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White Wolf Night Edition Number 12 is a newsletter printed on newsprint and published sometime in the Winter of 1999.

Contents[]

Cover[]

News, Events and Rumor-mongering from White Wolf. Free! Fight the Man!

Burn, Baby, Burn[]

Okay, so it's winter and cold, and you're taking a fistful of Night Editions to start a fire and keep warm. That's cool; we can respect that. But as the edges of these pages blacken, at leas try to keep up with all the latest news from White Wolf. Maybe you could even turn the pages with your fireplace tongs. Then we'd feel like all our efforts were truly worth something... or maybe not. Fire! Fire! Fire!

Sect War[]

The battle for the night fought between the Camarilla and the Sabbat has raged in Vampire books for years, but it has remained in the background so far. Following the revision of Vampire, we decided it was time to give the sect war its due. Now, after several years, here are the Guide to the Camarilla and the Guide to the Sabbat - the final words on who reigns the Final Nights.

Confessions from a Dead Guy[]

By Rich Dansky, Developer of Guide to the Camarilla

I have a confession to make: I used to run a weekly Vampire game. Every Sunday night for three years, the forces of darkness would gather at my apartment, don their robes of nighted vampiric splendor... and order takeout Chinese before getting in the mood to play.

Once all the crumbs were cleared away, we settled in to play. At that point, my entire Vampire library consisted of one copy of the rulebook, Chicago by Night (1st edition), Hunters Hunted and a water-damaged copy of Clanbook: Nosferatu. That paucity of source material offered a certain amount of freedom in my storytelling style - I wasn't forever contradicted by players who told me that I couldn't use Count Igor von Fruitbat in the game because he's been knocked off in Dirty Secrets of the Vince Lombardi Rest Stop by Night.

At the same time, I was left with a lot of questions. What did the Camarilla actually do? If the Sabbat was so all-fired scary, how come I didn't see any material on trying to deal with it? Yeah, the Blood Hunt was horrific, but I couldn't find word-one on how the heck you actually set one up. The list of questions went on and on, and with my batch of players (who were very much the sort to push the envelope), the lack of material left me floundering. That wasn't much fun for me, and I decided that if God leaned down and presented me with the reins to Vampire, even for a moment, I was going to set things straight.

Fast forward to 1998. I'd been working at White Wolf for a few years when they suddenly invited me to develop Guide to the Camarilla. Somewhere, my former players experienced an inexplicable frisson of fear.

And me? I went home, hauled out the sheaf of notes I took way back when (the fat pile of papers marked "Stuff That Needs Fixing") and got to work. So that's what the book is - all the answers I found missing when I was asking questions, long ago and far away. Oh sure, you still have your high-level Disciplines, Merits, Flaws and Character Creation - but woven in between all of that gamespeak are the answers to the question that relate specifically to the Camarilla. How does it work? What motivates anyone to be a part of it? Is Tzimisce really pronounced "See Me Ski," "Shaman-Say" or "Goldfarb"? You get the idea.

Guide to the Camarilla is available in February, followed by Guide to the Sabbat in March. A limited edition, slipcase version - like that for Vampire itself - is also available in February.

These Are My People[]

By Justin R. Achilli, Developer of Guide to the Sabbat

When I sat down to plan out (and later develop) the Guide to the Sabbat, I knew I had a daunting task before me. My goal: To take a sect of psychotic Marilyn Manson-video extras and turn into an elite force of counter-Gehenna religious extremists.

Steve Brown did some stunning work of the first pair of Sabbat books but, like Vampire's second edition, those ideas needed some cleaning-up and updating. The format needed to be polished. The sect needed to make sense in a game context and have a reason for not being completely destroyed by Society of Leopold flunkies and angry mortals (which - of you run through shopping malls with blue hair wearing a Slayer T-shirt, slashing shoppers with razor blades and drinking their blood - is difficult).

The first step was to cull the goofy stuff. Ahrimanes? Gone. Page after page about infernalism and demons? So long. Paths of Enlightenment that let you do whatever you want and rewards you for it? See ya.

Step two involved playing up the cool stuff. The book features extensive material on the ritae that are so integral to the Sabbat's being (see the excerpt in this Night Edition). The new guide makes it clear that the Sabbat practices a variation on the Masquerade in its own cities, breaking it only in Camarilla cities to put those vampires on edge. The clans got write-ups detailing what they do both as clans and as Sabbat.

The final planning stage demanded an update on the Sabbat's efforts - stuff has happened in the past sic years, and that had to come through. Like what? Like the Sabbat's conquest of the American East Coast. Like the appearance of the Harbingers of Skulls. Like the conversion of some Salubri to the sect.

In the end, I think the new guide to the Sabbat turns the sect from mindless thugs into devout Cainites embroiled in a holy war. It's more sublime than the first two Sabbat books, and it gives more roleplaying opportunities to individual troupes. Check it out; I think you'll like it.

A Taste Before The Feast[]

Here are some sample of what you can expect from the forthcoming Guides to the Camarilla and Sabbat - something to whet your appetite, if you will.

Defending Camarilla Cities[]

Defense of Camarilla territory is ruthless. It is the cities, more than any individual vampire, that the Camarilla must defend in order to remain a viable entity. One can always Embrace new Kindred, but there are just as so many cities available to be occupied, and not enough places to put new ones. Many young Camarilla vampires don't understand the sanctity of territory, thinking it's better to retreat to another city and fight another night. The elders, the wise ones who have seen the game played out for a half a millennium, know better. Every city is at once an armory and a source of supplies, not to mention a nigh-limitless source of new recruits. Moreover, vampires are creatures of place and habit. In addition, Caine's childer, particularly those who have seen a few decades on the other side of the grave, prefer security and comfortable surroundings. To such vampires, the loss of a home is more than just a matter of moving a line on a map a few miles. It is the loss of identity, the violent uprooting of tendrils that have been carefully laid down over decades. For all these reasons and more, the Camarilla defends its own with the fury of a lioness defending her cubs.

Defensive tactics out into play against the Sabbat are simple: Figure out what and who in a city is expendable. Defend the rest to the Final Death. Use mortal and ghoul forces to keep relentless daytime pressure on Sabbat encampments. Burn down as many buildings as you have to in order to get to the invaders, and blame it on an arson wave. Have your ghouls smile for the news crews while lighting the flames, if necessary. The area can always be rebuilt, providing opportunities and rewards for whatever neonates and ancillae distinguish themselves in the city's defense.

Speed of response-time is also key to Camarilla defenses. If the Sabbat gains a foothold in a city, then the sect can start mass-creating shock troops within the contested zone. Not only does this produce more opposition at a nigh-exponential rate, but it also threatens the Masquerade. If the Sabbat is allowed to get "energetic" in its recruiting, the defenders' resources need to be split between actual defense of the city and protecting the Camarilla's veil of secrecy. The pressure only increases as time goes by. If the infection is not burned out quickly, it may never be burned out at all.

If truth be told, the Camarilla almost welcomes frontal assaults from the Sabbat. Yes, Kindred may be destroyed, property smashed and resources used up, but in such cases the enemy is visible, recognizable and ultimately driven off. Infiltration by deep-cover Sabbat operatives, on the other hand, is every prince's nightmare. The slow cancer of subversion rots out many a city that might be strong enough to withstand any frontal assault. As a result, any prince worth her salt is constantly in a sate of nigh-certifiable paranoia. Which ancilla is dissatisfied enough to deal with the enemy? What neonates have received too-little guidance from their sires and been seduced by the promises of an infiltrator? What primogen member, believing the Sabbat's hollow promises that the invaders will withdraw "once this current prince is toppled," is planning a coup? It's hard to tell, and oftentimes the paranoia that the threat of an infiltrator engenders does as much for the Sabbat cause as does an actual mole.

The Sabbat Binding[]

The Sabbat grows nightly in strength, due mainly to its unity of mind and ambition. All members of the Sabbat, from the lowliest surviving recruit to the regent herself, participate in the Binding. Group participation and familiarity with the ritual helps unify sect members, in a similar fashion as the Vaulderie. In essence, the Binding is a formal oath of allegiance to the sect, whereby the vampires swear fealty to the Sabbat. The event serves as a sober reminder of why the Sabbat exist as they do and who they oppose.

The ceremony opens with a recitation of the pack's interpretation of the Sabbat's credo. (Although no formal, written code exists, most Sabbat have enough presence of mind to compose a summation of the sect's doctrine. this recitation may be anything from a long, prosaic account to a fervent, one-sentence cry for vengeance.)

The event occurs on Winter Solstice right. In large Sabbat-held cities, nomad packs in the region attend with the local founded packs. If possible, this important ritus is overseen by a member of higher status than pack priest, like a bishop or archbishop. Ideally, the rite takes place at a beach, on a riverbank or by a waterfall. If such is impossible, a fountain suffices. Especially desperate packs may use a simple square of white cloth. The water (or cloth) present represents the implacable nature of the flow around an obstruction, just as the Sabbat will one night find a way to overcome its terrible progenitors.

The ritus often ends with an observation of the Vaulderie and the swearing of an oath to protect the Sabbat's secrets until Final Death.

System: For the month following the Binding, all Vinculum scores for vampires present at the ritus are increased by one. For this reason, many overt Sabbat war efforts take place in the winter, to better capitalize on the righteous wrath engendered by the ritus.

White Wolf Game Q&A[]

Ask Me, I Know Everything by Fred.

I think I'll try something different this time around. Instead of answering your questions, I'll take care of a few problems I've been wrestling with lately. If you think this is an unfair use of my power - that I should answer your questions instead of my own, that I "ought to know better" - well, we're all full of whiny here. Get your own column.

Fred, I know I'm a very attractive guy, but what rules changes, if any, have taken place in the new edition of Vampire: The Masquerade?[]

Well, that's a very intelligent question I have there. Fred. (Might I add that I think I am quite attractive, as well.) Most of the rules you know from Vampire: The Masquerade 2nd edition have not changed at all. The character sheet remains largely the same, with the addition of Sabbat and Independent clan Paths and Virtues. The largest rules change lies in the realm of combat - vampires are a whole lot tougher. The addition of "bashing damage" makes it far less likely for a puny human to inflict Final Death to even the lowliest neonate.

Being as creative as I am, I want to get my advice on something...[]

Go ahead. No need to be shy. We're all Fred here.

Well, who or what is my favorite antagonist to use in a story?[]

I love to use the Technocracy from Mage: The Ascension as my main villain. Its complete control over everything enables me to create paranoia very easily and adjust the villain's tactics very quickly. I have the feeling, though, that wasn't what I really wanted to ask me. Let's have it....

Okay, I guess I really want to know why I can't get a date.[]

I don't know, Fred. I just don't know. But there's always self-love....

The Great War Rages Eternal[]

It was the War to End All Wars, they said. You went "over there" to make the world safe for democracy, to save Europe from the Hun aggressors. Nobody told you that you and half your buddies - guys you'd known your whole short life - would die choking in clouds of poison gas. Nobody told you you'd wind up a soldier's ghost fighting in an otherworldly civil war, haunting decrepit buildings and trying to dodge some scarier-than=hell storm that everybody calls a "Maelstrom."

So now, you and your pals stick together as wraiths 'cause you don't know any of these French or German or African ghosts - a terrifying bunch, they are - from Adam. Plus, with all the warlocks and exorcists and whatnot creeping out of the woodwork, it's good to have somebody to watch your back, whether you're around the living or the dead. Still, you're thinking. As afterlives go, it's not the greatest, but it ain't fire-and-brimstone, either. Then, along comes this Charon fella, who says he has a secret mission for you; wants you to spy on those grim Legion folks who stole his throne....

The War to End All Wars? What a laugh! Any wraith'll tell you that it was just the running start for what happens after in the Underworld. This is the real Great War.

Wraith: The Great War follows in the tradition of Vampire: The Dark Ages, exploring the wartime past of Wraith: The Oblivion's Underworld - a tortured Shadowland of tattered biplanes piloted by the skeletal dead, and mourning spirits caught in a wat that cannot end. Wraith: The Great War is available in May.

Year of the Reckoning[]

For centuries, the supernatural monoliths of the World of Darkness have reigned, forming their plots, warring among themselves, culling the human herds and lashing out from the shadows. The creatures of the night have held court since before the dawn of history.

Nothing lasts forever.

Kindred blood runs thin. Portents mark the End Times. The machine rages back. Empires collapse. The downtrodden overthrow their lords. Retribution blows on the wind. The time has come for the forces of darkness to pay their due. Age-old contacts have been fulfilled, and the Devil has come to collect. As the cycle turns, one question goes unspoken: Who will survive the millennium's end?

1999 is the Year of the Reckoning, when the minions of the World of Darkness pay the price for their arrogance, corruption and hubris. No one is dafe. Check out the following Year of the Reckoning books this year:

The Goth 'N' Rasslinng' Connection[]

By Rob "The Eviscerator" Hatch

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages...

It has come to the attention of the White Wolf staff that a wrestler from the World Wrestling Federation has procured the use of the name "Gangrel" and implemented a vampire/gothic motif as his "gimmick." Now, as a representative of a publishing house long devoted to mature themes, high-end storytelling artistry, and the elevation of the gaming industry, what are my thoughts on this... ahem, unorthodox permutation of White Wolf's intellectual property?

OH, HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!![]

I have been a rasslin' goob for 18 years. about the same length of time I've been a gamer goob. Friends, family, beloveds and coworkers know that to call or visit me during Monday nights from 8 to 11 PM, when Monday Nirto and RAW IS WAR for head to head in a Nielsen ratings death match, is to invite a bitch-out and curb-stomping of Cyclopean proportions.

The similarities between the World of Darkness and the World of Rasslin' are greater than fans of either pastime might care to admit. Both are story- and character-driven, with larger-then-life heroes, antiheroes and villains in a world similar to our own, but slightly skewed toward the insane. ("No, the Sabbat attack didn't break the Masquerade! "No, the ref didn't see it!") Both are essential bubblegum entertainment, despite vociferous protests to the contrary from over-analytical blowhards (and yes, wrestling has its elitist, armchair-critic, insider-wannabe fringe, just like gaming). Both can be very stupid or surprisingly insightful, and the better storylines in wrestling certainly blow away the "pick up treasure and kill stuff" wankfests that constitute all too many RPG sessions/stories/what-have-you. And yes, well-adjusted fans of either genre know it's not real, and they enjoy it anyway.

So, yeah, I'm all for seeing a childe of the eternal night leave a bloody trail through the WWF. Especially when the boy can back up the Curse of Caine with a kick-ass double-underhook release suplex, a vicious tiger driver, and a two-swee-e-e-e-e-e-eet front chancery DDT, if ya smell what The Rob's cookin'. No can U dig it, sucka?!? BA-A-A-A-A-A-AANG!!!!

Oh, and for those poncey, pseudo-intellectual, self-important "gaming is ART" drama-queens whose delicate sensibilities are appalled by this "debasement of our storytelling world"... well, I got two words for ya:

SUCK IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![]

Don't mind Rob Hatch. He's such a geek that one Halloween, he actually constructed and wore a fairly accurate replica of the ring attire of his favorite rassler, Booker T. of the Harlem Heat... despite being considerably more... umm, muscle- and melanin-challenged than his idol.

White Wolf's Winter '99 Releases[]

January[]

Wolves of the Sea[]

The complete sourcebook for Vikings in the Dark Medieval world of vampires. Even if mortal Vikings have long since gone to dust, their immortal counterparts are still out there, hungry for vengeance and thirsting for blood.

Stock #2820, ISBN 1-56504-298-0, $14.95 U.S.

February[]

Guide to the Camarilla[]

The complete guide to the Camarilla of the End Times. Everything from the powers of the justicars to the war against the Sabbat under one hardcover for the first time. Yet, as the Final Nights approach, this might be the last time.

Stock #2302, ISBN 1-56504-261-1, $25.95 U.S.

March[]

Guide to the Sabbat[]

The hardcover companion to the Guide to the Camarilla examines the Sabbat exhaustively from the antitribu, or "anti-clans," that populate its ranks, to the terrifying Disciplines they use, to their methods of waging war on the Camarilla and Antediluvians alike.

Stock #2303, ISBN 1-56504-263-8, $25.95 U.S.

NightEdition12ArtistSLBillSienkiewicz

Artists Spotlight on Bill Sienkiewicz[]

When artists talk about major influences on their work, the name Bill Sienkiewicz comes up a lot. He's had a major impact on comics and graphic novels with his innovative use of collage, illustration and storytelling techniques. Given awards-a-plenty (a prestigious Yellow Kid for Elektra: Assassin and an Emmy nomination for Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?"), Bill takes them in stride with a laid-back professionalism. Check out Bill's work on the covers of Guide to the Camarilla and Guide to the Sabbat.

Go on-line with White Wolf. Check us out at:

http://www.white-wolf.com; alt.games.whitewolf and rec.games.frp.storyteller

Perpetuate that chain e-mail, you lemming.

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