Security of the parks: detailing the security measures in place protecting the independent Gangrel Domain of Swope Park and Fleming.

• The only PC characters that have radio contact with the watcher are Palatine Officials.  This includes the Witan and their deputies, not the coterie members. PC ghouls that have been assigned to the watcher teams have "on duty" access to a radio only. (Currently this is only Karl Stanley)
• There are no camera's in Swope park or in Fleming. The security reports that are IC referred to are the hand written Daily Activity Reports of the park rangers and the Nightly Activity Reports of the watchers.
• There is no "gate guard". The gates are locked at sundown. To get into the park you must either have a key or circumvent the fencing.  Not hard for Kindred. It is assumed that once you are acknowledged in the Palatine, your Gangrel character can obtain a key for the asking.

Both parks are patrolled by mounted Rangers with blood bound hound-dog companions. The night rangers are part of the watcher system but not the entirety of it. Any PC may NPC a ranger meeting PC characters from other clans, but mostly the Gangrel PCs will not be confronted by any security people.

• Shroud rating: The Ends of Empire book has wrought severe changes on the Shadowlands. The wraithly stronghold within Swope Park was ravaged by the Sixth Great Maelstrom. The survivors who stood fast against the mass invasion of Spectres, and their outposts in the Park, are still recovering. The base Shroud rating for the area is 6, lowered within the Haunt that remained after the overwhelming force of the Maelstrom passed. Yet, those who seek the Haunt from outside are just as liable to be beaten into a plasmic pulp. Bands of hungry Spectres, or even the original residents, are equally likely to send an invader off to a Harrowing for her trouble. As if that risk wasn't enough, lesser Maelstroms battering the isolated wraithly Necropolis still pose a problem. 

• Gauntlet rating: The majority of the Park has a standard Gauntlet of 7. The areas secured by the Gangrel as 'secret/Clan only' have a Gauntlet rating of 10. This includes, but is not exclusive to, the areas listed here.
• Banality: The Park is not a source of Banality in and of itself; however, the Gangrel residents certainly are. As the average vampire has a Banality rating of 8-9, prolonged exposure to their presence is hazardous to the fae.
• The Swope Park Zoo: It should be noted that as an "eternal night" room, the Zoo's operating hours take place 'off-stage,' as with all daylight activities in the Park.
• Penumbral aspect: Travel through the Umbra here is a dangerous prospect. There have been occasional sightings of hideous and powerful corrupt spirits; only the Gangrel might have any idea why. In addition, a number of Naturae and Elementals watch over and protect the Umbral aspect of the Park.

• The Gangrel control the Zoo's administration. A number of the Clan's members are employees of the Park, as well. Rori Windwalker has taken control of the Park Rangers. The Gangrel have befriended two mortal gangs in the area, and has allies within the Camarilla to potentially sway many other aspects of the city's mortal authorities in the Clan's favor.
• Mortal security forces for the Park and Zoo have been ghouled by their respective Kindred caretakers, and perform patrols of their areas on foot, in golf carts, or on horseback as appropriate. The Park Rangers in particular handle most contact with careless mortals who trespass on the Park grounds after dark. The Rangers also make use of blood hounds to aid in tracking down trespassers, with the beneficial side effect of the animals' tendency to react badly to Obfuscated vampires in the area. The Park's various guardians stay in radio contact, and are armed. The Zoo's night security staff has access to tranquilizer dart guns, and the industrial-strength tranquilizers will work as well against an African bull elephant as a raging Lupine.
• The Zoo closes at sunset, and is locked down. The Park also closes at night, its own gates locked. Vehicles used by the Gangrel Clan members are parked in a secured employee lot at the Zoo; cars in the pubblic lots are towed with impunity. The animals in the Zoo are displayed in natural-style habitats, not some plain old square cages. At night, they are not in their display habitats for trespassers to see. Many of the Zoo's animals, unfortunately, are not nocturnal, and don't appreciate being disturbed. They are kept in secure places to sleep where they cannot be  viewed. They often provide enough of a security measure on their own, sounding off quite a ruckus when they are awakened. When some sort of interaction is desired at the Zoo or elsewhere around the Park during the day, it must take place 'off-stage.' The Swope Park room is one of the 'eternal night' rooms, in deference to Gangrel players who visit the site during Necropolis's daylight hours. For an example of what the Zoo is like, Click Here.
• Finally, the animals within the Park are also a valuable resource for the Gangrel. Through use of Animalism, many of the creatures that reside in the Park act as eyes and ears for the Clan. There are also unfounded rumors about a pack of wolves that supposedly live in the Park. While that  pair of eyes in the dark may not be human, it could well be an animal in touch with the Gangrel... or one of the Clan themselves, in animal form.

• Several of these four-man teams may be on duty at any given time in Swope Park. A variety of Gangrel characters serve on the sniper teams as well. All are trained in marksmanship, and get plenty of practice. They use radios to stay in contact with each other and the Clan's enforcers, relaying locations of invaders in the Park, their activities, and their supernatural 'species' if applicable. The radios are NOT the only communication they have, some of the more kindred leaders do not rely on radio but prefer the combat sign language if in line-of-sight.
• The teams have a number of members capable of aura-scans using Auspex 2, Aura Perception. They tend to consist of three ghouled riflemen and one Kindred spotter, who possesses the Auspex for aura-scans. Anyone who enters Swope Park without first receiving permission from the Jarl can expect to be intercepted and escorted out, killed, or eaten...depending on just what they are. 
• Kindred are generally met by the Clan's enforcers, while non-Kindred can expect worse treatment. The independent Gangrel Chronicle requires that a character sheet be submitted for approval when a new Gangrel character is introduced; our character guidelines and submission form are available for all interested players.
• Even so, the Gangrel hold to the Traditions; maintaining the Masquerade is  paramount. They adhere to the Jarl's Rules of Conduct, which the Constable is in charge of enforcing. People whose mere presence constitutes a breach of Masquerade, or an imminent threat to it, are dealt with harshly -- even Clan members who are new to town are expected to heed the Traditions. A quick escort at gunpoint from the Gangrel Domain is the kindest response such a threat to the Masquerade may expect.
• The Sniper Teams' combat stats, used mainly for volleys of sniper fire from surprise, are as follows: Dex 3, Perception 3, Firearms 4. They observe targets, giving themselves time to aim; they use aimed shots, adding their Perception rating to their firing pool after spending some turns aiming. They also add 2 dice for using sighting scopes; while they have laser targeting sights, they are not used for serious work, but to scare off people. In short, each sniper has 12 dice in his pool to fire his first shot. They use a variety of high quality hunting rifles, which are silenced in keeping with the Masquerade, but subsonic ammunition is not bothered with. In the wide expanse of the Park, the woods swallow up what noise they make.

The Sniper Teams' firearms are 30-06 (or 30-30) hunting rifles ranging in brand from Remington, Winchester, or Sauer depending on the preference of the shooter. Their ammunition for the most part consists of silver nitrate hollowpoints with holy water waxed into hollows. [Damage 8 (+2 additional for hollow point.) The holy water adds +1agg (unsoakable) to Kindred.]When Garou are being fired upon, the ghouls will choose silver hollow points. The spotter for the team carries a 12 gauge shotgun, either the 870 Special Purpose Magnum, Model 332 Over and Under, or the ever popular 11-87 SP Super Magnum. The rounds are staggered when loaded, going buckshot, slug, buckshot, and so on. A variety of shotgun slugs are available on the market right now. The 12 guage is perfect for close combat and will drop any intruder in a few blasts who gets too close for comfort.

• Among the Kindred, the Gangrel have found allies in the Camarilla and other Clans. Some members of these various factions have received permission to visit the Gangrel Domain. The Domain Guests roster notes these Kindred by name. Details on the Clan's alliances among the Kindred are known only to them. The Sabbat are at war with the independent Gangrel as well as the Camarilla, however; any known Sabbat are executed on sight, as are any later found to be Sabbat.
• The Gangrel do have a handful of non-Kindred allies to their credit. Most of these, of course, are ghouls, whether they are human or animal in nature. Any others will either be escorted out of the Park, served up as dinner for the Kindred, or perhaps just destroyed if they make trouble. None of the Gangrel are interested in harboring any of the so-called Reborn, or mummies, within the Clan's domain, and the Caern's declared war against all vampires certainly precludes any relations whatsoever with changers of any stripe.
• Even the Gangrels' ghoul allies must tread lightly within Swope Park. Bringing enemies into the Park, and any other action that might be taken as hostile could easily result in the untimely death of a supposed ally. The Clan will not tolerate abuse by any of their allies. They are expected to leave well enough alone; their help is not necessarily needed, or desired. Only those who have earned the trust and respect of the Clan's members take some part in the Park's defense. It is a responsibility which should not be taken lightly.
• The Gangrel clan also has a number of allies among the surviving Wraiths, although they are hardly as numerous as they once were. Although they are busy for the most part with retaking their minor Necropolis (the Wraith use of the term, not the city name here) they may still be working with their unliving allies.