VTM is so very different from D&D, I have all the mechanics down, but this was a help, thanks guys, earned a sub.

I am starting my first VtM chronicle tomorrow and I'm super excited. I've been running A Song of Ice and Fire with my D&D buddies successfully and its always been the masterplan to get down the RPG pipeline and hit VtM and OWoD. We will be playing v5 but of course with imports from v20. Dementation and Vicissitude are a must. Thanks for the last minute tips! I am a pretty chaotic ST and its very grounding :D

This summer I'll begin my first VtM chronicle, and I have an idea for the main plot to basically be two completely different main conflicts, one connected more with Camarilla (Closer to murder mystery) and the other with the Sabbat (Basically a race between the players and Sabbat agents to seize two very important items). I'm not planning for the two to be connected, but I'll lead players on a little so they think these are connected and despite being unrelated one plan's success might disrupt the others. The problem is, I'm a bit afraid of players potentially not engaging with the intrigue to figure out these plots, instead just assuming I'm gonna lead them to a preplanned ending of the campaign. I don't like running games that way, I want players to act, figure things out, beat the challenges I put in their way and make their own ending. I'll try to encourage them to make lots of notes, maybe that'll help, that's a good idea from this video. It'll also be pretty funny if they end up discovering at a super early point who the murderer is.

Regarding your problem of giving a game-breaking magic item, I prefer game systems that are based on consistent core math and that have well-defined guidance on what goodies you can insert into your game without breaking it. My current favorite is Pathfinder 2nd Ed. Also, even if you're running a system where the math can be more swingy, you can still modify things behind the screen so that all the players have a fun experience.

Is this live if so v5 or v20 ?

Didn’t start with a bunch of virtue signaling.. so I’ll listen…