I went to Pacificon again, running a new larp I had designed with my son. The larps were well organized, but the rest of the convention was more lackluster. Larps had an online shuffler, but other RPGs had paper sheet signups, first-come-first-served.
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LARPS
Fri 6 PM to Sat 2 AM (8 hrs) |
L-204: The Name of the Game, A Firefly LARP
LARPS published by Dreams of Deirdre |
| Description: | Set between at the end of the Firefly series and before the movie, two salvage crews come across “The Vestige of Dawn,” a derelict ship promisin' excellent salvaging. Sprinkle in an unexpected Alliance ship and a very sudden, very huge problem for all parties…and ya’ll are going to have a good time, even if everything turns belly up. |
This was a common larp setup -- three factions locked into a room together, with a task to overcome. In this case it was three crews, stuck on a booby-trapped ship, with the implication of Reavers coming down on us. I was with the Alliance ship, the Chantilly's Honor, playing a secret police agent named Ephraim Sweep, paired with Joe's other agent. We were there to clear the logs and cover up any other evidence on board the ship about what the Alliance was up to (experiments on Miranda).
In the game, it was hard to progress on my mission. However, I did get to confront a former victim (a doctor played by Melissa). I was then confronted by her crew and then killed - which was fun although it cut me out of the rest of the game.
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LARPS
Sat 11 AM to 5 PM (6 hrs) |
L-217: Star Wars: Rebels and Revolutionaries
Homebrew Larp |
| Description: | Just weeks after the Emperor's death, victorious rebels lead a New Republic delegation deep into contested territory on a vital mission. However, their ship is captured by insurgents who have been operating behind Imperial lines, suspicious of the rumored victory at Endor and commanded by revolutionary leader R2-89. This is a character-based larp thick with intrigue and competing ideologies. |
This was our first run of this Star Wars larp. We had a few gaffes, but it went well overall. The players and their characters were:
Mostly, there was not as much direct confrontation between the sides as we had expected - partly due to a gaffe on our parts as GMs. More deeply, the players didn't try very hard to change from the original mission -- which I think was a flaw in how we pitched the game. The game ended with them successfully completing the mission originally assigned by the New Republic, rather than what they might personally have preferred.
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LARPS
Sat 6 PM to Sat Midnight (6 hrs) |
L-213: Days of Our Knives
Homebrew |
| Description: | Famed ninja master Haratu has died, and you are among his closest that have gathered to mourn. But betrayal, secret goals, and arch rivalry abound! And more! Be prepared for overacting, silliness, improv, and ridiculously ever changing plots in this over the top, soap opera LARP were dramatic deaths are required and secrets are always to be revealed. Passion! Shock! Magic! It's all here on... |
This was a ninja soap opera larp, which I expected to be more over-the-top than it actually was. Partly, the plot moved a little more slowly given frequent reveal scenes, which stopped the action for all players as they watched two players go through a reveal. With 14 players, this meant frequent stops.
I played the designated heir of the deceased ninja leader at a funeral, Fujio. This put me front and center a lot at the start. I arranged a combat with a newcomer (Logan) who came to challenge me. The combat was handled by prior agreement rather than as a player-vs-player combat. In this case, I arranged to die in a way that cast suspicion of foul play on my attacker -- my second death that weekend. I quietly arranged that I wasn't really dead, but had been poisoned that slowed my functions. Then Autumn's healer retrieved my body, and I returned as a "stranger" named Jiofu who coincidentally looked like Fujio and wore a head scarf where Fujio's head wound was. That seemed very soap-opera-esque.
Unfortunately, after that, it didn't seem like I fit into the main plot any more. So in the second half of the game, I was more creeping about the sidelines.
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Open Role Playing
Sun 7 PM to 11 PM (4 hrs) |
VR-212: Rogues after Treasure
Pirates of the Spanish Main (Savage Worlds) published by Pinnacle |
| Description: | Pirates on the Spanish Main--avast, maties! Is the treasure map real, fake, or a trap? Hoist the mainsail and set your course! This is the fifth installment on an ongoing adventure that has taken the rogues from the jails of Port Royal to the temporary haven of Curacao. Pick a pirate and join the adventure! |
A detailed pirate action game using Savage Worlds, with an enthusiastic GM including over a dozen character choices - each with their own painted miniature - and detailed maps.
....
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Open Role Playing
Mon 2 PM to 6 PM (4 hrs) |
R-442: Role Play On Demand
Many to Choose From |
| Description: | Welcome one, Welcome All to the Role Play On Demand Event at Pacificon Game Expo! Ever go to a Con and there's just nothing in the Role play section that catches your interest? Or one does, but it's at an inconvenient time? No Longer! Join our On Call GMs During one of the On Demand Stat Blocks and see what games they have to offer! Vote on your choice and then enjoy the game YOU helped choose! |
Milo and I tried out the "Stars Without Number" system for this slot. It was interesting to read through and try out the system, but the GM was very low energy for this - often distracted on her phone or with sorting components like map sheets.
There was still a good selection of larps that seemed well-attended, so I think the convention is worth it just for that track. But I would wish that the other games were handled better.