"
Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well.
"
Samuel Butler
Jyhad Tips and Tricks
"vampires rarely "control," because such a tactic draws attention. Rather, they "influence," enacting their will not so much by executive decree as by quiet pressure and slow accommodation"
- The Guilded Cage
One of the most complicated, at least initially, aspects of this game are the systems. As the game has grown over the years a Jyhad System for doing Downtimes has been created. These systems provide methods for players to do nearly anything within the game. Be it competing against each other, establishing there own niche and power base within the city, or pursuing and solving plot.
It can be daunting for a new player to read through all the packets and understand where to get started. Listed below are a series of tips and tricks that will hopefully help players understand and get started with the Jyhad System.
Tip #1: Use the Template.
This is the single most important aspect of submitting a good downtime. When you consider the size of our player base, and that the ST's have to read through all of those downtime submissions, it is only natural that they would be strict on what they receive. If the ST's have to guess at what you are trying to do due to a submission not following the template, you can expect that action to fail.
Tip #2: Spell Check
This falls in line #1. The ST's need to be able to understand what you are doing, if they have to re-read your submissions in order to translate your bad spelling or bad typing skills you can expect actions to fail, or not receive the desired effects.
Tip #2: Be clear and detailed
Don't speak in riddles, don't speak in generalizations. Keep in mind that ST's don't know everything that happens at game, and are human and therefore forgetful from week to week. If you talked to some random NPC, add a little reminder of who that npc was in addition to it's name. If you and another PC make a deal, don't simply refer to it as 'the deal between me and buck' as the ST will not know what you are talking about. The more clear and detailed you can be, the easier it will be on the ST and the more likely that you will achieve your desired effect. Utilize bold and font size formatting to assist in making it clear where one action stops and the next begins.
Tip #4: You are not writing a novel
Details are good, you want to be sure the ST knows what you are trying to do. However, you also need to keep in mind that the ST's have a lot of Downtimes to get through and if you get too long winded you could find parts of your actions getting skipped over or skimmed. In general try to keep it down to 1 or 2 paragraphs.
Tip #5: Be aware of what you are growing
When you are trying to grow an influence, read up on what the next level will grant you in actions and try to justify how you will make the connections to accomplish those actions. The more creative you get with making those connections, the more likely you are to get bonus dice from the ST's.
Tip #6: Link Actions
Another trick to assist coming up with descriptions, and earning some bonus dice is to find way to link your actions. Growing Street Influence, and you also want Police Influence? Perhaps you can use one to benefit the other. Give some tips to some police on where to bust up a rival drug ring to your street contacts. Not only do you make your street contacts more powerful as they move in on the new turf, you make the cops look shiny for “taking down a drug ring”.
Tip #7: If. Then. Else
If you are performing an action that involves another PC or that hinges on a variable response from another action you can put in IF statements. Ex:
IF buck shows up
Action Details
Else
Action Details
or
IF my investigate actions tells me it is Becky
Do Action
If it is Susan
Do Action
If neither
Do action
Tip #8: Include General Info
Include your haven location, your various ID's, where you feed, and anything else you think important to be sure the ST's are aware of when doing downtimes. It will save the ST time, and ensure that they remember and are aware of these details should you come into conflict.
Tip #9: Ask Questions
When you patrol, investigate, or especially when you interrogate someone in downtimes and are looking for specific bits of information try not be vague about it. Put down a list of questions you want answered by the ST's. It is easier for the ST to answer a list of questions than it is to guess at what kind of details you want, and it will save everyone time as you uncover what you want to know the first time.
