Pittsburgh, the second-largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania and the 20th-largest in the United States, was an important industrial center at the turn of the century, built upon a French fort at the confluence of three rivers, and is also known as "the Steel City" or "the City of Bridges." The end of American industrialization in the 1970's and 80's led to social decline and economic collapse, but the region's bargain real estate and overpopulation of colleges and nerds led to an economic recovery in the early twenty-first century, even though the people remained forever trapped in 1988. Unlike other cities in the northeast, Pittsburgh is exceptional in its modesty and mediocrity, content to live quieter, simpler lives, and there is a feverish sense of pride in that. Pittsburgh and Pittsburghers are generally found to be gritty and stoic, and they keep to themselves, unless someone looks to be in dire need of an unsolicited history of accomplishment in professional athletics. Six Super Bowls, indeed.
Buckle up, baby.
Domains
Pittsburgh is divided into five key domains:
The Lancea Sanctum is based in the East End (North), though most of that domain is under Carthian control. The majority of the Sanctified now haven in the North Side. The Invictus control Downtown Pittsburgh (and seemingly always have). The East End (South) is not officially controlled, but the Ordo Dracul and Circle of the Crone are more common here than anywhere else in the city. No one controls the South Side, though all of the factions would love to control that domain.
Demographics
Pittsburgh is a tiny city (300,000 people) supported by lots of wooded suburbs (3,000,000 people). The city supports about 50 kindred.
Racial Demographics
Everyone in Pittsburgh is white, the city proper is the only real source of racial diversity. Most yinzers don't venture into "the black neighborhoods."
Economic Demographics
Everyone in Pittsburgh is middle class, the city proper and Mario Lemieux's house are the only real sources of economic diversity.
Characters
Chronicle
Theme
The themes of Pittsburgh are probably stoicism, integrity, apathy, and ignorance. When an NPC's motives are unclear, assume his virtue is Fortitude and his vice is Sloth. The theme of this Chronicle is some derivative of the winds of change and a coming storm; this dead steel town is in the early stages of renewal as predatory outsiders and her own obstinate people impede that progress. The kindred represent this conflict magnified, with their dark machinations and fervent devotion to the status quo, it is unlikely that it will end peaceably.
The personal theme of this campaign will be eighties metal and the attitude which closely-aligns with the lifestyle (deathstyle?) of the player characters: they work hard, party hard, and are free to make their own terrible choices without answering to any authority—even when that authority comes calling. This theme will not (often) be expressed literally, but should be an underlying facet of the PCs and prominent NPCs.
Political Landscape
The Lancea Sanctum remain the most powerful covenant in Pittsburgh, but their influence is waning. They once dominated the political (and literal) landscape, but tonight the Carthian Movement is nearly as influential and twice as active. Without the shaky support of their influential First Estate allies, the Sanctified may well have already ceded control of the city to the Carthians. While the Circle of the Crone is dogmatically opposed to the distracted Lancea Sanctum, their tensions (witch-hunts) have cooled somewhat and the Acolytes are actively growing in power. The Ordo Dracul, as always, prefers to remain isolated and mysterious.
Plot Overview
The player characters have a contact who offers them resources and status to come to Pittsburgh and protect him from some kindred-targeted violence that's breaking out. No one in Pittsburgh trusts these outsiders, but because they can trust these rogues lack any political motivation, elders and ancillae are eager to trade favors for dirty deeds (done dirt cheap). Eventually, being pawns in the danse macabre forces the player characters to either take sides, burn Pittsburgh to the ground, or flee town and start over from the bottom.
Post-Mortems and Lessons Learned
Previous Vampire games have ended abruptly, and post-mortems revealed the following:
- Motivation in Vampire is hard: are you self-interested, coterie-interested, or covenant-interested?
- Skip the team-building (we're all friends here).
- Make everyone an unbound nomad (for now, at least).
- Drama is interesting, but not that interesting: nobody cares about Hamlet, unless, you know…
- Give the players more direct tasks.
- "It'd be great if you'd talk it out, but I'll also accept a bowl of ashes."
- Lighten the burden to preserve the masquerade.
- It's not lifted—just make the supernatural more plausible.
- Of all these notes, this is most likely to change.
- Give the players more direct tasks.
- The setting feels foreign; I can't relate to any of this.
- 80's movie brooding horror angst is great for high school, but we need middle-aged dark comedy.
- We've all lived in Pittsburgh for like a decade.
- Lampoon current events in stories to keep it topical.