Camarilla Game ~ Downtime. Camarilla Game ~ Downtime.Ah, Downtimes, those wonderful tomes that can make grown STs cry. Writing Downtime is an essential part of progress for your characters development, but as with everything else they can be tricky blighters to get right. Ten pointers to get you started.
Summarise what you want to do before you get started.
Bullet points outlining your initial intensions are a great way to get started and allow the ST to have an idea of where things are going from the start. If you cannot summarise your intentions, then it may be that your plans have no real direction and should probably be abandoned.
Stay focussed.
Periodically stop what you're writing and check what you've written. Does it make sense? Is it coherent? Good downtimes have a linear progression from the start of an idea through to its possible conclusion. If the ST constantly has to cross reference within your downtime then it is likely that the original message will get lost.
Read the rumours.
Read the current rumours and see what is happening in the city. Talk to other characters and find out they know. Use this information to inform what you are doing within your downtime. Being up to date with the latest information can sometimes mean the difference from having to work hard to get something done and an easy life.
Research.
You can never do enough research. If you're thinking of getting involved in something you don't know the first thing about, read up on it and talk to people about the subject. The more research you do the easier you'll find it to communicate you ideas to the ST. Be sure to include your Research within your Downtime for the ST to read.
Think In Character.
Thinking In Character opens up hitherto unknown parts of the brain, the sneaky parts. Thinking In Character can put a fresh perspective on a problem and makes it more interesting for the ST to read.
I would like to, not I have.
A fairly simple one to understand, Downtimes should be considered a number of questions to the ST rather than a shopping list of what you have done. If you write your Downtimes as a list of things that you would like to acheive, rather than a list of successes, the ST will have more time for it. Also, remember that nothing will occur in an instant, complicated Downtimes may take months to achieve.
Be prepared for further questioning.
You're downtime may be a work of art, but sometimes the ST may have further questions that need to be answered before they will give you an answer. Be prepared to answer any questions the ST may ask you, its more than likely that they are just trying to ascertain you're intentions.
Make it interesting.
The last thing the ST wants to wade through is page after page of bland text. Keep the ST interested and you may have an easier time in getting your plans implemented.
Listen to your ST.
Occasionally an ST may read your Downtime and ask the question, “Are you sure you want to do this?” They may even be kind enough to ask again when you reply yes. If the ST is asking you this question then it could be that they are warning you that you're intending to go down a very dangerous path. Listen to your ST.
Keep it short.
No three hundred page essays on the manner in which you intend to change the Russian Political State. No one likes a smart arse who hands in Downtimes that can classify as text books. It's not big and it's not clever.
