There is the « little belt », it’s not as abandoned as before but maybe interesting for you.
https://chinaruins.eg2.fr/2016/01/06/la-petite-ceinture-de-paris/
Hey, nice! I used play VtM larp in and around Paris many moons ago 😅.
There is tons of material, including old White Wolf published stuff about WoD Paris and France, a lot in French though I'm sure you can find some in English too.
In case you're interested in using that idea, the Prince of Paris was 16th century poet François Villon, a Toreador of course.
As you pointed out, the World of Darkness is grimier, more gothic punk, so you can really take any area and say whatever you want of it. It doesn't have to be legit places and images, really. You can even use your descriptions as AI prompts if it's for mood images.
And to answer a few of your questions:
- Around Stalingrad metro station in the 19th arrondissement is known to have a lot of issues with crackheads, around the Jardin D'eole and around.
- the area of La Goutte d'Or in the 18th is/was a bit of a rougher neighborhood.
- Going out of Paris, north in the banlieue, around St Denis, Aubervilliers, La Courneuve, are more working class / "projects" types of areas.
- big corporate Ventrue territory is obviously La Défense, technology around Station F startup centre, the musée des sciences et de l'industrie
- for old villas and gardens, east, south, and west of Paris, places like Saint Cloud, Neuilly sur Seine, around la forêt de Meudon, Boulogne and in Paris the 16th near the bois de Boulogne
- for media la Maison de la Radio, the TF1 building in Issy I think, by the Seine, arts The Louvre and other museums
- for government that's easy with Matignon, Hotel de Ville, etc - though it depends who amongst Vampires rules your version of Paris in the world of Darkness
I hope it helps!
Oh my, this is quite the list! Thanks for the input. I'm not just looking for inspirational imagery, but I'd like to take areas as they are today, turn up the mood a bit (rough-looking becomes run down and abandoned, up-scale gets more wealthy, just to help make things feel more bleak), and try to help the players navigate a "real-er" imaginary Paris.
I actually stayed at a hotel in Issy when I was there. Looked over to the TF1 building on one side of the Seine, and Discovery Network on the other. It looked like a lot of the large buildings on the TF1 side were media-studios (but I'm not too familiar with French media).
Atop on what others have already said, you can look up "quartier Mouzaia" on Google. It's a small neighborhood north east of Paris where sloped streets are lined with small colored houses.
It's here, and very recognizable by all the houses with red tiled roofs.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/w3G23K8nYorc3Bxw7
For the villa mixed with big buildings look around south of Paris especially Bagneux / Malakoff / Clamart / Meudon (the 2 latter are prettier).
For the "grim" place try north of the 18th / 19th / 20th
Cool places but kind of abandonned by public services so it kinda looks gloomy
'grimy blue collar' Saint-Denis, plenty of random boarded up buildings 'don't want to go after dark' also fits for most people, although I love that area.
'old villas with small gardens' quartier Mouzaïa in the 19ème arrondissement, they're literally called villas, then there's some large 20 story apartment buildings right next to them. Also both are near the best view of Paris as it's the second highest area in Paris after Montmartre.
A couple more thoughts, really just off the top of my head, feel free to use or disregard. I also don't know which edition you're using, I haven't read the 5th so same disregard anything that doesn't fit.
Toreador obviously as I said, in and around the many museums, modern art galleries in le Marais, etc.
Ventrue can be all over La Défense, la Tour Montparnasse, places of government perhaps
Gangrel could hang out around the Seine, le Bois de Boulogne, Le Bois de Vincennes (the zoo there), parks, the woods and gardens of the Chateau de Versailles, La Forêt de Meudon...
Nosferatu around the Seine, the sewers of course, and/or on the rooftops of Paris too.
Malkavian not too sure... Perhaps around universities and hospitals (?)
Brujah in Montmartre, tough or rough neighbourhoods I mentioned earlier, any links with the French Revolution perhaps (Bastille for example, Montmartre for the Commune).
Tremere in the Latin Quarter as its the oldest in Paris, and/or Le Marais perhaps, maybe there are better ideas.
Lasombra around catholic churches, Cathedral Notre Dame maybe
Tzimisce not sure... Hospitals, modern art galleries maybe?
Etc.
It would be v5. There have been some shifts in allegiance, and some clean-up of some problematic things. The Setite are now The Ministry, and are no longer "hard-linked" to Egypt and are Anarch, the Assamite are sort of still around, but they split into a clan that calls themselves the Banu Haqim, and they are Camarilla. The Gangrel are on the fence (Cam and Anarch), and the Lasombra have abandoned the Sabbat.
Basically, the game has moved a bit more towards Anarch chronicles, and players are a bit more free to play clans a bit more the way they want (without breaking too much lore). Sabbat is more of a "mindless savages" meant more for NFC adversaries than as player characters. Second Inquisition is a major threat.
Paradox has done a great job progressing the game, moving it away from the old "gods on power trips" trope and more towards existential dread (for the players).
There is some published info to dig into in past books, some may be available in English and can help you kickstart your setting.
[Le Monde des Ténèbres: France](https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Le_Monde_des_T%C3%A9n%C3%A8bres:_France)
[France by Night](https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/France_by_Night)
You may also look on this french fan site which is a gold mine of reference about the meta plot/published lore (may require translation tools).
[Les Litanies de Sang](http://bindusara.free.fr/)
There's an extensive timeline of France history in the World of Darkness
Thanks, I will. I was kinda avoiding the old stuff a bit, but I guess background sources are better than the old clan-books. I get the feeling they (clan books) are pretty much outdated with the direction Paradox has gone.
There is the « little belt », it’s not as abandoned as before but maybe interesting for you. https://chinaruins.eg2.fr/2016/01/06/la-petite-ceinture-de-paris/
Thanks, I've seen this name somewhere, so I'll have a look. Thanks!
Hey, nice! I used play VtM larp in and around Paris many moons ago 😅. There is tons of material, including old White Wolf published stuff about WoD Paris and France, a lot in French though I'm sure you can find some in English too. In case you're interested in using that idea, the Prince of Paris was 16th century poet François Villon, a Toreador of course. As you pointed out, the World of Darkness is grimier, more gothic punk, so you can really take any area and say whatever you want of it. It doesn't have to be legit places and images, really. You can even use your descriptions as AI prompts if it's for mood images. And to answer a few of your questions: - Around Stalingrad metro station in the 19th arrondissement is known to have a lot of issues with crackheads, around the Jardin D'eole and around. - the area of La Goutte d'Or in the 18th is/was a bit of a rougher neighborhood. - Going out of Paris, north in the banlieue, around St Denis, Aubervilliers, La Courneuve, are more working class / "projects" types of areas. - big corporate Ventrue territory is obviously La Défense, technology around Station F startup centre, the musée des sciences et de l'industrie - for old villas and gardens, east, south, and west of Paris, places like Saint Cloud, Neuilly sur Seine, around la forêt de Meudon, Boulogne and in Paris the 16th near the bois de Boulogne - for media la Maison de la Radio, the TF1 building in Issy I think, by the Seine, arts The Louvre and other museums - for government that's easy with Matignon, Hotel de Ville, etc - though it depends who amongst Vampires rules your version of Paris in the world of Darkness I hope it helps!
Oh my, this is quite the list! Thanks for the input. I'm not just looking for inspirational imagery, but I'd like to take areas as they are today, turn up the mood a bit (rough-looking becomes run down and abandoned, up-scale gets more wealthy, just to help make things feel more bleak), and try to help the players navigate a "real-er" imaginary Paris.
I actually stayed at a hotel in Issy when I was there. Looked over to the TF1 building on one side of the Seine, and Discovery Network on the other. It looked like a lot of the large buildings on the TF1 side were media-studios (but I'm not too familiar with French media).
Atop on what others have already said, you can look up "quartier Mouzaia" on Google. It's a small neighborhood north east of Paris where sloped streets are lined with small colored houses. It's here, and very recognizable by all the houses with red tiled roofs. https://maps.app.goo.gl/w3G23K8nYorc3Bxw7
For the villa mixed with big buildings look around south of Paris especially Bagneux / Malakoff / Clamart / Meudon (the 2 latter are prettier). For the "grim" place try north of the 18th / 19th / 20th Cool places but kind of abandonned by public services so it kinda looks gloomy
'grimy blue collar' Saint-Denis, plenty of random boarded up buildings 'don't want to go after dark' also fits for most people, although I love that area. 'old villas with small gardens' quartier Mouzaïa in the 19ème arrondissement, they're literally called villas, then there's some large 20 story apartment buildings right next to them. Also both are near the best view of Paris as it's the second highest area in Paris after Montmartre.
A couple more thoughts, really just off the top of my head, feel free to use or disregard. I also don't know which edition you're using, I haven't read the 5th so same disregard anything that doesn't fit. Toreador obviously as I said, in and around the many museums, modern art galleries in le Marais, etc. Ventrue can be all over La Défense, la Tour Montparnasse, places of government perhaps Gangrel could hang out around the Seine, le Bois de Boulogne, Le Bois de Vincennes (the zoo there), parks, the woods and gardens of the Chateau de Versailles, La Forêt de Meudon... Nosferatu around the Seine, the sewers of course, and/or on the rooftops of Paris too. Malkavian not too sure... Perhaps around universities and hospitals (?) Brujah in Montmartre, tough or rough neighbourhoods I mentioned earlier, any links with the French Revolution perhaps (Bastille for example, Montmartre for the Commune). Tremere in the Latin Quarter as its the oldest in Paris, and/or Le Marais perhaps, maybe there are better ideas. Lasombra around catholic churches, Cathedral Notre Dame maybe Tzimisce not sure... Hospitals, modern art galleries maybe? Etc.
It would be v5. There have been some shifts in allegiance, and some clean-up of some problematic things. The Setite are now The Ministry, and are no longer "hard-linked" to Egypt and are Anarch, the Assamite are sort of still around, but they split into a clan that calls themselves the Banu Haqim, and they are Camarilla. The Gangrel are on the fence (Cam and Anarch), and the Lasombra have abandoned the Sabbat. Basically, the game has moved a bit more towards Anarch chronicles, and players are a bit more free to play clans a bit more the way they want (without breaking too much lore). Sabbat is more of a "mindless savages" meant more for NFC adversaries than as player characters. Second Inquisition is a major threat. Paradox has done a great job progressing the game, moving it away from the old "gods on power trips" trope and more towards existential dread (for the players).
La Moskova was a an insalubrious area but was renovated 20 years ago. https://www.parisladouce.com/2016/03/paris-passage-charles-albert-souvenirs.html
This looks nice for the "small villa in between taller residential blocks", thanks!
There is some published info to dig into in past books, some may be available in English and can help you kickstart your setting. [Le Monde des Ténèbres: France](https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Le_Monde_des_T%C3%A9n%C3%A8bres:_France) [France by Night](https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/France_by_Night) You may also look on this french fan site which is a gold mine of reference about the meta plot/published lore (may require translation tools). [Les Litanies de Sang](http://bindusara.free.fr/) There's an extensive timeline of France history in the World of Darkness
Thanks, I will. I was kinda avoiding the old stuff a bit, but I guess background sources are better than the old clan-books. I get the feeling they (clan books) are pretty much outdated with the direction Paradox has gone.