Jedis on TV
Check out this awesome story on the Jedi exercise routine from my buddy, the inestimable Vidya Rao. Well done, Ms. Rao — a fine use of the force. Continue Reading →
Giant Spiders Jumped Me On My Way To Bed
I spend last weekend medieval camping in the wilds of Sparta, New Jersey at the Knight Realms LARP as part of my book research. Well, not quite medieval camping — I and around 60 others huddled in heated cabins that had electricity, but we wore medieval style dress and lugged around boffers. Continue Reading →
My First Stint As a DM
My husband and I are trying our hands at DMing. For those of you who aren’t familiar, a Dungeon Master, or DM, runs a table top role playing game or a LARP. Continue Reading →
Introducing the Massive LARP Calendar
There’s no single source of good LARP events on the web, in my experience. Sure, Shade’s LARP List has a lot of links, but many of them are dead or lead to groups that are no longer active. So I decided to start my own calendar of LARP events and conventions across the US, and to make it searchable via Google. But this behemoth is only as good as my information. Continue Reading →
When the Game Carries Over
That in-game emotions sometimes spill over into the out of game world is one of the hazards of LARPing. Say someone kills your character in-game, knowing that in doing so, they’re causing your character to lose stats. Would you bear them ill-will once the event is over? I always thought my answer would be no. After all, it’s the risk of conflict, penalty and the unknown plot point that makes LARP exciting. But a few months ago I learned otherwise. Continue Reading →
I Hate Rules
I love the idea behind LARP and tabletop role-playing — that a group of people are getting together to collaboratively tell a story. But whenever someone explains the mechanics of a game to me, my eyes glaze over in seconds and I start thinking about what kind of hat my character would wear. Continue Reading →
What is LARP?
I’m at work on a narrative nonfiction book about Live Action Role Play, also known as LARP. The book, tentatively titled Leaving Mundania, is the story of LARPers, self-described geeks who come from a variety of backgrounds and occupations. Continue Reading →
Well-organized make believe
On most days, chaplain Mark Ford works for the forces of good, counseling drug and alcohol addicts at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, a nonprofit Christian social-service organization. Continue Reading →