Darling Melisande, A hundred years have passed and I have fought in the Dark Wars beneath the circles of power which dot the lands of The Above world where you, my chosen Ember, live. The forces of the Nything were strong this century and we finally managed to drive them out of The Below world into the light of your world. They are a common foe and we suffered many losses. Fear not, for I am...
I am drum, Numb ...
Our love is as old as time ...
We play mad drunk in a shadow life ...
Obeisant supplicants wait incommunicado ...
Footfall beats as resonant drum on arboured paths ...
Intuitive shooting; Lifeless fall ...
Face painted brush strokes hidden lines ...
Cry me a tear that mourns every death, then ...
How far along the jester's road ...
Many (many) years ago, I discovered role-playing and Dungeons and Dragons in one of the after school clubs. It revealed a universe that allowed me to flex my storytelling muscles and enjoy a mixture of fantasy and sci-fi and feed the escapist dreamer inside.
Over time, I played (and story-led*) many systems including Call of Cthulhu*, Shadowrun, Dungeons & Dragons*, Middle Earth, In Nomine*, Bushido, Chivalry & Sorcery, Chill, Warhammer, Warhammer 40k, Gammaworld, Hawkmoon, Stormbringer, Immortals*, Marvel Super Heroes, Paranoia, RuneQuest, Vampire: The Masquerade*, and a couple of my own devising (Medieval* and Parody*).
I explored live-action role-playing – eventually running my own club and developing my own LARP systems (Fools Gold and Dream Conquest) – and usually found myself in script-writing or game-master duty, writing over 500 individual live adventures over the period, many linked into the world events of the fantasy land we created. I also volunteered for Curious Pastimes and Lorien Trust at their main LARP events (special effects at the Ritual Circle), and did a little script work, cameos and improv for Curious Pastimes. I was also the South East's Editor (UK) for the LARP magazine The Adventurer.
The rest, as they say, is history.
