Ashford by Night (WoD)

What is Ashford by Night

Ashford by Night is the semi-official name to the long-running World of Darkness campaign setting run by Fenton, sometimes nicknamed Ashfordverse, as it contains elements of all the major World of Darkness games (Vampires predominantly, Werewolves heavily featured, Mages notably considered, Demons a minor but respectable influence and, occasionally, other types such as Wraiths, Mummies, Hunters and other sorts). Because the affairs of the Kindred is the predominant theme of the game, Fenton has always considered it a Vampire: the Masquerade "By Night" game first and foremost, although it is more appropriately akin to Vancouver: Dark Alliance thematically, and when he runs a (Werewolf: the Apocalypse troupe, it is very similar to "Rage Across New York" in style. He has only ever run one dedicated Mage: the Ascension game in Ashford, but prefers to use Mages (mostly Tradition mages, but occasionally the Technocracy, or Nephandi) as wild cards, antagonists or other concerns for the kindred players to have to interact and deal with.

Fenton admits he enjoys the socio-political aspects of roleplay more than combat-heavy dungeon crawling, which is why he enjoys VtM more than WtA or MtA (although MtA he admits can be very political, but can be harder to prep and he enjoys the themes of VtA more; and whilst WtA certainly has political elements, it involves much adherence to using the spirit world and fighting the forces of the Wyrm, which tend to be more combat-related than he likes for a long-running game).

Setting Location

Ashford is set in the fictional city of the same name, originally beginning as a completely fictional city somewhere in the San Francisco Bay area, but since the VtM: 20th Anniversary reboot (both of the system and roleplay-necromancy of VtM since Vampire: the Requiem and the other Chronicles of Darkness games switched his group's focus) he has adopted the real-life city of Bakersfield, California and fictionally altered it, having Bakersfield originally be a Sabbat domain which was conquered by Prince Kratus for the Camarilla, and reincorporated as the city of Ashford. He did this because he found it difficult to make the world "feel real" as regards size, scope, industries, etc... other than a few key areas introduced in the games. By using Bakersfield as a model (though increasing its population and population density considerably), it allowed him to use resources online to use (renamed) real-world maps, locations, events, local issues and the likes to make the setting feel more realistic and accurate. He admits this was a lesson he learnt to good effect whilst running his Chronicles of Darkness game, which originally began using the Chicago setting during his Vampire: the Requiem game (originally home-brewed, then quickly retconning and basing it on the novels when he realised how drastically different kindred sect politics were from the books) and later Werewolf: the Forsaken's Hunting Grounds: the Rockies setting in Denver; but ended up with him doing a Flagstaff and putting the players in LaSalle, Colorado. Whilst he learnt (from his earlier Flagstaff setting) that for a big group of players, a small location was problematic - he only had a small bunch of players and this allowed the game to focus on "protecting our territory" (the Werewolves in a literal sense, keeping other packs out; and the vampires making it their own personal domain and taking advantage of an alliance with the werewolves to keep rival kindred at a distance). That game eventually ended when Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary came out, bringing Fenton and his players back to a setting that they overall preferred.

Ashford is a sandbox setting. Fenton likes to be aware of who the power-players are, what they are up to, their motivations, and how this affects the players. He then allows the players to do as they will, and has the setting react accordingly. By knowing the other power-players, he knows when/if the players' actions affect them - and how they would respond. This includes both antagonists, as well as possible allies (by knowing how the power-players interact, including which are enemies or rivals; and thus who may aid or hamper the players). If players pursue mortal-world aims such as setting up their own business, he will have the setting react to that (such as any Werewolves who consider the business location to be in "their territory" and how they would react; or any kindred who may consider the business a threat to their interests, or in their domain). If they pursue kindred-society aims, he will have the society react accordingly, depending on the clans, sires and contacts of the players (Darth Peachy's character is a Primogen, so he was quickly thrust - maybe too quickly - into kindred politics as a whip; whilst his kindred romantic interest struggles to even be able to get her clan elders to allow her to have a voice or opinion, much the less any actual responsibility).

Theme: From the Ashes

The Pillars

Although the setting has undergone many changes, revisions and retcons since it came into being in the 90s, it was given its most serious shake-up recently for the 20th Anniversary reboot. In its entire history, the city was ruled by Prince Kratus with an iron fist. Personally incredibly powerful and of low-generation blood, he was a despotic titan with strong backers - his Ventrue clanmates supported him without question (as the clan had prospered under his rule, as had the city economically and culturally, and his own blood-bound childe was the primogen), as did the vast majority of the Toreador clan (with their Primogen, Genevieve Montclair, being an old and loyal ally to Kratus) who also prospered under Kratus' rule (and Genevieve being the Seneschal, and having the lions-share of beneficial domains after Kratus' own). A "negotiated agreement" with the Tremere benefitted both sides, with the terms of the agreement allowing the Tremere to conduct its business with little intervention from Kratus, whilst the Tremere would support the Camarilla's institutions and provide assistance against potential threats to Kratus' rule. The Malkavians and Nosferatu were 3rd-class citizens, barely given the time of day by the "high clans" who held all the key mortal institutions and domains and ensured they could not get a foothold.

To make matters worse, the Malkavian clan had Damien Hobb as Primogen, a psychopathic businessman who looked up to the Ventrue as ideal business partners - and struck deals with Kratus to mutual aims, often at the expense of his own clan's interests, or forcing his clanmates to be effectively frightened children forced into slave labour by an abusive parent. His mysterious disappearance several years ago was a sigh of relief to many (even Kratus showed little concern, having begun to tire of needing to expend time and Camarilla resources to cover up Hobbs' latest atrocities). His childe Helen Quinzel was popular with and supported by her clanmates, and improve the clan's effective power by forming a formal alliance with the Nosferatu clan (and rumour had it: Clan Senya) to effectively turn the clans into a giant, information super-network. But still, they had to operate in the shadows, and those in power had been so for a long time and still held all the best cards. The Brujah were split - many supported the Anarchs (but even being suspected of being an Anarch sympathiser could get a kindred executed in Ashford), but Brujah Primogen Thomas Wingfield was reputed to be a snivelling brown-nosed coward who supported the current establishment. Clan Senya, as usual, kept a very neutral stance - but publicly, the perception was that they also supported the current establishment. With the absence of the Gangrel clan, who were the strongest clan fearless and powerful enough to stand up to the High Clans' dominance, the situation for the oppressed was bleak.

The Pillars Burn

Then the Sabbat came. They had spent years infiltrating and spying on the Camarilla's institutions; using Tzimisce-fleshcrafted doppelgangers and influencing (or coercing) those disaffected with Kratus' rules. Beginning with the now-infamous Opera House Massacre - a sudden attack at the opera house, considered Elysium, during a special performance by the Keeper of Elysium's protege for Kratus and other high-society, high-influence kindred and mortals, which was kept secret for security reasons and known only to those going and a select few others - the Sabbat Crusade's opening night resulted in the assassination of the Prince, the Ventrue Primogen, Keeper of Elysium, Senya Whip, and the Sheriff; although the Toreador Primogen, Senya Primogen and Malkavian Whip managed to escape; the latter allegedly due to the assistance of the notorious Toreador autarkis Tatjana, who actually is considered blood-hunted in Ashford.

Almost immediately after, in a horrific attack on their chantry during a training session, over half of the Tremere clan were eliminated (including virtually all their neonates, ghouls and neophytes, as Clan rules required them to live and study in the chantry).

The Camarilla's structure crumbled almost immediately as the key power players and established institutions crumbled. Those left immediately retreated into their safe houses, and what little Camarilla structure was left strained to maintain the masquerade, which the Sabbat were flagrantly breaking as part of their attack plan. To make things worse, it appeared that large elements of the Gangrel clan had made agreements with the Sabbat - some actively joining the Sabbat, and others just profiteering - but this meant that the Gangrels in Ashford could not be trusted, as many former-Ashfordian Gangrels were now actively hunting their former sectmates.

The Senya Primogen appeared to withdraw into his home-fortress, lost in grief over the death of the Senya whip, who was also his wife, leaving the clan's youngest wondering what to do - especially since many of the clan's ancilla were unreachable.

The Meek Shall Inherit

But all was not lost. Some clans galvanised quickly. It was revealed that the Brujah Primogen, reputedly a Kratus loyalist who had spent decades hunting the unidentified leader of the Anarchs, had in fact all the time been the actual leader of the anarchs working as a double-agent. This united the clan in a way not commonly seen as both those who wanted to keep the institutions that "Wingfield" had fought to maintain for the good of the Brujah and Camarilla in place, and those who had been allies of the "Anarch leader" for years proved their loyalty to him. But they were a relatively small clan - many of their numbers had been lost over the years as Kratus executed anyone that he could get any kind of evidence of being an Anarch supporter - but they formed a first line of defence against the Sabbat horde, and their sacrifices and bravery bought time for the Camarilla to reorganise.

The Malkavians and Nosferatu had suffered least from the attacks - often dismissed as irrelevant by those in power, having few positions of influence, and sometimes unwittingly even used by Sabbat spies, they were lower-priority targets. Although the Sabbat attacked the nosferatu warrens, they found only well-prepared defences, ghoul guardians and absent havens. It was almost as though they had anticipated the attack and prepared accordingly. Already working together, the Malkavian and Nosferatu primogens came up with a plan - to reform a new Primogen council and reunite the Camarilla clans. The two clans secreted out those they considered most important and moved them to safe houses (which again, they had coincidentally had ready for such an event) and the nosferatu clan's influence with the criminal underworld was put to use fighting those sabbat forces that would not be considered masquerade breaches. The Malkavian whip, aided by his clan and younger elements of Clan Senya not content to simply hide as demanded by their elders, managed to organise a series of secret meetings with key elders of various clans. In these meetings the Nosferatu/Malkavian elders the remaining primogen that a candidate for Prince was needed that all the remaining Primogen could rally behind - as well as convince prominent others to step up and replace the dead Primogen. Although various had believed Clan Senya's primogen would have been the ideal person, as he was generally respected by most of the clans, he was still literally locked into his saferoom in a permanent grief-frenzy and the only primogen to not attend the meeting and, lacking a whip, only [Lady Jane (WoD)|Lady Jane Grey]], a Senya elder and former Prince (of Oxnard, before it fell to the Cathayan vampires) was present to represent her clan, in no official capacity other than being a respected elder. The elders agreed to support Wingfield as Prince (to Genevieve's chagrin, as she assumed everyone would rally behind her natural rule) with conditions thrown across the table by both sides over this new alliance, especially regarding the Nosferatu and Malkavians for when the dust settled. In a surprise move, the ancilla of clan Senya declared unilateral support for Wingfield, apparently agreed in a clan conclave called by Lady Jane, acting as temporary clan primogen. As a former Prince, many (both in her clan, and amongst the other Primogen) had believed Lady Jane intended on usurping Primogen Donahoe to take leadership of her clan, and many believed this to be her move to do so. The aftermath would reveal this would be far from the truth.

Under Winfield's direction, and the Malkavian and Nosferatu Primogen's suggestions, secret meetings were held with Mira Panikkar, the leader of the Assamite clan in Ashford - a branch of Assamites who had claimed to be Camarilla supporters and want membership; and issue in which the greater Camarilla wrestled over. Although no formal alliance was held, the departure of the Gangrel clan left a void that the Assamites offered to fill. Kratus had mistrusted the Assamites (as they had taken assassination contracts on his life in the past and he disliked their clan), and only given them enough to pacify them, but Wingfield was willing to grant them an official seat on the Primogen council and membership of the Camarilla (at least as much as he could within Ashford, there was no guarantee the greater Camarilla would respect it) in return for their loyalty (and, as members of the Ashford Primogen council, the clan's members and resources to fight the Sabbat).

Although the Gangrels had officially left the Camarilla, and many were fighting against their former sect-mates, there were still some Gangrels that believed in the Camarilla as an institution. With Kratus out of the picture, Cindy Walker a young ancilla Gangrel, gathered those Gangrels who were loyal to the Camarilla and united them. Together with the Brujah, Assamites and Senya (predominently the younger members of the clan), they tracked down all the rogue Gangrel, eliminating those who had defected to the Sabbat and giving those who were being opportunistic as independents the choice to either leave town or die. In return for their loyalty, the Gangrels would be acknowledged as Camarilla members and, although too small in number to merit a seat on the Primogen council, would be accorded status as a group akin to that of a bloodline, with Cindy Walker to be acknowledged as their leader, Camarilla representative and to be given a title of office to be determined later.

Setting History

Roleplay Origins

Although Fenton began roleplaying when he was 14 years old, his early days involved mostly playing in other's games, and then when he became a Games Master ran mostly the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying Game (WHFRPG), Battletech (as a strategy boardgame, then as an RPG when the Mechwarrior RPG rules came out), the Aliens RPG (official RPG adaptation of the movie) and Star Wars: the Roleplaying Game by West End Games. He stuck mostly to published materials, but with Mechwarrior began exerting his creative ideas by creating his own worlds/settings - typically by using ones he had seen or read about in books or computer games such as Battletech: The Crescent Hawks Inception and later Battletech: Mechcommander.

Things changed when he went to the UK for his university interviews, he went to the Virgin Megastore (looking to see if there were any new Battletech/Mechwarrior books) and encountered the Vampire: the Masquerade book for the first time - a new RPG by White Wolf, a small and unknown new entry into the RPG market at the time, with only two books available (the main VtM book, and the Storyteller's Handbook). He had used Vampires as antagonists and allies in his WHFRPG games before, and was intrigued by this game and bought both books.

It would become the defining game of his GM history. His players all took to it with zeal, and as each major release and core book in this new World of Darkness came out (Werewolf: the Apocalypse and Mage: the Ascension in proceeding years, they both ran games of those types, as well as began mixing the three systems together.

Playing with Settings

Originally Fenton began by running the Chicago by Night (2nd Edition) campaign setting by White Wolf. This was a good starting point, and the players enjoyed it and they experimented with combining all three. Eventually, the player troup combined vampires, werewolves and mages (and somehow made it work) and as he became more confident in his GM planning and improvisation, the players used the excuse of a (mage) player's marriage (to an NPC vampire) to leave Chicago and follow their friends on their honeymoon. This led to a brief experimental short campaign in their home-town of Gibraltar, in which the players freed an ancient Elder from a Sabbat prison, kept in torpor, and aided the Camarilla (and the Elder) in taking Gibraltar from the Sabbat and into Camarilla control. It was fun being able to use places familiar to them (and having NPC versions their real-life selves as supporting NPCs in the game), but their home-town is too small for a viable campaign of the large, mixed-race troupe of players.

The Golden Age

So Fenton decided to try his hand at creating his own "By Night" setting - deciding to locate it in the US-city of Flagstaff, Arizona (still a small enough city to be "manageable" to his growing setting-planning skills, but double the population and far greater physical size and variety than his own hometown). This was a popular move, with the style of games and the players roles in domain politics growing. Although eventually they would move on proverbially, and Fenton would even eventually retcon (or silently allow to fade into obscurity if they couldn't be easily retconned) characters, plots and events (that over time and maturity he realised were corny, cringeworthy or simply I must have been drunk to think that was a good idea), certain events, themes, home-brewed setting changes (such as the creation of a full vampire clan, Clan Senya), NPCs and PCs made during this era would survive to become major players (or legends) in the games that would come, especially the PC Toreador kindred |Max Dermont, the mage Kwang as well as several Werewolf PCs. Fenton eventially went bigger-scale and created a wholly-fictional setting, naming the city "Ashford" and locating it in a undetermined location in the San Francisco bay area. A far bigger city, metropolitan area, with more complex politics - especially with the published information about the conflicts between the Sabbat (who's main seat of power were in nearby Mexico) and the Camarilla (who controlled most US states) as well as being the seat of Anarch control, it allowed him to really use more politics and increase the activity and realism levels of all the factions. Elodan also began running his own Werewolf game around this time, in which Fenton played the legendary [[Laughs-at-Rage (WoD)|Laughs-at-Rage) which he would eventually import into his own game, as well as other characters he played in his and his friends' games, or even importing some of their NPCs when their own campaigns ended. Ashford began to grow and mature... but then Fenton went off to university. This was in 1994.

The Silver Age

Although Fenton and his friends would continue playing WoD (in the new Ashford setting, as well as various others depending on the GM) when they were home for holiday, this was limited to mostly summer holidays. Whilst in University, however, Fenton made some good friends and got them into roleplaying games... of which World of Darkness was, by far, the one they enjoyed the most. For the first two years of uni, Fenton enjoyed using his Ashford setting with a new bunch of players, who had neonate-level characters (and inexperienced enough that he could recycle ideas and storylines that he could no longer use with his other players), whilst still being able to employ the characters that existed - some as NPCs, and others as guest appearances by PCs; Dermont and Fenton would visit each other in university often, and Dermont ran his own WoD Werewolf game, which he peripherally coordinated with Fenton to keep their respective settings linked. Dermont would regularly visit, and when he did his character Max Dermont would guest-appear in the WoD game, typically as a cryptic, often-antagonistic elder who would drive the players crazy (but in the end would prove to have actually helped the players and the "greater good"). Fenton likewise used several characters and plots to run a guest-GM game when he went up to visit Dermont. Both GMs supplied each other with NPC character sheets to be able to use in each others games.. with a general agreement not to allow each other's NPCs/PCs to be killed off without the other's consent, of course - though maiming horribly, or putting into torpor were acceptable (as they could be recovered). Between the very active roleplaying in the Ashford setting with both groups, both of which were considered canonical to the "Ashford-verse"