Salon du Larp House: The Pitbull

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Join us on April 28, 2024

On the 13th and highest floor of the tallest building in the city a crew of dastardly individuals bask in their own glory. They drink, they laugh, they banter. Each one knows that they are the greatest to ever live. The people of this town are but mere pawns in their dastardly schemes, and as they’d be happy to tell you in monologue fashion, it would be impossible for something to ever change that. Bwahahahaha!

However, today is not a normal day for our group of despicable villains, for The Pitbull has come to town and they seem distressingly capable of the impossible…

What

The Pitbull is a larp about being a ridiculous Supervillain. Throughout the game, you will create an over-the-top character, gloat about how great you are, and come up with a cunning plan that cannot fail, only to watch it fail. Come play for the campy hijinks, stay for the schadenfreude!

Beginners Welcome! We wrote this game with new larpers in mind. If you can come up with a really dumb plan, let loose a cackle, or say “impossible” in three different intonations, you can play this larp!

Designed by Tom Fendt and Ben Francis

Organized by Ben Francis and Tom Fendt
Admin Support by Jon Cole, Olivia Montoya, Katherine Shane

This event is a playtest. The Pitbull isn’t totally finished, though it will be a complete play experience. We have playtested it before, but there might be some parts that still need more polish. If this game sounds interesting to you even though it is not in its final form, we will be very glad to have you join us!

When

Sunday April 28, 2024, from 12 pm to 5 pm

Colorful comic book covers spread overlap one another with bold titles like "In the Clutches of Mephisto" and "Casualty of War!"

Where

Private residence near Arlington Hills Library in St. Paul (address given after sign up)

Metro Transit routes 64 and 71 stop nearby. Street parking available.

Tickets

Get a ticket by filling out The Pitbull registration form. Once you have filled out our form you don’t need to do anything else besides show up to play!

On the day of the event we request a pay-what-you-want goodwill cash donation ($5–$20 suggested) to support low-cost immersive scenarios in Minnesota. No one will be turned away if they do not make a donation.

A masked villain stands facing away from the viewers, looking back over their shoulder. Flanked by 2 trains, they are holding 2 scifi guns and conceal their identity with a full coverage helmet.

Covid policy

Attendees need to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and boosted to the extent recommended by the CDC for their demographic group. Bring proof of your vaccination status for inspection during check in, which could be your card, a picture of it, or a document on your phone. Our policy means you will need to have had the 2023 covid vaccine at least two weeks before this event or we will turn you away at the door. Please reach out if you have any questions about our policy. N95 respirators or better are required, and we will have a few to share. We will be playing in a large and well-ventilated room and bring our own CR box to run. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, stay home. If you are able to, take a rapid test before arrival.

Other Information

Safety Tools

Check-in, Brake, and Cut, will be reviewed and practiced prior to play.

Following play, we will debrief our experiences and shed the roles we assumed for the game. The debrief is encouraged, but not required.

Accessibility

Our venue is in the attic, you will need to go up stairs in order to play. Our playspace has plenty of seating. Gender-neutral restrooms on site.

Water will be available, and we recommend bringing a water bottle for your ease of access. No food will be provided.

Costuming

No costuming needed.  If you want to wear something that makes you feel like a campy supervillain, go right ahead. Some amount of costume items will be available, but no guarantees it will suit what you’re looking for.

Contact

Contact us with any questions or concerns!

Photo of a plastic action figure. The action figure is lit from the side, almost appearing human at first glance. The action figure is a white man wearing a billowing black leather duster and a domino mask.

Image credits

Cover image from Loading Ready Run (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CApIobs1oss). Inline images are used under Unsplash license and are by Erik Mclean, Emmanuel Denier, Kashish Kumar.

Larp House Presents: Blood Feud MegaGame

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Join us on March 23, 2024

The vampire sects of New York City are in upheaval. The very secret that allows them to hunt unseen amongst humans is threatened. For years the elder vampires have struggled to contain the rebellious young vampires’ uprising bubbling beneath the surface. Then, a few government agencies discovered the existence of vampires, beginning a Second Inquisition. As government agents swarm the streets seeking to root out the bloodsuckers, unlifetimes of animosity bubble over in the chaos. This is that night. Who will rise to power? Who will fall? Every soul has an ambition, and tonight is your chance to triumph in this blood feud.

What

Vampire: The Masquerade – Blood Feud is a MegaGame about vampires, and their eternal struggle to control New York City. Join one of many vampiric or criminal factions in a game for up to 32 players. Within this extra-large board game, there is lots of room to roleplay as the characters steering your faction towards victory or defeat. Gameplay is enhanced by strategic and diplomatic thinking, but is not required to have fun.

Tone: A supernatural political power game

You might enjoy this game if you are a fan of media about disturbing ancient parasites such as Succession, House of Cards, or Interview with the Vampire. The setting is within the World of Darkness franchise of games, but no prior knowledge of the system or franchise is necessary to play.

Run Time: 3 to 4 hours

Players: 4 to 32

Facilitators: 2

Designed by Ben Kanelos
Organized by Jae Krehbiel
Admin support from Jon Cole, Katherine Shane, Olivia Montoya

A shirtless young man with pale skin stares in profile. His raised hand is covered in blood and he seems to have carelessly wiped some onto his cheek and chest.

When

March 23, 2024, from 1–5 PM

Tickets

Get a ticket by filling out the Blood Feud registration form. Once you have a ticket you don’t need to do anything else besides show up to play!

On the day of the event, we request a pay-what-you-want good will donation ($5–$20 suggested) to support low-cost immersive games in Minnesota. No one will be turned away if they do not make a donation.

A New York subway tunnel is illuminated by glaring red lights. It is dark and deserted.

Where

Walker Library, 2880 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408

Transit: Located a block from the Uptown Transit Station, and can be reached on the 6, 21, 23, 114 and 614 bus lines.

Parking: In the heart of uptown, most on street parking is pay by the hour. There is a parking structure at Calhoun Square and some unmetered parking to the north of the library along Hennepin Ave.

Details on the Game

Play Style

Vampire: The Masquerade – Blood Feud is a board game with a flair for larping! 4-32 players take up roles in the warring vampire clans. Or, perhaps you’ll choose to become one of the human factions fighting for their own desires, such as City Hall, the Mafia, or Vampire Hunters. Teams will choose their ambitions, which allow for multiple paths to victory, such as being bloodthirsty, manipulative, greedy, or somewhere in between.

Blood Feud is dubbed a “Mega Board Game” because unlike a traditional board game, it isn’t played at a single table. One game table features the Cityscape and Orders, the map where players move their forces around the city and order them to fight and take control of important territories. The other game table features the Council and Market, where players use their best diplomatic and resource management skills to make sly trades, buy upgrades and player level-ups, and make large political decisions that will shape the destinies of teams to determine whether they win or lose!

A backlit bust of a person with short hair gazes at the viewer. Their face is not visible, cast into darkness by the white halo of light engulfing their head.

Content Advisory

Political decision making, political disagreements, vampiric blood drinking and murder discussed but not enacted at the game.

Safety Tools

The check-in and cut techniques will be discussed and practiced before play begins, as well as subjects that are off-limits for players.

Following play, we will debrief to discuss our experiences and shed the roles we assumed for the game. The debrief is encouraged, but not required, should you choose to leave following play.

Costuming

No costuming needed, but it is certainly welcome. If you want to wear something that makes you feel like a 2010’s big shot vampire, mobster, or government agent in the Big Apple, go for it!

A low angle photograph of a New York City sidewalk at night. The wide thoroughfare is narrowed by scaffolding, forming an empty tunnel.

Other Information

COVID-19 Policy

Attendees need to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and boosted to the extent recommended by the CDC for their demographic group. Bring proof of your vaccination status for inspection during check in, which could be your card, a picture of it, or a document on your phone. Our policy means you will need to have had the 2023 covid vaccine at least two weeks before this event or we will turn you away at the door. Please reach out if you have any questions about our policy. N95 respirators or better are required, and we will have a few to share. We will be playing in a large and well-ventilated room and bring our own CR box to run. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, stay home. If you are able to, take a rapid test before arrival.

Accessibility

By default, gameplay requires players to move between different tables to interact with board game components, and participate in small conversations while other talking is happening in the same room. Game materials are in English and the print can be small at times.

Our venue is the Walker Library and is climate controlled. Our play space has plenty of seating, and is located on the main level. The main entrance has double doors that can be opened by button-push, there are accessible restrooms on the main level.

Water will be available, and we recommend bringing a water bottle for your ease of access. No food will be provided.

Social

After the event some folks will get food together to continue to hang out at the Uptown Diner or another uptown location. Hanging out afterwards is totally optional, and we think it’s fun to get to know your fellow players as people, not just as their characters. Folks who didn’t attend the event are welcome to attend this part.

Contact

Contact us with any questions or concerns!

Image Credits

Photos by Maxim Hopman, Adrian “Rosco” Stef, Andre Benz, Joe Shields, Zachary Shakked, Egor Myznik. These images are used under Unsplash license.

 

People in military fatigues and carrying riot shields ride in a covered truck. We don’t see their faces and the only contrasting spot of color is a mysterious red and yellow geometric emblem on one person’s sleeve.

Larp House Presents: Hell Is Other Vampires

a red-tinted full moon

REGISTER HERE
Join us on September 2, 2023

It’s 1993, when grunge music is all the rage, hacker kids are dialing up to this new thing called “the Internet,” and discontentment ripples through the secret world of the vampires.

In Chicago, Prince Lodin has dominated the vampires here for decades and kept various factions at bay. However, his days of dominance and absolute monopoly are numbered, and there are whispers of a revolutionary plot against his iron-fisted reign.

As a downpour pummels the streets outside the crumbling ruins of the City Methodist Church in Gary, Indiana, a small cabal of vampires gather inside to wait out the storm and plot to overthrow the Prince. That is, if they don’t all kill each other instead…

What

Hell Is Other Vampires is a larp about, well, vampires, but also an interpersonal drama about whether the group can put aside their personal problems to achieve their common goal, or if they succumb to petty squabbles instead.

Tone: A supernatural goth early ’90s gritty drama

You might enjoy this game if you are a fan of vampire media such as The Daybreakers or Interview with the Vampire, with a touch of No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre and Reservoir Dogs. The setting is within the World of Darkness franchise of games, but no prior knowledge of the system or franchise is necessary to play.

Run Time: 3 to 4 hours, including approximately 1.5 to 2 hours of active play time

Players: 3 to 9 players

Facilitators: one

Written by Evan Torner
Organized by Tom S. Tea
Admin support from Katherine Shane and Jon Cole

When

September 2, 2023, from 2–7 PM

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Larp House Presents: Club Felis

Club Felis / A Larp House event / May 12, 2023 6-10 PM / Caydence Records & Coffee / 900 Payne Avenue St. Paul MN / Reserve your place right meow!

CLUB FELIS:
Everybody Wants to be a Cat
~~~ REGISTER HERE ~~~

Cats of the Twin Cities, come gather and play at our very own nightclub: Club Felis. Here the stray cats and posh house cats mingle. They flirt, play, drink milk, and enjoy their cat mint. In particular they participate in or enjoy watching the Cat of the Year competition, which is held “every week.”  For one evening only, Caydence Records & Coffee in Saint Paul, MN will host the hottest night club in the Twin Cities for all things cool cats and hot jazz: Club Felis!

“Welcome all you cats and friends to Club Felis! Not everyone is welcome here, but you are! Are there any dogs among the audience maybe? Not so? Are there any mice among the audience? Not that either? But can everyone who belongs to the family of cats raise their paws and give me a resounding MEOW! Tonight we will announce who is the deserving winner of the Cat of the Year award! Those of you who want to brave the competition should talk with Agent Orange. Apart from that, enjoy the milk and other extravaganza. You have been here before, so you know what the deal is. Please welcome Scat Cats! (music!)”

– George – master of ceremonies at Club Felis

All Swinging Cats, show off your talents, sing/yowl your heart out, or jump into the Scat Cats improv jazz jam, playing awesome pick up standards. Scheme with your friends, disdain your enemies, and use impeccable cat logic to prove YOU deserve to help decide who wins Cat of the Year this week. Because everybody wants to be a swinging cat!

line art of a cat playing a trombone, and a cat playing a drum kit

The 4 W’s

Who

Presented by Larp House Role Play Collective and the Make a Scene Scenario Festival 

Organized by Micah Amundsen (they/them), Jamie Bordewick (they/them),  and Katherine Shane (she/her).

And hopefully attended by you!

What

Club Felis is a Nordic style larp by Martin Brodén, Ada Fredelius and Anna-Karin Linder about cats living in the city and meeting in their very own nightclub: Club Felis.

Players: 20-40 players

Run Time: 3 hours, including about an hour of prep time to don your cat ears, practice your cat moves, and get your Cat of the Year talents or karaoke hits to our very own Club Felis music & talent team!

Where

Caydence Records & Coffee, 900 Payne Avenue • St Paul MN

Metro Transit route 64 with 14, 30, and 32 stops nearby. Street parking available.

When

Friday May 12, 2023, from 6-10 PM

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Salon du Larp House: Charm School playtest

It’s 1925 and some experienced grifters—hustlers, sharps, and general crooks—gather to teach a group of younger, less-experienced con artists the tricks of the trade. Of course everyone brings their own bag full of secrets, and sometimes the best con is the one you don’t even know you are running…

Professors teach their signature cons, honed over years of practice, to promising new comers.

Students can gain experience, insight, and possibly a mentor as they learn various cons.

And as anywhere old and young gather, stories will be shared, grudges aired, and feelings bared.

What

Charm School is a game about being low-down dirty-rotten crooks who exchange tips, stories, and grudges. Sometimes the best con is the one you don’t even know you are running.

Run Time: 3 hours, including 90 minutes active play time
Players: 6–10
Facilitators: 2, who play as well
Tone: Self-serious characters played in a light-hearted way

You might enjoy this game if you are a fan of such films as: The Sting, The Usual Suspects, Reservoir Dogs, Now You See Me, Catch Me If You Can, The Brothers Bloom, or the Ocean’s Eleven franchise.

Written by Jason Morningstar
Organized by Kevin McIntrye and Kelley Vanda
With admin support from Katherine Shane and Jon Cole

This event is a playtest. Charm School isn’t totally finished, though it will be a complete play experience. There might be some missing pieces or rough patches in play. If this game sounds interesting to you even though it is not in its final form, we will be very glad to have you join us!

When

Saturday March 25th, 2023, from 1 to 5 pm Continue reading “Salon du Larp House: Charm School playtest”

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.

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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”

Salon du Larp House: Glamourous Night playtest

enchanted forest

Wizards, humans, magical creatures, 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 shifting auras 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 15-25 players. It is an abstract and musical experience exploring the themes of temptation and choice. This event is a playtest for an unfinished 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.

When

Sunday September 1st, 2019, from 1:30 to 6 pm

Background

This is an alpha playtest of a larp. Glamourous Night isn’t finished, and this will be one of the first times it is played. There might be big holes missing or rough patches in play. If this larp sounds interesting to you even though it may not be a coherent start to finish narrative experience, we will be very glad to have you join us!
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Larp House Presents: The Hirelings

"Five Soliders and a Turk on Horseback" by Albrecht Dürer

In a world of perilous adventure and dark dungeons filled with precious riches, one group of aspiring adventurers are having their first day in a new job, and it’s not quite working out as planned.

The Hirelings is a role-playing game in which you play out the preparations and the aftermath of a failed dungeon crawl.

It draws heavily upon clichés from fantasy role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, video games, comics, and fantasy literature. In addition there are also elements from modern life, like job interviews, group therapy, sports, and team building. The characters in the game are all novice adventurers, who are preparing to head out on their first real quest.

What

The Hirelings, a live-action fantasy comedy role-playing game for three to ten players (The more the merrier!)

Designed by Håken Lid and Ole Peder Giæver.
Organized by Shawn Stokes

When

Sunday, 9 June 2019 from 3 pm to 6 pm

Where

A North Minneapolis nonprofit located near Broadway and Emerson. Players will be given details after they are registered.

Parking on site. Metro Transit lines 5, 14, 30, and 32 stop nearby.

Registration

If you are interested in playing, fill out our The Hirelings Sign-Up Form by Sunday, 2 June 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 June 2nd if possible!

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Larp House Presents: So You Think You Can Dance?

So You Think You Can Dance?

During the 2002 Israeli military invasion of Ramallah, people were arrested at random and put placed in a transitional prison camp while they decide whether to release the prisoners or transfer them to a permanent prison.

By coincidence a group of former classmates from Birzeit University are arrested in the middle of the night. They are held at this prison camp with hands tied and eyes covered.

In So You Think You Can Dance? the players will take the roles of characters that each represent different political views on how to end the occupation, as well as different visions for the Palestinian State. During the scenario the characters will revisit their political arguments from 1993 (year of the first Oslo Accords), and explore how these arguments and political views have developed by 2002.

What

So You Think You Can Dance? is an educational live-action game for non-Palestinians about the internal Palestinian political situation, for 5 to 10 players.

Designed by Riad Mustafa, Ureib Samad, and Mohamad Rabah
Organized by TLS

When

Sunday, 20 January 2019, from 2 pm to 6 pm

Where

So You Think You Can Dance? will take place at SpringBOX, located at 262 University Ave W in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Parking on site. METRO Green Line and bus lines stop nearby.

Directions

Registration

If you are interested in participating, fill out our So You Think You Can Dance? registration form before 11:59 pm on Saturday, January 12th. We’ll let you know if you are in the larp by Monday January 14th.

SpringBOX is a space for community events and programming, operated by Springboard for the Arts. We are requesting a pay-what-you-want goodwill donation ($5 suggested) to support the work of SpringBOX in appreciation for the use of their space. No one will be turned away if they are unable to make a donation.

Continue reading “Larp House Presents: So You Think You Can Dance?”