Vampires: a play on roles from Bram Stoker through Anne Rice

As an independent journalist, Bob MacKenzie writes articles for a number of print and internet publications. The local and national scope of his articles for the Kingston Net Times, the Kingston Business Journal, and other publications make them of interest to readers not just in Kingston but across North America. This article is reprinted here for your information. All material included in this page is copyright © Bob MacKenzie, 1996. No reproduction for any reason is allowed without prior permission in writing from the author.

The article below was published on the internet in the Kingston Net Times.

by Bob MacKenzie

Vampires loom large in a new role playing game that is gaining popularity across North America and was introduced to Kingston on June 1, this year. This game, referred to by its coordinators as "a live action roleplaying game," is the latest manifestation of a long tradition of role play games and ritual.

As long as there have been people on this Earth, some members of every society have participated in role play, in which an individual can play the part of another, perhaps more interesting or more powerful being. For centuries, only children playing pretend and shamans and other spiritual leaders invoking their gods were involved in role play.

For most of this century, however, role play has evolved as a leisure activity for adults wishing to escape the stresses of our times. Groups calling themselves creative anachronists create a world of knights and ladies and chivalry, complete with full mediaeval costumes and settings. Other groups reenact famous battles and other historical events in full period dress.

Many others play a role game generically called capture the flag, in which they form opposing armies, often complete with uniforms. Possibly the best known variant on this game features weapons which fire colored paint. Another version uses laser weapons which participants aim at reflective patches on their opponents' clothing. However, Alison Young, who is a leader in roleplaying in Kingston, states that, "Serious roleplayers do not consider such pretend combat games to be roleplaying at all, merely fancy roughhousing."

One roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons, became very popular about 30 years ago but later fell into disrepute when some players became too caught up in their roles. The press was alive with stories of high school and college students who were seriously hurt or killed when they got carried away while playing their Dungeons and Dragons roles. One outcome was that the reputation of all roleplaying games became somewhat tarnished. Another was that roleplaying enthusiasts realized that there must be a safety net, a set of rules designed to protect the players.

Then there are the vampires. In the sixties, a television series, Dark Shadows, initiated an interest in vampires that has grown steadily since, as evidenced by the many series and documentaries on television, the dozens of movies featuring vampires, and the phenomenal success of Anne Rice's series of novels beginning with Interview With a Vampire. A more recent development is the vampire role playing game, with players taking on roles of vampire characters with theatrical names like Deusus Dray, Maliki the Mime, Forsetti, and Harlequin.

Played by enthusiasts in cities around the world, the game in Kingston has grown like wildfire. Beginning with 20 players last June, New Blood, Kingston's live action vampire game, now has more than 80 participants who gather weekly at the place they call Elysium, in fact the John Deutsch University Centre at Queen's. New Blood has joined the Queen's University Gaming Club, which allows them to take over the JDUC for their games. Most of the stories played out are developed by the players themselves under the guidance of the Storyteller.

The organizers state that "this is theatre as well as roleplaying," and the game plays out as a sort of improvisational theatre, with each character operating within a set of rules and relationships governed by the Storyteller, Michael Wibberley, and the Narrator, Alison Young. Based on a commercial game, "Vampire: The Masquerade" by White Wolf Studios, New Blood operates under a strict set of rules based on the Mind's Eye Theatre rules for the Masquerade. The Storyteller and the Narrator are critical to the flow and management of this game, especially as it gains increasing numbers of players.

Young points out that the Kingston group is "actually unusual in that we operate with only two people. Most other games of such size operate with a Storytelling Team consisting of a head Storyteller and several Narrators. We prefer it this way because we have more control, even though it's a lot of work. We consider ourselves the Mom and Dad for the game, because we usually end up saying no to players a lot when they try outlandish or unfair things."

"The Storyteller," according to Young, "acts as a guiding force, and dictates what happens when your character interacts with non-character outside forces. He has the final say over anything that occurs in the game. The Narrator is a rules facilitator, and the liaison between the Storyteller and characters. I'm usually the one who does all the paperwork. Michael's the creative guy; I'm the organization expert." It is the Storyteller and the Narrator who are responsible to ensure the enjoyment and safety of the players.

Because of the intellectual content and emotional potential of the game, safety of the players is of paramount concern. Players are reminded always that they are only playing a role and are not in fact the character they are playing. As one example of how stringent safety measures are, all weapons or articles which may become weapons must be made of cardboard and must be approved by the Storyteller before they are used in the game.

Players are obligated to follow what the Kingston New Blood web page refers to as "The Rules of Courtly Intrigue." While Young says she feels that the title created by her webmaster is "overly melodramatic", she states that the rules themselves are necessary to make the game safe and fun for everyone.

One section of these rules -- The Law -- sets out a stringent code of conduct for players. Players must do nothing illegal or dangerous. They are not to drink alcohol or take drugs either before or during the gatherings. Horseplay with other players is discouraged because it can be construed as assault. Running, jumping and sliding down banisters as well as similar potentially dangerous behaviors are not allowed. Players are told there will be no littering, and cigarette butts are specifically mentioned.

A further safety precaution, important enough to rate its own category in the rules, is the "freeze" emergency stop. If the Storyteller or Narrator see that someone is at risk, they can yell "freeze" and the game will stop until the situation is resolved. As well, any player who is in trouble, has the option to yell "freeze" and stop the game.

There is also clearly a concern about the negative image Dungeons and Dragons has given role playing games. The players in New Blood want rather to present a positive image. The final item in The Law states, "We don't want to make any bad impressions. The police have visited us twice now, and the last thing we need is to appear irresponsible."

Young is careful to point out that, "We weren't in trouble or anything, the police just wanted to know why 40 people dressed all in black were hanging out in Churchill Park. We sent Chief Closs a letter describing what we were doing, and included the house rules, and haven't heard a peep since, although we also moved to JDUC soon after."

According to information included in the New Blood web page, except with special permission, non-participants are not invited to the game, or "gathering" as it is called by the players. If they do attend, visitors are not allowed to assume character roles or to interact with the players. Only the storyteller can make an exception to this rule. However, Young says the rules are somewhat less strict than that.

"Actually," she says, "we welcome new people all the time, and curious folks are welcomed as shadows, designated with a badge or ribbon so no characters will mistake them for other characters, and told to follow someone around all night to watch. Often, they make appointments to create a character for themselves."

On the other hand, regarding visitors taking on character roles, Young says, "Michael never makes an exception. That line is only in there because of one moron visitor who messed up a lot of people by interacting with them."

Between gatherings, players are encouraged to interact with one another in role, so that the game is, in fact, ongoing. These interactions are then reported at the following gathering.

According to Young, "There's two facets to this: they can meet with other players in person, or they can write us notes about what their character is doing privately. Player activities usually get gossiped about, and notes detailing more private results get handed back before each game. It's all very soap operatic."

Elysium Gathers are held weekly upstairs at the JDUC, at the corner of University Avenue and Union Street, on Queen's Campus. The organizers note on their web page that "the JDUC is Elysium, please conduct yourself accordingly while there."

One unique aspect of this game is that it is portable from city to city. New Blood belongs to an organization called The Shared Universe, which links the White Wolf games of different cities, facilitating communication and travel between games, and enables the actions of one group of players to have an impact on a second group.

The Shared Universe provides common interpretations of the rules and a common over-plot adopted by all its participating cities. This is intended to reduce any confusion a participant may encounter in playing his character in another city or setting.

A Kingston player, Stuart Leddy, owns Smee's Games and Comics, where New Blood's "out of game" operations take place. To get in contact with the Storytellers for more information, go to Smee's or call 384-9088 and ask for Michael or Alison. Smee's also sells products needed for participation in games by White Wolf, creator of "Vampire: The Masquerade."

"The only product people absolutely need," according to Young, "is an ankh, and they don't have to get it from Smee's, though we encourage it because he's so generous with us. That's pretty much the only expense players have, too, although we ask for donations to cover photocopying, printer ink and paper, and props. Usually we operate at a loss, however."