The Very Long Dinner Party

At the conclusion of a mostly-wonderful dinner party, the guests discover that they are unable to leave.

A surrealist LARP with experimental movement/dance elements.

Long Description

Game Teaser You are cordially invited…

To a dinner party gathering at L. Larendon’s estate. It will be an evening of the finest food, the finest company, and pleasurable times will be had by all. Please present this invitation at the door to be permitted entry. Game Information Overview & Tone

The Very Long Dinner Party is a LARP with dance about a dinner party that goes horribly wrong when the guests discover that they cannot leave the parlor they retired to after the dinner. The cast is composed of difficult and unpleasant people in toxic relationships with each other, who will be forced to endure an inexplicable, surreal, and nightmarish situation. This is a LARP about pushing characters to their breaking points, and then seeing what happens next. This is not a LARP about solving mysteries or accomplishing goals: your character will have motivations and goals that absolutely cannot be accomplished under the circumstances of the fiction; and many events throughout the game do not have an existing fictional explanation (though characters are free to come up with their own, but we’ll never really know if they’re true). While The Very Long Dinner Party contains many psychological horror influences, the primary tone of the game is not fear or terror. There are both tragic and comedic elements, and the game can veer wildly between high and low emotional intensity. Although the game is dark in tone, there is absurdity and comedy throughout both the worldbuilding and the events of the game, with moments and opportunities for hope. Game Structure

The Very Long Dinner Party takes place in seven distinct scenes, with no mechanics that don’t also exist in the fictional world. Physical conflict and confrontation will be handled by briefly discussing events out of character, with the option to pantomime the ensuing actions if players want to. Between the seven scenes, there will be six dialogue-free dance, movement, and art interludes to represent the passage of time, set to music. During those interludes, there will be randomly-drawn prompt cards to inspire the events of the interlude, and a check-in afterwards to discuss them as a group.

Players will be provided 3-4 page long character sheets, discussing their character’s identity, personality, and relationships. Players are lightly encouraged to discuss relationships, boundaries, and expectations with each other before the game, but there will also be a safety workshop and time to chat with each other before the game, so it’s certainly not required. Players are also lightly recommended to coordinate sign-ups with other players they know well.

At the start of the game slot at the con, there will be a safety discussion & social check-in; and a dance-workshop. No dance training, experience, or level of ability is required to fully participate in this game. The dance workshop is designed to be highly accessible, and the dancing itself is not of any particular style or tradition. Because of the high emotional intensity of the game, it is encouraged for players to develop some level of familiarity and comfort with each other - hence the social check-in and safety discussion - so that we can make sure we’re all looking out for each other, while also exploring the extreme situations presented in the fiction.