Guided by a Storyteller to provide an outline, characters embarked on imaginary adventures. Players sat at tables and rolled dice to determine the outcome of situations. That's just in California. Games also appeared across the country, from New Orleans to New York, and as far away as France and Sweden. 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. Know when to stop. No, the vampires don't bite each other, and they don't bite non-players, either. Vampires gather for a midnight portrait. The action is in the players' imaginations, and the appeal lies largely in the allure of being someone else for a night.