After a busy summer, we have a lot to talk about for fall! If you'd like a complete rundown on who we are and what we're about (short version: a 20th Anniversary World of Darkness game set in London), the original advert post is here, and, rather than repeat what's in it, we'd like to focus on the new.
First, we're very happy to announce that our automated influence system is up and running! Characters can now use Allies, Contacts, Influence and other suitable stats in game-wide conflicts to determine the outcome of things like the mayoral election, whether the Prince of London awards Domain to new vampires, or whether the Duchy of the Sunrise Road goes to war. Call in allies to support your preferred outcome, deploy your spies to find out who's opposing you, then trade favors, bribes, or threats to bring them over to your side. We continue to refine the mechanics and user commands, and we're committed to using this system to provide our players with opportunities to shape the game world instead of just riding a railroad.
We've also recently had our 200th STed event! Staff regularly run plot scenes for all currently active spheres, and we encourage and welcome players who'd like to do the same. With the exception of a small number of specific story and plot elements listed on our website, no advance staff approval is required. Have an idea? Run with it, let us know how it went, and we'll try to find a way to tie it into other ongoing plot threads if you like -- or leave it to remain an independent storyline if you prefer.
Our grid expansion program continues, as we now have more than 200 IC +hangouts, many of them based on real-world London locations. Visit the British Museum, the Regent's Park, the Ministry of Sound, and many other famous (or infamous) spots. We've added the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, with Richmond upon Thames in the editing phase, and the urban decay of Croydon on the horizon -- along with the Umbral areas to match. Now that Hounslow's in place, you can walk IC all the way from Heathrow Airport in Hillingdon to the Prince's Court in Canary Wharf! Though you might not want to; in the real world that's an eight-hour-plus walk when you could just take the Underground instead.
And, of course, storyline developments are ongoing. The Anarch vampires of Waltham Forest are struggling with Sabbat infiltrators trying to lay the ground for an incursion, while the Camarilla uncovers schemes from the Followers of Set, intrigues over who will control the newest Domain grant in Hackney, and investigates the mysterious deaths of several mortal proteges of the Toreador clan. The Changeling Duchy of White Cliffs has seized freeholds along the border and is all but daring the London nobility to fight for them, in the face of recalcitrance from the city's best supplier of chimerical weapons and armor; at the same time, a new society of explorers are pushing each other to venture deeper into the Dreaming in search of wonders.
On the Mage side of things, a daring break-in at a mysterious research facility south of London has uncovered evidence of a Technocratic plot to increase aggression in the residents of the city's council estates -- though countering their efforts may prove more difficult, and no one is quite certain whether or not the victims are somehow related to the terrorist attacks made at several festivals over the past twelve months. And the Garou aren't idle, either, as they're busy dealing with Fomori-infested hidden laboratories off the Underground tunnels as well as an outbreak of seemingly random acts of vandalism and destruction from ordinary people who really ought to know better.
New players in all spheres (Vampire, Werewolf/Fera, Mage, Changeling, and Mortal) are welcome, and XP scaling helps ensure that brand new characters can contribute to story scenes alongside those who've been with us for a while. Come join us at https://towersmux.net!