New Player's Guide
First of all, welcome to Dark City! This game is a Discord-based role-playing game using the rules and setting from Onyx Path Publishing's Chronicles of Darkness books, set in a fictional version of New York City. We support the Chronicles of Darkness Second Edition. The purpose of this guide is to provide a high-level overview for new players.
Getting Connected
RP takes place on our Discord server.
You'll also need a Dark City wiki login. Create one here.
Make sure you choose to verify your email! It's required to build wiki's and thwart bots.
It is a requirement that you have a User Page on the wiki, you can find the option on the drop down under your user name or by following the path https://darkcitygame.com/wiki/User:YourUserName, you can find a template for it here.
That's it! Those are all the accounts or logins or whatever you'll need.
Discord Commands
We feel that many server bots add unnecessary clutter, so we've curated a specialized handful of features that make sense for our game and our playerbase, and utilize the bare minimum of code-and-command nonsense. Dark City uses only a few bots on its server, that perform the following functions:
- Create private RP channels in between two or more players;
- Process character applications, support requests, plot tickets, XP spends, and downtime/offscreen actions;
- Most importantly, roll dice using the Chronicles of Darkness rules, modifiers, and conventions.
Only the latter two, the dice roller and request system, are necessary for play.
Read the How-To Guides for each of our bots.
Game Systems
We use the second edition rules of the following gamelines:
- Chronicles of Darkness, God Machine Update
- Hunter: The Vigil
- Hunter is not accepting applications at this time
- Mage: The Awakening
- Mage is not accepting applications at this time
- Vampire: The Requiem
Game Setting
Where: Jericho
When: Present Day
The Main Page has a series of links just below the header which will lead you to information about the setting specific to the game's spheres.
Please take a look at our policy on Crossover.
Basic FAQs
What is the language/behavior rating of the server?
This is an R-Rated Server. This game will explore themes that are not suitable for children and young people. By signing in to this game you are confirming that you are at least 18 years of age. The staff of the game are not responsible for verifying this fact and reserve the right to remove characters or players from those of any age who seem unable to cope with the mature setting. Because this is a mature environment we expect staff and players to behave in a polite and cooperative manner with each other at all times. All characters must be, act, and appear to be 18+ years of age at all times.
Tell me a little about your game's culture.
Our STs take a proactive approach, with multiple plots live at any single time, and our playerbase shares a fellowship of helpfulness and camaraderie with one another. We don't tolerate OOC bullying or OOC hostility of any kind. Read more about our Game Conventions and expectations here.
Are you open?
Each Venue's homepage lists whether it is currently accepting new characters.
Are there House Rules?
Yes, and all are collected on the House Rules page, gathered by sphere.
What's the Character Creation process?
Before you set your heart on a concept, please checked the Capped Concepts to make sure it's not on there, and you may want to familiarize yourself with The Cast of PC's and NPC's to see what's currently in play.
Then, you should familiarize yourself with the sphere you are interested in joining by reading through its homepage.
Then, you will use our ticket system to submit an application. Don't worry, it's all done through Discord and it's very, very simple. You literally just push a button.
Once you have a sheet and a wiki, you can submit your character for approval using our ticket system.
Can I have more than one character?
No, you can have one character.
Questionable Concepts
Pause for a moment and consider the following before going through with one of these character concepts.
- The Neophyte/Cub - While seemingly an "easy in" to a sphere you don't know well, playing someone brand new and totally ignorant to a sphere requires other PCs to take on the role of teacher in order to educate you on how to play the game they themselves showed up prepared to play. This is rarely fun for anyone -- nobody likes roleplaying The Rulebook at you. Experienced players wishing to play a neophyte/cub may discuss the matter with Staff, but approval is not guaranteed.
- Remade Characters - Ask Staff if you have questions about this one.
- Anything directly involving multiple game lines - This makes COI a headache. Though you technically can go from being, say, an Atariya to a Wolf-Blooded to a Kindred, it's more than likely going to be a hassle for Staff, and while this is a world of exceptional strangeness, and PCs are the most exceptional among them, still yet some combinations strain the bounds of credulity. That doesn't mean you can't have a strong connection and lots of ties and RP with a splat that isn't your own -- far from it! We encourage crossover. If in doubt, speak to Staff.
- Loners - Don't make others work to get you involved; give them a reason to.
- Indifference to Core Values - No one expects, or wants, you to play a splat stereotype, but a Bone Shadow with zero interest in the Hisil, for example, begs the question as to why your character is involved in that Tribe/Society/Organization/Group/etc to begin with.
Your Step by Step Guide to Getting Started
- You are an active member of our Discord
- You've familiarized yourself with some of the important aspects of our website, such as:
- Created an account on this wiki
- You've looked through The New Player's Guide (you're here!)
- You've read up on the House Rules
- You've looked at the Books we use here
- You've looked at the Game Conventions found here
And you've decided you want to play!
- You've looked at different things like:
You've decided which Sphere you want to create your ONE character for!
- Follow the instructions on the sphere's homepage.
Our thanks to Haunted Memories, from whose excellent documentation we have borrowed a framework for much of ours. Without those games, this one likely would not exist.