Dracula's influence on roleplaying games

Dracula has influenced modern entertainment, but none more so than in the medium of tabletop roleplaying games.  The novel reimagined how a monster could be presented, and the charismatic deviant was interpreted into modern roleplaying games.  Examples vary, between Count Strahd von Zarovich in Dungeon & Dragon’s Ravenloft setting, to Dracula himself appearing in the Dracula Dossier for Night’s Black Agents.

Many roleplaying games include an archetype of the genteel monster, where the elegant exterior disguises their machinations.  A seemingly cultured opponent, who has their own wants and desires, offers far more roleplaying opportunities than just another monster that wants to eat people.

Vampires, as we know them in fiction, owe much of their predatory elegance to Dracula. The story undoubtedly influenced Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles, which in turn influenced The Lost Boys, Near Dark and many others.  These, in turn, influenced the portrayal of the modern vampire as an outsider in the roleplaying game Vampire: The Masquerade.  This game would go onto influence many other roleplaying games like Kult: Divinity Lost and Urban Shadows, as well as films such as Blade and Underworld.

For the past year, Peter Ray Allison co-founded Mythic Echoes and has been working with Dracula Returns to Derby; the 100th anniversary of Dracula being performed on stage. They have hosted the Vampire Games Day (vampire-themed roleplaying games in a gothic former library) and the vampire live roleplay (As Night Falls: The Auction).

Entry to this event is included with your UKGE entry ticket. Please have yours with you when you attend, or you will be refused entry. 

There are no reserved seating for this event, please arrive early and enjoy the wonderful British tradition of queuing to avoid disappointment.