I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Despite the numerous objections of my parents, I grew up playing pen and paper role-playing games. I would bet most gamers older than 20 have played the pen & paper versions of today's popular RPGs at least once in their lifetimes. Before video games seeped into every aspect of our society, gaming culture really revolved around this non-electronic, dice-driven entertainment form.

The first electronic gaming system that really penetrated the American home market (26 million units) was the Atari 2600, or VCS, created about 25 years ago. In contrast, 2004 was the 30th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. So my roots, as well as those of many other gamers, are buried deep in the soil of RPGs.

In preparing to play Vampire: The Masquerade, I realized I was at a disadvantage. I had never played in White Wolf's World of Darkness - the RPG setting upon which the game is based - so my knowledge of the subject was a little anemic. I figured that to write good review, I needed to do a little research so I could relate better to the characters and events in the game. So I called someone I knew could give me the real skinny on The Masquerade: I called Astra.

The game was announced just prior to the E3 convention in 2003, and Astra was one of the spokesmodels who promoted the game there. Perfect for the part, her life in many ways was similar to the long-fanged undead that are the subject of the game. Mind you... just similar to them, or was she actually one of them?

"Sure. I can help you relate to the vampires of The Masquerade. Come closer."

I found out too late just how much relating I would end up doing...