The Realm of Television (WoDTV)
By David Sutcliffe


The realm of Television is one of the least well-known of the sub-realms, at least to anybody but Glass Walkers (it gets a paragraph on pg. 107 of Umbra: The Velvet Shadow). In part this is due to the unnerving affect that the strobing lights of the TV screen have on Garou, to which Glass Walkers are immune, which means that most Theurges have little to do with it. It may also be because it is one of the most incomprehensible and potentially dangerous of realms. In Television the Garou become the stars and extras in their favorite TV shows or films.

Usually unaware of the fact that they are not in their own world, trapped Garou wander between shows and films, often ignorant of the changes that go on behind them. A Garou in Television can walk from the streets of Gotham to the beaches of Baywatch inside a block, and never realise that his world has changed form, then leave the beach and step onto the Victorian streets of Sherlock Holmes' London, again unaware of the incongruity.

A Garou usually only arrives in Television through accident, although there are ways to find another entrance, if you really want to. Most Garou enter the realm through falling asleep while watching Television, and many Garou who do know about the Television realm turn the television to the wall when they sleep. Other entrances are through the Dream Realms (Maya), and there is rumoured to be an entrance somewhere in the CyberRealm, probably in Downtown.

When a Garou wakes up in the Realm, they do not realise that they are in any world other than their own, the Realm works to cloud their suspicions, however they will feel a slight tingling in the back of their neck. Everything will appear to be okay, but deep inside, the Garou knows that he is not on Gaia - he will feel slightly uneasy but will not be able to place exactly what is wrong. This feeling gets worse the further the world he is in deviates from Gaia - somebody in X-Files will probably just get a few instances of Deja Vu, but a Garou in Jurassic Park, or on the starship Enterprise just knows that something is wrong, but what?

The nature of the realm is episodic, and it rarely allows one particular show-realm to end until a suitable break has been reached, and then it will change things to shift the characters into another show. A Garou who fails to understand where he is can remain trapped in the realm for some time, bouncing between the show-realms endlessly.

A Garou in Television has no idea that he is anywhere other that on Gaia. At first things may happen that the Garou knows are wrong, but the realm will cause those thoughts to slide off to one side - the realm is partially sentient and knows how to protect itself. However, once a Garou understands that he is trapped inside a Television, he gains power of control over what happens in it, and with an effort of will can dictate the changes between the show-realms, rather as occurs in the Flux Realm.

Unfortunately Garou are not the only people to know of Television - Black Spirals often gather in the waste pits of Gotham, and a number of minor Wyrm and Weaver spirits are loose in X-Files. Television is used more than as just a retreat for these creatures, Black Spirals use it as a staging post on trips to the deeper Realms such as Dream and CyberRealm.

One of the most dangerous show-realms is Kindred: The Embraced, where the Garou find themselves the only werewolves in the world, and lost in a city full of Vampires and their minions. Although, like most inhabitants of Television, these Vampires are only Anamae, their powers are fully real within Television and they can easily trap a Garou here on a more permanent basis.


Entry and Exit

Entering the Television realm is most often an accidental occurrence, and requires no rolls to achieve. Any Garou who falls asleep in front of a television risks unwittingly entering the realm. There are two other ways to force entry into Television, if a Garou is so inclined, and they are via Dream and the CyberRealm, but it is often far simpler to just deliberately fall asleep in front of the television each night, and thereby increase your chances of slipping into the realm.

Leaving is far, far harder, mainly because the nature of the realm protects those in it from the knowledge that they are anywhere but the real world, so what is there to escape from? Even Garou who have entered Television deliberately are at first unaware of the fact that they have made it, however they are far quicker than most to realise the truth.

To force an exit, a Garou must first have realised that he is in Television, this is role-played by the players. Once they encounter Mulder and Scully, the players will probably think; "Oh, the GM's just running an X-Files storyline", it is up to them to realise that the GM is not just sequentially running TV crossovers, and that they are in fact elsewhere. This should certainly happen once they realise that the worlds melt seamlessly between stories, and yet their characters do not notice the changes. Once the players begin to suspect that something more than TV crossovers is going on, it would be a good time for the Theurges in the group to take Intelligence tests to see if they remember anything about the existence of a Television realm.

Garou lost in Television might also run into Rafe Stark, a Glass Walker Galliard who is the only permanent inhabitant of Television. He lives in Quantum Leap but travels widely through all of the show-realms, and he will explain to them what is going on. Once Garou understand the nature of Television, they can learn to manipulate the changes and find an exit, again Rafe Stark will be helpful, especially if the characters do a couple of minor favours for him once they return to the real world.

The realm also occasionally ejects people without their foreknowledge - when a story has ended - although more usually they are directed into the next story. The Quantum Leap story-realm is the most commonly used end-realm, because the 'leaping out' blends well with the characters leaving Television entirely.


Fetishes in Television

'Woo Guns': Level 2, Gnosis 3

Rafe's Remote Controls: Level 2, Gnosis 5


Rafe Stark

"I'm where I am now because when I was young I wanted to
live in a film. I looked, and I found. Now I live in that film"

- Only Forward, Michael Marshall Smith


Rafe Stark is the only permanent Garou resident of Television, and he has lived in the realm for nearly fifteen years after fleeing the irreconcilable pain and despair of reality. As all Garou must, he returns to the physical world occasionally, to renew his links with Gaia, and also to do a number of odd jobs that have occurred to him, and pick up things he needs. Rafe was originally a member of the New York City Glass Walkers, and although his departure was not necessarily good natured, he still has friends there.

In homid form, Rafe appears as a middle-aged man, usually dressed in casual clothes, but still smartly turned out. He is quite tall, around six feet, with short black hair. His crinos form is almost uniformly black, with just a hint of grey appearing around his neck and back.

Rafe will be quite free with his aid to Garou travelers in television, so long as all they require is reorientation, but if they ask for anything more he will take payment in favours and errands they can run for him back in the physical world. Calm and quiet, Rafe fled into Television to avoid the squabbles and battles of the last days and he would prefer to ignore the infighting. However, this magnanimity does not extend to fighting minions of the Wyrm, his loyalty to Gaia drives him from within and he will often recruit travelers to help him drive out the Black Spirals and Wyrm creatures that have set up residence in his back yard.


Universal (or Paramount) Laws

  1. Everybody in Television is more handsome or beautiful than in real life, characters gain a dot in all Social Attributes, Female characters gain a second additional dot in Appearance.

  2. The Gauntlet around Television is 10.

  3. A Garou who understands the nature of Television can manipulate the changes of scene through force of will, a Willpower roll is made against a difficulty determined by the GM, depending on how much they want to change. A couple of success might get them close (from Jurassic Park to the A-Team, but not as far as Gotham), more indicates complete success.

  4. Escape can be made through force of will (Diff 8), two successes are needed to leave. This roll should be made in secret by the GM, as a botch makes the characters think they have left while they are in fact still trapped. They might not realise this however, and continue to walk around Gotham thinking themselves back home.


The Show-Realms

Note: Although the characters portrayed here are only Anamae spirits, while inside Television they are fully real and their powers are fully operational. As such they should be treated by all involved as the real thing.

The X-Files Gotham Quantum Leap Jurassic Park Other Realms


The X-Files

"The truth is out there." - The X-Files

The X-Files realm is quite similar to the World Of Darkness, but everything appears just that little bit cleaner, that little bit richer, that little bit less... intense. The possibilities for stories here are too limitless to explore fully; the characters could be the subjects of Mulder and Scully's investigations, they could be vital witnesses, or could help in tracking the subjects down. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the X-Files show-realm is that many (but not all) of its inhabitants are immune to Delirium, they know what they saw, and they are going to scream it from the rooftops.

For this reason, the most probable X-Files story will revolve around the Garou doing what they do, and getting seen by somebody, expecting the Veil to protect them. Instead, Mulder finds the report of a monster sighting in a local paper as he pores over every page of every paper each morning, and drags Scully on another bug hunt. A second possibility is that Wyrm and Weaver spirits are loose in this show-realm and the characters might be needed to help sort things out.

Just watch a few X-Files (as if you didn't already), you'll soon get the drift.


Fox Mulder

FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder is a maverick - he believes in just about anything paranormal and is the king of conspiracy theorists, convinced that the system is working to mask all evidence of paranormal activity. He will be quick to believe any hokum stories about wolf-men, vampires, and spirit warriors, and he has come close to disturbing Garou sensibilities on many occasions - it would also appear that he is unaffected by the Delirium. Passionate and often acting on impulse, he can be as much a danger to himself as to those around him.


Dana Scully

FBI Special Agent Dana Scully was assigned to work with Agent Mulder, to act as an anchor to reality for his wild imagination. Despite her exposure to Mulder, and the indubitably strange goings-on that the pair investigates, she remains convinced that what Mulder calls the paranormal is simply the unexplained, not the inexplicable.

Gotham

Gotham is the collective term for a number of show-realms whose worlds and settings are so close as to be nigh-on identical, and as such they have grown together into an amalgam. Originally a bizarre dueling ground for the Batman and Joker as they weaved their endless dance of crime and punishment, it has become home to many of the other denizens of film, such as The Crow and the Predator.

Gotham appears to be entirely identical to the World of Darkness, and as such the psychic tickle that a Garou suffers in a show realm is practically non-existent. In fact Gotham varies from the World Of Darkness only in that it has no indigenous Vampires, Werewolves, Wraiths etc., only those who have entered from outside. A Garou can remain inside Gotham's perpetual night for a long time before realising that something is amiss.


Batman

"You don't get it, boy... this isn't a mudhole, it's
an operating table. And I'm the surgeon"
- The Dark Knight Returns

Batman is a violent vigilante, punishing the criminals for their crimes when they might escape from the law. As a child, Bruce Wayne saw his parents murdered in cold blood, and grew up swearing vengeance, taking the image of a bat to scare his victims. Probably a sociopath, possibly even a psychopath, he treads a fine line between the law and a darker fate. Batman uses the Wayne family fortune to expand and enhance his own fighting abilities with cutting edge technology and weapons. His one saving grace is that to this point he has never killed, although through his inaction several have died.


The Joker

"April Fool! You're wife's dead, and the baby's a spastic!" - Arkham Asylum

The Joker is Batman's alter-ego; the second side of a single coin. While Batman takes pleasure from hurting the criminals that shattered his life, the Joker derives psychopathic glee from murder and death. He holds no compunction against killing innocents, and does so on many occasions simply because he can. Technically insane, psychiatrists are at a loss to explain his psychoses, and believe him to be a purer breed of lunatic - swinging between heart-rending soliloquy and fanatical killer within a heartbeat. The Joker does everything with undeniable style and flair, and he is always ready with a smile on his face, a song in his heart, and a Magnum .44 in his hand.


The Predator

"Understand the rules..." - Batman Versus Predator

The Predator is an alien killer, a hunter on a par with the greatest Ahroun. The Predator's sole aim is to stalk and kill the strongest beasts in his environment in a never-ending Rite of Passage. The Predator has a number of technological advantages over his prey, but a strict code of honour prevents him abusing them - he may never strike while Cloaked, he may never fire on someone who has no ranged weapons, and must engage them in hand to hand combat instead. The Predator has set up home in the immense junkyards of Gotham city, and periodically leaves to sweep the city for inviting prey. If anything as big as a Werewolf arrives in Gotham, the Predator will show up eventually.


T-500

"I'll be back." - The Terminator

The T-500 is not a HIT Mark (so Mage players can relax) - it is an Anamae spirit just as the other inhabitants of the realm are. Originally provided with a single target - the young Mage John Connor - the Terminator has developed a sentience and will track down and kill any supernatural creatures it discovers. The Terminator absolutely cannot be killed, and it will not stop until it's target is eliminated, when it will choose another target and begin again.


The Crow

"It's not death, if you refuse it." - The Crow, James O'Barr

Eric Draven was once a happy young man in love with a beautiful woman, until some crackheads came and blew his head open one night, and raped and killed his girlfriend. Driven by a desire for revenge, Eric entered into a pact with a powerful death spirit - The Crow - and returned from the grave. The Crow is now hunting down those who murdered his girlfriend, and it will be all the worse for anybody who gets in his way. From the Garou point of view - how will they perceive what is little more than an animated corpse, whatever it's intentions?

Quantum Leap

"Hoping that the next Leap, will be the leap home..."

The show-realm of Quantum Leap presents one of the more interesting scenarios in Television. Here one of the group becomes the 'Sam' of the story, and leaps into the body of another person. He acquires all of the Social Attributes of his host, while maintaining his Physical and Mental Attributes. His Abilities remain the same, as do his gifts. However, he should be extremely careful about using his gifts openly.

The rest of the group are all collectively 'Al's', holographic simulations that only 'Sam' can see and hear. They cannot interact physically with the world, but can freely communicate with 'Sam', and can go where he cannot.

Rafe Stark can often be seen walking the streets of Quantum Leap as a hologram, and if the characters approach him he will take them in, and explain about the nature of the realm they are in.

Quantum Leap is the most common entry/exit point for people who venture into Television, as its episodic nature make it ideal for throwing confused characters into a situation, and for making an obvious ending where the Garou can leave the realm without causing any ripples.

Jurassic Park

The Jurassic Park show-realm is actually very small, consisting of what was outside the park in the film - the Bunker/Hotel complex, the generators, helipad and so on. Once the characters pass through the immense King-Kong gate they will find themselves in a realm identical to Pangaea. This is not Pangaea though - none of the laws of that realm apply, and the laws of Television are still in effect - this is an otherwise identical copy of Pangaea and all of the denizens of that realm are replicated here.

While the Entry gate remains open, it remains a permanent landmark to the characters while they are in Jurassic Park - they may leave through it at any point, and anybody who has joined them may also follow through it. However, once the gate has closed behind the last visitors from Television it vanishes from the pseudo-Pangaea, and may not be reopened from there.

Other Ideas

American Gothic - A good one for Mage players wandering in the Umbra - Sheriff Lucas Buck has to be a Nephandus Mage with one hell of a Wyrm taint! And there could be some pretty awesome battles over custody of the potent orphan, Caleb.

Kindred: The Embraced - Similarly for those who have a nice new Vampire: The Masquerade rulebook. Whether the Garou become stranded in a Vampire-run city, or actually become Vampires themselves (talk about angst...), this has great potential for both action and character-led roleplaying groups.

Apocalypse Now - If the name alone isn't enough to get your characters going, they should see the Wyrm-tainted Get Of Fenris at the head of the river!

Highlander - see the Highlander rules scattered everywhere across the WoD net for more info on a setting that many players regard as part of the WoD anyway.

Roadrunner - especially for those hungry Nuwisha in your party...


Back to the World Of Darkness Hub      Back to the Roleplaying Hub      Back to the EDG Title Page     
Frame URL: http://www.evildrganymede.net/rpg/wod/w-wodtv.htm