Ooh, that reminds me of a great Vampire LARP story I've got.
Early-mid-90s. It's our first (and as it turns out, only) Vampire LARP experience. It's being held in the basement of a largish game store in north Jersey -- one big room, the only way in or out is the staircase to the ground (store) level at one end. It's a good sized game, maybe 30 or 40 people, with several floating gamemasters, set in the court of the Prince of New York. When we check in with the gamemasters, I get handed the role of the former Prince of New York, who abdicated and went looking for Golconda years'n'years ago. (He didn't find it, and has drifted back to NYC.) Peggy gets handed the role of my consort. Cool.
We go down in the basement, and we discover that there are several cats there. Peggy is severely allergic to cats, and she doesn't have her medicine with her. Fortunately, the cats all seem to be content to stay at the far end of the basement, the opposite end from the staircase. Peg sees that she has no immediate symptoms of a reaction and decides to remain and play, but she's going to stay near the staircase in case she has to run upstairs for fresh air. For obvious relationship and role-play reasons, I stick with her most of the time. When I do leave her side, I try not to go near the cats, so as not to get dander on my clothes and subsequently into Peggy's system.
This does make a few things difficult, as the Prince and his coterie have camped themselves right at the far end of the basement -- with the cats, which they have in their laps, on their shoulders, etc. (In fact, the cats have been included in the game as hell-cats, protectors of the court.) But I manage, mainly by not interacting directly with the court, and Peggy comes through with flying colors -- not an allergic symptom in sight all night.
Anyway, during the whole thing, I'm playing a very laid back game. My character may not have reached Golconda, but he learned a thing or two about being relaxed. He's not interested in seizing the throne from the current Prince -- he's been there, done that, and gotten the black satin-lined cape already; he doesn't need or want that responsibility right now. Maybe he will again in a few decades -- but who knows? He's immortal, he doesn't need to make a decision tonight. Or even next year.
So I just hang and make the occasional cryptic comment to the various factions trying to feel me out -- I'm a relatively low-generation vampire of considerable age, no one feels like taking me on, even with numbers on their side. I just smile a lot, sip my drink, and nuzzle my wife. And generally have a good, low-key time.
Now here's the really fun part. When the game is over, the guy who played the current Prince comes over to me and tells me how paranoid I made him and his court -- because I almost never got further than 20 or 30 feet from the door! The relaxed attitude, the cryptic comments, and the fact that I never got farther from the staircase than I could run in a couple seconds kept them very, very concerned over what I was planning. He congratulated me on my very subtle and intimidating roleplaying.
I of course kept as straight a face as I could and thanked him, and offered the same back to him.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Early-mid-90s. It's our first (and as it turns out, only) Vampire LARP experience. It's being held in the basement of a largish game store in north Jersey -- one big room, the only way in or out is the staircase to the ground (store) level at one end. It's a good sized game, maybe 30 or 40 people, with several floating gamemasters, set in the court of the Prince of New York. When we check in with the gamemasters, I get handed the role of the former Prince of New York, who abdicated and went looking for Golconda years'n'years ago. (He didn't find it, and has drifted back to NYC.) Peggy gets handed the role of my consort. Cool.
We go down in the basement, and we discover that there are several cats there. Peggy is severely allergic to cats, and she doesn't have her medicine with her. Fortunately, the cats all seem to be content to stay at the far end of the basement, the opposite end from the staircase. Peg sees that she has no immediate symptoms of a reaction and decides to remain and play, but she's going to stay near the staircase in case she has to run upstairs for fresh air. For obvious relationship and role-play reasons, I stick with her most of the time. When I do leave her side, I try not to go near the cats, so as not to get dander on my clothes and subsequently into Peggy's system.
This does make a few things difficult, as the Prince and his coterie have camped themselves right at the far end of the basement -- with the cats, which they have in their laps, on their shoulders, etc. (In fact, the cats have been included in the game as hell-cats, protectors of the court.) But I manage, mainly by not interacting directly with the court, and Peggy comes through with flying colors -- not an allergic symptom in sight all night.
Anyway, during the whole thing, I'm playing a very laid back game. My character may not have reached Golconda, but he learned a thing or two about being relaxed. He's not interested in seizing the throne from the current Prince -- he's been there, done that, and gotten the black satin-lined cape already; he doesn't need or want that responsibility right now. Maybe he will again in a few decades -- but who knows? He's immortal, he doesn't need to make a decision tonight. Or even next year.
So I just hang and make the occasional cryptic comment to the various factions trying to feel me out -- I'm a relatively low-generation vampire of considerable age, no one feels like taking me on, even with numbers on their side. I just smile a lot, sip my drink, and nuzzle my wife. And generally have a good, low-key time.
Now here's the really fun part. When the game is over, the guy who played the current Prince comes over to me and tells me how paranoid I made him and his court -- because I almost never got further than 20 or 30 feet from the door! The relaxed attitude, the cryptic comments, and the fact that I never got farther from the staircase than I could run in a couple seconds kept them very, very concerned over what I was planning. He congratulated me on my very subtle and intimidating roleplaying.
I of course kept as straight a face as I could and thanked him, and offered the same back to him.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.