Pacificon SF 2013 Report

         This was my eleventh year coming to ConQuest/Pacificon. I went Friday evening, Saturday evening, and all day Sunday.


Hellcats & Hockeysticks

FR-340 Hellcats & Hockeysticks
Time Block F: Fri 8:00PM - 12:00PM
Role Playing
by John Kim, 4 hrs, 6 players, Game, Newcomers, Characters supplied
Hellcats & Hockeysticks is "the role-playing game of chaos, anarchy, and decidedly unladylike behavior." Characters are students at the bizarre and infamous St. Erisian's boarding school for girls - responsible for bullying, criminal conspiracy, and possibly dark magic or mad science.

This was a straight run of the game that I've done a number of times. This time I had only four players, but it was still good fun.


The Legend of Longshadow Lagoon

ML-145 The Legend of Longshadow Lagoon
Time Block M: Sat 6:00PM
LARP
by Joe Parzanese, 8 hrs, Ponderosa Boardroom, 30 players, Some gaming, Characters supplied
Avast ye land lubbers! Get your eye patch, your pirate's hat, your peg leg, for at Pacificon, those nefarious scally wags, Lauren and Joe, be proud to bring you a thirty person Pirate LARP! Once the pirate base for the dreaded Captain Long Shadow, since his passing, his Lagoon is now a small pirates cove offering safe harbor and supplies to those who run in less than legal circles... plus it has lots of rum, women, as well as a place to sell your loot! Being a scurvy no good pirate port, traffic is generally light, but today, multiple ships have pulled into harbor including some pirates so infamous even other pirates are afraid of them! (Game will run from 6pm to midnight)

This was a large cinematic pirate larp - involving a four ships of pirates, a haven, some native islanders, and a three-part treasure map. I played the owner of a bait and tackle shop, Teo Moreno. I had a past on lawful ships, The Fancy Marlin and The Madison's Avenue. However, I and three other fellows were taken to the town and were welcomed by the elderly man who ran the lagoon, Captain Squid. One of my family members was Captain Hector Glauco Moreno - a treasure hunter who disappeared while looking for the Mad Priest's Cave of Treasure - which I believed was a cross sacred to the goddess Mari (a Basque goddess of weather later associated with the Christian mother Mary).

The people of the lagoon town mostly had some connection with pirates in the past, and were split between the shop, a bar, and a bordello. The locals were disconnected from the natives, though. I didn't have any background with the five of them - they were listed as native warrior Hopo, village elder Fetuao, witch doctor Puleleitte, and Tangi and Emere.

In the adventure as it played out, there was a bunch of chaotic action (as to be expected with pirates), putting together the three maps, and treasure sought after.


Vikings & Skraelings: 1092

SL-339 Vikings & Skraelings - 1092
Time Block S: Sun 11:00AM
LARP
by John Kim, 4 hours, Sierra Boardroom, 12 players
Icelanders of the viking tradition once settled North America, surrounded by natives they called Skraelings. In this alternate history, after fifty years, the homestead of matriarch Yngvild is approached by the local ruler of the Lenape with a deal. A LARP for all ages about a clash of cultures.

This was an original larp I designed - my first time running a semi-historical larp. It is set in an alternate history where the Icelandic colonization of the New World flourished more. The premise is the chief of the Lenape coming to meet with a homestead, bringing two viking children he re-captured from a rival tribe, the Tappan.

         This was a pretty good run of it, though I didn't quite get a full cast of characters (10 out of 12).


A Wedding of Veils

VL-147 A Wedding of Veils
Time Block V: Sun 5:00PM
LARP
by Dreams of Deirdre
by Joe Parzanese, 8 hrs, Sierra Boardroom, 20 players, Some gaming, Characters supplied
Two minor families of two great houses are having a wedding,but will the other houses in Westeros allow it? Set in George R.R. Martin’s Game Of Thrones world. THIS IS AN ENCORE PRESENTATION.

This was a large fantasy larp set in the Game of Thrones setting, which I didn't know except by reputation. I played the part of a maester with the visiting party - the teacher of the bride-to-be. It was a small part, but my group did a good job of keeping everyone involved. I had a small sub-plot of my own that went quite well, and was satisfied with how thing resolved. (There was a relatively happy ending, unusual for Game of Thrones.)

Specifically, I played Maester Victarion, serving House Jordayne. I was keeping track of the bride-to-be Myria. I had a ton of skill and item cards - sleeping potion, herbalism, home remedy, sleuthing. I don't recall using them much, however. It also had a three-and-a-half page player handout of background with the history of Westeros, the faiths, and the maesters. I did my best to absorb what I could of that, but of course it only went so far without having read the books or seen the series.


Conclusion

Pacificon has been doing reasonably well. I was curious about the competing local convention, Celesticon, and would try going to it the following year (2014).


John H Kim <jhkim-at-darkshire-dot-net>
Last modified: Thu Sep 20 11:29:00 2013