History Roleplay / ShadowsOverTheSouth

** Also averted with the names 'William,' 'Daniel,' and 'Madeline.' TakenUpToEleven with the name 'Alex,' when there were 'three' different characters named Alex at once, two male and one female.

** Also averted with the names 'William,' 'Daniel,' 'Madeline,' 'William,' and 'Ada.'

* PrestigeClass: So-called 'Main Stage' characters. These are characters who successfully reached the 600 XP {{cap}} without being retired for one or another before then. They are explicitly forbidden from taking part in plots not specifically tailored for them (so as to avoid being a SpotlightStealingSquad or a CrutchCharacter), but those plots that ''are'' meant for them are HarderThanHard.

* PrestigeClass: So-called 'Main Stage' characters. These are characters who successfully reached the 600 XP {{cap}} (and didn't die in the process). They are explicitly forbidden from taking part in plots not specifically tailored for them (so as to avoid being a SpotlightStealingSquad or a CrutchCharacter), but those plots that ''are'' meant for them are HarderThanHard.

* AllMythsAreTrue: All the gods are one flavor or another of either spirit, ex-mage, angel [[EldritchAbomination or something far worse...]] The problem is deciding [[CanonWelding which of them is true]], which has at one time stated that there are actually several versions of Odin.

* AnyoneCanDie: There's a "No Stomping" rule for newbies (meaning, you can't just go around hunting new characters for sport; they're immune from PVP for a month unless they do something to [[TooDumbToLive bring it upon themselves]]), but that only applies to PVP. At one point, even the character with the highest XP was killed in action, so it's generally a good idea not to get too attached to ''anyone'' in this game.

* {{Cap}}: On how much XP one can earn in a month, to ensure that the hyperactive players do not outrun everyone by jumping into every possible scene, or that an ST does not abuse ST XP to quickly power up their characters.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Hurricane Michael's effects on Florida were reflected in the game, much to the amusement of at least one character in the game named Michael.

** Changelings have a far bigger buffer against banality, and do not have to roll it within any RP scene.

* CompetitiveBalance: Several HouseRules were put in place to ensure one splat cannot dominate every other splat. If they weren't in place, vampires and hunters would be extinct, demons, wraiths, and changelings would be hiding in a corner, and the rest of the game would be a free-for-all between the Werewolves, Mummies, and Mages.

* EnemyMine: ''The'' reason why groups such as the Gainesville Camarilla have been willing to at least ''try'' cooperating with other supernaturals. In Demeskin's case, it's because the Sabbat pretty much make enemies everywhere they go, and that groups such as the Technocratic Union and Pentex pose every bit as much of a threat to the Camarilla as they do to anyone else. This was also seemingly the rationale behind the Study Continuum Chantry throwing in their lot with Starke, until the Ranger's [[TheBusCameBack true identity]] was revealed.

* MechanicallyUnusualClass: Several of the Limited character types are this. Examples include the Baali for ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'', Void Engineers for ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', Risen for ''TabletopGame/WraithTheOblivion'', and Earthbound for ''TabletopGame/DemonTheFallen''. The storytellers who allow characters like this straight-up warn players that attempting to play them is effectively playing on hard mode for one reason or another, including being kill-on-sight for other characters, specifically to deter SpecialSnowflakeSyndrome.

* StormingTheCastle: Twice, and both were the conclusions of major plotlines. The first was the conclusion of the 'Blood, Drugs, and Magick' plotline, and the second was 'The Once and Future Prince.'

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: All over the place. Werewolves and vampires in Starke, for example, have come to realize that there are greater threats out there than each other and are willing to fight together to defeat them, but that sure as hell doesn't mean they have to ''like'' it.

* WeAreStrugglingTogether: The true believers in Starke, most notably at least one Visionary [[TabletopGame/HunterTheReckoning Hunter]], make this into an artform. They've managed a few people in high places, such as Imbued in the United States Government and a Camarilla Prince to at least give it a shot, but the rest are either skeptical at best and openly hostile to the idea at worst.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Some of the named {{mooks}} have been particularly memorable as characters for funny one-liners or being a BossInMooksClothing due to particularly lucky or unlucky dice rolls. Few of them make second appearances.

With multiple pains being taken to ensure balance between the various types of characters and a plot that evolves by the week, the game itself is still very much in its early stages, approaching half a year old as of this writing. The game's website can be found [[http://www.shadowsoverthesouth.net/ here]]. The game's wiki can be found [[http://www.shadowsoverthesouth.net/wiki/index.php?n=Main.HomePage here]]. The game's Discord server can be found [[https://discord.gg/zZzn3GM here]], where the vast majority of the roleplaying is done.

* NewGamePlus: The Retiring mechanic can be seen as a form of this. When you voluntarily retire a character, you are allowed to create a new character with half of the retired character's XP as Floor XP.

* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: A common reaction from Fallen to being compared to Fomori. They're not offended by being called evil spirits that possess human hosts, they're offended by the implication that they come from the Wyrm, when few Fallen have even ''heard'' of the Wyrm.

* NoCampaignForTheWicked: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. While some character types, such as Nephandi, Black Spiral Dancers, and Spectres are banned due to being impossible to implement into this setting without the game turning into a PlayerVersusPlayer free-for-all, other 'evil' characters ''are'' playable, on the grounds that they can either easily blend in (Sabbat spies and the Baali do it all the time), or that they're only AmbiguouslyEvil or are {{Hero Antagonist}}s (Void Engineers, Waywards). Others are much ''less'' AmbiguouslyEvil, and the splat's STs are experimenting with allowing certain things to be playable (such Earthbound for ''TabletopGame/DemonTheFallen'').

* NoCampaignForTheWicked: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. While some character types, such as Nephandi, Black Spiral Dancers, and Spectres are banned due to being impossible to implement into this setting without the game turning into a PlayerVersusPlayer free-for-all, other 'evil' characters ''are'' playable, on the grounds that they can either easily blend in (Sabbat spies and the Baali do it all the time), or that they're only AmbiguouslyEvil or {{Well-Intentioned Extremist}}s (Void Engineers, Waywards). Others are much ''less'' AmbiguouslyEvil, and the splat's STs are experimenting with allowing certain things to be playable (such Earthbound for ''TabletopGame/DemonTheFallen'').

** Also averted with the names 'William,' 'Daniel,' 'Madeline,' and 'Ada.'

* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Particularly prevalent with ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'', with Music/KeithRichards having been shown to be an Ecstatic, and Elon Musk having been implied to be a Void Engineer.

** Also [[AvertedTrope averted]] with the name 'William,' with there having been not one, but ''two'' player characters named William, and both from the same splat. Likewise with 'Daniel.'
** There's also two people named 'Ada,' too. One player character, and one {{NPC}}.

'''''Shadows over the South''''' is a [[Franchise/TheWorldOfDarkness Living World of Darkness]] game. Primarily set in the small town of [[TownWithADarkSecret Starke, Florida]], the game centers around the sudden, massive influx of numerous supernaturals all at once, isolated from the larger supernatural community at first. In time, a fragile peace was set up between the various, disparate factions. Of course, those who prefer the status quo quickly took notice... and peace has a nasty habit of never being able to last.

!!This game features examples of:

* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The Starke Catacombs, which obviously [[ArtisticLicenseGeography don't exist in real life]]. Indeed, it wouldn't be possible in real life, due to the [[ArtisticLicenseGeology water table]] in the RealLife city, which was [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the game. Of course, AWizardDidIt in the game. And by wizard, of course, we mean a [[MageTheAscension Mage]].

* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The Starke Catacombs, which obviously [[ArtisticLiscenceGeography don't exist in real life]]. Indeed, it wouldn't be possible in real life, due to the [[ArtisticLicenseGeology water table]] in the RealLife city, which was [[lampshaded]] in the game. Of course, AWizardDidIt in the game. And by wizard, of course, we mean a [[MageTheAscension Mage]].

* MemeticMutation: In Discord, anytime someone mentions ''TabletopGame/WraithTheOblivion'' or a Wraith player says 'hi,' everyone 'reacts' to the Discord message using the ghost emoticon. It's almost an unofficial rule at this point.

* HardLevelsEasyBosses: While most bosses are rather well statted to prove a challenge to even the diversity of powers in the game, and the [=STs=] ''try'' to make them a challenge without resorting to straight-up {railroading}, certain characters, like [[LightningBruiser Altair]], were designed to survive in a [[DeathWorld much more]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou difficult setting]] and can usually stomp them hard. Thus, this trope applies even when it isn't intentional, especially in cases such as the Blood, Drugs, and Magick and The Lady of Discord plotlines, where actually getting into a fight with the bosses was hard, but they [[CurbStompBattle did not last longer than a turn]].