Vampire: The Masquerade

"Vampire: The Masquerade" is a fantasy pen & paper role playing game that was created in the early 1990s and has become ever since one of the most popular games of its kind.

The game is themed around the concept of vampirism which is very popular in literature since the medieval ages. In this context, the game explores various aspects of human personality, such as "themes of morality, depravity, the human condition (or appreciation of the human condition in its absence), salvation, and personal horror."  

Each Vampire belongs to a distinct clan or bloodline. These groupings share distinct characteristics, powers and curses. The Nosferatu, for example, all share the disciplines of Animalism, Obfuscate and Potence and the curse of disfiguring appearance. A bloodline is a distinct split from the main clans, as the curse of Caine is changed over time, representing new expressions of vampirism. Some bloodlines, such as the Gargoyles, are artificially created through applications of Thaumaturgy. The Caitiff are an exception to the rule, as they are considered clanless sharing no disciplines and curse, they are viewed as a disquieting sign of the coming armageddon.

The game plays out like a classic pen&paper RPG, with a storyteller or game-master narrating a story and setting the environment, and the players describing their characters' actions within that setting. According to their actions the characters stay closer to their human side or their "beast" side.

Based on the pen & paper game, a PC game was developed in 2004, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, which became a best-seller. 

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