In the last ten years Nigel and Russell have ran a variety of one-off events, as well as regular sessions for four years. This page details these to give you a flavour of what we do. All these events are run at only cost price (and sometimes below that), we make no money on them. For a 48 hours session we would, normally, charge £20, regular sessions would cost £1.

REGULAR SESSIONS

The regular sessions were run in St Andrews, Aberdeen and Arbroath. They were set, initially, in the world of vampires; however, by the end they had evolved into an Aspects orientated game.

It was during these that both of us learned our trade as referees, and in doing so we made some mistakes, and sought to rectify them in later games. In this site, we describe the high standards we demand from ourselves and our players. This is to ensure that Aspects is a good game, and that the poor-players, which we have had to deal with in the past, are either not allowed in, or are ejected quickly.

The regular sessions revolved around the machinations of supernatural creatures and their political struggles. We would meet in cosy, yet distinguished, bars and then go on to a variety of suitable, often outdoor, locations. The underlit 14th century buildings of St Andrews, coupled with the frequent sea-mists; the brooding gothic pile of Aberdeen's cloisters and the ruined Arbroath Abbey created tense and atmospheric sessions.

To supplement these sessions we would also run combat-practices. These would allow players to sharpen their skills and get the adrenalin going, without them having to risk their regular characters. The largest of these took place at night in a deserted woods.

As part of St Andrews Universities' Norcon, we also ran an event from ten in the evening till 6 the next morning. This had seventy-six players roaming throughout the town, looking for clues, and interacting with a team of thirteen non-player-characters. Thanks to the tolerance of  the local police we had a surprisingly loud game.

We also held two masked balls. Both of these were held in our normal locations, but all characters wore masks and formal wear, and there were buffets provided.

The regular sessions were, more or less, brought to a close with a special event that was held around Arbroath. This had grown out of plots in the game and was a fitting finale to the last few years. The players were severely tested as they adventured through foul Scottish weather, forests, backroads, a beach and finally a small village (the event started at 6 in the evening and finished at 6 in the morning). Dressed in combats, balaclavas and armed with LARP swords and pistols the players looked a fearsome sight. The NPCs were equally so, as they were wearing masks from a Hollywood shop.

The regular sessions were brought to a close as Nigel's wife was taken seriously ill and he wished to devote his time to her (she is now in remission).

FANTASY LARP

In the last few years we have held five FLARPs. Too much happened within them to remain interesting to relate; however, a summary is given below.

All the FLARPS, so far, have taken place in either Aberdeenshire or around Arbroath. They make use of the rivers, glens, beaches and deserted backroads that abound there. In the last FLARP (forty-eight hours long) the players walked fifteen miles, which included three 1800 feet peaks, and camped out for both nights.

In every FLARP the players are drawn from many areas within Britain, and each person soon functions as a key part of, what becomes, an efficient adventuring band. They are required to be so, as we, and the weather (we play in all seasons), conspire to provide them with many challenges.

Each session has players adventuring from the moment they cross into the areas, until they leave them.  There is a lot of combat, against a host of well-costumed monsters, plenty of NPC to interact with, traps and puzzles. Each character also has a chance to grow, as we  provide foes from characters' backgrounds, so as to make players feel valued (and possibly hunted).

When the sun goes down the fun continues with players breaking up the night into watches, to guard against frequent attacks. Sleep is occasionally disturbed as the characters have to carry out missions in the small hours of the morning.  This activity is balanced against plenty of down-time and quality moments around the campfire.

Highlights of the game have so far included: a dawn attack (at four in the morning) against an orc  camp, followed by carrying a wounded elven princess the three miles  back to camp; storming an old, ruined, Scottish, castle; crossing a river after erecting a rope bridge; sitting in triumph on top of a hill in Aberdeenshire; clearing a ruined village and carrying out a night raid in dense woods.

Because, everyone works so hard each player leaves having achieved a lot, and having made good friends. These relationships are cemented in the bar afterwards, or over a nice meal in a local restaurant.

MURDER MYSTERY

The latest event was a murder-mystery, which was run in Leeds at the New Year (2004). This took twenty-five people and placed them into an Aspects futuristic scenario for four hours. It went beyond those murder-mysteries bought in shops, as each person was dressed appropriately, the game was refereed and had NPCs, and rooms in the house were converted into crime scenes. The games stopped in time for midnight.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Nigel and Russell are planning to run a FLARP in July 2004, in the Aberdeenshire area. For those who think they will make the grade, please contact us.