The Nature of the Problem
Chicago by Night is not a linear published adventure — it’s a city sourcebook and political sandbox. It contains:
- A detailed city history and geography
- Over 70 named NPCs with interlocking relationships, agendas, and secrets
- 20 themed encounter charts (2d10 for theme, 1d10 within each) with over 100 encounters
- An overarching theme (“Nothing is as it seems”) but no fixed plot
- Optional connection to the Forged in Steel chronicle from the VTM core book
This makes it an ideal match for the Mythic Game Master Emulator. Mythic’s “Using Mythic With Prepared Adventures” chapter (p.156) was designed for linear, dungeon-crawl type adventures where you need to avoid spoilers. Chicago by Night barely has that problem — it’s designed to be a toolbox. The correct approach is a hybrid: the sourcebook-as-setting method (p.129) combined with select elements of the prepared adventure method.
Setup
Create 1–3 Player Characters
No scaling or Diminisher Value is needed here. Chicago by Night isn’t balanced for a party size — it’s a political sandbox. The encounters are narrative, not combat-encounter-balanced. A single PC works fine; 2–3 PCs give you more political angles — different clans, different coterie allegiances, different sires.
If running 2–3 PCs, consider whether they’re a coterie (shared Threads List) or independent actors. For independent PCs, use Mythic’s Multiple Lists method — separate Threads Lists per PC, possibly a shared Characters List.
Read the Introductory Sections
Read these sections of Chicago by Night before play:
- Chapter 1 (Introduction, Theme, Mood) — all of it
- Chapter 2 (History) — skim it, note major events
- Chapter 3 (Geography) — skim locations, note the key areas: The Rack, Elysium, Papillion, The Hive, The Barrens
- Chapter 4 (NPCs) — read only the public-facing descriptions of the major NPCs. Skip secret motivations and hidden agendas.
You will inevitably know more than your PC. That’s fine — Mythic’s advice is to approach the adventure “one detail at a time.”
Do not read the encounter charts in advance. Use them during play.
Populate Your Lists
Characters List
Pre-fill from Chicago by Night. This is the key step. Add NPCs your PC would plausibly know about or encounter early:
- The Prince (Lodin)
- Your PC’s Sire
- Primogen members relevant to your clan
- 2–3 NPCs tied to your starting situation
- “Anarchs of Chicago” as a group entry
- “Sabbat presence” as a group entry
Don’t add every NPC. Let the rest emerge through play and encounter rolls.
Threads List
Start with 2–4 threads based on your PC’s situation:
- “Survive presentation to the Prince”
- “Discover Sire’s true agenda”
- “Establish a hunting ground”
- “Investigate the Maldavis situation” (or whatever hook catches you)
Adventure Features List
This is the crucial Mythic integration point. Populate it with things unique to Chicago by Night that could happen as Random Events. For example:
- CbN encounter chart roll (Theme + specific encounter)
- An Elder makes a political move
- Sabbat activity in the city
- Anarch unrest / rally
- Masquerade breach nearby
- A Primogen summons the PC
- Wolf Pack patrol encountered
- Elysium gathering announced
- Rumor surfaces about an NPC’s secret
- Mortal entanglement (police, media, hunters)
You can have up to 25 entries on the Adventure Features sheet. Tailor them to the tone you want.
How to Play Scene by Scene
Starting the First Scene
Use the Inspired Idea approach. Base your first scene on Chicago by Night’s suggested starting points:
- Your PC arriving in Chicago for the first time
- Your PC being summoned to Elysium
- A scene from Forged in Steel if you’re using it
- Or simply: your PC’s first night after the Embrace in Chicago
Set it up and play it out with Fate Questions as normal.
Scene Flow
1. Come up with an Expected Scene based on what happened last and what your PC wants to do.
“Go to the Succubus Club to hunt.” “Attend Elysium to meet the Primogen.” “Investigate the warehouse where the Sabbat were spotted.”
2. Test the Scene. Use the prepared adventure method: do not use Altered or Interrupt Scenes. Instead, if you roll within the Chaos Factor, generate a Random Event that supplements the Expected Scene rather than replacing it.
3. Roll Random Events on the Prepared Adventure Event Focus Table (not the standard one):
| d100 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1–20 | Adventure Feature |
| 21–40 | NPC Action |
| 41–50 | NPC Negative |
| 51–55 | NPC Positive |
| 56–70 | PC Negative |
| 71–80 | PC Positive |
| 81–100 | Current Context |
4. When you get “Adventure Feature”: Roll on your Adventure Features List. If the result is “CbN encounter chart roll,” go to the Chicago by Night encounter tables and roll 2d10 for theme, then 1d10 for the specific encounter. Play it into the current scene.
5. Play the scene using Fate Questions for anything uncertain. Use CbN’s NPC descriptions and the Meaning Tables together to interpret NPC behavior.
6. End the scene when it feels right — when something interesting has happened, when a conversation concludes, when a location has been explored.
Integrating Chicago by Night’s Encounter Charts
CbN itself suggests rolling once per session or when your PC goes to a new location. You have two options:
Option A — Adventure Feature trigger only (Recommended). The CbN encounter tables fire only when Mythic’s Adventure Feature result calls for them. This keeps Mythic in the driver’s seat and prevents encounter overload.
Option B — Dual trigger. Also roll on CbN’s encounter charts when your PC enters a new named location (The Rack, Elysium, etc.), as CbN suggests. This gives more encounters but may slow the pace. If you do this, only roll once per location per session.
The Encounter Chart Structure
Chicago by Night’s encounter system works like this:
- Roll 2d10 to determine the theme (The Beast, Conspiracy, Desire, Diablery, Fools, Heroic, Horror, Intrigue, Introductions, Masquerade, Nostalgia, Paranoia, Premonitions, Pursuit, Romance, Secrets, Threats, Vengeance, Weirdness)
- Roll 1d10 within that theme for the specific encounter
- Each encounter includes a location where it’s likely to occur and a description of the event
- Check off each encounter after using it — if you roll the same one again, either create a “stage two” version or re-roll
The encounters range from atmospheric vignettes to full adventure hooks. Some are throwaway mood pieces; others can spiral into major threads. Let them.
Resolving Character vs. Player Knowledge
You’ll inevitably know things your PC doesn’t — NPC secrets, hidden agendas, the true power behind various schemes. Mythic’s advice: play one detail at a time. Your PC only encounters things as they happen in the fiction.
If you know Lodin is paranoid and plotting Blood Bonds, your PC doesn’t — not until it comes up in play. Use Fate Questions to determine if and when hidden information surfaces:
“Does my PC notice something off about Lodin’s offer?” (Likely)
Let Mythic decide. This is where the surprise comes from.
Chaos Factor
Start at 5 (default). Chicago by Night’s theme of paranoia and conspiracy means the Chaos Factor will likely stay elevated.
Adjust normally:
- Scene went in the PC’s favor? Decrease.
- Scene went against the PC or was out of their control? Increase.
The political nature of Vampire means things are frequently not in the PC’s control, which keeps Chaos high — and that’s thematically correct for this setting.
NPCs and Fate Questions
When your PC interacts with a named CbN NPC, use CbN’s description for their personality and goals, but use Mythic Fate Questions for anything the text doesn’t specify:
- “Does Annabelle agree to help?” — Fate Question (consider her personality for the odds)
- “Is Lodin at Elysium tonight?” — Fate Question
- “Does Critias reveal what he knows about Menele?” — Fate Question (Very Unlikely, given his nature)
Use the Meaning Tables to add color when you need more detail — what does the NPC say, what’s the atmosphere like, what unexpected thing happens.
Session Structure
Each time you sit down to play:
- Review your Lists. Add or remove entries as needed.
- Come up with an Expected Scene.
- Test the Scene — Chaos Factor check. Random Event if triggered.
- Play the Scene with Fate Questions, Meaning Tables, and CbN content.
- End the Scene. Bookkeeping: update Lists, adjust Chaos Factor.
- Repeat for 2–4 scenes per session.
Multiple Lists for Multiple PCs
Per Mythic’s advice: separate Threads Lists per PC, and consider separate Characters Lists for different spheres of the city (e.g., a “Camarilla politics” list vs. a “Street-level / Anarch” list) if your lists get crowded.
Peril Points
Give each PC 2 Peril Points. VTM is lethal for neonates navigating Elder politics. A Peril Point lets you narratively avert Final Death or a political catastrophe that would end the game prematurely.
The Core Loop
| Layer | Role |
|---|---|
| Chicago by Night | Setting, NPCs, geography, political landscape, encounter content |
| Mythic GME 2e | Scene structure, surprise and deviation, Fate resolution, Random Events |
| You | PC decisions, interpretation, narrative stitching |
Chicago by Night is the world. Mythic is the GM. You’re the player.
The Prepared Adventure Event Focus Table and the Adventure Features List are the bridge between them.
“Let me give you a word of advice. If you obey his rules he will leave you alone — even if you are a Caitiff and have never been presented to him. The Prince has enough to worry about without having to put down every Anarch who was created without his permission.”
— Rebekah, Monitor of Chicago