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| Publisher | White Wolf Publishing |
|---|---|
Publication date | 1994 |
The Masquerade is a 1994live action role-playing game published byWhite Wolf Publishing.
Shannon Appelcline relates that "Besides their five RPGs, White Wolf also expanded theWorld of Darkness in another direction: live action roleplaying games, starting with theVampire-focusedMind's Eye Theatre: The Masquerade (1993).Mark Rein•Hagen had been thinking about LARPs sinceArs Magica, but this was the first time his ideas saw print."[1]: 15 Appelcline explained that LARPs were disconnected from the tabeltop role-playing hobby for many years, but "That changed in the ’90s, a fact that many attribute to White Wolf ’sMind's Eye Theatre LARP,The Masquerade (1994) — aVampire-based live action game. Certainly,The Masquerade was wildly successful and introduced a whole new generation of players to the roleplaying community, including a much larger proportion of women than had been seen before."[1]: 372
The adventureThe Elder's Revenge was published in 1995, and the sourcebookLiber des Goules: The Book of Ghouls was published in 1997.[citation needed]
Roger Spendlove reviewedThe Masquerade inWhite Wolf #37 (July/Aug., 1993), rating it a 4 out of 5 and stated that "AlthoughMind's Eye Theatre could be aimed at the general public (and perhaps future installments will be),The Masquerade will probably appeal only to experienced gamers. I'm looking forward to future installments! Science Fiction? Fantasy? Historical settings? TheMind's Eye Theatre system of interactive entertainment has great potential in any genre."[2]
Derek Pearcy reviewedThe Masquerade inPyramid #4 (Nov./Dec., 1993), and stated that "Overall, the game was executed very well. The graphic design is consistent with the feel of previousVampire products, and playing the game with the right people is a good experience. At conventions, where you can get several hundred people playing at once, all scheming and conniving, it can be exhilarating. And okay, so you don't like the rules? Like their rulebook says, don't use them."[3]