Students bare fangs in role-playing game

By Jaimee Kuperman

Arizona Daily Wildcat

More than 50 flyers were located around campus advertising one of the largest role-playing action events. Forty people attended this event dressed in characteristic garb from black outfits to fake teeth. Vampire is a live-action, interactive masquerade.

"It is nice to be irrational, after all week of being in a rational environment," said Jason Corely, math senior.

This event attracted all different ages, including high school seniors to UA graduate students. The game took place Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. at Universal Church and ended at midnight.

Participants used action role-playing books to work on their characters, building a background of what clan the character belonged to and what time period they existed.

No specific character knows how the story is going to end. The story changes as the role-playing begins and consists of characters acting out their parts according to their clans, and is a continuous game that carries over from one month to the next.

This event gives people a chance to become any character they choose to be, creating the vampire's existence. Many characters are invented to convey the mood the person is feeling at that moment. Sometimes a link is made between the person and the character, and they may assume that alter ego for a long period of time.

Like the old "Clue" game, everyone is included in the mystery of the killing. Who did it? With what weapon? And where did it take place? Several killings take place in the dark, leaving the all in awe. The characters form a circle to discuss the details of the death.

"It's a great way to meet people, and it's better than a football game," said Donna Miller, theater arts freshman.

"It's a creative way to make stories up. It is a great event because everybody interprets the game differently," said Leslie Educatioli, music education junior, as she ate the ankh (symbol of life) off the cake, served at the game.

"Vampire was designed to give people a chance to act out and be creative," said Christopher Lions, coordinator of Vampire. The event included many returning characters, giving people a chance to turn the pages as they write the story.

Read Next Article