But Nobody Loses An Eye

Auckland Chimera
#1

Point the First: To all the players, you rocked. Thank you.
Point the Second: To my sister and co-writer Catherine, it went really well, thanks for letting me pick your brains.
Point the Third: I’m planning to rerun it in Wellington; any comments about things that could be done better would be great (here, or by PM or email, as you like).
Point the Fourth: I’m pleased to announce the sequel game for next Chimera: “Super Sparkle Action Princess GXsize=70[/size]: The Television Series.”

Love to all,

Stephanie

#2

That was my best birthday party since my 22nd!

Pictures are here: picasaweb.google.com/chimeracon/ … osesAnEye#

#3

That was fantastic! I’m going to post pics online later today, once I find the camera…

#4

You flipping nuts people :stuck_out_tongue: I don’t know how you had the energy for it :open_mouth:

#5

I’m glad you guys had fun.

#6

I think this was my favourite game. Perhaps having dealt with 5 years old more recently than most other players may have given me an edge over what sort of behaviour was appropriate. Perhaps the mother should have been more involved with being authority and setting boundaries. If we knew the rules of the house, then it is easier to bend them, and push the limits. No little kid would take their sister seriously, but the threat of “telling on you to Mrs Pegg” was an avenue that could have been developed more.

But a great opportunity of larping in a situation not found in our everyday lives, that I would highly recommend. Glad it was on saturday morning, It would have been much harder to acheive such levels of play on Sunday afternoon.

#7

V. I drank two cans before the game, to tweak me into being sufficiently hyper.

I am now paying for my caffeine abuse.

#8

The game was a blast.

I don’t know if you could really make much improvements on it; the character sheets seemed well thought out and full of things to build on. Players will make that game work or not, luckily we had some really awesome people that really got down and dirty.

#9

V. I drank two cans before the game, to tweak me into being sufficiently hyper.

I am now paying for my caffeine abuse.[/quote]

Have been using V to stay awake today, so will also suffer the same fate…

#10

I would totally play this game if it was run next year. I really struggled to pick my games and while I enjoyed what I played, I’d love to try this one, Marie Celeste and Middenburg too.

#11

Emphasis on the ‘dirty’ there :smiley:

#12

How did it work? I mean did the kids have goals, or some other challenge to overcome? Or was it all about reveling in being 5 and pulling girl’s pigtails?

#13

It was all about being 5. I deliberately wrote it to get away from the paradigm of Things You Know, Your Goals, Every Game Has To Have Conflict.

Cat and I started by making a list of archetypal characters by coming up with their name and a couple of aspects, like Evelyn, Griefer, Insecure and Stu, The Stinky Kid, Kind To All Living Creatures. (And directly sent the cast list out, because I was hitting up on my writing deadline.) Then we started building up plotlines in terms of things that people cared about, so there was a kid that really wanted to have a showdown marbles match, but his bag of marbles was missing, and the other kid was uninterested; there was a TV programme that everybody watched and loved; some kids had seen a rabbit in the local park and wanted different things for it - and one kid thought that it was a wererabbit. Things like that. Then I put in some events that the GM could poke in if there was a problem with pacing - birthday cake, Pass the Parcel and Pin the Tale on the Donkey, decorated the room, and let it run. Holy cow did the characters get hyperactive. :slight_smile:

#14

And the tickets to the live ice show version of the TV show, which my character had two of, and was trying to decide who else to take, and hence everyone else letting me do cheating stuff and buttering up to her in the hopes she would pick them. It was a close run between David and Lily, but in the end, really wanted her father to like her most so she could go live with him since her parents were divorcing, so decided to take him.

#15

I liked the part where Hannah puked and all the other kids just stood and watched. That was after she’d eaten six or seven pieces of cake - as many as she could hold.

I cottoned on and tried to up the stakes by saying that I was looking for a new sister, but apparently that wasn’t as good as tickets to the show. Soo jealous of Hannah.

I noticed that kids just kind of get on with it a lot of the time. We inherently knew that changing the subject was fine, even if it meant we were only half listening to each other. Ideas can be strung together regardless of their relevance, which is really fun. You can walk up to someone on the soccer field and inform them that your parents have got two houses (one each) and that you like your dad better because your mum always cries. Then run and kick the ball.

Every time I see Laura (who was my big sister, 8) I just want to push her over and smear cake in her hair. She was so mean that seemed to be the only option. Naming that with a group chant that sent her crying from the room felt amazingly liberating. I couldn’t stop smiling.

#16

I commented on this to Alan as we were looking at the pictures: “She must actually have close knowledge of small children.” Your expressions were ones I frequently see on my own five-year-old.

#17

That was awesome - I totally remember being a kid and telling my siblings that they couldn’t be my brother/sister anymore :slight_smile:

#18

Sorry Craig about missing your ploy of looking for a new sister. Just totally went over my head that you could have meant me, or someone else there. I know Stephanie said to make up more details of our own family, but perhaps she could include whether we had other siblings and perhaps give some details of occupations of parents. (I mean if someone’s parent was a cop, and they threatened to tell them … ) Perhaps then we could have empathised more with Sandy’s fostering if our own family footings were more secure.

#19

This game was the best! I had so much fun. Right from when I got my character sheet I knew it would be great. My game mechanic (for every mouthful of sugar you consume you have 5 minutes of hyperactivity followed by 10 minutes of fatigue and crankiness. Have fun) Cracked me up when I first read it. I had so much fun with this, I’m so glad I chose to play Alex. It was great being sneaky and taking opportunities to take candy when no one was looking and Laura’s (Celeste, the sister) expression when she saw me with 6 lollipops in my mouth was priceless.

Funniest moment: Bobby when the cake was coming out. “YOU STARTED WITHOUT ME!!! NOOOOOO!!!” Hilarious!

Top work Stephanie and Cat. Excelent Larp, Definately my favourite game at chimera.

Oh and Stu needs a bath!

#20

Thanks for an awesome game Stephanie. I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun.

My sobs as I stormed out of the room during the “Celeste is mean” chant turned into a fit of laughter as soon as I got out the door. I still think you guys have no idea how hard is was trying to keep you all under control as a 7yo! The water pistol was a fun tactic though :smiling_imp:

It was definitely a big fat FAIL trying to keep Blair’s char away from the lollies. It was great how everyone was egging you on with the 6 lollipops though.

Highlight for me was the food fight. I knew I should be shutting it down as the ‘responsible’ older sister but I was just having too much fun :slight_smile: