kidzero2525

The Extraordinary Voyages of Baron VonClaus

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:44:46 GMT

I am currently working on a character based on the German toy manufacturer Baron Christoph Von Claus. “Chris” Van Claus was a normal human male, born in Brandenburg, Germany in the year 1825. His family was well off, but in the 1840s Christoph built an industrialized factory for the manufacturing of toys. He became independently wealthy with his blockbuster toy 'The wheel and the stick.'

On one of his numerous trips to America he dropped in to see his old friend Charles Dellschau [1830 Prussia-1923 Texas], who was living in Sonora, California. He and fellow members of the Sonora Aero Club gleefully ruled the skies of Gold Rush California, piloting fantastical airships of their own invention. Here he meet and fell in love with the aerial adventuress Adellheid Sundblom. They were married and returned to Germany but kept an eye on the hostilities brewing in the U.S.
In 1863 as a gesture of good will and good business, he crossed the Union Blockade in a hot air balloon and brought toys to both the South and the North

Seeking a faster means of toy delivery, he helped finance the building of a rigid airship based on a design by His friend Dellschau and Croatian engineer David Schwarz. On It’s maiden voyage to the United States he took a short cut over the North Pole and serendipitously discovered an entrance to the earth’s interior
[The Blazing World?]. Not long after that he relocated his manufacturing center to the North Pole. In return for his guarding the entrance to Agartha the beings there gave him access to certain arcane lore.

Having to live through the German Wars of Unification [1848-1871] he has an aversion to war. Like Robur and Nemo before him, Baron Von Claus hates man’s constant bickering. His great grandfather Gebhard [1699-1798] may have been a great military man, loyal to King Fredrick II, but Christoph seeks peace on earth and has only good feelings towards others.

Baron VonClaus

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:51:44 GMT

THE STEAMPUNK LARP QUESTIONNAIRE

THE STEAMPUNK LARP QUESTIONNAIRE

What it is: The only method of writing up your character for my upcoming Steampunk LARP.
How to use it: Fill it out in as much detail as is reasonably possible, then send it back to me via email.
When it is due: No later than midnight of December 31, 2009.

NOTE: This is only half of an RSVP. The other half is the $20 player fee, payable in cash, check, money order or Paypal form. Until both are received, you are not in the game!

I. What is your character’s name?
Baron Christoph Von Claus

II. Describe your character:
a) Species (human, Being From Another World, spirit, etc.):
Human
b) Gender:
Male
c) Nationality:
German
d) Age:
65? Born 1825
e) Appearance and noticeable mannerisms, if they differ greatly from your own:
Infectious laugh
f) Religious background, if it is significant to the character’s conception:
Lutheran but not anti-Semitic
g) Special awards and recognition from society (medals, orders of knighthood, etc.):
Great Grandfather was knighted by King Frederick II of Prussia, 1742.
h) Marital status:
Married 1858 @ age 33
III. Assuming all Player Characters are broadly competent, and allowing for reasonable limitations, what extraordinary but normal things (Olympic-level athletics, master detective work, brilliant scientific thought, genius-level engineering, etc.) can your character do? (Note: Keep in mind that you need not assume our story is a bildungsroman—your character can start out as powerful as seems appropriate to you and to your Host.)
He is a Manufacturing Genius. He owns several unique toy designs, but focuses on customer satisfaction. His employees are extremely faithful, most serving for life. He sees to their every need but has very specific job requirements.

IV. What superhuman things can your character do (magical, super-scientific, etc.), if any?
Due in part to his knowledge of antigravity technology [see Agartha] his heavier than air craft move at great speed and he appears to ‘fly’ up chimneys.

[Note: Within the context of this game’s mechanics, all characters will have a sort of rough equality—even if your Player Character is nothing more than a righteous Canadian frontier parson who fights evil with two fists and a Bible, they are certainly a match for the Wild West’s Man With No Name or an Irish wizard trained by the nascent Golden Dawn… in this one story.]

V. Are any of the things your character can do focused in objects/places (rayguns, amulets, special laboratories, etc.)?
In the latter part of the nineteenth century while attempting to cross the North Pole by airship he became lost and serendipitously discovered an entrance to the earth’s interior [The Blazing World?]. Not long after that he relocated his manufacturing center to the North Pole. In return for his guarding the entrance to Agartha the beings there gave him access to certain arcane lore.

VI. How well-known are your character’s abilities and actions? To no one? To a trusted aide? To a few? To local fame? To national fame? To vast fame? (Note that if every character is a mysterious loner that no one knows, or a shadowy figure that is known only by a fearsome reputation, you can soon have an extremely strange and uncomfortable LARP experience for everyone… possibly a hilarious one, as well.)
Well separating the man from the myth is difficult. Everyone in Europe knows of of the young angel-like Christ Child, das Chriskindl. But in the 1860’s a new image became popular; a jolly fat man dressed in Prussian red. This was the German Toy manufacturer ‘Chris’ Von Claus delivering toys to the children of the battle torn United States.

Characters can reasonably expect to interact in the evening, that doesn’t mean their reputation won’t affect who they spend the most time with or have the most comfortable interactions with.)
For the most part his reputation is very good, but certain religious groups point to his commercialization of Christmas as a bad thing. There is also an evil group bent on entering the hollow earth [see Thule Hollow Earth Society]

VIII. What kind of material resources does your character have (wealth/credit rating, estates)? How are they normally equipped? Do they have any notable servants or trusted aides?
Money has never been a problem but as long as he was in war torn Europe materials were sometimes difficult to acquire. When he moved to the north pole entrance of Agartha this ceased to be a problem. Most metals known to the surface world and many not could be had easily.
The diminutive persons in his employ [E.L.F] rarely leave the north pole.
IX. Is your character openly or secretly part of any notable organization of any sort?
No, his ‘secret base’ is actually well known but generally not believed in.

X. What are your character’s physical, mental and moral weaknesses? (Note: A flawed character is much more interesting than one which is flawless, and being flawless is rarely an acceptable flaw in itself—except in comedy.)
The man is morbidly obese and eats sweets like a fiend. Were it not for the medical attention he received from the Agarthains when he fell into their world he would have died from diabetes. As it is he is over 80 but appears only 60.
He is Claustrophobic, and often ‘goes for a walk’ when flying in his giant airship.
Often complains if the weather is warm.

XI. Regarding your character’s demeanor and first impression on others, up to this point in their life: Do other people like your character? Fear your character? Worship your character? Laugh at your character?
Children generally look favorably upon him but his size and red suit can be intimidating . Grownups think him simple or foolish. This is a mistake. He is a crafty businessman and his mind is always thinking. Those who incur his wrath learn to fear his size, power, and money.

XII. What dangerous mistakes has your character recently made, if any? Do they even know it? (Story hooks.)
The Thule Society, which he is only intellectually aware of, has him in their sights. They know of the Hallow Earth and its secret technology. They are building an armored airship Der Grose Auk to attack his northern base.

XIII. What situations have arisen that have provoked your character to take action to make them right, if any? (Story hooks.)
Having grown up during the German Wars of Unification [ ]

XIV. If your character is designed to be antagonistic or villainous, what have they done—or plan to do—that will provoke opposition from others? (Story hooks.)

XV. What old problems exist in your character’s background that might reemerge in their life? (Note: Possibilities include old enemies, long-lost uncles with fortunes, spouses declared dead but now returned from desert islands, a past life lost due to amnesia, etc.)

XVI. What (values, ideas, dreams, ideals, objects) would your character be willing to die for?
XVIa. Who (persons of any species) would your character be willing to die for?
XVIb. Which outranks the other (the what or the who)? Does your character know, or would they shock themselves?

XVII. What (values, ideas, dreams, ideals, objects) would your character be willing to live for/devote themselves ceaselessly to?
XVIIa. Who (persons of any species) would your character be willing to live for/devote themselves ceaselessly to?
XVIIb. Which outranks the other (the what or the who)? Does your character know, or would they shock themselves?

XVIII. How large is the stage your character normally operates in? That is, what is their usual “neighborhood” in terms of storytelling? The same drawing room night after night, the wild countryside, the ballrooms of Europe, globehopping adventure, across the Ether to strange new worlds, or any possible variation on these?

XIX. How ambitious is your character, in terms of things they can try to directly influence? Rate it:
1. Has gigantic, possibly megalomaniacal (even “in a good way”) personal goals (discover a Secret of the Universe, conquer the world, destroy a Fiend That Threatens The World, etc.)
2. Has major personal goals (invent something big but not world-changing, bring down a criminal organization, take over a kingdom, etc.)
3. Has small personal goals (promote a small invention, avenge a slight, become mayor of a small town, etc.) that they are pursuing
4. Simply wants to get through life (home, maybe family, good living), but the world has other (adventurous, nasty) ideas for them
(Note: If you would like to play a character with no ambitions and to whom nothing ever happens, it might be easier if you finish this writeup, send me $20, and then stay home on the night of the game.)

XX. Does your character currently have any active enemies? If so, what are they like? (Story hooks.)

XXI. Does your character have a trusting personality toward those they are close to? Or are they closed off, two-faced, manipulative or paranoid?

XXII. Does your character fear death? What do they think will happen to them when they die?

XXIII. Does your character have a sense of humor about themselves, or do they take themselves too seriously, or somewhere in between?

XXIV. Your character’s attitude toward violence—do they:
a) Fear it and avoid it
b) Cringe and do what they must
c) Simply fight when it’s fighting time
d) See it as a sporting activity and somewhat enjoy it
e) Relish it and provoke combat whenever they get the opportunity

XXV. Does your character have unrealistic expectations of love, or reasonably balanced hopes, or bitter dashed dreams? Or perhaps your character is completely uninterested?

XXVI. Does your character regard other people in an egalitarian manner, or do they perceive the universe in an absolute pecking order of better and worse, top to bottom, superior and inferior?

XXVII. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being most/best, 1 being least/worst), how honest is your character toward other people in daily life? (Note: This is less about law and order and more about unwritten laws of honesty, reliability and openness. You can play a perfectly upright pirate and they don’t even have to be from Penzance.)

XXVIII. Your character’s attitude toward the law and society’s expectations—do they:
a) Suffer under the oppression of their fellow man in a Kafkaesque fashion
b) Take joy in the comfort of a structured society, abiding by its many rules and laws, written and unwritten
c) Slyly enjoy the protection of the letter of the law while acting entirely against the best treatment of the fellow human beings
d) Shrug and accept things most of the time, acting to change things only within clearly delineated channels created by society
e) Actively pursue a criminal and/or rebellious posture toward society, flouting the law wherever they can
f) Have no concept of civilized society and disregard any law more structured than that of the individual code, the family tradition, the tribal taboo?

XXIX. If your character were the central focus of a work of fiction, what genre would that work be considered—besides Steampunk? Comedy, horror, tragedy, fantasy, drama, science fiction, melodrama, bedroom farce, space fantasy, allegory, religious parable, pornography, etc., etc.? (Note: Multiple genres may be appropriate, but try to select no more than 2-3.)
Several poems and children’s stories do exist. They focus on his delivering toys. If the true story were told it would read likes science fiction.

XXX. Because the very nature of a theatrical LARP requires character interaction, your Player Character can only be somewhat antisocial—and better yet, should be “antisocial in a socially active way,” to coin an awkward phrase. (Meaning that you need to be willing to play an antisocial character as a fish out of water, displaying their personality traits directly to everyone you encounter and not hiding in a corner all night.) Given this assumption, are there any unusual limitations to your character’s capacity to interact with others, and how will you overcome them to help make the game enjoyable for everyone?
Meeting people for the first time is okay, but after a while he has few things to say.
His tendency to judge people [naughty/nice] is also limiting. However he loves tinkering and new challenges. I will try to gather as much information about each other character as I can.

XXXI. Do we join your character’s narrative:
a) In media res (in the middle of action in a current plotline, e.g., the Iliad or Star Wars: A New Hope)
b) From a dead stop between activities (just another day, ho-hum, my previous story is all wrapped up and I’m just walking into something new)
c) After a long absence (returning after a protracted adventure or retirement, e.g., the Odyssey or Alan Quatermain in Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
d) From the start of their narrative life (at the very beginning of their life’s adventures, wherever they may lead them, like the characters in Hughes’ Tom Brown’s Schooldays)
Probably b) between activities. Much of his time is spent in his work shop or making deliveries. If he is here with others it must be a new adventure.

XXXII. The world of the game will be designed around what you, the players, give your Host to work with. Some players will love the gestalt of all the other players’ ideas. Others will dislike some or many of the story elements introduced by other players. Will your character be adaptable enough to deal with characters, situations and things that exist in the world but are not in their normal milieu? (Example: Imagine a bitter, realistic French Foreign Legionnaire stationed in North Africa, whose Great Adventure three years ago was being the only survivor of a patrol that stumbled upon the fabled City of Brass, lost in the mighty Sahara. If this same heroic rogue met the whimsical Mr. Pickwick, it would not be a very enjoyable LARP if he suddenly decided to fill the plump and jolly Englishman full of lead simply because he lost patience with his japery. The Foreign Legionnaire might need to step back and adopt an aloof persona toward such things, or a fearful one toward four-armed Barsoomian warriors, or a childlike wonder toward an evil midget inventor of steam-driven monsters, etc.)
Hey this guy started out as a snotty rich kid, developed a passion for engineering, became a captain of the industrial revolution, invented things he needed to succeed, and discovered an alien civilization at the center of the earth he’s adaptable.

(And now for you, the Player)

A. How involved do you want to be in the game’s plotlines, on a scale of 1-10? (10 being central and crucial to how things work out, 1 being entirely peripheral and simply enjoying atmosphere)

B. How important is each of the following game story writing elements for you, on a scale of 1-10? (10 being absolutely vital, 1 being of no real importance whatsoever)
- Comedy
- Fantasy (including strange and impossible worlds with fake trappings of science fiction)
- Historical background (accurate real-world history, even in an alternate history sense)
- Horror
- Intrigue/skullduggery
- Philosophy
- Political/economic activity
- Religion
- Romance
- Science fiction (real SF, not space fantasy)
- Tragedy
(Note: This is a question directly related to the tone of the game. If you don’t want things to be silly, do NOT write “Comedy 10.”)

C. Would you be disappointed to learn that your Host is terrible at writing puzzles and has no intention of creating a game focused on puzzle solving?

D. Is there anything special, unusual or creative that you would specifically like to request for the design of this game?

Thank you for your great patience in reading and responding to this questionnaire!

--Richard
626-793-2879
Richard_becker1@yahoo.com
==============================================================

MY NOTES.
Jules Gabriel Verne (8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French author who helped pioneer the science-fiction genre. He is best known for his novels A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), From the Earth to the Moon (1865), Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea(1869–1870) Captain Nemo was changed from a Polish refugee avenging the partitions of Poland and the death of his family, killed in the reprisals following the January Uprising, to an Indian prince fighting the British Empire after the Sikh War., Around the World in Eighty Days (1873) and The Mysterious Island (1875). Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before navigable aircraft and practical submarines were invented, and before any means of space travel had been devised. Consequently he is often referred to as the "Father of science fiction", along with H. G. Wells.[1] Verne is the second most translated author of all time.
------------------------------Time Line----------------------------
1500’s The Protestant Reformation in the early to mid 1500s saw most Prussians convert to Protestantism
whereas Poland remained, and still remains, solidly Roman Catholic

1699 Great Grandfather born GEBHARD VonClaus [died 1798]
1701 Frederick William's son, Elector Frederick III, upgraded Prussia from a duchy to a kingdom and crowned himself King Frederick I.
]733 Great Grandfather in the Prussian forces that settled in the city of Mühlhausen in Thuringia during the First Silesian War. GF34
1741 Leonhard Paul Euler accepts post offered by Fredrick II at Berlin Academy
1735 Great Grandfather was knighted by King Frederick II of Prussia GF 36
]1736 Great Grandfather Married GGP37
1740 Grandfather born Friedrich Wilhelm VonClaus GGF41
1744 The Princess Anhalt-Dessau, Henrietta Katharina Agnes born (b. Dessau, 5 June 1744 - d. Dessau, 15 December 1799), married on 26 October 1779 to John Justus, Freiherr von Loën.
1750 Wife dies GF10
1755 Euler asked to tutor the Princess of Anhalt-Dessau, Frederick's niece, the daughter of Leopold II of Anhalt-Dessau She was only11 but they remained friends even after he left in1766 [GF15]
1765 Grandfather and Princess meet he is 25 she is 21
1779 Grandfather married GF39
1785 Father born Friedmann VonClaus GF45
1810 F25 married
1820 Father remarries F35
1825 CHRISTOPH VonClaus Born F40
1848–1871: The German wars of unification
1850 the second Industrial Revolution 25
1854 Christoph’s toy manufacturing plant succeeds w/ 'The wheel and the stick.' 29
1858, when Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia married Princess Victoria
of Britain
1858 Christoph Married
1861 American Civil War
1863-1865 Tomas Nash’s Santa illustrations appeared in Harper's Weekly
1864 A Journey to the Center of the Earth
1865 From the Earth to the Moon
1866 Austro-Prussian War Austro-Prussian War
1869Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea

giant airship’s maiden voyage to the United States flies over the North Poll

1871 France defeated in the Franco-Prussian War
1888 Wilhelm II becames Emperor of Germany (Kaiser)
1892, with industrialist Carl Berg supplying the aluminium and necessary funding for first rigid airship 67
1908 the Smokey God biography of a Norwegian sailor named Olaf Jansen

Steam Punk character

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:13:08 GMT

Baron Von Claus
I am currently working on a character based on Baron Von Claus, a German toy manufacturer. He became independently wealthy during the 1840's with his blockbuster toy 'The wheel and the stick.' To help speed up toy delivery he built a giant airship. On It’s maiden voyage to the United States he took a short cut over the North Pole and serendipitously discovered an entrance to the earth’s interior [The Blazing World?]. Not long after that he relocated his manufacturing center to the North Pole.

The Protestant Reformation in the early to mid 1500s saw most Prussians convert to Protestantism whereas Poland remained, and still remains, solidly Roman Catholic 1701 Frederick William's son, Elector Frederick III, upgraded Prussia from a duchy to a kingdom and crowned himself King Frederick I.
1713 Grandfather born GEBHARD VonClaus [died 1798]
]733 Grandfather in the Prussian forces that settled in the city of Mühlhausen in Thuringia during the First Silesian War. GF20
1741 Leonhard Paul Euler accepts post offered by Fredrick II at Berlin Academy
1742 Grandfather was knighted by King Frederick II of Prussia GF 28
1744 Henrietta Katharina Agnes (b. Dessau, 5 June 1744 - d. Dessau, 15 December 1799), married on 26 October 1779 to John Justus, Freiherr von Loën.
1745 Grandfather marries GF31 / 1750 wife dies GF36
1755 Euler asked to tutor the Princess of Anhalt-Dessau, Frederick's niece, the daughter of Leopold II of Anhalt-Dessau She was only11 but they remained friends even after he left in 1766
1759 Grandfather remarries GF45
1764 Father born GF50
1794 father married F30
1800 CHRISTOPH VonClaus Born
1845 giant airship's maiden voyage to the United States flies over the North Poll
1848=1871: The German wars of unification
1850 the second Industrial Revolution
1858, when Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia married Princess Victoria
of Britain
1863-1865 Tomas Nash’s Santa illustrations appeared in Harper's Weekly
1864 A Journey to the Center of the Earth
1865 From the Earth to the Moon
1866 Austro-Prussian War Austro-Prussian War
1869 Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea
1871 France defeated in the Franco-Prussian War
1888 Wilhelm II becames Emperor of Germany (Kaiser)
1908 the Smokey God biography of a Norwegian sailor named Olaf Jansen

An idea for a new haunted attraction

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:31:12 GMT

A Whaling Trawler, possibly Russian, floats derelict in the Yucatan channel

“Fairweather calling Nordst. Over,” … nothing but static.
“Fairweather calling Trawler Nordst. Respond please.”
The rusty sides of the ship rise up ominously as you approach. The smell of dead rotting fish is over whelming. The water is black as night with a slight silvery sheen, it’s thousands of fish floating silently on the surface.

You climb over the side and find the deck a wash with a vile smelling dark black sludge. It covers almost everything and seem to contain bits of fishbone and seaweed. A strange crusty growth not unlike coral clings to the vertical surfaces and overhead lines. The only sounds are the slap of the waves and the groan of the wind.

A hatch bangs over head and you turn to see a frightened young girl disappearing down a dark passageway. The rusted entry beckons ominously. Luckily you brought flashlights. The passage is slanted to the right making walking difficult on the wet debris covered floor. The smell of what must be rust and mildew over power the rotting fish. And the sound of the wind has been replaced by the echo of a steady drip, drip, drip. Every once in awhile the ship groans metallically.

After meeting Peter Kwong at Monster Palooza and reading his wonderful graphic novel HYBRID I was inspired to create a new haunted attraction. I took last year's western haunt and the gulag idea we had worked on and put them together thusly:
1. the fence becomes the rusting sides of the tanker
2. the two story building becomes the bridge and walkway.
3. the town street becomes the deck
4. the caves become below deck where an evil 'thing' sucks the life from the crew that are embedded in the walls like in Alien.
5. the black oil spawns all manner of dark horrors including cloaked humanoids with hooks.
6 but worst of all the evil is intelligent and creates traps and lures its victims to their doom!

The Derelict-home haunt concept

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:37:55 GMT

A Whaling Trawler, possibly Russian, floats derelict in the Yucatan channel

“Fairweather calling Nordst. Over,” … nothing but static.
“Fairweather calling Trawler Nordst. Respond please.”
The rusty sides of the ship rise up ominously as you approach. The smell of dead rotting fish is over whelming. The water is black as night with a slight silvery sheen, it’s thousands of fish floating silently on the surface.

You climb over the side and find the deck a wash with a vile smelling dark black sludge. It covers almost everything and seem to contain bits of fishbone and seaweed. A strange crusty growth not unlike coral clings to the vertical surfaces and overhead lines. The only sounds are the slap of the waves and the groan of the wind.

A hatch bangs over head and you turn to see a frightened young girl disappearing down a dark passageway. The rusted entry beckons ominously. Luckily you brought flashlights. The passage is slanted to the right making walking difficult on the wet debris covered floor. The smell of what must be rust and mildew over power the rotting fish. And the sound of the wind has been replaced by the echo of a steady drip, drip, drip. Every once in awhile the ship groans metallically.
After meeting Peter Kwong at Monster Palooza and reading his wonderful graphic novel HYBRID I was inspired to create a new haunted attraction. I took last year's western haunt and the gulag idea we had worked on and put them together thusly:
1. the fence becomes the rusting sides of the tanker
2. the two story building becomes the bridge and walkway.
3. the town street becomes the deck
4. the caves become below deck where an evil 'thing' sucks the life from the crew that are embedded in the walls like in Alien.
5. the black oil spawns all manner of dark horrors including cloaked humanoids with hooks.
6 but worst of all the evil is intelligent and creates traps and lures its victims to their doom!

Fri, 22 May 2009 04:39:43 GMT

Two or three years ago I bought a miniature for my Halloween town called "Forgotten Cemetery" I loved it and thought I would make a great setting for a front yard haunt. So I started building it one piece at a time.

I have some real wrought iron fences, no plastic. My wife hates them because they weigh a ton, but they don’t blow over in the wind. I've yet to build the four stone columns to support them, but the wait has given me some usable plans.

My first tombstones were a learning experience, with each getting better than the last. I’m ready for the big boys, four to five inches thick, and three to four feet tall. I only slightly aged the first ones, the next will be well weathered, names and shapes nearly worn away. The nice short lawn covered with leaves also doesn’t make it. I want one and two foot weeds covering most of the lawn.

Cynthia, the flying crank ghost, looks great in her new crypt but the second smaller tomb needs work. Counting Eddie the ground breaker, I now have four skeletons skulking about. They need corpsing but work just fine as is.

Return to Forgotten Cemetery

Okay I have been reading a lot about back stories and themes. “Much like Kant and Descartes ground their philosophies I want all of you to ground your haunts with a theme. That is the first step to creating real magic with your haunted house…A haunt should focus first on developing a solid story line or at least a solid theme.” I know I want to use the cemetery I’ve got, because I can’t really afford to start over at this point. So what comes to mind story wise that hasn’t been done to death? (I’m never doing anything with pirates!) Well one of my favorite H.P. Lovecraft stories is “The Statement of Randolph Carter” and most of it takes place in a graveyard.

The story begins when Randolph Carter is found wandering through swampland in an amnesiac shock. In his statement to the police, Carter attempts to explain the disappearance of his companion, the occultist Harley Warren. Warren has come into the possession of a book written in an unknown language that he forbids Carter from seeing. From his mysterious book, Warren apparently deduces that doors or stairways exist between the surface world and the underworld through which demons may travel. He encourages Carter to travel with him to the location of one such portal, an ancient graveyard near Big Cypress Swamp. Upon arriving, Warren locates a particular tomb and opens it to reveal a staircase that descends into the earth. Taking a lantern, he leaves Carter on the surface and follows the stairs into the darkness, communicating with his companion by a telephone wire. After several minutes of silence, Warren suddenly begins to make vague, panicked outbursts that culminate in a desperate plea for Carter to flee. Finally, after Warren is silent for several minutes, Carter calls to him down the line, only to hear an alien voice telling him that Warren is dead.

That’s it; short and spooky. The imagery is perfect, a swamp, an ancient cemetery, descent into a tomb, demon creature kills you or drives you insane. So now I have my theme. What do I do with it?

Step one. Big Cypress Swamp. My house is a typical fifties rock roof dwelling, not at all menacing or reminiscent of a cypress swamp. So sixteen feet of flats attached to the garage, painted to resemble a moonlit swamp should help. I think a few skeletal trees, half a dozen new gravestones and all the dead plants Home Depot will give me should just about do it. My little fog machine won't cover the added footage, so I guess it's time to put some bucks into a new bigger one. Maybe put some of sinister scents mildew or swamp smell into it. For sound effects I have recordings of Okie Fenokee Swamp; alligators, frogs, night birds, etc.

Step two. Ancient Graveyard. My nice manicured lawn hardly reminds one of an ancient graveyard showing 'the manifold signs of immemorial years.' First of all the Oriental Trading company's kiddy tombstones are just too cute. I need a deep, damp hollow, overgrown with rank grass, moss, and curious creeping weeds, filled with a vague stench of rotting stone. If there is to be the signs of neglect and decrepitude on every hand and the haunting notion that we are 'the first living creatures to invade a lethal silence of centuries' I have a lot of work ahead of me.

I'll start with three or four ground cover pieces made of poultry netting covered with fabric and glue. The idea is to make relatively light mounds that will hold artificial plants. The center of these mounds could hold a crumbling cross, antique slab, or over turned urn. They could also hide a fog machine or speakers.

The front of the house doesn't need the swamp flats because I will build a row of cenotaphs , and mausoleum facades to cover the front door and windows. Back in the corner will be a moss-grown, moisture-stained, half-obliterated sepulcher of terror, the Entrance to the Haunt

Building a better Zombie [part 2]

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:04:06 GMT

Step one.
Take the blucky out of the bag and laugh at what some guy in China is passing off as anatomically correct

Step two.
Fix it. This is going to add some time to the overall project but I think it’s worth it. First time I did this I used an Xacto knife. But ever since I’ve used my dermel, to remove the unwanted plastic.

The skull. I’d opt for using any other skull you can find but with a few cuts this one will do.

First cut out the flat eyes to form new sockets Use the tape to form eye sockets.
Second Cut the lower jaw off removing several teeth and retape it lower so that the mouth is open.
The arms & legs.
The lower arms and legs of a skeleton have two bones so we need to cut them to be more realistic.
Cut out a generous amount of the plastic on each side of the plastic bones and then use tape to close the pieces together forming two separate bones.. Here are before and after pictures. The original with area to be cut marked, and the taped the bones.

Artificers Guild

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:42:06 GMT

Okay I started a new 'space' on Larp Space for prop building.
I call it the Artificers Guild
http://www.larpspace.com/artificersguild

Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 09:31 PM CST

Okay well hear goes. During my first LARP Alliance meet-up it was suggested that I might use my love of prop building to help others with their games. I am a long time theatre tech, so am use to building sets, sewing costumes, and applying makeup. But my real talent lies in the special effects and prop department.
The LARPs I have been in have been prop heavy and weapons light, so I will not be cutting into Iron Liege territory. Nor will I build armor or combat shields. If you need twelve Arthurian shields to decorated your round table, okay. I am not limited to medieval or fantasy. If you want anything from an ancient artifact, to modern lab equipment or even an alien device from the future all are possible. Need a special effect ? How about that certain a sound or some theme music. What about lights, non-burning flames or black light? Buying this stuff could cost you more than you take in but what if there was a place that would help you set it all up?
‘We buy it, you use it,' that's the idea behind the Artificer's Guild. We love to build props/you use them. Now if I did this alone I'd need lot's of advanced warning, but if there is anyone else out the who's into prop building or would be interested in learning drop on by. I plan to have monthly gatherings where you can practice making all sorts of things, like giants and floating ghosts or newspaper clippings from turn of the century London. Interested? just comment to this blog or email me at kidzero2525@yahoo.com

Building a better Zombie [part 1]

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 01:21:29 GMT

Here is one my summer projects

Ok I looked at dozens of standing skeleton/zombies and have to go with Howloween Queen’s basic design. She is the master, I am but the student.

http://www.howloweenqueen.com/bluckies.html
I also want to give a nod to Shadow @ Spooky Lake "Corpsing a Blucky"
and Eric M. Bonzell. "Corpsing a Blucky Goblin." While neither of them used PVC their improvements to the blucky’s overall look is important. So if what I say sounds familiar there you have it.

What you will need:

a blucky [blow molded skeletons from Big Lots] you can get them early in the season for $9. I bought mine midsummer from Oriental Trading company for $13.

ten feet of ½ inch PVC

some ½ inch connectors from the hardware store

Now I had an idea how I wanted mine to look and I have tons of old stuff laying around, but If this is your first I’d get extra connecters. You’ll need at least: one cross, one “T”, four 90 degree elbows, three 45 degree elbows, and four straight connecters.

A box of ½ inch machine screws

And a hacksaw or PVC cutter. Now everyone has a hacksaw and they work just fine but a good PVC cutter makes quick clean cuts that don’t need sanding

A screwdriver/drill

An Xacto knife or box cutter

Another tool I can’t live without is my dremel