Camarilla (fan club)

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The Camarilla is the official worldwide fan organization of White Wolf Publishing, an Atlanta based company specializing in fantasy and modern horror, but best-known for its role-playing games set in the World of Darkness, a more dystopian and gothic version of our own world in which supernatural beings exist, hidden from most of humanity.

The Camarilla has affiliate organisations across the world playing a distributed role-playing game in which thousands of players assume the roles of the World of Darkness' inhabitants. Most of those games operate in a live-action role-playing environment, but the Camarilla also covers games running in a tabletop role-playing game environment and games over IRC.

1 The Chronicle
2 History
- 2.1 Early Years
- 2.2 Recent Events
3 Glossary
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] The Chronicle

For the most part, the Camarilla concerns itself with the operation of the "Global Chronicle", the ongoing setting in which all characters exist. All characters in this setting are able to interact with other characters of the same type. Interactions between characters of different types (such as those in different Venues, see Glossary) are restricted in order to maintain the individual flavor of each Venue.

Due to popular demand, an entirely separate Changeling: The Dreaming chronicle has been maintained, taking place in a pre-revision World of Darkness. Following the end of all major global plotlines in October 2006, this chronicle is set to end sometime in 2007 to correspond with the release of a new Changeling roleplaying game set in the new World of Darkness.

[edit] History

[edit] Early Years

The Camarilla was founded by a group in Seattle, Washington, who were interested in the recently released roleplaying game Vampire: the Masquerade, published by White Wolf. After spending six months in early 1992 preparing membership materials, the club was launched at VikingCon in Bellingham, Washington, in August 1992. Originally registered as a literary organization, The Camarilla was reorganized as a non-profit organization under the name "The Camarilla: A Vampire Fan Association" in 1993. They signed contracts in 1993 & 1994 with White Wolf to be the official fan club. The club's legal status was dissolved in late 1994 as the original founders were unable to continue dedicating the volunteer time the growing organization required.

The original Board of Directors transferred the club's materials and funds to a group of members in Salt Lake City in April 1995, in order for the Utah members to legally reincorporate the club and maintain continuity in membership and activities. This group began working with White Wolf to sign a new contract so that they might continue as the official fan club.

In December 1998, The Camarilla filed a trademark registration on the use of the word "Camarilla" only as the designation for a fan club, despite the fact that this word was already copyrighted by White Wolf for other purposes.

Later negotiations between The Camarilla and White Wolf went poorly. In January 2002 White Wolf announced that it now owned the fan-run organization The Camarilla. The Camarilla responded with a temporary restraining order against White Wolf. White Wolf had the venue moved to Georgia, counter-sued, and had the restraining order overturned. It also sent notices to the groups and individuals voluntarily providing web hosting and other services for The Camarilla's web hosting that the domain was in legal contention, causing the site to be taken offline.

[edit] Recent Events

The Camarilla Board of Directors, facing significant legal expense and liability, resigned and dissolved the organization in 2003, leaving White Wolf to manage the Camarilla directly. Despite the difficulties incurred by the folding of the non-profit group, the bulk of the membership did transfer to the club now under White Wolf control, and operations were running smoothly again by early 2004. White Wolf tried to then charge members an addition "fee" for using the books it published - widely decried by members, and further enforcing the general view as white Wolfs status as a greed merchant. The Fee proposal met with such a backlash from members that White Wolf rapidly abandoned that plan, and has gradually backed away from its direct control of the club, though the Club Director remains a White Wolf employee.

In 2005, White Wolf rebooted their World of Darkness game setting. The Camarilla has likewise brought the previous setting's games to an apocalyptic end, and began a chronicle for the new Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening games, as well as 'mortal' (ie. non-supernatural) characters.

In addition to the primary U.S. portion of the club, the organization also has affiliates in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, the Low Countries, and the United Kingdom. There are also several Global Independent Regions (GIRs) covering other areas, where primarily American members of the club find themselves living overseas but wishing to maintain active membership.

[edit] Glossary

Approvals: The system used to regulate the rarity of items, powers and character types in the setting that should be kept rare, by giving Storytellers who oversee areas larger than a Domain the responsibility of approving or denying such things. For instance, unusually powerful magical items, custom-written powers and such like must pass through the Approvals chain before being clear for use.
Chronicle: An ongoing game in the World of Darkness setting. The entire game run by the Camarilla is known as "The Global Chronicle" or simply "The Chronicle". (See also Campaign (role-playing games).
Domain (also Chapter): The local "branch" of the Camarilla, usually based in an entire city or metropolitan area.
Coordinator: an individual responsible for administration within the society; tasks include booking places to hold games, and keeping track of membership.
Prestige: A system for tracking service to the club and contributions to outside charitable efforts by members on behalf of the club. The use of Prestige has been part of the organization since its very founding. Higher levels of Prestige can lead to more experience points for a players' characters.
Storyteller (ST): an individual responsible for plot, game rules and events in a given aspect of the Chronicle (See also Gamemaster).
Venue: The aspect of the setting concerned with one "species" of supernatural creature. For instance, "the Requiem Venue" refers to players, characters and events specific to the Vampire: the Requiem game.