Scum: The Masquerade

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History

The official rule document for Scum: The Masquerade says "Scum: the Masquerade is a game that was created at a happy little place we lovingly call CTY Lancaster. One problem with this joyous, lovable place is the illegality of role-playing games. Many of the students shared a love of these so-called "RPG's", namely Vampire: the Masquerade, and would find a legal way to play them, no matter what. Another thing that these CTY students shared was a love of card games, especially a certain game called Scum. This was a freeform game that lent itself to the adaptation of many new twists. So then, the ever mind-boggling question was answered: What happens when you stick Vampire: the Masquerade and Scum together in a blender? And yes, the outcome was Scum: the Masquerade. This game quickly caught on at CTY and is now played by a vast number of CTYers. This version of the rules borrows heavily from the text of the rule set by Adam Leeds and Vinay Patel, which is in turn based on the third edition rules by Josh Symonds and Mike Mishkin; however, whenever possible, I have tried to take the actual tabletop Vampire rules into account as far as powers and rules, so I felt the differences were great enough to warrant calling this rule set version 4. The following is a description of how this game is played:

Scum, also known as Chinese Poker, Capitalism, Asshole, President, Presidents and Assholes, The Great Dalmuti, and Scum, is an incredibly fun game. Scum isn't too hard of a game to understand, the hard part is the Masquerade. Already knowing how to play one of the games listed above does help to understand Scum: the Masquerade, but you should still read over the basic rules due to some minor rule variations.

Scum can be played with anywhere from four to eight players, though playing with six or more requires that two decks be used. Cards are dealt evenly amongst the players, and the object of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards."

S:tM Lexicon

(note: this is not alphabetical rather by words you'll need to build on)

• S:tM- Scum: The Masquerade.
• Disciplines: Powers in the game, chosen before each player picks up a hand, they can only be chosen if a player ascends from Scum, to Prince, or to Justicar, and no player can have more than three. Disciplines fall into three categories, clan disciplines, common disciplines, and mortal scum disciplines. Clan disciplines are unique to each type of Clan, and cannot be chosen by anyone outside of that type of clan. Common disciplines can be chosen by anyone besides the scum, and scum can choose from the scum disciplines, which are generally weaker.
• Justicar- The highest position in the game (for Camarilla), the Justicar has the right to choose what rule set will be used for as long as he is Justicar, he also has first pick of Clan. Justicar can also grant Boons. Normally the Justicar leads with the first hand of a round but the Justicar may choose any other player to lead.
• Mortal Scum- The scum is the lowest position and object of scorn.
• Catiff- The second lowest position, it is the duty of the Catiff to insult the other players, especially at the request of players with higher rank.
• Prince- The second highest position in the game, the Prince may choose a clan and also has the power to call a Blood Hunt. A Blood Hunt calls the game to vote a player out.
• Clan- A Clan is chosen by the Prince and Justicar, each clan has it's own set of three disciplines, a clan may have it's own unique disciplines that people outside the clan may not choose.
• Revolution- When the scum becomes Justicar the round ends and all ranks are reversed.

Rank order

Camarilla

• 4 players: Justicar, Prince, Caitiff, Mortal Scum
• 5 players: Justicar, Prince, Seneschal, Caitiff, Mortal Scum
• 6 players: Justicar, Prince, Seneschal, Sheriff, Caitiff, Mortal Scum
• 7 players: Justicar, Prince, Seneschal, Sheriff, Harpy, Caitiff, Mortal Scum
• 8 players: Justicar, Prince, Seneschal, Sheriff, Harpy, Primatene, Caitiff, Mortal Scum

Rules

One deck

The rules of S:tM include the basic gameplay of [[Scum] to form a framework for this game. There are quite a few differences however, for instance the order of highest to lowest number value goes 2,A,K,Q,J,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3 (two has no special values). Also there is a hierarchy of suit (Hearts is the highest, then spades, then diamonds, then clubs). S:tM also adds two more playable hands: a Straight (five in a row) and a full house (two of a kind plus three of a kind). The first round is played without any disciplines chosen, in the second round each player chooses a clan or a set of three disciplines. Each clan comes with three disciplines. Note: the bellow is a list of only the Camarilla Disciplines and clans, with inclusion of scum disciplines. After the cards are dealt the Justicar and Prince choose their clans (or disciplines) then you progress picking disciplines by order of rank highest to lowest.

Clans:

Camarilla

• Brujah (Disciplines: Celerity, Potence, Presence)
• Malkavian (Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate)
• Nosferatu (Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence)
• Toreador (Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Presence)
• Tremere (Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy)
• Ventrue (Disciplines: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence)

Disciplines:

Common Disciplines

• Animalism – Choose a rank between 3 and 10, inclusive and search through the discard pile for one. If there exists more than one, you may choose the suit. The card is then added to your crypt. The card may be from the hand you’re playing on, but may not be the high card in that hand. If you are Presence'd after you use Animalism, you must keep the card and the Animalism is considered used. If no card with the chosen rank can be drawn, the Animalism is wasted.

• Auspex - Examine another player’s crypt OR cancel any use of Obfuscate OR cancel any use of Chimerstry. It is considered bastardly to announce to others what cards are in another players’ crypt. If Auspex is used to cancel a discipline, both the Auspex and the other discipline are considered used. Non-game related uses of Auspex are permissible; they follow a simple question-and-yes-or-no-answer format

• Celerity - Play immediately on the hand that you just played OR cancel a usage of Temporis. You must pass on your next turn (within the trick) after using the primary usage of Celerity (obviously, you cannot pass if you gain the lead through Celerity). If you play Celerity after Obfuscate, both hands must beat the second-highest hand and go under the current high hand. No other players can do anything mid-Celerity; it's just too damn fast (unless they have Temporis; see Temporis for an explanation). You may not ever control the disciplines of Celerity and Temporis at the same time. No other rules may be followed to create this situation.

• Dark Thaumaturgy - Imitate any common discipline as it applies to clubs (see Meta-Disciplines). Anyone, even the Caitiff, may take Dark Thaumaturgy as out-of-clan; however, see the Infernalism section under "Special Rules" for an explanation of its downside.

• Dominate - Force someone to play. If you are of a higher rank than they are, you can tell them how to play, i.e., "Beat this as high as you can," or "Beat this as low as you can," or "Beat this with the 7♥." If the player cannot play as you have ordered, then the discipline is considered used. A Dominate'd player may be Presence'd, but the Domination carries over until the player is not Presence'd. If a player cannot play on the hand or goes out, then the Domination is lost. Dominate cannot force the use of Disciplines. Dominate cannot be used on a lead. Non-game-related uses of Dominate are permissible and usually consist of commanding a player to get snacks or act like an animal. All uses of Dominate, even non-game-related ones, must be positive rather than negative; you must be telling someone to do something rather than not to do something. A command such as "Avoid doing x" stills count as negative, so it is not allowed.

• Fortitude - Increase the value of your entire hand by 1 when someone tries to play on it (essentially delayed-reaction Potence). May be used when someone who is trying to play on your hand uses Potence or Visceratika. If the hand played on the Fortitude’d hand no longer beats it, it is returned to the player and all disciplines used on that hand are considered unused and it is still that player’s turn.

• Obfuscate - Play under the hand just played OR cancel a use of Auspex used on you (in this case, both the dot of Obfuscate and the dot of Auspex are considered used). The hand you play must beat the hand it is played over, although not necessarily be lower than the hand it’s played under. Obfuscate counts as your turn; therefore, you may not Obfuscate if Presence'd. Obfuscate cannot be used either under the lead or as the lead. You may not take the lead by using Obfuscate. You also may not Obfuscate under something you played (because that’s the same as Celerity, you cheater). You may not go out using Obfuscate.

• Potence - Raise the value of all cards in the hand you play by 1. A Potenced 2 becomes an e (2.71828) (and if subsequently Fortitude'd, it becomes a  (3.14159)). May still be used after someone uses Fortitude on the hand you're trying to play on.

• Presence - Force someone to pass once. This is generally considered a bitchy thing to do, as it is quite intrusive. It cannot be used on the lead. Presence must be used before the person puts their hand on the table (or floor or whatever). This applies to powers that mimic Presence as well (i.e. Thaumaturgy-Presence). You may use this to stop someone from using Chimerstry, Daimoinon, or such a power after they've already declared that they're using it (but certainly before the next player in turn plays), but that power is considered not used in this case (so they can just pull it out again on their next turn).

Mortal Scum Disciplines

• Annoying Little Kid (a.k.a. "squirrel") - 10 dots of non-game-related Auspex (yes, ten questions that must be truthfully answered). (Think Elmira from “Tiny Toons” - "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?"…. ad infinitum)

• Cute Little Fluffy Bunny of Death (a.k.a. "Bunnicula") - One dot of non-game-related Auspex (i.e. What color is your underwear?), one dot of Super-Duper-Old-School Auspex (which allows you to look at the back of someone's crypt - yes, the red or blue side, not the important side), and one dot of Cute Little Bastard (which acts as a Presence, even on a lead, but a sickeningly cute face must be made in order for it to work correctly - a consensus of players must agree to the face's cuteness. If the face is deemed not cute enough, the dot is wasted).

• Fortune-Teller - 3 dots of Auspex, non-game-related use is strongly encouraged.

• Ghoul (independent) - These are sub-vampires who are usually very physically-oriented. Put one dot each into two of the following three Disciplines: Potence, Celerity, and Fortitude.

• Ghoul (servitor) - Sub-vampires with a vampire sponsor. Choose a non-Sabbat player to be your domitor; that person can use Dominate on you for free without having or spending any dots of it. Put one dot into one of the following three Disciplines: Potence, Celerity, and Fortitude. Also put one dot into one of your domitor's Disciplines (even a clan-unique).

• Hedge Mage - Practitioners of mortal magical paths. They receive one dot of Dark Thaumaturgy (but are impervious to Infernalism) and one dot of Path of Corruption (see Meta-Disciplines).

• Inquisitor - A student of the occult, who has somehow discovered the existence of vampires. They have one dot of Inquisition or "I threaten to break the Masquerade." Every player then must pass; in other words, the player who last played instantly gains the lead. The Mortal Scum usually uses this power only on himself, but it may be used for others.

• Librarian - 3 dots of Quietus, primary use only (Sssh!). Justicars are encouraged to think carefully before allowing this in a four-player game.

• Man of Faith - Two dots of Bardo.

• Revenant - Ghouls who are born and bred with diluted vampiric blood in their veins. Put two dots into two of the following Disciplines: Potence, Celerity, Fortitude, Vicissitude, Animalism, and Auspex. Because Revenants only exist in the Sabbat, they may only be played when at least one Sabbat vampire is in play. Also, because the Tzimisce created the Revenant Families, all Tzimisce are treated as domitors to a Revenant and receive the Dominate benefit (see above, under Ghoul (servitor)).

• School Teacher - 3 dots of non-game-related Auspex, 3 dots of non-game-related Dominate (being overly pedantic with these is strongly encouraged).

• True Mage - 1 dot of True Magic (see Meta-Disciplines).

• Vampire Hunter - 1 dot of Potence, 1 dot of Wooden Stake (force one vampire (this may not be used on yourself!) to pass for the rest of the trick; may not be used on a lead).

• Vozhd (war ghoul) - Hideous creations of the Tzimisce, made from several people grafted together with Vicissitude to form an incredibly strong, angry beast. 1 dot of Potence, 1 dot of GRAAAAAGH! (Same as Cute Little Bastard, except a horribly disfigured/disgusting/scary face and an equally disfigured/disgusting/scary noise must be made for it to work correctly. Again, if players deem it not scary enough, the discipline does not take effect and is wasted).

• Woman of Faith - One dot of Obeah, one dot of Auspex.

How Meta Disciplines Work

Explanation on the use of Thaumaturgy, Dark Thaumaturgy, Path of Corruption, Necromancy, Koldunic Sorcery, and True Magic will be explained here. Basically, the Meta-Discipline is used as another Discipline, but only applying to a single suit.

Thaumaturgy - ♥ Necromancy - ♠ Path of Corruption - ♦ Dark Thaumaturgy - ♣ Koldunic Sorcery - One suit, chosen before cards are seen True Magic - One suit, chosen when used

We will use normal Thaumaturgy as an example, as it is relatively common. You would use Thaumaturgy by calling out "Thaumaturgy Animalism" or something similar. Disciplines that may be used with a meta-discipline are:

Animalism - Animalize a ♥. Auspex - The chosen player must show you all the ♥ that she has in her crypt. Celerity - The second hand played by you must be entirely ♥. Fortitude - The hand you use Fortitude on must be entirely ♥. Obfuscate - The hand Obfuscated must be entirely ♥. Potence - The hand Potenced must be entirely ♥, OR all ♥ in the hand are Potenced (this may make a "nothing" hand into a real one) Presence - The targeted player may not play any ♥ for the current hand. *** Protean - The card changed must be a ♥. Thaumaturgy - That’s just silly!!

• • • Unlike the regular Presence Discipline, this may be used on a lead only when applying to basic Thaumaturgy (♥). Man, the Tremere are bitches, aren't they?

Thaumaturgy x counts as if you are using x outside of Thaumaturgy. Therefore, x cannot be played again over this. That is, with the use of Thaumaturgy-Potence, a use of Potence in addition on the same hand is illegal. If a Discipline is not listed above, Thaumaturgy cannot be used with it. However, Thaumaturgy-Protean can be used by a player even if that player could not normally take Protean as a discipline. Just to be clear, Thaumaturgy-Potence can't be used twice either.