Contagion Chronicle book

[wyrdhamster]

From 2017 Onyx Path brochure:

'The Contagion Chronicle is an overarching Chronicle consisting of chronicle hooks, riveting settings, and Storyteller aids to help present all the Chronicles of Darkness game lines into one consistent story. In the chronicle, the Contagion acts as a motivational force and inspires the formation of factions where vampires, werewolves, mages, mummies, etc. come together in new and unique ways.

Once joined together to deal with the Contagion, these factions will never see their world (or each other) the same way, and will be forever changed. Each time the Contagion emerges to threaten the fabric of our world, the only beings capable of manipulating, slowing, weaponizing, or halting it, are the unnatural denizens from across the Chronicles of Darkness. The Contagion permeates Infrastructure and warps the known antagonists and supporting blocks present in the lives of every inhuman being.'

Year ago it was announced as Crossover Chronicle. I started this new topic as previous have over 25 pages and in this one I wanted to focus on the Contagion ideas and inspirations for the main Chronicle idea in the book.

How would you see supernaturals societies responses to Contagion? Creation of new superfactions based on Covenants, Tribes, Orders, etc.? Break of any previous factions? World scale scenarios?

On first throw I would add whole Secret World franchise - in this MMO cRPG you fight with some supernatural super mystical alien disease called Filth. Probably Contagion works more or less the same in CoD universe. Just see ( or play, game is now free ) yourself.

[Ever Professional]

I'm somewhat excited for it; I'm excited for some answers about questions, and hopefully some advice for storytellers on how to run a Chronicle that uses multiple splats. My few experiences with Crossover have been somewhat fun, but a little hard to wrap my head around; as a ST and player alike I'd like to see some advice for that.

Though using one big overarching theme to connect the splats really helps alot, not gonna lie.

[Malus]

Is this related to the crossover chronicle? brochure didn't specified. If so, eh, was expecting another approach. But I guess that's the only reason to mix games. Huge fucking threat which makes them band together.

[wyrdhamster]

Is this related to the crossover chronicle? brochure didn't specified.

Brochure did not mention any other gamelines crossover related Chronicle book, so I assume it's the same book as previous Crossover Chronicle.

[atamajakki]

Is this related to the crossover chronicle? brochure didn't specified. If so, eh, was expecting another approach. But I guess that's the only reason to mix games. Huge fucking threat which makes them band together.

As far as I can tell, this is the Crossover Chronicle.

[Robert D]

As far as I can tell, this is the Crossover Chronicle.

I do believe you are right. It has the same graphic in the brochure as the Crossover Chronicle did.

[atamajakki]

I'm not sure how I feel about the Contagion thing, partly because I don't know what to expect from it and partly because I was hoping this book would primarily be mechanical and thematic advice for blending the lines. Pinning the book on an external threat makes me worry a little bit about how much actual crossover we'll see.

[Ever Professional]

I'm not sure how I feel about the Contagion thing, partly because I don't know what to expect from it and partly because I was hoping this book would primarily be mechanical and thematic advice for blending the lines. Pinning the book on an external threat makes me worry a little bit about how much actual crossover we'll see.

Yeah, I get where you're coming from. I felt a little irrelevant in one Chronicle I played because I was playing an Invictus Ventrue with an Elodoth and a Mastigos sliver ladder. I often felt like I was trying to play catch up with the other characters; oh well, I'm certain we'll get some mechanical advice or answers in this book.

Like what happens when vampires diablerize other splats (vampires are capable of diablerizing vampires and mortals alike, so I figure this might be a question that should be asked).

[tasti man LH]

I'm not sure how I feel about the Contagion thing, partly because I don't know what to expect from it and partly because I was hoping this book would primarily be mechanical and thematic advice for blending the lines. Pinning the book on an external threat makes me worry a little bit about how much actual crossover we'll see.

Yeah I'm wondering that as well.

Taking the name at face value, having Contagion JUST be a supernatural disease is...incredibly underwhelming. Next guess would be some kind of organization but having an antagonist organization that somehow draws the ire of every single supernatural creature in CofD is...a little too special snowflake-y.

[atamajakki]

Yeah, I get where you're coming from. I felt a little irrelevant in one Chronicle I played because I was playing an Invictus Ventrue with an Elodoth and a Mastigos sliver ladder. I often felt like I was trying to play catch up with the other characters; oh well, I'm certain we'll get some mechanical advice or answers in this book.

Like what happens when vampires diablerize other splats (vampires are capable of diablerizing vampires and mortals alike, so I figure this might be a question that should be asked).

My hopes for this book are mostly stuff like The Lost and the Unchained both wear masks and are on the run; here's where you can overlap that in a chronicle and here's interesting points where they contrast or In a story with Prometheans and Mummies, an easy heart for that is juxtaposing those climbing towards humanity with those who've lost it with a little bit of Hey, here's a Lodge that focuses on the Astral or We've updated this Bloodline and refocused it on Memory now that the Fog of Ages is gone, but I feel like that's not what I'm gonna get.

[Omegaphallic]

Yeah I'm wondering that as well.

Taking the name at face value, having Contagion JUST be a supernatural disease is...incredibly underwhelming. Next guess would be some kind of organization but having an antagonist organization that somehow draws the ire of every single supernatural creature in CofD is...a little too special snowflake-y.

I wonder if there is a connection to the Infected minor template in Hurt Locker.

[Second Chances]

I wonder if there is a connection to the Infected minor template in Hurt Locker.

Interesting, isn't it? I'm really hoping there is.

[Omegaphallic]

Interesting, isn't it? I'm really hoping there is.

It'd be odd if it didn't, a teaser for Contagion Chronicles.

[Master Aquatosic]

Anyone reminded of IDW's Infestation? Sure hope that this isn't just every splat getting some sort of mindless/hive mind apocalypse-class enemy.


That said, my other big concern is how they plan on making any splat other than Mages and Mummies relevant. I say this as someone whose fav splat is Changelings. I guess you could go the Hunter route, but ...

[nofather]

That said, my other big concern is how they plan on making any splat other than Mages and Mummies relevant.

How would Mages and Mummies be relevant?