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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Mario Kart Wii!

Mario Kart Wii Welcome to the land of the famous plumber Mario! Either you are a fan of Mario games (from the past ages of Donkey Kong as I am) or not you are going to experience the ultimate fun! Pick up a character from various funny options; pick up a vehicle among cars, motorcycles even strollers, choose a course among fascinating, fantastic sceneries and gear up! A one of a kind racing game by Nintendo Wii playing console with a lot of pleasant surprises and traps… Race against your friends and family while gathering at home.

Ratings:

Fun factor: High. A very enjoyable game, pleasant music, fast with explosions and traps everywhere

Cost:  Normal. Standard cost for a Nintendo Wii game.

Complexity: Medium. The player has to learn all of the weapons and tricks that he/she must use in order to win and I assure you they are not few!

Duration: Until you are bored!!

Replayability: Medium. There are a lot of courses to play, a lot of characters to choose but as soon as you pick them all you are starting to loose interest.

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Introduction to Pen and Paper Role Playing Games

Pen and paper role playing games (RPGs) is a very popular category of fantasy games where players assume the role of a character and describe their actions through speech and/or using miniatures. In each pen and paper RPG, there is a comprehensive systems rule that describes the traits and abilities of each character and what actions they can perform. These games are typically turn-based, which means that each character may perform actions when their turn comes in a pre-determined, often randomized, cycle.

Pen and paper RPGs are played in small social gatherings, most often at home but occasionally on coffee shops and sometimes even at specially designed venues where big gatherings take place and even tournaments.

In a pen and paper RPG, the players create their characters (usually before the actual gaming session takes place) according to the specific rules of each game. The game rules dictate possible backgrounds and qualitative characteristics but also some numerical statistics. Many players usually go beyond the game rules to include sketches of how their character looks like and fine tune the whole role playing process.

After the characters have been created, the game procedure is being initiated by the Game Master (GM). The Game Master is usually a person well - versed in the rules of the specific game whose responsibility is to narrate a story and create the background for the players to act. Among the GM's responsibilities are to prepare the setting and the context where the game takes place, to play the role of all miscellaneous characters appearing in the plot interacting with the players, to describe events that take place, to  and even adjudicate disputes when they arise.


Most of these games rely on using various types of dice to introduce an element of randomization to the game and actually make it feel more alive. Several of the most popular pen and paper games have been implemented as PC games in the past, becoming blockbusters. The blooming category of massive multiplayer online RPGs that have conquered the PC gaming world have their roots in  these pen and paper games.

In subsequent posts we will explore several of the most popular pen & paper RPGs in more depth.