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Welcome.
We hope you will join us on our Romantic journey.
Love Letter: The Crusade is game about relationships, how they change, endure and survive (or not) in the tumultuous times of war.
Set against the backdrop of The Crusades, the game starts with the characters meeting the evening before the men go off to war. This is a time to drink and be merry and say farewell, set against the fear it might be the last time they see one another. Is this the last chance to say things which need saying, even if, perhaps, they should not? Is it harder to be the one saying goodbye or the one going off to war?
When the characters meet again will their relationships still be intact or will the ravages of war have changed those who went or those who stayed behind? What has time apart now made clear to each couple?
Love Letter: The Crusade is an episodic game, with 3 scenes stretching across the War. In between each scene are periods where the players can establish 'What happened' in discussion with others, and are encouraged to write love letters to as many people as they wish. These two techniques set up the possible direction of the next scene.
“If I could sleep with my arms around you, the ink could stay in the bottle.”
― Shelly King, The Moment of Everything
This game (its predecessor Love Letter, actually, written by two of the same authors) was borne of a challenge at Peaky (a LARP-writing weekend event) to write a game
entirely about Romance.
It certainly does this and - in addition to the excitement and reward of new and true love - also includes the strain on friendships and the pain at the end of relationships. It also touches both on sexual activity (and its repercussions).
Some people may find a few of the themes disturbing (although they are not intended by us to be so), and while characters are written within the range depicted in films it is entirely possible - given how romance can evoke strong emotions - that some players may react to this in a negative way.
The GMs understand this, and we'll ask about issues you wish to avoid during casting. We ask players be as honest as possible to help avoid any conflicts, and while we'll make our best effort, it's hard to predict all possible emotional responses. This game may not be everyone's cup of tea, and (depending on your level of discomfort) there may not be a "safe place" for every player. Please feel free to contact us before signing up to ask questions.
This is a game entirely about Romance. Unlike many theatrical LARPs where Romance is just another layer among many, there are no real "plots" to the game, no combat (outside of the war), murders or political machinations - although there is certainly a bit of intrigue to be discovered amongst our friends and lovers. We think it's lovely, and hope you will join us, if this sort of thing excites you.
Potential Triggers (and potential spoilers):
Divorce, Incest, Betrayal, Infidelity, Gender Stereotypes, Heterosexual Relationship Stereotypes, War (the Crusades in particular), Theft, Kidnapping/Hostages, Sexual Promiscuity, Impotence/Children, Drinking/Inebriation, Religious Intolerance.
There is a physical movement aspect to the game as I transition the players around the space and have a semi-physical introduction. I can likely work around this if a player has limited mobility, but please contact me so we can discuss options.
Participant Communications
There will be a casting form which is mandatory for all players to complete. There is a who's who/background available on the same website where the Casting Form will be posted. Initial casting will simply tell you which of these roles you will be playing. Approximately 2 weeks before the convention you will receive a full character sheet. Costuming is heartily encouraged but not mandatory. You should be able to costume without need of your full character sheet. The characters are all of a similar middling class status, with only small variances in fortune. Character sheets are 8-16 pages but in a large font for booklet printing; background/bluesheets/other handouts are between 10-15 pages, again all in large fonts. Players will have more to read in-game, both from the GMs and other players, approximating 3-10 pages overall. Players will be required to write brief letters and fill in very short forms.