Noise in the Shape of Writing

I have a dream.

In my dream there are dozens of rooms, like a hotel. In each room there is a theatrical LARP. Outside, there are boffer LARPS. Down the halls and in darkened corners there are vampire LARPs. The LARPers seem excited to meet other LARPers.

They exchange ideas and props and systems and spend hours debating whether rock-paper-scissors is superior to coin tossing. Whether card flipping is better than onesies-twosies. Some of them spend hours testing out advanced methods for randomizing and stat-checking.

Down the hall there is a room full of costumes. Beautiful things that people have spent months sewing together. They bring them and wear them and teach others how to make them because it is a labor of love. Boffer costumers show salon costumers how to make padded shields. Theater style gamers show boffer gamers how an entire decade of political intrigue can be waged in one room in one night.

Sinewy, maul-wielding warriors compare notes with pallid, gothic storytellers. Each one comes away with a wonderful appreciation for the other's craft. Perhaps a few rules systems are sold (if the venue allows). Perhaps a couple awards are given out (but perhaps this is not a place for awarding individuals when so much can be learned just by experiencing the games).

Everyone from across the Live Gaming world is invited. No one is given preferential treatment. No one claims their system is the best. No one puts their name on a trophy or invites Playboy bunnies to add a Hollywood flair to the procedings. (We've been there already...)

Money is not the important part and anyone whe tries to turn a profit will find that that's not what live gaming is all about. LARPers just want to have fun and *be* someone else for an evening.

It is a day for *everyone* and *no one* wants it to end.

And if you meet someone new, exchange email, or learn a new style of play, then it doesn't end and the LARP community thrives all the more as a result.

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This is my dream.
Whether or not I am a mover & shaker in this project or just a participant does not matter to me as long as this dream takes shape.
Let's discuss how to make this happen.

Pat Mannion.
Member, UCLA's ENIGMA -- A Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror (and Live Gaming) Club