Downtimes are the weeks that pass between game sessions. During this time, your character does not exist in suspended animation, but rather goes about her normal business and even accomplishes significant tasks. To reflect what happens in the spaces in between, to foster further intrigue and plot, and to bring certain long-term talents to bear, all players may fill out the template and send it to the Storytellers via e-mail.

Downtime Format and Due Date

E-mail your downtime report to TCGarouSTs@gmail.com by midnight on the Friday one week before each game.

Use "Character Name Downtimes" as the subject of your e-mail, e.g., "Golgol Fangs-First Downtimes."

Copy the following template, fill it out, and send it:

The Downtime E-Mail Explained

1. Major Events from the Last Game

In the first numbered section, describe the major events your character participated in at the last game. This helps the Storytellers keep informed of everything important that's going on.

2. Feedback and Questions

In the second numbered section, include commentary and questions to the Storytellers about the job they've been doing. Good things to mention are:

• Any scenes you thought were run particularly well, and why
• Any scenes you felt were run poorly, and why
• Questions about rules calls made on the game floor
• General questions about the rules or the setting of the game

3 and 4. First and Second Major Downtime Actions

In the third and fourth numbered sections, describe the two major activities your character attempts between sessions. Each one represents about six days of focused effort on your character's part. If your character's goals require more effort than this, the Storytellers will respond with your progress toward those goals. For traits, abilities, backgrounds, tempers, etc, all levels ("dots") are available to be listed unless it is permanently bound or the source granting the dot states an exception.

Use the following sub-format for these sections:

• ST: Include the name of the ST that is responsible for this plot. If none currently exists, this can be left blank. 
• Goal: Describe your overall goal in a single, simple statement. Example: Looking for Dracula to get the money he owes me.
• Means: List the relevant Traits, Abilities, Backgrounds, Gifts and other advantages you can bring to bear toward this goal (with ST approval). Example: rite Questing stone, gift open seal, area knowledge, 10 mental, 9 physicals and 8 socials, awareness x2, brawl x3
• Method: Here, give a detailed description of how your character accomplishes their goal. Example: I know where this jerk lives. I am going to break into his house and demand he pay me back the money he owes me. If he talks back i am gonna try to beat him up.

Here are some examples of the sort of goals appropriate for a downtime:

• Scout out a neighborhood for signs of supernatural creatures
• Travel to another state/country through conventional means.
• Travel to a friendly Umbral Realm through unconventional means.
• Look for trouble.
• Destroy found trouble, if it's routine and not too dangerous.

If any goal you attempt is particularly risky, the Storytellers may not be able to adjudicate it through a Downtime e-mail. You may need to request a scene from them during a game session instead. They will inform you of this in their response to your downtime. 

You may also spend your Major Downtime Actions doing things that can be done in Development actions, as detailed below.

5 and 6. First and Second Development Actions

In the fifth and sixth sections, you focus on actions that grow and develop your sheet, or create items that will benefit the game floor. These actions can be used to:

• Learn rites from others (2 minor or 1 basic per Downtime action, 2 Downtimes for intermediate, 4 Downtimes for advanced)
• Create talens (2 for non-theurges, 3 for theurges)
• Create plot to justify purchasing Backgrounds, exotic Lores/Abilities, Influences, Merits, etc with ST approval.
• Create plot to justify buying off Flaws, Derangements, Negative Traits, etc.
• Crafting Items, creating a Ritual, creating a Gift, or creating a Spec-Com.

ONLY actions of this sort can be taken in development actions. Any other sorts of actions would be done in Major Downtime actions, detailed above. You can use these for shelved characters to justify the spends when you play them again. Using these for a shelved character means you cannot use it for your active character.

7. Influence/Allies/Kinfolk/Contacts/Spirit Network

Simple instructions to Influences, contacts, spirit network, Allies, and Kinfolk belong here. Keep in mind that kinfolk and contacts seldom have access to Gnosis or the supernatural directly, thus, they can only assist on mundane tasks. This downtime is good for getting forged IDs, borrowing cash, learning about the pulse of the city, shopping for basic hunting gear, and other simple tasks where a Garou struggles to blend in with the crowd. Allies and Spirits Networks will be limited to their own skill sets and will not always have a reliable answer. The level of your Influence can determine what actions are possible. The level of your Allies and Kinfolk count as a 1-to-1 representation of an ability being called to use. The level of your Contacts and Spirit Network also translate 1-to-1 in the form of Influences for information-only purposes.

8. Minor Downtime Actions

Use this section to list very simple additional activities your character performs during the downtime, but for which you need little or no feedback from the Storytellers. They should be able to respond with yes/no actions, a few words of description, or simple acknowledgment of your character's efforts. You can use these to describe what your shelved character is doing.

9. Pack Downtime Action (Pack Alphas Only)

If your character is the Alpha of a pack, you receive one final Downtime activity that represents the coordinated effort of your pack members. Use the same ST, Goal, Means and Method format as in your personal downtime actions, but be sure to describe what resources your packmates can bring to bear. This functions with the same scope of a Major Downtime.

If a pack alpha decides to use the pack Downtime to have the whole pack concentrate all on making the same kind of talen, the group can make 6-8 talens.