Intercon N Sign-Ups Fully Open at 7p!

What the subject says. Intercon N sign-ups are going to fully open (you can sign up for as many games as you want) in forty-five minutes, at 7 PM EST! Games will go fast. Get your browser logged in, your decisions made, and your clicking fingers ready to go!

Shameless plugs:

If you are looking for games to play Saturday, A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy, Hive for short, is running on Saturday evening, and is a Star Wars LARP set in the Mos Eisley cantina, which ran well at SLAW. I will likely be NPCing.

Genre is an experimental collaborative, improv-heavy game described as "TV Tropes: The LARP", also running Saturday evening.

Castillian Kings: Intrigue and Inquisition is running Saturday night late, a three-hour no-weirdshit history game inspired by the videogame Crusader Kings II.

Also my co-conspirators and I are running Heithur on Saturday afternoon. I was really happy with how it ran at SLAW. (I know we said that SLAW was the last run -- oops? It was hard to say no to running our Norse Noir LARP at Intercon Noir.)

Intercon N First Game Sign-Ups Open in 10 Minutes!

Intercon N sign-ups open today at 7p, at which point you will be able to sign up for one game. Let the frenzy begin!

Dreams of Ice and Ash running at Harvard next weekend!

From Tili Sokolov via e-mail:

If you're interested in LARPing and you're free 4pm-10pm on Saturday, November 23rd, you should sign up for the game I'm running then!

It's called The Dance and the Dawn: Dreams of Ice and Ash. It is a game of romance and tragedy, magic and cruelty. You will play a Lord of Ice or a Lady of Ash, one of those whose life is somehow ... incomplete, and you will spend the evening dancing with those of the other court, attempting to find your true love. Don't worry, you don't need to know how to dance, or how to break hearts; all you need in order to play is to FILL OUT THE CASTING SURVEY at this link! (That's the same as the "sign up" link. I put it in twice so you would see that it's important.)

First-time players very welcome!

They're definitely looking for more players.

"Dreams of Ice and Ash" is as the title implies the sequel to the well-known game "The Dance and the Dawn", although Tili says you do not need to have played The Dance and the Dawn in order to play this game. The Dance and the Dawn is a very elegant game -- I expect the same of the sequel.

Score Your Next Costume at the MIT Musical Theater Guild's Fall Costume Sale!

From Matt Peairs via e-mail:

Still looking for that last piece of your Halloween costume? [Or your LARP costume. -ed.] You should swing by the MTG Fall Costume Sale, where all your hopes, dreams, and fantasies can come true!

WHAT: MTG Fall Costume Sale (where we sell the results of our latest costume shop purge)
WHEN: Sunday, October 27th, from 12:30-5:30pm
WHERE: 3rd floor of the Student Center (mezzanine/balcony area) [84 Mass Ave, Cambridge]

Please bring cash!

Also, we're still looking for some volunteers to help us run the thing! You'll get to play dress-up, help people score some awesome costumes, and call dibs on the choice items. If you're interested, please reply [to erosser (at) mit (dot) edu] and let me know!

Hope to see you there, and Happy Halloween (it is the official holiday of Theater People).

Halloween is also the official holiday of LARPers, as Fair Escape here elaborates.

SLAW Sign-Ups Open Tomorrow!

For everyone! (If you're a WPI student or a GM reading this before 7p, get in now before the rush!)

Via graniaomalley on the interconlarp LJ community:

SLAW will be Nov 15-17 at WPI Salisbury labs.
Signups for your first choice game open tomorrow at 7PM.

slaw2013.concentral.net

Thanks!
Sarah

Many excellent games running, including (I hope) my own aforementioned Heithur.

Heithur running at MIT Oct 7-8

From the dawn of time the skalds told that the world would end in fire. But the thanes are old, the battle horns are silent, and the swords are gone to rust. Time has brought a new age of trade and luxury for those who are willing to put aside the old ways and traffic with foreigners.

Tonight the Honor sets sail not to raid but to allow those aboard to conduct their business far from prying eyes. Among those aboard, some have abandoned the old ways and some still hold to them in their hearts. Though, when the price is right, who can tell the difference? And who still cares?

There will be wheeling and dealing, strife and betrayal, magic and the end of prophesy. Game is inspired in part by Elizabeth Bear's Edda of Burdens setting, Theon Greyjoy, and Noir fiction.

Quick shameless plug: Heithur, written by Andrew Clough, Brian Sniffen, and myself, is running at MIT from 6-midnight Saturday and Sunday this upcoming weekend, October 7-8, and we're an app or two short of filling out both runs. (Game is four hours, but we allot an extra hour at each end for setup and cleanup.) Heithur ran previously at Intercon in March and at MIT in May. We're also running at SLAW at WPI in November, but we're unlikely to run again after that for the foreseeable future, so if you're interested in playing, this is likely to be one of your last chances.

MIT games cast based on casting questionnaires (a bit like a theater production) rather than first-come-first-served like Intercon and other con games, so if you do app, there's still a chance you may not be cast -- I just want to say that up front. However, as I say, we are pretty close to the wire, and we may have drops between now and game-time, so I'd say there's a pretty good chance. We haven't even fixed casting yet, so if you app before this evening, your preferences will be fully taken into account.

The casting questionnaire (as well as a longer description of game) is available at http://evenmere.org:8080/.

Hope to hear from you!

SLAW Sign-Ups Open October 9!

Unless you're a WPI student or GMing a game. (Edit 2013-09-30 KR: In which case you can sign up now!)

From Sarah Judd by e-mail:

Please sign up for SLAW at slaw2013.concentral.net

The schedule has been posted!

*Sign up Schedule:*

Sep 26 7PM - Oct 1 : WPI students get one game signup, GMs can sign up for as many as they want. If you are not a GM or WPI student and sign up during this period, Sarah will drop you from the game and inform you she's done so.

Oct 2: CLOSED

Oct 3 7PM: Everyone can sign up for 1 game

Oct 9 7PM: All games open.

NESFA Hosts a New England Gaming Convention in Somerville, MA

NESFA is hosting a New England Gaming Convention at the George Dilboy VFW Hall in Somerville, MA from noon-midnight on Sunday, September 22:

12 hours of board games, card games, tabletop games, RPGs, and dice games.

Great tournaments, awesome prizes, and epic freebies!

Plus open several tables for open gaming!

Only $20!!!! Space limited; register online in advance!

Online payments accepted by credit card and PayPal.
Full Gaming Membership: $20

You can register at the site.

A Convention For Game Designers!

Via the NYU Game Center's mailing list:

** PRACTICE IS COMING.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Bigger, better, and chock-full of game design goodness.
------------------------------------------------------------
November 15-17, the NYU Game Center will once again play host to the world's greatest gathering of game design intelligence. Our speakers include videogame veterans like Warren Spector (Thief, Deus Ex) and Soren Johnson (Spore, Civ IV), tabletop gaming greats like Rob Davieu (RISK: Legacy), and indie upstarts like Michael Brough (868-HACK, Glitch Tank). Plus, special surprises like Susanna Liu discussing the design of hip-hop dance battles - and running a dance battle live at the conference!

Where else are you going to get panels where interactive story guru Emily Short and the design leads behind The Walking Dead dissect the construction of narrative choice? Or where designers of League of Legends and Assassin's Creed compare strategies for player behavior analysis?

PRACTICE: Game Design in Detail is an intimate and highly social conference. Like a 3-day cocktail party with the smartest game designers around.

More information and registration available at http://gamecenter.nyu.edu/practice


** Speaking this year at PRACTICE
------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Brough
Keith Burgun
Cecilia Dolk & Martin Ericsson
Rob Daviau
Soren Johnson
Morgan Kennedy
Susanna Liu
Brad Muir
Davin Pavlas
Jake Rodkin
Emily Short
Quintin Smith
Warren Spector
Sean Vanaman
Robert Yang

Read more about the speakers here (http://gamecenter.nyu.edu/practice/speakers.html) .

Emily Short! Robert Yang! It's maybe not strictly about LARPs, but I suspect many of the ideas transfer. This sounds like a blast.

A Nordic Larp Day near NYC!

Via Lizzie Stark on Facebook:

WHERE AND WHEN

Come join us for Gamefest on October 5, 2013 at 184 College Ave, New Brunswick, a short walk from the New Brunswick commuter rail station. The festivities will last from 10 am to 9 pm.

WHAT

We’ve got all day fun planned — a couple short pickup jeepform games in the morning, from 10 am to 2 pm, and then a wonderful larp from the Norwegian Larpfactory in the afternoon, from 3 pm to 9 pm.

COST

We’ll be passing a donation hat ($5 suggested) to help cover the cost of props for this and future ventures, and we’ll also take up a collection for some mid-game pizza (vegan pizza is also an option!) in the evening. Because hungry larpers are bad at larp, and happy fed larpers always rock it.

WHO

You, maybe? We love introducing larp and roleplay to new gamers — players of any level of experience are welcome. Some of the games do deal with serious topics, so 18+ only please.

We are looking for anyone who is open to roleplay about serious themes, and who is 18 or older. These games are great for larpers wanting to try a Nordic style game, gamers who are new to larp, actors, reenactors, cosplayers, writers, and anyone interested in exploring character development.

The Highland Park Players' October Gamefest. More info, including the list of games, is available at the site.

Occam's Razor Adventure Day!

From Jacob Mandell via e-mail:

There is more to this world than you know.

Occam's Razor, a boffer LARP using the Accelerant system, is holding our second event on Saturday, September 28th.

In order to allow prospective players and NPCs a taste of what OR has to offer, this event is an Adventure Day. Come out and try
playing a game of modern fantasy, horror, conspiracies, and cyberpunk science-fiction for $35 (which includes dinner), or join us behind the
curtain and NPC (which also includes the same dinner, only it's free!). Visit occamsrazorlarp.com for more information, including a gorgeous downloadable rulebook, a topnotch online character generator, and some in-game teasers.

Bullets and brimstone, cyborgs and spellcasters--the dark corners of the world hold more secrets than you can imagine.

September 28th
$35 ($45 if you haven't paid the insurance fee)
10:00am
Camp Sargent
141 Camp Sargent Rd
Merrimack, NH 03054

To Be Continued Wants NPCs!

From Fair Escape via e-mail:

The GMs of To Be Continued, a campaign theater LARP with a cast of characters from popular geek culture (video games, comic books, movies, books, TV shows, etc.) are looking for people to play NPCs. Even though it's a campaign, no commitment to future events is required. The next event is Oct. 20th in Berlin, MA.

The website with more information on the cast of characters and setting can be found here: http://tobecontinuedcampaign.org/

Contact the staff for more information at storywarsaugms at bleemoo dot com

Yes, that really is how that e-mail address is spelled -- note the infix 'au'. (Hmm, this is tempting. I wonder what I'm doing that weekend...)

Ever Wanted to Get Paid to Run LARPs for Schoolkids?

Via Emily Care Boss on the Intercon X Facebook group:

[The Arlington Enrichment Collaborative (AEC) in Arlington, MA] is a nonprofit that provides innovative older youth program afterschool and on weekends. Visit us at www.arlingtonenrichment.org. We enroll 80 youth in our EEC licensed middle school afterschool program as well as workshops for high school students, 50-60 youth a day come to our afterschool program. We have 1 staff member for each 10 youth.

Job Description:
The Live Action Role Playing Coordinator/ or AEC LARP Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the LARP program. We have both middle school and high school enrichment classes that all follow the same gaming system and plot lines. You would coordinate an entire program of 20-40 youth, ages 10-18 and help them develop characters and a world with rules and strategy afterschool.

An ideal candidate is an individual with LARP experience, preferably with youth, who is excited and passionate about developing his/her own LARP curriculum around an already established program. It would also be helpful if the individual had an education or theatrical background. Our youth are very familiar with the NERO rule book currently.

This is considered a full-time 40 hour/week position with some weekends and evenings. We utilize flex hours and the ability to work from home during administrative hours--any time before 2p. We will need you for program from 2-6:30 T-Friday, Wednesdays till 7p

The job requirements and contact info are available on the Craigslist job ad posting.

Bring Your Mechanics to NELCO!

From Laura47 via interconlarp on LJ:

(NELCO is this weekend at the Chelmsford Radisson, we'll talk about LARP writing and running and playing, and people will write a LARP in 24 hours and run it sunday. Details here: http://guestlistapp.com/events/148377 )

***TL;DR: Bring your mechanics to NELCO and we'll work on them with you!***

Do you have a LARP mechanic that doesn't do what you want? Inelegant, too hard for players to understand, requires too much GM intervention? You've tried revising it, but it's never quite what you want? Do you have an idea for a mechanic, but don't know how to finish it? Are you an experiences GM, or still coming up with your first idea?

Bring your LARP mechanics (or mechanic ideas) in need of love to the mechanic workshop, Saturday from 4-6! Led by Peter Litwack, coauthor of the popular Darkwater Combat system, we'll critique and rebuild mechanics. If we run out of mechanics, we'll brainstorm new ones.

You may have seen Peter's mechanics at work in Sky No Longer Blue, A Single Silver Coin, Two Hours in London, Dreams of Peace, Dreams of War, The Road to Impunity, or Lost in the Jungles of Time. Peter believes in elegant mechanics that suit each game's individual needs, don't break immersion, and ideally allow the players to never need to halt game to call over a GM. Come to Peter's talk about mechanics Saturday at 2 to hear more and discuss mechanics and game writing.

***TL;DR: Bring your mechanics to NELCO and we'll work on them with you!***

Seriously, Peter is really good with this stuff. And it's not just combat mechanics either -- any kind of mechanic is fair game.

NELCO Schedule Announced!

From Dave Kapell on Facebook:

The New England Larp Conference 2013 has a Schedule!
I've mentioned NELCO a few times in this group before, and now we've put together a schedule. It's viewable at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnziS_HFDWrgdFlaS0N2X3JFa0RFTTRXYjVQQnBGWHc#gid=0 and descriptions of some of the panels and workshops are available at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MrPeTe2X27w4AMjjccEpKY_nKQ9Ag1Cw2CfB_oIWgvg/edit.

There's also a all-weekend Build-your-own-game event which is a great opportunity to work with experienced larp authors to build a game from scratch in a day, then run it on Sunday.

We could use some more panelists for several panels, most notably:

* Designing interesting boffer modules
* Skulduggery and Larp
* Writing compelling stories for boffer larps
* Writing Political Plot

If you're interested in these, or any other panel, please let me know!

The event itself is August 9-11, in Chelmsford, MA

Here is the NELCO website. It's at the Radisson in Chelmsford, the same hotel Intercon happens at.

Occam's Razor Premieres August 31!

From Jacob Mandell via e-mail:

There is more to this world than you know.

Occam's Razor, a boffer LARP using the Accelerant system, is holding
our premier event on August 31st.

In order to allow prospective players and NPCs a taste of what OR has
to offer we are hosting a pair of Adventure Days. Come out and try
playing a game of modern fantasy, horror, conspiracies, and cyberpunk
science-fiction for $35 (which includes dinner), or join us behind the
curtain and NPC (which also includes the same dinner, only it's
free!). Visit occamsrazorlarp.com for more information, including a
gorgeous downloadable rulebook, a topnotch online character generator,
and some in-game teasers.

Bullets and brimstone, cyborgs and spellcasters--the dark corners of
the world hold more secrets than you can imagine.

August 31
$35
10:00am
Camp Sargent
141 Camp Sargent Rd
Merrimack, NH 03054

Sounds like a great way to get in on the ground floor of a new game.

Time Bubble 2013 (RPI) Announced, Wants Games!

With thanks to Stephen Kohler for forwarding this on to me:

Good evening, Time Bubblicans!

I do hope you are all enjoying your summers. It's been rather rainy here in Troy, but we haven't let that put a damper on our LARPing plans.

TIME BUBBLE 2013 will be held October 11-13 (that's Columbus Day Weekend again) in our favorite Carnegie Hall on RPI campus in the beautiful and flooding fast Troy, NY. This is our fourth Weekend of Minigames, and if the previous ones are any indication, we're just getting bigger and better!

We'd like to try something new this year. If you'd like to run a game at Time Bubble 2013, please fill out the attached LARP Submission Form and send it back to us. If you'd like to run a LARP-related *panel*, please email us back directly [at dicebubble@gmail.com -ed.] and we'll talk.

Game and panel submissions are due by noon on Thursday, August 15th. That way we can set everything up early and have about a month and a half for sign-ups.

Please feel free to share this email. Spread the news! Tell your friends! Tell your friends' friends! Tell strangers on the bus! Tell your dentist! Word of mouth is our best friend.

Timetastically yours,
Jenny, Peter, and Rob

Here is the LARP Submission Form.

SLAW @WPI Looking For Games

From Sarah Judd via e-mail:

SLAW will happen again this year!
Dates: Nov 15-17
Location: Salisbury Labs at WPI

If you're interested in running a game, please send the following info to
dancesthroughlife@gmail.com

Name of game
length of game
min/max # of women/men/neutral
room requirements
scheduling requirements
blurb and description
If it's newbie friendly/can it take walk-ons

It mostly takes 2-4 hour games. You can sign up to attend the con at slaw2013.concentral.net.

Here's the Facebook event page.

Sarah says she's particularly looking for newbie-friendly games, although that's not all she's interested in.

Two More Summer LARPS (Dia de los Sobres) in Watertown!

Liliya Benderskaya and Nat Budin have put together another Dia de los Sobres ("Day of the Envelopes") event, this time at Tory Root's house in Watertown. The event is on Saturday, July 13, 2013.

Agent BOBO of the Resistance, by Alleged Entertainment (runs 12 noon - 3p)
10-year-old Billy Oberlin has had it tough lately. Moving, family troubles, and a new school have all thrown his life into a tailspin. It’s hard being a kid, but Billy has one solace: his toy box. Twelve loyal stuffed friends he can take on adventures through his imagination.

In the world of Billy’s creation, a secret Resistance movement fights against evil invading dinosaurs, ninjas and aliens. Now on its riskiest mission yet, the Resistance must travel back in time, to when things were better, to prevent history from going so awry.

Can AGENT Bobo and his toybox friends help Billy find a better future for himself and for the planet? AGENT Bobo of the Resistance is an experimental short larp, which won third place at the Intercon M Iron GM Competition. It combines traditional theatre-style larp structure with player-driven narrative construction. In addition, players will be playing the role of Beanie Babies.


The Other Side of the Glass, by Paranoid and Crotchety (runs 4-8p)
Tacoma, Washington, 2031. Once the world had been much as we know it, with a little magic here and there, until one strange night nineteen years ago, when an unexpected and phenomenally powerful spell cast by an arrogant and careless mage altered reality. Computers stopped working, civilization ground to a halt, and millions died. Yet in balance, magic became far more powerful, those with the talent more common. Hordes of newly-empowered mages set forth to build a new way of living, with magic replacing the lost technology of the past. But it's never been quite as easy as before, and rumors spread of people's reflections coming alive, shadow-monsters in human form, magic run amok in terrible ways that would never have been possible before.

But here, in the Laughing Cat Inn and Pub, people can leave their cares and worries at the door, or drown them in the best home-distilled rum on the Puget Sound. Magically warded and with a policy of turning no customer away, the Laughing Cat has been serving all kinds in this strange new world for years. Especially when storms of magic and glass-shards blown like needles in the wind ravage the countryside; these walls and wards can stand against anything. And the people within will be safe. At least physically. Their messed-up lives and feelings are another matter entirely.

The Other Side of the Glass is a character-driven game about love, gender, identity, and the strange ways in which magic changes them all. This is a highly romantic game, and every character has some degree of romantic involvement. This game contains fairly pervasive disturbing themes and abusive situations, and is recommended for mature players. This is a Paranoid & Crotchety production.

Game signups open at 7p Eastern, Monday, July 1, and spots are limited! I have another thing that weekend, but I will see if I can make time to play one of these games...

Walk the Plank at the New England Pirate Faire!

A friend pointed me at this -- the New England Pirate Faire. It's like a Ren Faire, but with pirates! From the site:

Pastimes’ beloved family-friendly show returns to Salem June 29 & 30

Pastimes Entertainment of Revere returns to Pioneer Village: Salem 1630 for the New England Pirate Faire, the most popular event in the historical attraction’s 83-year history.

[...]

Pastimes will present the original adventure, “Felicity Dane and the Diamond in the Rough.” In this family-friendly interactive adventure, a plucky young girl finds herself an unlikely ally to Captain Anne Bonney as she searches for the legendary Windjammer Diamond. Unfortunately for them both, several other pirates are also hunting for the lost treasure -- among them, none other than Blackbeard himself.

In addition to the thrilling story, the day will feature interactive scenes that will make the audience part of the adventure, black powder and cannon demonstrations, pirate games, the unique merchants that make up the Tortuga Marketplace, food and refreshments, and live music.

It runs this Saturday and Sunday, June 29 and 30, 2013, from 10a-6p, rain or shine, at Pioneer Village in Salem, MA. General admission is $14, youth 4-11 are $10, and kids 3 and under get in free. Members of the military and seniors receive a $2 discount at the box office with proper ID. Free on-site parking is available.

This sounds like a blast.

Two LARPs at WPI!

From Fair Escape via e-mail:

Two theater LARPs are running at WPI July 27th, Devil to Pay by Lovers and Madmen, a dark pirate themed LARP, running from 1 to 5pm and The Prince Comes of Age from 7 to 10pm. Prince is a high fantasy LARP with a little politics, a little adventure, and a lot of teen angst.

Devil has room for one more male player, Prince has room for four more female. (Though both may be open to cross casting, I'm not sure.)

Link is here:
http://devilprince.concentral.net/events/852

It looks like Devil to Pay has filled since the message, although you can still waitlist. The Prince Comes of Age still has those four open female slots. These games have both run before to quite good reviews. Sounds like a good time!

Mad About the Boy US Run Documented!

The book which was produced to document the US run of Mad About the Boy, a larp by Nordic creators inspired by the Y: The Last Man comic, is available as a PDF! (Fair warning: it is 15 MB document.)

It's also a seriously beautiful document -- major props to editor Sarah Lynne Bowman and layout artist Claus Raasted, who put it together. I've only skimmed it, but I'm frankly overwhelmed by the level of detail and the care with which it was arranged. It's definitely worth checking out.

Madrigal Needs NPCs in East Brookfield, MA!

Via Trey Reilly on the New England LARPers Facebook group:

Madrigal is actively recruiting NPCs for our upcoming event June 14-16. Come to fight, roleplay, and earn more sweet, sweet CP! It's Father's Day weekend - help make it great for all of the fabulous dads in our PC base!

Please note that we're at a different site for this event - do not go to the regular Madrigal site. You will be all alone, and so sad! Instead, head to YMCA Camp Frank A. Day in East Brookfield, MA (otherwise known as the MM site, or the Cottington site)

We have GREAT need for both fight-y and roleplay-y peoples, so if you'd like to join in the fun, please email madrigalnpc AT accelerantgames DOT com to register (and let us know what sorts of roles you prefer!), or if you have questions about NPCing. A basic guide to NPCing Madrigal may be found on our website (see below for the URL). Even if you can only come for a few hours, we'd still love to see you!

Further Details:

June 14-16
Location: YMCA Camp Frank A. Day in East Brookfield, MA
Genre: Heroic Fantasy
Website: http://www.larp.com/madrigal/
Mailing List: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Madrigal/

NPC CP Exchange Information: http://www.larp.com/madrigal/logistics.html#npccp

Thank you so much - hope to see you there!

Looks like you can earn CP for a number of other Accelerant LARPs in the area.

Wyrdcon Companion Book Wants Papers!

The call for papers is out for the 2013 Wyrdcon Companion book.

Wyrdcon is the "West Coast Intercon," which every year publishes a book of journalistic and scholarly essays about larping, larp-writing, transmedia, etc. The previous years' editions are available at that link.

Once again Aaron Vanek will be editing the journalistic section and Sarah Lynne Bowman the academic; last year's book contained an article by our own Nat Budin on the history of the New England theater-style LARP scene.

From the site:

The Wyrd Con Interactive Storytelling Convention invites papers for December 2013 publication. Like last year, the Wyrd Con Companion Book will feature two sections of articles: journalistic and academic. Articles on any form of Interactive Storytelling are welcome, including, but not limited to, the following: larp, transmedia, tabletop, alternate reality/pervasive games, virtual role-playing, etc.

We invite articles on all topics pertaining to Interactive Storytelling. The editors are especially interested in the following:

• Documentation of games or projects, past and present
• Historical perspectives on various subcultural groups, including campaigns, conventions, forums, and local “scenes” of all sorts, particularly those 10 years and older
• Historical perspectives on various theories and discourses
• Educational, business, and other “real world” applications for interactive storytelling
• Contextualizing various forms of storytelling and subcultures with relation to one another
• Theoretical ruminations
• Discussion of mainstream representations, including news media, films, reality television, and documentaries
• Current subculture discourses, debates, and tensions
• Practical advice columns
• Editorial pontifications on current topics

The abstract submission deadline is June 21, and the call for papers has the full timeline of deadlines, the style guideline, contact information for the editors, and so on. If you intend to submit, I highly recommend that you read it all.

The 2012 Companion Book was an interesting read -- I'm looking forward to the 2013 Book!

Lizzie Stark and Ethan Gilsdorf Reading at Bestsellers Cafe in Medford, MA!

Lizzie Stark (of Leaving Mundania fame) and Ethan Gilsdorf (author of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks) will be reading at Bestsellers Cafe in Medford, MA on Sunday, June 16 from 2-3:30p. From the event page:

Lizzie Stark is the author of "Leaving Mundania", which tells the story of adults who put on costumes, develop personas, and interact with other characters over the course of hours or days as part of a larp, or live action roleplaying game. A larp is a hybrid of games like Dungeons & Dragons, historical reenactment, fandom, and good old fashioned pretend; it’s well-organized make believe for grownups. This diverse subculture is just beginning to enter the mainstream imagination in America.

Ethan Gilsdorf is the author of "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks". What could one man find if he embarked on a journey through fantasy world after fantasy world? In an enthralling blend of travelogue, pop culture analysis, and memoir, forty-year-old former D&D addict Ethan Gilsdorf crisscrosses America, the world, and other worlds—from Boston to New Zealand, and Planet Earth to the realm of Aggramar.

There's also a Facebook event page.

Boston Festival of Indie Games wants LARPs!

Via David Burbank on the Intercon X Facebook group:

Greetings, Intercon Folk!

This year I am filling the role of LARP Programming Manager for the Boston Festival of Indie Games. We have three slots to fill for Intercon style four-hour LARPs - and with the plethora of talent present in this group, I hope some of you will be interested in submitting your creations. This will be an opportunity to spread the love of LARP to a diverse audience, and hopefully grow the ranks of our discipline.

If you're interested please fill out the submission form below.

Many thanks in advance!

https://docs.google.com/a/be-epic.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dC1kMlRaVGhMLTdyTGh5dFl6aHQ2a1E6MQ#gid=0

It's not just LARPs, of course, but I think it's really cool that LARPs are being included.

The Boston Festival of Indie Games, incidentally, is happening on Saturday, September 14, 2013, from 10a to 10p at MIT's Stratton Student Center (84 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA). Registration is now open, and there's a Kickstarter up to help fund it. (The $25 backer reward is a pack of New England-made indie games -- video and tabletop -- which looks really cool.)

As the web site says:

The Boston Festival of Indie Games celebrates independent game development on New England and neighboring regions. Our goal is creating an inclusive environment for everybody who enjoys and appreciates games in whatever shape or form. The festival seeks to support and showcase the efforts of independent game developers in a free public event, encouraging attendees to participate and play games in different formats: video games, location-based games, tabletop games and live role-playing, amongst others. The games featured are innovative and refreshing, demonstrating both the budding and the established talent of game makers in the American northeast.
Produced under the non-profit auspices of Be Epic, a Boston-area live action games production group, the Boston Festival of Indie Games fosters a community of academic and independent developers creating games for the people.

The $85 backer reward is a "Collector's Edition Tabletop Bundle", which includes an indie RPG called "Our Last Best Hope"... It's an impressively diverse-looking event!

Nordic Larp in "Limbo" in New Jersey

Via Lizzie Stark:

Performance researcher Emma Waldron, media studies expert Aaron Trammell, and I are running the Nordic larp Limbo by Tor Kjetil Edland in Highland Park, NJ on Saturday June 8, 2013 from 2:45 to 8pm.

The game is about what happens after death, is mechanics light, contemplative, and perfect for anyone wanting to get a little flavor of Nordic larp. We emphatically welcome new larpers!

You can read more about the game — and sign up! — over on Emma Waldron’s site.

If you got your first taste of Nordic larp at Intercon and are itching for more, here's a place to find it.

"The Quest" on ABC casting event in NYC

The Quest, a reality TV show recruiting LARPers which we blogged about earlier, has announced a casting date in NYC. From the flier:

THE QUEST

Wednesday May 29th

7-9pm

Times Scare NYC

669 8th Ave
New York, NY 10036

From an Executive Producer of the award winning THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy and the Emmy award winning creators of THE AMAZING RACE comes an epic and groundbreaking new competition show for a major network, the likes of which have never been seen on television!

MEET WITH THE CASTING DIRECTOR in person at our event for your chance to be on our show!

If you are planning on coming, please RSVP by emailing paulgordoncasting@gmail.com

Please make the subject: RSVP NY
Send us your Name, Age, Phone #, Current Location, a current photo, and tell us about your hobby/fascination (i.e. LARP, Game of Thrones, CosPlay, etc), and what makes you perfect for a show like this!

@provilestvcast
@paulgordoncasting

Facebook.com/ProfilesTelevision

Facebook.com/QuestShow

The Hollywood Reporter reports that the show has been picked up by ABC:

The new reality series, which has yet to receive a premiere date, pits 12 contestants against one another in a competition set in a fictional place called Everrealm. The live-action role-playing takes place in what the network describes as "a land of magic and malevolence, where mythical creatures lurk in the woods, agents of darkness stir in the shadows and mystical beings infiltrate the keep."

The Second New England Larp Coference (NELCO) Announced!

The NELCO site has been up for a little while, but it's still very much forming:

August 9-11, 2013
Chelmsford Radisson

The New England Larp Conference is a multi-tradition event focused on the craft of LARP. It will be a weekend of LARP discussions, panels, workshops, and build-your-own-games.

As opposed to gaming convention, the Conference will not be a weekend of playing and running games, but will instead be discussion and workshop based.

If you've attended the Intercon Pre-con, that is the inspiration for this event.

Have questions? Contact Dave.

Volunteer
Want to help out? Suggest a panel or workshop! Have some skill that you want to teach, or want someone to teach? We want to know! You can suggest an event by emailing us.

Please include:
Your contact information
Your panel or workshop idea
If you are interested in running the panel/talk/workshop, or if you want us to find someone to run it

If you're interested in running the event:
How long it should be (1-2 hours for panels, 4 or more for workshops, or whatever you think you need)
If you have any special requirements (Sewing machines, projector, etc)

Build Your Own Game
Over the course of the weekend, starting Saturday morning, we'll be running a Build Your Own Game workshop. Whether you've never written a game, or are an experienced author, it's a great time, and a great way to learn new techniques. Jeff Diewald has volunteered to coordinate this project, so feel free to contact him with any questions you may have about it. The game will run on Sunday, so we're looking for people interested in writing or playing the game. If we have enough people interested, we'll split into multiple teams, so please let us know ahead of time by signing up for the "Build Your Own Game Author" flavor of attendee

Registration is $20 for the weekend. More details here.

The BYOG is a great way to get started if you've never written a LARP before. Last year's BYOG, "The Barbecue", was well-reviewed and went on to run at Intercon this year.

Dragon masks! Scale-pattern bracers! Spiky dragon tails!

From the department of shameless friend promotion: Jesse's starting a leatherworking and chainmail business. He sells these laser-cut dragon-scale patterned leather bracers (tougher than troll-axes!) and dragon masks (more cunning than foxes!). (Coming soon to a LARP near you!)



He also takes commissions for these really awesome chainmail dragon tails (some of which have spikes!)





And a bunch of other cool stuff. (If you know me in person and have seen the bracelet I wear, that's one of his.)







Tell him I sent you!

Spend a Day with Occam's Razor!

Occam's Razor, a new paranormal-themed LARP in central Massachusetts, are holding a fundraiser (or "Fund Razor") on May 18th in Berlin, MA. From the Facebook event page:

Saturday, May 18, 2013
1:00pm until 10:00pm

69 Village Court, Berlin, Massachusetts.

Admission: $10

Come one, come all and start getting psyched up for Occam's Razor! We have a great day planned with 8 fun and informational panels (in 4 time slots) lead by your friends on LARPing topics such as Creating a Memorable Character Background, Hitting Your Target, and Foamsmithing, followed by a pot luck dinner, and modern masquerade with music, dancing, and socializing. Have a first look at some tech OR Staff has in store for players. Our silent auction and raffles may have the next prop you're looking for, or you might find it at one of our vendors' tables. Enjoy an afternoon seeing old friends, making new ones, and maybe learn a bit along the way!

Sign up for Raffle/Silent Auction! http://occamsrazorlarp.com/fundraiser/auction
(All donations earn CP at the same rate as donating directly to Occam's Razor.)

Sign up for Potluck! http://occamsrazorlarp.com/fundraiser/potluck

Pre-register: http://occamsrazorlarp.com/fundraiser/registration
(Pre-reg to earn .5 CP along with your attendance! RSVPing on Facebook is great, but pre-regging is required via the form above for this CP gain!)

(h/t @FairEscape on Twitter)

Mystwood Raising Funds for New Site in Southern ME

Mystwood: The Chronicles of Burgundar, a new chapter of the Mystwood LARP, is raising money to construct a new 40-acre LARP site in southern Maine near Harrison. From the Indiegogo page:

Hello!

I'm Noah Hersom and this campaign is to raise the funds I need to construct a brand new LARP site in Southern Maine. There isn't a single LARP site within 50 miles of Southern Maine, including Portland! This needs to change, and with your help and my labor, it can. I'm going to build this site from the ground up on 40 acres of land that has already been procured. I just need to raise the money to buy purchase the building materials.

If you want to know more about the organization I represent, and LARPing, take a look at this great news report about The Maine Adventure Society that aired a couple years ago:

http://www.wabi.tv/news/20263/theater-meets-athleticism-in-growing-state-trend

What We Need & What You Get

We're looking to raise $3000 for our project.

The donations will cover the costs of the tremendous amount of lumber and the extensive list of necessary equipment needed to build the site.

Our unique perks will hook you up with useful gear that also shows off your support of LARPing. The perks even set you up with a nice adventurer's pack that help's prepare you for an unforgettable LARPing experience.

They have the land already, and the slideshow says they have a matching donor, so the $3000 will become $6000 to go towards the construction of four or five buildings in a village surrounded by a wall. They're hoping to do construction this summer and be open for the 2014 season.

You can donate here.

Steam On at the Watch City Festival in Waltham!

The Watch City Festival Returns!

For two days only, the beautiful and historic city of Waltham, Massachusetts will travel back in time and throw open its doors to the world! The Watch City Festival is a living exhibit of the artistic and cultural movement of Steampunk, fusing Victorian style with modern-day technology.

This year, the festival celebrates Francis Cabot Lowell, and the bi-centennial of his founding of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the first integrated factory in America, forerunner of the Industrial Revolution, and current home to the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation.

Join us May 10-12, 2013 as the Charles River Museum presents an immersible experience like no other! Enjoy special events throughout the city, see Steampunk musical and theatrical performances, watch Steampunk films at the local cinema, interact with wandering actors and entertainers, enjoy the ambiance as Waltham's main streets fill with amazing costumes (or dress up yourself!), dance the night away at a ball, and see art and Steampunk creations from around the world!

The Watch City Festival is pleased to announce 2013 Guest of Honor Evan Michelson, co-owner of Obscura Antiques in New York and star of the hit show "Oddities".

For more information visit WatchCityFestival.com or call 781-893-5410. Presented by the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation and the City of Waltham.

The flyer I picked up identifies major events as the Mayor's Inaugural Bash on Friday, May 10, 6p to midnight and Steampunk After Dark on Saturday, May 11, 6p to midnight. Weekend passes (10a-6p) are $20 for adults and $10 for children 4-12, daily buttons are $15 and $7 respectively.

I wandered around (in costume, of course) for an afternoon a couple years ago and it was a lot of fun.

CORRECTION! "The Quest" event April 19

I'm informed today that the Boston-area event for the "The Quest" reality series is Friday, April 19, from 8-10p at Bocelli's Restaurant and Pizzeria (374 Main St, Medford, Massachusetts), not April 16 as previously reported. If you're interested, check it out!

Reality Show "The Quest" Seeks LARPers

Do you believe there is a hero inside of you just ready to come out? Have you ever thought you were meant to live in another world where fantasy and adventure go hand and hand? Have you ever desired to become a legend? Do you feel more at home losing yourself in the movies you watch or the games you play than in the real world that surrounds you?

Via Tammy Nguyen and Jasmine Davis via e-mail:

The executive producer from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is teaming up with the creators of The Amazing Race to give people the opportunity to go on a real life adventure. The show will be featured on a major network, and except for what the flyer alludes, all the details about the shows are being kept under wraps until a big reveal. Soon the show will have a website where people can apply, but for now they can just email the address on the flyer.

Our casting team will be traveling to various locations around the countries going to different conventions and events and meeting with potential people for our show. We will be in Boston, Seattle, New York, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Dallas hosting events.

Unfortunately the only Boston-area event was tonight, April 16th, at 8pm at Bocelli's Restaurant and Pizzeria (374 Main St, Medford, Massachusetts). (I'm sorry for my delay in posting this -- Festival this past weekend and work have been eating my brain. To say nothing of, uh, yesterday.) [CORRECTION: The Boston-area event is being held this Friday, April 19th, from 8-10p at Bocelli's Restaurant and Pizzeria (374 Main St, Medford, Massachusetts).]

You can still check out the Facebook event page and apply online.

We are searching nationwide for adventure seeking, fantasy enthusiasts of all kind who are ready to go on the epic journey of a lifetime!

If this sounds like you or someone you know please email the following information to TheQuestCasting@gmail.com:
Name
Age
Phone
Email
Current location
Current photo
Your hobby/fascination (ie. LARP, Game of Thrones, CosPlay, etc)
What makes you perfect for a show like this!

A show like this would be a heck of an experience.

Xephyr Inkpen Reviews March Larp

Xephyr Inkpen, curator of the Ultimate Larp Calendar which is my go-to guide for boffer larp dates, reviews their March larping experience:

March is a slow time for larping in general, with only the intrepid adventures traversing the snowy cold, or larpers in New England traveling down south to wander the lands in warmer weather. This month is a review of a new larp – Invictus – with a Roman atmosphere, traveling for Dave to play a prince a-way down south Nero, and a new larp added to the calendar for this year.

If you've got a review of your New England larping experience this month or any month, please send it to me!

Battle the Undead Hordes at MA's "Dystopia Rising"!

From Katherine Chartier via e-mail:

I run Dystopia Rising Mass, LLC and our game has 8 events this year. I was hoping to give you dates for your website!

Larp name: Dystopia Rising Massachusetts
Website: Mass.DystopiaRisingLARP.com
Location Camp Marshall: 92 McCormick Rd, Spencer, Massachusetts
Dates: (full weekend events):
April 26th-28th
May 17th-19th
May 31st- June 2nd
July 19th-21st
August 2nd - 4th
September 13th - 15th
October 4th - 6th
November 1st - 3rd

Cost: $20 for first game, $45 thereafter, free all weekend NPCs

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/DystopiaRisingTheMass

From their web site:

Dystopia Rising is a role playing game that takes place in a post apocalyptic world, long after the fall of civilization to a worldwide zombie plague. This world, many generations after the Fall, takes place in a new dark age where the remains of lost cultures linger in a world without direction. No global governments survived, no armed police to serve and protect, no organized educational systems, and no guidance to pull the world out of the spiral it has fallen into. The world is a dark, dangerous place where humanity is as much of a threat to existence as the undead horde is.

There are, however, some glimmers of light in the darkness of this grim future. On occasion a person manages to hold onto their moral compass, and uses it to navigate in this hopeless world. Sometimes a small spark of humanity shows itself in the most irradiated of survivors trying to piece together the mysteries lost to he wastelands. You may fi nd a new purpose or establish a role in someone else’s life, and because of that you find it hard to simply go it alone.

Dystopia Rising is a game that is not centered on the undead. It is a game that is centered on what becomes of the human condition when forced into an environment where survival could very well be your only concern. Do you decide to become a ruthless warlord, an amoral sociopath, or a monster much uglier inside than any zombie is on the outside? Perhaps you take the high road as a nameless wanderer, find higher purpose in faith, or do everything you can to force civility into a chaotic world. No one can tell you what you will do once the bombs drop and the dead rise. No one will guide you but your own conscience.

The world died many generations ago, and it is your turn to build the new world from the ashes.

As stated above, new players get a discount their first event, and the next event this year is April 26th-28th. Everybody I've heard talk about this says it's a great game.

Dare You Venture into MA's "Witchwood"?

Witchwood is...

A new fantasy live-action roleplaying game starting Spring, 2013! We will be running at Camp Lincoln in Kingston, NH, approximately one hour north of Boston.

Those who dwell in the Witchwood are wracked by unending nightmares. These dreams incite rage, turning friend against friend and disrupting the cycle of life and death. This forest has long been kept from the world, but it now entreats even outsiders: come to the woods and seek a cure for this curse. There are dangers, certainly, but when will such an opportunity come again to see the wonders of the Witchwood? Read more about the World of Evren.

We are drawing on years of experience to continue the chronicles of the characters of the frontier and bring you fresh adventures. Deep immersion, cohesive world design and open gameplay set Witchwood apart. Read more about our values.

Continue your story or begin something new; either way, welcome to the Witchwood.

If you're interested in staffing, contact the Staff Director, Jon W.

If you'd like to play, the rulebook is up and character creation is now open!

Contact Logistics if you have any questions.

The people behind this are friends of mine -- they're awesome people, and they run good games!

Edited to add: Witchwood's first event is April 19-21 at Camp Lincoln in Kingston, NH.

What is Northeast LARP News?

We've got some new visitors around here: welcome!

This is Northeast LARP News, a site for LARP-related event announcements in the Northeast United States. (Which I define roughly and arbitrarily as anything within a day's surface travel of Boston.)

We're interested in new LARP campaigns and existing games doing special events, LARP conventions, LARP workshops, LARP book readings, and anything else happening in New England, New York, and the Mid-Atlantic states that might be of interest to LARPers.

If you're running something like this or just hearing about it yourself, please e-mail it to me at nelarpnews@gmail.com!


Photo credit: Fair Escape, a LARPing blog. Used with permission.

Make the Journey to MA's "Elysium"!

From Jonathan Swenson via e-mail:

I run a game called Elysium LARP. We are a Medieval Fantasy game that is completely Free to Play. However if anyone decides to donate 50% of their donation goes to Andrew's Helpful Hands, a local nonprofit that pays mortgage payments for families who have a child going through the bone marrow transplant process.

We are a fairly small group right now with about 20 total members and about 10 very active members and we are looking to expand!

Our New Player Day is coming up on Saturday May 11th 2013.

If anyone is interested here are some links:

Email: info@elysiumlarp.com
Website: www.elysiumlarp.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElysiumLarp

Emphasis mine. I've never heard of a free-to-play, donation-supported boffer LARP before, let alone one raising money for charity. That's super-neat.

Immerse Yourself in Sidereus!

From Kristina Roland-DeFelice via e-mail:

Sidereus is a live action dark fantasy game of monumental proportions, Sidereus fuses a motion picture quality aesthetic with an exciting and engaging atmosphere where all levels of play are welcome. Sidereus is the name of the world in which this Live Action Role-Playing game takes place, a world of fantasy in which the forces of evil have all but conquered the planet. As a person trying to survive in such perilous times, it is your task to choose which side you will be on. The dark fantasy of Sidereus is a combination of high fantasy and survival horror, pitting the players and their allies against dark forces and terrifying monsters.

In the world of Sidereus, you can play a mighty warrior, a cunning assassin, a loyal paladin, or a master of the arcane arts. The Sidereus game system allows you complete freedom in creating your character, so that the only limit on the type of character you can play is your own imagination.

Our fifth season opener is this weekend [March 22-24. -ed.], and it's being held at Camp Denison in Georgetown, MA. Attendance is free for all new players! You can check out the event on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/110214712493611/

After this weekend, our next event is April 19-21, also at Camp Denison (https://www.facebook.com/events/392261110881373/). Admission prices, info about cabin reservations, and the meal plan is all listed, as well as a quick plot synopsis for the weekend.

Season Five is the season of big news for Sidereus! We'll be attending Anime Boston this year in the dealer's room, with two booths and free giveaways! Come visit the Sidereus booth girls (all players, of course), and meet our featured artist! In July we'll be launching a chapter in Upstate New York, a big step in the right direction. We're also proud to announce our sponsorship with Ateliers Nemesis, makers of quality custom latex weaponry. In fact, some of our giveaways at Anime Boston will be gift certificates to Nemesis, as well as to a company called Fantasy Armor.

To find out more about Sidereus, you can visit these links:

Sidereus Wiki
Sidereus Forums
Sidereus Facebook (be sure to check out our event albums!)
Sidereus Homepage (you can find a copy of the rulebook here, as well as our online store)

I appreciate very much you taking the time to check us out!

Emphasis mine. Looks like they put a super-impressive amount of work into this game, and now's a great time to join up!

Edited to add: You may see some posts on the Facebook pages about reserving cabins and beds or such. Kristina assures me that new players will be provided places to sleep -- the reservations are for existing players.

Also I misspelled 'Sidereus' in the original title of this post. It is 'Sidereus', not 'Siderius'. My apologies. Teach me to proofread better next time.

An "Age of Iron" Dawns This April in MA!

From Garett Kopczynski via e-mail:

I am writing to let you know that there is a new LARP called "Age of Iron" that is starting up with a first event at Camp Dennison in Georgetown, MA on April 27th-28th. The LARP is very different from most of the "boffer" types and takes a lot of inspiration from European style games. The setting is a low-fantasy one and has more in common with something like Game of Thrones; politics, betrayal and conflict are all focuses (though there is still plenty of mystery, horror and action to go around). We are hoping to get some folks interested in coming out for the first game and giving something new a try. The first event is $40 and food/lodging are part of that price.

Here are the links for our information. We are hoping to reach a critical mass before our first event and have all the mechanisms in place:

Forums: http://aoilarp.net/
Website: http://ageofironlarp.wordpress.com/home/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AgeOfIronLarp

If anyone has any questions please contact me at keenelarp@gmail.com

There's a lot of good information on the site. It sounds gritty and fun.

New Chronicle Coming! (White Wolf LARPs)

From Drew Van Zandt by e-mail:

I'm the coordinator for a whole pile of LARPs that run in the Boston area every month. In April, we start to cook up the new chronicle (the universe resets with a few tweaks, and everyone makes new characters). Here's what we're definitely running, and a few that are under consideration. These games are run nationwide with a large local presence and regular conventions at the regional and national levels.

1) Vampire: The Masquerade. White Wolf Old World of Darkness (non-boffer, theater style). There are mechanics for everything, but the local group tends not to pull them out too often, straight RP most of the time. We have about 30 regular players and another twenty or so who visit from other cities occasionally or are intermittent attendees.
2) The Accord (White Wolf New World of Darkness Combined venue) is an experimental new venue where you can play any of the White Wolf supernaturals (Mages, Werewolves, Geist, Vampires, Prometheans, Hunters, Mummies, etc.) - a bit Lovecraftian in theme, Something Bad has started tearing holes in reality to come through and take this world from us, so we've all had to band together to form the Accord and try to fight back. Player versus environment. We're not entirely sure what The Thing is, so there's a solid mystery element as well. This one has generated a LOT of excitement, and I'm worried/hopeful that we'll break 60 players. We have a game site that can handle it and a solid team of storytellers.
3) Vampire: The Requiem. White Wolf New World of Darkness (non-boffer, theater style). We have about 20 regular players and another dozen or so who visit from other cities occasionally or are intermittent attendees.
4) Garou (White Wolf OWOD Werewolf). I am too tired to write a blurb for this, but we're starting the game up in April or May as well.

[...]
Games currently run on the 3rd Saturday every month, and when the new chronicles start in May (April for historical events etc.) we'll most likely be shifting to two games on the second Saturday and two games on the third Saturday.

Their website is http://shatteredantiquities.com/. Contact nhma.dc@gmail.com if you're interested in getting involved!

More Festival Sign-Ups Later Today!

(The clock says it's Monday, I guess that means it's Monday.)

Get your last sign-ups for Brandeis's Festival of the Larps in today at 7 PM!

Festival Sign-Ups (Second Round) in 2 Hours!

What the subject says.  Get those games while they're hot!

Intercon is Over! Now What?

Intercon is a huge social event, but it only happens once a year. However, the conversations around the con don't have to stop once we've all gone home.

In particular, the interconlarp community on LiveJournal and the Intercon X group on Facebook are places to hang out the rest of the year and talk about the con and larps in general.

Right now they're both collecting "role calls", where people post what games they were involved with in which roles, so you can connect with the people you played games with. (And how many people do you know primarily as "Idris the Invincible" or "Boxovna Cornchecks"?)

Also, if you've posted a review of the con and/or the games you played anywhere public -- your LJ, your blog, G+, wherever -- please let me know, either in the comments here or at nelarpnews@gmail.com. I'd like to do a round-up post here in a week or two.

Festival Sign-Ups Open Tomorrow!

The first round of sign-ups for the Brandeis Festival of the Larps open tomorrow, Monday, March 4th, at 7p EST! (Meaning, you can sign up for up to one game tomorrow, up to two games on Thursday, March 7th, at 7p, and as many games as you want after Monday, March 11th, at 7p.)

Make sure you've registered at the site beforehand so you can be right on the button at 7p!

The schedule is up and has a lot of great games on it -- both some favorites from the past few years, like "The Prince Comes of Age", and the premiered-just-this-morning, award-winning "AGENT Bobo of the Resistance" from Alleged Entertainment. It looks like a great time!

Hi Intercon!

Con was great! I'm exhausted. How 'bout you?

If you first heard about this blog at Intercon, can you give a shout here?

Nexus Apr 5-7 @RPI is Looking for Players!

From Stephen Kohler of Lime Shirt LARPing via Sarah Judd (formatting mine):

Hi, everyone! Just wanted to remind everyone that we're still looking for signups for Nexus, a weekend-long LARP running the first weekend in April, the 5th-7th.

Come to Commoncon, the greatest Sci-Fi show in Troy, NY! See the sights! Enjoy the showings! Save the world! Or take it over! Or BOTH! Still only $25, including Saturday Night dinner. Come play the SIL West version of the game that started it all!

http://tinyurl.com/NexusLARP

I'll see you there!

-Stephen Kohler
Lime Shirt LARPing

Nexus is apparently a modern reboot (a la Star Trek) of "Rekkon-1", run at Boskone XX in 1983, and "arguably the first modern live-action roleplaying game." Sign-ups are here and open to the public. It sounds like fun!

Foam Brain Metal Dice Kickstarter

The fine folks of Foam Brain Games (who have run a number of LARPs at RPI and other venues), lead by Andrew Zorowitz, are Kickstarting a line of metal gaming dice which look absolutely stunning. With 11 days to go they're well past their funding goal. The next stretch goal to unlock at $17,000 is fudge dice -- not chocolate dice, but the -1,0,1 dice used by the FATE System.

Shiiiiiiny.

Festival Still Wants Games!

According to the Brandeis Festival of the LARPs Twitter feed, @festivaloflarps:

Festival would like to debut a schedule as soon as possible. We'd love more games to complete it! Bid at 2013.festivalofthelarps.com!

— Festival of theLarps (@festivaloflarps) February 24, 2013

Intercon Precon schedule is up! NELCO announced!

From the Intercon newsletter:

Precon Schedule is up!
Check it out at our website. We've got a great line-up of panels, talks, and workshops for you this year. Come at 8p on Thursday for a confab of the authors in the Wyrd Con Companion Book or a panel on "Basic Larp Design Tools"! Stay up late into the night talking about "Gender and LARP"! Then roll up at 11a Friday to learn "What Boffer LARP Can Teach Intercon", and at 1p hear from some educators who are using LARP as a learning tool.

New GMs come at 3p Friday to learn from Jeff Diewald "How to Write a LARP" (and maybe find some like-minded people to work with)! New Intercon-goers come at 5p to get "Intercon 101" from some long-time larpers! Also discuss "Sexuality and LARP", take Lizzie Stark's Ars Amandi workshop, play Powerpoint Karaoke, and much more! Precon is free for all Intercon attendees.

NELCO 2013!
The second annual New England LARP Conference will be happening August 9-11 this year. A website and additional information will be forthcoming, but if you have questions or suggestions, please contact Dave Kapell. NELCO memberships will be available for sale at the Ops desk at Intercon, for $20.

OMG you guys, Precon is almost here! This Intercon is the largest Intercon ever (~400 registered attendees! zomg!) and this Precon looks to be the largest Precon ever (three panel tracks! augh!). I'm really excited for this! :-)

Cracks in the Orb @RPI needs players!

From Lise Fracalossi via Facebook:

Hey folks - I still need three players to be at minimum for my game, Cracks in the Orb, which is running Friday night of DB. It has a wargame! And romance! And most importantly, Jenny Blanchard really wants to play, but it can't run if I don't have more players! If you were considering signing up--especially if you're waitlisted for another game--please do consider giving my game a try. It was highly acclaimed by RPI folks who came to SLAW! That's a lot of exclamation points!

Vikings Invade the Higgins this Saturday!

From the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, MA by e-mail:

Viking Invasion!
Saturday, January 19th
Grab your helmet, axe, and shield and join your Viking brothers as they wash upon our shores.

• Seize an axe & shield and try out Viking methods of "peace making" in a combat class
  
• Celebrate your victory with Viking games
  
• Try your hand at creating 4-in-1 mail - just like the Vikings used to protect themselves
  
• Explore Viking artistry as you make your own Viking shield and runic pendant
  

Hmm, this is relevant to my interests. I'm booked that day, but it sounds like a good time!

App for Contact @MIT today!

MIT's student LARP group, the MIT Assassins' Guild, has a tradition of running 10-day long games, often over the school's month-long January term (referred to as Independent Activities Period or IAP). The history of these games goes back to the Assassins' Guild's earliest days, when, as its name implies, it ran circle-of-death or assassin games.

Although the Guild now runs games of all lengths, from one hour on up, and all styles, from low-plot Nerf action through Jeepform, the IAP 10-day remains a particular fixture. If four-hour games are short stories and weekend-long games are novels, the 10-day is the sci-fi/fantasy trilogy of LARPing.

This year's IAP 10-day is called Contact:

First contact happened yesterday, and it wasn't what anyone had expected. Insubstantial, alien figures appeared with no warning, visible to nearly everyone on Earth, speaking a strange tongue that everyone nonetheless understood:

"We are the Aspects, the sundered half of humanity's soul. Your crimes against us are great, and we demand recompense. You have twenty-four hours to send your chosen to meet us. They will have one week to satisfy us, or we will declare war."

News reports followed in a flurry; Kirijo Group researchers on Virgin Galactic's SpaceStation One opened a portal to another world, which they were universally surprised to discover was inhabited; the alien beings now wait there for those who are capable of answering their call.

Will you travel there seeking peace, war, or profit? Are you an ambitious corporate representative, a diplomat maneuvering for your country's gain, a seeker after religious truth, a curious scientist? The opportunities of a lifetime, for you and your species, await on SpaceStation One.

Contact is a ten-day game of diplomacy, espionage, psychology and discovery, written by Dalton Allan, Drew Hilliard, Jayson Lynch, Andrew Menard, Xavid, and Ariel Segall. Game will run from Friday evening on January 25 through early Sunday morning on February 3, with a game break on Tuesday January 29.

A 10-day game runs over two adjacent weekends and the intervening week. This seems like a long time, and it is, but it's broken up by a game break some time mid-week -- a roughly-day-long period in which no game actions may take place, and players are encouraged to catch up on non-game aspects of their lives like schoolwork, food, and sleep.

Game also starts Friday evening and ends very early Sunday morning, so despite the name "10-day", there are roughly eight evenings in-game, with a game wrap and dinner mob Sunday afternoon.

Like all Guild games, the IAP 10-day is open not just to MIT students but to the community at large. And it's not just students who play. Alums and community members with 9-5 day jobs do play, mostly in the evenings -- without losing our jobs! -- so it's a doable time commitment. I've played before, and I've apped for this game.

Like all Guild games, the IAP 10-day is cast more like a play -- you're cast based on your answers to the casting questionnaire, rather than first-come-first-served like a convention LARP, so you may submit the questionnaire and not get cast.

It's not personal -- there are only a certain number of roles, not all roles are good fits for all players, and it's possible to send in an uncastable app. In general, a reasonable number of strong preferences, positive or negative, will be easier to cast than an app which is completely neutral, so don't be shy.

People who app but are not cast are added to the waitlist, and if someone drops the game (as is not unlikely), you may be contacted if your app suggests you would be a good fit for the part.

Although the deadline to submit the casting questionnaire is officially 12 noon today, Saturday, January 12, having discussed it with the GMs, if you send this in as late as 6 PM and mention the blog -- or probably even later, if you don't see this post until then -- your app will be considered.

If this sounds interesting to you, the casting questionnaire is below the cut.

From talking to the GMs, it sounds like this game will be a pretty friendly introduction for players from other communities to the Guild style and community. I think it's going to be a good game!

Dice Bubble Sign-Ups are Open!

What it says on the tin. Still space in a lot of games!

Dice Bubble Schedule Available!

The schedule of games for this February's Dice Bubble minigame weekend at RPI has been posted! Looks like a bunch of fun games, including Lise Fracalossi's "Cracks in the Orb", based on the works of Steven Brust, which was well-received at this past SLAW.

Game sign-ups open Friday, January 11th at 7:00 PM.

WyrdCon Companion Book Released!

The 2012 WyrdCon Companion Book, edited by Sarah Lynne Bowman and Aaron Vanek, has been released for free online (PDF download)! Of special interest is our own Nat Budin's essay, "Over Time: Intercon and the Evolution of Theater-Style Larp in the Northeast", which as its title implies documents the history of the form and the culture surrounding it in this area.

(WyrdCon is a California convention a bit like our Intercon. It looks like they cover the whole range of what they term "interactive storytelling," of which larp is just a part, both from an academic perspective and by actually running games -- if you've been, correct me if I'm wrong. The con sounds fascinating! It looks like they're still working to finalize the plans for 2013.)

There's a lot of interesting stuff in the whole book, including academic papers. Go check it out!

Dice Bubble Game Bids Close Friday

Just a reminder, if you're thinking of bidding a game for RPI's Dice Bubble minigame weekend in February, the deadline is noon on Jaunary 4th, ie. this coming Friday. Email dicebubble@gmail.com for a copy of the submission form. Bid early, bid often!

Brandeis Festival of the LARPs 2013 announced!

From Facebook:

Triskaidekafestival

April 12-14, 2013 at Brandeis University

Ready to try your luck? Come check out Brandeis University's awesome free theater-style LARP convention!

Sign up for the convention and bid a game at our website:

2013.festivalofthelarps.com

The event is free and open to the community. Last year's was a good time; I suspect that this year's will be too!