Larp House Presents: The Harvest Festival

The hands of person with pale skin wearing blue uses blue clay on a rustic wooden table to create molds for silver charms.

A rural village craftspeople prepare for the annual Harvest Festival. At the festival each craftsperson will present their proudest works to other members of the community as a symbol of gratitude, forgiveness, or apology.

During the day, you sit with an elder perfecting your craft and seeking advice from your peers about your personal life. At night, wander the cozy streets of the hamlet to visit with other villagers to put that advice into practice (for better or for worse). After the third day, we will celebrate the Harvest Festival and give away the things we created.

What

The Harvest Festival is a pastoral game about interpersonal conflict and support networks. Inspired by Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon, join us to live out a hygge cottagecore fantasy for one afternoon.

Written by Marshall Bradshaw
Organized by Jon Cole

When

Saturday January 7th, 2023, from 1 to 4pm

The fingers of a person with pale skin delicately manipulate wet clay on a pottery wheel. The hands are wet, covered with shiny clay.

Continue reading “Larp House Presents: The Harvest Festival”

13 December 202213 December 2022

Larp House Presents: Glamourous Night

People dance in a dimly lit room. Two move lean into one another, sharing weight. One person the the foreground thrusts out an outstretched hand to another person.

In the old, old, half forgotten times, magical beings spin helplessly through realms of music and magic. Tragic are they! These wizards, fae, humans, and magical animals do not see that they already possess the power to change themselves. To take control of their vulnerable situation, each group dominates the minds of the others in turn, each more wickedly than the last. Mind control scars both the leader and the follower, but each has a chance to heal. In the end, only True Love can redeem them and break their bonds. When they have the chance to escape, will they want to?

What

Glamourous Night is an immersive game about hurting others, and having a chance to redeem yourself for 8 to 30 players. It is an abstract, mostly non-verbal game that is played to music. Players use two movement techniques to resolve their characters’ conflicts, either mutual spell casting or mind control. Players will be on their feet and moving during most of the three hour workshop and the two hour game.

The setting is a fantastical medieval Europe where all the folk tales are true. The characters are powerful magical beings who go on an accidental journey between dimensions. They are tempted to mind control each other before escaping, scarred. Only True Love can break mind control bonds and redeem their actions. Finally, each character decides which of the three dimensions they will make their new home.

Written by Jon Cole
Organized by Steve Stolpman and Jon Cole

When

Saturday January 28th, 2023, from noon to 5pm

Read on for more details!
Continue reading “Larp House Presents: Glamourous Night”

7 November 20227 November 2022

Larp House Recommends: Voting (updated)

The year is 2022, and it is a world of darkness. The lives of marginalized people are threatened by the cruel and the violent. Unjust social structures grow increasingly brazen in their oppression. Systemic inequality runs unchecked.

Will you sit idly by as selfish monsters assault those less powerful? Or will you stand and be counted among those who demand a more considerate, nurturing, inclusive society? Your chance to play the most important role of all.

What

Democracy, a live-action exercise in civic responsibility for millions of participants

When

Tuesday, 8 November 2022

Where

At your local polling place

Registration

You can check and make sure you’re registered to vote with the Minnesota Secretary of State.

If you haven’t registered yet, it’s not too late. In Minnesota, you can register at the polls, but be sure to bring current proof of residence.

This event works better when you bring friends. Talk to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to attend this event! Sign up for get out the vote canvassing together!

Continue reading “Larp House Recommends: Voting (updated)”

16 August 20209 September 2020

Larp House Presents: College of Neraidology

girl lying in grass examining something with magnifying glass

This event has been cancelled.

Dearest Members!

We are thrilled to announce an incredible opportunity to advance the burgeoning field of Fae Studies! The Minnesota College of Neraidology is seeking scholars and observers to take part in a field trip to determine the nature of faerie activity. A possible colony of Fae has been reported in the backyard of a home in Richfield. We will gather (with the homeowners’ generous permission) on Saturday, August 29th at 1:00 PM for a one hour Site Inspection followed by a shared discussion of findings.

Data may take many forms and we recognize that creative extrapolation is a key part of the scientific method in regard to neraidology. In particular, we wish to know:

What species of faerie dwell in the area (sprites, gnomes, leprechauns, brownies, etc)
What habits they may have (dances, mushroom tending, animal husbandry)
What locations they favour (hidden hollows, man-made structures, natural wonders)
What tools, items or trinkets they have used (coloured stones, unusual feathers, shiny items)
Is this in fact a true fae colony, or merely a neurotic homeowner plagued by sparrows and mice?

Once the hour is complete, all participants are expected to present their findings to each other and form a cohesive theory to present to the College. We expect that the work of all participants be given equal weight.

To ensure the safety of students, faculty and guests, and of our delicate subjects of study, strict rules for masking will be required to prevent accidental Fae Inhalation and observers will be asked to maintain 6 feet of separation to avoid trampling evidence.

Further details as to the location of the study site will be provided if your application to the observation team is accepted.

Sincerely,
Sir Francis Cobblesworth
Dean of Neraidology (Faerie Studies)

What

A special socially-distanced adaptation of Royal College of Neraidology, a whimsical outdoor game about faerie studies for three to six players.

Written by Ivan Nevill
Organized by Katherine Shane

When

~~Saturday, 29 August 2020 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm~~

~~Rescheduled: Saturday, 12 September 2020, from 1 pm to 4 pm~~

This event has been cancelled.

We will set aside Sunday as a rain date.

Where

A private home in Richfield, Minnesota. Details will be provided to registered attendees.

Registration

Continue reading “Larp House Presents: College of Neraidology”

18 March 202016 February 2021

Larp House Workshop: Larp Jam ONLINE

Have you ever seen a reality TV cooking competition? Each team has to cook up a larp using a secret ingredient. Then the “dishes” are rotated between teams of chefs, who have to keeping working on a “meal” they didn’t start.

LarpJam is great for roleplayers, people interested in game design, and folks who like collaborating in small groups.

In a matter of hours people with no larp design experience can create awesome, fully-playable larps!

What

LarpJam, a collaborative game-design workshop where you create your own live action roleplaying games, for 6 or more participants

Facilitated by Katherine Shane

This LarpJam will be run completely online! We’ll use real-time collaboration software like Google Hangouts and Google Docs. You’ll need to have an Internet-connected device that can run these applications, probably something with a keyboard so you can chat and write at the same time, and a webcam.

When

20 March 2020, from 6 pm to 9 pm, CDT Continue reading “Larp House Workshop: Larp Jam ONLINE”

8 January 2020

Larp House Presents: Sign

illustration of two hands making ASL gesture for Friend

Nicaragua in the 1970s had no form of sign language. In 1977, something happened. Fifty deaf children from across the country were brought together to an experimental school in Managua. Without a shared language to express themselves, the children did the only thing they could — they created one. In Sign, we follow a small piece of their journey.

Sign is based on the true story of a language born in modern times from the hands of children. In Sign, you’ll play as kids on their first day of school. Together you’ll make new language through play.

What

Sign, a live-action game about communication and being understood, for four to 35 players.

Organized by Katherine Shane

This game of Sign will have simultaneous runs of one to five tables of four to seven players each, working together to create a new language. Play is entirely silent, without any spoken words or any use of currently existing sign languages. Instead players will use their creativity and their hands and bodies to communicate without words, build bonds of friendship, and create a new shared language.

This game will include a shared meal of traditional Nicaraguan food. (Meal will be vegetarian to ensure broad accessibility. Please indicate in the event sign up if you have any sensitivities or requirements.)

When

1 February 2020, 2 pm to 6 pm

Where

ECMN Community Room at 1101 West Broadway, Minneapolis (Google Maps)

Metro Transit routes 5, 14, 30, and 32 stop nearby. Parking is available.

Registration

If you’d like to play, please fill out the Sign registration form so we have an accurate head count for tables and food. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t delay!

The cost for the game plus meal is a self-determined fee of $5 to $25 (sliding scale) that will be collected at the door.

Hard copies of Sign will be available for sale.

Special! For a flat fee of $60, you may reserve a table for a group of 4 to 7 players. This includes food as well as a single hard copy of Sign by Thorny Games!

Continue reading “Larp House Presents: Sign”

5 December 20196 April 2025

Salon du Larp House: Glamourous Night – second playtest!

Wizards, humans, magical animals, and faeries attend a mundane community’s summer solstice festival. Magic is in the air, voices are stilled, and dreams can come true at a cost. Tonight a journey between realms will grant attendees terrifying mystical power to pursue their desires. How far will you go to get what you want? When you are all-powerful, what is actually important to you?

What

Glamourous Night is a larp about faerie magic and wizards’ hubris for 15 to 25 players. It is an abstract and musical experience exploring the themes of mind control and healing from trauma. This event is a playtest for a larp designed by Jon Cole.

In Glamourous Night, players use two movement techniques to perform ensorcelling magic as their characters. Characters will experience joyful exploration and tempting darkness as they share, subjugate, and are subjugated. Continue reading “Salon du Larp House: Glamourous Night – second playtest!”

27 September 201927 September 2019

Larp House Presents: A Crow Funeral (PBS edition)

This special run of the game is a exhibition game that will be filmed by Twin Cities PBS as part of a segment they are doing on Larp House. All participants must consent to being filmed and interviewed.

A fellow crow has died and we will gather to mourn their passing, but more importantly to understand why they died. Not in a metaphysical way, but in a practical way – what killed this creature and how can we ensure it won’t kill us as well? We are crows and this is the crow way.

What

A Crow Funeral, a live-action game about arguments, empathy, and corvids for 2 or more players

When

1 October 2019, from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm (including interviews)

Where

A private residence in Richfield, Minnesota. Details will be provided to participants.

Registration

If you are interested in playing, please fill out our A Crow Funeral registration form ASAP. We’ll let you know if you are in the larp as soon as we can.

We probably only need a few players for this. Continue reading “Larp House Presents: A Crow Funeral (PBS edition)”

20 September 201926 September 2019

Larp House Presents: Eye in the Sky

MQ-Q Reaper unmanned aircraft in flight over desert

A British-led intelligence operation close to the border of Pakistan is using an American drone for overwatch. Players are military, legal and political decision makers for either the British or American team. The optional 7th player is an unexpected observer from the Pakistan embassy. How will they all cope when the mission changes and their rules of engagement are no longer clear?

The premise

The larp is an exploration of the morality and effectiveness of using drones as a weapon of war. Different characters will have different ethical concerns about when and how to use drone weapons, and those will be tested as events unfold.

The leaders of a joint British-American intelligence operation are sitting in a room in a secure location in England, remotely directing the operation by issuing orders to British agents on the ground, local military units, or the American drone on overwatch.

Eye in the Sky will premiere at The Smoke 2020. This North American sneak preview is only at Larp House!

A larp for 6-7 players, 4 hours long (including debrief)
Designed by Malcolm Campbell
Organized by Malcolm Campbell, Josh Krehbiel, and Jon Cole

When & where

7 pm to 11 pm, Friday October 4th 2019
Hosted in private home near 78th and Dell Rd in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. (Exact address will be shared with ticket-holders.)

Plentiful free parking on site. We’ll be organizing a ride share to help get people out there.

Sign-up

Get a ticket by filling out the Eye in the Sky registration form. Unlike some of our other events, these free tickets are first-come first-served. Once you have a ticket you don’t need to do anything else besides show up to play! Continue reading “Larp House Presents: Eye in the Sky”

10 August 2019

Larp House Presents: Boundary Waters

Sunset over a wooded lake with a canoe in the foreground

Why do we do we travel? Why do we go to the world’s wild places? Why do we paddle or hike for days, when we could reach the same destination in a few hours by car? In a world of elevators, why do we climb mountains? Sometimes we go into the wilderness to figure out what matters. We take on burdens to learn how much we can carry, and who will help us bear the load. We go to liminal spaces to find a path forward, or the way home. Sometimes we all need to go to the Boundary Waters.

In Boundary Waters, a group of six strong women facing difficult choices travel through the lakes and portages of the Boundary Water Canoe Area, heading for the Canadian border. As they paddle, they contend with the inner voices of hope and fear, guilt and love. At portages, they carry heavy burdens over difficult terrain, just as they must carry the burdens of their past and future choices over many paths. Sometimes they share each other’s burdens. At night they gather in the dark and liminal space of a campfire under the stars. As they travel, the beauty of wild places will hone who they are and what they value most. When they reach the border, each must make a choice.

What

Boundary Waters, a live-action game for two to six players

As featured at Make a Scene!

When

24 August 2019 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Where

Hidden Falls Regional Park, St Paul (Google Maps)

Metro Transit routes 46 and 134 stop about half a mile away. We’ll solicit carpool needs and offers.

Registration

There is no cost to participate in this larp.

If you are interested in playing, fill out our Boundary Waters Sign-Up Form by Sunday, 18 August 11:59 pm. This larp will run as long as we have a minimum player count by this deadline, so please register by or before August 18th if possible!

Continue reading “Larp House Presents: Boundary Waters”