Come play Limbo, a short Nordic larp about what happens after you die! We are hosting it in Highland Park, NJ on June 8, from 2:45 to 8pm. Brand-new and seasoned larpers welcome!
(Already signed up to play? Scroll to the bottom for the FAQ!)
About Limbo
The game, written by Norwegian designer Tor Kjetil Edland, examines what happens after you die, but before you move on. It takes place in the realm of limbo, a place outside of time and between death and the afterlife. The players portray a group of individuals who wake to find themselves stranded in this waiting place where they will reflect on their lives and choose a path to the other side.
The Style
Limbo is a short, mechanics-light game for 30 people, written in the Nordic larp tradition. Nordic larp has lots in common with improv theater due to its focus on collaborative storytelling and immersive experience. Rather than winning epic battles or foiling political conspiracies, players will portray flawed human characters from a world that is very similar to our own.
Our goal is for each player to enjoy a satisfying story within the game framework. This may mean portraying characters open to tragedy and suffering as well as open to happiness. One of the values of Nordic larp is “playing to lose,” that is, the idea that it is fun to play flawed characters who will fail despite their best efforts, even though you (the player) know that this is a path to failure. For this reason, we encourage you to play characters who make or have made bad decisions! (You can read more about Nordic larp on Lizzie’s blog, and on the Nordic Larp Wiki.)
In keeping with the Nordic larp tradition, we’ll spend the first hour or so of the game in a workshop designed to foster community and help develop your characters.
We welcome players of all experience levels, so please don’t worry if you are new to Nordic larp! In fact, we want noobs! We are looking for anyone who is open to roleplay about serious themes, and who is 18 or older. This game is great for larpers wanting to try a Nordic style game, gamers who are new to larp, actors, reenactors, cosplayers, writers, and anyone interested in exploring character development.
The Organizers
This game is brought to you by a diverse team of enthusiastic Highland Parkers: Emma Waldron, performance researcher, Aaron Trammell, media studies expert, and Lizzie Stark, author of Leaving Mundania. Got questions? Email [email protected] or [email protected].
(Already signed up to play? Scroll to the bottom for the FAQ!)
About Limbo
The game, written by Norwegian designer Tor Kjetil Edland, examines what happens after you die, but before you move on. It takes place in the realm of limbo, a place outside of time and between death and the afterlife. The players portray a group of individuals who wake to find themselves stranded in this waiting place where they will reflect on their lives and choose a path to the other side.
The Style
Limbo is a short, mechanics-light game for 30 people, written in the Nordic larp tradition. Nordic larp has lots in common with improv theater due to its focus on collaborative storytelling and immersive experience. Rather than winning epic battles or foiling political conspiracies, players will portray flawed human characters from a world that is very similar to our own.
Our goal is for each player to enjoy a satisfying story within the game framework. This may mean portraying characters open to tragedy and suffering as well as open to happiness. One of the values of Nordic larp is “playing to lose,” that is, the idea that it is fun to play flawed characters who will fail despite their best efforts, even though you (the player) know that this is a path to failure. For this reason, we encourage you to play characters who make or have made bad decisions! (You can read more about Nordic larp on Lizzie’s blog, and on the Nordic Larp Wiki.)
In keeping with the Nordic larp tradition, we’ll spend the first hour or so of the game in a workshop designed to foster community and help develop your characters.
We welcome players of all experience levels, so please don’t worry if you are new to Nordic larp! In fact, we want noobs! We are looking for anyone who is open to roleplay about serious themes, and who is 18 or older. This game is great for larpers wanting to try a Nordic style game, gamers who are new to larp, actors, reenactors, cosplayers, writers, and anyone interested in exploring character development.
The Organizers
This game is brought to you by a diverse team of enthusiastic Highland Parkers: Emma Waldron, performance researcher, Aaron Trammell, media studies expert, and Lizzie Stark, author of Leaving Mundania. Got questions? Email [email protected] or [email protected].
In a Nutshell
Date: Saturday, June 8th, 2013
Time: 2:45pm-8:00pm
Cost: $12 per person (cash only, payable at the door)*
Location: The Reformed Church of Highland Park
19-21 South 2nd Ave
Highland Park, NJ 08904
The church is an easy, 1 mile walk from the New Brunswick train station (NJTransit Northeast Corridor line)
*This small fee will help us cover the costs of venue rental, food, and game materials and decor. After the game, we’ll all retreat to a local pub and use any remaining funds to buy nachos and a pitcher for the group.
Great, where do I sign up?
Simply fill out this finely crafted form to reserve your space on a first-come first-serve basis. We’ll cap admission at 30 people, so the sooner, the better!
Date: Saturday, June 8th, 2013
Time: 2:45pm-8:00pm
Cost: $12 per person (cash only, payable at the door)*
Location: The Reformed Church of Highland Park
19-21 South 2nd Ave
Highland Park, NJ 08904
The church is an easy, 1 mile walk from the New Brunswick train station (NJTransit Northeast Corridor line)
*This small fee will help us cover the costs of venue rental, food, and game materials and decor. After the game, we’ll all retreat to a local pub and use any remaining funds to buy nachos and a pitcher for the group.
Great, where do I sign up?
Simply fill out this finely crafted form to reserve your space on a first-come first-serve basis. We’ll cap admission at 30 people, so the sooner, the better!
LIMBO FAQ
If you can no longer attend, please let us know!
If you signed up, we’re planning on seeing you there! If you can’t make it after all, please let us know, so we can try to find someone else to fill your spot. We are broke writers and scholars running this on a very tight budget, so we are counting on you to attend if you’ve signed up.
The Venue
The Reformed Church of Highland Park is a short walk from the New Brunswick train station. If you will need a ride for accessibility reasons please let us know, and we’ll be happy to help hook you up.
Please be respectful of the church space, especially when and if you are in the corridors and common spaces of the building -- there will be other community groups on site. We want to make a good name for larpers, and hope to be invited back for future events. Please use common sense with what you talk about and what kind of language you use when you are outside of our game room. And, as per our church contract, please do not bring any alcohol to the premises. (We’ll be going to a bar afterwards to socialize, anyway!)
What should I bring?
$12 cash, maybe a little beer/ice cream money if you plan on hanging out afterwards, and a sense of fun and openness to trying new things.
You do not need to wear a costume for this kind of game, so just come in comfortable clothes that you will be happy moving around in for a few hours.
We will provide you with character sheets, props, and pens and pencils on the day of. There will be nibbles as well.
How into it are you supposed to get?
As into it as you want. No one will judge you if you get really into the game -- we’re all here to play and to get the most out of the experience! That said, this game allows for a lot of different player experiences.
The experience you have will be determined in part, by the character you will create during the workshop. We’ll give you a short personal inventory, and you’ll fill it out as yourself, and as your character. This means you can make your character as similar to or different from yourself as you desire. No one but you sees your character sheet, and no one but you knows how “close to home” you are playing. If you’d like to play it a little bit safer, especially if this is your first experience with a game like this, that’s fine! And if you’d like to take a few risks, that’s cool too. Part of the point of the workshop is to help us all get to know each other, build characters, and to create a supportive atmosphere.
One big difference between Nordic larps and other kinds of role-playing games you may have done before, is that there is no breaking character in Nordic larps. Once the game starts, you will be playing your character for the entire duration of the game (a little under 3 hours). This is what can make the game feel more intense, but also what makes even small, “boring” moments in the game feel special and important. With that in mind, you might find it helpful to think of this kind of game as “naturalistic” as opposed to “serious”.
What will the game be like?
This game isn’t much like a traditional game. It’s more like an improvised play that we’re all in together. Your responsibility during the game is to help make good scenes for your co-players, and to pursue your own character arc and make your own fun.
LIMBO is about the interaction between characters as characters -- it’s not about exploring the setting or trying to figure out the secrets held by the game masters, in fact doing this will break the game. There is no way to win or lose -- it’s an exploration of your character’s values and beliefs.
We will walk you through everything you need to know before the game begins. Also, this kind of game uses very hardly any statistics and mechanics, so you don’t need to memorize rules, or roll dice, or consult a GM to be able to play. It is very user-friendly!
Time wise, the opening workshop will last about two hours. The game will last 2-3 hours, leaving us an hour for a debrief and breakdown. As with many games in the Nordic tradition, the workshop and debrief are considered part of the game experience. Plan to arrive on time!
That sounds scary. I’m afraid of messing up the game for other people!
Don’t worry. You’re going to do awesome. Although the game takes place in the surreal realm of limbo, the style of roleplay is naturalistic -- these characters were real people living in the real world, so when in doubt, feel free to say what you would say, if you were in a room of strangers.
And we’ve often found that new larpers make the most interesting stories!
In addition, we want you to feel safe. If you feel uncomfortable or confused about what you should be doing during the game, you can always take a chat with Emma or Lizzie, and we’ll do our best to help you.
Any questions? Email us!
If you signed up, we’re planning on seeing you there! If you can’t make it after all, please let us know, so we can try to find someone else to fill your spot. We are broke writers and scholars running this on a very tight budget, so we are counting on you to attend if you’ve signed up.
The Venue
The Reformed Church of Highland Park is a short walk from the New Brunswick train station. If you will need a ride for accessibility reasons please let us know, and we’ll be happy to help hook you up.
Please be respectful of the church space, especially when and if you are in the corridors and common spaces of the building -- there will be other community groups on site. We want to make a good name for larpers, and hope to be invited back for future events. Please use common sense with what you talk about and what kind of language you use when you are outside of our game room. And, as per our church contract, please do not bring any alcohol to the premises. (We’ll be going to a bar afterwards to socialize, anyway!)
What should I bring?
$12 cash, maybe a little beer/ice cream money if you plan on hanging out afterwards, and a sense of fun and openness to trying new things.
You do not need to wear a costume for this kind of game, so just come in comfortable clothes that you will be happy moving around in for a few hours.
We will provide you with character sheets, props, and pens and pencils on the day of. There will be nibbles as well.
How into it are you supposed to get?
As into it as you want. No one will judge you if you get really into the game -- we’re all here to play and to get the most out of the experience! That said, this game allows for a lot of different player experiences.
The experience you have will be determined in part, by the character you will create during the workshop. We’ll give you a short personal inventory, and you’ll fill it out as yourself, and as your character. This means you can make your character as similar to or different from yourself as you desire. No one but you sees your character sheet, and no one but you knows how “close to home” you are playing. If you’d like to play it a little bit safer, especially if this is your first experience with a game like this, that’s fine! And if you’d like to take a few risks, that’s cool too. Part of the point of the workshop is to help us all get to know each other, build characters, and to create a supportive atmosphere.
One big difference between Nordic larps and other kinds of role-playing games you may have done before, is that there is no breaking character in Nordic larps. Once the game starts, you will be playing your character for the entire duration of the game (a little under 3 hours). This is what can make the game feel more intense, but also what makes even small, “boring” moments in the game feel special and important. With that in mind, you might find it helpful to think of this kind of game as “naturalistic” as opposed to “serious”.
What will the game be like?
This game isn’t much like a traditional game. It’s more like an improvised play that we’re all in together. Your responsibility during the game is to help make good scenes for your co-players, and to pursue your own character arc and make your own fun.
LIMBO is about the interaction between characters as characters -- it’s not about exploring the setting or trying to figure out the secrets held by the game masters, in fact doing this will break the game. There is no way to win or lose -- it’s an exploration of your character’s values and beliefs.
We will walk you through everything you need to know before the game begins. Also, this kind of game uses very hardly any statistics and mechanics, so you don’t need to memorize rules, or roll dice, or consult a GM to be able to play. It is very user-friendly!
Time wise, the opening workshop will last about two hours. The game will last 2-3 hours, leaving us an hour for a debrief and breakdown. As with many games in the Nordic tradition, the workshop and debrief are considered part of the game experience. Plan to arrive on time!
That sounds scary. I’m afraid of messing up the game for other people!
Don’t worry. You’re going to do awesome. Although the game takes place in the surreal realm of limbo, the style of roleplay is naturalistic -- these characters were real people living in the real world, so when in doubt, feel free to say what you would say, if you were in a room of strangers.
And we’ve often found that new larpers make the most interesting stories!
In addition, we want you to feel safe. If you feel uncomfortable or confused about what you should be doing during the game, you can always take a chat with Emma or Lizzie, and we’ll do our best to help you.
Any questions? Email us!