I've spent most of the last 16 years writing, organising, running, taking part in and creating props and set pieces for live action roleplaying events. I've been at the core of a small team who have been behind a number of highly acclaimed events over the last ten years; in particular, Captain Dick Britton and the Voice of the Seraph has achieved legendary status in UK LARP circles.
The events I've been involved in organising and writing have included anything from eighty participants to three-and-a-half thousand.
Here are a selection of bits and pieces from some of our events, to show quite how much work goes into the background of each event. All of the prose here is my own, although some of it is based around characters created by other people (the products of ongoing storylines).
Captain Dick Britton and the Voice of the SeraphA pulp action adventure set in the 1930s. Thoroughly tongue-in-cheek. Acclaimed for its bewildering array of set pieces, for its inventiveness, and for the antagonist actually having a working WWI tank... |
Artifex RexAn event partially set in the legendary Lost Land, deep in the past, where the participants inevitably brought about the opening of the sea gates and the destruction of the kingdom. A complicated and twisting plot involving switching between different time periods. |
Alea Iacta EstA fantasy event set in an analogue of heroic Ireland; a complex whodunnit that was suddenly interrupted by the invasion of the 13th Legion. Turned the then-standard weekend event formula on its head. |
Dragon's EyeA fantasy event based around the defense of a mountain pass and the solving of an ancient riddle. Famed for the moment where the creature known as the Weaver of Light broke free from the centre of the stone circle... |
Slaght MaandSlaght Maand, "Slaughter Month", was a fantasy horror event set in the land of Cymrija, an analogue of medieval Wales. Acclaimed for its cast of complex supporting characters and its inventive use of gore. |