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Vampire: the Masqurade
Roleplaying
Vampire is a game of make-believe, of pretend, of storytelling. Although Vampire is a game, it is more about storytelling than winning. If you've never done this kind of thing before, you may be confused by the whole premise of a storytelling game. Once you catch on to the basic concepts, however, you'll find that it isn't all that strange, and is, in fact, eerily familiar.
You, along with some of your friends, are going to tell stories of madness and lust. Tales of things that go bump in the night. Tales of peril, paranoia, sinister, shadowy evil. Tales from the darkest recesses of our unconscious minds. And at the heart of these stories are vampires.
These stories will capture your imagination far more readily than any play or movie; likewise, they are of a darker nature than the children's fairy tales you might remember (although those were rather grim if you remember back). This is because you are inside the story and not just watching it. You are creating it as you go along, and the outcome is always uncertain.
This game provides a way to experience a horror of an all too immediate nature, for you experience the terror from the other side of the mirror. The horror of Vampire is the legacy of being half a beast, trapped in a world of no absolutes, where morality is chosen, not ordained. The horror of Vampire is the evil within, and the all-consuming lust for warm blood.
Perhaps the greatest danger of playing Vampire is that of seeing yourself in the mirror. To play this game you must face the madness within you, that which you strive to master and overcome, but cannot bear to face.
Unless you are willing to face the reflection of your own imperfections then go no further. Madness as well as wisdom rewards those who dare to gaze into that eternity.
- Vampire: The Masqurade, 2nd Ed. Chapter One: Introduction
First and foremost, roleplaying is about forgeting yourself for a while, and walking in someone else's shoes. Be they the shoes of your boss, your neighbors, an elf, dwarf, vampire, werewolf, or demigod, it makes no difference. The point is to "become" someone else; to see and react as someone else, in their world. This can help you understand others, lead to interguing revilations about yourself, or just be fun. While roleplaying, you are playing a game of "let's pretend." You can create romantic love stories, epic adventures, or heart wrenching tragidies.
Some roleplaying games are adventures. You become an elven archer, and with a party of others, seek glory, gold, or to just be the toughest bunch around. Others are fantasies; being superman, a millionare, or General Custer at the battle of Little Big Horn. Vampire is a game of personal horror, of being the monster in the horror flick, that always gets it in the end. Of existing, hidden in a world that hates you - for good reason, sometimes - and fighting battles both within your soul, and in the real world.