robinbloke (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
robinbloke) wrote2001-12-23 12:09 pm
robinbloke) wrote2001-12-23 12:09 pm
Dear Mr. Justicar
Well last nights game was fun, a lot of people had their clans/characters or whatever shafted over but my ol' bastard of a Ventrue managed to pull through fairly well, make some good contacts, stay alive, was made deupty clan head ("Quake in fear you tiny fools!") and I had a damn good game. This was also the game I decided that would determine if I would either a) Carry on LRP'ing in general or tone it all down seriously and just play now and then and b) Retire my ventrue in favour of making a new more unusual one. Well After such a great game I'm definately back for more playing and the Ventrue stays :) I needed the couple of months break (was getting so worn down with it all) and now am ready to crack some necks and authority as my Ventrue.
Oh yes.
But, on the 3 hour drive back (everyone else was asleep) I had a lot of time to think, I was wide awake the whole way back and one thing came to mind; the oath of the camarilla. My ventrue isn't oathsworn, and doesn't intend to be.
"Why are you not oathsworn?" Is a question the Justicar (who is sticking his nose into everything at the moment) is asking all to often, and I had been thinking of why I had not.
"Because I don't feel that my loyality needs to be proved" is a frequent answer apparently, or a variant thereof. But this isn't really my characters feeling on the subject.
Why then?
Well, I came to the following answer.
---
"Because, expressing it in terms of marketing, I don't believe that your product (ie. The Oath) presents an image that I believe I wish to purchase and become labeled by (ie. Swear)."
A truely Ventrue answer I believe, and should my character have survived past this moment I would have exactly the following to say.
(Justicar) "What do you mean? You say you treat the oath as a simple thing to be bought! This is the Camarilla, an oath of loyality we are talking about!" (Insert possible evil laughter here)
Your grace, in the world we live in, everything and anyone can be defined by market terms, from people, from oaths to packets of cornflakes everything is a case of supply and demand of need and requirements and most importantly of image and marketability.
To my mind, the oath has become almost a stigmata (I may be executed at this point!) and the entire concept of the oath needs to be... represented to the consumer, ie the Camarilla, in order to better present its benefits, ideals, representations, bonuses and most importantly, it's image.
Image is what the oath is about, your grace, in being an oathsworn member of the Camarilla the message we wish to present to the consumer is that "This is an upstanding pinicle of the Camarilla, this kindred is oathsworn, this kindred is proud to be a member of the Camarilla, is dedicated utterly to it's cause and wished everyone to know this, and because of this they have sworn the oath."
Presently, with the current market image, this sadly is not so.
Oathswearing has a great many misconceptions, it is used almost as a punishment, people are made to swear the oath or, construded to as a punishment (execution again), it has such marketability, but it needs to be... rejuvenated as a product in order that Kindred are clamouring to become oathsworn rather than treating it with an atypical apathetic 'oh well' consumer attitude.
To this end I propose a five point plan to relaunch the 'oathsworn' image for the 21st century, a new and dynamtic, hard hitting campaign that will smack the consumer in the face and make them sit up and take notice.
1. Let there be oathsworn representatives, a person oathsworn in every domain selected for their dedicated and made a local authority on the oath, one who is dedicated to recruitment further for the oath in their domain. They will present the new image of the oath to local kindred.
2. The oath is seen as a punishment, change this so that it is harder to obtain, more exclusive items, by default, become more desireable. It should be a jewel a kindred aspires to obtain, not a badge that they are forced to wear.
3. An oathsworn committee and communications system (mailing list ooc) : A National reward system of positive status for outstanding dedication to the Camarilla, and recognition and support organised through local representatives in order to create a unity throughout the oathsworn, an almost masonic secret society that everyone will wish to join.
4. Punishment, as a reward (oathswearing) kindred that fail in their duties should be stripped of their oath if they fail, death may have to be a requirement - but this again is a negative image for the oath itself that will not encourage it's marketability, we are trying to present a postive image here.
5. Let people take pride in their oath, much as any other status, let them record the day, date and name of the archon who swore them in.
This I believe is the groundwork for a relaunching of your product, and will ensure a wider success of it.
---
Oh yes.
But, on the 3 hour drive back (everyone else was asleep) I had a lot of time to think, I was wide awake the whole way back and one thing came to mind; the oath of the camarilla. My ventrue isn't oathsworn, and doesn't intend to be.
"Why are you not oathsworn?" Is a question the Justicar (who is sticking his nose into everything at the moment) is asking all to often, and I had been thinking of why I had not.
"Because I don't feel that my loyality needs to be proved" is a frequent answer apparently, or a variant thereof. But this isn't really my characters feeling on the subject.
Why then?
Well, I came to the following answer.
---
"Because, expressing it in terms of marketing, I don't believe that your product (ie. The Oath) presents an image that I believe I wish to purchase and become labeled by (ie. Swear)."
A truely Ventrue answer I believe, and should my character have survived past this moment I would have exactly the following to say.
(Justicar) "What do you mean? You say you treat the oath as a simple thing to be bought! This is the Camarilla, an oath of loyality we are talking about!" (Insert possible evil laughter here)
Your grace, in the world we live in, everything and anyone can be defined by market terms, from people, from oaths to packets of cornflakes everything is a case of supply and demand of need and requirements and most importantly of image and marketability.
To my mind, the oath has become almost a stigmata (I may be executed at this point!) and the entire concept of the oath needs to be... represented to the consumer, ie the Camarilla, in order to better present its benefits, ideals, representations, bonuses and most importantly, it's image.
Image is what the oath is about, your grace, in being an oathsworn member of the Camarilla the message we wish to present to the consumer is that "This is an upstanding pinicle of the Camarilla, this kindred is oathsworn, this kindred is proud to be a member of the Camarilla, is dedicated utterly to it's cause and wished everyone to know this, and because of this they have sworn the oath."
Presently, with the current market image, this sadly is not so.
Oathswearing has a great many misconceptions, it is used almost as a punishment, people are made to swear the oath or, construded to as a punishment (execution again), it has such marketability, but it needs to be... rejuvenated as a product in order that Kindred are clamouring to become oathsworn rather than treating it with an atypical apathetic 'oh well' consumer attitude.
To this end I propose a five point plan to relaunch the 'oathsworn' image for the 21st century, a new and dynamtic, hard hitting campaign that will smack the consumer in the face and make them sit up and take notice.
1. Let there be oathsworn representatives, a person oathsworn in every domain selected for their dedicated and made a local authority on the oath, one who is dedicated to recruitment further for the oath in their domain. They will present the new image of the oath to local kindred.
2. The oath is seen as a punishment, change this so that it is harder to obtain, more exclusive items, by default, become more desireable. It should be a jewel a kindred aspires to obtain, not a badge that they are forced to wear.
3. An oathsworn committee and communications system (mailing list ooc) : A National reward system of positive status for outstanding dedication to the Camarilla, and recognition and support organised through local representatives in order to create a unity throughout the oathsworn, an almost masonic secret society that everyone will wish to join.
4. Punishment, as a reward (oathswearing) kindred that fail in their duties should be stripped of their oath if they fail, death may have to be a requirement - but this again is a negative image for the oath itself that will not encourage it's marketability, we are trying to present a postive image here.
5. Let people take pride in their oath, much as any other status, let them record the day, date and name of the archon who swore them in.
This I believe is the groundwork for a relaunching of your product, and will ensure a wider success of it.
---
no subject