There are two fictional worlds in this larp. The first is the Storyworld. This is Hollywood in 1954 where you will be playing film makers, actors, writers, and studio people all engaged in making the movie Invasion of the Atomic Space Witches. The other is the B-World. This is the fiction of the movie itself, the characters that your characters play inside the film.
Playing in the Storyworld
Your play in the Storyworld will depend on what job your character has on the movie:
Acting Coach
This picture has a mixed-ability cast. Some of these actors are working on their first movie, and it will probably be their last, others were genuine screen legends, and some — you are sure — could be the stars of tomorrow with your help. You have been brought in to try to get the very best out of the actors, to help them find the truth of their characters, and to shape their performances in an artistic way. You will run a handful of acting workshops for small groups of actors, and at other times get them to rehearse some scenes from the movie. We can give you a script for these workshops, or – if you prefer – you can design and run your own (let us know which). You also have a part in the movie, so you will also get to act as well as teaching others how to do it!
Actor
You are an actor working on the movie, “Invasion of the Atomic Space Witches.” Most of your scheduled day will be spent rehearsing and shooting scenes from the movie, although given the budget of this production you may also be asked to help out with various other jobs backstage from time to time.
Director
You are one of the directors. You guide the actors and the camera crews with your creative vision, and tell them what you want. You work with the writers, who will create the script and dialogue for the actors. You sometimes have creative differences with the Producers – who represent the money, – so you do need to listen to them. From time to time you may have an Assistant Director (AD) who will deal with the camera crew. The ADs is an NPC. Sometimes the AD will tell you that a scene has to be re-shot, off-game this is for technical reasons. You also have a part in the movie, another person will direct your scenes .
Lighting and Effects Designer
You are the Effects designer. This means that if the movie needs a monster, or a shot where a UFO flies over the woods it is down to you to work out how to do it. Fortunately you have a rotating team of assistants to help you out. Unfortunately they are mainly actors and film people who would normally be on a break! In addition you are the lighting designer which means you need to make sure that the lights are ready and set for each scene. We will provide you with support from an NPC assistant if you need one. You also have a part in the movie, another person will light your scenes.
Filmcrew / Cinematographer
You are the camera operator. You are the one who the movie relies on more than anyone else to actually make magic. You frame the shots, make sure that the actors are in shot, and start and stop the camera. Whilst the director tells the actors what to do, it is your job to actually make them look good. Our cameras are modern video cameras disguised to look more in period. We will show you how they work. We will fix lenses for you and will be on hand to help with focus and positioning if you need it. You also have a part in the movie, another person will film your scenes.
Fixer
In 1954 Hollywood, being a fixer wasn’t an official job title. It’s a shadow profession where you ‘work for the studio’ and you make problems disappear before they become public. That could be an actor caught in a sex scandal, a drunken arrest, an affair that could damage a studio image, blacklist associations, or a journalist just asking the wrong questions. You have a small team working for you, Rayna Ashwell a ‘publicity assistant’ who handles the press, and Morgan Thorn, the ‘Runner’ who is your right hand, and who handles everything else. They are also both really good at handling the actors.
You also have a part in the movie, so when you are not fixing problems you will also get to act.
Producer
You are the producer on this movie. That means you are the ringmaster of this circus. You need to make sure that the movie gets made on time, that it doesn’t run out of money, and that it has the best chance of wowing audiences across the USA. Normally you’d control the money, but there is another producer on this flick, the guy from the Baptist Church who has put up more than half the cash for the movie. He’s not worked in the movies before so you are there to guide him. The thing is that his idea of what people want and what you know they will buy are very different. The rest of the money came through some business associates of one of the actors. You should probably dig into that a little, as the words ‘business associates’ set alarms ringing. You are the one ultimately in charge. Sure the directors think they are, and the writers dream of it, and the actors behave like they are, but the buck stops with you. You have a team of fixers, runners, publicity people working for you. It is the best job in the world.
Producer (Executive)
You are the producer on this movie. That means you are the one who needs to make sure that the investment you made in this idea pays off for the Church. Fortunately there is another person with the title of Producer, a man called Casey Holt. He has made a lot of pictures, mainly educational pieces you are told, and some arty pictures too. As you put up more than half of the cash for the picture he seems willing to defer to you. He deals with most of the studio side of things, and that leaves you time to guide the writers and advise the directors. If you were not already a preacher, you’d think that this was the best job in the world.
Prop Master
You are responsible for the props and scenography on the movie. This means you need to make sure that the right props go to the right people on the right soundstages at the right time. You also need to make sure the props come back. Sometimes the writers and directors will ask you for things that don’t yet exist. A flying saucer? An atomic ray gun? You’ll need to make these. A new set! Fortunately you have a rotating team of assistants to help you out. Unfortunately they are mainly actors and film people who would normally be on a break. Off-game we will provide you with unsuitable materials and not enough time to do the job properly. If this gets too stressful talk to us and we’ll try to have some of the NPC crew help out. You also have a part in the movie.
Publicity Assistant
Your job is to work at the meeting point between truth and story. You are also a part of the ‘fixer’ team, working for the legendary Joseph Striker. Your job in that team is to help make problems go away by taking whatever the team resolves and making it publicly believable. You are responsible for press releases, studio statements, polite denials, and “clarifications” — editing reality into something printable. Simply put, you don’t decide what happens, but you do get to decide what people believe happened. You also have a part in the movie, so when you are not fixing problems you will also get to act.
Runner
You are the person who makes sure the movie making machine keeps moving without anyone important having to think about it. Basically you are a pair of legs with initiative. You go where you’re told, get what’s needed, and don’t slow anything down. That can mean anything, depending on the moment. The role involves errands and logistics, running messages, getting things and people to the right place at the right time, and working as a key assistant for the directors.
However, you are also a part of the ‘fixer’ team. Your main work is for the Hollywood legend, Joseph Striker. Your job in that team is to help make problems go away, to resolve issues before anyone knows they exist, and to keep scandals out of the press at any cost.
And, you also have a part in the movie, so when you are not fixing problems you will also get to act!
Stage Manager
You manage the team that includes the Prop Master, FX Designer, and Runner. If a movie is a circus, you are the ringmaster and everyone else is a clown. You are responsible for keeping the schedule on time. We will provide you with the schedule off-game, telling you who needs to be where and when and when they need to be finished by. If someone is unavailable, then you’ll need to work with the writers and directors to fix it. We can also give you an NPC assistant with a clipboard if you need help, because we really do need to try to keep it all to time. You also have a part in the movie!
Studio Doctor / Science Advisor
You are on retainer so you get paid whether you are working or not but the studio likes to keep you busy. “Hey, Max, you’re a doctor! Can you step in as the advisor for this Atomic Space Witches project? Just help them out with the science stuff. While you are there, keep everyone healthy, if you know what I mean! Also, they are short an actor, so we need you to do that too!” See – busy. Your primary role is the Studio Doctor. You can run medicals, offer shots to actors who are flagging, work as a shrink and a physiotherapist, and generally make sure they are drinking enough water and laying off anything that might make them keel over. Occasionally the writers might ask you to help out with the science. This is fine as long as it is medicine. Anything else and you’ll just have to wing it. And, you also have a part in the movie, so when you are not being a doctor you will also get to act!
Writer
You are one of the writers who have been brought in to try to make sense of this movie. You’ve all been hired by different people and you’ve been asked to write different parts of the movie, but sometimes you need to fix one another’s scripts, or rework some of the lines that were already there before you arrived. You will work with the directors and actors to help shape their scenes. There are some parts of the script that have not been written at all. There is a technical advisor on the movie – Doctor “Miracle” (Max Fordon) who you should lean on for help with the science. Occasionally you will need to work together to quickly craft a meaningful scene for a handful of characters. You also have a part in the movie, so when you are not writing you will get to act.
Playing in the B World
Your characters in the B World are an opportunity for you to explore and engage with another version of 1950s America. When you are not filming scripted scenes, you are encouraged to explore the relationships between these people, to try to resolve the threat of the invading Atomic Space Witches, or to complete your plans to enslave the world. You can also explore aspects of your Storyworld character in the B World, for example playing out a queer love story that your Storyworld character can only dream of.
There will be some scheduled slots for you to play your B World characters, and some optional times and places where you can go to develop their stories. In the event of an intersection between Storyworld and B World, please inform the Storyworld characters that you are rehearsing.
Is the B world the fairy tale mirror of the gritty real world?
Not necessarily! The events of the B World follow the same three Act Structure as the Storyworld. On Friday evening feel free to explore your B World story, on Saturday, during Act 2, please take them in the worst possible direction – towards despair, hopelessness, and failure, and once Act 3 starts, play towards resolution, redemption, and a happy ending where possible. You, as a player, decide what this means. For some of the B World characters, this could mean defeat or surrender.
Caught on tape
Since the B world is not ‘fixed’ in the same way the Storyworld is, you may ‘redo’ scenes that have been filmed – save a loved one, surrender where before you were defiant – and bend or break the norms of the Storyworld however you see fit. It’s closer to rehearsal than reality.
However, events in the B World are only real when they are filmed and in Act 1 or 2 someone may invoke the Hays Code to make you play the scene again. This means that any action you play out without a camera crew is more akin to fanfic or rehearsal.
What if my character dies on camera but I want their story to continue?
The goal of this is to let you play your schlocky B world characters even when the cameras aren’t rolling and to have fun with your scripted character as well as the actor or filmmaker you are playing. You get to make your B World character the main hero or villain and add depth that no film crew could capture in three days of filming. The B World story we play out is not the same as the story of the movie; it has its own continuity. The scenes you play out do not affect the movie. A character who is killed off in the script can be saved in the B World; a character can be queer in the B World. Just like a film might have multiple endings depending on which clip the editor chooses, or a piece of fanfiction might add a whole different story to a well-worn tale. Please don’t overthink this, ultimately the story of your B World character is your own.
But I’m playing a villain, who’s gonna interact with me?
When encountering any of the alien characters individually, please invite them into your play. As a group the Space Witches are terrifying, but individually they are visitors to the town who may not be an existential threat. Similarly the Space Marshalls may seem strange, but they have a lot in common with the people of the Earth. Please find a way to bring extra-terrestrial characters into your scenes.