designed by Nathan Paoletta
A dark-haired woman, staring out of stained glass, watching faces form in the rain. An ancient evil, unearthed for the first time since antiquity, re-learning the limits of its power. A hero, noble and pious, unable to accept the responsibility that is his birthright. A child, shedding a single tear while waiting for her mother to return. Two lovers, intertwined in a bower, each speckled with red, red blood. The Vampire is out there. You are it’s enemies, its lovers and its servants. How will you confront the darkness awaiting you?
Annalise is a game about making Vampire stories. Each player takes on the role of a protagonist in the story the group creates together, with the understanding that these characters are the victims, hunters and tools of the Vampire. A good example is playing the story of Dracula with one person in the role of Mina Harker, one as Van Helsing, one as Renfield. The Vampire in your game, like Dracula, is what drives the plot, but it is not a protagonist. Every game of Annalise involves the characters discovering the influence of the Vampire in their lives, and builds up to a confrontation with the creature, for good or ill. This is a game about pain, hunger and redemption. Pain, because the Vampire is only attracted to the vulnerable, those people who have experienced pain, suffering or loss in their lives. Hunger, because the Vampire hungers for that pain. Redemption, because there is always the possibility of redeeming your actions and desires - if you wish it.
The rules of the game are focused on discovering appropriate protagonists for your story, and then placing them under the influence of the Vampire. Once characters are established, the game moves through a series of scenes, each focused on one character, as they each travel their individual paths. The plot is driven by the creation and resolution of moments within each scene, where the characters actions generate the potential both for him or her to achieve their goals, but potentially fall prey to the consequences for doing so. The tension between achievement and consequence drives play along while the characters discover and then confront the creature that wishes to consume them.
Annalise is a game for two to four players, and can take a variable amount of time to play. A short, intense game can be played in four hours. A long, languid, slow-burning game can take up to 20 hours, broken into 3 or 4 hour sessions. The game is suited for people with no experience with this kind of game (often called a role-playing or story-game), as well as those who are familiar with the form. Those who do play role-playing games already will find that Annalise is structured in a rotating-GM style, where each player both plays a character and guides his or her fellow players through their characters scenes.
