Thanking my ST by running a VTR game

I had huge dry spell for Tabletop RP, years in fact. I've been lucky enough to find a good, consistent ST who runs a Vampire The Requiem game. We've been playing since early spring I think, but he's moving to Seattle in 2 weeks time. He mentioned he was going to close the game with a quickstart that will be easy to conclude, but also mentioned he was frustrated that he'd never actually gotten to play VTR, only ST. So as a "thank you" I offered to run the last two games, and would like to ask y'all for help and advice.

We've run the entire intro campaign for New Orleans and just finished "The Dead Move fast" from the New Orleans sourcebook. I can probably cook up a home made little story about why Caitlin Meadows has gone off the radar and started kidnapping/killing little known neonates, but having never ST'd before I wanted to ask if there's any pre-made stories (hopefully free, my budget isn't great) that would mesh well with a NO setting.

My idea for a follow up would be something like this:

Scene 1: the coterie is asked by an ally (preferably with lots of dots in Mentor or Allies) for help tracking down a missing neonate in their family, covenant or just friend.

Scene 2: the coterie finds and info leading to a relative of the neonate (finding their haven, or using contact, etc). They find out that the neonate has an estranged sibling in a rival covenant.

Scene 3: Said relative is part of Baron Cimitiere's group and agrees to help, using a combination of Cruac/Auspex/Blood sympathy to get a bead on their location. There's a hitch though, the neonate is outside city limits, and most of their allies will likely refuse to help due to logistics and risk.

Scene 4: Depending on scouting and preparation, locating the neonate leads to an ambush by Caitlin Meadows and (depending on how many players show up) 1or 2 Conditioned missing neonates. Meadows wants to capture rather than kill, should she win go to scene 6. Capturing Meadows (or either conditioned neonate or the original rescuee) reveals that John Harley Matheson is trying to create a sort of sleeper agent army he can also feed from.

Scene 5: the players get the thanks of their ally, and probably meet the Prince to discuss Matheson's scheme. This is a good stopping point, though if time permits scene 6 follows.

Scene 6: Caitlin has been too agressive to capture many neonates "alive" (and Matheson won't risk going into the city) and it takes Matheson a considerable time to Condition them, so he doesn't have many at all. Confronting him directly is doable provided the PC's either get a major faction to help or are able to sabotage Matheson's feeding operation and starve him out.

Caitlin was Mathson's grand childe, and was unwilling to help him. Only due to his Dominate has she been cooperating. If she's deprogrammed, she helps the PC's and the Prince deal with Matheson.

I ran Vampire in N'awlins years ago, and my story centered on two things: VII and the true identity of the Prince's Sheriff, Donovan. I read a very good argument as to what Donovan's true identity is, and the VII book really helped in getting that story off the ground. Naturally, it all ended in blood, tears, and fire. But I wonder what your ultimate "feel" is for a N'awlins chronicle? What is its focus? Where do you intend to go? Answer those, and the path reveals itself.

Also, as someone who ran a VTR game, my advice is not to worry too much about sourcebooks and campaign books. Just run the story you want to run, and adapt the setting to what your game and player need, because unless you want to railroad a lot (which usually ends up players talking about your game here if they come to this site) you're going to adapt it anyway.

edited 26th Jul '13 1:51:51 AM by IraTheSquire

@lawyerdude: I guess the feel would be... "where does the rabbit hole go?" and finding compassion in unexpected places. While I would like to give it a sense of closure for what we've done in the past, I think it'd be nice to leave the city standing at the end rather than burning. So using VII or running a game where Vidal finally snaps are probably too rough in tone.

So yeah, a nice little mystery that shows both the dark extremes kindred can reach and the still glowing ember of humanity keeping it back.

@Ira The Squire: Okay, I can definetly make something home-brewed. I'd rather not railroad the players, but the more prep and flex I build into a scenario the better the odds I'm not pulling undead rabbits out of my hat. ;)