(no subject)
So, after feeling very off my game the first time I played Thomas Seymour at Hampton Court Palace, I've nailed him every time since and been widely complimented by my colleagues (and today by the team leader, who I worked with for the first time). Which is nice. The cast changes almost every day and, naturally, revolves around the people playing Henry and Katherine, but I'm managing to adjust to the preferences and quirks of each iteration and am having a lot of fun.
Am in the very strange position right now, however, of being called and asked to cover shifts at the site three miles away from my house, only to have to decline because I need time at my desk. Southsea is approaching just a little bit too fast this year and between work and Maelstrom, every hour counts. I'm getting home from a days work only to put in another six to nine hours at the keyboard. I have come to bless the existence of laptops and mobile internet, else the time I spend working away from home would have made prepping Southsea all but impossible.
I managed to take three days off a couple of weekends ago in order to play Insurrection. I came very close to deciding I wouldn't go, but managed to complete my Maelstrom DT and ticked a sufficient number of tasks off the Southsea 'to do' list to a point that the balance tipped in favour of the event after all. Good thing too, because it was just amazing. A stunning site, near-zero need to suspend disbelief, excellent travelling company, surviving yet again against all odds, and realising that I had a second game that was worth passing up paid work to attend. Insurrection won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you like a game with challenging IC ethics (the economy is based on the 'human slave standard'!), a genuine possibility of character death (even a scratch could kill you if you don't get medical treatment) and a genuine sense of achievement for merely surviving (three events in and I would estimate fewer than 10% percent of the original characters remain) then you should consider giving it a try. (Hint - the Wayfarers Guild are best because the other factions smell.)
Did a corporate gig at Hampton Court Palace the day after Insurrection, which was frankly bizarre. Most of it was deeply tedious but the last hour and half was awesome. A free bar, management turning a loudly announced blind eye to the 'no drinking or smoking in costume' rule and dozens of exquisitely dressed Tudors getting their serious groove on to Duran Duran playing live. They played all the tunes anyone growing up in the eighties would want them to and I was pleased to note that the last 25 years have been no more unkind to me than they have to Simon le Bon. Turns out that I do in fact have the physique of a rock star.
Last weekend was spent at Dover Castle for the first time in some weeks. One day as Troubadour, then a surprise role shift to a Hospitaller Knight on the Sunday. It required some hasty reading and research, but it went fine and the kit is very cool indeed.
This weekend will be spent as a Victorian at Audley End House. I should probably read the event brief at some point as Victorians is several hundred years beyond my specialist period.
After that, I have fought to keep two empty days in my diary before Maelstrom and Southsea. I still have a lot of items on my to do list, but I have two completely empty days to address them. All being well, everything should be done exactly in time. Should be...
Am in the very strange position right now, however, of being called and asked to cover shifts at the site three miles away from my house, only to have to decline because I need time at my desk. Southsea is approaching just a little bit too fast this year and between work and Maelstrom, every hour counts. I'm getting home from a days work only to put in another six to nine hours at the keyboard. I have come to bless the existence of laptops and mobile internet, else the time I spend working away from home would have made prepping Southsea all but impossible.
I managed to take three days off a couple of weekends ago in order to play Insurrection. I came very close to deciding I wouldn't go, but managed to complete my Maelstrom DT and ticked a sufficient number of tasks off the Southsea 'to do' list to a point that the balance tipped in favour of the event after all. Good thing too, because it was just amazing. A stunning site, near-zero need to suspend disbelief, excellent travelling company, surviving yet again against all odds, and realising that I had a second game that was worth passing up paid work to attend. Insurrection won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you like a game with challenging IC ethics (the economy is based on the 'human slave standard'!), a genuine possibility of character death (even a scratch could kill you if you don't get medical treatment) and a genuine sense of achievement for merely surviving (three events in and I would estimate fewer than 10% percent of the original characters remain) then you should consider giving it a try. (Hint - the Wayfarers Guild are best because the other factions smell.)
Did a corporate gig at Hampton Court Palace the day after Insurrection, which was frankly bizarre. Most of it was deeply tedious but the last hour and half was awesome. A free bar, management turning a loudly announced blind eye to the 'no drinking or smoking in costume' rule and dozens of exquisitely dressed Tudors getting their serious groove on to Duran Duran playing live. They played all the tunes anyone growing up in the eighties would want them to and I was pleased to note that the last 25 years have been no more unkind to me than they have to Simon le Bon. Turns out that I do in fact have the physique of a rock star.
Last weekend was spent at Dover Castle for the first time in some weeks. One day as Troubadour, then a surprise role shift to a Hospitaller Knight on the Sunday. It required some hasty reading and research, but it went fine and the kit is very cool indeed.
This weekend will be spent as a Victorian at Audley End House. I should probably read the event brief at some point as Victorians is several hundred years beyond my specialist period.
After that, I have fought to keep two empty days in my diary before Maelstrom and Southsea. I still have a lot of items on my to do list, but I have two completely empty days to address them. All being well, everything should be done exactly in time. Should be...