History History, or Bust            It is our past that defines us most clearly, for it is the best indication of what we might become. The purpose of the History is to give each character a past so the future might be told. It is, in fact, a form of storytelling in which the story of a character's life (and death) is told.            The History, or Bust section is a way to create character biographies before the chronicle actually begins, allowing the characters to live out their lives prior to the moment when the first story starts. It is quite similar to normal play, except that many years are compressed into a series of rapid-fire decisions.            The History provides a frame of reference for everything else that happens in the chronicle. Without it, a character will not make as much sense or be as complete. It's a way of doing some quick and dirty dealing with the Referee to get a character ready for play, much like the page or so of character description a novelist gives major characters when they enter the story. It is essential for the story, but it doesn't need to go on for 100 pages.            A vital part of a character's background is the creation of a personal history, which is one of the things the History does best. It helps you create a sense of where your character grew up and what her life was like. The personal biography a player creates in the History will be relevant throughout the chronicle, and you may well refer to it frequently as a storytelling technique. The Right Technique            It is a personal thing unless two or more characters were friends and spent a lot of time together before the Embrace. While you, as the Storyteller for this part of your character, spend time with each Aspect of your character History, the rest of them can socialise and start to get excited about what lies ahead. Remember, it's anticipation which can make a story blossom.            During the time you set aside for the History, Be sure to read through the rules. You need to give yourself a chance to explore both. If the player wants to change a few Traits during this, you should Ask the Ref, unless you do your History Prior to Character Generation, as long as it is done for a rational reason and not as an attempt to create a super-character.            There are many ways to progress through a character's life; any way that helps mould a complete character is fine. During the course of the History, you will want to explain the full background of the character, including the origin of her Resources and the identity of her Contacts. The player should have a firm idea of the details of her Background Traits.            You should play through one or more typical scenes from the character's life to give the player a sense of how the character lived as a mortal. You can get the player into her vampire role by showing her the bland tedium of the character's mortal existence. This scene can be something so mundane and common that it will radically juxtapose with the horror of becoming a vampire (which occurs next). Remember, it is the mundane that gives scope to the magnificent.            It can proceed something like this: "You're coming home from work on a Friday and the traffic is especially foul. You've had a bad day at the agency, and find it hard to hold back your temper. You climb up the three flights of stairs to your apartment and try to unlock the door, but your key won't work. What do you do?"            As you describe things, let the player interrupt with her own ideas and details concerning what is going on. You are telling a story together, so treat the player more like a partner. You can also include details that provoke the player into feeling the emotions of her character - "Your father is in a coma in the hospital." Of course, once the character becomes a vampire, she can't freely visit anymore. The father may awaken or may die, but the character may never see him again. The player needs to feel a profound and overwhelming sense of loss in order for the true horror of the game to come across. Questions and Answers            Described below are some questions which should be answered by the end of the History. If there is no time for a full History, you should at least make an effort to answer these questions. It often helps to write out the answers.            With each question we list what sorts of things the player should ask himself, as well as some advice to the Storyteller. How old are you?            How old were you when you "died"? What year were you born? How many years has it been since the Embrace? How old do you look?            If the current game year (the year when you intend to begin the chronicle) is 1993, and the character is about 37 years old (19 years as a human, 18 years as a vampire), then you could start the History out in 1965, when the character was only nine years old. Since one of the objects of the History is to give the player as much freedom as possible when determining the course of her character's life, starting so young is not completely out of line. Sometimes it is easier to assign dates and such after the History is over. What was unique about your childhood?            How did you spend your early years -the period when your basic motivations and attitudes were forged? Where did you go to school? Who were your parents? Did you travel very much? What was high school like? Did you go to college? Did you run away from home? What sports, if any, did you play?            You should try to give your History a sense of the character's childhood, and provide something special to remember it by. Concentrate especially on things that will affect the character's future life - perhaps you can even bury some story leads as you progress through his childhood.            You might include subtle clues in the history concerning how the character was being watched over by his sire, even in childhood. Sometimes a vampire is especially taken by a child and spends years watching him grow up, Embracing him only when he is fully grown. What kind of person were you?            Were you a good person? Were you popular? Did you have a family or live alone?            Once the character is fully grown, you've got to establish the setting just as you would do at the beginning of a scene. Briefly describe to the player what the character's adult life was like, perhaps letting her invent a lot of the basic details. You need to give her the chance to be the character as a mortal, interacting with other humans. When did you first meet a vampire?            When did you first realise that you were beings talked? What made you first believe in vampires? Were you afraid? Incredulous? Angry?            There are countless different circumstances surrounding the Embrace; however, much like sharks, vampires usually spend a considerable amount of time stalking their prey prior to the actual attack. Evoke and describe the sensation of being watched; slowly build up the tension and suspense. The player knows what's coming, especially if she's read the title of the game, but sometimes that can make the tension all the more palpable. A character may notice a person constantly watching her; whenever she turns around, however, the person is gone. Though the character may try to lose her stalker, somehow she never can. Now did die Embrace change you?            Was the Embrace painful? Did you get a kinky pleasure out of it? Did the hunger tear at you? Did it frighten you? Did it feel right?            You should describe the transformation in detail, allowing the reader to actually feel the trauma of being changed. If the player is attacked by the vampire, then make it horrific. Depending on the type of chronicle that will be run, you can add in details that make the personal horror overwhelming. The sire might throw the character's spouse into a cell with her, as the new vampire begins to grow hungry. Try to lure the character into committing that first horrible act, but encourage temperance as well. You might want to role-play this part out in detail, with the anguish of the first life you take is that of a loved one. Who was your sire?            Was your sire brutal, arrogant, or wise? What did you know about her? Did you get along with your sire? Did you know your sire at all?           Many neonates know nothing about vampire society, for they have been kept in the dark by their sire. Most sires consider themselves the princes of their progeny, ruling over them and treating them like slaves. They are reluctant to introduce them to other Kindred. How did your sire treat you?            How long did you stay with your sire? What was your sire like? Did she did or hinder you? How long was your "apprenticeship? " Where did you live? Where did you go? Why did you sire Embrace you?            The sire is the most important person in a neonate's first few years. The treatment the character receives from his sire will make a big difference in the character's personality. It will be the primary indication of how he will interact with other Kindred. Most sires keep their progeny with them for many years, training and tutoring them, and keeping them as companions. Many such fledglings are told nothing of vampire society at large, and are even prevented from interacting with it. Sires do this because they are intensely jealous and wish to forge the personality of their childe without interference.            There are many reasons why a vampire will create progeny. You must determine why the sire of the character created him. Maybe she will use the progeny to regain her humanity, or perhaps she simply wants company. Want's a slave, or is her blood so thinned with age that she needs progeny as vessels? Were you presented to the prince?            Did the prince welcome you to the city with open arms, or was he reluctant to accept you? Did he need to be bribed or threatened? Are you on the run from the prince? Is he your enemy?            Eventually, the character is released into the world and given her freedom. The sire relinquishes all hold, and in so doing, no longer has responsibility for the neonate. This moment is marked by the age-old tradition of presenting the neonate to the prince.            The prince may accept the character reluctantly, angrily, with good grace, or (on rare occasions) with great kindness. Normally this depends on the sire's relationship with the prince. The most important consideration, how, ever, is whether the sire asked for permission before or after the Embrace. A surprising number of vampires do not bother to gain permission from the prince first, but insist upon it later (most likely because they probably wouldn't be given permission before).            The character might be released because she has become too dangerous to keep. In some cases, a neonate only conclusively learns that there are others of her kind after she has been released.            In terms of role-playing, make sure the sire explains the Six Traditions handed down from Caine. It starts out with the neonate being told of her clan and generation: "You are of the Eleventh Generation from Caine, of the Clan Tremere, and so his words are not so distant from you, for they were spoken by him to his Fledgling and so unto you." How did you meet the others in your brood?            Were you brought together through chance or design? Do you get along with the others? Are you united in purpose and attitude? How long have you been together in the city?            Before the chronicle begins, some of the characters need to trust each other; otherwise your stories will self-destruct. If the Storyteller is the glue holding the coterie together, then their relationship won't last very long. Let the characters forge their own ties and give them the responsibility for maintaining them.            Each character needs to meet the others at some point, and it is best if this is some sort of unique meeting. It can be done two at a time, so that each character has a unique relationship with one or two other characters, or you can have everyone meet all at once and get it over with. It is not suggested that you wait until the game begins Before you introduce the characters. It is generally best to solidify a relationship between them before the action gets hot and heavy. Where is your haven?            Where does your character live? Where does she hide during the day?            Some Kindred have an actual home in which they reside, while others have a particular part of the sewers where they like to lie. Others, particularly the more paranoid Kindred, have many secret places where they might spend the day. What are your habitual feeding grounds?            Whom do you feed upon, and where? Do you have a domain you seek to protect? Is your favourite hunting ground used by others? Do you compete with others for the same vessels? Do you ever kill when you feed?            It is likely that a character maintains regular sources of food near his haven. As long as a character is near his haven, he can feed without requiring a roll or any role-playing. But you need to detail this source of blood - does he feed from the inmates of an asylum? Go club-hopping every night? Or do children come over to his house each evening for piano lessons? What motivates you?            Do you have any enemies, anyone you wish to seek vengeance against? Do you have any desire to return to your old life? What is it that you search for most avidly?            Your characters' primary motivations are central to understanding who and what they are. After they cease being human, vampires' priorities and standards often change, usually drastically. Things that were once important no longer are, and new values become central in their lives. If you want to have a real and complete character, you must first have an understanding of what drives her and keeps her from depression and total aimlessness (which can be interesting to play as well - simply decide that your character has no motivations at all). Your Nature and Demeanour can be of great assistance in determining your motivations.