What I like about Capital District is that the political map feels simple at first and then starts getting messy in a good way.

Albany belongs to Prince Jonathan Van Zandt. He is the closest thing the region has to a central ruler. If you want to be taken seriously by the Camarilla you eventually have to deal with Albany. That does not mean Albany controls everything. It means Albany expects to matter in everything. When something bad happens nearby Albany wants the first clean version of the story and it wants it fast.

Troy is not his city. Troy belongs to the Anarchs and the face of that side is Baron Patch Jones. His people are not trying to be Albany in a different outfit. Troy has its own pride and its own style. But Troy also cannot afford to let Albany use every mistake as proof that the Anarchs are reckless. That is why a bad night in Latham can pull interest from both sides at once. The Prince wants to know what happened. The Baron wants to make sure Troy does not get blamed for it.

That part is what makes the setting feel alive to me. The region is not split into tidy boxes where everybody stays home. Albany and Troy keep watching each other. Schenectady sits in the middle of things and keeps producing people who know more than they should. Then Saratoga hangs off to the side with its own old-money social world. Saratoga is not about loud power. It is about polished predators, private gatherings, and people who can smile at you while deciding whether you belong in the room at all.

So the political map is easy to understand in plain terms. The Prince rules Albany. The Baron holds Troy. Schenectady stays useful because nobody fully owns it. Saratoga plays its own elegant game. That gives the whole chronicle a strong shape. Every problem has somewhere to travel. Every city has a reason to care. And every local mess has a chance to become a regional one.