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.