Freeform Larp Sampler

Dancing animal lawyers? Major life choices? Dream workshops? What do all these things have in common? They are all freeform larp scenarios you can pick from. Pulling from Intercon standards, Nordic freeform, Jeepform and American Freeform, there is something here for everyone. Three games chosen from a longer list will be run.

Long Description

Try out something different. In this session, we'll offer three games (of the players' choice) from various freeform larp traditions. The group will pick which games they wish to play, and GMs Emily, Tara, Lizzie, and Sarah will run them. Each game will be played out in a series of scenes, and will be cast at the convention. Some use meta-techniques such as playing out flashback scenes or having players share inner monologues of their character's feelings. No costuming is needed for any of the games. Many have some pre-scripted events. Tones vary from humorous to tragic. Participants 18 and over or with GM permission.

Pick from:
Sea Dracula by Nick Smith and Jake Richmond. Animal City is a magical town full of hardworking talking animals with crazy names and silly opinions. The city is famous for it’s nonsensical legal system, where the lawyers are responsible not just for prosecuting cases but also for fighting monsters and throwing parties. Dance-offs may occur. Sea Dracula is a dancing role playing game by award winning game designers Nick Smith and Jake Richmond. For 3-6 players.

Group Date by Sara Williamson. Congratulations! It’s a Match! In Group Date, you will play two people going on their first three dates after being matched with one another on a popular dating website. You don’t know too much about each other yet, but the algorithm says you’re 98% compatible! What could go wrong? A winner from the Golden Cobra Challenge contest. 3-9 players.

Dream Bear by Emily Care Boss. A group of people come together to talk about and play out their dreams. Each person in the group is having recurrent dreams that involve a bear. Play this brief, live-action, freeform game in two hours or less. 3-6 players.

The Road Not Taken by Mike Young. The Road Not Taken is an experimental LARP of decisions and emotions. In it, each player will have the opportunity to take the spotlight in a scene and make a tough decision. The game can handle 6-12 players.

The Curse by Lizzie Stark. Would you cut out healthy body parts if you thought it might save your life? When it comes to their family tree, that’s just the tip of the tumor. There’s a BRCA mutation lurking in the family DNA, an inherited genetic error that dramatically ups a woman’s chances of developing aggressive breast and ovarian cancer at unusually young ages. This freeform game is about making life-altering decisions in uncertain circumstances and passing on the horror of that choice to the next generation. For 4 players.

Still Life by Wendy Gorman, David Hertz and Heather Silsbee. This is a game about relationships and their inherent instability due to forces beyond our control. Also rocks. A winner from the Golden Cobra Challenge contest. From 4 to 10 players.

Robin's Friends by Anna Westerling. Robin’s friends is a short scenario with a lot of emotions about the beauty of friendship and the difficulty in communicating, even if your intentions are good. It's about what happens when your inability to see others suddenly leads to the realization that it's too late. But if you had the chance to do it again, how would you change it? For 3 players.

Content Warnings: Many games have adult, potentially troubling or intense material and are played in a manner that encourages emotional resonance between player and character. Specific problematic issues which may come up include: Grief/loss, legal issues, cancer, metaphysical exploration, abusive relationships.

Physical Requirements: Still Life involves players staying in place for much of the (1 hour duration) of play; play can occur seated, or other accommodations will be made as needed. Sea Dracula may involve dancing; a proxy can be named for players who have mobility issues, or terms of dance will be set to even the playing field for those involved (e.g. dance while seated, hands only, etc.).