Monstrosity
Experience Overview
Monstrosity is a three-day larp where participants play vampires and their human prey. The vampires feed, the humans struggle to survive, and all play cruel games with each other.
Concept
The vampires are having a dinner party. As predators, they have protocols when they gather in one place, each bringing a human in the same way one might bring a bottle of wine… and trying to impress each other by bringing the “best bottle” - a human who is as terrible as them. These humans have an opportunity to be made a vampire at the end of the night… or die trying.
However, there’s something going on beneath the surface… this isn’t just a party, it’s also a ritual, and participation for the vampires isn’t optional. And the humans are more than just a bag of blood to the vampires; they’re there for a reason. Regardless, the result is the same - at the end of the night, all that will be left are vampires and corpses.
Characters
You’ll make your own characters during the workshops, and you’ll have an opportunity to work on your concept prior to play. Half of you will play vampires: monstrous predators who engage in acts of cruelty because it makes them feel alive. They are evil in the same way a cat is evil to a mouse - it is their nature - but they are not without empathy. The other half will play humans… but not just any human. The vampires pick extraordinary people as their victims - the rich, the famous, the brilliant, the beautiful - but it’s not their accomplishments that set these humans apart; each one has their own particular cruelty. During the events of the night, the monsters become more human as they reveal their hidden empathy, and the humans become more monstrous as they use their cruel instincts to survive.
A few things to consider when you think about your character:
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Before the larp, don’t worry too much about backstory. For the vampires, we’ll handle shared history and character ties during our workshops. For the humans, you won’t know anyone but your vampire. Focus on who your character is right now and what you want to do.
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When thinking about who your character is, focus on their monstrosity, but also make sure you consider what’s likeable about them. This is a larp as much about empathy as it is monstrosity: give us a reason to care about them.
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Remember the in-role premise of the night: you’re going to a high-end networking event with lots of powerful people, and someone may (or may not) have hinted it’s a sex party. Humans, make characters who would go to such an event; vampires, make characters who would engage with that human.
Setting
The party takes place in the home of a powerful vampire, the “Host.” For vampires, attendance is mandatory, and some of them have been summoned many times. The Host will provide space for their guests to feed, fuck, and torture their humans over the course of the night. For the humans, they’ll start the night simply knowing they’ve been invited to a party… some sort of powerful networking event that just might be a sex party… unaware of the existence of vampires or the fate that awaits them at the end of the night.
Note: while in-role, the story takes place over a single night, out-of-role, the larp itself takes place on two consecutive evenings. The first evening will cover from sunset to midnight, while the second will cover from midnight to dawn.
Vision of Play
This larp is exactly what it says on the box: it’s a story about monsters. The vampires are obvious monsters, predators who are going to end the humans’ existences one way or another at the end of the night. But the humans were picked by the vampires because they’re awful and extraordinary people. There are lots of stories to tell. What happens when a monster meets someone more terrible than them? Does a horrible person in a bad situation have a chance for growth? What does it mean to be a monster, and what does it mean to accept it?
Physicality
Participants will encounter significant sexual activity and violence. A vampire is a sexy, violent trope. We want you to have a physical reaction to getting pushed into a wall, or someone touching your thigh or even genitals. We want your bodies to guide you through this story, not your brains. However, this isn’t a sex party. Some of you may have sex there, but that’s not the point of the larp, and no one has to engage in any sexual activity in order to play. The point is that such things can happen, and that tension creates dread. That dread of combining sex and death is the key to the play experience of Monstrosity.
Schedule
Note: participation in all events is required for play.
Day One
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8:00 pm to Midnight: Welcome Party - A chance for everyone to meet and learn more about the larp.
Days Two & Three
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1230 to 1350: Human Workshop - Practicing how to play the larp and driving the narrative.
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1400 to 1520: Full Cast Workshop - Focused on calibration.
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1530 to 1650: Vampire Workshop - World-building and developing the theme.
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1700 to 1930: Break - Eat, rest and shower.
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1930 pm to Midnight: We play the larp.
Other Activities
Before the larp, you’ll have the opportunity participate in up to three online activities:
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A Two-On-One meeting with the lead facilitator and your partner.
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An online hangout with all the humans or all the vampires.
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A full cast online hangout where everyone can meet each other.
More Information
In addition to our main pages, we have a blog to elaborate on the design. Here's some entries to help you learn about Monstrosity.
