Archive-name: games/roleplay/live-action Frequency: monthly Sorry for the delay; I've been extremely busy. --Aimee Live Roleplaying Frequently Asked Questions rec.games.frp.live-action 0. What happened to alt.games.frp.live-action? It has recently been replaced by rec.games.frp.live-action, a move which we hope will enable more people to read the group more easily. While it is not possible to actually remove alt.games.frp.live-action, all posters are strongly encouraged to post to the rec group *only*, rather than letting there be two newsgroups dedicated to the same discussion. 1. What is Live Roleplaying? Basically, it's "Let's Pretend" for grownups. As in any roleplaying game, each player takes on the role of a fictional character. You play your character much as you would in an improvisational theatre setting, with a strong knowledge of who you are and what you want out of life, but with no script. Together, you and a group of other players create an imaginary world and a multitude of stories. These are *not* games of "killer" or "assassin": the emphasis is on dramatic roleplaying and interaction between players. Most live games involve a large number of players (from thirty to several hundred at a time) who walk around and talk with each other, acting out as much of their characters' actions as are safe. Dice are rarely used. Unlike many tabletop roleplaying games (D&D and other games of its ilk), most live roleplaying games have a strong emphasis on player-player interaction rather than on interaction between the players and the world which is controlled by the Gamesmasters (GMs), making the games very social events as well as intellectual and creative challenges. Why do it? Because it's lots of fun to be someone else for a few hours or a few days at a time, and to do it with other people. 2. It's not dangerous, is it? No. There are a variety of different systems used, but all groups who run any kind of live games consider safety *very* important. There is no running around in sewers, no swinging sharp steel, and no real demon-summoning. Gamesmasters and players alike stress that these are *games*, not substitute realities. Groups which use "live" mechanics have elaborate systems for combat, magic, and thieving which are designed to make sure no one gets hurt, and many of these groups also have medical insurance. There may be the odd bruise or ankle-twist, but nothing more than you might expect on a vigorous hike or game of touch football. Groups which use "virtual" mechanics use systems based largely on index cards, rendering the whole event little more dangerous than a walk in the park. There is more description of these systems later in this document; rest assured that these are not dangerous or satanic games. [There is further information explaining the falsehood of this sort of accusation, which is frequently leveled against roleplaying games in general, in the rec.games.frp.* FAQs] 3. Who wins? Everyone who has fun. Yes, sometimes you'll come away from an adventure having accomplished your goals, sometimes you won't. Most games are set up so that it isn't possible for everyone to "win" all the time -- if there's no chance of failure, success doesn't have much sweetness. But "winning" isn't the point of live roleplaying games. Dramatic roleplaying and creative interaction are what's really important, and what's really fun. Some of the most legendary scenes happen when people are "losing." More so than in any other form of gaming, how you play your character and how much fun you have are far more important than who does better or worse than you. 4. Do I need experience? What if I don't know anyone there? What if I'm shy? Who are these people, anyway? Don't worry. Many people who play these games have played tabletop roleplaying games, but many others have not. Lots of other real-life activities are excellent preparation for live roleplaying. If you've ever daydreamed about being someone else, or about being in a different world, you've got what you need. Besides, most game designers set things up to give experienced players incentive to help new players along. You'll probably have knowledge or abilities that other people need. Other people will help you out, not just because they're nice, but because they need your help. And they *are* nice, too. These aren't wild-eyed lunatics or immature geeks -- they're ordinary people from all walks of life, who happen to like using their imaginations and sharing the experience with other people. All live roleplaying games are very social -- it's a great way to meet new friends. 5. Can I team with my friends? Of course! Just let the Gamesmasters know ahead of time. Really big teams often get broken up into smaller ones, just to keep things balanced, but you'll practically always get to stay with at least a few of your friends. 6. So how do they work? Who runs them? How do I get involved? There are currently two basic forms of live roleplaying, which are different enough to require separate answer lists. But first, a brief word about nomenclature. Both forms of live roleplaying use many different terms to refer to themselves, many of which overlap with each other. The terms chosen for the purpose of this document are the best suggestions which clearly and correctly *distinguished* between the two forms of gaming. Adherents of each form are welcome to suggest other distinguishing terminology for this document, and are requested to do so by private mail to the editor. The first form is characterized by continuous campaigns and almost always live mechanics. Rules and plot structures are based upon traditional tabletop roleplaying games, and are usually very complex and as realistic as possible. Games are usually run in the woods, using boffer swords and other live systems for magic and thieving, all of which rely a fair bit on your own physical skills. You design your own character, and over the course of many games, build up experience which increases your effectiveness. Almost all of these worlds are "swords and sorcery," although a few organizations are branching out into other genres. Most of the time, you will play a "module," a series of planned encounters for a small group of characters, where GM-scripted non-player characters (NPCs) act as your adversaries as you carry out your quest. For the purposes of this document, this form is called "Live Campaign." The second form, called "Interactive Literature," is run under a very different paradigm. Rules are designed to be as simple as possible, and to require little or no real physical action on the part of the players. About the most violent thing you'll do is stick a sticker on someone; usually, you'll compare numbers on index cards. Games are usually run in hotels, often in conjunction with science fiction or gaming conventions. Genres range all over the map, including high fantasy, science fiction, historical, espionage, horror, cyberpunk, Saturday morning cartoons, and lots of others. Games are almost always single self-contained events, usually a weekend long, with the action building to a climax and resolving by the end of the game. The GMs write the characters ahead of time, designing plots and characters so each character has allies, enemies, objectives, and an interesting personality. Because the games are self-contained, there is no long-term building up of experience necessary to get a powerful character. Your adversaries are not the GMs or NPCs under GM control, but the other characters who have goals contrary to yours. The focus of these games is negotiation, persuasion, trickery, and so forth; as in real life, combat and such are effective, but often create new problems. 7. "Live Campaign" questions 7.1. Does this have anything to do with Dream Park? Yes, many Live Campaign game system designers were inspired by the Dream Park novels by Larry Niven and Steve Barnes, as well as by the tabletop games the live systems strongly resemble. Basically, people thought that it would be lots of fun to play their favorite roleplaying games for real in the woods -- and it is. 7.2. Who runs these games? The list of names and addresses follows at the end of this FAQ. Many groups are quite widespread, with regional chapters in various locations. They provide centralized authorities which help new writers design good games, standardize rules systems and reward levels, purchase insurance, and the like. Players who travel or move to a different area can usually keep playing their already-developed characters. There are also dozens of smaller groups around the world, each with a slightly different system. 7.3. What do you use for weapons? Most systems use PVC piping or fiberglass covered with foam rubber, with soft or retractable tips. To attack, you really swing the weapon, and if you really hit, you hit. More experienced characters generally get to do more damage per hit. Most systems do not allow weapons which could trap an opponent's weapon or body (tridents), or which are articulated (nunchaku, flails). Some systems do not allow thrown or projectile weapons (throwing stars, crossbows), but simulate them with tossed bean bags. Many systems do not allow attacks directly targeted at the head. 7.4. What do you use for armor? Some systems use coded clothing (brown cloth is leather armor, etc). Some require you to simulate armor, more or less realistically (fiberglass, etc). Some require that you actually wear actual armor. Most systems require that armor edges be padded, for safety. 7.5. How does magic work? Most systems use bean bags to determine whether or not your spell hits. As you toss the bean bag, you generally have to say a key phrase to indicate which spell you're using; some systems require longer verbal components (some use a whistle to stop time to allow spells to be cast); some require you to collect physical components from the game world in order to cast spells. 7.6. How does thieving work? Some systems teach you the fundamentals of real-life lock picking, and you have to really pick the locks you encounter. Some use more abstract representations, such as a twisting wire connected to a battery and a light. Your "pick" is a metal loop, which you must slip from one end of the wire to the other without touching it and completing the circuit (more experience allows you more errors or larger loops). One group uses only combination locks, and thieves are given sets of combinations which might work -- if you have the combination to a lock, you can open it. In most systems, traps have a mechanical trigger which you must really disarm. In some cases, the actual disarming is a simple as flicking a switch, but it may be tough to get at that switch. Picking pockets and burgling rooms is also generally done for real -- most systems have a convention along the lines of "real life personal items under the bed are off limits." Some systems use index cards which allow you to simply demand the items from the other player, along the lines of an Interactive Literature system (see below). In general, you must have a character skill in order to have the right to make a thieving attempt. 7.7. What kind of characters are there? How do I create one? How do I improve my skills? Most systems use character classes such as Mage, Rogue, Fighter, Cleric, and so forth; and character races such as Human, Elf, Half-Orc, and so forth -- basically, familiar races and classes from tabletop roleplaying games. Each class and race has particular strengths and weaknesses. Some systems have a class-free skill-based system. Most allow you to learn skills not normally associated with your class or race, depending on the development of your character. The group will send you instructions on character creation when you join. In general, you write a background history for your character and state what starting items and skills you think you should have, and submit it to a local plot committee, who will make sure you're being reasonable, and will attempt to work you into the ongoing plot of the world. Each time you successfully kill a monster, disarm a trap, recover a treasure, solve a puzzle, and so forth, you may receive "experience points," which you can turn in for improved skills. Some groups simply give you experience for surviving a certain number of hours, rather than rewarding you for specific actions. You work your way up over time. Some groups have very slow advancement, others tend to rush you up the first several levels. 7.8. Can I play a monster? Yes. In these games, monsters are all non-player characters (NPCs) under the control of the GMs. What you give up in autonomy, you get back in discounted or free admission. In most groups, people play monsters occasionally so that everyone else has someone to fight against. 7.9. What happens if I get killed? Some systems have provision for limited resurrections. If not, you'll probably have to make up a new character, or spend the rest of the weekend playing a monster. 7.10. Where do you play? How often? What's the schedule like? Most groups play in wooded campgrounds, in which many create an entire medieval village. Some sites have cabins with beds, some require you to bring tents. Many have events every weekend during spring, summer, and fall, including weekend-long events once a month, but this is highly region-dependent -- some places only have a few events per year. Most groups run single-day adventures as well as entire weekends of continuous play. There are usually no formal rest or meal breaks, but you are encouraged to remember to eat and sleep. Most groups prefer that you remain on site and active the entire event. 7.11. How many people play? While the number of people at the site at any give time may be quite large (several hundred), most actual adventures are organized into "modules" for small groups of players (4-12). A given adventure may be run a large number of times, allowing lots of people to participate. Of course, interesting things can happen any time of the day or night... 7.12. How much does it cost? Most groups charge a yearly membership fee, in the range of $10-30, which gets you the rule books, the right to participate in other events, and often a quarterly newsletter. You may also have to buy membership in a local chapter. Few-hour and single-day events cost $10-20, weekend events cost $30-75. You can play a GM-controlled NPC (monster, etc), usually for half price. Additionally, you are generally required to provide your own equipment (weapons, armor, etc), although some groups have loaners for new players. In most groups, your character cannot have a piece of equipment for which you cannot provide a physical representation. You're also on your own for food -- some groups have taverns where you can buy hot food. 7.13. Do I have to costume? What about other props? Most systems require that you make at least a token effort at costuming, but don't have the "costume police" associated with some reenactment societies. Many have requirements such as "each person's costume must be at least 80% one color, no two people in the party can have same color," or "all players playing dark elves must wear black face paint and pointed ears." These requirements are generally to ease the application of other rules and to enable other players to identify you at a glance. Most groups have a strong emphasis on making everything in the game look and feel as real as possible, which allows a strong atmosphere to be created. You may be provided with props, or you may need to provide them yourself, depending on the situation. 7.14. Can children play? What about people with disabilities? Children under 18 always need parental permission. Many groups have a minimum age, usually 14-18. People with disabilities are welcome, if they feel they can play safely. There are few provisions for playing a character who does not share your disability, however. 8. "Interactive Literature" questions 8.1. How does it work? Many characters (from 30 to over 200) are drawn together by choice and fate into a single place at a single time, where history stands in the balance. Each character has individual skills, desires, and a personal stake in the outcome. Over the course of the game, you use diplomacy, cunning, and roleplaying to convince the other characters to help you and your allies save the world, or rule it, or destroy it... all while they're doing the same thing to you. Because your adversaries are your fellow players rather than NPCs under GM control, anything could happen. Everyone has a chance to control the outcome -- the GMs act only as referees. 8.2. Yeah, but how does it *work*? How do you do combat and stuff? Combat, thieving, magic, and other "unfriendly interactions" (that is, things that don't involve people just talking to each other) are the least important part of an Interactive Literature game. For this reason, the rules are kept very easy and quick to resolve, serving only as a framework for roleplaying. Each game has its own set of rules, rarely longer than a magazine article. Most GM groups use a constant set of rules to govern things like "don't touch people's real-life personal property," "don't run in the hallways," and "don't freak out people who aren't playing," and write rules for unfriendly interactions as appropriate for each particular game. The thing that characterizes all of the rulesets, however, is that your real physical skills play only a minimal part in the game. For instance, in most rulesets, if your character is an expert burglar, you'll have to get to the room you intend to burgle (something pretty reasonable to ask of anyone), but your character's skills will take over from there. Almost every Interactive Literature system uses index cards describing your character's skills and proficiencies. To use an ability, all you have to do is show the card (of course, if circumstances demand, you can show it to a GM, so the other players don't know that you've done anything). If you're an expert swordsman, your combat card may have higher numbers, or a greater variety of moves, or whatever is appropriate to give you an advantage over a less-well-trained opponent. If you're a mage, you'll probably have a card describing what you need to do to cast a particular spell, and what effects it has when you succeed. Whoever you are, you can play anyone at all, without having to spend time building up real-world skills. 8.3. Who runs these games? Again, the complete list of addresses follows at the end of this FAQ. This game structure was originally designed, somewhat concurrently and cooperatively, by the Society for Interactive Literature and the MIT Assassins' Guild (the names of both are historical accidents). The overall goal of these games is to create a world where you can be someone else with a maximum of dramatic roleplaying and a minimum of rules-crunching. There are no centralized authorities who control how a particular group of GMs designs or runs a game, but some organizations (most notably the Interactive Literature Foundation) attempt to provide a central clearinghouse for information. 8.4. Where do you play? How often? What's the schedule like? Most Interactive Literature games are run in hotels, although some college-based groups simply run on campus. Occasionally, games are run in wooded campgrounds or other appropriate venues. Often, games are run in conjunction with science fiction or gaming conventions, to keep costs down. Because of the vast amount of writing involved in producing a single game (2-4 person-*years*), most individual writing groups only write one or two games per year, but in some areas (particularly the US Eastern Seaboard) there are so many groups writing that you can play every few weeks, all year 'round. Some groups have written "minigames" which are designed to take only a few hours to play, and some of the college groups run games over a ten-day period, with players going inactive to go to class or do homework. However, most games are run over a weekend. Once you have read your character information, you are free to interact at any time with anyone else in the game. However, most groups do not allow combat, use of special abilities, or anything else which might require a GM's intervention, until some time after the official beginning of the game (Saturday morning for a game which runs Friday evening to Sunday afternoon). The early part of the game is a "safe" time, so you can meet all the other characters without worry. Also, most groups schedule sleep and meal breaks, which are again "safe." You can keep playing your character, but you cannot be attacked. And of course, any time you want to just take a break, you're free to go inactive. 8.5. What happens if I get killed? It depends on the game. In a fantasy world, you might simply become your own ghost, or you might get resurrected. In a cyberpunk world, you might be cloned and backed up on tape. If the GMs have extra characters, you might be given a new character. Some GMs write bit parts, such as police officers, for players who get killed. Or, you can just hang around and ask everyone what's *really* going on, as long as you don't tell what you learn. 8.6. How many people play? While some Interactive Literature games are written for as few as eight people or as many as two hundred, most are written for thirty to ninety players. Rather than forming a small adventuring party, you spend the weekend interacting with anyone you come across in order to advance your goals, so you really do play with all those other people, and it's to your advantage to deal with everyone else in the game -- most of them have some knowledge or abilities you can benefit from, if you can convince them to help you. Most games are organized into factions of 3-8 people (rarely is a faction more than 10% of a game), so you have allies, but traitors and multiple loyalties are common. 8.7. How much does it cost? Few of the game-running organizations charge membership fees, and none require membership in any organization to play in their games. Some publish quarterly newsletters, which cost $10-20/year, and some groups offer discounts on their games to subscribers. Most games cost somewhere between $10-35 for a whole weekend, although games run apart from an existing convention can cost $65-125, or even more. If the game is run at a convention, players are usually required to join the convention, at a cost of $15-40. Sometimes, the GMs are able to arrange discounted convention memberships for game players. You are on your own for food and sleeping arrangements in most games, although many GMs provide free munchies (as do many conventions) and will help players coordinate crash space. Occasionally, a game will be offered as a package deal, but prices are highly variable. You do not need to bring or buy any other costuming, equipment, or supplies -- everything you need to play the games is included in your registration fee. 8.8. Do I have to costume? What about props? You are never required to costume, although it's always cheerfully encouraged. Your character is usually identified with a name badge. Props which are part of your costume are just part of your costume -- all items which could affect the game are created by the GMs, and are always clearly marked as game items. Most props are index cards with descriptions of the items, although most GMs like to include as many "real" props as they can afford. 8.9. What kind of characters are there? How do I create one? How do I improve my skills? Can I play a bad guy? Every character in an Interactive Literature game is a unique individual, not restricted to a particular class. Your character is described to you in a 3-10 page short story describing your skills, desires, background, allies, knowledge, personality, and objectives. Each character is created by the GMs to be deeply woven into the interconnecting plots. When you sign up for a game, you fill out a casting questionnaire, which gives you an opportunity to tell the GMs about yourself and about what you're looking for in a character. They rarely have exactly what you describe, but there's so much variety among the characters, they probably have something you'll enjoy for the same reasons. Once you get your character, if there are elements of your background or personality you haven't been told about, you're free to make them up, of course. Depending on the game, it may or may not be possible to improve your skills during the weekend. However, because the games are self-contained, rather than a continuous campaign, you don't have to start with a weak character -- you enter the game with a fully developed and advanced character, prepared for action. Of course you can play a bad guy, or a good guy, or someone to whom those labels wouldn't apply at all. Each player is part of the world for the others, and if everyone were nice, there wouldn't be much need for conflict, so the game would be pretty dull. But don't worry: people who play these games are grownup enough to realize that just because you're their enemy in the game, doesn't mean you're a bad person in real life. 8.10. Can children play? What about people with disabilities? Children are welcome, with or without their parents. As long as they can talk to adults and understand the game materials, they'll do fine. Realize, however, that games often have plots that might be rated PG-13 (drugs, crime, violence, occasionally sex) -- although the representations of these things are always totally G-rated, you might want to talk to the GMs ahead of time if you're concerned. People with disabilities are welcome in Interactive Literature, and GMs will make every effort to help you be able to play freely. Your character will not share your disability. It's best to discuss your particular needs with the GMs ahead of time, so they can make whatever arrangements are necessary. 9. Boy, Live Roleplaying sounds like a great party! It is. But no group which runs any sort of live roleplaying game permits alcohol or drugs in its games. Being under the influence doesn't make for very good roleplaying, and can annoy and endanger those around you. Many groups also prohibit smoking. 10. How do I find out what events are coming up? How do I get my event listed? There is a list maintained on rec.games.frp.live-action, posted every other weekly. Mail your announcement to Shade Palmer (npalmer@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu) Also, most groups have a calendar of events which they publish in their newsletters. The SIL's announcement list is maintainted by Tad Pierson (tad@intercon.com). The ILF's announcement list is maintained by Terilee Edwards-Hewitt (jim@visix.com). There is also a mailing list for Interactive Literature announcements and discussions, il-info@han.paramax.com. To be added to the list, send mail to il-info-request@han.paramax.com. 11. I'd really like to run one of these! How do I get started? Is there a publicly-available ruleset I can use? Your best bet is to play in a game or three first, and then find a group of experienced writers and apprentice yourself to them. There's only so much that can be learned from reading someone else's set of rules, especially in a system such as Interactive Literature. It takes experience to learn what sort of plots work and how to weave things together to make things fun for your players. If there isn't anything in your area, it may not be too easy (although the net does make it easier for learning how to write). Contact one of the listed groups, and see if they have any advice. Many groups have starter games which they will sell or give away to people -- if you plan to make a profit, expect to have to share that profit pretty generously with the people who put all the time and effort into writing. Contact a group whose work you are interested and see what they say. Because of the large amount of time and effort most groups put into their game design, and because of the near-impossibility of enforcing one's copyright over something that's been freely and widely distributed, they are generally reluctant to make their work accessible to the general public (by anonymous ftp and the like). However, most game designers are eager to help out people who are just getting started, and will give you ideas or samples or even more in-depth help on an individual basis. Again, your best bet is to contact someone whose game-writing skill you respect and ask them if they can help you. 12. Which kind of game is best? Which group runs the best games? Whichever one you think is most fun. Ask some more questions, or just come give them a try. Many people play both Live Campaign and Interactive Literature, while some can't figure out why anyone would want to be so stupid as to play a particular system they don't play themselves. It's easy to get into flame wars over whose games are better, and they're really pointless arguments. This newsgroup is a forum for game players and designers who wish to trade ideas and learn from each other; please keep the language calm and as nonjudgemental as possible. 13. What if I have other questions, comments on this FAQ, or want to get my group listed? If you think they're of public interest, post them on rec.games.frp.live-action with a comment that you'd like them to be included in the FAQ. If you'd rather keep things private, send mail to Aimee Yermish (ayermish@leland.stanford.edu). Your comments are always welcome. If your group is not listed, or listed with incorrect or incomplete information, it wasn't meant as a personal slight, and will be cheerfully corrected. Listing policies: 1. No phone numbers will be listed, because the editor does not want to be responsible for your getting awakened at 4am by someone who couldn't figure out which time zone you were in. 2. Only one contact address per organization will be listed, for space reasons. Organizations with multiple local chapters are encouraged to submit the contact information for their central office, plus a list of the local chapters or the general areas in which those chapters exist. People who are interested will contact the central office to get the contact information for the chapters near them. 3. Names of individual local kingdoms (or equivalent) will not be listed, because they are of little meaning to those not already involved in the organization. 4. Dates of events, whether regular or scheduled, will not be listed. Send those to Shade, Terilee, and/or Tad (above). 5. If your group differs sharply from the description above (for instance, your games sound mostly like Interactive Literature, but you use live mechanics), please mention the differences. The editor reserves the right to boil these descriptions down to a few words or to omit them if they don't actually distinguish anything. [Editor's note: I happen to have opinions, as do we all. I have done my best to keep them out of this document, and to describe all games and game designers the way their enthusiasts would want me to. I'm also human. If I've misrepresented something, or failed in some other way, please let me know, and if something needs fixing, I'll be happy to do it.] 14. Live Campaign groups -- contact information Unless otherwise stated, all of these groups use live mechanics and conform at least mostly to the description of Live Campaign games above. Aberystwyth University LRP [Wales] email: warpsoc@aberystwyth.ac.uk Adventurer's Guild [England] email: jay@dsbc.icl.co.uk Adventurer's Inn [Northern California] PO Box 1654 Ceres, CA 95307 Amtgard [Many locations in OR, CO, TX, NM, and possibly others, including East Coast USA and Scandanavia. Central location is El Paso TX] email: duanew@atlas.com (Duane Watts) email: amtgard@scf.nmsu.edu (listserver, send a blank message with "help" as the subject line) Archaea [Washington DC area] email: edchang@wam.umd.edu (Ed Chang) Avgrunden [Sweden] Box 25006 100 23 Stockholm Sweden email: d91-dho@nada.kth.se (Lennart Borg) Birmingham Treasure Trap [England] email: S.A.White-SE2@uk.ac.bham.cs Brunel University LRP email: larps@brunel.ac.uk (Tom) The Camarilla [many locations in WA, OR, CA, UT, MO, IL, IN, GA, MA, NJ, TX, possibly others, as well as the UK and Italy] 8314 Greenwood Avenue North Box 2850 Seattle WA 98103 email: ophelie@wizards.com or andrew@wizards.com email: mailing list accessible -- send mail to listserv@wizards.com with the message text "subscribe camarilla-l Your Real Name" Note: this group runs Vampire games under the White Wolf system. The plot structure has elements of both Live Campaign and Interactive Literature. Mechanics are entirely virtual. Chapter Victoria LRP [Victoria University, New Zealand] c/o VUWSA PO Box 600 Wellington New Zealand email: thetroll@rata.vuw.ac.nz (Campbell) Dagorhir [Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland, Illinois] PO Box 1065 Akron, OH 44309 Dragon-Sys [Germany] Juergen Wittmann Winner Zeile 26 90482 Nuernberg Germany email: msdegen@cip.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Markus Degen) Elsenham Live-action Fantasy Roleplaying [UK, London area] Heather Deep Park Road Elsenham Essex CM22 6DE UK email: m.martin@ucl.ac.uk (Matthew W Martin) Eternica [Flemish Belgium] Steven Redant Bremstraat 33 3520 Zonhoven Belgium email: redant@imec.be Ett Glas [Sweden] Bergkallavagen 72 S-191 79 Sollentuna Sweden Fantasy Fieldtrip Society [Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada] email: pockling@sfu.ca (Richard Pocklington) Note: this group uses a more free-form system than most; their rules are very limited. Fools and Heroes [Britain, many locations] c/o Dave O'Neill 40 Connolly Drive Carterton OXON UK email: louised@aisb.ed.ac.uk (Louise Dennis) Games of Adventure [Seattle WA] Alex Walkup 20227 23rd NW Seattle, WA 98177 Glasgow University LRP (The Cuckoo's Nest) [Scotland] email: gags75@udcf.glasgow.ac.uk (Russel Barnes) International Fantasy Gaming Society (IFGS) [Alabama, Atlanta, Central Ohio, Dallas, Denver-Boulder, Los Angeles, Metro Denver, New England, Norman OK, Northeast Oklahoma, Northern Colorado, Southern Wisconsin, Virginia, West Los Angeles, and possibly others.] PO Box 3577 Boulder, CO 80307-3577 email: patrick@convex.com (Patrick McGeaherty) Keele Live Action Society (KLAS) [England] email: ksc02@cc.keele.ac.uk (Paul Wilder) K'nar Gaming Enterprise [Michigan] c/o Christopher Jozwik Michigan State University 274 West Holmes Hall East Lansing, MI 48825 email: jozwik@cps.msu.edu The Labyrinthe Club [Chistlehurst, England] Dept S PO Box 225 Orpington, BR6 7SX England Leicester University LRP [England] email: cas3@le.ac.uk (Chris Smith) Live Action Interactive Roleplaying Explorers (LAIRE) [New Jersey] PO Box 661 South Plainfield, NJ 07080-0661 laden@sun490.fdu.edu Living Imagination of New England (LIONE) [New England] 260 Brent Street Manchester, NH 03103 Live Role-Playing Society (LRPS) [Edmonton Canada area] Box 60209 Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2S5 Canada email: dmondor@traider.ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (David Mondor) Note: mechanics are entirely virtual, as for an Interactive Literature game. Make Yourself The Hero (MYTH) [Indiana] c/o Lee Dwayne Sudduth 2219 Park Avenue Anderson, IN 46016 email: strahd@mcs.com New England Roleplaying Organization (NERO) [New England, Pittsburgh PA, Toronto Canada, New York, Arlington TX, Virginia, Georgia, Detroit MI, Chicago IL.] 80 Hardwick Pond Road Ware, MA 01082 email: RAVENHRST@ACE.COM (Ford Ivey) [WARNING: There is a group in California claiming to be a NERO chapter which is not. They have been defrauding people. If you want to be sure you're really dealing with a legit NERO chapter, check with the office first.] Otherworld Interactive Theatre [New England] c/o Kristi Hayes 431A Broadway #45 Somerville, MA, 02145 email: hayeskr@hugse1.harvard.edu Note: games are designed to be *educational*, specifically fostering teamwork, leadership, communication, and self-confidence. Games are single events rather than continuous campaigns. Quest Games [Connecticut] email: jyaus@wesleyan.edu Realms of Wonder [Amherst MA] c/o Jon Merripen 599 E. Leverett Road Amherst, MA 01002 email: Merripen@ecs.ucs.edu Traces of Reality [Oberlin College] OCMR 2245 Oberlin, OH 44074 email: rcormac@occs.cs.oberlin.edu Xanodria [New Jersey] c/o Doug Bischoff 47J Franklin Greens S. Somerset, NJ 08873-1955 email: Info@Xanodria.COM 15. Interactive Literature groups -- contact information Unless otherwise stated, all of these groups use virtual mechanics and conform mostly to the description of Interactive Literature above. The following three groups (SIL, SIL-West, ILF) know of many other smaller GM groups and can help you find games running near you. Society for Interactive Literature (SIL) PO Box 44-1478 Somerville, MA 02144-1478 email: oneil@husc.harvard.edu (John O'Neil) Society for Interactive Literature West (SIL-West) c/o Stephen R. Balzac 808 Coleman Avenue #10 Menlo Park, CA 94025-2455 email: srb@helix.com, ayermish@leland.stanford.edu (Aimee Yermish) Interactive Literature Foundation (ILF) PO Box 196 Merrifield, VA 22116 email: jim@visix.com (Jim Edwards-Hewitt) Enigma [Univ CA Los Angeles] email: roberth@trifid.astro.ucla.edu (Robert Hurt) Japan International Gamers Guild (JIGG) [Tokyo area] email: alex@astro.isas.ac.jp (Alex Antunes) Kraken Games [New Zealand] PO Box 4310 Christchurch New Zealand email: azazel@dudael.equinox.gen.nz (Dillon Burke) MIT Assassins' Guild [MIT, Cambridge MA] email: high-council@mit.edu [Note: historically, this group ran mostly spy thrillers and used a live combat system (plastic guns). There is much more variety now, but I believe there is still some live element to the unfriendly interactions] Ravn [Norway] PO Box 3867 Ullevaal Hageby N-0805 OSLO NORWAY email: ravn@ifi.uio.no Note: mechanics are live, some player input in character creation WPI Science Fiction Society Student Activities, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 100 Institute Road Worcester, MA 01609 email: sfs@wpi.wpi.edu There are *lots* of smaller groups running IL, almost all of whom advertise on Tad Pierson and/or Terilee Edwards-Hewitt's lists, plus on the il-info mailing list. -- Aimee Yermish ayermish@leland.stanford.edu 415-780-0403 (before 11pm PST) Society for Interactive Literature West -- Live Roleplaying Coming Memorial Day weekend to Baycon (San Jose CA): *The Game of Empire* Magic, mystery, murder, in the City of Ten Thousand Magicians: ask me about it!