I asked the #V20 hashtag on Twitter whether I should focus on prestation or titles (two of the in-progress sections from the V20 Companion as detailed in the outline). Feedback was about equal, but favored prestation a little bit over the course of the day, so that’s where I turned my attention.
The systems portion is still underway, but in mapping what we want the systems to model, I sketched a bit of how I anticipate one of the sects using prestation to shape its behavior. I think I’m going to move along these lines for the next few days, so let’s keep an eye on how the sects relate to both the concept of prestation and how members of other sects practice prestation.
<2>The Camarilla
<n>It comes as no surprise that the Jonsonian wit and archtraditionalism of the Camarilla provides a home for the formalities of prestation. In fact, some suspect that the very roots of prestation lie in the rigid will of the Ventrue and the elaborate rituals of comme il faut upheld by the Toreador. This isn’t precisely true — several extant Kindred communications from as distant history as the Dark Ages make guarantees of promises among Kindred — but as some of the eminent powers of the Ivory Tower, the Rose Clan and the Clan of Kings certainly know how to make use of the Kindred custom of prestation. Other Camarilla clans often see the established rules of prestation as convenient tools and pragmatic investments.
The Brujah and Gangrel tent to play very loosely with prestation, but many have their own ideas of honor and duty that observing prestation allows them to display in front of others, showing them to be as good as their word. They often like to flaunt this at Elysium and other sect gatherings, showing that despite their comparatively low social status, at least they’re not lying hypocrites like the Camarilla’s leadership.
The Tremere codify their network of mentorship duties along the same lines as prestation, offering training to other Warlocks in exchange for mystic secrets, access to occult resources, or the standard versatile favors represented by the custom.
Malkavian observation of prestation is unreliable, but the Clan of the Moon has no vested interest in subverting the tradition, unless they’re calling into question the entirety of Kindred social contract. Indeed, prestation often gives a grounding in reality to the more cripplingly fractured Lunatics, reminding them of what they promised to do and providing context.
The Nosferatu frequently find themselves trafficking in “black market” prestation, keeping their boons “off the books” in exchange for their secrets and any new leads on what might provide for more interesting information in the future. Most often, the Sewer Rats don’t hide behind lofty ideals like honor or value. They simply want to have as many of the “beautiful Damned” in their filthy pockets as possible. Nosferatu social debts are quite libertarian, and a Nosferatu whose secrets aren’t worth the promises he demands for them quickly falls out of favor among those seeking information.
Of all the sects, the Camarilla is most invested in the pomp and circumstance of prestation, as well as “balancing the books” in public displays (to other vampires, at least) of who owes whom. It is certainly the sect most likely to engage the services of a titled Kindred who maintains a roster of such social debts. In some domains, this roll of promises is read at gatherings of the Kindred, as a reminder that the welfare of the Kindred relies on everyone honoring his promises. It also provides a venue of redress for those who feel their boons have been unsatisfactorily discharged. Such recall the long-ago nights of kings and chamberlains, when the Prince herself was often the adjutant of grievances among the court. Such formal domains often resemble the dangerous aristocratic minefields of Louis XIV’s court or the whims of Henry VIII’s. Indeed, it’s possible to walk away from a boon owing someone else another boon for declaring satisfaction on the original boon… but such shifting debts and allegiances are the trademark of the Camarilla.
Liking this so far- My experience of VtM has purely been as a player and we never got involved with this sort of thing. So this Prestation is new and exciting 🙂 I do recall the Ventrue having something called Dignitas, though, which from what I recall sounds like the same sort of concept. Is the Prestation chapter going to touch on it?
Thanks for bringing that up — I added it to the list of points to cover.
There has to be dire social consequences for not upholding a prestation debt that should range from as simple as not being able to further your own agendas because of you are not trusted,, loosing the support of your sire or clan or gaining the enmity of one Clan, to a extreme of a Blood Hunt for being an outlandish lier.
I understand the Harpies will make your life HELL if you refuse to pay, it’s been a while since I’ve read my Camarilla guide though, but far as I know you can’t get off of it lightly and will be denied in all circles til you decide to pay. You don’t break millenia old social contract and go on in Kindred society after all.
Yes, there’s a systems subsection that discusses the ramifications of honoring and ignoring boons. The mechanics relate directly to the other social systems in place, as well, so if you ignore prestation you jeopardize, for example, your Status. I’m hoping to finish the mechanics today, but it may run into the weekend.
This may sound funny, but something as your Credit Score…if its bad good luck getting that mortgage
Ha ha ha, I used that example elsewhere in the chapter 😉
Typo: “The Brujah and Gangrel tent”
This feels like in-character talk, with the clan honorifics and the like. This slips for the Nosferatu being called Sewer Rats and the tone of their paragraph in general, so it feels like someone else is talking?
No, it’s not from any given speaker. One of the things V20 does (and that continues here) is that it shifts toward sympathy or antipathy for its examples. Consider all of the text a biased narrator, except in systems section.
That said, typo fixed.
I never used Prestation at all, it always felt mechanical and unnecessary.
I like the “clan specific” approach given here and I think it helps to show how it should work in-game and to drive away from that image of coteries as “best buddies” and to put some pressure on any player wishing to go to his sire or elder and ask for a favor.
I also think the last paragraph works well at showing how Prestation works fro creatures whose time is basically eternal and for whom a boon might never be repaid. I believe some more effort should be put into how it affects the day to day life of a vampire to have a boon hanging over his head or how can one benefit from it, basically a “Damocles’ Sword” concept should fit in very well.
Yes, very much. The systems section includes more details addressing “Okay, but how does this affect me in a practical case?”
NICE!
Also, the comment about Nosferatu keeping favors “off the books.” What are the books exactly? Is there some record of boons? Are you referring to both Kindred informing the Harpy of the boon owed (by the way, the Harpy isn’t mentioned). In actual LARP play, boons are rarely recorded anywhere or secured by the harpy. The idea in LOTN of securing boons with temporary status was found unworkable by most groups and just thrown into the bin of “bad LARP book editing.”
In our play experience, boons are debts between Kindred. They are usually promised in front of a few other people, and may be recorded with the Harpy. If there ever comes a dispute ( as in “I never promised you anything”) then both Kindred would either use their status or ask an elder with status to back their argument, with the losing side losing status. Some Princes banish people for repudiating boons, as they are a pillar of the structure of camarilla society.
The titles chapter does in fact propose a role for some domains that literally records and monitors the satisfaction of prestation in the domain. Not all domains need this, but I certainly think it’s appropriate to the more formal domains and the ones where “what is done” is more of a force than troublesome neonates burning down warehouses. I don’t necessarily think that what some groups don’t want to LARP should limit content that would work perfectly in a tabletop environment or as an illustrator of a given chronicle’s theme or setting.
As well, the chapter discusses that prestation isn’t just a Camarilla thing. All vampires use the boons and favors concept to some degree or another. This section just depicts the Camarilla.
I like this, it’s a good write up. I wonder though, are we going to see mechanical benefits and penalties for the boons we owe/are owed?
If a character negs on a boon are we going to see penalties for this?
Will there be a GM sheet for tracking boons?
Coming soon 😉 (Except the sheet. I don’t think there’s a need for that separately, as it can easily fit into a Storyteller’s regular note-keeping. But that sounds like a great place where Mr Gone or someone similar could custom-tailor a sheet for STs who want that as a game aid.)
Another question: Will we see Rep in this?
I like how do Prestation looks so far, of course that it will bring an additional value to roleplaying this kind of circumstances and keeping track on them. Coterie prestations can also enhance the ties of members of a single groups (or cause detriment within them).
If Prestation is more a custom than something that comes with the Blood, I guess it will be more accurate that it has impact only on social interactions. Maybe it could also make a lot of sense that Caitiff characters in the Camarilla have a hard time trying to know how it works or how to get rid of them. And what could happen if a member of the Ivory Tower tries to apply the ancient customs with a member of the Sabbat?
Also, maybe a cool effect for Prestation could be to produce additional effects (like circumstantial modifiers) for Blood Bonded characters or for the use of social disciplines like Dominate, Presence, Dementation or even the Thaumaturgical ritual of Blood Contract.
Yes, the systems section touches on concepts like having no Status and how that affects the obligation of prestation. As it stands, prestation isn’t mystical — it’s a wholly artificial Kindred social construct, so I don’t know that Disciplines would relate directly, but certainly some applications of Presence, Dominate, etc. could compel a vampire to observe the social contract, especially if they’re of a Nature that holds such things in high regard (or denigrates them).
This is great! One of the first places (if not the only one) I remember seeing the Nature of a character relate to the use of Disciplines (even hints at a mechanical level: modify difficulty of an action according to Nature).
I understand that the prestation system is meant for the Ivory Tower, but what about Independent Clans like the Giovanny and Setites.
Even between some Sabbat Clans inside their own social interactions. I can defenitly see Prestation being used within both the Lasombra and Tzimiche Clans. In the Sabbat itself…well maybe between the elders or between positions of power.
Yes. 100% agree 😉 Another section of the chapter covers it.