Announcing Chicago's first "build-your-own" storyline event:
(This information is also available at
http://dragonhawke.net/chicagovtes)

Finding the Path: Chicago
A Politically Charged Storyline Tournament
12 Noon, Monday, September 6th (Labor Day)
The Fight Shop (648 West Randolph Street, Chicago)
Entry: $5
Rounds: 2+F
Presented by Eric Simon, V:EKN Prince of Chicago
Fiction by Emmit Svenson

Manipulative Methuselahs are invited for a course in dealmaking and
dealbreaking in Chicago, where being dead has never been an impediment
to voting. In this storyline tournament, representatives of the
Camarilla, Sabbat and independent clans travel to Chicago for a tense
and probably doomed summit to discuss the possibility of peace between
the sects.

Prelude:

I am enjoying this "conclave," Richter finally admitted to himself.

The Templar had a warrior's contempt for the endless talk of diplomats
and politicians. He had accepted the charge of security for the Sabbat
emissaries to this bizarre event with great skepticism and greater
disgust. He had expected boredom and the humiliation of facing enemies
without the satisfaction of combat. His only consolation had been the
prospect of measuring himself against his Camarilla nemeses,
particularly the legendary Theo Bell.

He had not expected the hilarity of watching Ladislas Toth, the newly
appointed Archbishop of Chicago, give the rivals for the city's
unoccupied Princedom a mocking lecture on the acquisition of political
power while they chafed and fumed, hating each other as much as they
hated him. Richter had not expected the delight of seeing utter
bafflement on the face of Talley, the haughty Lasombra who had also
been appointed to security. Some lackey had presented Talley with a
gift for his master, the Cardinal Moncada: a costly night-jeweled
dagger sent from the trove of the antitribu Giangaleazzo, supposedly
balanced for the hand of Moncada's childe Lucita. Talley couldn't seem
to decide if it was riskier to give the taunting dagger to his
volatile sire, to lose it "accidentally", or just to plunge it into
his own chest and be done.

Beyond these and other amusing confrontations, what really made the
conclave special was the anticipation of violence. The ostensible
reason for this conclave was to discuss the possibility of an end to
the long, bitter war between Camarilla and Sabbat, but Richter had met
no one on any side that seemed genuinely interested in such a thing.
There'd been impassioned speeches by various primogen and bishops
invoking the ties of blood and the shared burdens of immortality, but
their eloquent calls for peace and understanding were undermined by
the cynical mutterings of their audiences. This was diplomacy in the
classic sense: the art of saying "Good dog!" while groping for a sharp
enough stick.

It would be blood soon, blood from floors to ceilings. The audience
hall was thick with the tension of it. Small groups huddled in the
corners, arguing in whispers, while lone figures stood silent, their
expressions distant but anxious as they communed telepathically with
their absent pawns, allies or masters. Two dark-skinned Assamites
wandered from group to group; no doubt the bids for their services had
become fantastic. A knot of anarchs shouted their agreement with a
smooth orator calling for a democratic end to the rule of elders. The
orator's face was too symmetrical to Richter's practiced eye: a
Nosferatu or Setite in disguise, perhaps? A stunningly beautiful woman
confronted an aristocratic, pale man, their powerful voices resonant
with barely controlled loathing as they fought in strangely accented
Greek. The promise of sudden bloodshed filled the air around them.
Richter's fangs ached in his jaw, impatient for the slaughter to
begin.

Across the room, Theo Bell stood like a statue commemorating some
noble, doomed vigil. Richter sought his enemy's eyes behind the mirror
shades he wore and grinned, allowing a touch of supernatural menace to
intensify his glare. Bell did not flinch. He gave no sign he had even
noticed. Still, Richter was confident that when the time
came, Bell would seek him even as he sought Bell.

Perhaps after the next vote, or the next . . .

Rules:
Special Rule: Table Votes

At the beginning of each round of Finding the Path: Chicago, each
table will have three votes placed in the center of the table.  They
are: Finding the Path, Screw the Masquerade, and National Guard
Support.  Each of these votes may be called by any vampire who meets
the appropriate requirements as a +1 stealth political action.  (Note
that normal NRA rules apply.)  If the vote cards are put into play for
any reason, they are not available to be called until they are removed
from play, in which case they return to the center of the table (and
are once again available) rather than to any individual Methusaleh's
ash heap.  However, these cards are not considered "played from hand"
for the purposes of any card that makes that distinction (such as
Charming Lobby).

Deck Construction: Clan-based/Sect-based
To represent the clashing of various factions, each Methusaleh will
construct a deck that is focused on a single clan and sect.  To
portray this, 75% of the crypt must be from a single clan.  In
addition, the remaining 25% must be from the same sect as the default
sect of that clan.  (For example, if your 12-card crypt contains nine
copies of Giangaleazzo, your remaining three vampires must be Sabbat.)
 Sect-switching through cards or actions is allowed during the course
of the game, but the initial crypt must meet these requirements. 
Ordinary grouping rules apply.

Storyline Note:
As World of Darkness aficionados know, many of the vampires from the
Camarilla Edition and later sets are characters from the Chicago by
Night sourcebooks.

In addition to the usual tournament reports, we'll be sure to send
Whitewolf a full report of the fates of any Chicago by Night vampires
who make an appearance in the final. We can't promise that they'll
write it into the canon if you elect Maldavis Prince of Chicago then
have her diablerize Menele, but it is a possibility.

FAQ:
Do the vampires in the 25% (non-clan) portion of the crypt have to be
in a clan whose default sect matches that of my primary clan?

No.  It is perfectly acceptable to include, for instance, Giangaleazzo
the Traitor in a Ventrue deck.  You cannot, however, include the basic
Marcus Vitel in a Lasombra deck, only the advanced.

Do all of the vampires in my primary clan have to be of that clan's
default sect?

No.  If Daughters of Cacophony is your primary clan, you may create a
crypt which utilizes all of the Daughters of Cacophony, even though
there are Sabbat, Camarilla, and Independent members of that clan. 
However, any additional vampires you use to fill out your crypt (in
the 25% portion) must be Independent.

What about Herald of Topheth?  Echo of Harmonies?

Since the only way the Herald is able to call votes is using Charming
Lobby, it is unable to call the table votes.  Echo of Harmonies,
similarly, requires a card to be played and put in your own ash heap. 
This never occurs with the table votes.  The explanation about votes
being "put into play" is primarily to clarify what happens with
National Guard Support.

But, but...

If you have any other questions, please ask them before the tournament
by emailing Eric Simon, Prince of Chicago:

volya42@yahoo.com