World of Darkness: Midnight Circus is a sourcebook for the World of Darkness that details a circus run entirely by supernatural creatures.
Summary[]
From the White Wolf catalog:
- Step Right Up, Right This Way
- For centuries, almost millennia, it has traveled the backroads and byways of the World of Darkness. And as it wandered, the stain on its festival soul thickened. Now it answers to the name of Anastagio's Olde Time Lunar Carnival and Midnight Circus. Its taste for souls has grown even keener, and it's still hungry. The calliope beckons like a lorelei...will you enter?
- A Pittance to Enter, a Lifetime to Pay
- Within the tents and sideshows of the Midnight Circus lurk horrors and visions that stretch and defy the imagination. But the Circus is not managed by mortals, oh no. Fae glamours mix with eldritch magicks; the Kindred quietly stroll along the midway while the Restless Dead flit through the carnival air. Garou or mage, undead or living, there's something to suit everybody's tastes in the Midnight Circus. And the ticket's a bargain at twice the price! Just watch where you step and what you look at, because not all the attractions are free...
- World of Darkness: Midnight Circus includes:
- Details on a whole new threat to the World of Darkness
- Circus folk, both sympathetic and irredeemable, compatible with all five game lines
- "The Waste Land," an adventure in which players must confront a bizarre menace while dealing with the siren call of the Midnight Circus
Chapters[]
Cherie Gets a Tattoo[]
A human hire attempts to free a Garou and a Satyr from the grip of the Midnight Circus.
Introduction[]
The book's theme and suggested viewing, reading, and listening to get into the proper mood.
- The Show That Never Ends (Resources)
- Films
- Freaks
- Nouvelle Experience
- Something Wicked This Way Comes
- Killer Klowns From Outer Space
- Vampire Circus
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
- The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao
- Books and Comics
- Blind Voices by Tom Reamy
- Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
- IT by Stephen King
- The Big Book of Freaks and The Big Book of Weirdos by Gahan Wilson
- "Hop-Frog" by Edgar Allen Poe
- Sandman and The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman
- The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles Finney
- Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
- Nightmare Alley by William Gresham
- Music
- Cirque du Soleil, Nouvelle Experience, Saltimbanco, Mystere and Alegria - Cirque du Soleil
- Good for Your Soul, Dead Man's Party and Nothing to Fear - Oingo Boingo
- The Black Rider - Tom Waits
- "To the Shock of Miss Louise" - Lost Boys Soundtrack
- Dead Can Dance
- The Changelings
- Films
Chapter One: The History of the Circus[]
Since the early days of history, the Midnight Circus has traveled the land. Its story is told through those who witnessed it passing through.
Chapter Two: The Whole Sick Crew[]
Details on the pecking order and the beings you might find in the Midnight Circus, from the Fifth Circle to the Infernal Trinity.
- Horses - DeEquestos', Possessed by Banes, Stats
- Koba's Clowns - Stats
- Zimbra's Horde - Mortwights, Stats
Chapter Three: The Circus[]
Acts, attractions, freak shows, games, and the program for the evening's show.
- Sample Hispo Black Spiral Dancer - Stats
- Tainted Snake Gafflings - Stats
- Charm: Paralyzing Stare
- Carousel Beast - Stats
- Arcade Walkers - Stats
- Charm: Drain Mental Attributes
- Guardian Creatures - Stats
- Ghost Glasses: Cost: Three Snares
Chapter Four: Bread and Circuses[]
Rules and suggestions for a massive crossover involving the Midnight Circus.
Chapter Five: The Waste Land[]
A campaign set at the Midnight Circus one fateful New Year's Eve...
- Ash Scrags - Stats
- The Young Bloods: Ghoul Attributes - Stats
- Circus Lupus Garou - Stats
Appendix[]
Allowing players to play as members of the circus.
Background Information[]
The Ad at the back of the book is for Black Dog Game Factory: HoL, Giovanni Chronicles I: The Last Supper, Freak Legion, Dark Reflections: Spectres, Destiny's Price and Giovanni Chronicles II: Blood and Fire.
Memorable Quotes[]
(...)
Characters[]
- Cherie Gets a Tattoo
- Denise - Cherie's friend, Kinfolk
- Michael - Ride Operator
- Patrick Delany - Cherie's Foster Father, Accountant for Bealle and Son, Bone Gnawer, Died
- Jorge Domingo - Owner of a Radio Chain in Baja, CA
- Scott
- Jason
- Andra - Scott's New girlfriend
- Greg
- Johnny Bealle - Son in "Bealle and Son"
- Snake Man George
- Bobby Leale - Alexander's Coworker
- The History of the Circus
- Namrael the Enochite - Vampire
- Cara the Goddess
- Erymanthos of Corinth - Past
- Vitus Eligius - Past
- Quartus Maximillus - Past
- Domela - Lost Daughter, Past
- Linus - Senator, Past
- Lucius Antonius - Past
- Nabil ibn Saqr - Past
- Muhammed ibn Al-Hasan Al-Khalidi - Past
- Rasad Lufti - Past
- Ibrahim Abd Amir - Past
- Father Wickam of York - Past
- John Dunstan - Past
- Sir Geoffrey Cabot - Past
- James Calway - Journalist, Past
- Marcus H. MacWillie - Ringmaster, Midnight Circus
- Mr. Robert Shane - Baptist Minister, Past
- Charles Musil - Human
- Clara Bass - Human
- Doris Henderson - Human
- Paul Retting - Human
- Hugh Hollister - Human
- Matthew "Marko the Magnificent" Lipton - Retired Stage Magician, Human
- Karl Backbridge - Died
- Flora Backbridge - Died
- Spencer W. Hall - Journalist, Human
- Sgt. Walter Kimm - Died
- Clara Kimm - Walter's Wife, Widow
- Dr. Sarpedon
- Theodoric the Goth - Vampire, Slain by Mordblund
- Mordblund - Tremere, Pinned by Stakes in Xanadu's Mirror Palace, Former member of the Infernal Trinity
- Dr. Thomas Brusaw - Son of Ether Mage, Lord Aldwyn's Colleague, Died
- The Whole Sick Crew
- Alexander, a former Silver Fang Ronin Galliard that works as a Hetaerae succubus
- Ali Nyerere (Vesuvius the Fire-Eater), a mortal fire-eater who performs with the denizens of Freak City
- Angelo, Toreador Mime killed by Patrick Delany
- Astarte, Unseelie Sidhe of House Fiona
- Aubrey Dutetre, a Bastet (werecat) acrobat of the Fourth Circle.
- The Barlows, the family of little people that serve as CoF's secret police.
- Baroque, a Samedi necromancer in his own scheme and part of the Second Circle. Really a vampire known as "Shih Hsu."
- Belle Starr, a Gangrel sharpshooter of the Fourth Circle.
- Bellicus DeEquesto, a human with numina, acts as "War" of the carnival's Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
- Mr. Bile (Freakfoot #149-J), a two-headed fomori
- Bill Biloc (Animal Trainer)
- The Bishop, Head Clown of the Midnight Circus and Celestial Chorus barabbi
- Burlap Boy, a Bane from the Atrocity Realm
- Calabris, Toreador vampire and childe of François Villon
- Calypso (Bard), Eshu
- Cone of Flesh (CoF), the "King of the Freaks" is an asexual blob of a fomor
- Devyn Cavendish, ex-Celestial Chorus, now barabbus Nephandi ("Anastagio Salvatorio")
- Dimitri Babinov, a Gurahl (werebear) of the Fifth Circle.
- Fillipo DeEquesto, a human with numina, acts as "Famine" of the carnival's Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
- Flexible Helga
- Mr. Flint - Corax (Wereraven), Paymaster of the Midnight Circus
- Dr. Gerlach Augustus Eule ("Dr. Owl"), an Electrodyne Engineer and curator for the Museum of Oddities at the Midnight Circus
- Herm-Aphrodite (Bearded Lady)
- Herr Fidler , Son of Ether barabbi
- Iolanthe, an former House Scathach sidhe that works as a Hetaerae succubus
- Jean Raison, Collette Raison and Guy Raison
- Klaus Rahn
- Koba The Klown (Jefigif Sacha, Fomor), shares a symbiotic relationship with a Mind Feeder Bane
- Kuanyn
- Lee Carmody, ex-Cult of Ecstasy now a barabbus carnival barker of the Fourth Circle. He also operates the Tunnel of Love attraction
- Leon Carpenter, the lion-faced assistant of Dr. Owl
- McTargart, The Dog-Faced Detective
- Messora DeEquesto, a human with numina, acts as "Death" of the carnival's Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
- Mike Ellis - Chief of the Carnival Hands
- Morrell DeEquesto, a human, acts as "Sickness" of the carnival's Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
- Mulella (The Mule Girl)
- Orenda Foam-Singer, a Wendigo Garou storyteller for the circus
- Mr. Quigley (Jester), Boggan
- Rati, a Toreador that works as a Hetaerae succubus
- Rhingwaine (Glaystn Harper), Seelie Sidhe
- The Scribunda Sisters (Aurora, Meridia, Fata)
- Sergei Gumilyou, Orphan Mage
- The Summer King, Unseelie Sidhe
- Tamika Tanaka, a Malkavian who acts as a combination mime/Japanese noh actress in the Fifth Circle, Her sire is Albrecht Ausberg
- Tattoo Tim
- Tub of Flesh, a "liquified" Nosferatu of the Fifth Circle
- Zimbra - Nephwrack, Spectre Huntmaster
- The Circus
- Maggirk - Black Spiral Dancer trapped in Hispo form
- Moon-Scar - Black Spiral Dancer trapped in Hispo form
- Dugluck - Black Spiral Dancer trapped in Hispo form
- BloodBane - Black Spiral Dancer trapped in Hispo form
- Laff Dancer - Black Spiral Dancer trapped in Hispo form
- Shadow Splatter - Black Spiral Dancer trapped in Hispo form
- Blotto the Clown
- Stephan - Clown
- Luke Capenter - Wraith, trapped in the Tunnel of Unmentionable Desires
- Alexander - Satyr, Museum of Oddities, Stats
- Clymene the Fish Lady - Museum of Oddities, Stats
- Seraphim (The Angel) - Museum of Oddities, Stats
- Hathor - Sphinx, Museum of Oddities
- Olga - Harpy, Museum of Oddities
- Mehen - Python, Museum of Oddities, Stats
- Inside-Out Man - Servant of the Defiler Wyrm
- Mr. Smiley - Cultist of Ecstasy, Proprietor of Semiramis' Loft
- Maria de la Montana - Runs Bacchus' Tent
- The Wasteland
- King David
- Duke Pwyffelt - Pooka Noble
- Guanab - Heretic Wraith Despot
- Miles Kline - Hierarchy Wraith Legionnaire
- Mr. Basset - Basset's Antiques, Awakened Mage
- Cherie Leblanc - Bone Gnawer Kinfolk, Stats
- Lord Aldwyn Riverthrush - Son of Ether Mage, Stats
- Sir Stanley Whitby - Son of Ether Mage
- Dr. Ainsworth - Son of Ether Mage
- Sandra Warden - Wraith, Stats
- Rashad - Sandra's Husband, Died, Drone Wraith
- Marcus - Sandra's Son, Died, Wraith
- The Parkers - Caitiff, Stats (Roger Parker and Stacey Parker)
- Doris Milke - Ardus General Manager, Pentex
- Tassia - Duke Pwyffelt's Ward, Cat Pooka, Seelie, House Dougal, Stats
- Cyrus Kurtz - Mars Electronics Founder, Pentex
- Eldin Kurtz - Mars Electronics Director, Cyrus' Son, Progenitor Barabbi, Stats
- Rod Lightner - Talk-Radio Host, New World Order Barabbi, Stats
- White Lily - Malkavian antitribu, Black Hand, Stats
- Nero - White Lily's Sire, Black Hand
- Angie (Pack Leader) - Homid Theurge Bone Gnawer, Circus Lupus Pack, Stats
- Kyle - Bone Gnawer, Circus Lupus Pack
- Chester - Bone Gnawer, Circus Lupus Pack
- Gracie - Bone Gnawer, Circus Lupus Pack
- Donna - Bone Gnawer, Circus Lupus Pack
- Hrar Swipes-the-Wyrm's Stuff - Red Talon, Circus Lupus Pack
- Ol' One Eye (Segeant) - First Team #212, Stats
- Chanteuse & Danseuse, "The Rampall Sisters" - First Team #212, Hollow Men Fomori, Stats
- Yellow Jello-Dogg, "Martin Wienerke" - First Team #212, Fomori, Stats
- Others Mentioned in Text
- Doge Klypse
- Sascha Vykos
- Albrecht Ausberg - Tamika's Sire
- Jarita - Bagheera, Aubrey Dutetre's Cousin
- John Wind-Walker - Belle Starr's Sire
- Lord Steel
- Old Red Eagle
- Qaletapa Rainbow - Uktena Kinfolk who aids Orenda
- Baba Yaga
- Dr. Kristian Sonne - Electrodyne Engineer Mage
- Husk - Mage Construct of flesh, clay and wax
- Pyotr - Stage Circus Magician, Possessed by a Mind Feeder Bane, died
- Tosya Karolek - Underground Actor, died
- Kiril Nicolai - Rich patron of a small circus
- Mikhail - Koba's Second-in-Command, Clown
- Boris - Koba's Bodyguard, Clown
- Sergei - Koba's Bodyguard, Clown
- Doc Eon
- Morlock - Baroque's Sire
- Kurush the Doomed - Nephandi
- Takshaka - Akashic Brotherhood Mage
- Yawgild - Nephandi
- Mauritius the Carnival Master - Hedge Wizard, died
- Lord Collum
- Lady Yul
- Lord Choke
Terminology[]
Action Bill, Ampelus, Anastagio's Olde Time Lunar Beer, Anastagio's Olde Time Lunar Carnival and Midnight Circus, Apocrypha of Lilith, Apophis, Appalachians, Arcadeia, Arcadia, Ardus Enterprises, Atrocity, Atrocity Wave, Bacchus' Tent, Bailey's Crossroads, Baja, Balefire, Banality, Bane: Ash Scrag, Drattosi, Hoglings, H'rugglings, Ooralath, Scryer Banes, Wakshaani; Barabbi, Barbs, Barghest, Basset's Antiques, Bealle and Son, Bedlam, Black Dog Games: City Fighter, Wrath (Card Game), Zombie: The Putrescence; Black Hand, Black Spiral Labyrinth, Board of Directors, "The Book Writ Small", Brooklyn, Chimera, Circle, Circo Royal, Circus Fetters, Circus Lupus, Citadel, Clown Alley, Color Clouds, Concord Homeless Shelter, Corpus, Corruption Field, The Crimson Book of The Sidhe, The Cry of Pan, Court of Astarte, Defiler Wyrm, "Devil's Town", Dionysus, "Dog-Town", Dreaming, Drone, Durga's Cure, The Entropy Watch ("5" Arete 5, Q: 15), Epiphany, Essence de Lycanthrope, Experiment IV, Eye of Kadir ("4" Arete 4, Q: 20), Faerie Food, Fairfax County, Fairfax County Summer Fair, Falls Church County Fairgrounds, Fetter, First Team #212, Flux, Fortuna's Wheel, Freak City, Front Royal Jefferson Democrat (Newspaper), Gauntlet, The Gilded Lily (Hotel), Glamour Veil, Greece, Guiseppi's Pizza Stand, Hand of the Yama Kings (Artifact), Harmonic Radionics (Rote: Forces 1, Prime 1, Spirit 1), Harrowing, The Heights, Hellhole, HIT-Mark V, Hollow Men, Horizon Realm, House of Mirrors, Hunger Stone (Artifact), Incarna, Infernal Trinity, Investments, Ionia, Isharra, "Jamshyd's Dream" by Lee Carmody, Jersey, King Fool, "The Lamentations of Elath the Kenite" The Book of Baal-Gad, Legendary, Legionnaire, Libre Dam'are (the book of Kurush the Doomed), London, Lord of Rains, Loudon County fair, Madame Fata Scribunda's Fortunes, Madame O'Donnel's Palm & Tarot Reading, Malestrom, Malfeas, Manhattan, Mars Electronics, Memorial Park, Mexico, Midnight Carnival, Midnight Circus, Mirror of Dreams, Monkeywrenchers, The Monolith (Hotel), Morpheus Sabinis, Museum of Oddities, The Mystics' Tent, Nastrum Enterprises, Necropolis, Nephandi, Nevada Pete's Photo Saloon, New York City, New York Necropolis, Nihil, Nocnitsa, Node, No Man's Land, Nunnehi, Oboli, O'Tolley's, Paradox, The Path of Cara, Pattern Spider, Pentex, Penumbra, The Pipes of Pan, Poacher Possum (MC Character-Actor), Power Googles, The Queen's Own Theater & Puppet Show, Queens, Quiet, Quick, Realm, The Renaissance Fair, "Rift", Rod Lightner Show, Rome, Rudolf's Stein Hall, Semiramis' Loft, Shadow, Shadowlands, Shatter Glass (Bunk), Shenandoah Valley Whig Newspaper, The Silver Elm Tree, Silver of the Hunger Stone, Skinlands, Snare, Spear of Famine (Fillipo's Weapon), Spectre, "Song of the Midlands" (Poem), Spriggan's Jar, Synthesis School, Talisman, Tara Nar, Tattoo Tim's Parlor, Teachings of Ibrahim Abd Amir, Technocracy, Tellurian, Tellus Games: Kill Wolf, Urban Warrior; Tempest, Thrall, Trod, The Tunnel of Unmentionable Desires, Umbra, Underworld, Violence Realm, Virginia, Vulcan's Forge (Aldwyn's Journal), Washington, DC, Washington Tribune (Newspaper), The Waste Land, WBNK (Radio Station), Westborough, Wicked Chimera, White Priest, The White Priesthood, White Queen, The Womb, Woodbridge, Wyrm Arrows (Morrell's), Wyrm of Balance, Wyrm-taint, Xanadu's Mirror Palace, Young Bloods, Yukon Hunting Gallery (J.R. "Bob" Dobbs),
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