ChiLL @ The Weirding - The Vincent Campaign Control

Chill's setting was cleverly expanded by all of its products. A brief and puzzling article here, the fragments of an account there - Chill expanded its campaign world slowly, in every book. Things contained Magical Items, Horrors of North America contained just what it says - a host of Things keyed to particular places across the continent. The three Menace books (Vampires, Lycanthropes, and Apparitions) not only expanded the scope of the Creatures detailed, but added new Disciplines, systems - even specific locales and keyed encounters. Unknown Providence became the final word on Chill, and SAVE, in and around the New England area. The Beast Within (bannered "A Chill Product" and actually a stand-alone game) expounded upon the game from the Menaces' point-of-view, while expanding the system to allow PCs better Disciplines and equipment.

(Few CMs include anything from The Beast Within, but Chill @ The Weirding uses it as the basis for our excellent Cyberchill supplement, set in Vincent's Karnak Corporate Arcology.)

One of the key strengths to any campaign setting is its depth of detail, and throughout the canon, Mayfair established a distinguished, though somewhat generic, world. While it seems settled that this broad work-up and history is "official" for the 2^nd-Ed., I never enjoyed playing in a "real-world equivalent" setting unless I was actually there or had some intimate knowledge of it. Regardless, I've always found fictitious settings more conducive to gameplay.

Original settings allow the CM more room to include the elements he likes and ignore those he doesn't, as well as make decisions on-the-fly that neither disrupt suspension-of-disbelief nor contradict established information. They also allow the PCs greater room to affect their world - again, without being contradictory to real-life. Whenever real-world elements are incorporated into a gaming situation, the slightest misstep in accuracy can disrupt the suspension-of-disbelief and the more the setting deviates from its real-world basis, the harder it becomes to reconcile. With a completely original setting, the CM only need remain consistent; over time, the setting will develop a shape and history no designer could have planned - one you and your players develop and know as well as any place in our real world.

Vincent is The Weirding's campaign cityscape for Chill, developed from over 15 years of off-again, on-again play with a large cast of regulars and recurring characters and themes. It can be set in any world and exist beside any other setting, such as the many excellent sets found online.

Vincent works with almost every sub-genre in the Chill Companion (pgs. 16-25, 124-125) because it is compiled from several of them, however it falls firmly into the Pulp Horror sub-genre (pgs. 19-20, 125). The Hammer Film sub-genre (pgs. 18-19) provides the nouveau-Gothic architecture, overt sexual ambience, and "buckets o' bright-red blood" visuals CMs should emphasize in their narrative.

The Gore sub-genre (pgs. 24-25) is key, as well. Games set in Vincent use the Gore Rules (Comp., pgs. 24-25) and Gory Combat (pp. 117-120), including Bleeding (p. 119). Adventures in the '80s Action-Horror sub-genre (p. 25, 125) are a great fit, too - especially if one of the PCs is a cop!

Vincent uses Encouraged and Restricted Skills (pg. 69-70) from the Narrow Skills List, along with a few Broad Skills (such as Comparative Religion, Investigation, et.al.) and the updated Templates from the Chill Companion, as well as the expanded Luck rules on pgs. 28-29. It is neither Gritty nor Wild (p. 29). Resolve and Faith rules are in effect and Insanity (Comp., p. 124) is a very real possibility.

Characters are created with 100 points (Base) and allowed up to -25 points in Drawbacks. All can be from the same Drawback, though this is generally not a good idea. Edges and Drawbacks which can be taken multiple times are clearly indicated, along with Restricted Edges and Drawbacks, on the Edges & Drawbacks Table.

PCs can purchase the Central Character Edge as presented on pgs. 30 and 71 of the Companion. Further, those with the Central Character Edge get a +10 Resolve against all Things, regardless of their experience or the Creature(s) involved. For whatever reason, Things seem to focus on Central Characters - it's like they know they're somehow... special, like they can sense it. Just... putting that out there. Envoys can have as many Disciplines as they qualify for and can afford, though most characters will only meet the prerequisites for one School. PCs can take any Disciplines available to PCs of The Beast Within.

Vincent uses Psychic Powers (Comp., pgs. 98-101; q.v. Ritual Magick page, following) and Totem Magic (Unknown Providence: SAVE in New England, Section IV), as well as Ritual Magick (Comp., pgs. 81-96). Vincent is a Rank 6 Magic Factor setting (p. 94), however Vincent Bay is inherently magical, so sorcerers find it easier to cast spells near the docks (+5 to +10). Eastgate has a thriving pagan community.

I believe Vincent would work well with the inclusion of the Skills and Templates provided by Michael Casavant on his excellent site. Several new Templates are introduced here, as well, and many from the core books have been revised. A lot of Casavant's "House Rules" are congruent with the Vincent setting, and there are many other Chill sites featuring material you can use with Vincent - most of which can be found through the Chill Web Seance. Unless otherwise noted, material presented here takes precedent - especially over contradictory materials (even that presented in the rulesbooks). Works which cite this setting may make exceptions to this rule.

Chill @ The Weirding uses every book in the 2^nd-Ed. canon, from Mayfair. Chill @ The Weirding is rated AO - Adults Only. See the Bibliography and links above for purchasing information, and check the FAQ for everything else.