The story of “Vampire: The Masquerade,” an action role-playing game, unfolds in a world of darkness, a realm where the rich are richer, ghettos stretch for miles and vampires roam the streets.

But Dead City Productions, a Northwestern group that uses “Vampire” as a basis for its games, tries not to focus as much on the macabre side of gaming, said Rodrigo Lopez, the group’s vice president.

“We like to play ‘Vampire’ in the world of not-so-brightly-lit,” said Lopez, a Communication sophomore. “We’re not insane. We are college students who go to a pretty decent university who are just in it to take a break from studying and have fun.”

Students can experience Dead City at 5 p.m. Saturday during “Vampire,” the group’s newbie game, in Parkes Hall. According to President Eben Lowe, all a player needs is a pencil and an open mind. The group creates a plot beforehand and passes out character cards at the event.

Dead City has been part of NU since 1994, but not many people know about it, Lowe said.

“We joke and say we’re the best kept secret at Northwestern,” said Lowe, a Weinberg senior.

For students unfamiliar with gaming, explaining what Dead City does is difficult, Lopez said.

“It’s kind of like a game, improvisational theater and collective storytelling rolled into one,” Lopez said.

Group members called “storytellers” write a script that forms a continuous story for the whole year. Players create their own characters and portray them while interacting during games.

“Vampire” provides not only inspiration for the group but also offers a set of rules, including conflict resolution strategies, members said. Game disputes are decided using a rock-paper-scissors system.

“We want to avoid the ‘Bang, you’re dead!’ ‘No I’m not’ phenomenon,” Lowe said.

This year’s story is set in Toledo, Ohio, and focuses on urban renewal and the difficulties that arise when new blood mingles with established residents. Players can choose between portraying a vampire or a human, Lopez said.

“We encourage everyone to play a vampire because humans have many disadvantages,” he said. “They can’t do things vampires can do, like bench-press trucks.”

The best characters have motivation and clear goals to achieve in the game. Group member Meaghan Bullock said people have to avoid making characters that are interesting but do not fit into the story.

“When creating a character, you’re trying to make sure that you’re not just engaging in mental masturbation, like, ‘This person’s so cool, I want to be this person,'” said Bullock, a Weinberg junior.

The more games players attend, the better their characters become. For each game they participate in, players earn one experience point to use to buy strength, vampire powers and other skills.

The group, which is recognized but not funded by Associated Student Government, meets about every other week to participate in live-action simulations of stories. There is no charge for the first few games of the year, but after that there is a $2 fee for each game.

Dead City has been using word-of-mouth to recruit students at NU over the years, but this year group members decided to run a poster campaign, Lowe said.

“There’s only so much advertising you can do for a specialized activity like this,” he said. “We just try to make the game entertaining for the players.”

Dead City is special because it is not passive entertainment, like flipping though a television, Lowe said. Role-playing games help keep the tradition of storytelling alive.

“We’re the last bastions of active entertainment in our culture,” he said.

‘Vampire: The Masquerade’

5 p.m., Saturday

Parkes Hall

What: Dead City Productions

Tickets: First games are free;

eventually $2 per game