I'd like to talk about some clarifications we are making to several players and their PAs. We are not singling anyone out, and these points are not setting related or theme related or storyline related, but specifically about the rules in our game. I hope by writing these "observations" that the game's players will have a better understanding on how the STs are making decisions.
Influence in our game represents how much "say" a character has in one or more spheres of influence in our game. Specifically, our game, our game's setting, our game's local area, our game's city. Some influence (Politics being a common example) is usually focused from the general sphere into a sort-of specialization, but that specialization is not a separate "bubble" from the main sphere of influence, nor does it gain "extra powers" not available from the overall influence.
If a character has "Politics (Federal)" as Influence, that person might hold blackmail over a Member of Parliament that lives in Gimli, spends most of his or her time in Gimli, and represents the Gimli area in Ottawa. However, that "Politics (Federal)" influence is not immune from other properly crafted Politics actions. Obviously, if some smacks all the Gimli city councillors, that wouldn't affect our Member Of Parliament, but he or she still is a part of the local Gimli political sphere; that person has people working for and under them, and they have people working for and under them, and they all have people they report to and take orders from, etc... all of which work, reside, and are part of Gimli, and our game. Just because our Member Of Parliament influence is "federal" does not mean they are untouchable.
Also, these same specializations do not expand it's sphere of influence nor give it any special abilities. Our example character above may have "Politics (Federal)", but that does not mean that Member Of Parliament can suddenly affect national policy on that characters say-so. That character may be a big fish in Gimli, but the world's a big, complicated place; even as close as Winnipeg, they may not have heard of that character, and his or her "pull" doesn't mean squat to the big fish who live there. Why would someone in Vancouver do a favour for anyone in Gimli, no matter how much blackmail or bribes come their way, when they in all probability have a Kindred at home breathing down their necks. Your character might be the "king of the hill" in Gimli, but in Vancouver, compared to the people to live there and work there and meet in person, you're a nobody.
Unless you have Fame, of course.
Fame is a representation that your character is famous, is "heard of", and (in regards to our discussions on Influence) that their opinion carries weight outside of the game's normal, local spheres of influence. A big-wig Hollywood script-writer might be the darling of "Tinsel Town" and get into any restaurant he wants, but if he makes a phone call to Florida and demands they kick a reservation out of a hotel penthouse suite so he can have it, he will be laughed at. No one in Florida has ever heard of him, who cares how much money he has or how important he is in California. However, if a four-time-Oscar-winning actor and star of the summer's biggest blockbuster makes the same call and request, well then certainly that penthouse is yours for the taking!
It is with Fame that our "Politics (Federal)" example really starts to come in handy! Remember, that Member Of Parliament is not a slave, a servant, nor a solider; you have influence over them, they do not belong to you. If your character asks your Member Of Parliament to fly to Ottawa, meet with the Prime Minister, and find out when the next election is, your Member Of Parliament is going to tell you to go screw yourself! He or she is not going to waste taxpayers money and waste his time trying to get onto the PM's busy schedule to waste the PM's time just on your say-so. He or she is not a dog, at your beck and call; they'll happily exert their influence locally for you when they can, but that's it.
If your character has enough dots of Fame however, that's a different story. Now, that Member Of Parliament is using your Influence to get that plane trip approved, your Influence to get on the PM's schedule, and using your name and reputation to get that information. Your name has enough weight to it that the people-in-the-know have heard of you all the way in Ottawa. Now it isn't our Member Of Parliament doing all the work and you sitting back home with your feet up, it's you doing all the work and them that's just the "face", the "excuse".
Another exmaple: our character acquires "Legal (Tax)" Influence by way of a young lawyer named Jimmy. We might say our character hires Jimmy, pays his salary and benefits, and even gives him his own corner office in the the ritzy downtown law firm our character owns. Jimmy might bend over backwards for us, but Jimmy is not a Ghoul, is not an Ally, and is not a Contact. We have influence in the local legal sphere of influence through Jimmy.
Can Jimmy helps us expand our influence? Certainly, if it is worded correctly.
Can Jimmy bring an audit down on our Kindred enemies? That's an Influence attack, Jimmy can write up the paperwork!
Can Jimmy schmooze with the mayor's personal lawyer, buy him drinks, and find out if the mayor is going to run for re-election this year? No, sorry. It makes logical sense, and Jimmy is staying in the Legal Influence sphere, but that information falls under Bureaucracy. As a game ruling, that is outside the Legal Influence sphere; as a roleplaying reply to the Influence expenditure, the mayor's lawyer cannot reveal privileged information, sorry Jimmy!
Can Jimmy bribe the mayor's lawyer to give bad advice to his client, and therefore make the mayor look bad as our character's Media Influence writes scathing articles? Yes, this would be using our Legal influence as a boost to our Media Influence!
Can Jimmy go through paperwork and make some phone calls and find out who's been audited in Winnipeg last year? No, sorry. As a game ruling, Jimmy represents local Gimli Legal Influence, which by itself does not extend to Gimli; as a roleplaying reply to the Influence request, Jimmy would explain he's too entrenched with work and meetings and paperwork in Gimli, and doesn't know anyone in Winnipeg to ask for that information.
Can Jimmy board a plane, go to Winnipeg with a briefcase full of money, got to the Canada Revenue offices there, and bribe the right accountants and managers to hand over the legal tax info he's asking for? No, sorry. As a game ruling, Jimmy represents a dot of influence in the city of Gimli. He is not a Ghoul, he can't just go "do" things for you, and especially cannot do things for you outside the game's sphere of Influence. As a roleplaying response, Jimmy has a wife and kids in Gimli that he can't just leave at your say word, and besides, illegal activities are not in his job description!
If our character had enough fame, can Jimmy call someone in Winnipeg and get those audit records? Yes! As a game ruling, the character's dots in Fame allow him to extend his Influence as far as Winnipeg, and affect the Legal sphere of influence over there; as a roleplaying response, Jimmy will try calling the official channels and drop your name, slip in the name of the ritzy Gimli firm, maybe a couple high-paying high-society clients the firm has represented, and see if that gets the ball rolling in Winnipeg.
It wasn't Jimmy getting the records, it was our character's influence in the Legal world that did the trick and our character's fame that allowing our character to use that influence in Winnipeg. Jimmy was just the "excuse", the "front man" for our character's dealings.
In responding to Player/Downtime actions, we (your storytellers) will try to reply to Influence actions as I've did in our Jimmy examples above. We will provide some in-character reason why Influence failed, some roleplaying or story elements that your character can play and act and build off. We will also provide the out-of-character ruling why the Influence failed, something so the player knows what they need to buy or build on for their character's sheet to succeed next time.
Please keep in mind that though you might think your reasons for doing things in your Player/Downtime actions are "really good", as STs, our responsibilities are to you and to the thirty-plus other people in our LARP game. And trust us, those thrty-plus other people all have reasons that are also "really good".
The logic you use may in-fact be amazingly solid and make perfect sense, and we WILL hear you out in most occasions... but if the STs say your Influence is affected, if the STs say you need Fame to do what your asking, if the STs say you cannot do what you are asking with what you have our your sheet, then they are saying that's the rules of the game. And, as we all know, White Wolf's "Flaws Of The Night" are immune to logic! :)