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Naturally the game changed with the advent of the live-action format. Players now wear costumes and interact directly. The custom of rolling dice, obviously impractical on a city street, has given way to a system of simple hand signs denoting challenges, time outs and even invisibility. The gestures also preempt physical contact, a point on which game rules are absolutely unambiguous: Don't touch. No weapons. Know when to stop. No, the vampires don't bite each other, and they don't bite non-players, either. Jana Marcus Addams Family Apples: Vampires gather for a midnight portrait. Front row: Camilla, Emperor Norton. Back row, left to right: Michel la Vue, Mephistion, Cameron Emery Todd, Hans-Peter Shatzen, Alia and Feyd. Allure of Being Someone Else at Night SO WHAT'S SO GREAT about it? No fangs, no duels, no stakes through the heart (stakes don't kill, only paralyze, anyway). Where's the action? What's the appeal? The action is in the players' imaginations, and the appeal lies largely in the allure of being someone else for a night.   Like a good book, the game is more about character development than plot progression. Character sheets--literally sheets of paper denoting a character's features, strengths, vulnerabilities and magical powers--are held in the Storyteller's safekeeping and considered the bottom line in this intense exercise in imagination. Creating a character is seductive business. First you choose a clan. Will your character belong to the clan of Ventrue, the defiant bluebloods? Or would you rather play a Toreador--a sensual hedonist with an artistic bent? Seven major and numerous minor clans are available for the choosing. You pick physical, mental and social attributes for your character. You may be poetic, strong and lonely, or beautiful and clever but slow. You can be anyone you want to be--but nobody's perfect. You must choose weaknesses, too, an Achilles' heel that you always strive to hide. That's why the Storyteller holds the character sheets. Once your fellow players know your vulnerabilities, you're done for. Character sheets also serve as evidence when disputes arise. Suppose a character named Morgan, known for her agility, is physically challenged by a brute named Gerald. Both players are honor-bound to acknowledge their characters' limitations, and they determine the outcome of the confrontation with two out of three rounds of (to their collective chagrin) rock-scissors-paper. If Morgan wins, then her agility supersedes Gerald's strength and she escapes unharmed. Should Gerald question Morgan's physical ability to duck, they go to the Storyteller, who refers to the character sheets and settles the question. The background story of Masquerade is exceedingly complex. Basically, all vampires--called Kindred--are descended from Cain. The closer a Kindred's generation to Cain, the more powerful he or she is. Antediluvians are the oldest and most powerful, followed by Methuselahs and Elders, who are forever harassing younger generations. Everyone strives for power--money, influence, sway over other Kindred. The clans coexist more or less uneasily. Backstabbing and double-crossing abound. Currently in Santa Cruz, the Kindred have been in an uproar since the arrival of two Elders, Francis and Girard, who are battling for the possession of a magical scarab that has the power to bring vampires back to life. The two Elders, masterful manipulators, pit Kindred against each other, creating even more strife than existed before. Blood Brothers: Vampires rarely smile, as these five gentlemen can attest. Front row: Bob Harley. Back row, left to right: Kyle Grey, Yani Balzac, Alexi Pierce and Michael Preston Croft IV. Photo by Jana Marcus BACK NEXT