My Blood And Smoke NPCs

Matt M McElroy asked who is the Prince, and who else is in power, in currently running Vampire games of both WODs on the OP and RPGnet forums:

So I responded. No big spoilers, they’ve almost all dropped by now. But still...

Blood And Smoke using the Mission (San Francisco) and building on it. All the NPCs listed have shown up except Holly Esposito, but I've also thrown in:

Effective elder of the city and leader of the Lancea et Sanctum, Canon Balcier, a quiet unassuming caretaker while the Cardinal sleeps in torpor as he has since the 1906 earthquake. Allegedly. He does his best to make the Cardinal sound like a great guy in his absence, among other useful inaccuracies.

De facto Prince, Michael Alvarez, a classic Ventrue Invictus type who runs the secular side of vampire government, keeps an interest in publishing to affect the Cacophony, and doesn’t claim the title to acknowledge the Lance leaders’ elder status. He was alive during the Gold Rush, which informed his opinions on human and Kindred nature. I made him actually pretty helpful - when he drops a job on the PCs he’ll lend out resources, for example. The PCs being at the bottom rung of the ladder encouraged them to get along with him as well.

His chilly second in command (Seneschal) Elena Davison, detective security consultant (Sheriff) Alejandro Leonetti, and snarky ghoul PA Kelly Alberts support him. I made Tiberia the Keeper of Elysium, playing up the aloofness and olde worlde mystique. They’re all playing roles to an extent - Elena and Alejandro like to meet in public using their mortal Masks, and Mr. Alvarez deliberately acts like Kindred expect a Prince to act to some extent.

I also added Sister C, a Crone hippy turned social chameleon (an emblem for the theme of the game), and Professor Rothman, an Ordo Dracul “tenured professor” who is completely unhelpful and never in his office, to give those covenants representative faces as well, among other NPCs of various kinds.

And then there’s Walker, the reason the city doesn’t need an official Scourge. His presence basically ensures nobody kills at the Rack, because he’s always looking for an excuse to kill other vampires, since he (not unfairly) thinks they’re generally better off dead. At least he’s honest.