Tag Archives: rpg

Way hey, and up Blue rises!

I have returned home from Drachenfest. What follows is a ramshackle look at things from my sleep deprived and not at all readjusted to reality self.

My ribs ache from coughing (I thought I’d kicked the dry cough that’s been plaguing me the last few weeks, but it returned halfway through the event), my feet are sore and blistered but I managed to sleep some on the train and didn’t get food poisoning, which was an improvement over last time. There was the usual nerves around new people, being a first time player and not wanting to look silly. A brutal heatwave didn’t help things, though the rain finally coming gently on the final night and heavily on pack up day felt like a cruel joke the universe playing on us. Oh, and my faction won the event. Yeah, no big deal Actually, it was a BIG FUCKING DEAL, as it’s apparently only the second time that Blue Camp has won in the more than 20 year history of Drachenfest, including the German and American editions. The party camp we may be, but this year we came, we sang, and we fucking conquered!

I love the smell of sunscreen in the morning. Smells like, victory.

Who was I? I was Harskal, an Orc scoundrel fleeing slavery who’d heard the call of the Blue Dragon. I’d arrived as a pirate, eager to pillage and plunder, but responsibility has a knack for finding me at LARP and I soon found myself Blue Camp’s most dedicated gate guard/door bitch. How dedicated? I was recognised by our Avatar and the camp Quarter Master (AKA 2nd in command) for my service, and given the honorific ‘of the Crow’s Nest’, a title I carry proudly. All I said was someone has to be in the crows nest, and it stuck. To have my name spoken at all was unexpected (Yes, my self esteem issues follow me into LARP), but to be called out for it in front of Blue Camp like that hit me like a broadside from a man of war. I fell into it as no-one else seemed to be (They were already plenty busy, to be clear) and it swiftly became my niche. It did also have the advantage of not having to move that much, but there were points when the gate crew were bitterly complaining that we’d just sat back down in the shade when another person would hammer at the gates. Still, any grumbling was strictly in character and all in good fun. There were several people who’s arrival immediately prompted a “Oh fuck…”, but it helped make the event.

For Blue and the Crow!

The post event crash is hitting. The elation of my camp not just being full of lovely people, but that we won still has me buzzing. I’m finding insect bites I hadn’t noticed previously, even after I’d woken during the Thursday night thinking one of my arms was full of them. Sunscreen was incredibly useful and has prevented me being a charred husk. There were players wearing less clothing who were as red as their garb by the end of things, and the folks in heavier garb and armour who somehow didn’t collapse or cook. I salute them. Again, all hail to the people who were rolling a cart of ice water around all event, I can’t thank them enough. The compliments on my kit, beard and roleplay have been almost as wonderful as the water. It’s not the main reason why I LARP, but it’s wonderful for my self esteem. My regular music suggestions now have a pile of sea shanties and folk music amidst them, and my throat is raw from yelling and singing (I use the term very loosely) at the gates, in battle and in celebration. I love this ridiculous hobby so damn much.

Closest to a Blue Light Disco I’ve ever been to.

PROS:
The people. Gods, they were bloody lovely. Encouraging, friendly, and looking out for each other. A large part of the event’s ethos is playing to lift other people and that came across. You’d get people trying to involve others in plot or just chat to them. Check ins during and after battle, and any time the sun was out. I can’t thank the folks who were rolling a cart of ice water around, they were amazing. Without them, players would have been dropping like flies. It also meant I abandoned any makeup plans after the first day, as just walking outside was hard enough.
The crew. All of them. The NPC team, medical staff, referees, build team and anyone else I missed, they did a hell of a job. They were also kind enough to give me a jump start, when I accidentally drained the battery on the van I’d hired. We learn by doing, or in my case, not doing.
My fellow players. I can mainly speak for Blue Camp, as that was were I spent most of my time, but I’d recommend going Blue for your first event, and no, I’m not at all biased. We’re welcoming, keen on a fight, have amazing bards and our medics are top notch. There was singing, joking and a giant rat. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what the background was with it, but the player was lovely to interact with and managed to go through an apocalyptically hot week with a giant foam rat head perched atop her head.
The atmosphere. If you look at it from the outside, it’s a bunch of folks with foam swords and rubber ears yelling at each other in a field. But if everyone is dedicated to the suspension of disbelief, it works. The foam swords become steel, wounds feel real and the stakes are life or death. The moments when Blue broke into song led by our head bard felt amazing, as if I was at a Maiden gig when Fear of the Dark begins and that’s no small thing.
The little things. The conversations before battle, the moments before a siege and anything else you could describe as the calm before the storm. Also, the fact that the head Diplomat for Blue Camp’s name was Lucan, which meant I was continually doing double takes when he was called for.
Family. Getting to see my sister and her family again. Herbert continues to be delightful and the Best Dog Ever.

Are you gonna eat that?

CONS:
The heat. Sweet zombie Cthulhu riding a pogo stick, the heat was brutal. The main play area lacking in tree cover didn’t help. I can’t fault the venue per se, as the previous venue was a victim of last years bushfires, so I’m impressed they managed to find a suitably large venue at all.
The venue. This is both pro and con, as while the walk from where campervans were parked was quite a trek it did mean things were a lot quieter, unlike what I heard about parts of the in character area.
The opening ceremony. It’s not exactly a complaint, but it felt odd that an NPC (The Speaker or Guardian, I don’t recall) emerged, but then the main crew came out and spoke. I have nothing against it, and applaud the welcome to country, but if you ask me the crew should speak, then the game begins.
The closing ceremony. It went smoothly, and there was much well deserved applause for the Dragons and the crew, but at the end it swiftly became a giant clusterfuck and not in the sexy way. Basically, everyone was hanging about trying to get photos and bantering, and some sort of order would have made things a lot easier. Maybe group photos one camp at a time, or back at people’s camps? And no, I’m not bitter because I haven’t seen myself in any photos yet.
Not doing more. I know I couldn’t have done everything, but there was a lot I wanted to see and do. Wander round the other camps, play Troll Ball, enter the Lanterns competition (Though based on the entries I saw I’d have had no chance), or torture people with my singing voice. I also regret not letting a bunch of Blues in while our Avatar was conducting negotiations with Green Camp. The feeling was ‘I’m sitting on a powder keg and letting you lot in would light a match’, but that could have been a hell of a lot of fun. Hindsight’s a bitch. So little time and so much heat. Oh well, next year….

As for next year, oh there are plans. Hire a larger van, take better care of myself. More guns, more costume and I’ve tentative plans to formalise gate duty, or at least make it more comfortable. Maybe even form a small mercenary faction themed around it, with a banner. Pay us and we’ll tell people at your gates to fuck off if they don’t pass the security questions we ask! If I was really going over the top I’d try to build a full size crows nest that looks over the wall, but I’ll likely settle for adding one to a banner pole. That post event burst of ideas is a wonderful thing.

I have been Harskal of the Crow’s Nest and I can’t wait till next year. FOR FREEDOM! FOR DISCOVERY! FOR AMBITION!

Picts or it didn’t happen.

How can I wear the harness of toil, and sweat at the daily round?
While in my soul forever the drums of Pictdom sound?
Robert E Howard

It’s been a mixed last few days. Brutal heat, bad sleep and the news that Ravenswood LARP have cancelled their 2026 event. I don’t blame them, the reasons were more than sensible, but I’m still a little sad about it. Still, that’s something to look forward to in 2027, which is nice. Looking at the LARP Calendar has shown mostly battle games, and that’s not dramatic enough for me. At some point I’ll make it to a Concord and continue to foolishly hold out hope that Path of the Warden will return, but there’s precious little else out there that works for me. Still, I’ve managed to find one!

Spurred on by wifely approval and the fact that two of the 3 factions had sold out their ticket allocations, I’m going to Lost Settlers mid next year! The two sold out factions are the Barborillas, inspired by 17th Century Germany and Spain, and the Orthos, who have a British redcoat vibe. Now, I’ll miss the chance to dress flamboyantly, or Sharpely, but the faction I’ve joined (who still have tickets available!) are the Broch’Tir, who are inspired by ancient Celts, Gauls and the Picts. In short, that’s my jam, as the Skindred song goes. The chance to play with black powder weapons (albeit represented by band guns, rather than cap firing weapons) is one I’ll miss, but the chance to get my Celtic barbarian on? OH HELL YES.

Now, it’s still in the early stages. I’ve been excitedly bouncing around character ideas, looking at what kit I have that’s suitable and works for a Victorian winter. There’s also the matter of sticking to the game’s cultural brief, which sadly means modern kilts are out. Though if I’m reading it correctly (and I really hope I am), the old school great kilt is allowable to a certain degree. And at that point dear reader, I may have let out a burst of joy that even BRIAN BLESSED might have considered a bit loud. I’ve not found a suitable tartan or fabric yet, and I’ll need to get cheat pleats installed, but I’ve wanted to own one for years, and this is as good a time as any.

The two main ideas I’m tossing around are as following:
1: Big Game Hunter. Quiet, sneaky bastard, but reliable and a provider for his tribe.
2: Old Warrior. Cheerful, enthusiastic, and desperately ignoring the fact that he’s getting old.
I do have a loose third concept, but it’s more an additional idea. See, the players have been exceptionally well organised and set up a Google Sheet that has character details, and only a couple of them have taken any sort of medical skill, and from past experience at Path of the Warden, a healer is always useful. Now, from what I’ve read of the rules, combat is rather lethal – armour doesn’t add to it for starters, merely cuts down the stages of healing. Yep, none of this healed in seconds by magic nonsense at this game, no. There’s also a solid warning to bring suitable kit for a new character should the worst happen. I’m reminded of a story from a friend who had a character at a Concord event last about 12 hours, but those 12 hours were glorious.

Side note: the threat of death also happens to be something I enjoy in a LARP.

I’m leaning towards the second option, or an unholy combination of the two, mostly owing to wanting to be A: useful and B: social. It’s an important lesson to remember in LARP (along with remembering to eat and wear comfortable shoes), that while the likes of Batman and Wolverine may be fun on the page, playing an anti-social loner can turn out to be not very much fun. I’ve also inquired if any other players in my nation are interested in some IC romance during the event, but it’s early days. There’s plenty of time to sort out romantic entanglements before hand. Besides, I don’t even have a character confirmed yet!

As for inspirational material, it’s no surprise my first thought was Robert E Howard’s tales of Bran Mak Morn, the Last King of the Picts. Despite Bran appearing in few stories compared to Conan or Solomon Kane, Worms of the Earth and Kings of the Night are bona-dife Howard classics. Other reading is some Osprey books on the Picts, and I’m pretty sure I have a couple on the Roman invasion of Britain kicking about. On that note, the films Centurion and The Eagle are due for a re-watch (Or in the latter case, a first one) and I dug out my copies of season 1 and 2 of Britannia. Fingers crossed I make it more than 3 episodes in this time. Still, there’s David Morrisey and Ian McDiarmid chewing the scenery with merry abandon, which helps. There’s also the 2004 King Arthur, the Doctor Who episode The Eaters of Light (written by Rona Munro, who also wrote Survival, the last story to air in the classic series) and the 2007 film The Last Legion which I sold a friend on watching by saying it had Colin Firth in Roman armour. (That’s not a lie to be clear, but I’m not sure it salvages the film itself)

It also means I have the chance to possibly buy a new sword or axe, not to mention taking my long bow into (fake) battle again. It’s been far too long since I’ve shot it. There’s the gorgeous leather cuirass I bought at a medieval fair a couple years back I’ve hardly worn and while it would require taking the Instrument skill (A tough choice, given there’s only 5 skill slots), the temptation to buy the largest blowing horn I can find has noisily reared it’s head again. Sure, I’d likely need to walk a kilometre or two into a nearby National Park to practise with it, but I’d rather spare my neighbours that horror. Still, could be worse – I could be singing.

So yeah. I’m in that early stage of a new game excitement. It feels wonderful to have things in the calendar that aren’t my brain doctor appointments. I’m kicking around ideas for Pheno next year and still have the occasional thought of making another attempt at working on another LARP event. Either way, it’s lovely to have things to look forward to. May you as well.

*sighs*

As frequently, it’s been a while since I’ve written here. Working in retail during the Christmas season doesn’t leave much time and combine that with exhaustion from the heat (Stupid burning hell pit of a country) and a self diagnosed seasonal depression spike have meant I haven’t exactly been in a good frame of mind. I’ll spare you further ruminations and instead apologise to anyone who had the misfortune to interact with me when I’ve not been having a good day.

So, instead the good stuff! My wife and I bought an apartment, more on that later. I bought another LARP sword, though that was mostly to distract from the constant mind shattering terror of the orange one’s return. It’s felt really fucking weird the couple of times I’ve talked to customers in the store about Fair and Balanced, having to really labour the point that it was run in October 2016, when that shit was still funny. I was really looking forward to being able to look at the news without that creeping feeling of dread, that constant background noise of “Oh what the fuck has he done now?” I keep telling myself all I can do is be a good person, help where I can and not snitch. To worry about the things I can change, keep looking to hope and not doom scroll. Election day local time was particularly bad, as it was deathly quiet in the store, which left me time to, you guessed it, doom scroll. sigh

I got to see Hammerfall with my wife, and it was as ridiculous and glorious as I’d hoped for. For starters, neither of us had any hope we’d ever get the chance, but getting to see them was a real bucket list kind of night. For a band who’ve played massive Euro festivals, to see them at the Manning Bar may have seemed like a comedown, but the show was just as over the top, albeit with less pyro. Gods, I adore when bands do the co-ordinated headbanging, it’s so stupid I can’t help but love it. I can’t explain why, but it just makes me so happy. Outside of Hammerfall, I’ve been listening to a lot of versions of The Ecstasy of Gold. That’s mostly as A: it’s fucking brilliant and B: my wife mentioned putting a will together, and my brain (After mostly recovering from running screaming at the merest contemplation of my mortality) set to wanting to make a funeral playlist. I know there’ll be some John Williams and Iron Maiden, but I can’t decide if Brillig’s The Old Captain is the start or end song.

And yes, I am now a home owner. Since that, instances of friends calling me bourgeois scum and/or calling for my execution via madame guillotine have shot up alarmingly. This has meant, since we’re moving to a smaller space, that I’m having to pack and cull things. It’s been, emotional. One shelf has a pile of notebooks* (THEY STAY!) next to a pile of gaming books that I’ll be letting go. So, if there’s something of mine you’ve coveted, this could be your lucky day! The idea is to have some sort of giveaway or set up an “Give me a few bucks if you want, otherwise take it from my house!” event. RPG books, some bits of LARP kit and DVD’s will likely be the first up for the chop.

i got a free month of Amazon Prime and have been binging Vox Machina, which has been a joy. In news that will surprise no-one who knows me, Grog and Scanlan continue to be my favourites, and the character development they’ve gone through has been emotional and hilarious. Grog’s cry of “I GOT A BEARD!” brings joy, as does damn near every time Scanlan sings. Also, I get to continue my game of “I recognise that voice!” When that’s done, the plan is to shift over to the final season of Lower Decks. I’m really gonna miss that show.

Speaking of LARP, I was attempting to distract myself from the heat on Tuesday and had thoughts about a pirate based game again. Mostly pillaging from Hoist the Colours plot wise, the last survivors of a mighty pirate horde wash up on a lost island and have to figure out what to do next. That or, several ships wash up on the same island, but different locations. Each crew has something the other wants (Powder, map fragments, water, etc) and have to decide how to proceed. Shenanigans ensue. Yes, I started listening to Larps and Tarps coverage of Hoist again, but they bring joy and I need that right now.

It’s past 1am and I have plans to people tomorrow. Bedtime now. Take care of each other. Night all.

* I don’t have a notebook problem. There are notebooks I don’t own, so I’m fine.

Convention recap time!

So, my last two weekends have been at gaming based conventions – the first, playing at Phenomenon, the second, working a booth at PAX Australia. Therefore, it’s recap time!

Pheno continues to be a delight, both in terms of the people there and the quality of games. They went the gamut from an alien beauty contest, at which I was a very stressed intern, to a new Persephone (Damn intense game, but I expect nothing less from the GM team) to an Orcish drummer. There was an inter species relationship (I was a werewolf, he was a vampire), mostly to spite her father. Also, it was a fake, to disguise the actual relationship I’d entered into late game. It made sense at the time. I even managed to come away with two player awards, which was lovely for my ego. (Though to be fair, I think I only managed that cause Niece couldn’t make it this year. Both her and my wife are tremendously skilled lumberjacks*) It’s always nice to have the recognition, to feel as if I was doing something right in the eyes of the GM, even if in both awards this year it was a team effort. For one game, a lot of political arguments, and my confusion at most of the table not realising I was referencing Raiders of the Lost Ark at one point, but we used our ultimate power to create the Scales of Equality, a magic item to even the odds, so to speak. The rich get poorer, and the poor get richer. Idealistic, I know, but it made sense in the game. The second was less a team effort, and more a 3/4’s of the team effort. I’ll explain.

The game was based around a group of Bards in a D&D setting, and the GM is well known for his love of the pun. So, when the music puns started to sing (About, oh, 2 and a half seconds into the game), we turned up the amps in response. Except for my wife, who spent most of the session head in her hands, horrified at what was unleashed. I have no defence, other than we felt entitled to return fire. There’s a reason her prize certificate said ‘For courage under fire’ after all. It’s not that I’m a regular user of the pun, but it’s possible I’ve listened to a few too many pun runs from The Bugle and something has infected me. At least, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Another highlight for me was speaking in Orcish for the first time IC – the character spoke broken Common, but intellectual Orcish, so going from “Me think you no say good” to “I say good fellow, might we settle this without any unnecessary violence?” in a proper RP accent, was delightful.

Only flaw in the con was my coming sick on the Sunday night, which marred my Monday with a lot of irritating coughing and concern about my health. Took the shine off the after party as well – between the coughs and the way my back was hurting from said coughing, it wasn’t as fun as they usually are. There was good news though, amidst the regular banter and debriefing. The good news being, I have an idea for next year, and it’s positively rational! But more about that later.

Turning to PAX, I got back from Pheno, slept the rest of the day, then the day after was on a flight to Melbourne that evening.. Setup, as always, is painful, but getting to talk to people about games can be wonderfully soothing. my abiding memory of the con being people’s faces experiencing the back cover blurb for Eat the Reich, which ranged from slack-jawed confusion at what the hell did I just read, to full blown “SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!” Also, near every time I got to talk about it, I’d get the theme to The A-Team in my head. My only regrets, outside of not having more spending money (There was a LARP arming sword that was taunting me the entire con), was not seeing the Owlbear that I’d heard was at the Drachenfest booth. The dragons they had were lovely, but OWLBEAR! I did buy a very cute small plush one, my wife feels we’re on the way to a large collection. Overall, loud and exhausting, with rather overpriced food, but a lot of fun. Looking forward to next year.

Returning to the game idea. Some of my favourite moments as a GM have been when players added to the event, contributing ideas, noodle incidents or bits of canon. It’s a wonderful feeling when players add stuff, even if it’s a better idea than what I had, makes me feel like they’re getting into the spirit of things. I’ve had no small amount of them, ranging from “Was it the Mole-men?” to “We need to drive faster. Somebody give the engine a sandwich.” So, what about a game based on that premise and built on action movie logic? A game that uses a system I’ve not run before, like Feng Shui? *drum roll* Oh yes, that’s exactly the plan.

The idea is simple: it’s the third film in an action movie trilogy, an Expendables-esque** combination of explosions, quips and 10 thousand rounds per 10 round magazine. There’s existing PC relationships, old comrades, grudging team mates and a romance or two, if they have the guts to admit they care about each other. Good drama. At least, I hope. The twist is, the events of the previous 2 films, any Disney+ spin offs or ill advised prequels etc, are determined during play each session. How they met the villain, how much property damage was done in his capture and the full horror of his dastardly world conquering scheme, it’s player driven. I like the idea of getting their input, of making every session really different. Haven’t gotten much further, but there’s a lot of thoughts. Do I set a guideline for what style of event people want at the start? For example, we have three settings:
1: Relatively gritty.
2: 80’s Arnie.
3: Utterly bat-shit insane.

That seems like a good idea, but I know how tired I get near the end of a con, and things get extra whacky no matter what. I’ve had a couple of people say they’d like to request my last session, to see what sort of insanity they can cook up when I’m near exhaustion. That also goes for the setting – did you encounter the villain when he murdered your brother in an underground fighting tournament, or when you fell through a dimensional portal and found yourselves punching Mordred in King Arthur’s court? It’ll certainly test my GM improv skills and not confusing relationships in each session to session could be a nightmare, but I’m liking the idea. Character ideas are coming, and the research… I really should have watched The Old Guard sooner, but that’s led me down a “I need more Charlize Theron kicking ass in my life” path, which has meant I’m finally watching the Fast and the Furious films. I’d be lying if I thought they started well, but I’m up to Furious 6, having skipped Tokyo Drift, and the more over the top they’ve gotten, the more I’m enjoying them. Still early stage enthusiasm, but I’m hoping to hang onto that for as long as I can, so I’m ready to pitch next year. Feels good to have an idea again. Feels real good.

Lastly, Ravenswood have announced another event for neat year, which means I should probably do some more work on the NPC sports teacher idea I had after the last event. *commences idle googling for props and costume*

Be seeing you…

* A piece of slang from the old times, when convention trophies were blocks of wood.
** Let’s be fair here: it may start as The Expendables, but we all know within about 30 seconds it’ll become Hot Shots Part Deux and I’m OK with that.