News Files

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News Files



To see the next menu type NEWS <topic> where topic is replaced by the subject listed above. For example, to read the staff listings, type NEWS STAFF. It works this way through all of the menus. To read all of our news files (which you are responsible for knowing the contents of), just start at the beginning and follow the suggested reading at the end of each file. Enjoy! To start, type NEWS WELCOME.




Contents

Welcome. You're new? Then this is what you need

       Getting Started How to get off on the right foot.
       Theme           Putting the Dark in World of Darkness.
       Setting         Welcome to Albuquerque, New Mexico!
       Profile         What to expect and what we're about as a game.
       Copyright       Legalese satisfied.
       Wiki            Our online Wiki.

Theme

Remember those old stories you used to tell around the campfire, trying to scare your friends? Remember the horror films you used to watch late at night, pretending that you weren't frightened? You couldn't sleep, shivering under the covers, and when you finally did drop off, your dreams were filled with twisted, terrifying shapes from the darkest depths of your unconscious mind.

What if all those stories were actually true?

The basic premise of White Wolf's "World of Darkness" Storyteller game systems is that supernatural creatures such as vampires and werewolves are actually secretly living amongst us, with humanity none the wiser. To protect themselves, the elders of the Camarilla came up with the concept of the "Masquerade," essentially doing everything in their power to convince people that vampires don't exist. Other supernatural races have other means to conceal their existence from humanity. But they are all around us: manipulating us for their own devices, scheming, plotting, fighting great battles, and more.

Masquerade's world of Gothic/punk horror is just like our world; it's just that all the nightmares are actually real. Tension is stronger, cops more corrupt, criminals even more firmly in control. It is not a pretty world, though there will always be moments of startling beauty, made all the precious by the tarnished setting. It is a world where any mistake could be your last.

Theme 2

Most of you begin play on the game as a mortal, with no knowledge of the supernatural that lurks just underneath the mundane seeming of the world. More than likely, you scoff at all those silly stories created by fertile imaginations to inspire terror and fascination. Vampires and werewolves are as real to you as the UFOs you read about in the tabloids. There's no such thing as monsters.

Except some of you ARE the monsters. You have to protect your secret at all cost and to try to blend in. You're a simple human... just like everybody else, right?

Careful, your fangs are showing...

All of you are here to share in a communal storytelling. Together with your new friends, you will tell stories of madness and fear, of lust and redemption... tales of things that go bump in the night... tales of peril, paranoia, and sinister, shadowy evil. These stories can capture your imagination far more easily than any play or movie, because you will be creating the story with others, becoming part of the adventure. At the heart of these stories is your character, be it mortal, vampire, shifter, or something stranger still.

Welcome to your nightmare. Welcome to the Masquerade!

Setting (1/2)

Surrounded by the towering Sandia mountain range to the east, the Manzano mountains to the southeast, and a high volcanic mesa to the west, Albuquerque sits astride the nurturing Rio Grande River. Dizzying views unfold over sweeping vistas across a truly magical landscape, filled with a myriad natural wonders. If New Mexico is truly the "Land of Enchantment," then, surely, Albuquerque must be its gateway!

Founded in 1706 by Spanish settlers, the town was named after the Duke of Alburquerque; while the first "r" in the spelling was later dropped, Albuquerque is still referred to as "Duke City." Ancient Indian Pueblo culture and the influence of the Spanish settlers combine into a rich and unique cultural history which makes Albuquerque, one of the nation's oldest inland communities, an eclectic mix of the past and the present. The lure of open space continues to draw people to this fast-growing community which still retains a "small-town" feel.

Setting 2

In our online version of the city, set in the recent past, Albuquerque has a somewhat darker reality (see NEWS THEME). However, many of the surface things remain the same. The grandeur of the natural setting is unparalleled; unforgettable sunsets continue to spread out across the vast sky. Albuquerque remains a home to the arts, traditional and contemporary... it is home to some of the nation's finest high-tech research facilities... it houses a nationally ranked University... and so much more. Albuquerque continues to be a choice visitor destination and a great place to live! Welcome to our Albuquerque!

Quick Facts:

  • Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico, with approximately
 700,000 residents in the greater metropolitan area.
  • Most people assume that Albuquerque is a desert. In fact, although some
 of the environment is xeric, the city's elevation of 5,314 feet above
 sea level makes it the highest metropolitan city in the United States.
 While Albuquerque does enjoy low humidity and warm temperatures around
 the year, it does, indeed, snow here.


Profile

One of the greatest things about Masq has always been its enduring sense of community. After the game closed in 2007, former players and staff continued to stay in touch and many sought to have the game reopen. We are grateful for your continued support.

We believe that all of us, players and staff alike, are here to have a good time. As staff, however, we know that we have an additional responsibility to create a fun and interesting storytelling environment for our players. We fully acknowledge that a game is nothing without its players and we welcome your feedback. We are here to help you. You may not always get exactly what you want, but we will always treat you with the utmost respect and consideration.

We expect the same sort of adult behavior from our players. We hope that you will always treat one another (and staff) with politeness and courtesy. We encourage all Masq players to get involved in our plots, to tell their own stories, and to generate RP for others. We value your enthusiasm and creativity!

To paraphrase Bill & Ted: be excellent to each other, and RP on, dudes!

This is what we are about. We really do believe that this is a community -- one that can grow and thrive. We look forward to this next phase of Masq's evolution. Let's go out there and have some fun!

-Masquerade staff

Copyright Notice

"Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse are copyright (c) 1991-2010 by White Wolf. All material herein is used with permission from the publisher, and may not be reproduced in any way without permission."

All items created for the MUSH shall remain copyrighted by the original builder or coder. However, MASQ retains the right to keep all publicly used buildings or code after the original author has left. In English, if you make a building or code, the copyright is yours and you can take it to other games or do as you wish. However, when you leave, we reserve the right to keep using your stuff and to modify it as we need.


Rules Masq's OOC Rules and Discipline Policy

In order to maintain a friendly and orderly environment, the staff has composed the following regulations. We expect players and staff to abide by these rules and to treat one another with courtesy and respect.

       AUP           Masq's Acceptable Use Policy.
       Conflicts     When you just can't get along with someone.
       Discipline    What happens when you break the rules.
       Non-Consent   Just like real life, bad things will happen.
       Retirement    When you feel it's time to let go.
       Housekeeping  Character purges. Don't stay away too long!
                   ** indicates new information!

Acceptable Use Policy

This AUP is a guideline and not a comprehensive list of prohibited behaviors. Conduct that is not expressly defined may be deemed by staff to be in violation of the spirit of a particular policy. Staff reserves the right to add or modify the AUP at any time; however, changes to the AUP must be approved by all of staff.

The following are currently sections of the AUP:

       Alts         
       Character Death
       Database
       Harassment   
       Public Forums
       Spoofing         
       Spying

If you have questions or want clarification of any rule, please feel free to contact staff.

ALTS, DEATH, and DATABASE

Alts While you are allowed to have alts (alternate characters), you may not:

 *+xp/vote for your own alts
 *Hire your alt as an employee or have your alts living together
 *Create an alt to benefit an existing alt
 *Fight in the same combat with multiple characters
 *Share SK or other knowledge between alts
 *Create an alt to avenge or investigate the death of another alt
 *Be in a relationship with your own alt (that's playing with yourself
  - you'll go blind!)

Basically, your alts should not do anything which might bring them into close IC contact or conflict.

Death

  • Any character investigating the death or disappearance of a PC must
 have been created prior to the PC's death.
 In other words, no one can make a new character to investigate the death
 of a character... only existing characters can investigate.
  • IC Wills and "notes to be opened in case of my death" must be approved
 by RP Staff PRIOR TO the character's death.

Database The following will be treated as grounds for immediate expulsion from the game:

 *Deliberate malicious tampering with MUSH code
 *Any attempt to crash the MUSH, destroy the database, or gain unauthorized
  powers
 *Attempting to "hack" into someone else's character (aka "identity theft")

HARASSMENT, PUBLIC FORUMS

HARASSMENT

 * All Masq players have the right to an environment free of harassment.
   In this instance, harassment is defined as offensive, belittling,
   stalking, or threatening behavior directed at an individual player
   or group of players. Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated.
 * Deliberately hurting feelings or insulting another player with the
   intent to cause harm is not allowed.  This includes direct verbal
   abuse and defamation. The player need not be logged in if said abuse
   occurs in a public forum.
 * Verbal abuse can include obscene, profane, and vulgar language directed
   at another player. While different people have different definitions of
   "obscene," the language must be stopped immediately if requested by the
   other player.
 * Harassment of another player via email or other electronic means shall
   be considered a violation of MUSH policy. If you take your harassment
   off the MUSH and into another forum you will still be subject to the
   MUSH disciplinary procedure.  {Proof such as the email in question must
   be provided to establish guilt.}

PUBLIC FORUMS (+bboards, etc.)

 * No prejudicial statements are allowed in public forums regarding race,
   religion, gender, occupation, sexual orientation, intelligence, or other
   personal attributes.
 * Obscenity is not permitted in our public forums.  Obscene rants / flames
   will be removed at staff discretion.

SPOOFING, SPYING

SPOOFING

 * Malicious spoofing is not allowed. In this instance, we define
   'malicious spoofing' as using @emit or @pemit to anonymously make nasty
   statements or pose questionable actions (or make it look like someone
   else did it) for the purpose of causing trouble.

SPYING Spying by player characters using the DARK flag or puppet code on other player characters is a sensitive and easily abused matter, as the OOC privacy of players must be balanced against the need for characters to be able to gather information in a covert fashion. Because of this, there are strict guidelines of which all players should be aware so that both spying and spied-upon characters know their privileges and obligations.

1) Any IC conversation in a public or private area may be eavesdropped

  upon.

2) While OOC conversations taking place via observable means in public

  places may be observed, OOC conversations taking place via observable
  means in private rooms are considered private. Spying upon them is
  a violation of this policy.  Please note that an OOC conversation is
  denoted by use of the OOC speak command.

3) Any DARK object used for spying must be approved by the staff, and

  must be used in a manner that the staff deems appropriate. There are
  no exceptions to this rule.
  

Players who violate this policy will have all of their characters disciplined, with punishment up to and including the removal of said characters. Players should be aware that their conversations may be monitored; because of this, staff strongly recommends that all private OOC conversations take place over pages, which are not subject to any kind of eavesdropping.

Conflicts

Though we wish everyone could just get along, conflicts will happen. We hope that you will first try to work out problems amongst yourselves, but that is not always possible. Whenever you wish to bring up a valid concern to staff, we encourage you to do so. Staff is always open to constructive feedback, and we will do our best to address your concerns and resolve the problem. We can assure you that your concerns will always be taken seriously and you will be treated with respect.

If you have an escalating conflict with another player or feel that someone is violating any of the rules listed in the AUP, please bring it to the attention of your particular sphere wizard. The staff member will attempt to investigate and to mediate the conflict as appropriate. To avoid "he said/she said" types of arguments, staff might request logs from both parties in question.

If you have a problem or conflict with your sphere staff that can not be resolved directly, please bring up your concerns to Augury. This can include issues such as challenging a judge's ruling in a combat or other kind of scene. Augury will be the final arbiter of most player / staff conflicts.

If you have any sort of issue regarding Augury, please direct your concerns to Prophet and Fate. If necessary, the rest of staff may be called upon to mediate this type of conflict.

Discipline

The following discipline procedure will generally apply to AUP violations and other major offenses. An AUP violation will be considered proven if: it is witnessed by two or more players other than the accuser; it is witnessed by a staff member; and/or proof is provided via log to the MUSH staff.

As all situations are different, discipline may vary slightly between offenses. Please note that it's possible for multiple offenses to occur in the same day. Also, staff reserves the right to @boot or timeout abusive/offensive players at any time.

First Offense

         Staff member will give a warning to the offender and will set the SUSPECT flag.

Second Offense

   If immediate action is necessary, a staff member may set the offender gagged/slaved for the period of 30 minutes.  
   Following which the staff will attempt to set up a conference to discuss the problem with the offender. 
   Blatant refusal by the offender to follow the policy (when being discussed, if they refuse to adhere) 
   shall be considered a third offense. If the offender refuses a conference, they shall be gagged/slaved 
   indefinitely until they agree to confer. Any privileges held by the offender shall be removed.  
   These include but are not limited to staff position and building privileges.

Third offense

   Offender shall be @newpassworded for the period of one week. To be reinstated, a player must send 
   email to augury@masq.org to receive a new password. Any attempt to connect to the MUSH during this 
   week, via the guest character, the creation of a new character, or by borrowing someone else's
   character shall be deemed a fourth violation.

Fourth Offense (and following)

   Character is @newpassworded indefinitely.  To be reinstated the player must obtain permission 
   from the complete wizard's board. During this period the character shall be subject to the 
   purge regulations and if they do not return within 35 days they shall be deleted
   Any attempt to return to the MUSH without express permission of the MUSH staff shall
   result in permanent sitelock.

Non-Consent

Given Masq's "World of Darkness" theme, it is inevitable that bad things will happen to your character IC. Masq is a "non-consent" game, meaning that IC events will happen as they do, whether you like it or not. After all, when bad things happen in real life, we don't get a choice about it. It's not like you can tell the thug who is mugging you, "I'm sorry, Mr. Robber, but I don't consent to having my wallet stolen."

However, Masq is a game and we respect that different people have different levels of tolerance for playing out graphic themes and situations. Even though IC events are "non-consent," players should never feel forced to RP out any graphic situation that makes them OOCly uncomfortable (including, but not limited to: rape, torture, or the death of their character).

In other words, just because it is happening IC, doesn't mean you have to RP out all the gruesome details. The "Fade to Black" (FTB) scenario must always be available as an option in such cases. We trust that you will communicate with one another and be considerate of each other's RP preferences (which can be set in your +finger attribute -- +HELP FINGER). Any proved instance of graphic RP "forced" on a player will be treated as a third-level offense under NEWS DISCIPLINE.

Housekeeping

Certain steps are taken to keep the database down and to reduce the number of potential conflicts. Such policies include:

All unapproved characters will be nuked after 14 days of idling.

Players may keep their characters for 7 days after death in a PlayerDEAD state. After that, you must create a new character.

Players who are absent for more than 35 days will be purged and THEIR BELONGINGS RECYCLED. If you are going to be gone more than 35 days you must set yourself on vacation (see +help vacation).

Characters who are absent for more than 365 days will be nuked regardless of their vacation status. The player may re-apply upon their return, but all of their property will have been redistributed.

Please note that if you are in IC possession of an object owned by a deleted or deceased character, you will need to contact staff requesting ownership or it will be deleted.

Quotas are strictly enforced. This helps us keep our DB bloat down as much as possible.


Apps How to get that character you've been wanting

<-+------------------------<//Applications//>------------------------+->

       Mortals             The quick and easy way to RP!
       Restricted          Some concepts require special approval.
       Mortal+             When looks can be deceiving.
       Slot Reqs           Special power comes with responsibility.
       Super Apps          What's open and who to talk to about joining.
       Transfers           When an elsemu* character moves to town.
       App Hints           How to write a great background story.
                        ** indicates new information!

Masquerade does not have an open chargen. Characters must go through an approval process. Most characters going through chargen are statting out "unaware" mortals. Super characters only go through chargen once their concept has been approved through email. Please read through all the files relevant to your concept.

Mortals

Basic mortal applications are a very simple process. Go through character generation (Chargen) to stat out your character and fill out a detailed background (see +help background and NEWS BACKGROUND). Further instructions are in Chargen to guide you along. Once you have reached the Waiting Room, you will be entered into the Approvals queue, which is the list of people currently waiting for approval. Your background will then be reviewed by the appropriate RP staffer.

On some MUSHes, a character's background is accessible by other characters. This is NOT the case on Masquerade. Here your background is only available to yourself and members of staff to read. Your background is the first glimpse a RP staffer has into your character. We love to pull out little bits of your past and bring them up to haunt you. So feel free to write as much as you like. It will help you know your character better and help staff work you into plots. Because of this, a background that is shorter than a page will rarely be approved.

Once you have a concept in mind, please also read NEWS RESTRICTED and NEWS APP HINTS. This will give you an idea of what we look for in backgrounds. This will also ensure you know the process if your concept requires special approval from mortal staff.

Restricted Apps

Some character concepts take special approval.

       Organized Crime    Racketeering, the Mob, etc.
       Police             How to become a mighty officer.
       PI                 Private Investigators registration.
       Police Record      Caught once? Good way to hook up RP.
                       ** indicates new information!

Organized Crime At this time we are not accepting any organized crime backgrounds. This includes the Mafia, Yakuza, Triad, Bratva, etc. This does not mean you can't be a criminal! Feel free to apply your regular street-level criminal. You can have contacts. You can have allies. However, backgrounds requiring a large organization behind it and running it are not accepted. Although street-level criminals do not require special approval, feel free to contact CRIMESTAFF for more help or information about anything.

If you are planning on creating a criminal be sure to read NEWS POLICE RECORD as well.

Police Apps The law enforcement sphere here on Masquerade is one of the most active and dedicated. We're always looking for a few good men and women to fill a wide range of APD positions. And we're also looking for some bad, corrupt men and women to do the same! We're accepting entry-level Detectives in Major Crimes, the work-horse of the APD, and Organized Crime and Vice Division (OCVD). We are also accepting applications into the Crime Lab (CSI), Medical Examiner's Office (MEO), and the always- popular Internal Affairs Division (IAD). We are also accepting civilian non-sworn support personnel, such as clerks, dispatchers, aides, etc.

The Patrol Division and all Federal Law Enforcement Agencies (FBI, CIA, NSA) are currently: CLOSED.

If you are interested in applying for a law enforcement position, be sure to read NEWS BACKGROUND and NEWS FRANK STILES, which is a sample background of a law enforcement character. You can simply go through the regular Mortals character generation (chargen) to stat out your character and fill out the background. However, since your application must be approved by police sphere staff, be sure to +mail policestaff at some point during the process in order to expedite your application.

Type +mail policestaff=APD App <enter> and please include the following information in body of the +mail:

   1) Any relevant RP experience (alt-characters optional)
   2) Any RL law knowledge (not necessary but very helpful for RP)
   3) Approximate amount of time you can RP per day/week.
   4) Any other pertinent information not covered within the background.
      Remember that you must justify all combat/restricted abilities
      such as Firearms, etc.

Organizational details can be found in POLICE2.

POLICE 2

The APD's Detective Bureau is made up of 4 Divisions.

  1) Major Crimes Division (MCD): This is the work-horse of the APD
     where the majority of the detectives and cases reside. Most new
     Detectives will start their career here.
  2) Organized Crime and Vice Division (OCVD): This is the traditional
     "Vice" division, dealing with narcotics, drugs, prostitution,
     organized crime, alcohol, and anything else that's fun. This is
     another where young Detectives can start their careers, though it
     attracts only a certain breed.  
  3) Robbery Homicide Division (RHD): These are the best and the
     brightest of the APD with the highest profile and most demanding
     cases. This is the most elite of the Divisions and where most
     Detectives strive to be assigned.
  4) Detective HQ Division (DHQ): This division is responsible for
     city-wide management of logistics for investigations and detective
     resources. This is a mainly an NPC division with 3 exceptions:
     Internal Affairs Division (IAD), Crime Scene Investigation (CSI),
     and the Medical Examiner's Office (MEO). IAD are the "cops of the
     cops." CSI and MEO are both civilian staffed without police
     powers.


In its simplest form, APD has the following ranks: Chief of Police, Deputy Chief, Commander, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, and Detective. These ranks don't apply for civilian employees.

All new non-civilian police characters will start out at the rank "Detective" in either Major Crimes Division (MCD) or Organized Crime and Vice Division (OCVD). Preferably new characters will be rookie Detectives. This helps the player and the character get familiar with the role. You can still apply for a grizzled old detective, but will need some explanation for having never been promoted above Detective (and why you have new-character stats from chargen).

Having ranks and a hierarchy of divisions will, hopefully, encourage players to advance their character through police RP and case-activity.

We look forward to having you on board!

PI Apps Registering with the state as a private investigator carries only a few tangible benefits, but those can prove valuable in this line of work. Primarily, it will give the holder a better chance of getting police cooperation. This is, of course, mostly dependent on how the investigator treats the police. Secondly, and nearly as important, it will prevent the holder from being arrested by the police for interfering in a case. Please note that being registered does /not/ allow the investigator to carry a concealed weapon. Those permits must be applied for separately. The final benefit, one mostly economic, is that only licensed investigators are allowed to advertise their services.

Please +mail policestaff to register.

Police Record If your character has a police record and you have been approved by any required admin (or just been approved in general if you do not need special approval), please +mail your record to POLICESTAFF to be added to the files. It'll be much easier to include you into special plots then.

Mortal+

What is mortal+? These are characters that blur the lines between the mundane and the supernatural. They have secrets and powers of their own that confuse and confound the supers and mundanes alike!

       Numina          It's not all natural.

Numina Apps

Psychic phenomena have fascinated mankind since the dawn of time. Our folklore, our literature, and our popular culture are all steeped in the belief -- or perhaps the hope -- that "something is out there." Well, in the World of Darkness, the Psychic hotline you just called or the Tarot card reader you just consulted might very well be legitimate! There are two general choices for the kind of Numina for which you can apply. The first choice is one of the various powers which can be grouped under the term "Psychic Phenomena." The second choice can include "Paths," and is the kind of linear magic commonly known as "Hedge Magic."

PSYCHIC PHENOMENA This is the list of the available phenomena: Animal Psychics, Biocontrol, Channeling, Cyberkinesis/Cyberpathy, Psychic Hypnosis, Ectoplasmic Generation, Mind Sheilds, Psychic Healing, Psychic Invisibility, Psychic Vampirism, Psychokinesis (also known as Telekinesis), Pyrokinesis, and Telepathy. If your desired type of psychic power is absent from this list, talk to Augury prior to sending in your application.

HEDGE MAGIC Applicants must have a firm understanding of the differences between linear and dynamic magic. While we are not accepting characters that to belong to a particular sorcerous group, they must be fully cognizant of their powers and have a well-documented "style" of using said powers. This style should generally be one of those described within the Sorcerer sourcebook (i.e. Mythic, Technocratic, Psychic); however, well-designed original "styles" will be considered. We are not accepting the paths of Divination or Weather Control.

Numina Apps 2

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

  • All Numina Apps should be sent to mortalp-apps@masq.org, with an appropriate subject header, i.e. Numina App: <Phenomenon>.

It should contain a background and and proposed stats in accordance with base character generation outlined in the book (see below).

  • For both types of Numina, the application must be a really strong, solid background that describes your character's history, personality,

reasons for coming to Albuquerque, and goals for the future. In addition, the background must include a detailed accounting of how your character might have developed these powers, how they have used their abilities in the past, and how they have functioned within the framework of the World of Darkness. The app should also contain a character sheet proposal detailing the desired stats.

  • Hedge Magic The sourcebook we use exclusively is Sorcerer (Revised Edition). Please use only the character guidelines described within

Sorcerer in making your character.

  • Group apps are most welcome! Sorcerers often seek out others who practice magic in the same way they do, as they can combine power and

learn from each other, plus... there's safety in numbers!

News Slot Reqs (Super/Mortal+ Reqs)

Because super/mortal+ characters are in great demand but short in supply, to maintain a slot you must accept the certain responsibilities on the MUSH to ensure a quality RP experience for everyone.

Please see the following topics:

       Idle             Stay away too long, lose your super character.
       Mortal RP        Playing with mortals - it's fun!
       Communication    Let's keep the channels of communication open.
       OOC Masq         Shhh!   Don't tell.
       Retirement       When you feel it's time to let go.
                        ** indicates new information!

Idle Policy for Super Chars (1/2) Because super slots are highly in demand, and because supers are often key to major plots, we expect supers to be active and engaged players who put some level of effort into logging into the game. We realize that everyone has different priorities and time constraints, but when key characters suddenly vanish **without warning**, it makes it exceedingly difficult for storytellers to run plots. Simply put, it is not fair for someone to take up a super slot without actively using it.

To address this issue, we have instituted an idle policy for all supernatural and mortal+ characters. Characters who do not meet the idle policy's conditions may be placed on probation by their sphere wizard. If you continue to fail to meet the idle policy while on probation, your character is subject to forfeit, at the discretion of sphere staff. All supernatural characters are still subject to the 35 day idle purge, in addition to the conditions outlined below.

The best way to avoid probation and the risk of losing your character is to communicate with your staffer (NEWS COMMUNICATION). If you feel like you can't meet the minimum effort required to keep your super character active, perhaps it might be time to consider retiring (NEWS RETIREMENT).

Idle Policy for Super Chars (2/2)

You may be placed on probation if:

   A) You go more than two weeks without logging in and do not set a
  &vacation nor give warning to your sphere staff before you leave.
   B) You are active less than six hours per week for three weeks or more,
  without explaining to your super staff a valid reason for your absence.
  Being active means you are on the grid and involved in RP with other
  players. 
   C) You are a key figure in a plot but without advance notice you suddenly
  fail to appear, leaving holes or hindering the plot.

When your sphere staff sees that you are on the verge of probation, they will attempt to notify you to try to work things out so that probation can be avoided. Probation can last up to 2 months and may include certain penalties set at the discretion of your sphere wizard. For example, you might be restricted from participating in certain storylines until you can prove that you will actually show up for them.

If your unannounced absence was due to reasons beyond your control, you may explain that to your wizard and have the probation removed. However, repeated uncontrollable absences may still result in the loss of your character, at the discretion of staff.


News Mortal RP (Supers and Mortals)

Playing outside your sphere can be a wonderful way to meet new characters, experience fresh storylines, and expand your RP circle. We especially encourage all Supers to find some new ways to involve mortals in your regular daily RP. Mortals comprise the largest "population" and they love the thrill of being close to something supernatural!

Involving mortals in your RP does not mean breaking the Masq or piercing the Veil, nor does it mean beating them up and eating them! Be mysterious and creepy. Hire some mortal employees and let them be confused by your odd behavior. Manipulate, scheme, and be the puppetmaster to your heart's content. Oh, all right, you can eat a couple of them. (Just kidding!)

For more RP suggestions, please feel free to talk to your super staff and/or the Mortal staff.

Supers and Staff - Communication It is very important that you communicate with your staff. We work hard to create interesting roleplay for everyone here, but sometimes it is difficult to know the secret details of every character's life.

Items that we encourage you to discuss with your super staff on a regular basis:

   * Ongoing player-created plots.
   * Any merits or flaws that may lead to TPs.
     (such as the haunted flaw, or nightmares)
   * Your personal RP schedule so we can plan scenes with you
     (how much time you are available per week, specific hours you're on, etc.)

Get to know your staff and they'll be much better able to create exciting RP for you!


OOC Masq

Please note, OOCly revealing the super status of any other player is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If they want people to know who and what they are, they will take it upon themselves.


Super Applications

Players are limited to one Super (Vampire, Shifter) and one mortal+ character (Numina, Ghoul, Kinfolk). However, these two characters can not be in the same sphere (e.g., you can not have both a Vampire and a ghoul nor a Shifter and a Kinfolk). You may have as many mortal characters as you desire, but be careful -- the more characters you make, the harder it can be to follow our Alts policies (NEWS AUP).

To see what is required to play one of the supernaturals on here, look for the current openings in the MOTD and in the sphere wizards +finger. The Masq Wiki also has important sphere information.

           Shifter         The fast & the fur-ious
           Vampire         A creature of the night?

Shifter Applications

SPHERE THEME:

About 90 miles west of Albuquerque, over the small town of Grants, rises the blue cone of Mt. Taylor, Tsoodzil, the Turquoise Mountain. The Dineh people believe that when First Man and First Woman were building the seven sacred mountains of the Fifth World, the second one they made was Tsoodzil, the sacred mountain of the South. They fastened Tsoodzil to the earth with a stone knife, pinning her from top to bottom. All around Tsoodzil, they wove a tapestry of dark mist and female rain, and they filled her forests with game. First Man and First Woman placed two eggs of the Bluebird on the summit of Tsoodzil, inside a dish made of Turquoise and covered with sacred buckskin. Over all of this, they stretched a vast covering of blue sky. To this day, the Dineh believe that Turquoise Boy, Turquoise Girl, and the Girl Who Carries One Grain of Corn all live on top of Tsoodzil, along with other strange and unpredictable spirits.

The Garou know this to be true. For generations, the Sept of the Stone Knife made its home on and around Tsoodzil, defending her sacred caern from the Enemy. Largely comprised of Uktena, the Sept of the Stone Knife drew on the strength of the nearby Pueblos. The Garou called the Dineh, the Acoma, and the Zuni their Kin and they shared stories of Coyote and the Hero Twins with one another, dancing around the sacred fires. But times changed and the Sept of the Stone Knife weakened and could not protect Tsoodzil's natural resources from the greed and corruption of the modern world. Mt. Taylor proved to be rich in a uranium-bearing mineral, and was mined extensively for it during the 1980s and 1990s. As concern grew over the future of this most sacred of mountains, the mining activities did slow down at the turn of the 21st century, due to efforts by mortal activists, Native American leaders, and those working on behalf of the Garou Nation, both directly and indirectly.

Shifter Applications (2/7) SPHERE THEME, CONT.:

Some years ago, the Elders of the Sept of the Stone Knife turned their attention toward Albuquerque. The last known caern within city limits had fallen in the 1960s, and many thought that the city was firmly entangled in the grasp of the Wyrm, with only the Fera fighting the good fight. Most of the Elders believed that the Sept of the Stone Knife needed to focus its efforts on protecting Tsoodzil locally. But one Elder, the Theurge "Child-of-Water" of the Uktena, thought differently. He told the others, "We can not afford to ignore the blight that seeks to encroach upon us. Even now, our young people look to the east and our Kin travel to the city to find work. Those Fera who are friendly to us tell us of great battles being fought. I have had a vision of a new caern born within the city limits. It has been too long since the Garou had a strong presence within Albuquerque and that must change. We must send our young warriors to battle the darkness and to protect this nascent caern. And we can not turn away the other Tribes who come to their aid. A new Sept will rise in Albuquerque!"

And thus it happened as "Child-of-Water" had foretold. The Sept of the Stone Knife sent a Cliath pack to Albuquerque and they were joined by other Garou. The Caern of Visions was fought for and won and the small Sept of Blue Water was formed in Albuquerque, as a sister Sept to the Sept of the Stone Knife. The original Cliath pack grew in rank and stayed in Albuquerque, ultimately looking toward the Elders in Grants for guidance and protection, but with the autonomy to oversee their own affairs. But many great battles were yet to be fought, and young Garou from across the Nation began to make their way to Albuquerque...

Shifter Applications (3/7) SHIFTER THEME, CONT.:

Your story takes place in Albuquerque. Here is your chance to make a difference.

If you are a Garou, you are a Cliath who has come to join the Sept of Blue Water. Your home Sept could have been the Sept of the Stone Knife in nearby Grants, or another Sept entirely. Either way, you are ready to take on the challenge of fighting to protect the young Caern of Visions. Glory, wisdom, and honor await you here!

If you are Kin to the Garou, your battles might be more subtle. Perhaps you are fighting to push through the legislature that will stop the mining of Mt. Taylor. Maybe you are an activist speaking out on behalf of the Native American people. But whatever your other pursuits, you are there to support your Garou family!

If you are one of the Fera, you might be a new arrival, or might have been here all along. For years, Albuquerque was ignored by the Garou - now they've finally taken notice and think to make this city their own. Will you work with them or pursue your own agenda?

Shifter Applications (4/7)



SHIFTER SPHERE OPENINGS

  • Garou slots are currently open for Cliath (Rank 1) Gaian Garou in the following Tribes: Black Furies, Bone Gnawers, Children of Gaia, Fianna, Get of Fenris, Glass Walkers, Shadow Lords, Silent Striders, Silver Fangs, Uktena, and Wendigo. All Auspices are open. FYI: the NPC leadership of the Sept of Blue Water is heavily Uktena.
  • Fera slots are currently open for Bastet, Corax, Gurahl, and Nuwisha. I will consider a Mokole application, but it would have to be absolutely stellar.
  • Kinfolk slots are open for all Garou Tribes listed above. Fera Kin are currently closed, but may open depending on the Fera population. Garou Kinfolk *must* be "in the know," with a good IC grasp of shifter society and a firm OOC grasp of the Werewolf system. Knowing kinfolk who are well-integrated into both mortal and shifter society would especially be welcome.




Shifter Applications APPLICATION GUIDELINES:

  • Pack/Group apps are encouraged when appropriate. However, all individual apps within the group must be able to function on their own.
  • The following merits/flaws are banned: Danger Sense, Fair Glabro, Fast Learner, Jack-of-All-Trades, Supernatural Companion, True Faith, Untameable.
  • For all shifter sphere character, please page Fate or submit a concept via +jobs prior to sending in your application. I will work closely with each applicant to ensure a speedy and stress-free application process.
  • Once your concept has been approved, you will be placed in our automated chargen to generate your basic +sheet. This will be adjusted as needed, depending on your background.
  • You must then email your character's background and the +sheet you generated in Chargen to shifter-apps@masq.org. Barring unforeseen circumstances, your background will be reviewed within 24-48 hours. If any changes are needed, you will receive details via email and we will work together on getting your character approved.

Shifter Applications (6/7) APPLICATION GUIDELINES, CONT.:

GAROU backgrounds must include the following details:

  • Where are you from? If you would like your character to be from the Sept of the Stone Knife, I will give you additional information.
  • Some details about your character prior to their First Change
  • What your First Change was like
  • Details of your Rite of Passage, including the character's deed name
  • What brings you to Albuquerque?

KINFOLK backgrounds must include the following details:

  • Your character's attitude toward the Garou
  • Some details about your Garou family (e.g., brother, mother, etc.)
  • What brings you to Albuquerque?
    • For applicants seeking to have Kinfolk with Numina, you should also read the "News Numina" files. All listed Numina are open to Kinfolk applicants.

FERA backgrounds must include the following details:

  • Where are you from?
  • Some details about your character prior to their First Change
  • What your First Change was like
  • Race-appropriate details about your mentoring, etc.
  • What brings you to Albuquerque?
  • Your character's attitude toward the Garou

ALL BACKGROUNDS:

Please review NEWS APP HINTS for additional guidelines. Any high/unusual stats should be explained in the background.

Shifter Applications (7/7) SPHERE RULES & REQUIREMENTS:

  • House Rules: We are allowing peeking from the Realm into the Umbra, but the difficulty of doing so is +3 of the local Gauntlet. For Rite of Talisman Dedication, we are allowing each Gnosis point to cover a dedicated "outfit" rather than single article of clothing.
  • All shifter sphere players are subject to the standard requirements as described in NEWS IDLE. In addition, there may be certain "IC" requirements for Garou characters such as attendance at Moots and other sphere functions.
  • All shifter sphere players are encouraged to clear any prolonged absences with staff prior to going on +vacation. In the case of Garou and Garou Kinfolk, players are also strongly encouraged to provide staff with an IC explanation for their absence that can be passed on to the Sept. The Sept is a close-knit community and IC absences are noted by the PCs who remain. If a player needs help coming up with IC reasons for a lengthy absence, staff will be glad to assist. Garou/Kinfolk who fail to provide an IC explanation for their absence and simply "vanish" may be written out of the story at staff's discretion, regardless of +vacation status.


Vampire Applications

The main theme of the game is to have fun. This is a co-operative story game and fun should go both ways it should be fun for the vamp staff as well as the vamp players. The secondary theme is a heavily political vampire game where the struggle with your humanity is paramount. The idea will to be hold court on a monthly basis, with a strong npc backing.

As for the focus on humanity, and politics, we imagine a game where the PC struggles to maintain their humanity while being assaulted with orders by the Elders who want you to do things they can't do themselves. The struggle to maintain who you are under peer pressure, essentially. Some will be lost. Some will pick sides. Some will hope to avoid picking sides. Some will hope they can play both sides. In the end the choice comes down to each individual vampire, each individual player, and those choices will have a profound effect.

In a world that fights so hard to be static, can you be the change or will too just be swallowed up? An intensely personal game, where choices make a real difference.

With all this in mind the game will be limited to the following:

  • Clans: Brujah, Toreador, Tremere, Ventrue. Gangrel, Nosferatu, Malkavians and Caitiff
  • Generation: 11-13
  • Disciplines: Clan only to start
  • Embrace: No more then 80 years ago
  • There will be no Sabbat-sphere.

Vampire Applications (2/2)

Vampire applications will be processed in the following way. You will submit a concept to me via email (vamp-apps@masq.org). The concept will answer the following questions. What is your clan? What is your political standing? A brief bit about how your embrace changed you. A brief bit about how you expect that to effect your humanity.

Once the concept is approved you will be moved to CG which will be fully automated. Once you've done your +sheet, mail a background to vamp-apps@masq.org. Please try to limit your BG to no more then 4 pages. Once your bg has been reviewed by Vampstaff then you will be approved for play.

The goal of vampstaff is to process concepts/bgs every day so that all characters can be approved for play in 24-48 hours.

Transfer Characters

We do accept transfer apps, but they are usually treated as if they were just regular starting level apps. This means that XP and stats you earned elseMUSH can not be transferred over. Your stats will need to be adjusted to the starting levels being accepted and your background may have to be tweaked. While this can be frustrating, staff will do our best to ease your transition into our world. We're glad to have you!

App Hints

On Masquerade we want you to build characters that you will enjoy playing for a long time. A solid base background is where good characters begin and the ground from which they grow. We've compiled some examples and suggestions we think will help you build just this type of character. Remember, staff is here to help you. Feel free to grab one to bounce a concept off of to see if it will work in our current game climate.

           Background         Some things to think about when writing one.
           Frank Stiles       An example of one of the APD's finest.

Background

When applying for a character, regardless of race, the stats are important but they are only a small part of the whole. Concentrate on the who, what, why, when, and where!

WHO is this person? Start with a full name, they had to have some kind of family. Any siblings? Do they live with a relative? Think of three things that describe this person. Are they allergic to cats? What are their hobbies? What interests them?

WHAT are they and how did they get this way? What led to what they are? How well do they handle it? What do they do for a living? What do they hope to do? What do they dream of?

WHY? This is critical. Why do they react to things the way they do? Is there some trauma in their past? Some goal they must achieve? Why do they bother?

Background (2/2)

WHEN...how long has the character been this way? What changes have occurred since it happened. Or, when will they be ready and how will it affect them?

WHERE will this lead the character? How will they be changing over time and affecting things around them?

This wasn't intended as a laundry list to be followed when creating a character, but it is an example of the kinds of things you should be asking yourself. Every stat on your sheet should be explained in the background. How and why did they learn it? Be creative! This is a person's life you're going to be stepping into. And remember... the more thought you put into your character, the better the chance of getting some really exciting, in-depth RP.

In-Game Experience, Superknowledge, and more!

Building Building and Housing

Staff A listing of staff by rank and by department

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