The Crimson Keep

1: Show Respect.
You may see a bunch of words and a 3D model on screen but we are real people and will take any out of character insulting comment or behaviour as if it was to our face and personal. Breaking this rule will result in the severest punishment, without mercy.




2: Remain "In character".
Any "Out of Character" ( or OOC ) text must be enclosed inside of brackets, or made clear in any other way that it is you and NOT your character speaking. The only time this does not apply, is if a given session is specifically labelled as "OOC".




3: No Rampaging.
As a guide If it doesn't attack you, then don't kill it . We do not agree with running blindly around hacking up and murdering every NPC ( Non-Player Character ) in sight. It may seem like an NPC is just a standard piece of furniture placed there just to look good, but in fact, could be vital to the sessions story at some point. Killing random NPC's may result in disrupting the session and story. If, for reasons of roleplaying your character, you need to attack an NPC ( to feed, etc ) then please ask the current Storyteller if it is ok to do so.

 Are there any restrictions to character types/clans ?

There are no actual restrictions, you can choose any class or any clan you like. However, some clans may prove to be difficult when it comes to integrating within the group.
Tremere and Tzimisce will find themselves faced with hostility, but its not impossible to effectively use this kind of character, just difficult. In all cases it may be best to discuss character creation with a member of the CK beforehand.
When you create a character, you are allowed to build it as if he/she has had a past and not just turned up at the roleplay session as a fledgling ( or equivalent ), statistics may be "tweaked" to fit your characters history and background but not exceed Elder rank ( or equivalent ).
It is your character, you may do as you please within the guidelines, but please be sensible about it.





What are those tags some of you have on your names ?

The Guild tags are optional, but allow others to see your characters status within the Crimson Keep. These tags are a definition of the character only, not the player.
Where a ranking is given ( [CK:W] for example ), this is an indication of the characters general standing and sect affiliation within the the world of the Crimson Keep/Corporation and NOT the players general ranking of respect. The Ranking system is only used as a general Roleplaying and attitude guide. Although many members are proud to bear the Tag if they so wish. Those members without a ranking may still bear [CK] but this is entirely optional
Within the Crimson Keep, there are 2 "Paths", the Warrior sect, or Path of the Warrior and the Priesthood. Each has a specific role within the world, and offers a small influence in the way your character is roleplayed. The Paths/Sects only really applies to Dark Age games, over time, the differences in the "Paths" have become blurred. However the ranking systems still holds steady throughout all the Era's.

The Warrior sect has the following ranks :
[CK:W] : Warrior - Lowest Warrior Rank.
[CK:K] : Knight - Intermediate Rank.
[CK:G] : Guardian - High Rank.
[CK:A] : Avatar - Highest Warrior Rank possible.

The Priesthood Has two ranks only.
[CK:P] : Priest/Priestess.
[CK:HP] : Highpriest/Highpriestess.

The Roles that each Path play within the Keep are fairly simple, with the Warrior Path providing protection and a fighting force, while the Priesthood offers skills in disciplines and excels in wisdom and tactics. The Priesthood often trains spies and assassins should the need arise.
Ranks represent a chain of command and those without a sect affiliation have only the [CK] Tag, and are classed as having ranks below those of any sect.
There can be only one Avatar and Highpriest/Highpriestess, and it is their job to oversee the running of the Keep/Corporation and its people. In certain conditions, a Highpriest/Highpriestess can overrule the decisions and judgement of the Avatar rank.





What is the difference between the Crimson Keep and the Crimson Corporation ?

None! They are the same, the name slightly changed as the Keep moved on to the Modern Era and beyond. This seemed more fitting to the time frame, but is also known as The Keep or the CK in all era's





Why is the world of the Crimson Keep so complicated ?

Our world is what is known as a Persistent World actions and events from one storyline carry over to subsequent roleplay sessions.
The Crimson Keep has been running for many years, and over time, the record of events that have taken place has grown vast, and the political changes have interwoven so completely that it has almost become a living, breathing world.
Fully understanding events and why they are happening can be difficult to understand for those of you who are new to our games. And the fact that each of our different era's, The Dark Ages, Modern Times and Dark Future, have their own specific timeline of events and political status makes matters even more complicated.
The only real way of properly understanding our world is to join our games, and learn as you roleplay with us. It doesn't matter how much source material we try to provide, nothing can give you as fuller picture of the world as being there in person to experience it.





How closely does the Crimson Keep follow the published White Wolf source material ?

The Crimson Keep follows much of the published Vampire : The Masquerade source books as its main guideline, but is customised in small ways, with many unique elements that aren't easily noticeable at first.
The Dark Future source material had to be totally written from scratch, with contributions by many members and guests of the Crimson Keep. Dark Future is a unique creation of many people and the source material is still growing.





Can I join your Guild?

The Crimson Keep doesn't actively seek to recruit new members. Memebership is offered to individuals when it is clear they can be a part of our roleplay sessions, and get along with the existing group. If you're interested in becoming part of the CK, I'd recommend speaking to one of our members, and joining a few games as a guest. Those who are new to roleplaying, or want to get a feel for our games before roleplaying, are quite welcome to join our games simply to observe. There is no set waiting time to gain membership, it simply depends on the individual who is interested.





When do you run your games?

At the moment, all members are in the UK, so we organise our gaming schedule based on the British time-zone (GMT). If you are from a country outside the UK, you are still more than welcome to roleplay with us - we're happy to accomodate all.

Note:- There is currently no set time that we run games due to the real-life commitments of various members. Games are generally organised for when the people involved can attend, so please check the forum regularly for updates.





Do I need certain games files to play in one of your games?

Yes, certain games files are required for you achieve the full CK experience:

You will require patch 1.1 (If the multiplayer screen tells you that your game is out of date with this patch just ignore it - it always says this).

- Skins - Members use specific skins for their characters. If you don't have the relevant skins installed, you will simply see them as the default male skin (even if they're a female)... so in other words, most of them would look like Christof (probably not the best representation of our group/characters lol).

- Maps - We use a wide range of maps. If you do not have these maps installed, it won't be possible for you to join our games.
*Please note* - Several of the maps we use are custom made by one of our Guild Members. This means that they are not publically available and can only be obtained via a guild member. As a general rule, custom maps are for guild members or well-known guests ONLY so please do not bug members for these maps if you are entirely new to us.

 - Items/props - Several props, weapons and items packs are required. Your game can still function without these packs installed but you will be unable to see the items in the game world - for example, furniture missing in rooms, or weapons missing from characters even when they are armed. Not having certain items/packs installed when the host does can also sometimes cause the game to crash.

Info about the files you need can be found in the 'Files' section of the website.




Where can I get these game files?

Check the 'Files' section of our website for downloads, and more info about where to get specific files.
Other files can be found by searching online. If in doubt, ask one of our guild members.
*Please note* - Several of the maps we use are custom made by one of our Guild Members. This means that they are not publically available and can only be obtained via a guild member. As a general rule, custom maps are for guild members or well-known guests ONLY so please do not bug members for these maps if you are entirely new to us.









~(Written by Demortia and VampireRatz)~