What is this event?
In 2013, Shetland translated a French western larp, “The Train Will Whistle One Last Time”, and with assistance from Jackie and Anna C, ran it for us out at Little Awhitu camp. That game was one of the best theatreform games I have played, fantastic game that suited the Little Awhitu camp perfectly. With kind permission from Shetland, Tigger and I are rerunning his translation of this excellent game, and are coupling it with a few others we’d like to rerun, for a low-key, no-stress end-of-summer weekend of relaxed larping fun. With the relaxed schedule, there’ll also be a chance to stay up late, chat and have a few drinks. Just like a weekend away at a kiwi bach, except with larp!
When
Friday 6th March to Sunday 8th March 2015. Gaming will happen on Friday and Saturday, Sunday will be sleeping in and clean up. Come or all or come for some!
Where
Awhitu Presbyterian Camp, Hatton Road, Awhitu Peninsula.
Schedule of Games
Friday night, 8pm - 11pm: Romeo and Ethel the Pirate’s Daughter
Saturday morning, 10am - 1pm: Bilgerats and Buccaneers
Saturday afternoon/evening, 2:30pm - 11pm: The Train Will Whistle One Last Time
If you have already played some of these games but not others, don’t worry, each game needs a couple of crew members to help it run. Romeo & Ethel, and Bilgerats & Buccaneers can also be replayed.
Approximate Costs
Cost for the weekend is still to be finalised but expecting it to be around $20 per game, or $50 for the whole weekend. This includes meals.
Meals
Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Sunday breakfast will be provided.
About the Games:
Romeo and Ethel the Pirate’s Daughter
By Anna Klein, run at Hydra 2013 and Chimera 2014
A swashbuckling comedy of daring, dashing, dastardliness, damsels and a bit with a dog. It started when a bitter rivalry between Romeo, a roguish musketeer, and Ethel, a scurrilous wench, was to be settled by a dishonourable duel to the death. But it’s all gone horribly wrong - Romeo’s vanished, Ethel’s missing, answers are being demanded and fingers (and guns and swords) are being pointed. There’s also been a shipwreck, and the governor’s daughter’s been kidnapped, Casanova’s endangering the virtue of every woman, the forest is crawling with thieves, there’s rumours of buried treasure, and several kingdoms in peril, nobody trusts the men in masks (and tights), the damsels all have knives in their corsets and nobody knows where the rum is. A game bringing you the best thing about pirates, musketeers, merry men, wenches, damsels and Shakespearian comedy, drenched in improbable circumstances, mistaken identities, star-crossed lovers and non-stop witty sexual innuendo. Hey nonny-nonny.
Cast of Characters
The Crew of “The Sin or Swim”, the notorious pirate crew to which Ethel belonged:
Captain ‘Black’ Beatrice, terrifying pirate captain
Scarlet Scourge, new terror on the seas
Plunder Bunny, aspiring mighty pirate
And their prisoner, the Sheriff of Nottingham
A company of fine musketeers, the brothers-in-arms of Romeo:
Signor Montanto Lussurioso, a fast-mouthed musketeer of Italy
Signor Vendicare Vendetta, a vengeful musketeer of Italy
Signor Millantatore Bugiardo, a braggart musketeer of Italy
Robin, a young man desperate to be a musketeer
And their ward, Claudio, the strangely charming orphan
Assorted travellers, cast away to this island by an unfortunate sinking of a ship, presumably by terrible pirates:
Friar Geoffrey, a kindly monk
Anon, a mysterious man in a mask
Mirabelle, a harmless apothecary
Lady Elena von Blueboa
Euphemia, her sharp-tongued lady’s maid
Marian, a damsel of Sherwood
Dramatis Personae, big-shot playwright
Princess Daisychain, the crown princess to Florin
Cardinal Hollier D’anthou, an important clergyman accompanying her
Bilgerats and Buccaneers!
By Tigger Brunton, run at Chimera 2013
Shiver me timbers, it’s that time of year again! Once a year a truce among all the pirates is called and the 10 most dastardly captains gather at the most dangerous pub in all the seven seas. Each captain is allowed one (hopefully loyal) assistant, to accompany them into the meeting. They gather to settle scores, balance the ledger and most importantly, decide who claims the coveted position of Captain of the Sea. Whoever claims that prize reaps all the benefits it brings: the best trade lanes to plunder, free grog in every pub in the Caribbean and of course the coveted crown of Poseidon! Be warned, the competition is cunning, the grog is strong, no-one is to be trusted and only the bold will sail into infamy.
Cast of Characters:
The Black Joke: Captain ‘Bloody’ Bill Wilkins, and First Mate ‘Gypsy’ Jade Moody
The Devil’s Doom: Captain Bartholomew ‘Bones’ Spriggs, and First Mate Henry ‘Headshot’ Vane
The Revenge: Captain John “Cannonball’ Crow, and First Mate ‘Mad’ Max Walker
The Evil Death: Captain Jane ‘Cutthroat’ Cooper, and First Mate Edward ‘Dagger’ Avery
The Rising Sun: Captain Audrey ‘Shiny’ Silver, and First Mate ‘Rotten’ Robert Reed
The Snap Dragon: Captain Olivia ‘Blood’n’guts’ Kidd, and First Mate Morgan ‘Sucker Punch’ Adams
The Sudden Death: Captain Henry ‘Gunpowder’ Greaves, and First Mate Nathanial ‘No Quarter’ Hayes
The Flying Dragon: Captain Black Ben, and First Mate Charlotte ‘Cat’o’nine tails’ Wall
The Black Plunder: Captain Margret ‘Maggie’ Hook, and First mate ‘Gorgeous’ George
The Neptune’s Cutlass: Captain Blood, and First Mate ‘Scurvy’ Sally
Wolf of Tortuga: Captain Annie “the Axe Murderer” Clegg, and First Mate ‘Two-toes’ Thomas
And the starring attraction:
The Train Will Whistle One Last Time
Written by Frederic Barnabe, translated into English by David Benchetrit
It’s 1867, the War of Independence is over and it is now the era of the gold rush. A group of characters, evocative of the era and of the genre, come together to take a train journey into the Rocky Mountains.
An atmospheric trailer is available here: youtube.com/watch?v=FAWstx7A … e=youtu.be
Cast of Characters
Bethany Dickinson, a teacher
Come After Thunder, a Native American shaman
Eagle-Eye Johnson, a hunter
Hank Jenkins, the sheriff
Jonathan Dwelling, a cowboy
Lilly Blue-Angel, a saloon singer
Maria ‘Tequila’, la Mexicana
Molly Cattlefield, a ranchowner
Paquito, el Mexicano
Robert Hartman, a cowboy
Silas Doon, a cowboy
Sister Sarah, a nun
Wayne Cooper, a cowboy
Wichita, a Native American woman
William Copperpot, a banker
Registration
Since we’re still four and a half months out, and people’s lives are hectic, we’ll open registrations closer to the time 
There’s space for about ~23 people to come and join us for a fun weekend of pirates and cowboys!
