LARP Update: Voyage of the Persephone

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johnny_automatic_ship_from_the_mid-15th_centuryThe intrepid gamemaster for our Friday LARP, Voyage of the Persephone, has provided some additional details.  Characters are still available, so please email the gamemaster – larp-email.  You can preregister for a ticket and badge on our website. These characters are available:

  • Aiden, Topman, Avalon
  • Sabrinna, Salt, Eisen
  • Carlos Rodriguez, Swordsman, Castille
  • Quinn Potter, Midshipman, Avalon
  • Ronald Webber, Sailmaker, Avalon
  • Harold Wagner, Pilot, Eisen
  • Gillian St. Claire, Knight of the Rose and Cross, Montaigne
  • Orm Vok, Merchant, Vendel
  • Mercer Armstrong, Bosun, Avalon
  • Jean Paul, Salt, Montaigne
  • Carlotta Vega, Gunnery Chief, Castille
  • Hans Gorchef, Carpenter, Eisen
  • Julian Day, Scholar, Avalon
  • Alice Kellsdottir, Servant, Vendel
  • Hannah Morgan, Actress, Vendel

These characters are already assigned:

  • Ingrid Strauss, Ship Captain, Eisen
  • Guttar Havermeyer, First Mate, Vendel
  • Pierre, Master of the tops, Montaigne
  • Robere, Topman, Montaigne
  • Camille Du Pres, Merchant, Montaigne
  • Terrance, Servant, Avalo
  • Carmen Novisa, Navigator, Castille
  • Lord Reginald Smythe the Fourth, Nobleman, Avalon
  • Sabado Domingo, Ambassador, Castille
  • Lady Caroline, Duchess of Pembroke, Noblewoman, Avalon
  • Sally Brown, Stowaway, Avalon
  • Michael, “Criminal”, Avalon
  • Travis Montgomery, Nobleman, Avalon
  • Jim Roberts, Cook, Avalon
  • Natalie du Paix, Cabin Boy, Montaigne

Voyage of the Persephone – Rules

Contested situations: Most situations are social situations (arguing, debating, seducing) that should be handled by the players. Most of the rest are contested situations. (fighting, trying to sneak past someone, etc). The characters should have a value for their stat and their skill. Add those (and any drama dice) together and add a random number. Of course, fencing requires a cutlass or rapier. Knife requires a knife. Dirty fighting can be used with any weapon or item found onboard the ship or even unarmed. We’ll be using a deck of cards ranging from 0-3 (eight 1’s, four 0’s and 2’s, two 3’s) for random numbers. The players each draw a card and compare their totals. Higher result wins.

Additional Rules: Most skill checks are simply resolved by determining what the applicable trait and skill will be and then adding these two values together plus any drama points and comparing this to a target number. To resolve a skill check when more than one person are working together (with game master approval), the second person (and subsequent) only adds their skill level to the first person’s result. For example, if two people with 2’s in all their traits and skill rankings of Sailor 2 are attempting to adjust the sails together, they would make a sailor check. The first person’s result is a 4 (finesse 2 + sailor 2). The second person would add 2 (their sailor skill rank) to this for a total of 6. If a person is completely unskilled and attempting to aid a hero, they add ½. This is useful for resolving ties or when more than two people are assisting. The total heroes which may work together is up to game master discretion, but generally the maximum number is equal to the Wits of the main person making the skill attempt. These rules are used when multiple heroes are attacking one target as well.

Shipboard locations : While the entire ship is contained in the area being used for the game, there are three sections which deserve a slightly greater mention. The first is the rigging. A small section will be segregated from the others, though still visible, to represent the rigging, sails and crow’s nest of the ship. It requires a finesse+sailing 3 or finesse+athlete 3 check to climb up there. Anyone failing this check, they fall to the deck below and take one wound. The second section which should be slightly segregated is the aft-castle where the ship’s wheel is located. The third section will be in a separate room and consists of the hold and other rooms below decks. There are no particular rules for the aft-castle and the rooms below decks.

Sailing: The crew of a ship must constantly adjust sails, lines, heading and a multitude of other factors. To resolve this, the game master may call for shiphandling checks, which consist of 4 separate Wits+Sailor or Wits+captain checks, at any time. Two of the crewmen should be in the rigging of the ship while the other two must be in the aft-castle. If any of these required crewmen is missing, it counts as a failed skill check. The base target number for these checks is 3, however if any of the 4 required crewmen are not present, the target number increases by 1 for each one missing. Further, for each failed shiphandling check, the target number of all subsequent shiphandling checks increases by 1. If the number of failed shiphandling checks reaches 6, the ship founders on hidden rocks or another nautical disaster befalls the ship and she is lost with all hands. Shiphandling checks should happen on average once per hour.

Allies: Several of the character have allies listed upon their character write-ups. If any of these characters are not present during the game, each one of them acts as a brute under the control of the person who has it listed on their sheet. As a brute, they provide a +1 bonus for any skill check and can be given to any other character for their use as well. They are also meant to provide these characters an idea who their strongest allies are.

Drama dice: Everyone will have a drama point/coin/die to start, plus an extra die when they do something cool through role-play or actions. Players can then spend a drama point to draw an extra card when making a check and add the card to the result.

Injuries/Death: Each wound is a -1 to all future checks (so 3 wounds is -3 to all checks). 5 wounds causing the character to go unconscious. Death is only after unconscious and someone specifically slits throat.

Props: Character sheets often have props listed. Some of these props include rapiers, knifes, ropes, etc. Whatever you do have please feel free to bring. If there is something you cannot bring/mimic/locate, let the Gamemaster know. Some of the items, such as money, drama point/coins, characters sheets, name tags, etc., the GM will provide.