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: Uwe Boll’s Christmas Special

Larp House Presents: Uwe Boll's Xmas Special

(Update: The event is on Sunday, 30 December. We apologize for any confusion!)

Meanwhile, it is Christmas Eve in Jersey City. Families gather for dinner. Hope is in the air. But for one family this Christmas will be fraught with danger. Little do they know that their father, Vernor Cedrac, was involved with the Ultra Sechs program. Or that Karma, loving mother and daughter and host of the family’s Christmas feast, is one of the hidden offspring of the alien vampires. What other surprises lie in store for the Cedracs as they uncover family secrets and learn the true meaning of Christmas?*

What

Uwe Boll’s Christmas Special is a holiday-themed live-action comedy game for 8 to 12 players, designed to simulate the delicious chaos of a hypothetical Christmas special directed by controversial German director Dr. Uwe Boll. Players take the role of miscast actors starring in a genre mash-up gone awry. This game is game a tongue-in-cheek homage to Boll’s work: off-color video game adaptations and tasteless shooter flicks that shock, enthrall, bore and occasionally move DVD audiences worldwide.

Designed by Evan Torner and Kat Tobin
Organized by Josh Krehbiel and TLS

When

Sunday, 30 December 2018, from 2 pm to 5 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

We are requesting a pay-what-you-want goodwill donation ($5 suggested) to support the work of the nonprofit in appreciation for the use of their space. No one will be turned away if they are unable to make a donation.

If you are interested in participating, fill out our Uwe Boll’s X-mas Special registration form before 11:59 pm on Friday, December 21st. We’ll let you know if you are in the larp by Monday, December 24th.

Continue reading “Larp House Presents: Uwe Boll’s Christmas Special”

Larp House presents: WINTERHORN

WINTERHORN: the code name of a small but passionate group of “peace and justice” activists. On the surface they project innocent, if misguided, zeal, but
you know better. You’ve dealt with groups like this before, and there’s always a dangerous core. Gun-runners. Bomb-makers. People who deserve to be thrown in a dark hole somewhere.

As government agents, your goal is to nudge them into destroying
themselves, using every trick in the book – black bag jobs,
disinformation, spinning up rival front groups, and even escalating to
vandalism and violence when necessary. Your mission, with the full force
of the government behind you and time running out, is to get
WINTERHORN’s members fighting like rats in a bucket. They need to fall
apart before they can hurt anyone, and the state’s hands need to stay
clean.

They won’t know what hit them.


WHAT:

WINTERHORN is a live action game for 5-8 players about how governments degrade and destroy activist groups. By playing law enforcement and intelligence operatives working diligently to demoralize and derail, you’ll learn about the techniques used in the real world in pursuit of these goals. By playing WINTERHORN you’ll have a chance to reflect on weak points in your own activism, and think about ways to harden organizations you care about against government intrusion. Continue reading “Larp House presents: WINTERHORN”

Documentation for Deep Love

Documentation for Deep Love by Jason Morningstar, a larp about love between friends and scientists on a bathysphere expedition.

Organized by Arnold Cassell for Larp House, with assistance from Jon Cole.

Photos by Arnold Cassell.

4 players, Richfield MN in June 2017.

Larp House Presents: See Me Now

Larp House Presents: See Me Now

It was one of those small towns where everybody knew everybody. We were pretty close. But I haven’t seen Z in ages…

 

See Me Now tells the story of six friends by flashing through key moments in their shared childhood and adolescence, with an emphasis on the formation of their gender identities. Throughout the scenario, players choose from an array of scenes that will allow them to either conform to the gender assigned to them or cross its boundaries to other identities. The scenario culminates with the crew coming together as adults at their first high school reunion, to explore how they, and their relationships, have changed.

A freeform larp for 6 players
Written by Liz Gorinsky and Sara Williamson
Organized by Jon Cole

Continue reading “Larp House Presents: See Me Now”

The Lazy Guide to Larping

This weekend we have a guest post from Alex Roberts! When you think of live-action roleplaying, you might think of foam-padded weapons, vampire politics, or an evening of mystery with elaborate costumes. Those are well-known and popular styles of larp for a reason ? they?re a ton of fun! I encourage you to learn more about established forms of larp, and track down a local event! But what if, like me, you find a long-running game with elaborate setup more ?