Rating: * * * *

If there is a specific, famous and popular game for the vampire fan, Vampire: The Masquerade is it. Not only is it one of the most popular games on the market today, but it's also stuffed full of the wonderful Gothic creepiness that vampire fans are bound to love. After all, you do get to play a vampire.

The game has much to recommend it. First of all, the basic book for The Masquerade contains a great deal of information on setting up and running a role-playing game. Nowhere else have I ever seen such attention given to the novice player of storyteller, which explains some of the great success that V:TM has enjoyed. If you read the basic book cover to cover, you will have a very good idea how a role-playing game is played. What's more, White Wolf has gently guided you into a higher-quality role-playing experience. It is difficult to make V:TM a game entirely based on combat. What rules are presented are generally very simple and easy to apply. There is no "deviation of thrown missiles" table here. Instead there are a few charts and suggestions, and a reliance on the Storyteller's good sense and judgement.

But what makes Vampire: The Masquerade shine is the rich, involved background that has grown up around it. White Wolf has allowed it's game to grow organically, with input from a large number of individuals, and the result has become a tremendously diverse and satisfyingly arcane history of the vampire race. There are tales of treachery, lies, honor, love, and weakness that have all changed the destiny of the vampire race forever. What is merely hinted at in one supplement is developed into a full-scale legend in another. This synergy and attention to detail has gained the World of Darkness setting affection of people who love arcane lore and ancient secrets.

Equally impressive is the latitude that the characters are allowed in creating their characters against this stunning background. V:TM vampires are not locked into three of four character types. There are thirteen full vampire clans, two warring sects and dozens of smaller bloodlines and factions within vampire society. Many of these clans echo vampires from famous books or movies. If you can imagine a vampire with a certain or trait, there's probably a vampire clan or bloodline to match. And for experienced players, the role-playing opportunities are endless. Tired of playing a vampire, and unable to go about in the sunlight? The interlocking nature of the Storyteller games means that players may, with their storyteller's permission, introduce werewolves, ghosts, wizards, mummies, ghouls, faerie folk, or regular old humans. There's even a net supplement that allows the player to be a Highlander-style immortal.

I won't pretend that V:TM is perfect. There are a few flaws. First of all, I don't like the system. The dice-rolling system is unnecessarily complex and time-consuming, especially if you have to roll eight or more dice. But that really is a small annoyance if you are enjoying the role- playing aspect of it, and not dropping dice all the time. My big problem with the game is the spread of information. As mentioned above, White Wolf's World of Darkness is a rich and complex setting for a role-playing campaign. Unfortunately, without a lot of imagination and labor, much of that setting cannot be used if you only have the basic $28 book. I am not *quite* cynical enough to say that this is a plan on White Wolf's part to force people to buy more supplements, but they have spread out the thirteen major clans and their disciplines over four books. You don't *have* to have all the books to run a decent campaign, but there are no centralized basics for clan information and enemies in Masquerade. If you want to utilize the broad background that WW has assembled, you're going to have to pay for it. Still, most of White Wolf's supplements are pretty well packed with useful information, and are worth the money you spend on them.

Vampire: The Masquerade is one of the most popular role-playing games in the world, and it's not difficult to see why. With the gentle yet thorough introduction into the world of role- playing, V:TM is an ideal game for people who have never played such games before. And for those who are experienced role-players, the World of Darkness background is so rich and detailed that there are constantly new places and situations to explore. And while there are a few drawbacks to the game system, they seldom interfere enough to spoil a well-constructed storyline. If you are a vampire fan, and are looking for a new experience, find a copy of Vampire: The Masquerade. There's a whole new world waiting for you between the covers.