US Awakening chronicle. If your VST has not received the plot kit, they can either contact the applicable ARST Awakening, RST, or me directly (chyldprodg@aol.com) to acquire copies of both plot kits. P.S. - Go to NEGLECT 2006! =) Justin Diaz US2002021709 US ANST Mage | | Thursday, December 1st, 2005 | | 3:09 pm |
| | 9:03 am |
In an effort to make sure as many people as possible see the change made in the US addendum (quoted below), I am posting it here. Please help to make other people aware by passing along this information via word of mouth when possible. Thanks! Legacies (4.0) Unlike countries such as England that can trace deep-rooted and well-developed mystic lineages to the bygone days of mythical figures like Merlin, most well-established Legacies are still attempting to make in-roads into the United States. To represent this, Legacies with full write-ups in sanctioned material, including a description, prerequisites, membership details, and benefits, are High Approval in the US. All other approval levels related to Legacies (including left-handed Legacies, custom Legacies, diverging from a Legacy, and Legacies that do not have full write-ups) remain as stated in the Global Approvals Addendum published by the office of the MST. | | Sunday, November 6th, 2005 | | 3:29 pm |
Mage Approval Addendum Published
The office of the MST has published the latest version of the approvals addendum, which now brings the rules for Mage the Awakening into play. You can read the new addendum by visitting: http://camarilla.white-wolf.com/MST/requiem/Camarilla%20Addendum.htmlPlease not that each NST has the option to amend the addendum as it applies to their country, particularly on the issue of the starting experience points afforded to each player based on Membership Class. So, before anyone screams about there not being enough starting XP to make a competent Mage character, I would suggest you wait for the US addendum to be published. I have already spoken to the US NST and I know he is racing to get the US addendum published ASAP. When the US addendum is published, I will post the link for it on this LJ. | | Sunday, October 23rd, 2005 | | 6:07 pm |
ICC Charity Auction Info
After requests for more information on the items I will be submitting for the ICC Charity Auction, I decided to give a few sneak peeks. There are three items up on the auction block and they are: 1. A customized storyline to be run by the US ANST Mage that is chock full of secret information tied to the US meta-plot and quite probably a few other perks along the way. 2. The ability to play one of the "bad guys" of the venue. 3. A 60+ point, level 7 Artifact that the winner does not have to pay any XP to have. Hopefully something on this list tickles your fancy. So please go check out the auction, and bring lots of money with you! Remember, the money is all for charity. =) | | Wednesday, September 14th, 2005 | | 10:23 am |
Competition & Conflict on the National Level: A Clarification
So, as many of you likely know, a debate has stirred recently. I’m not sure if came about because people didn’t consider what I actually wrote, or if I failed to properly communicate my intentions. Yesterday I made a post to the Cam LJ where I outlined my vision for the national level of the Awakening chronicle. The response from players has been large enough that I thought I should make a general statement to clarify my position. For those who missed it, the crux of how I plan to implement my vision was as follows: “However, I also feel that there are other aspects of LARP that were less emphasized (if not outright non-existent) in the old Mage game. Specifically, I would like to see greater competition between characters in the venue on a social and political level. While I concede that the "Superfriends" mindset can be a necessity on a local level where competition/conflict can be game destructive, I think the larger game (if any such thing is going to exist) should focus on competition/conflict between characters (preferrably non-violent in most cases). Don't get me wrong, there are a ton of great classic stories of friends banding together to defeat some overwhelming obstacle. Just the same, if the game is going to move away from the era of venue-smothering NPCs who fulfilled some of the darker aspects of the game (competition/conflict being one of them), then it will fall to players and storytellers to restructure the game so that feelings of competition and conflict flourish.” Even if you read it previously, please go back and read it again. And look at the words I used because I chose them carefully. In the above passage, you’ll notice several things I did not mention. The most obvious and important thing not mentioned is any statement which remotely asserts “The national game will be about people killing each other.” In fact, the only reference to any sort of violence in the above passage is my hope that all player conflict would in general confine itself to an area not involving killing or bloodshed (aka non-violence). I do not believe the national game should be about violence, nor do I want to structure a game where violence is the focal point. I want competition and conflict, not gunfights and fireball-chucking duels to the death. If you read my words and thought that the player versus player focus I described is akin to the PvP world of video gaming in any way, then please know that you have the wrong idea. I am focused on the realm of conflict and competition as it relates to SOCIAL and POLITICAL arenas, not physical ones. Now, with that being said, do I think that some players *might* resort to violence as a way to resolve social and political spats with other characters? Sure, that is entirely possible. But the dead honest truth is that the decision to kill or not kill another character is almost always the sole choice of the player, not the ST. How many times has an ST come to anyone and said “You MUST kill that character.” As opposed to a player choosing on his own to say “I declare killing blow”? Nothing I do can promise any one of you that no other character will seek to come do serious bodily harm to your character, or even possibly kill it. It is my general belief that players who want to play characters that kill are going to play those types of character regardless of what the theme, mood, or setting of the game focuses on. If characters that kill other characters are deemed bad for the venue, then VSTs need to make certain that approved character take killing very seriously. Also, please take note that in the above quoted passage I am talking about what I want the focus NATIONAL game to be (i.e. - that portion of the game created and run by the office of the ANST Awakening), not the focus of the entire venue. I am not looking to transform the entire Mage chornicle into a PvP arena on the local, regional, or global level. In fact, I am hard pressed to believe that national, absent taking a hardline stance that robs Low, Mid, and High storytellers of free will, can determine what the focus of the game is in its entirety given that most players interact with national level plot/story only in small doses outside of any national con they might attend. The vast majority of gaming occurs on the local level, which I pray has its own focus that may or may not coincide with what I create as an ANST. Each of those levels will have their own storyteller who should look at the needs of the game he must administrate as well as his/her player’s particular interests and then form a theme, mood, and setting that works for both the ST and the players. If a game in Texas wants to focus on action-adventure, and a game wants in New York wants to focus on mystery, and a game in Alaska wants to focus on darkness and drama, then so be it. My goal here is to create a realm of social and political conflict that players can choose to particpate in, not to make participation mandatory. Finally, nowhere in the above quoted text did I say “You cannot play a character meant to work in/with a group.” If you want to play a character who gets along with other people, fine. If you want to form your own tight-knit cabal who does things as a team, then go for it. I am not attempting to downplay the fact that teamwork either as a cabal, order, or path is a viable aspect of the setting. But, I will encourage cabals, orders, and paths to have differing agendas that can’t always mesh with the opposition's agenda. I think this is entirely consistent with the game as presented in the core book, and generally in keeping with the flavor of the World of Darkness. I cannot stop anyone of you from playing someone who has trust in others or who does his best when working in a team effort. But if some characters feel that the temptation to get ahead in the word by scrambling to the top on the backs of others is too much to resist, then permit them to explore that avenue of the game as well. Characters that work with their peers and work against their peers are both important to the success of the game. In short, I know that what I am doing is a departure from what many people enjoyed in the last Mage chronicle. However, that is exactly the reason I am doing what I am doing: I want to branch off into something new. The game, depending on how you look at it, is 6 to 10 weeks away. I would ask that everyone take a step back for right now and wait before you make your final judgement on if my vision is a good or a bad thing. Wait to see what develops in game. Look at what the new world is shaping up to be in-game, and interact with it without any preconceived notions. Then, if you don’t like it or still think it is bad for the venue, send me an email and tell me what you think is wrong and what can be done to fix it. I’m always happy to hear from a player. |
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